Page 74 of With This Kiss
“Everything okay?” Reign asked.
I turned around until I was looking at him. His blue eyes were soft this morning, but surprisingly clear.
“Everything’s fine,” I said.
It seemed like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself at the last moment. He settled on “Good morning” instead.
“Good morning,” I said, feeling a little shy this morning. I had never woken up next to a man before him. There were a lot of things I hadn’t done with other people before that I was doing with Reign.
He moved his hand down to my belly and left it there. He liked that place. He was always touching me there while we slept. Or while I was sitting on his lap. My belly was a soft,vulnerable place. I didn’t want to think too much about it, but it felt as if he was saying he liked it when I was vulnerable… for him.
I placed my hand on top of his, my fingers playing with his. This was the first time I had actually reached out and touched him of my own accord, even if that touch was a small and simple one. It was something he didn’t miss.
He leaned down and kissed me.
It was a soft, quick kiss that had my heart racing in my chest.
Why was I reacting so strongly to him now?
I didn’t know what to do about it, which is why I was keeping my distance. I needed space to figure out where I wanted this to go. I needed to reorganize my thoughts because, even though I had initially approached him to get back at Kingston, I realized how naïve that was, and I no longer wanted that to be the case.
Could I even come back from that?
I looked up and met his blue eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head, pushing him away so I could sit up in bed. “Nothing. I have to get ready for work. And I need to drop you off at home.”
“I could always stay here and wait for you,” he said with a cheeky smile.
I shot him a look. “That’s not happening. And I’m sure you have things you need to do.”
He shrugged, as if he really didn’t, when I knew that wasn’t the case.
“Come on,” I said, climbing off the bed. “Let’s go.”
At precisely twelve o’clock,Caine pulled up to the curb of the New York City Public Library.
I didn’t say anything as I got in the car, looking back at the building and seeing some of my colleagues leaving together for lunch.
I missed that.
I missed hanging out with friends. I missed hanging out with Etta, being able to tell her about every insignificant thing in my life, and having her listen as if it were the most important thing in her world. And I missed her telling me stories about her life, as if I wasn’t there for it already, as if I didn’t already know everything that was happening with her.
I missed my friend.
“You okay?” Caine asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?” I glanced over at him. He was already staring at me with the same brown eyes I had, but that was where the similarities ended. We both got our father’s eyes, but while I looked like a mix of our parents, Caine just… didn’t.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Why do you ask?”
“You just look lost in thought.”
“I was just thinking about Etta,” I admitted.
His expression didn’t change, and I hadn’t expected it to. While we might not be close, I knew my brother well enough to know that he was always careful in guarding his thoughts and emotions, as if they were his greatest possessions—because, to him, they were.
