AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 16
RHETT
I drink in Evie’s relaxed smile before my eyes drop to her exposed shoulder where the shirt has slid down.
There’s something about this girl that excites and scares me at the same time.
My gut is telling me to stay far away from her, but I can’t. Like the gravitational pull of the moon causes waves, she causes those same tides inside of me.
“Which movies do you like?” she asks me, drawing me out of my thoughts.
“Anything really,” I whisper, not wanting to disrupt the relaxed atmosphere between us. “If it’s entertaining I’ll watch it.”
“You know,” she says softly, dropping her eyes to her hands, “you’re also weird.”
I smirk, not surprised. “How so?”
“You come across as this easy-going guy, but then there are moments like this afternoon where you become a neanderthal.” She bites her bottom lip as if she’s nervous about continuing, but then she pushes through. “I think there are so many sides to you that you don’t allow people to see.”
She peeks up from under her lashes, and our eyes lock for a moment.
When things become too intense, I chuckle, “Nah, I’m your regular joker, babe.”
She shakes her head lightly, a gentle smile making her look breathtakingly delicate.
“I think it’s a wall you use to hide behind.”
Her honesty stuns me for a second before I regain my composure.
“Don’t we all have our walls?” I ask to throw her.
She shrugs, looking back to her hands.
I lean forward and placing my finger under her chin, I nudge her face up. Her eyes find mine as I ask, “What do you hide behind your walls?”
I’m playing a dangerous game right now, and it’s going to backfire on me. I drop my hand from Evie’s face and let it rest between us on the bed.
She fills her lungs with a deep breath. “If we’re going to be honest with each other–” she draws her bottom lip between her teeth and the urge to kiss her almost makes me forget that I can’t.
“You know where I come from.” She pulls her shoulders up and folds her arms around her middle as if she’s trying to protect herself.
It makes my protective side roar to life, and I almost pull her into my arms.
“My biggest fear is being alone,” she whispers.
Fuck this.
I throw caution to the wind as I take hold of her forearm and pull her towards me. She doesn’t resist as I position her against my side with her head against my shoulder. I tighten my hold on her and press a kiss to her wild hair.
As she lets out a deep breath and her fingers tentatively brush against my chest, something tender and fragile unfurls in my chest. I should crush it, but I don’t. Instead, I tuck it into the deepest part of me where it will be safe.
“You’re not alone,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from the affection I feel for this girl that’s filling my heart.
