Keepers of the Cave by Gerri Hill Read Free Book Online Page B

this question. Despite being prepared for it, she still had no answer. She supposed that night, surely, she had a reason. And if she were to guess, she would say it was because of CJ. Because of the kids. Because she knew how personal CJ took those things. And for some reason, that night, she didn’t want CJ to find solace in some stranger’s arms...and a stranger’s bed.
    “You’re right. I knew no one else could possibly understand what you’d gone through that day. No one would understand what you needed,” she said quietly, surprising herself with the honest answer. She looked back at CJ. “And I think maybe I needed someone who understood me as well.”
    CJ was quite possibly stunned by her words because for once, she had no comeback. Their eyes held for the longest moment, then CJ nodded, finally glancing away. Paige went back to her dinner preparation, wondering if that was to be the extent of their conversation on the matter. If so, it was actually more than she’d thought they’d ever say.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    CJ scrolled through Avery’s notes for at least the fifth time, rereading every line, still finding the whole thing bizarre. It was like a bad TV movie. Maybe Paige was right when she said Stepford Wives . From all accounts, the residents in town acted more like robots than anything else.
    She glanced up when she heard the water turn off. Getting used to sharing a bathroom was going to take a while. Trying not to imagine Paige naked, drying off as she finished her shower, was going to be damn near impossible. She remembered every exquisite curve of Paige Riley’s body.
    She shoved away from the table and stood by a window, looking out into the woods across the road. She wouldn’t really call it a street. The cabins, while all relatively close together, were staggered and offset, allowing a little privacy. She tilted her head, hearing the bathroom door open, then the bedroom door, knowing Paige was dressing. She ran her hand through her hair, thinking back to last night. She’d been surprised at Paige’s confession. She had often wondered how Paige had ended up at the bar that night. It was just your average lesbian bar—loud music, dim lights and lots of alcohol and laughter. Not a place Paige Riley frequented, she knew. The circumstances which brought her there...well, CJ wasn’t really sure how she felt about that. Should she be grateful Paige cared enough to do that? Or was it as Paige had indicated? That they both needed each other that night.
    Regardless, it seemed to ease a little of the tension between them. Dinner had been good, the conversation light, and it was nice to share a bottle of wine knowing there were no expectations at the end of the evening. They had actually made light of the fact that they were sharing a bed, and Paige drew an imaginary line down the middle which CJ promised not to cross. And she hadn’t. She slept soundly, and that surprised her. She wasn’t used to sleeping with someone, but she found Paige’s presence reassuring, if nothing else.
    All of which was great and wonderful...if only her mind wouldn’t continually flash back to that night. It was a night she remembered in great detail, which was unusual for her. Normally, the lingering effects of the tequila would erase most of her dalliances from her mind. On that particular night, they’d left the bar long before she’d succumbed to the tequila. She was quite lucid in her seduction of Paige Riley. Or was it Paige’s seduction of her? It didn’t matter. She could remember every detail with delicious clarity.
    “Hey.”
    She turned, finding Paige looking as beautiful as ever—pressed khaki shorts, a soft-looking, low-cut blouse that showed off far too much cleavage, with leather belt and matching sandals. CJ raised an eyebrow as she spied the red nail polish on her toes. That was something she never considered and she found it extremely sexy. She glanced at her own outfit. Her shorts were khaki as