IMPULSE: Companion to The PULSE Series by Deborah Bladon Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Deborah Bladon
this back on me? Is she going to blame me for what she's been doing? "What?" I bark the word out as I take a heavy step towards her. "Are you fucking kidding me, Jessica?"
She pushes her back into the door. Her hand leaps to the doorknob. It's instinctive. She's searching for her escape route if this gets too heavy. I have to admit, I'm impressed that she hasn't left the building in a mad dash yet. "No. I'm not fucking kidding you, Nathan," she hisses. "Something has been up your ass since then and you refuse to talk about it."
"You're right." My hand flies into the air and past her to settle on the door. I move forward again, trapping her where she's standing. "There is something up my ass."
"What?" She pulls her chin up in an act of defiance. She's not backing down. She's not going to retreat on this. "What the fuck happened there?"
I lean down, my lips hovering close to hers. I look her directly in the eyes as I very softly and clearly whisper. "The senator, Jessica. You fucked a senator."
Chapter 9
Time doesn't move for what feels like endless moments as her tear filled gaze jumps from my lips to my eyes. I watch as a veil of confusion overtakes her. Her knees buckle, her hands reach for the wood plank that is the door as she slowly slides down it.
"Jessica." I scoop my arm around her waist, catching her mid fall. "Jessica, please."
She doesn't speak. I don't know if it's because she's unwilling or if the weight of the air between us is holding her back. She raises her hand to shield her face. Her sobs overtake her. I hold her close, wishing I hadn't thrown that at her the way I did. She's fragile. She's always been too fragile for her own good.
"You should sit down." I scoop her up in my arms in one easy movement and carry her into the room. Her arms hang limp at her sides. Her eyes are staring a path straight through me. I place her down carefully on the couch.
"I'm sorry." The words escape her lips in such a quiet tone that I have to strain to make out each word. "I'm sorry," she repeats, this time no louder than the last.
I kneel in front of her. Any resistance that she was holding onto at the door has evaporated. She's broken and weak. She's rocking back and forth on the cushion, the rhythmic movement of her body making a sliding sound on the leather. It's the only sound invading the unending silence in the room.
"I'm sorry." The words are still so soft that I have to strain to hear them.
"Jessica." I place my hands on her knees. She doesn't pull back. "Jessica. I'm sorry too."
I expect her eyes to dart to mine for confirmation of the words but that doesn't happen. Instead, she pulls her head closer to her chest.
"Please look at me," I coax. I'm scared. I've pushed her into emotional places in the past but it's never been this way. She's never shut down so completely on me before. I regret bringing him up the way I did. I regret not asking about him right after the wedding, when she was so happy, open and composed.
"No," she says through a sob. "I can't."
I want to grab her shoulders and shake her. I want her to come back to me and talk about this. I want her to hold my face in her hands and tell me that she's overreacting and that all of it is just a simple misunderstanding. "I need you to listen to me, Jessica."
Her head darts up. I watch as her eyelids slowly open. She stares at my face, her eyes sweeping across my forehead, before settling on my mouth. "Please, Nathan." Her hand dashes from her leg to my arm. "Please."
"I'm not going anywhere." I reach forward to run my lips over her cheek. "I'm staying right here." I know I mean it right now. If she tells me she's been fucking the guy who was at Axel, I can't promise her anything.
She nods. Her hand moves up my arm. "Who told you?"
I pull her hand into my own and graze it across my lips. "I was talking to a woman at the wedding. Her name was Charity. She told me you were involved with a senator."
"Charity," she repeats the name as
She pushes her back into the door. Her hand leaps to the doorknob. It's instinctive. She's searching for her escape route if this gets too heavy. I have to admit, I'm impressed that she hasn't left the building in a mad dash yet. "No. I'm not fucking kidding you, Nathan," she hisses. "Something has been up your ass since then and you refuse to talk about it."
"You're right." My hand flies into the air and past her to settle on the door. I move forward again, trapping her where she's standing. "There is something up my ass."
"What?" She pulls her chin up in an act of defiance. She's not backing down. She's not going to retreat on this. "What the fuck happened there?"
I lean down, my lips hovering close to hers. I look her directly in the eyes as I very softly and clearly whisper. "The senator, Jessica. You fucked a senator."
Chapter 9
Time doesn't move for what feels like endless moments as her tear filled gaze jumps from my lips to my eyes. I watch as a veil of confusion overtakes her. Her knees buckle, her hands reach for the wood plank that is the door as she slowly slides down it.
"Jessica." I scoop my arm around her waist, catching her mid fall. "Jessica, please."
She doesn't speak. I don't know if it's because she's unwilling or if the weight of the air between us is holding her back. She raises her hand to shield her face. Her sobs overtake her. I hold her close, wishing I hadn't thrown that at her the way I did. She's fragile. She's always been too fragile for her own good.
"You should sit down." I scoop her up in my arms in one easy movement and carry her into the room. Her arms hang limp at her sides. Her eyes are staring a path straight through me. I place her down carefully on the couch.
"I'm sorry." The words escape her lips in such a quiet tone that I have to strain to make out each word. "I'm sorry," she repeats, this time no louder than the last.
I kneel in front of her. Any resistance that she was holding onto at the door has evaporated. She's broken and weak. She's rocking back and forth on the cushion, the rhythmic movement of her body making a sliding sound on the leather. It's the only sound invading the unending silence in the room.
"I'm sorry." The words are still so soft that I have to strain to hear them.
"Jessica." I place my hands on her knees. She doesn't pull back. "Jessica. I'm sorry too."
I expect her eyes to dart to mine for confirmation of the words but that doesn't happen. Instead, she pulls her head closer to her chest.
"Please look at me," I coax. I'm scared. I've pushed her into emotional places in the past but it's never been this way. She's never shut down so completely on me before. I regret bringing him up the way I did. I regret not asking about him right after the wedding, when she was so happy, open and composed.
"No," she says through a sob. "I can't."
I want to grab her shoulders and shake her. I want her to come back to me and talk about this. I want her to hold my face in her hands and tell me that she's overreacting and that all of it is just a simple misunderstanding. "I need you to listen to me, Jessica."
Her head darts up. I watch as her eyelids slowly open. She stares at my face, her eyes sweeping across my forehead, before settling on my mouth. "Please, Nathan." Her hand dashes from her leg to my arm. "Please."
"I'm not going anywhere." I reach forward to run my lips over her cheek. "I'm staying right here." I know I mean it right now. If she tells me she's been fucking the guy who was at Axel, I can't promise her anything.
She nods. Her hand moves up my arm. "Who told you?"
I pull her hand into my own and graze it across my lips. "I was talking to a woman at the wedding. Her name was Charity. She told me you were involved with a senator."
"Charity," she repeats the name as