All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) A.D. Justice (short novels to read TXT) 📖

possibilities. I certainly didn’t want an audience involved to inflict any undue pressure and sway her opinion.

When I crack open the door, I find Rod is still fast asleep. Even with bed hair and in such a deep sleep he’s nearly comatose, he’s still the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. I kneel beside the bed and gently stroke his hair, pulling and twirling it between my fingers. Without opening his eyes, he slides his hands around my back and pulls me on top of him. A low moan of approval rumbles through his chest as he holds me close, making me melt into him even more.

“There you are. You left me. You’re never allowed to leave my bed again. Now that I have you, I’m never letting go.”

“I think I can entice you into changing your mind about that.”

“Never. There’s nothing I’d rather have than you in my arms. Everything else comes in at a very distant second place.” He tightens his hold to emphasize his point.

“Mom’s making pancakes.”

He opens one squinty eye and arches his eyebrow. I nod exaggeratedly, knowing he’s weighing his options right now. “Tempting, but no. As delicious as her cooking is, I can’t let you go because I may never get you back again.”

Suddenly, I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing anymore.

“Where’s this coming from, Rod?”

He opens both eyes, rubs my back, and a painted expression crosses his face. “I have a confession to make. The only reason I haven’t said anything is because it’s Christmas week and I didn’t want to ruin your holiday. But after convincing you I’m not that selfish prick from the island, I don’t feel right keeping it from you, even a few more days.”

“All right… I’m listening.” Every worse-case scenario I can imagine flies through my thoughts at light speed.

“If you’re interested in pressing charges, I can find out who raped you. The statute of limitations in Georgia is fifteen years. You certainly have DNA evidence, and you have witnesses who will testify on your behalf. Juliana’s best friend was in the car with us that night. She wasn’t drugged, and neither was I.”

That was definitely not what I expected him to say. I roll over to the side and sit on the bed facing him with my legs crossed while he adjusts to lean his back against the headboard.

Do I want to know who my attacker is?

Do I want a name and a face to fill in the holes and blurry spots from that horrible night?

What if knowing makes the memories and nightmares worse?

“Rod, I don’t know what to say. There’s a lot to consider—how this will affect Landen, if I can deal with it… I mean, you know how our world is today. I’ll be on trial as much as he is. What did I do to provoke it? What did I do to stop it? How much did I have to drink that night? Why was I drinking underage? How many sexual partners have I had?”

Does your current lover know you’re pregnant with his child? Will you also accuse him of rape seven years from now?

“I understand this is a lot, and I’m sorry to drop it on you today. I promised to be honest with you, and I wasn’t living up to that promise by keeping this information from you. Take your time to think about it, babe. You don’t have to make any decisions today. But I want to make one thing crystal clear. Whatever course you decide to take, you have my full support. No one else can say what’s best for you and your situation. You’ll never face it alone though. If you want to nail this guy’s balls to the wall, I’ll gladly wield the hammer.”

His attempt to add levity to the conversation is just what I need. He makes me smile even during dismal situations. “Thank you, Rod. I may take you up on that, but let me think about it first. I need to weigh the benefits and costs to my sanity. I also have to try to figure out how it’ll affect Landen, most of all.”

“So, you’re not upset with me for bringing it up today?” He lifts both eyebrows, showing the vulnerability in his eyes.

“No, I’m not mad at you in the least. You’re only trying to help and do what’s right.”

“Good. Now, as I recall, you mentioned something about pancakes…”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rod

As I descend the stairs, hints of lingering vanilla and freshly baked cake topped with hot maple syrup assail my nostrils. Those heavenly circles of fluffed batter call my name, loud and clear. Fresh, crisp bacon sizzles, the aroma mixing with the pancakes, and makes my mouth water.

“Slow down, Rod.” Daisy laughs from behind me. “If I trip and fall, I don’t want to be dragged to the kitchen behind you.”

“Keep up, woman.” I tighten my grip on her hand. “Kevin will eat the last pancake without giving me a second thought.”

“Who are you kidding, Rod? I haven’t thought about you at all. The last pancake is mine.” Kevin lifts his fork toward the serving plate, positioned to stab the entire stack of deliciousness waiting there, so I snatch the plate off the table on my way past him. “Hey!”

“You snooze, you lose. The rest of the plate is mine!”

Chelle chuckles to herself then plays peaceful mediator between us. “There are plenty more where those came from, boys. No fighting at the table.”

“You got in trouble. You’re not Mom’s favorite.” Kevin smirks and stuffs a huge bite into his mouth.

“You wish, loser. Mom and I are like this.” I cross my fingers and hold them up in Kevin’s face. He only smiles wider.

“You’re both shit out of luck. I’m Mom’s favorite, and we all know it.” Juliana sits between Marlee and me, steals two pancakes from my plate and a few pieces of bacon from Kevin’s. “Do either of you have anything else to say?”

“No,” we mumble simultaneously, and laughter breaks out around