“If I read this out loud, can you make sure it’s all coming out right?”
I pull my chair around so it’s next to hers. “Of course.”
Being so close to her puts me in sensory overload. The smell of her hair—like the ocean breeze mixed without something sweet and warm—fills my lungs, making my brain go numb.
Her finger moves to the pages, and she begins, “Victoria is a dentist…” She reads slowly through the paragraphs, her brow narrowing at a few words. Her lack of confidence is a mystery, because while she might read slowly, she’s consistently accurate.
The paragraph is followed by five questions that test her comprehension of what she’s read, and she nails all of them. But instead of celebrating, she drops her elbows onto the table and buries her hands into her face.
Instinctively, I bring my arm around her, realizing my folly the moment my heart skips a beat. Her body fits against me too perfectly—soft where I’m hard, warm where I’ve been cold for years.
It’s been so long since I’ve held a woman. Lord knows I’ve tried over the years, but I never could get over the sting of betrayal that’s followed me since I left Summerton so long ago.
As I start to pull away, she grips me tightly, nuzzling her face against my chest. Her breath fans across my shirt, heating my skin beneath.
My fingers weave through her hair with no input from my brain—silky strands slipping between them—and for one moment, I allow myself to feel. To know the warmth and weight of a woman without the haunting ghosts from my past.
And it nearly breaks me.
Greer finally pulls away, her face a mess of tears.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, fighting the urge to pull her into my arms again. “You did fantastic.”
She sniffs. “I was too slow.”
“Says who?”
“I’ve just always been too slow when I read. It’s one of the reasons I dropped out of school.”
“Did your teachers tell you that?”
“No…not exactly.”
Fire storms my blood. “Who did?”
“My parents said the school was giving them hassle. That I was too much for them to handle.”
I grind my teeth. “Knowing how much money they saved having you work at the restaurant makes me doubt that.”
Her plush lips become a thin line as she contemplates what I just said, finally shaking her head. “No, they wouldn’t do that…”
It’s exactly what I thought when I was confronted with betrayal from the woman I’d loved more than life itself. I would have given my dying breath to my ex, and she would have gladly drained the life out of me while wearing a pretty smile that could melt a man’s heart. She almost did.
I take the book from her, flip the page, and point to the next section. “How about we make it through the next few questions and call it a night?”
She blinks a few times before beginning, keeping a slow and steady pace. She stumbles over more words than she had earlier, but she gets through the paragraphs and answers all the questions.
“Based on what I’ve heard from you, you could probably pass the test tomorrow.”
She snorts out a laugh. “That’s because you haven’t seen how bad I am at math.”
“Well, you’ve worked hard enough for one night.” I flip the book shut. “We’ll tackle that tomorrow.”
She leans into me.
It’s not dramatic. Not intentional. Just a small, instinctive movement, like she’s seeking warmth or reassurance. Her shoulder presses against my arm; her scent fills my nostrils.
Every muscle in my body goes tight.
