Page 67 of The Last Resort
Matthew’s sigh of relief sent a flush of heat racing down her spine. He’d really been worried about her and another man.
Jealous.She liked jealous.
Fucking jealous. Even better.
It’s nice to be wanted.
“Shoot. This is super embarrassing.”
She lifted his hand to her lips and placed a kiss on his warm skin. “No, it’s lovely. It’s reassuring to know that you felt that way. It means a lot to me. Makes me doubly glad I didn’t get eaten by a bear.”
They stood gazing into one another’s eyes for a moment. Neither wanting to say or do anything else. When she finally released his hand from hers, Rachel sensed they’d come to a silent agreement. There was only the two of them in this … whatever this was … and it would remain that way while they figured it all out.
Her brief moment of happiness dulled as her guilty conscience cleared its throat and spoke.
Yeah, and how are you supposed to figure it all out Rachel when you haven’t even told him the truth of who you are? And your family shame.
She had come close to meeting a horrible end today, and if she had died, it would have meant Matthew would never have known the real Rachel.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The creak of Rachel’s door opening and closing woke Matthew from his restless sleep. He’d lain awake until the early hours staring up into the dark wondering what he should do about her. About them. She’d stirred emotions in him he didn’t know he’d been capable of feeling.
I was jealous. Angry. Thank god it was her brother-in-law.
Hearing Rachel moving around in the hallway and then her footsteps disappearing, had Matthew sitting upright in bed. In the short time they’d lived at the lodge, he never heard her leave her room at night. After the sort of day she’d had he was concerned about her state of mind.
Maybe she’s had a nightmare.
He waited for a few minutes, just in case she came back. He didn’t want Rachel thinking he was stalking her, but when she didn’t return, Matthew climbed out of bed, slipped on a hoodie, and sweat pants, and went to find her.
Rachel wrapped her hands around her cup of hot chocolate. The heat pained her fingers, but she found the sensation to be oddly comforting. It served to remind her that she was still very much alive.
A little while earlier, she’d woken on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. Her breathing shallow, and her head spinning. This wasn’t her first attack, they’d started during her father’s trial, but as much as she’d grown to understand their cause, they still gave her distress. She tried to talk herself down. To get her mind to calm.
It’s okay, Rachel. It’s just your imagination playing tricks. You’re not dying. You are safe.
She could tell herself these simple facts over and over, but the only tried and true way to deal with these moments of anguish was to go and do something. If she lay in bed, things would only get worse.
She heard Matthew long before he appeared in the kitchen doorway. The sound of his bare feet as they padded on the wooden floor along the hallway was comforting. Times like this it was good to not be alone.
“Hey.” His husky bedroom voice had her smiling.
“Hi.” She nodded to the stove where the pot sat cooling. “There is probably enough cocoa and milk in there if you want a cup. And I left you some of the chocolate chip cookies.”
“Thanks.”
He poured himself a mug of hot chocolate, then came and sat beside her. When his leg brushed against hers it was all Rachel could do to stop herself from bursting into tears. The first inhale of his warm manly scent tore her resolve to pieces. She pushed the cup away and closed her eyes as the tears finally won.
“I was so frightened,” she sobbed.
A strong arm wrapped around her shoulder, and he lay hishead against hers. “It’s alright babe, you’re here. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
She had been so strong for so long, always being the rock for her family during the long court trial and financial fall out. It had been her concerted efforts that had seen the family home fetch such a good sale price. The lawyers had taken most of the proceeds but even then, she’d made sure her mother left Atlanta with some grace and dignity still intact.
Today it felt like the past year had finally caught up with her.
I wish I could talk to him about it all.
