Page 27 of Rival
“I know of it, but never read it. What’s it about?”
I grab the book from him and run my fingers over the cover, trying to think of how to explain. “It’s about a man who meets the love of his life and tries to provide the best life he can for her. But he’s betrayed by someone he considers a friend and is falsely imprisoned for years. His friend marries the woman he loves, and he spends his time in prison developing skills he’d never had the opportunity to learn before. Eventually, he’s able to escape, and he returns to his home to get his revenge by pretending to be someone he’s not.”
Griffin leans to his side and tucks his fist under his head as he listens. “Sounds complicated. Does he get the girl?”
“Itiscomplicated. And I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t say.”
“Read it to me.” Another crack of thunder, much closer than the last, fills the space. It gives us the sense we’re in our own world, impossible for anyone to disrupt this bubble we’ve created.
Laughing quietly, I shake my head. “You don’t really want me to. Don’t you need to go home?”
He sits up and leans forward. “I’d rather avoid getting soaked. Edith, I guarantee your dad isn’t waking for the night. Come on. Read to me.”
I sigh, turning the pages back to the start. “If you really want me to, I will. But I’m starting at the beginning. It’s one of those books that sucks you in right away. Promise you’ll keep an ear out if you hear him moving around downstairs?”
“I promise.” He shifts around until he’s sitting next to me at the headboard, both of us leaning back to get comfortable. I scoot to the side so he has more room to stretch his legs out, taking the side of my bed that puts his body between me and thedoor, I feel slightly more at ease when the soft pattering of rain falls against the single window of my room.
I clear my throat, then begin to read, keeping my voice soft.“On the 24th of February 1815, the lookout at Notre-Dame de la Garde signaled the arrival…”
Griffin drops his head back and closes his eyes as I read. I notice him smiling a few times at the happier moments I describe, then furrow his brows when Edmond’s friend obviously starts to play him as a fool. The thunderstorm grows more aggressive outside; the wind howling through the valley at the end of our property, and my eyes begin to grow heavier the later it gets.
“You read the same line three times,” he whispers, pulling me out of the scene, and I realize I’ve started to doze off as the words swim in front of me.
“Hmm?” Dragging my eyes up to him, I grin when I find his pleased smile grinning down at me. I’m not sure when it happened, but as I was reading, at some point his body leaned into mine and we’re curled up together, sharing body heat in my chilly room.
The arm that I never noticed he hung over my shoulders pulls me in closer and he gives me a small side hug. “I said you read the same line three times in a row. It’s gettin’ late and you’re obviously exhausted. Thank you for tonight, Edith.”
“Oh.” Sadness creeps in, disappointed he’s ending the evening. This was nicer than I had expected, and I don’t want it to end. Glancing at the window, I don’t see any more flashing lights of the storm that rolled in, but there’s still a light sound of rain falling. “Sounds like the rain has let up.”
“It has. I should probably get out of here before we both fall asleep. Don’t wanna have to fight off your daddy and make excuses for why I’m in here.” My body turns rigid at that thought, and he rubs his hand up and down my arm to sootheme. “Don’t worry. I’ve been listenin’ for him. I heard a bit of movement a bit ago, then a door, so I think he’s moved on to bed. I’ll sneak outta here and no one will be the wiser.”
I find his eyes, mine darting over his face, absorbing how close and beautiful he is. His lightly colored eyes are perfect with his dark, shaggy hair. Lifting his free hand, he brushes the tips of his fingers over my cheek again. I’m proud of myself for not flinching away this time. “It’s probably a good idea to sneak out now,” I breathe out. I hate I have to say it, but I know it’s right.
“Probably,” he murmurs, his eyes locked on mine, then they fall to my lips. Dipping his head down, he brushes his mouth against mine and I inhale quickly at the contact. Griffin pulls back slightly, checking in on me. “This okay?”
“I think so,” I say, my words barely audible. He cups my cheek and uses the arm he has around my shoulder to pull me closer.
“Only for a minute,” he says against my mouth before diving in and kissing me again. I don’t know what to do, having never kissed someone before, but Griffin works his mouth slowly over mine, making it easy to follow his movements. He exhales quietly, but I feel his flow of breath as he runs his tongue over my lower lip.
Just as I gasp and the tip of mine touches his, we both hear a loud bang come from downstairs and I pull back quickly. “Oh God, I think he’s awake.”
Griffin looks over his shoulder toward the door, his hand running over my cheek before sliding up into my hair. Turning back toward me, his fingers tighten, but it’s not painful like when my father fisted it earlier. Pressing a hard kiss to my mouth, this time abruptly, he places a second to my forehead before pulling away to leave my bed.
“I’ll get out of here. Thank you for tonight, darlin’.” Flashing a toothy grin in my direction, he moves to my door and slipsthrough silently. The room feels so empty, silence burrowing into me now that he’s gone, as if he was never here.
I touch my mouth and know I’ll never forget the way it felt to have him like that. My eyes fall to my book in awe. I finally understand what the line, “Monte Cristo pressed on that pure, beautiful forehead a kiss which made two hearts throb at once, the one violently, the other heavily,” means.
My heart is beating violently, and I cover it to try to calm it down.
Chapter Thirteen
Edith
“What the fuck is wrong with your face?”
Sitting on the ground, I lift my head from where my kitten, whom I still need to name, is rubbing his cheek against mine with purrs, and stare at Mason. I’m not sure how to even answer him. I know I can’t tell him what really happened, so thinking quickly, I respond the same way I did with Griffin last night.
“It’s nothing. Just a mishap from yesterday. Would you like me to do the same thing as yesterday?”
