Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel Bella Emy (best ebook reader for laptop .TXT) 📖

a single thing for him even after everything you guys went through?

How could I be so stupid to think that I could hate him?

I can’t hate him. I don’t. I don’t even want to. Fuck, I can’t even not like him.

He comes up beside me and stares out into the ocean. The silence between us is deafening, causing my heart to pound harder inside of my chest. Two minutes later, he finally speaks. “Everything okay?”

I suck in a deep breath. Dammit, why is it so hard to do… this. Whatever this is between us right now, because no matter how much I hate to admit it, things are changing between us.

And right now, being out here on the ocean with him, without a single other soul in sight, is making it feel like this is it. Like this is our second chance. Our second chance at forever.

It’s silly of me to think this way, I know. But I should have never agreed to come out here with him. I should have known my heart was too weak since the first moment I saw him, those flashbacks came rushing through me.

“Lexi?” he questions, placing a casual hand on my shoulder.

I don’t pull away. Instead, I continue staring out onto the sea, until I close my eyes and then face him. I put on a forced smile. God, I hope he can’t tell. “I’m sorry, Kalen. Today has been wonderful. I hadn’t seen anything as beautiful as I did today, in well, probably never. I love being out on the ocean and getting to see all we did today. It was just amazing. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

Kalen flicks his wrist and checks the time. “Yeah, it has been a long day and it is getting late. Come, I’ll take you downstairs to get you settled in bed.”

I nod and follow him downstairs to the bottom portion of the deck. I look around, and I don’t know why it hadn’t dawned on me before, but there is only one bed. I stop and he quickly turns around.

Chuckling, he says, “Don’t worry, Lexi. You can have the bed. I’ll sleep right over there,” he says pointing to one of the windows.

I furrow my brows. “I don’t understand…”

He walks over to the window and out of the wall, pulls out a cot.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” I say with a small smile.

He smiles back. Heavenly. “Yeah, most people don’t know about it.”

Most people. I wonder if that means he’s had a hoard of women spend days out on the sea with him.

Of course, he has, Lexi. Are you stupid? He’s gorgeous.

I shake the thoughts from my mind. That’s none of my business, and I refuse to let it get to me right now.

He runs a hand through his hair, looking around, and then meets my gaze once more. “Lexi, you can go right in there and get changed for bed.”

I follow where he’s pointing to with my eyes and nod. Picking up my bag from the bed where it had been placed when we got here, I walk over to the bathroom and close the door behind me.

One good look at this place and you wouldn’t even think you’re on a boat. This bathroom looks better than the one in my apartment. I shake my head and lean my back against the door, inhaling deeply. Once I take another breath, I place my bag on the toilet seat and go through it. Shit, I hope I packed enough pajamas. Frowning, I decide on a plain white T-shirt and a pair of baby blue shorts. Not too short to look like a whore, but not too long to look like my grandmother, either. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and then brush my teeth.

Once I’m done, I grab my bag and step out of the bathroom to find Kalen already tucked into his little bed off to the side. The top portion of his body is sticking out from underneath a light green comforter. I catch a nice glimpse of his sculpted chest and arms. He smiles as our eyes meet, and I melt.

Damn, he looks good. Why does he have to be so good looking?

His eyes roam the length of my body, landing on my legs for a good minute and I automatically feel self-conscious. I pick up my bag higher, holding it up at my belly button.

I stand there like an idiot until his eyes once again find mine. “Figured I’d change while you were in there. Are you all good?” he asks.

I nod like a moron. “Uh, uh-huh.” I walk briskly to the bed where I’ll be sleeping. I drop my bag on the ground next to it and slide in. Then I pull the blanket up, covering myself.

God, this mattress feels like a cloud. This should be illegal.

Kalen flips over onto his stomach so that he’s looking at me from where he’s lying.

Could a man be any more perfect? Seriously. Kalen Starling is pure perfection.

I feel like saying something to take the edge off the weight of his stare on me, but I can’t think of a damn thing that won’t make me sound like a fucking moron.

Saving me, he speaks. “Hey, if you need anything in the middle of the night, please don’t hesitate to wake my ass and ask,” he says through a smile that makes me turn into a puddle of mush.

“I will,” I manage to mumble. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be able to disturb him if I do happen to need something overnight.

“Good night, Lexi. Sweet dreams.” He smiles widely once more.

I feel my lips pull into a small smile in return. “Good night, Kalen.”

He flips back around, and with a remote in his hand, he switches the light off, leaving only a tiny dim night light coming toward the right.

I look up at the ceiling and wonder. Maybe Kalen isn’t so bad. Maybe it’s time to let go of the past