I worked the luxurious body wash over my breasts, finding my nipples hardened into sharp peaks as I thought of Ax. The image of his huge body hovering so close to mine in that hallway had trickles of moisture seeping from between my legs. Dammit all to hell! Why did my body still respond to the mere idea of him?

Get your shit together, Blaire. I washed between my legs, trying to scrub away the evidence of my desire for the man who walked out on me years ago. The man who didn’t want the most precious person in my life. That was the dealbreaker. I could forgive a lot of things, but rejecting Carrie… I growled like an angry mama bear, the sound echoing off the pale-gray shower tiles.

Fuck you, Axel, I thought as I got out of the shower and dried off. Fuck you and your gigantic cock and your perfect hair and your dreamy eyes.

Carrie was my life, and I would do anything to protect her, even—no, especially—from the man who had fathered her.

I got dressed in my pajamas and crawled into bed facing my bathroom, sinking the side of my head into the cushy pillow. Evan came in a little while later and went into his bathroom to change into pajama pants and a T-shirt. He sat up on the bed to read as he did every night, and a few minutes later, I felt his gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Do you need to talk about it?” he asked.

I rolled onto my back and looked up into his sweet face. “Thank you, Evan. I think I just need a good night’s sleep right now.”

He patted me affectionately and said, “Okay, just let me know. I’m here for you.”

“You always are,” I said and turned back over.

Evan turned off his lamp, scooted down into the bed, and lay on his side with his back to me.

I slept restlessly, getting up twice to go check on Carrie, but she had been sleeping soundly both times. As I stared at her tiny face in the moonlight, I vowed to guard her heart against the man who had given her to me.

My heart, though… well, I wasn’t sure it would ever be totally complete again.

8. Blaire

Blaire

I didn’t see Axel again until the next Thursday when our ortho team went to the practice facility. We dressed casually when we were on duty, including red track pants and a white polo shirt with “Lademan Orthopedics” and our names embroidered on the left breast.