Page 31 of Silent Heart

What if she never came back? No one could blame her for not wanting anything to do with me. It was what a creature like me deserved.

Solitude.

Fuck that.

“Wait!” The word came out as a hoarse croak. I launched from the bathroom, mind scrambling to come to grips with the sudden change of course.

Harley was already halfway down the hall. Damn, but she was sexy, wearing my shirt and sweatpants, which were bunched and rolled to fit her smaller frame. My dick tightened greedily at the sight.

“Wait, Harley,” I insisted. My long strides ate the distance.

Her shoulders deflated as her sigh trickled through the air. “I’m sorry, Kole. I crossed a line, especially after you asked me not to. It won’t happen again, I swear.”

I snatched her wrist to stop her. She fell into me, but I was there. I caught her.

My voice was strangled, roughened by desperation. I couldn’t explain it, but the gnawing patter of panic was undeniable. “I said wait.”

Those warm brown eyes gazed up at me. I read uncertainty around the edges, warmth through the irises. But the one thing mercifully absent was fear.

“You said I walked around the lake?” The question was a stall tactic. I couldn’t explain what I felt; I only knew I needed to prevent Harley from walking out that door at all costs.

“Well, you sure as hell didn’t swim over,” she muttered.

Yeah, about that….It was far more probable that I swam than walked to her.

Harley wet her lips, shifting her weight. My gaze dropped to her mouth. Those pretty lips begged to be sampled.

“Kole? Do you want me to go?” she whispered.

I couldn’t breathe properly. This was too much—shewas too much! The thought of her going bothered me more than knowing I’d had yet another episode, one during which I somehow crossed the lake. It didn’t make sense for her tostay. Cutting all ties would be best for her. But the blinding desperation wouldn’t let me release her hand.

And then my lips found hers. Those tiny hands, so much smaller, but no less scarred and calloused, gripped me tightly.Saints!I fucking loved the way she instantly clung to me, as if I were her rock.

Harley kissed me back with an eagerness that left no room for doubt. The seductive little sounds she made, the scent of her invading my nostrils, the feel of her body against mine—giving in banished enough of the doubt and left only the feeling of this being right. Absolute.Destined.I would burn heaven and earth to keep her right here, to preserve this moment for eternity.

But that was only a fantasy.

I tugged Harley’s lip between my teeth, pulling it gently to break the moment. Releasing her, I straightened instead of giving in to a second taste. Her eyes fluttered open, gazing at me with unconcealed lust.

That had to be why I didn’t unwrap my arms.

“Stay for breakfast,” I rasped.

Confusion shifted through her gaze. She couldn’t read my thoughts, but that made two of us. After another moment’s pause, she laughed lightly. “Okay, I will.”

“Good.” I had to peel my touch from her body, so I didn’t lift her.

“Wait! You have food here?” Harley teased, taking a step back and putting the much-needed distance between us. “Real food? Not that camping crap?”

She caught me. Not about to lie to her, I told her the truth, lifting my shoulder in a shrug. “I shopped. I hoped we might wake up together again.”

Chapter 14 – Harley

After changing my clothes in the downstairs powder room, I emerged and tiptoed to the kitchen. Kole splashed a generous amount of cream into a whimsical mug, following it with a stir of sugar. I couldn’t help the smile that crawled over my lips.

This man knew how I liked my coffee. He’d been paying attention when we went to breakfast. How many guys did that, it was hard to say. No one I knew.

“I can throw your shirt and sweats in the washer. Sorry I used them without asking,” I said, holding up the handful of laundry. “You didn’t give me much of a chance to pack an overnight bag.”

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