“Family, huh?” Mallory asked once the nurse left them alone in the room.
“I didn’t want her to kick you out.”
Her lips curved into a small smile. “I used to think of family as a bad word … but now I kind of like the sound of it. I have your mom to thank. One dinner at her house and I wanted to be a part of it.”
“She does have that way about her, doesn’t she? That’s probably why my friends spent more time at my house than they did their own. I’m sorry you didn’t have that growing up.”
Mallory leaned back in the chair and chewed her bottom lip. “Actually, I kind of did. I was just too angry to appreciate it. They acted like Mom never existed.”
“Tell them.”
Chris and Mallory both looked up at the sound of his mom’s soft voice. She had managed a weak smile and was looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Mom. You’re awake. Tell who what?”
“Mallory. Tell your family how you feel,” his mom said. She was so quiet they had to strain to hear her.
“It’s too late now,” Mallory answered quietly. “Enough about me. How are you feeling?”
“It’s never too late,” she said before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 9
MALLORY
“Well, that’s it,” Mallory said after giving Christian a tour of her apartment.
She had convinced him not to go home alone, and there was no way she was inviting herself over to his place. When his mom woke up, she had all but kicked them out. She insisted they get out of there to get some rest. Looking over at Christian, he did look exhausted. He would be, having worked most of a night shift and then staying at the hospital only taking an occasional cat nap.
“I like it. It’s very you.”
Mallory tried to look at her place from his point of view. Everything was light and airy. White curtains hung in the windows, neutral tan and cream throws were draped across the furniture. Plants lined every windowsill.
“I hope that’s a good thing. Once my ex left and I got back on my feet, the first thing I did was make this place feel more like home.”
Christian leaned against the kitchen counter and studied her for a moment before he spoke. “Well, I like it and I’m glad you talked me out of going home. I really wouldn’t have been in a good place.”
“Just like your mom opened her house up to me, you are always welcome here. I’m sure you’re tired. I’ll cook something. Feel free to relax or get some sleep. I don’t have anywhere to be. There’s a full bath connected to my bedroom if you want to take a shower.”
“You don’t mind?”
She stepped closer to him and placed both hands on his shoulders. When he looked down at her, she was able to see the exhaustion written all over his face. His eyes drooped and the dark circles were pronounced.
“How could I possibly mind anything about you being in my apartment? I hope you don’t mind using my bedroom since I don’t keep the spare room made up. Take a shower. I’ll fix you something to eat,” she said before standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss.
As soon as their lips met, he wrapped his arms around her and held her in place as he deepened the kiss. She had intended on giving him a chaste kiss before sending him on his way, but her body betrayed her. Her nipples hardened when he eased his tongue into her mouth, making gentle swipes along hers, causing a groan to vibrate through her.
He pulled back just enough to break the kiss. “Shower. I should take a shower.”
“Right,” she whispered. “Shower.”
She missed his touch as soon as he unwrapped himself from her arms and made the slow walk to her bedroom. It took everything in her to keep from following him. After clearing her head with a quick shake, she opened her pantry and took out a box of organic spaghetti and a jar of organic sauce. Itwas cheating, but she always kept quick items on hand so she could still eat relatively clean even when she was short on time. Hopefully Christian wouldn’t mind ground turkey in place of ground beef.
She had just finished adding diced tomatoes and onions to the sizzling pan of ground turkey when she heard her door open. It wasn’t until she whipped around to find Dan walking in with a bottle of red wine that she remembered it was Friday night.
“It’s Friday,” she squeaked out.
He had texted her that he would be getting off work late and she told him she had a ride home. She hadn’t even told him everything that had happened that day. As far as he knew, she’d worked her normal shift.
