Page 28 of Second Draft

Having her under the same roof as me and not being able to touch her is painful. Brutally painful.

Patience, I remind myself, placing a hand on the shower and stroking myself, to the vision of Layla’s mouth stretched around my cock, her gorgeous eyes looking up at me with the trust and uninhibited desire I long to see.

Soon.

Very, very soon.

She will be mine.

Heart.

Body.

And mind.

Chapter 10

Layla

“You look exhausted,” Kira says, when she comes into the bookstore, half an hour late for her shift as usual.

I should never have hired her knowing how unreliable she is. But she needed the job after being let go of her last one.

“I haven’t been sleeping much,” I mutter, shelfing the book in my hand.

Kira shrugs off her jacket and throws it behind the counter, then comes to help me with the new arrivals. “Still stressed about Travis leaving?”

If only that was the reason.

Lying awake at night, knowing that only a few feet and a door separate Carter and I hasn’t just been hard, it’s been fricking torture.

I don’t know how much longer I can take having him around. But so far he’s given no indication that he has any intention of leaving. Ever.

I’m nervous and on edge all the time. Not because he’s done anything wrong, but because he’s done everything right. My nerves are fueled by my awareness of him.

He’s always there, even when he isn’t.

His scent.

His things.

They’re constantly around, reminding me of everything I can’t have.

And the way he looks at me, like he’s practically undressing me every time I walk into a room, makes my body respond in ways it has no right to.

I wonder if he’ll still look at me like that when I start to show. When my stomach is so big that I can’t even see my feet. Placing my hand on my still flat stomach, it seems like such a long way away. But I know how quickly time passes, and soon there will be a constant, physical reminder, of what really separates us.

Maybe that’ll be a good thing. Finally make this torture bearable.

“You seem distracted,” Kira says, frowning at me. “You want to talk?”

“Not really.”

Kira gives a sad, knowing smile, but doesn’t push. She’s good like that. Knows her boundaries.

I love her, even if she is one of the worst employees I’ve ever hired.

“You should go home. I can close up. It looks like it’s going to be another slow night.”

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