Page 50 of Tender Heart
I take her face in my palms. She leans into my hand.
A rock explodes into my throat, pulling every last speck of air from my lungs.
Oh, cailín luachmhor.
“Talk to me, Evie.”
“I can’t.” She sucks in a wobbly breath. “Back home—in the city, there’s... He—” She squeezes her eyes shut. Her chin quivers between my palms.
What is this all about? If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s scared of something. Someone is hurting her?
“Do you feel safe with me?”
She nods, my hands still cupping her cheeks.
“You are safe on the island. I will make sure you are safe. Whatever is haunting you won’t take a second breath if it ever steps foot on Fire Island. You hear me?”
“Yes,” she rasps.
It’s now I notice her chest rising and plummeting way too quick. Her eyes are dark, her fingers now curled around my own. Her body tipped toward my own. The sheet has slipped down further. Her hard nipples push against the soft T-shirt fabric. Evie’s lips part on her next inhale, and her gaze sinks to my mouth.
I sink my hands into her hair and down her neck before reality catches up with me.
My hands fall away as she must have realized the same thing. Shuffling back on the bed, she grips the pillow. A small smile eventually tips her lips upward. “Tell me about Iris and Emmett.”
The words sit between us as I try to discern her meaning.
“They’ve been friends for as long as Emmett and I have been, I guess. Nothing to tell there. He’s like her second brother.”
Evie frowns, giving me a quizzical look before rolling onto her back, her eyes searching the ceiling. A beat later she turns her head to look at me, her hair falling over the pillow with the movement. Heaviness sinks in my gut. My cock throbs as the last of the blood in my body leaves, heading south.
“Good night,” I rasp, hoping those brown eyes will close and save me from myself.
“It was, wasn’t it.” She flips to face me on her side and props up on her elbow. Leaning over, she dots a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you. It’s the best night I’ve had in a long time.”
Thatwas the best night she’s had?
Fucking criminal.
I can think of about a hundred different ways I could give her a night to remember. None of them involve other people or damn clothes.
Christ.
“What?” she says with a laugh.
Fuck.
I clear my throat. “Nothing. Go to sleep, Evie.”
She frowns and rolls onto her back. “Night, Cal.”
Dammit.
Thisis why us staying overnight was—is—a bad idea.
I fold my arms over my chest like it will force the throbbing from my cock to return the blood to my head. Evie’s gaze is on my face; I can almost feel it slide over my skin. All warm and needy.
And damn, if that ain’t making it almost impossible to lie lifeless beside her.
