Read Online Hen Party 1 (Hen Party #1) by Ashlyn Brady - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashlyn Brady
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deeper into the leaf cover where no one could see her. In her mind, the ambition to lead an exciting life and love an amazing guy had toppled from its lofty height and fallen apart. The reality check made her want to scream, she’d wasted years chasing a fantasy and got nowhere. She was no different to the spinster sisterhood of Henriettas, another try-hard want-to-be but not going-to-be . The high-flying career, the keeper man, and the suburban house with the kids were far beyond her reach.
Her body turned into a pillar of ice. She crossed her arms over her chest to hug herself against the chill spreading over her skin. Despite hearing the sound of footsteps heading her way, she couldn’t pull herself together.
Joe lifted aside a small tree branch to glimpse at her. “Hi there,” he said with a drawn-out sigh. “Kyra, are you okay?” His worried eyes searched her face.
She unfolded her arms from the awkward, straitjacket position. “I don’t know what to say to you,” she said, her voice strained.
He shifted on his feet. “Are you going to stay here or leave the party?”
He stood close to her, and her battered emotions longed for his muscly arms to hold her while she recovered from her crisis. And then she would repeat the pattern of sabotaging a potential relationship with an avalanche of neediness.
She stepped away from the bush to put some distance between them. “I haven’t made up my mind what I’ll do,” she said, just above a whisper. Under the fairy lights, his brow was furrowed and his mouth was a glum slash across his face.
He buried his hands in his trouser pockets. “If you want to call it a night, I’ll phone for a taxi, or I can drive you home in my hire car if you prefer.”
Oh, this guy was unbelievable. He was throwing her a rope to climb up from rock-bottom, but her emotions were still see-sawing in a gloomy, lonely abyss.
“Kyra, it seems that you’ve become an easy target for the angst of the other women.” His dark velvet eyes reflected the same message of concern.
Her heart dropped a beat that couldn’t be recovered because he’d stolen it away with his kind words. Tears dripped down her cheeks. Did he care about the disgraceful squabble she’d had with Maddy? What would happen next in the relationship intervention that Maddy had set in motion? Kyra closed her eyes to stop more tears from welling up.
“You didn’t deserve to be attacked for challenging the pack mentality,” he said in a soothing tone that spread around her like a comforting blanket.
She took a deep breath to fill her cramped lungs with air. How did this man find just the right words, along with a genuine way to say them? He’d witnessed the entire catfight in the lounge and the flash of her breasts, yet he hadn’t acted any less the gentleman. She’d never met a man with his type of good manners. He was lifting her higher out of the pit of despair.
She slowly opened her eyes and took her fill of the gorgeous shape of his face and the soft tint in his dark eyes. He was staking a claim on her heart. “Joe, I acted on my beliefs. Do you think I was wrong to try and stop the stripper act?” Her raspy voice begging for his approval didn’t sound like her own, but sadly it was.
He grimaced, and moments passed before he answered. “Only a foolish man picks sides in a woman’s argument,” he said sagely. “It’s not my party. What I think doesn’t matter.” He gave a tight shrug of his broad shoulders.
“I would like to hear your opinion,” she said with a heavy weight pressing on her chest.
“I’ve had my turn at shattering other people’s expectations and being punished for it. For years I was cut away from those I cared about,” he said quietly. “Do I have any regrets from opposing what others thought about me? No, I don’t.” His gaze locked with hers. “But if I had my time again, I would keep a lid on my hot temper and wait for the truth to reveal itself.”
In the depths
Her body turned into a pillar of ice. She crossed her arms over her chest to hug herself against the chill spreading over her skin. Despite hearing the sound of footsteps heading her way, she couldn’t pull herself together.
Joe lifted aside a small tree branch to glimpse at her. “Hi there,” he said with a drawn-out sigh. “Kyra, are you okay?” His worried eyes searched her face.
She unfolded her arms from the awkward, straitjacket position. “I don’t know what to say to you,” she said, her voice strained.
He shifted on his feet. “Are you going to stay here or leave the party?”
He stood close to her, and her battered emotions longed for his muscly arms to hold her while she recovered from her crisis. And then she would repeat the pattern of sabotaging a potential relationship with an avalanche of neediness.
She stepped away from the bush to put some distance between them. “I haven’t made up my mind what I’ll do,” she said, just above a whisper. Under the fairy lights, his brow was furrowed and his mouth was a glum slash across his face.
He buried his hands in his trouser pockets. “If you want to call it a night, I’ll phone for a taxi, or I can drive you home in my hire car if you prefer.”
Oh, this guy was unbelievable. He was throwing her a rope to climb up from rock-bottom, but her emotions were still see-sawing in a gloomy, lonely abyss.
“Kyra, it seems that you’ve become an easy target for the angst of the other women.” His dark velvet eyes reflected the same message of concern.
Her heart dropped a beat that couldn’t be recovered because he’d stolen it away with his kind words. Tears dripped down her cheeks. Did he care about the disgraceful squabble she’d had with Maddy? What would happen next in the relationship intervention that Maddy had set in motion? Kyra closed her eyes to stop more tears from welling up.
“You didn’t deserve to be attacked for challenging the pack mentality,” he said in a soothing tone that spread around her like a comforting blanket.
She took a deep breath to fill her cramped lungs with air. How did this man find just the right words, along with a genuine way to say them? He’d witnessed the entire catfight in the lounge and the flash of her breasts, yet he hadn’t acted any less the gentleman. She’d never met a man with his type of good manners. He was lifting her higher out of the pit of despair.
She slowly opened her eyes and took her fill of the gorgeous shape of his face and the soft tint in his dark eyes. He was staking a claim on her heart. “Joe, I acted on my beliefs. Do you think I was wrong to try and stop the stripper act?” Her raspy voice begging for his approval didn’t sound like her own, but sadly it was.
He grimaced, and moments passed before he answered. “Only a foolish man picks sides in a woman’s argument,” he said sagely. “It’s not my party. What I think doesn’t matter.” He gave a tight shrug of his broad shoulders.
“I would like to hear your opinion,” she said with a heavy weight pressing on her chest.
“I’ve had my turn at shattering other people’s expectations and being punished for it. For years I was cut away from those I cared about,” he said quietly. “Do I have any regrets from opposing what others thought about me? No, I don’t.” His gaze locked with hers. “But if I had my time again, I would keep a lid on my hot temper and wait for the truth to reveal itself.”
In the depths
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