her eyes and looked at me. Instead of sleepy satisfaction, I saw only wariness and regret, and it tore me up inside. Easing off her slowly, I ran a shaky hand through my hair as I positioned the white duvet over her.
“Where are you going?” she asked, looking confused.
“To bed.”
Her eyes shifted to the other side of her bed, and I saw the unspoken question in her eyes. More than anything, I wanted to take her up on her offer, but not until I’d earned her trust again. I didn’t want to see that look in her eyes ever again.
“Um, you’re going to sleep in the guest room?” she asked, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and damp from my kisses.
“I think that would be best.” It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew it was best for her. For us. “For the record, I never meant to take advantage of you, Ri. That’s not why I came in here.”
With a shaky laugh, she said, “I don’t feel taken advantage of.” Her heated gaze drifted to the obvious bulge in my pants. “If anything, I feel a little guilty.”
“Don’t.” I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand. “If anyone should feel guilty, I should. You’ve given way more than you’ve ever taken from me.” When she didn’t argue, I let my hand fall to my side, and I slowly backed out of the room before turning when I reached the door.
“Hey,” she said, when my hand circled the knob, “when you came in here, you said you wanted to ask me a favor. What was it?”
I’d gotten so lost in her I’d almost forgotten about another potentially life-altering decision I’d made. “I want to meet my half-brothers. Will you come to Vegas with me?” For moral support. I didn’t have to say it. Riley knew me well enough to know that was what I was asking of her. “I know it’s a lot to ask. I mean, we’re not even a couple anymore, but—”
“Of course I’ll come. I think it’s great you want to meet them. When?”
“The sooner, the better.” Before I chickened out. “I’ll have to track the old man down, find out where he’s living.” I sighed, thinking how much it pained me to extend him any courtesy. “I guess I’ll call to let him know I’m coming. He said something about being a long-haul truck driver. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll be out of town. Then I can just spend some time getting to know them without him hanging around.”
Her smile was sympathetic. “I know this isn’t easy for you, but eventually you’re going to have to let go of this hatred you have toward him. For your sake, not for his.”
She was right, but breaking a life-long habit of despising someone, even when they were flesh and blood, was hard. “I’m trying. I guess this is a step in the right direction, right?”
She nodded, her smile widening. “I think so too.”
***
Riley
Two days after that mind-numbing orgasm, I was sitting on a plane next to Brody, trying to keep my emotions in check. He’d asked me to come with him because he needed support. It wasn’t a reflection on us. I had to keep reminding myself of that, so I wouldn’t romanticize the trip.
He was vulnerable. He needed someone. Of course I would be the logical choice, given our history.
Brody sighed as he tossed his iPad aside and stretched his legs out in front of him. I knew he was grateful to be flying first class, so he could do that without disturbing anyone.
“You okay?” I asked, slipping my eReader back in my bag.
He hadn’t been very talkative during the flight, and I assumed he was nervous about meeting his brothers. After a brief phone conversation with his father yesterday, he learned the boys were seventeen and eighteen, just slightly older than his nephews, which meant Jack hadn’t been alone long before he met “our mother’s replacement” as Brody called her.
“Just trying to make sense of all this,” he said, swiping a hand over his face. “A few days ago, I didn’t want to think about the old man at all. Now
“Where are you going?” she asked, looking confused.
“To bed.”
Her eyes shifted to the other side of her bed, and I saw the unspoken question in her eyes. More than anything, I wanted to take her up on her offer, but not until I’d earned her trust again. I didn’t want to see that look in her eyes ever again.
“Um, you’re going to sleep in the guest room?” she asked, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen and damp from my kisses.
“I think that would be best.” It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew it was best for her. For us. “For the record, I never meant to take advantage of you, Ri. That’s not why I came in here.”
With a shaky laugh, she said, “I don’t feel taken advantage of.” Her heated gaze drifted to the obvious bulge in my pants. “If anything, I feel a little guilty.”
“Don’t.” I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand. “If anyone should feel guilty, I should. You’ve given way more than you’ve ever taken from me.” When she didn’t argue, I let my hand fall to my side, and I slowly backed out of the room before turning when I reached the door.
“Hey,” she said, when my hand circled the knob, “when you came in here, you said you wanted to ask me a favor. What was it?”
I’d gotten so lost in her I’d almost forgotten about another potentially life-altering decision I’d made. “I want to meet my half-brothers. Will you come to Vegas with me?” For moral support. I didn’t have to say it. Riley knew me well enough to know that was what I was asking of her. “I know it’s a lot to ask. I mean, we’re not even a couple anymore, but—”
“Of course I’ll come. I think it’s great you want to meet them. When?”
“The sooner, the better.” Before I chickened out. “I’ll have to track the old man down, find out where he’s living.” I sighed, thinking how much it pained me to extend him any courtesy. “I guess I’ll call to let him know I’m coming. He said something about being a long-haul truck driver. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll be out of town. Then I can just spend some time getting to know them without him hanging around.”
Her smile was sympathetic. “I know this isn’t easy for you, but eventually you’re going to have to let go of this hatred you have toward him. For your sake, not for his.”
She was right, but breaking a life-long habit of despising someone, even when they were flesh and blood, was hard. “I’m trying. I guess this is a step in the right direction, right?”
She nodded, her smile widening. “I think so too.”
***
Riley
Two days after that mind-numbing orgasm, I was sitting on a plane next to Brody, trying to keep my emotions in check. He’d asked me to come with him because he needed support. It wasn’t a reflection on us. I had to keep reminding myself of that, so I wouldn’t romanticize the trip.
He was vulnerable. He needed someone. Of course I would be the logical choice, given our history.
Brody sighed as he tossed his iPad aside and stretched his legs out in front of him. I knew he was grateful to be flying first class, so he could do that without disturbing anyone.
“You okay?” I asked, slipping my eReader back in my bag.
He hadn’t been very talkative during the flight, and I assumed he was nervous about meeting his brothers. After a brief phone conversation with his father yesterday, he learned the boys were seventeen and eighteen, just slightly older than his nephews, which meant Jack hadn’t been alone long before he met “our mother’s replacement” as Brody called her.
“Just trying to make sense of all this,” he said, swiping a hand over his face. “A few days ago, I didn’t want to think about the old man at all. Now
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