The Edge of Forever by Jenika Snow Read Free Book Online Page A

samples.
    “Did the storm keep you up?”
    He sighed and opened his eyes. She sat in front of him. Her thin wire-rimmed glasses were slightly askew. Her red hair was twisted in a severe bun at her nape, and her thin lips were painted with bright red lipstick. “Yes. No.” Blake let his head fall to the back of his chair and stared at the ceiling. A water stain sat in a brown, dull circle in the corner.
    “Everything okay? All day you haven’t been yourself.” She took a bite of her bagel and watched him.
    “Yeah, I said I’m just tired.” In all honesty he hadn’t been able to concentrate today. Poppy was just in the next room over, staying busy with filing samples into the computer system that needed to be up and running by the beginning of the year. Occasionally he could hear her muttering profanities, and those times he hadn’t been able to hold in his smile. Something about   Poppy calmed him, and made everything seem bearable when it shouldn’t be. He knew her pain, because he lived with it also. Two years might have passed, but every morning when he woke up the agony of knowing he wouldn’t be able to call his brother and see if everything was okay, or plan a guy’s night out the next time he came to visit, hit him full force.
    Every day he woke up wishing it had been him instead of Jon.
    “Hey, maybe we can go out again sometime?”
    Maggie looked so hopeful he didn’t want to crush whatever ideas she had brewing in her mind. “Maggie, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She looked a bit forlorn, but she quickly schooled her expression and smiled.
    “Listen, you’re not feeling the greatest, so I’m going to leave you alone and get back to work.” She stood and smoothed her hands down her pleated pants. She gave him one more smile and left him alone in his office.
      Six months ago they had gone out on a date. That one had led to another, then the two of them in bed together. It had been a mistake, in more ways than one. For one thing he should have never gotten involved with his co-worker. For the second thing Maggie had grown attached to him after that one date and one night in bed. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but being with Maggie had temporarily filled the void inside of him. The morning after he told her they could never do it again. Maggie hadn’t made a scene, and things were still good between them, but every once in a while she nudged him for something more.
    The sound of Poppy cursing again had warmth spreading inside of him. He stood and left his office. Blake leaned against the doorframe and watched Poppy. She was bent over the tiny desk, her upper body forward and her face close to the computer screen. He could hear the sound of her fingers flying over the board.
    “Well, shit.” Poppy looked at the keyboard, typed something out, and looked at the screen again.
    Maybe Blake should have made his presence known, but he couldn’t help but sit back and watch her.
    “Argh!” Poppy sat back and ran her hands threw her short blonde hair. It looked soft, and his fingers itched to touch the strands.
    “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Blake mentally berated himself for his inappropriate thoughts. The floor creaked as he shifted on his feet, and Poppy turned to look at him.
    “Oh, hey.” Her cheeks took on a pink hue. “You, ugh, you didn’t hear my foul language, did you?”
    Blake threw his head back and laughed. God, that feels good. To actually laugh and feel it throughout my whole body. When he looked at Poppy again her face took on a pretty shade of red, and he grinned wider. “Your face always did show your emotions.” Despite her emotions, Poppy’s smiled at him.
    “So I take it you did hear me swearing up a storm in here?”
    “Yeah, but that’s all right. I think it’s funny as hell. Makes for an interesting day.” He stepped into the office and looked at the computer screen. “Everything okay, though?”
    Poppy sighed and stared daggers at the screen.