Page 22 of It's Only Love

He stopped her when she was a heartbeat away from his mouth. Hot tension passed between them, he wanted her, badly. But not like this, he couldn’t take advantage of her when she was drunk and grieving, what sort of man did that? He reluctantly pulled back and her eyes popped open, hurt and betrayal clouding them before she masked the emotions, and her features grew cold.

“Thank you for bringing me home, you can leave now.”

“Christy, I can stay down here if you don’t want to be alone?” he offered.

“No, I’m fine. You can go now, thanks,” she said, and turned away, dismissing him. She went over to the staircase and went upstairs, not turning back. She muttered to herself, stumbled a few times, and then she was gone.

He sighed and tunneled a hand through his hair. Shit. That didn’t go well, it was the right call though. He hunted for some painkillers in a kitchen drawer and grabbed a glass from the side, filling it with tap water, and went in search of her upstairs. He stood on the landing, unsure of which room was hers, so he started opening doors.

The first door on the left looked like it had been her father’s room, she wasn’t in there. He moved to the door on the right. He turned on the light and saw it was a teenage girl’s room, it must have been Christy’s when she was younger. Nothing appeared to have been changed, the room preserved, but empty. The next room was the bathroom, so he opened the last door on the left. As he went inside, he immediately saw her form splayed on the bed in the center of the room. Her heavy breathing suggested she was already asleep.

He looked around, it seemed like the guest bedroom, why would she stay here and not in her old room? He saw her suitcases lined up along the wall, clothes trying to escape the confines, makeup and shoes littering the floor. He walked over to the nightstand and put the glass of water and painkillers down, she was going to need those tomorrow.

He turned and looked down at her, face turned to one side, a blond curl twisted across her cheek. Her pink lips parted slightly. He stroked her cheek gently, brushing the silky curl to one side. He smiled softly as even in her sleep, she frowned at his touch. He moved to take her shoes off, and she didn’t stir once. He looked down at her again, struck by how tiny she was, especially in comparison to him and remembering how perfectly she fit against him. He had an overwhelming urge to protect this dainty firecracker from whatever came her way.

“Goodnight, darlin’,” he whispered and left the room. Back downstairs he switched off the lights, grabbed the door keys she dumped, and he left the house. He locked the door and pushed the keys back through the letterbox, happy she was safe. On the drive home, he replayed over and over in his mind what would have happened if he let her kiss him and vowed to himself if he ever got the chance again, he was going to go for it.

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