Atonement by J. H. Cardwell Read Free Book Online

while. Then I realized what had awoken me. Elle had unlocked the door, and was just walking in.
    Flipping on a lamp, my eyes met hers. She gasped, and stepping closer to me she quickly realized I now had daggers in mine.
    “Reese, are you okay? I tried to text you and call you. You must have had your phone on vibrate,” she said, trying to ignore the steam rolling out of my ears.
    I carefully eased out of John’s embrace as he was beginning to stir. “How dare you set this all up, Elle? Why don’t you ever share any of yours and John’s conversations with me?”
    Before she could answer, John sat up on his elbows looking amazingly gorgeous; his dark hair tussled just perfectly. Great, even beach god was hot with bed head. “Is everythingokay? I’m sorry I fell asleep Reese. I think your breathing lulled me into it.” He gave the sweetest grin.
    “It’s okay John. I was just talking with Elle about how much I love how she takes care of me.” I seethed at the last part, looking straight at her.
    She blurted out how much she loved me, and how she was just trying to help us both. Then she looked at John and told how she didn’t mean to rat my problems out, but that John could be so persuasive!
    I looked at John with a raised eyebrow “guilty” he said. “I have to know daily that you’re okay,” he said with a sly grin.
    Uhhh, here we go again! “Daily? Elle, he has texted you daily and you haven’t said a word to me. We’re in to March now for goodness sake. What were you thinking?”
    “I uh,” Her eyes darted all around our bedroom, “got to go to the bathroom,” and with that she grabbed her cosmetics bag and literally leaped out of the room on her way to the community bathroom.
    John and I looked at each other then. I knew I had to look awful. He reached up, stroking my cheek and like he could read my mind said, “Damn Reese, you are so beautiful. I am so lucky to be here with you…spending time with you. I knew it would happen eventually, but I’m so thankful it’s happening now.”
    I was no longer buzzing from the tequila shots. I did have a headache though. Rolling out of the bed to grab a bottle of water, I wasn’t sure how to respond to John. A few moments of silence must have made him uncomfortable.
    “Reese, please talk with me. I want to know what’s in that pretty little head of yours.”
    Seriously, my brain was bogged down with confusion and pain, and not just from the shots either. “John, I don’t know where to begin. I’m so hurt and angry right now. This, you and me, shouldn’t be happening, at least not now.” I barely looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He was so gorgeous and his expressions so sincere, Uhhh why was my life all scrambled yet again.
    He quickly stood to come toward me. Lifting my chin with his finger, he gazed in my eyes. Crap, why did my heart flutter at just the sight of him? It’s like he could see right through me. His blue eyes always found a way to pierce my heart, over and over.
    “I don’t want you to feel pushed Reese. I know you have a lot to work through. I told you I would always be here and I will be. I’ll give you space though, but only because I feel that’s what you want. If I had my way, I would sweep you off of your feet and we would go away together…I could make you forget all of your troubles Reese.” He said these words inches from my face, my lips. My body was shaking at the realization of John being here and taking care of me. I could only imagine what he would do for me…
to
me.
    I looked down at his lips and then up at his eyes again…oh no that was a mistake. There was no denying the fact that I had real attraction and feelings for John. But, I couldn’t act now, not yet. My heart still belonged to Tate. And that thought alone made it squeeze tight with pain.
    “John,” I said gently holding him back with my hands against his chest. Dang, even that gave me chills all over, the feel of his skin behind his thin