Fallen by Kelley R. Martin Read Free Book Online Page B

comforted me. And with her in my lap and my arms wrapped around her, I realized I’d missed the scent. 
    Hell, who was I kidding? I’d missed her . 
    Goddamn it, that nagging voice in my head was right. I could lie to other people all I wanted, but I couldn’t lie to myself. Emily wasn’t nothing to me, she was definitely something , I just wasn’t sure what.
    A friend, perhaps?
    I opened my eyes and looked down at her closed, puffy eyelids. A tear escaped from the corner, running down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb, careful not to disturb her since she appeared to be sleeping. 
    And that was when it hit me: somewhere along the way, I’d fucked up, and in the worst possible way. I cared about her. I didn’t know how it happened, but it did—I cared about this broken girl in my arms.
    Shit. How the hell did I let this happen?
    Something shifted in me as I watched the silent tears fall down her cheeks. I never knew it could be so painful to watch someone cry. Every tear she shed ripped at me until I couldn’t breathe. Watching her cry made me want to cry.
    What the hell was happening to me? She was making me soft. She was making me… feel .
    Jesus, I’m turning into a fucking girl. Next thing I know, my dick will shrivel up and fall off.
    “You were right.”
    Emily’s small voice surprised me. I thought she’d been sleeping.
    “About what?”
    “I can’t be with him and not— not—” Her words stalled out as a fresh batch of salty tears spilled forth onto my chest.
    Petting her hair, I rocked her gently. “I know, baby girl. I know.”
    “It’s not fair,” she sobbed.
    I winced at the truth of her words. “I know. I’m sorry.” If I could shelter her from this cruel and uncaring world, I would. 
    After several minutes, she pulled back, wiping her red, tear-stained face. “Sorry to dump all this on you.” She forced a weak smile and wiped my chest with the blanket. “Sorry ’bout that, too.” 
    “It’s fine.” I swiped my thumb under her puffy eyes, clearing away what she’d missed.
    “Did you get in trouble with your boss? For not…getting me?”
    I stiffened with my hand still up to her face. Quickly dropping it, I lowered my eyes and lifted her off my lap, sitting her next to me on the couch. “No. They don’t know you matured.”
    “You didn’t tell them?”
    I shook my head.
    “Why not?”
    “Because they would’ve sent others to finish what I couldn’t.”
    She placed her hand atop mine and I looked up. “Thank you,” she said.
    I nodded in acknowledgment, but didn’t say anything.
    Her brows furrowed as she bit her bottom lip. “What would happen to me, if I was taken to Paris?”
    I wasn’t sure. Michael never explicitly told me…but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be good.
    A crazy idea popped into my head. I mulled it over, and the more I thought about it, the more I resolved to do it.
    I could do this. I could be there for her. And I’d be strong for her. Hell, I’d be her white knight if that’s what she needed. I could do good by her.
    I will do good by her.
    “What if… What if no one knew you were in Paris?”
    Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean what if you came to Paris with me, but not as a job? Think about it: as far as they know, it could take a few years before you mature, so why not let them think you’re still in school the whole time? If I don’t tell them otherwise, they’ll never know.”
    “You’d do that for me?”
    “Absolutely. I’m…here for you.” The stilted words felt foreign as they left my mouth, but I meant them.
    She cocked an eyebrow at me, and I scowled in return. “I am .”
    Her eyes hardened. “Why should I trust you? Why should I believe a single word you say?”
    Not unkindly, I asked, “What other option do you have?”
    Her eyes dropped to the blanket and she picked it up, wrapping it around her. “That’d only buy me a few years. Then what?”
    I shrugged. “We’ll figure it