Page 44 of Crossroads of Betrayal
She bit into her bottom lip as if unsure if she wanted to even consider his view.
He stomped down the frustration flickering to life inside him. He couldn’t change how she viewed the world with one conversation. But maybe he could open her mind to the possibility that there was another way to look at things.
“Have you ever participated in any of the different types of therapy they offer here?” She’d mentioned she was in charge of physical activities guests could use to alleviate stress, but she’d never spoken about anything else she may have tried to help her cope with her past.
Cringing, she shook her head.
He couldn’t stop a humorless snort.
Her gaze shot up and met his. “What?”
“Only you could work at a retreat where the sole purpose is to help people and avoid seeking help.”
She cracked a tiny smile, but it did nothing to erase her misery. “Brooke never asked questions until recently. I think she always sensed I wasn’t ready to take the steps I needed to deal with my trauma.”
“What made her ask questions recently?”
Her smile grew. “You.”
“Me?”
“Brooke knows me well. She has this way of really seeing people for who they are. She saw how shaken I was, and having you around lowered my guard even if I didn’t want it to. That, combined with what happened with Tessa, must have given her the green light to press a little.”
He winced. “Hope you were nicer to her than you were to me when I asked questions you didn’t want to answer.”
“I was, and I’m glad she and I talked. It showed me that even if I thought I’d kept myself at arm’s length, I do have friends here. That I care about the people I work with, and it’s time I was as good of a friend to them as they’ve been to me. These people gave me a home, a place to let my guard down and breathe. I needed that.”
It pained him that she hadn’t been able to find what she needed with him, but at least she’d found it somewhere.
She wet her lips with her tongue, her gaze sliding anywhere but his face. “And I’m glad you showed up.”
His heart seized, pulse racing. Tucking his thumb under her chin, he lifted her eyes to his. “Really?”
“Really.”
Logic and sense fled his brain. Instinct urged him forward until his mouth touched hers.
* * *
Grace heldher breath and closed her eyes. Zeke’s lips brushed against hers and time stood still. It’d been so long since she’d been this close to him, tasted him.
Loved him.
Okay, so she’d never stopped loving him. But having him here, beside her, showing her that he wanted to make her world better no matter what that looked like, loosened the concrete wall of tension she’d built around herself from the moment she’d heard about Penelope’s kidnapping.
Needing more—needing to show Zeke how much she cared—she slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. Hot bursts of desire erupted in her core. She deepened the kiss, slid her tongue into his mouth until the taste of him consumed her. The course hair of his beard scratched her skin and made her nerve endings tingle.
On a gasp of breath, Zeke pulled away and her heart fell to the floor. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
“I don’t know exactly what I want,” she admitted, hating the quiver of her voice. “I just don’t want to keep living this way. Walking around like I’m in the middle of a minefield and that one wrong step will cause another explosion.”
He captured her hand and trapped it against his chest. “I’m glad you’re ready to get help—to move forward. But I don’t want you to think that I need more from you. That the only way for me to stand beside you is to rekindle any type of relationship. I’ll take anything you have to offer.”
Gratitude pressed against her lungs, and she squeezed his hand. “I don’t deserve your friendship. Not with the way I left. And for what? You got hurt anyway.” She grazed the tips of her fingers over his injured shoulder. “I should have been there for you.”
He lifted the side of his mouth. “You’re a complicated woman. First you beat yourself up because you chose to be with me, then beat yourself up for leaving. Which is the better option?”
Considering his question, she frowned.
