Page 49 of Forged in Peril

“All the time.”

He said nothing for a long while. He would have to leave her soon. She needed to sleep, and he needed to make sure she was safe while she did.

Finally, she spoke again.

“Can you pray for me before you go? I feel like talking to Jesus, but I’m rusty, and I hear that the prayers of a righteous man availeth much.”

“I’m not sure I’m righteous, but of course I will. I’d be honored.”

Butterflies flipped in his stomach as he inched closer to her in the dark, reaching his hand toward her own until they touched.

As his fingers entwined with hers, he felt lightheaded, but he cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus on what mattered so much more than his longing to be near her.

“Lord Jesus, I ask you to bless and to protect Bristol tonight, and over all of the days of her life. I ask that You fulfill Your promises to our fathers, and to grant her a heart of flesh to replace her heart of stone, so that she will hear Your voice and allow You to reveal your love for her as a precious daughter of God. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.”

As soon as he’d finished, he felt his cheeks going warm.

He had never liked praying in front of other people, and no matter how much he always tried to speak from the heart, his brain had a way of second-guessing his words the second it was too late to take them back.

Bristol’s fingers tightened around his own.

“That was beautiful, Cam,” she said gently, tracing the side of his hand with her thumb. “Thank you.”

He leaned a little closer, every nerve tingling at her slightest touch.

He wanted desperately to kiss her, but even if she’d been ready, a part of his brain still had enough good sense to know that getting any closer to her here, alone in the dark, would be foolish.

“Goodnight, Bristol,” he said, leaning down to plant a peck on her smooth forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

As he closed the door behind him and walked down the hall, he couldn’t contain the smile that spread over his face as he made his way toward his own office.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

BRISTOL

Bristol opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling tiles overhead, momentary confusion gripping her before she remembered where she was. Outside the window, the sun had only just begun to rise, bathing the cityscape in shades of soft pink.

Despite the fact that she had gotten only a few hours of sleep, there was a restlessness in her limbs as she climbed out of her sleeping bag, gathered up her clothes and toiletries, and crept down the hall to the bathroom.

As she tried to button the front of her soft pink blouse, she realized that her fingertips were shaking. She felt giddy, like she imagined she would feel after downing five cups of coffee.

She gazed at her smiling reflection in the mirror over the sink, not caring that her cheeks were beginning to ache, and began brushing her teeth.

She had told Cameron about her sexual assault, and he hadn’t walked away. He hadn’t judged her. He hadn’t blamed her.

He’d believed her.

And more than that, it was clear that even after all of these years, and how deeply she’d hurt him, he had never stopped wanting to be with her.

The realization hit her like a physical blow, and she paused where she stood, the motor of her electric toothbrush whirring in the quiet bathroom.

As much as she wanted to let him in, and to keep moving forward, it would take more than a prayer and a kiss on the forehead to quell the fears that arose in her heart.

She gave herself a final glance as she stuffed her toiletries into a cosmetic bag she’d borrowed from her mother the night before.

A little vulnerability, it seemed, had done wonders for her looks. Even though she hadn’t even had the chance to shower, she felt well-rested and pretty, ready to face another day.

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