Ties that Bind (Sunshine & Shadow Book 3) by Alie Williamson Read Free Book Online Page B

“Are you sure?” he asked.
         She nodded. “Yes.”
         Taking his hand she led him away from the fire.
Some people shouted goodbye, some ignored them. Kip’s eyes never left her face
as they walked together to the car and April smiled to herself.
         Kip had always been her safe place, her
protector, her advisor. Their chemistry was undeniable, their attraction,
unquestionable. But April had never seen him as a boyfriend. Their relationship
had gone up and down like a rollercoaster. They were too alike for their own
good.
         Being with Kip, even just being around him,
partly filled the hole in April’s heart. It made her feel safe again, and it
allowed her to smile and relax when deep down in her stomach she knew she
should be crying. There was a small amount of guilt too; shouldn’t she still be
grieving? Shouldn’t she still be sad and hurt because of what Lex had done? It
wasn’t fair for her heart to break and be healed again so soon. It couldn’t be
possible.
         But looking at Kip’s eager face as he lead her
into his cabin, nestled on the edge of the woods, April knew it was possible.
Because she was seeing and feeling it for herself. Being with Kip was the
perfect distraction.
        
         The morning sun streamed through the window and
onto April’s face. Her body ached, but in a good way. She stretched, testing
her muscles and joints and feeling the familiar strain of used strength.
Smiling, she rolled onto her side.
         “Good morning, beautiful,” Kip said.
         He traced a line down her face with one finger,
brushing a strand of hair away from her eyes. His own eyes were soft, caught in
between a love for the woman in front of him and the afterglow from the
previous night.
         Embarrassment washed over her at the weight of
what they had done. She shook it off. It was Kip , her best friend in the
entire world; she had nothing to feel embarrassed about.
         “Good morning,” she said. “How long have you been
awake?”
         “About an hour, I think. I like watching you
sleep. I’ve missed it. Plus you talk, which is always entertaining.”
         April reached up and kissed Kip gently. As they
pulled away, he kissed the tip of her nose once, making her laugh.
         The breakfast bell sounded at the lodge.
         April sat up quickly.
         “Oh my God!” She closed her eyes. “What am I going
to tell my parents?”
         “Why don’t you tell them the truth?”
         April sneered. “Why, so my dad shoots you? Do you
have a death wish?”
         “Maybe not a good idea.” He grimaced. “Tell them
a half truth.”
         “Which is?”
         “We fell asleep after watching a movie.”
         “Where’s the truth part come in?”
         “We did fall asleep…just after doing something
else,” Kip said, slowly.
         April jumped out of bed, pulling her jeans on and
buttoning her shirt. She had no idea what she was going to tell her dad, but
she did know it couldn’t be the truth. Kip would be fired, and she would be
shipped off to university again. She had only just unpacked the boxes that had
arrived from Seattle; she didn’t feel like going back and repacking everything.
         “April, calm down.”
         April shook her head. “No, you are too calm! What
do we say?”
         Kip laughed, pulling his clothes on and smiling
at her. “You’ve slept over here before, platonically . Just tell them
what I told you; we fell asleep after watching a movie. It’s believable. Just please don’t try to come up with a story. You suck at lying.”
         “I do not!” April said, throwing a pillow at him.
         He caught it and put it back in place, smoothing
the duvet. “You do. But it’s a good thing. Just try to stay as close to the
truth as possible and you’ll be fine.”
         April’s concern wasn’t warranted as nobody was in
the dining room