Scorch by Kait Gamble Read Free Book Online

for you to get something for breakfast. I know I didn’t, so I packed a little extra for us.”
    It was thoughtful, something she was learning was just him. It made her wonder why she was so blown away that he thought about her at all. And the answer was—Richard. He would just do things that seemed to be for her as well, but now that she thought about it, not much had been in her best interest. He’d buy her a new dress then spring it on her that they had an important function to attend. Or the time he suggested they spend more time together by working out. That came after she’d gained a few pounds and they had some influential friends to meet.
    “Hey. You okay?”
    Caught, she forced a bright smile. One that she’d actually perfected during her time with Richard, coincidentally. She looked at the tray then at her hands. Every inch of them was coated with tiny granules of sand and she hadn’t brought any other cutlery. “It looks like I can’t dive in.”
    Daniel chuckled. “I’ve got you covered.” Without further comment, he waggled his perfectly clean fingers as proof before he pinched a morsel between them and popped it into her mouth.
    Flavors burst on her tongue and continued to tantalize her senses as she chewed. “You really have a gift. You know that?”
    “I’m glad you think so.” He fed her more before taking some for himself. “So what happened this morning?”
    “Can’t we just enjoy this?”
    “So whatever went through your mind was bad enough you don’t want to talk about it.” He squared his shoulders and leveled his gaze on hers. “What did I do?”
    He wasn’t going to let it go. How would she explain what she was thinking? “We just kind of fell into”—she waved a hand between them—“this. And it’s been great. Better than. But neither of us wants more right now. Am I right?”
    Daniel’s eyes sparked with something but he nodded as it extinguished.
    “I guess some of the stuff we were saying kind of hinted at more and it put me off kilter.”
    He was silent a moment as he digested her words. “Got it.”
    And now she felt like a heartless bitch. “I was hurt pretty badly and I don’t want it to ever happen again.” As if that was a good enough excuse.
    He kept his gaze on hers. “I get it. I do. But I also know that you can’t lock specific parts of yourself behind a wall and expect to be happy.”
    She really didn’t want to hear it. Logically, it made sense, but it wasn’t what she wanted to think about right now. Chelsea just needed to feel alive again and she knew Daniel was instrumental in that. She just hoped that she hadn’t screwed it all up. “I’m just being honest. I thought you’d appreciate that, at least.”
    “I do.” Daniel stared at his clenched fist, pensive. “I know the basics of what transpired. Feel like sharing a bit more?”
    Why not? “It’s a long story. He let me down—utterly. He’s the reason I’m starting over practically from scratch. But he isn’t completely to blame.”
    His jaw tightened. “You’re defending him?”
    Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. “No. I’m just saying that I let it happen. I chose to drop everyone and everything to be with him. At the time, I thought it would be this huge adventure to move with him to the other side of the world. And it was, until he backed out of the wedding. I wasn’t even aware that he was having second thoughts.” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him that he had done it through text the night before. “So I moved back and am starting over again.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Surely, he offered to help you out.”
    “I wouldn’t have accepted it if he had. I won’t rely on anyone again.”
    He said nothing, only searched her eyes for a moment. Daniel tugged her over to him and positioned her between his thighs, her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her.
    And it felt good.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
     
    Chelsea walked into the restaurant