Page 53 of One Little Lie
Her little body shakes against mine, and I know she’s laughing. A full-body laugh she won’t be able to keep contained for much longer. My eyes have begun to adjust to the darkness, and I can just make out the shape of her beside me.
A man has boundaries. Brothers always come first, but fucking hell, there’s only so much I can take. When her little body shakes against mine again, instinct overrules rational thought.
I roll her onto her back in one quick move, so I’m partially on top of her.What the fuck are you doing, Westbrook?For the first time in a long time, I ignore the angry voice in my head.
“You think this is funny, do you?”
Her laughter falls free, and the sound soothes my frazzled nerves. It feels like coming home. It feels like forever.
A song I don’t recognize plays somewhere to my right, and I see the blue screen of her phone light up. Rylan cringes beneath me.
“I’ll get it for you.”
She swallows and nods, so I roll away and grab her phone just in time to see Colton’s face appear.
“Fuck.” It slips past my lips without warning as I hand her the phone. “What song is that?” I ask before she answers.
“It’s Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Peter Pan’.”
Even in my pain, I have to laugh. “Fitting.”
“Yeah. I-I’ll just be a minute.”
“No, you’re good. Goodnight, Rylan.”
Closing my eyes, I pretend to drift off as she speaks with my brother. And now, I have to attempt sleep with guilt and longing playing emotional warfare with my soul.
Chapter 18
Rylan
Ihave no idea what time we went to bed last night, but I think it was early. My phone call with Colton halted any conversation or other things that might have happened.
Colty was just calling to check on me, but our conversation was stilted for the first time since I’ve known him. When I hung up, Hatty pretended to be asleep, and I sunk into a fit of unease. At some point, he couldn’t take my unrest because he grabbed hold of my arm and turned me to my side, then wrapped one heavy arm around my middle and told me to go to sleep.
As soon as he cocooned me in his body, I drifted off and didn’t move until I woke up a little while ago on fire.How can one man effuse such freaking heat?He has one leg draped over mine, and his arm nestled between my breasts holds me close to his chest. You couldn’t slip a piece of paper between us, and I kind of hate myself for loving it so much.
It’s hot as hell in here, but I don’t dare move. I know as soon as I do, he’ll pull away again, so instead, I lay here, listening to the sounds of an angry storm and swirling ocean. My fingers draw a line on Hatty’s arm as I daydream, and he snuggles into my hair, inhaling deeply.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he growls, then jumps back like I electrocuted him. “Fuck, sorry. I-I forgot where I was.”
I give him a sad smile. “Think I was someone else?”
He frowns, and his eyes darken as he stares at me. There’s so much that happens when he’s focused solely on me like this. A world apart, yet he feels like a piece of me. It’s the sadness in his voice when he speaks that does me in, though. “It’s only ever been you in my dreams, Rylan. That’s the only place I can have you.”
My heart stops beating at his admission, and I forget how to blink. I stare at him in shock until he pulls back even farther and climbs out of bed. He’s limping a lot as he pulls on a raincoat, and I feel like an ass.
“Where are you going?” He doesn’t answer, just moves toward the tarp covering the entrance. “Hatty, you’re limping. What can I do?”
He glances down and winces. Pressing his heel out in front of him, he attempts to stretch out the sore muscle. “It’s just a sprain or something. I have to piss, then I’ll come back and help you to the outhouse.”
I roll my eyes. “I can make it to the outhouse just fine.”
“I’ll be back in three minutes. Don’t move.” His voice is so protective it catches me off guard.
“When did you become so bossy?”
“When I thought I lost you for a second time, and there was nothing I could do about it.”
