Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Carefully, I got out of bed, tiptoeing to the kitchen, not wanting to disturb Niall.
I failed.
“What’s the matter, Anna?” he asked, sitting up as I crossed the room.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I was thirsty.”
He rose from the sofa, heading my way. His chest was bare, the dim lighting playing off his muscles. His arms were massive, his torso thick. He had long legs, and he crossed the floor before I could blink.
He stared down at me, a towering mass of muscles and heat. “You should be sleeping. You need your rest.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “I tried.”
He frowned, lifting his hand and running his knuckles down my cheek. “You’re safe, mo mhuirnín. I won’t let anything harm you.”
“I know that.” I shook my head as tears gathered in my eyes. “I know that, but my head hasn’t figured it out yet. As soon as I close my eyes, I’m back there. Or I feel as if he is in the room with me.” I drew in a shuddering breath. “And I’m trying to be quiet so I don’t disturb you, and I’m failing at that too.”
“Hey,” he murmured, stepping close. He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me to his chest. I melted into him. He was so big. So warm, so safe, so everything. I couldn’t describe how it felt when he surrounded me. Untouchable. Protected. Sheltered from anything that would hurt me. He eased my fears. But when I was alone, all my anxieties came back.
“You’re not disturbing me. I wasn’t asleep.”
“Why not?” I asked, my voice muffled.
I felt the press of his lips on my crown and the exhale of air before he spoke. “I was too worried about you.”
I lifted my head, meeting his gaze. His eyes were as dark a brown as mine, but he had flecks of gold around his pupils. Set under heavy eyebrows and long lashes, they were incredible. He showed a lot of emotion in his gaze, but I had noticed he was also very good at hiding his feelings.
But right now, they were on display for me. Warmth, care, and patience were all I could see. And an underlying emotion I wasn’t sure either of us was ready to discuss.
“Niall,” I whispered.
“Anna,” he replied, his hand on my back pressing me closer.
“I only feel safe when you’re close.”
“Then I’ll stay as close as you want.”
“You stop the memories.”
“Good.” He eased back. “I’ll get you more water.”
“Okay.”
“Go back to bed. You’re shivering again.”
I wasn’t sure how to tell him it was because of how he made me feel. Nodding, I turned and climbed into the big bed. He followed a moment later, handing me the water glass. I sipped it, shutting my eyes as the cold water slid down my throat.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever take that for granted again.”
“You will,” he assured me. “And that will be a good thing. It means you will be forgetting that time in your life. Moving forward.”
He slid in beside me, holding the comforter up until I lay on his chest. He pulled me close, tucking the soft material around us. I sighed as my body relaxed immediately. His arm around me held me tight to his body, and his heat sank into my skin. I traced circles on his arm, and he flexed then relaxed.
“You kissed me earlier.”
“I know.”
“I liked it.”
I felt his smile. “So did I.”
“It was my first kiss.”
He stiffened. “What?”
“Well, unless you count the attempted lip-lock Tommy Jones tried on me when I was thirteen.”
He chuckled, the sound reverberating in his chest and shaking me a little.
“How can you not have been kissed before?” he asked. “You’re the same age as Una, right?”
“I’m twenty-six. Two years younger.”
“Still,” he murmured. “You’re beautiful. It seems impossible.”
“I was always busy as a kid and a teenager,” I explained, surprised how unembarrassed I was talking to him about this. “No time for dating like other kids. I was always busy at the campground.”
“No crushes? Visiting handsome young campers?” he teased.
I laughed. “After the Tommy experience, I wasn’t really interested. And when my brother died, I was sad for a long time, and there was even more work. After Dad died and it was only the two of us, life was busier than ever. When my mom got sick, I cared for her until she died, then I was grieving again. I lived a fairly isolated life, and there was never much opportunity to date, so…” I trailed off.
He was quiet for a moment. “That wasn’t a real kiss,” he announced.
I lifted my head. “It wasn’t? It felt like your mouth on mine.”
“I mean it wasn’t how I would kiss you if you wanted me to kiss you.”
Silence hung between us. “How would you kiss me?” I asked, aware my breathing had picked up. The way his chest was pumping, I knew his had as well.