Page 59 of Star-Crossed
She wanted to believe him. Wanted to give in and accept the comfort he offered. But she couldn’t take the risk.
“You deserve someone who can give you their whole heart,” she said quietly. “And I’m not sure mine is ready to be given again.”
“I’m not asking you to.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “And I’m not going anywhere. We can let this happen as slowly as it needs to.”
The assurance should have made her feel relieved. Instead, it only intensified her anxiety. She had let Cyinfurther than she intended, and now extracting him from the situation would be harder than she’d thought. Especially because she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
But she was fairly certain it was the intelligent thing to do.
Pushing back from the table, she stood and straightened her clothes with trembling fingers. “We should go. Kiki’s probably wondering when I’m going to come get Larry.”
The fact that he’d driven here made her want to cry a little. She needed space from this adorable house. From the things she knew about him. From the axis-shifting pleasure they shared last night.
She was overwhelmed by feelings and sensations. She needed tothink.
Cy grabbed her hand. “Hey. Don’t panic. We don’t have to talk about it.”
She bit her lip, wavering. It would be so easy to give in and lose herself in the comfort of his presence, if only for a little while longer.
But being around him made her weak. And she just couldn’t afford that now.
With effort, she shook her head. “It’s okay. I just need to make sure Larry is okay, and Star-Crossed is opening soon…” Gently removing her hand from his grip, she offered a weak smile. “Thank you for breakfast. And for understanding.”
He studied her for a long moment before nodding. “You’re welcome.” He swiped their breakfast into the sink and strode toward his room. “I’ll get dressed and grab my keys.”
Lyra watched the tension knot the cords of muscles along his spine, remembering how powerfully he’d driven into her last night. How he’d dominated and worshiped her at the same time.
Steeling herself against the regret welling in her chest, she retrieved her clothes that he’d draped over the back of a chair so they wouldn’t wrinkle. She tried not to think about the thoughtful gesture as she dressed and hastily braided her hair before reaching for the door.
Pausing with her hand on the knob, she glanced over her shoulder to find him watching her, a mixture of longing and resignation etched into his features.
Then she stepped outside, escaping into the cool morning air and the escape it provided. She took a deep, steadying breath, clinging to the remnants of distance and emotional sovereignty she had fought so hard to maintain.
It was the right choice. It had to be.
Even if it didn’t feel that way at all.
TWELVE
Wound
AN OPENING THAT IS CREATED WHEN THE TREE’S PROTECTIVE BARK COVERING IS PENETRATED, CUT, OR REMOVED, INJURING OR DESTROYING TISSUE.
Cy gripped the steering wheel,knuckles whitening, as the truck rumbled down Water Street.
If there was anything worse than an awkward silence, it was one only interrupted by the mewling of newborn kittens.
Held firmly on Lyra’s lap, the box rustled every now and again as Larry repositioned herself to nurse. Lyra stared out the window, absently stroking the new mother’s sleek black head as she purposefully avoided acknowledging Cy’s presence.
A fact that had surely been noticed by Kiki, who was sandwiched between them.
Lyra had insisted that she be seated closest to the door as she’d be exiting first, but Cy suspected this had far more to do with a desire to put as much distance between them as possible rather than pure practicality.
The tension in the cab was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw, making the seven-minute drive to town seem like it took about seven years. Ample time for his unhelpful brain to begin spooling out the kind of images that made him want to oil his axe.
You won’t be the only man I’m with.
There was something about being informed of this fact while she sat across the kitchen table eating food he’d made for her in an embarrassingly moony mood that made the revelation especially devastating.
