Page 226 of Bound By Her

The two were so sure. At first the shift seemed sudden, but now that Bryson thought about it, it wasn’t sudden at all.

Adria had been winning them over from the moment they arrived. Bryson wanted to get on the same ride as them. He just didn’t know how. Adria was unlike anyone he had ever met, and truthfully, it scared the shit out of him.

With him and Kaydon, it had been so easy. A look and a few words. That was all it took for the two of them to become inseparable.

Seth was their missing piece; once found, he fell into place overnight. But with Adria, it was the opposite of simple. Fire and ice were a nice party theme, but in a relationship, it sucked.

Bryson woke up in a cold sweat. The clock read 3:45am

Untangling himself from his brothers, he reluctantly made his way to the bathroom. The harsh fluorescent light illuminated the tired lines etched on his face. It was clear he hadn’t slept well.

Dark circles, like shadows, marred his worn-out features, accentuating the exhaustion that he felt.

Today was the day.

The weight of the impending auction settling heavy on his shoulders.

His father might be here today. Family and friends. Shame and embarrassment filled him, and he gripped the counter for support. The intensity of the realization sending sharp waves of pain and panic into him, like a twisting knife. The porcelain countertop offered him an unyielding surface, effectively grounding him in the moment.

Adria’s presence lingered in his thoughts, her tousled black hair cascading around her. Bryson could almost smell the faint scent of her lavender shampoo.

The image of her unruly beauty, the way she looked when she let her hair down played on repeat in his mind.

Adria was his moon, casting an enigmatic and raw light that he could never fully comprehend. Her piercing green eyes, so pale they mirrored gray, stormy skies. She captivated him, mystified him, and rather than wanting to figure her out Bryson hoped she would remain a mystery.

As he contemplated the possibility of their imminent separation, the knife in his gut twisted once more, a painful reminder that today might be the last day he would ever see her.

Kaydon and Seth were right, there wassomethingholding him back.

Bryson brushed his teeth and put on some sweats.

He would be damned if the last thing Adria remembered about him was him running away.

CHAPTER 56

NORTH CAROLINA

At 6:15a.m.Adria came down to the kitchen. In the dim light of morning twilight, Bryson watched her from the sitting room. She wore an oversized T-shirt, and when she reached into the top cabinet, the shirt rode up, revealing black lacy underwear.

She rummaged around, and when she stopped, he said, “Looking for something?”

She jumped, but recovered quickly, glaring in his direction.

He turned on the table side light, revealing himself and two cups of tea.

One of which was the specific mug she was looking for.

Her favorite purple, ceramic one. It was the same mug she had used every morning at exactly 6:15a.m., since he had arrived.

She did not seem amused, but she entered the room and sat.

“What are you doing down here?” she asked, pressing her lips together.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said.

Bryson groaned inside. Why did everything he said have to come out as an insult?

She grabbed her mug and took a sip. He watched her surprise when she realized he had filled it with her breakfast tea of choice.

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