Page 23 of Breaking Bristol

During the entire two hours I drove here, I didn’t question if it was the right thing to do. I just knew she was alone, and I wasn’t okay with that. It wasn’t until she opened the door for me that I realized she might turn me away, that she’d assume I was here for something other than to make sure she was safe. I wasn’t lying when I told her I was worried about her.

She’d been the only thing on my mind since that night in the hospital parking lot, and since I’d gotten my lips on her skin on New Year’s, it had only gotten worse. I’d never felt the kind of… rapacious need to be with a woman in my life. And not necessarily in a sexual way even though I knew without even having a full taste that Bristol would be the best I ever had.

And getting to know her better, having this time with just the two of us was a blessing in disguise. Until I pushed too hard.

I watched as the light dimmed out of her eyes. She yanked her hand from mine and shut down at my question. “I don’t want to talk about my family.”

“Okay,” I said immediately. “I understand. There are things about my family that I don’t want to talk about either.”

She slammed her wine and glanced around, nearly frantic, like she was looking for any excuse to get away from me. “It’s starting to get dark outside, so I’m going to light some candles.”

“I’ll start another fire.” After I got the flames going, I took our glasses and refilled them from the bottle on the porch. It was stuck on the ice and I had to jiggle it to break it free before I was able to pour. A couple of chunks of frozen wine plopped into the glass from how cold it was.

She peeked her head outside. “Wow.”

“I know, it’s kind of eerie.”

I’d lived in Texas my whole life and had never seen anything like this. Sure, we’d gotten some snow and had some freezing here and there, but nothing like right now. Ice was so thick it was bending tree branches and on the way here I noticed power lines drooping from the weight. It wasn’t going to pass anytime soon, either.

“It’s so quiet.” She brushed against me as she leaned on the doorjamb. “It’s normally peaceful out here, but this is something else… it’s like, apocalyptic.”

“It is pretty unreal.” A breeze whipped around, and I ushered her back into the warmth and handed her the wine.

She brought the rim of her glass to her lips but kept her eyes on me. “I just miss my family. I love my job and Warrenville, but I get homesick sometimes.”

My chest lurched at her confession. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. When was the last time you saw them?”

“Too long.” Her lower lip trembled.

“Hey.” I grazed her hand, my thumb settling on her wrist, and my fingers gently stroking her palm. “It’s okay.”

She watched, mesmerized, as I traced the faint scar line, and her pulse quickened. The fireplace popping added to the moment’s intimacy, and I couldn’t help my dick growing hard as my blood heated and pounded through my veins.

Hell, the way my spine itched at the slightest touch of her skin scared the shit out of me, and I knew if I did what my cock told me to do, I’d ruin any chance I had with this amazingly sweet woman.

Thank God one greedy mitt was occupied with a glass of wine because if I could get both hands on her, I didn’t know if I’d be able to resist. As much as I wanted to trace every curve, caress every dimple, and grab her ass to pull her into me so she could feel what she did to me, she wasn’t ready.

I slid my fingers up her arm and cupped her face, my thumb grazing her cheek. “You don’t owe me anything, Bristol, ever,” I rasped. “Whenever you’re ready for more of anything, all you gotta do is tell me, and I’ll give you whatever you need, okay?”

Her breath was shaky as it passed through her full pink lips. “Okay.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

Reluctantly, I dropped my hand and then took a big swallow of wine. “I brought hot dogs. We can do them over the fire or with the little propane grill I have in the back of my truck. You pick.”

She lifted a brow. “You carry around a grill in your truck?”

“Not always.”

I loved seeing the light come back to her eyes. “Better make use of it since you brought it with you.”

“All right. You stay in here, and I’ll get them going.”

I put my jacket on and walked gingerly to my truck, then set the grill on the porch and opened the cooler to take out the hot dogs. The door opened, and Bristol came out with a blanket wrapped around her. “Go back inside. It’s freezing out here.”

“I know, but it kind of feels good.”

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