Page 13 of Dark Knight

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Bea

Noelle was really nice. She didn’t outright say she knew about my TGA, but I got the feeling she did because she kept trying to excuse her husband’s grumpy and stressful demeanor. I was grateful for that because Holden is an intimidating man. More so than Nolan.

I also got a chance to see Sawyer’s treehouse before we left, and he was right, it is very impressive. Something I would have loved as a child.

Nolan doesn’t live far from his friends’ home, so when we arrive, I’m surprised to find a farmhouse in similar fashion to Noelle and Holden's—a wrap-around porch, welcoming Adirondack chairs, and flowerpots hanging along the roof.

“Those are my sister Lake’s touch. She loves to garden and has insisted I need them.” His voice is warm as he speaks of her, but I sense an underlying worry.

“She was right.” They make the property appear less standoffish.

“She’ll be glad to hear you say that.” His grin doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he helps me down from his truck. Reaching in the back, he grabs my bag. “I’ll give you a quick tour before I unload this crap.” He thumbs towards the camping gear in his truck.

“I could help.” I’m not nearly as useless as my family implies.

“It’s just a couple of things,” he mumbles as we climb the steps to the front entrance. I watch as he unlocks his door with a thumbprint scanner rather than a key. “New technology I’m trying out.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it.” It must be quite recent because my father likes to play with gadgets like this, so I’m surprised he doesn’t know about it.

Nolan plays nonchalant. “I know the owner of the company. He upgraded my security system with it, and I just report back any flaws or issues I find.” Closing the door with his foot, he pulls me along through to the family room. “It’s more man cave than home right now.”

The oversized brown leather sectional looks inviting with its plush cushions and blanket over the back. The mammoth TV with gaming consoles on one wall is what gives it the bachelor look.

“Kitchen is through here.” He points behind us. Sliding doors lead out to an impressive deck, and the open area is mostly bare. “Bathroom is here, but you’ll like the one in our room better.”

I stop dead in my tracks.

Our room.

I don’t know why that’s just hitting me. I understood this was what he wanted, right? On some subconscious level, I had to have known we would be sharing a room.

Sharing a bed.

But for some reason, it didn’t penetrate before. I was so caught up in the excitement of someone seeing me for me that I forgot he was a man, with manly needs.

And for whatever reason, Nolan is attracted to me.

I can’t fathom why. I’m a nobody. I’m nothing more than a burden on everyone around me, but with him…with Nolan, I'd forgotten all of that.

Until now.

Until being struck with the reality of my situation.

“Bea?” My eyes slowly rise to catch him staring at me. “Where’d you go?”

How do I answer without sounding like a basket case? Most days, I feel twice my age because of all that I’ve lived through, but then I’m struck with this new reality, and I’m reminded of my inexperience in life, and I have no idea how to react. I don’t know what he wants me to say, and that’s the worst of it.

“Pretty girl?” Nolan pulls me into his body, dropping my bag at our feet and tilting my chin up, his mouth hovering over mine. “Whatever is going through that pretty head of yours, spit it out.”

Licking my lips, I try to put to words my crazy thoughts. “People don’t treat me like you do.” His eyes narrow. “I’m a disease to them.” I’m saying this all wrong, but I’m not used to speaking about this with anyone outside my family. “Sometimes, I feel like I’ve lived an entire existence because of all I’ve gone through, and then other times, like now, I’m so far out of my element that I don’t know what to do. What to say. I don’t have the experiences you do.”

With one hand still on my chin, he uses the other to brush through my dirty hair. I’m just now realizing I haven’t showered all weekend and feel gross. “This is new for me, too.” He finally whispers a secret I believe I’m the only one who knows.

“It is?” His eyes blaze with something dark and uncontrollable as he nods slowly. My heart begins to pound against my chest as his mouth lowers to mine, closing the gap between us.

Our bodies are just a whisper apart as he captures my lips, licking across the seam so I open for him. My tongue peeks out to play with his, and the uninhibited groan that erupts from his chest shivers through my body.

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