“I must have. I don’t remember anything after we sat on the couch.”
I ran my hands over his light blue t-shirt, letting my fingers glide over the perfect highs and lows of his chest and abdomen. He was incredible. I’d seen plenty of physiques like his on posters, commercials for exercise equipment and movies, but never in person; certainly never within my grasp.
Jared tightened his arms around me. “I was careful not to wake you. You’re so peaceful when you sleep.”
“You slept on the couch?” I said, letting my disappointment show through.
“I reconsidered…several times,” he said, his lips brushing my neck when he spoke.
“When did she bring my things?”
“Earlier. She’s been in and out a lot,” he frowned. “She’s not happy about our conversation last night. I assume it has something to do with that.” Chuckling at my inevitably worried expression, he kissed my forehead. “Breakfast will be ready soon. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
After my shower, I reluctantly crept down the stairs. Claire and Jared watched me approach the table with equal but conflicting focus.
“You’re beautiful,” Jared whispered before he kissed my cheek and pulled out a chair.
Claire continued to glower as I sat across from her.
“Claire….” Jared warned. Her irritation turned to him, then. I felt a brief moment of relief.
“Thank you for bringing my clothes, Claire,” I whispered. As soon as the words left my mouth I thought better of it. Her icy blue eyes shot back at me and I sunk back into my chair.
Jared stared at her until she shifted uncomfortably. “You’re welcome,” she grumbled, looking down at her plate.
“Ham, mushroom, green pepper and cheese omelet…toast,” Jared pointed out each with his butter knife as he spoke, and then shoved a forkful into his mouth.
I stabbed the eggs and took a bite. He was an incredible cook.
Everything he had made for me was exactly the way I liked it.
“Mmmm…that’s good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” I hummed.
The fork clanged against my plate as I chewed the last bit of egg, and Jared rested his chin on his hand, amused at my shameless appetite.
Claire sighed in irritation. “You should be aware that Cynthia knows Nina spent the night here last night.”
With indifference Claire watched Jared’s face morph into anger.
“And how does she know that, Claire?” he seethed.
“I told her,” Claire admitted.
Jared slammed his fist on the table. I jumped, but Claire didn’t react. I watched them stare the other down, wondering if I should distance myself from the line of fire.
Jared noticed my growing unease and placed his hand on mine. “What exactly did you tell her, Claire? And more importantly, why?” he spoke through his teeth, working to keep his tone calm.
“You didn’t give me a choice, Jared. After what happened at the hospital, and last night, Cynthia needed to know what was going on. That’s what Dad would have done.”
“Dad’s not here.” Jared’s voice broke as he fought to keep his calm.
Claire crossed her arms. “Obviously, Jared, or you wouldn’t be insisting on going through with this. You’ve gone against everything Dad taught us, hours after he died. I tried to tell you, but you won’t listen….”
“You can go, now, Claire,” Jared snarled.
Claire’s stoic expression faltered at her brother’s stern tone. “Fine. Cynthia is waiting at Andrews. Maybe she can stop this before it gets too far.” Claire shoved herself away from the table, grabbing her keys and motorcycle helmet. I cringed when she slammed the door behind her as she left.
The force of the door crashing into the door jamb caused the shelves on the walls to tremble. I peered over at Jared, whose jaws worked under his skin.
“So she knows about us, so what?” I said, squeezing his hand.
Jared didn’t answer right away, and I could tell that he was trying to calm down before he spoke.
“This…complicates things,” he said in a low tone. “We should get you back. The longer she has to wait the more difficult it will be.”
I stood and shook my head. “Have I missed something here? This is my mother we’re talking about, right? Why are you so nervous?”
Jared took our plates to the sink and then went directly to the coat stand.
He held out my coat and tried to smile, but it resulted in a twisted, pained expression. “Ready?”
Nodding, I twisted into my coat. I was glad when he took my hand and held it until we reached his SUV, and even more pleased that he didn’t release it for the entire drive to Brown, but he didn’t speak a word until we reached Andrews.
He put the Escalade in park and looked straight ahead, releasing my hand to grip his steering wheel.
“Aren’t you coming in?” I asked.
Jared shook his head. “I’m the last person she wants to see.”
“O…Okay,” I said, unsure of what to make of his behavior. Jared had admitted to standing up to my father once, but he wouldn’t face my mother.
I reached for the door, but Jared grabbed my arm and pulled me to him with worry in his eyes. His hands cupped my face and he pressed his lips against mine with a sense of urgency. When he finally released me from the kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine, closing his eyes.
“You act like you’re never going to see me again,” I said, suddenly nervous.
“I can’t ask you to go against your mother’s wishes, Nina.”
I laughed once in surprise. “You think she’s going to tell me to stay away from you?”
“That’s exactly what she’s going to do.”
I shook my head. “You should know my mother has a poor track record for changing my mind. Even she knows it.”
“She seldom fails to get her way. Just…don’t listen to her.”
“Her tricks work on everyone but me. I’m not going anywhere.”
One corner of his mouth turned up, but it seemed contrived.
“I’ll call you later, okay?” I ran my fingers through the sides of his hair, and he pressed his forehead against mine once again.
“Okay,” he whispered.
The Escalade stood motionless until I was inside the building, and then it slowly pull away.
Knowing he would be listening, I hurried to my room. I was anxious to calm the storms in Jared’s eyes, even if that meant going toe to toe with Cynthia Grey.
I opened the door and froze. Cynthia stood in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, prepared for confrontation. Beth twisted around in her desk chair, meeting my eyes with a sympathetic expression.
“I think I’m going to grab some coffee. Would either of you like me to bring you something ba—,”
“No thank you,” Cynthia interrupted. She must have been far beyond anger; she was never cross enough to be so rude.
“I’ll take some, Beth, thanks,” I said, making a show of appreciation. Beth nodded and grabbed her coat, rushing out the door.
“Where were you last night?” Cynthia demanded.
“You know perfectly well where I was,” I said, mimicking the set of her chin.
This took her off-guard. Cynthia typically relied on the element of surprise.
She recovered quickly. “You can’t get involved with Jared, Nina. You don’t know anything about him, trust me.”
“I know enough, Mother.” I sat on Beth’s bed and looked to the floor. I would have to choose my words carefully.
Cynthia reared her head and stepped in front of me. “Nina Elizabeth, it’s too dangerous. I know you think you know him, but you don’t.”
