Page 53 of Shattered By the Currents
Nope.
Once the bowl was in the dishwasher, he took her hand. “Come on.”
“What are you…”
He lowered to the sofa and patted the spot beside him. “Sit.”
She frowned but sat.
“When I was in the military, I couldn’t sleep after missions. I’d lie there for hours, sometimes going entire nights without sleeping. Then I discovered the power of nature documentaries.”
Her brows lifted. “Nature documentaries?”
“They’re magic for insomnia.” He chose his favoritePlanet Earthdocumentary and hit play. “This guy’s voice will have you sleeping within the hour.”
“The ocean.” It wasn’t a question from Raven, but he answered it like it was.
“Yeah. I find the ocean fascinating. It’s another world down there, one we’ve barely even begun to explore.”
Her brows flickered and she looked at him like she was seeing a new side of him. “I learn new things about you every day.”
“Good things?”
“Depends how magic this episode is.”
He chuckled and grabbed a blanket, laying it over their laps.
Raven settled into the sofa, her side almost touching him as she leaned her head back, eyes on the TV. But he foundhisgaze returning to her far too often over the next half hour.
Fuck, this wasn’t going to work. Not for him at least.
“I’m sorry.” The two words slipped from his throat into the air.
She looked at him. “What?”
“I keep telling myself not to rush you. Whatever happened between you and your ex scared you. You don’t feel safe with me yet and that’s okay.”
“It’s not about feeling safe with you. I do. It’s about feeling unsafe with the truth being out there in the world.”
He studied her eyes. The most beautiful ocean-blue eyes he’d ever seen. “That photo you found of me and the woman in the photobooth? It was me and my ex.”
“I figured.”
“Things ended badly. Really fucking badly. And that was because of secrets she kept from me. Secrets that hurt me in more ways than you could imagine.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry.”
“I loved her. Or at least, I thought I did. But she burned me. She burned me so fucking badly I wasn’t sure I’d ever be the same again.”
“I don’t want you getting hurt in any of this, Connor.”
He believed her. But he was also sure his ex hadn’t meant to hurt him.
“Sometimes I wish…”
He reached out and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “You wish what?”
“I wish you’d met me before. I didn’t used to be like this. I was happy. Maybe slightly irresponsible and rebellious. I swore I turned my father gray way before his time. But I was happy.”
