Page 72 of Rebel Bride
I had history after all.
But I wasn’t running. Not anymore. When Mr. Kershaw—Theo—had hugged me, I almost broke down in tears. These people were so kind. Too kind. I didn’t deserve such consideration, but the Rebels captain’s gesture placed me under his protection. No place felt safer, except perhaps that vacation house in Saugatuck with the man’s son.
But then I caught Hatch’s eyes, those all-seeing windows, and I realized I wasn’t safe at all.
I put in an order for coffee and a bagel and got a disapproving look from Adeline who thought I wasn’t eating enough. We had just inhaled a picnic-basket’s worth of scones at the coffee shop but apparently I needed to be shoveling the carbs non-stop to get meat on my bones.
“Back in a second.”
In the bathroom, I checked my reflection. I looked pale, but the circles under my eyes had faded, and I felt better physically than I had in months. While my life had imploded, I was taking small steps to get it back on track.
I would probably need to increase my stride if I wanted things to happen more quickly. I knew what I needed to do this afternoon, after Lars helped to move my life-in-boxes into Adeline and Rosie’s place. I sent a text and left the restroom.
Hatch was waiting against the wall.
Rather than luxuriate in the god before me, I flicked a quick glance down the corridor toward the restaurant. No one was in my sightline, but that didn’t mean this was safe. Before I could complain about the audacity, Hatch opened a nearby door and ushered me inside.
He turned on the light. We were in a utility closet.
“What are you doing?” Though it was rather obvious.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Anyone could see.”
He passed over my objection. “You shouldn’t have left like that. I was worried about you.”
I swallowed. “I had to go. I couldn’t rely on you anymore.” I had enough of that with Dash, and though it didn’t feel the same, there was the risk I would fall back into those old patterns.
“Sure, but I could have driven you back to the city. It wasn’t very efficient. Or good for the environment.”
That made me chuckle. “You think we should have been cooped up in a car together for three hours to save the planet?”
He moved in closer. “Carpooling is always the way to go. Like shared showers. And body heat to save on energy costs.”
His body heat was certainly not saving any energy costs in this small space. I placed a hand on his chest. Yeah, leeching heat all over the place.
“How many times have we said this is a bad idea?”
“Too many to count.” He sounded so resigned, which made me smile. He inclined his head further, and our lips were close enough to …
No more kissing. Or orgasms of the Hatch-made variety.
I pushed him back to give myself room to breathe. “Your dad is awesome.”
“True. Though married.”
I rolled my eyes. “Your sister, too.”
“Spoken for.”
“I’m staying with her and Rosie until I can get back on my feet.”
He didn’t seem surprised. “I’m glad they have your back.”
“They’ve been kind and non-judgmental. Now I need to work on getting my life on track. And this”—I waved between us, my knuckles grazing his chest. His hard, unyielding … focus—“is not helping.”
“We can’t pretend nothing happened, Sunshine.”
