Page 99 of To Bring You Back
She parted her lips to reply, but she didn’t know the answer. This wouldn’t be wrong. She had nothing to be afraid of. There were obstacles, sure, the potential for pain, but couldn’t Gannon help more than he could ever hurt her?
He glanced down to his side and smiled. Only then did she realize her free hand was at his waist, clutching the fabric of his T-shirt as though, if she lost her grip on him, she’d fall off the cliff.
“Tell me now you want to be friends, and I’ll believe you.” Even as he spoke, he moved closer.
The desire to kiss him hadn’t been half this strong the last time, so many years ago. That version of her never could’ve held out this long, let him take this kind of time. This version of her had completely melted inside, wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and press into him, but getting involved physically wouldn’t be right. Something was off. What? And why couldn’t attraction erase her better sense this time?
Gannon’s lips brushed her cheek, and in another second, her silence would be her answer.
“Friends.” She whispered it.
She felt Gannon’s sigh on her cheek. His chest rose and fell under her hand. Another breath. In and out.
What was wrong with her? Why had she cut it so close? She couldn’t tell if his heart rate had picked up because hers was beating so hard.
He stepped back, his touch sliding from along her neck, the hand that had cradled hers to his chest releasing. He started for Havenridge.
She ought to grab him the way he’d grabbed her, catch him and take it back.
God, what am I doing? How could that have been the right thing? He’s helped bring me closer to You. Doesn’t that make us a good match?
She didn’t know God well enough to guess His response, and the one person who might’ve shed light on it for her was ten feet away and farther every second.
She’d hurt him again. She never should’ve let it get so close to a kiss.
“Gannon, I’m sorry.” She jogged after him and fell into step beside him, the thick grass dragging against her canvas tennies.
His mouth was set, hints of a frown there and in the angle of his eyebrows. The pace he kept suggested anger, but he didn’t lash out at her. If only he would, they could argue, and somewhere in the back and forth, she’d figure it out—why a romance didn’t sit right.
“The timing is wrong,” she said.
He didn’t answer, and she didn’t blame him. They’d already had the timing discussion. He’d explained why it had to be now or never. Did that mean she’d chosen never? Because of a reservation she couldn’t even name?
He pulled open the patio door, let her through first, then started for the stairs.
She followed. “Gannon, we need—”
He stopped abruptly, and she ran into him. She stumbled back, apologizing, but he held up a hand for quiet.
She bit her lip, utterly confused until she registered the voices. And music. Who was up and making so much noise?
“They’re back.” Gannon headed for the stairs to the lower level, where the rec room was.
Laughter and voices ricocheted to meet them as they descended. Whoever had come, it wasn’t just Harper and Matt.
When Gannon pushed open the door of the rec room, more than a dozen people mingled, drank, and explored the games. Meanwhile, music thudded through the stereo equipment.
Gannon paused at the doorway to send a text, then stepped into the room.
One of the few guys nodded to Gannon as though they were old friends, but Gannon’s jaw pulsed with anger, eyes lasered on Matt. A woman sat on the bassist’s lap, her hands in his hair, and the pair ignored everything around them.
Another woman kneeled across the coffee table from Matt and cleared a space on the glass surface. Adeline didn’t need a good glimpse of what she held in her hand to guess what it was.
“Everybody out!” Gannon’s command, issued from the center of the room, fell on deaf ears.
A man with a goatee and small eyes toyed with the hair of a thin, young woman who tried to shrug him off. He wrapped a hand around the waist exposed by her crop top, hindering her escape. Her beer sloshed over her fingers as she shifted again, but to no avail. She wore short shorts, showing miles of legs. Despite her smoky makeup, her small face looked immature and way, way too innocent to be in this group.
The girl’s shocked and guilty eyes locked on Adeline, and realization dawned.
