Page 136 of The Complete Truth Duet
Around six, with just over four hours of restlessness under my belt, I gave up in lieu of a trip to the coffee pot. The house was silent as I tiptoed down the hall. Catalina’s door was closed, no light showing at the bottom. The same with Penn’s, though in a reappearance of my creepy side, I paused at his door and put my ear to it. I didn’t know what I was expecting. Maybe a snore or the sound of the shower.
Or maybe the sound of his gruff and hopeless pleas while he was down on his knees, confessing that he’d seen the error of his ways and praying to the Lord for my forgiveness, all the while clutching a photo of me with a Devil-may-care smile, wind-tousled hair, and a low-cut shirt that made me look simultaneously classy and smart but also made my boobs look like I was nineteen again.
I mean, not that I’d given it much thought or anything.
Instead, I heard, “You looking for me?” rumbled from behind me.
I jumped at least seven feet in the air—give or take six feet and eleven inches—and clutched my heart. “Jesus, don’t sneak up on me like that.”
And then that heart of mine, which had just been startled into arrhythmia, stopped.
Because Penn was standing there looking like he’d been ripped straight from my fantasy vault. Shirtless, sweaty, abs rippling, biceps flexing, and holding a steaming mug of coffee like he was the god of caffeine.
I lifted my hand like I was blocking out the sun. “Any chance you could put on some clothes?”
“Not after you moaned like that.” He smirked before tipping the mug to his lips.
Annnnnd I’d moaned. Fan-fucking-tastic.
Now was not the time to be embarrassed.
Now was the time to crawl back into bed and hope to God that this was a dream and the heat currently licking over me was nothing more than Savannah mouth-breathing in my face. I spun on a toe, ready to make my escape, but he caught my arm.
“Wait, wait, wait. Okay, fine. I’ll put on a shirt. I just got back from a run and was about to hit the shower.”
Dropping my chin to my chest, I momentarily lamented the fact that his front didn’t become flush with my back. Nor did his strong arms wrap around my hips, anchoring me into his curve as he peppered kisses up and down my neck. Only a few weeks earlier, all of that quickly followed by a shower for two would have been in both of our futures.
The regret didn’t linger for long when I thought about the pure agony of discovering he was gone and then the earth-quaking elation—no matter how brief—at seeing him for the first time. I knew I’d been falling in love with Penn before that night, but there was nothing quite like losing someone to force your mind to catch up to your heart.
His coffee cup appeared in front of me. “How about I temporarily forgo the shower and you keep that warm for me while I cook you some breakfast?”
I blinked down at the creamy, brown liquid. Penn drank his black. This one had cream—and probably sugar too.
Just the way I liked it.
My nose started stinging. “How long have you been waiting for me to get up?”
He shuffled closer, his warmth looming all around me without him actually touching me at all. “Since the moment you went to bed. I even let Drew take the room last night in case you couldn’t fall asleep. I only went for a run to keep from tearing that door off the hinges. And then I’ve been standing here, drinking sugary milk disguised as coffee ever since.”
I choked out a laugh, but it only made my eyes water.
My shoulders sagged, and before I could stop myself, I leaned back against him. He wasted no time wrapping his free arm around me, but not at my hips. His densely tattooed forearm draped over my chest, where he hugged me hard and long.
“Why didn’t you trust me?” I whispered, placing my hand on his arm, wishing I could make him feel the hollowness his deceit had left inside me. “I think that’s what hurts the most.”
“Cora,” he breathed before pressing a kiss to my temple.
“I get it. In the beginning, I genuinely do. You weren’t there to hurt me. But once you got to know me. After I’d opened up about Nic and everything in between. I just… I can’t seem to figure out the rest.”
“I’m sorry,” he rasped. “I’m so fucking sorry. I knew you were going to get hurt, and I tried to soften that blow as best I could. We both had secrets, Cora. You never even mentioned River being your daughter until you were forced to.”
I tensed. I should have known he’d twist this into something he could blame me for. God knew everyone else blamed me for the way they treated me.
