Breathless by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t
mean to chase you away, man,” Tucker said.
    “You didn’t.
I’m getting tired. It’s time to call it a night.” Eli turned to
Brent. “Thanks for listening. Believe it or not, it helped.”
    Brent laughed.
“Who knows, now that we’re not competing for the same woman, we may
even learn to like each other, Rea.”
    Eli grinned.
“Let’s not get crazy.”
     
    ***
     
    Eli was trying
to fall asleep when the phone rang. Belinda. He thought
about ignoring it, but that wouldn’t be fair. She was probably as
upset about what happened at dinner as he was. “Hello.”
    “Hey, Eli. You
weren’t sleeping, were you?”
    “No, I was just
lying here.”
    “Yeah, me too.”
After a brief pause, she asked, “What did your family say after I
left?”
    “Not much.” He
knew he should amend that statement, so he said, “They were sorry
you had to leave.”
    “I don’t
believe you, but it’s sweet of you to say.”
    Eli knew he
couldn’t fool her into believing his family liked her when they
clearly didn’t. “Are you feeling better?” He hoped she would be
open to changing the subject. They had to talk about it, but he
wasn’t in the mood for any more drama. Those conversations
inevitably ended in tears, and he didn’t have the energy to console
a distraught woman.
    “I am,
thanks.”
    He rolled over
and slid his free hand under the pillow. “Do you have a busy week
coming up?” They’d been trying to get together at least once during
the week, but he was less enthused about the prospect.
    “I do.” She
sighed. “Eli, I didn’t call to make small talk. Can we talk about
us?”
    Oh no, here
it comes. “To tell you the truth, I’m kinda tired, Belinda. Can
we talk about this some other time?”
    “I have
feelings for you,” she said quietly. “I haven’t told you because I
didn’t want to rush things, and frankly, I wasn’t sure how you
felt.”
    Eli wasn’t even
sure how he felt. He’d never been more confused. “I think you’re a
great girl…”
    “But?”
    “I’m not sure
I’m ready for anything serious.”
    “Isn’t that the
reason you went to Ava? Because you were ready to settle down?
That’s what she told me. If that’s not true--”
    “No, it is.”
His conscience wouldn’t let him throw Ava under the bus just to
spare himself an uncomfortable discussion.
    “You just can’t
see yourself settling down with me. Is that it?”
    Eli told
himself finding nice girls who weren’t interested in his status or
bank balance was difficult. He shouldn’t be so quick to cut Belinda
off. Maybe his family would grow to love her. Perhaps he could grow
to love her too. “I didn’t say that. I don’t know how I feel yet.
It’s too soon to tell.”
    She exhaled.
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I thought you might be ready to
write me off after today.”
    “I’m not making
any promises--”
    “I’m not asking
you to.”
    “I like you. I
like spending time with you, but I still don’t know if we’re
compatible as a couple.”
    “I get that.”
She paused. “We have a lot more in common than you think, you
know.”
    “What do you
mean?”
    “We both wasted
too many years loving people who couldn’t love us back.”
    He couldn’t
confide in her, of all people, about his relationship with Jamie.
“This has nothing to do with Jam--”
    “Doesn’t
it?”
    Eli was a
terrible liar, which was why he’d decided a long time ago not to
bother trying. “Fine, maybe it has something to do with her. She’s
been an important part of my life for a long time. I can’t just
turn my feelings off because I’ve met someone else.” When he
realized how that sounded, he tried to soften it. “I’m sorry. I’m
sure that’s not what you want to hear.”
    “Don’t ever
apologize for being honest with me.” She laughed softly. “My ex had
a terrible habit of lying to me, especially about where he was.
It’s refreshing to meet a man who’s not afraid to tell the truth,
even