“You lied.”
“No, I created a situation to allow you to follow your desire without fear of danger. Nothing about that is untrue, Cleo.”
“But you could get free at any point?”
He pushes a lock of my hair off my forehead. “Yes, but I was at your mercy with or without them.”
Doesn’t explain why he’s still here though. Fox doesn’t strike me as the snuggling type. “Why didn’t you leave?”
Something dark flitters across his gaze. “You really think so lowly of me? That I would leave you after making you come—twice—for the first time in months? Or after you swallowed down my release?” He rests his forehead against mine and stares into my eyes. “You think I would abandon you after you pulled yourself out of a panic attack and shared some of your demons with me?” he whispers.
Guilt spears my chest as my mouth opens and closes like a fish. That makes a lot of sense. He’s a protector at his core; of course he stayed.
My eyes hit the clock, finding I have less than ten minutes before Helen will be in the kitchen expecting her breakfast. “I need to get up,” I mutter, pushing against his chest. His arms tighten like steel bands around me.
“Kiss me first.”
I blink at him in disbelief. “With morning breath?”
His lips twitch, and he brushes his nose against mine. “That’s the payment to make me let you go.”
I drag in a breath and jerk my head up, ready to peck his lips. His hands bury into my hair, and he kisses me until I’m dizzy and have to break away panting.
“Now, I really need to get up,” I mutter with less conviction.
He sighs and releases me. I stumble to my feet and make my escape into the bathroom. My gaze lands on the mirror, and I don’t recognise the woman staring back at me. She’s relaxed and happy, with that secret look that shows she found a releaselast night— not once, but twice. My body might not be ready for the scrap heap just yet.
After bypassing the shower in lieu of a quick face wash and teeth scrub, I find myself in the kitchen with two minutes to spare. I pull up short when I find a shirtless Fox flipping pancakes like a professional line cook. Duke lies on Fox’s feet, staring up at him with pleading puppy eyes.
Knowing it’s pointless arguing with him, I slide onto the stool and take a sip of the orange juice he left out for me.
“What’s the occasion?” I ask.
He casts me a glance over his shoulder and smirks. “It’s Sunday. Plus, I think you might have worked up an appetite.”
My mouth pops open, but then my stomach rumbles. What the hell? I can’t remember the last time I actually felt hunger. It’s something else that Gideon so thoroughly broke. But I found pleasure in sharing food with Fox last night, and now when he’s making me breakfast, I find myself looking forward to it. Wait, no. I can’t get hung up on Fox being part of my life. Time is already slipping away from us faster than sand through my fingers.
Helen appears, dressed in a conservative smart navy sheath dress. Her eyebrows raise at seeing her grandson once again beating me to it.
“He was here before me,” I say.
“Oh I’m not complaining,” she says, taking her seat next to me. “It means I can have all your attention while you give me a blow-by-blow account of your date with Samuel.”
I grimace. “I think he’s decided I’m not for him.”
Fox snorts, making Helen’s eyes crinkle. “Was your evening a complete bust, or did you manage to enjoy yourself a little?” I do my best. I really do. But there’s no stopping the blush that heats my cheeks or the way my eyes find Fox. Helen’s lip curls at the side. It’s such a Fox trait, it takes me by surprise. “I see.”
I press my lips together, and Fox serves us a breakfast of banana and blueberry pancakes with maple syrup.Yum.I manage half of my stack as we make idle chat.
“We leave in an hour, Cleo,” Helen says. “Best shower and get freshened up before Pastor Peel decides you need extra intervention.” I roll my eyes as I stack the dishwasher. Pastor Peel has his work cut out for him if he is trying to salvage my soul. “Are you joining us, Fox?” Helen asks.
I glance at him. He leans back against the counter, folds his arms, and bites his bottom lip as he stares at my ass. “No salvation for me, Gran. It would be a waste of godly energy. Best save it for those who deserve to be saved.”
Deserve? He doesn’t think he is worthy? I’ve danced with the devil, and he’s held my soul in his hands and crushed my light, leaving only darkness. Fox Alderidge might have been through Hell, but he didn’t linger to see if he enjoyed the sins. Perhaps he is here to help me reclaim my power, but in return, I could help him see his good outweighs his bad.
It’shotter than Hades today, so I ditched my normal jeans for the black dress, which is conservative enough for church. Helen leads the way with her arm linked through Rosa’s as they gossip about Samuel and Amalee having been spotted kissing outside of her house before disappearing inside. Good for them. They are a much better fit, but I think that’s the extent of my matchmaking skills for this lifetime.
The ladies settle into the back pew, and I sit on the end. This is by far the most entertaining church I’ve ever been to. Pastor Peel likes to tailor his sermon around the town’s weekly gossip, and today is no different as he talks about childhoodfriends finding a deeper love in each other because of their history.
