AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The muscle in his jaw twitched. I’d hit a nerve, but I wasn’t sure why my question had affected him.
“You’re free to go after you listen to what I have to say.” His chest heaved, and a crackle of electricity connected the small space between us.
“Fine. Go ahead and I’ll pretend I give a fuck. I mean, after all, we’re really good at pretending aren’t we?” I gripped my crutches so hard my knuckles turned white.
His gaze narrowed briefly. I was definitely dancing on his last nerve. Good. At least he was feeling something now.
“You’re infuriating. Why don’t you try to let someone in for a change? You’re just giving the entire world a big fuck you because you’ve had a shit life. A lot of people have shit lives, so stop hiding behind it.” He rubbed his forehead. “This conversation wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Eventually I would have told you about Hannah, but I didn’t want to scare you.” His shoulders sagged, and he stared at the ceiling briefly before looking at me again. “I don’t know what the hell you’re doing to me, but in the last week and a half—” He shook his head. “Never mind.” He pursed his lips. “River, this isn’t just my chance to live again, it’s yours too. Hopefully you’re not too prideful to take the opportunity that’s landed in your lap.”
I gasped. Who the hell does he think he is?
“If you’re bound and determined to leave, I’ll drive you to the bus station and pay for a ticket anywhere you want to go.” With that, he walked away from me, leaving me in a swell of unwanted feelings that I had no fucking clue how to handle. I’d used my anger as a shield my entire life, and he was asking me to put it down and let him in. Tears spilled down my cheeks. I didn’t want to be his redemption project. I wanted to be someone he genuinely cared about, without an agenda. But maybe that wasn’t possible. Maybe he was as broken as I was. We just hid behind different walls, making sure we weren’t vulnerable to the outside world.
I crutched over to the couch and sank onto the edge of it. The harsh truth seeped into the cracks of my heart that I’d been stupid enough to allow Holden into. Exhaustion tugged at me, and I picked up my phone from the coffee table. It was almost two in the morning. It was a perfect time to slip out of the house and be on my way, but was it what I really wanted?
Chapter Fifteen
The bright sunshine streamed through the partly closed window shade of the downstairs living room. I groaned as a sharp pain stabbed my neck. After debating with myself for a few hours on whether to stay or leave, I’d finally fallen asleep.
I sat up, stretched, and attempted to clear my muddled head.
“Hey,” Holden said, descending the stairs. His hair was still damp, and he was dressed in a black, long-sleeved polo shirt and jeans. My nose twitched as the clean citrus scent of his cologne reached me.
“Hey,” I said, embarrassed that I’d overreacted last night.
“I’m sorry,” we said in unison.
“I shouldn’t have behaved the way I did. I can’t imagine how hard that was for you with Hannah.” I self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
Holden approached the couch and sat on the opposite end. “I don’t talk about it to anyone. It was all brushed under the rug. The cops never looked into the case to see if she was murdered.” Holden leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “I know it was a lot of information, but Hannah has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”
My brows shot up to my hairline. “What?” I squeaked.
“I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around you.” He sank back into the couch. “I laid in bed all night trying to figure out how to explain that not only are you making me feel again … I’m feeling things for you, too.”
My cheeks flamed red. “I think you’re just confused. It’s a difficult line to balance. I have similarities to your sister that are triggering a lot of memories and pain. But Holden, I really think the feelings you have for me are deeply intertwined with losing your sister. Give it some time and you’ll be able to separate them.”
He glanced down at the floor, then back to me. “Are you leaving?” His voice caught in his throat, sadness dancing across his gorgeous features.
With tears in my eyes, I exhaled, ridding my body of the anger and frustration from last night. “I don’t want to, but you have to promise to be up front with me. No more secrets.”
Holden grinned at me. “Deal.” He stood, serious again. “I’ll send Brynn over after her classes today. She’ll take you shopping and out for a spa day. Expect her around eleven.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, not following why a spa day was necessary.
“You said no more secrets, right?” he asked.
I nodded slowly, still skeptical.
“You asked me where my money came from. Tonight, I’ll show you. It requires a gorgeous dress, heels … in your case one high heel, your hair and makeup done. You’ll have a day of being pampered, which you deserve. I want you to feel good.” His eyes sparkled with mischievousness. “After tonight, I’ll ask you again if you want to stay. My business has the potential to—” He rubbed his jawline with his hand. “—to set you on edge. I don’t want that to happen. If you want to be here, then you need to know exactly who I am.”
Chills shot down my spine as Becky’s words bounced around in my head. Holden’s family isn’t who they say they are. “Oh, shit. We didn’t already get through the part that would send me out the door?”
“No.” Holden walked over to me. “I have classes, but I’ll see you tonight.” He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.
I propped myself up, allowing myself a better view. My heart was in my throat, and my eyes were glued to him as he walked toward the slider. His jeans hugged the curve of his ass and his thick thighs. As he reached for the door, the muscles in his back flexed through his T-shirt. A tingling sensation spread through me and into my neck, releasing warmth throughout my entire body. I’d had a little preview of his abs that one time, but I suddenly wanted more. I wasn’t okay with that. My goal had been to not grow attached to him or his friends, but apparently my attempt had turned into an epic failure.
I kerplunked back onto the couch and rubbed my temples. I’d had crushes before, but after the years of Dan hurting me, it was a part of myself that I’d shut off. I didn’t want anyone to notice my body or how big my breasts were. All I wanted was to stay safe. An idea nudged me. “No,” I said aloud to an empty house. “I’m not crushing on Holden.” Dammit. This wasn’t happening. He would just break my heart. We were from two opposite worlds, and we both knew I would never blend into his.
