I place a glass of water and two pain relief tablets on her bedside table before undressing down to my boxers. Pulling back her blankets I climb into bed with her, the silk sheets cool against my skin. I sweep her hair off her shoulder and she mumbles something at my touch, wiggling backwards until her back is pressed to my front. My chest tightens and I can’t distinguish the feeling within me, the flames of desire and lust I have for this woman are tangling with sparks of an emotional connection, one which I’ve suppressed for many years.

Chapter Four

Kinsley

Pain radiates through my head with each thrum of my pulse, am I hungover? Reaching under my pillow for my phone, I freeze when I feel a warm, hard body pressed up behind me.

It must be mid-afternoon, I can see the sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows. An arm wraps around my waist and pulls me into them, nuzzling into my neck. Fresh linen, coffee, and something I’m yet to pinpoint; Tanner. Flashes from this morning come back to me. The cafe, the phone call, the anxiety attack. I must have passed out, but how did Tanner get here and why is he wrapped around me like I have confessed my love for him? I know better than to let my feelings get involved in our situation-ship. But as I glance at his tattooed arm draped over my waist I decide that whatever the reason, I’m going to enjoy every damn moment of this whilst it lasts.

He must sense that I’m awake because he rolls me over gently until I am lying in his arms, facing him. “You okay?” he asks.

“Honestly, I’m still trying to piece together why you’re here.”

Tanner laughs, keeping the mystery alive by sitting up and reaching across to the bedside table. He collects a glass of water and two tablets he must have prepared earlier. “Take these, they’ll help with any impending headaches.”

I take them without questioning him. I can see the medication is just paracetamol, and the headaches I normally get when I deal with the likes of this morning are not overly enjoyable. Pulling me back into his arms, I rest my head on his chest. I’m still too emotionally exhausted to put my walls back up right now.

When Tanner finally speaks, it’s gentle and almost cautious. “Are you going to fill me in on why I found you passed out in your entryway?”

I could tell him the truth about what triggered me this morning, but that would be the beginning of the end. If he knew the lengths I was going to in search of answers, he would get involved and in turn, that would put him at risk. I’ve already lost too much, I don’t want to lose him as well.