Read Online Fractured Affections (The Affections Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Wills - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Wills
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with me?”
I finish cleaning the pan I’m working on and place it in the dish rack. I struggle to remove my wet rubber gloves, then make my way around the counter to take a seat next to him. A wave of uncertainty crashes into me, but I push myself to keep moving. Once I’m rested on the stool, I place my hands in my lap. I’m unable to bring my eyes up to his, so I focus on a frayed piece of my bandage.
“Please look at me, Reagan. I can’t speak to you while you stare at your lap.”
“Um, could you please go put a shirt on? It may make this easier, if you weren’t half naked.”
My discomfort escalates when he finds my question entertaining. His laugh is deep and throaty. I should have just kept my mouth shut and dealt with it, but there is no way we would get very far into this before I would have to walk away and take a deep breath. Dalton is toned and in great shape but not this bulky at all. They actually resemble each other a great deal, except for the color of their eyes, height, and now bulk. Where Dalton’s eyes are blue, Striker’s are brown, and he has Dalton by at least two inches in height.
The sound of his chair scraping the floor catches my attention, so I look up to watch him leave the kitchen. It doesn’t take long before he is walking back in with sweats that hang low on his hips, and a t-shirt that is stretched tightly across his chest and arms. Okay, that really did not help. When I look up, I catch a smirk still lingering on his face for a brief moment before his expression flattens out and he takes a seat again.
“Better, Rea?” he says.
I try to respond, but it only comes out as a whisper, “Yeah, thank you.”
“Thank you for breakfast. I don’t really deserve it after how I acted last night. I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t really remember everything that was said, but I do remember how angry I was and that I probably scared you.”
I can hear the sincerity in his voice, and it makes me all the more forgiving of his past behaviors. Maybe we really can work this out enough to be friends. I only fear that his being here will cause a disruption to my family, and I don’t want that. I don’t want my children’s lives to change in anyway. They are all happy, except about their father’s absence, but once he returns all will be right again.
“It’s okay, Striker, I forgive you. I just didn’t understand what happened last night that set you off like that. I’m sorry if it seemed like I have been ignoring you, but this is not easy for me. I should have taken into consideration that this is probably not easy on you, either.”
“That’s a huge understatement.”
“I should have tried to make your stay more comfortable. I know I would have a hard time leaving my life behind for an unknown amount of time, but Dalton says you did that for us at the drop of a hat. I really appreciate you being here to help out.”
Striker lets out a cold chuckle and furrows his brow. “Yeah, that’s the hard part, leaving home.”
“Well, tell me then, what can I do to make this easier for you?”
“Rea, I’m going to say something, and I don’t want it to be a problem. I have to get this off my chest, and then I just want to work on finding a common ground between us, so that we can be friends. Dalton means a lot to me, so I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“I’m all ears,” I say, but I have no idea what he is about to say, and my heart begins to pound in my chest. I swallow hard and wait patiently for him to begin, but he remains silent. I watch his face twist like he is having a hard time putting his thoughts into words.
“Striker, whatever it is, please just tell me. I’m on the edge of my seat here.”
His eyes snap up to mine. His mouth opens and then shuts again, before he finally starts to speak. “Over the years, I’ve had a hard fucking time understanding how this happened. I knew that there was a bond between you and Dalton, but why did you
I finish cleaning the pan I’m working on and place it in the dish rack. I struggle to remove my wet rubber gloves, then make my way around the counter to take a seat next to him. A wave of uncertainty crashes into me, but I push myself to keep moving. Once I’m rested on the stool, I place my hands in my lap. I’m unable to bring my eyes up to his, so I focus on a frayed piece of my bandage.
“Please look at me, Reagan. I can’t speak to you while you stare at your lap.”
“Um, could you please go put a shirt on? It may make this easier, if you weren’t half naked.”
My discomfort escalates when he finds my question entertaining. His laugh is deep and throaty. I should have just kept my mouth shut and dealt with it, but there is no way we would get very far into this before I would have to walk away and take a deep breath. Dalton is toned and in great shape but not this bulky at all. They actually resemble each other a great deal, except for the color of their eyes, height, and now bulk. Where Dalton’s eyes are blue, Striker’s are brown, and he has Dalton by at least two inches in height.
The sound of his chair scraping the floor catches my attention, so I look up to watch him leave the kitchen. It doesn’t take long before he is walking back in with sweats that hang low on his hips, and a t-shirt that is stretched tightly across his chest and arms. Okay, that really did not help. When I look up, I catch a smirk still lingering on his face for a brief moment before his expression flattens out and he takes a seat again.
“Better, Rea?” he says.
I try to respond, but it only comes out as a whisper, “Yeah, thank you.”
“Thank you for breakfast. I don’t really deserve it after how I acted last night. I’m sorry about what happened. I don’t really remember everything that was said, but I do remember how angry I was and that I probably scared you.”
I can hear the sincerity in his voice, and it makes me all the more forgiving of his past behaviors. Maybe we really can work this out enough to be friends. I only fear that his being here will cause a disruption to my family, and I don’t want that. I don’t want my children’s lives to change in anyway. They are all happy, except about their father’s absence, but once he returns all will be right again.
“It’s okay, Striker, I forgive you. I just didn’t understand what happened last night that set you off like that. I’m sorry if it seemed like I have been ignoring you, but this is not easy for me. I should have taken into consideration that this is probably not easy on you, either.”
“That’s a huge understatement.”
“I should have tried to make your stay more comfortable. I know I would have a hard time leaving my life behind for an unknown amount of time, but Dalton says you did that for us at the drop of a hat. I really appreciate you being here to help out.”
Striker lets out a cold chuckle and furrows his brow. “Yeah, that’s the hard part, leaving home.”
“Well, tell me then, what can I do to make this easier for you?”
“Rea, I’m going to say something, and I don’t want it to be a problem. I have to get this off my chest, and then I just want to work on finding a common ground between us, so that we can be friends. Dalton means a lot to me, so I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“I’m all ears,” I say, but I have no idea what he is about to say, and my heart begins to pound in my chest. I swallow hard and wait patiently for him to begin, but he remains silent. I watch his face twist like he is having a hard time putting his thoughts into words.
“Striker, whatever it is, please just tell me. I’m on the edge of my seat here.”
His eyes snap up to mine. His mouth opens and then shuts again, before he finally starts to speak. “Over the years, I’ve had a hard fucking time understanding how this happened. I knew that there was a bond between you and Dalton, but why did you
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