Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (171 page)

H
e
t
ook
her
chin
and
t
i
l
t
ed
it
up
s
o
he
could
s
ee
her e
y
e
s.
D
e
s
p
i
t
e
the
g
la
zed
loo
k
,
he
w
as
t
em
p
t
ed.
“
L
i
s
t
en
t
o me,
J
or
d
a
n
.
W
hen
I
ta
ke
y
ou
t
o
bed
the
fi
r
st
time,
I
w
ant
y
ou
comple
t
ely
a
w
are
of
what
y
ou
’
re
d
o
i
n
g
.
I
do
n
’t
w
ant
y
ou regretti
n
g
it
the
next
d
a
y
.
”

Af
t
er
s
e
ve
r
al
minu
t
e
s
of
s
i
lence,
N
ick
g
l
anced
do
w
n
and s
a
w
the
alcohol
had
fi
na
l
l
y
k
icke
d
i
n
.
S
he
w
as
s
n
o
r
i
n
g
s
oftl
y
.
H
e
held
her
l
i
ke
that
for
nearly
an
hour
before
ca
r
r
y
i
n
g
her
t
o bed.
Drop
p
i
n
g
do
w
n
on
one
k
nee
on
the
mattr
e
s
s,
he
gently
l
aid
her
on
t
op
of
the
comfo
r
t
er
before
maneuve
r
i
n
g
her body
and
le
g
s
under
i
t
,
cove
r
i
n
g
her
u
p
.

H
e
sat
do
w
n
on
the
bed
n
e
xt
t
o
he
r
.
F
or
the
lo
n
g
e
st
time he
w
at
ched
her
slee
p
,
inhali
n
g
her
s
cen
t
,
im
a
g
ini
n
g
what it
would
be
l
i
ke
t
o
sleep
in
here,
w
a
ke
up
in
th
i
s
room,
th
i
s bed
alo
n
gs
ide
th
i
s
woman
e
ve
r
y
mo
r
ni
n
g
.
H
e
stroked
her
hai
r
.
Then
s
i
lently
he
bent
do
w
n
and
k
i
s
s
ed
her
forehead. Then
g
i
n
gerly
k
i
s
s
ed
her
n
os
e,
her
mouth,
barely
t
ouchi
n
g h
i
s
li
p
s
t
o
he
r
s.
S
he
moaned
slightl
y
.
H
e
w
an
t
ed
more,
s
o much
mor
e
.
B
ut
it
w
a
s
n
’t
r
ight
t
o
w
ant
mor
e
.
Relu
c
t
antl
y
,
he forced
him
s
elf
t
o
get
u
p
,
t
o
le
a
v
e
.

M
ethodica
l
l
y
,
he
went
out
into
the
ent
r
yw
a
y
and
checked
a
l
l
the
doo
r
s
to
make
sure
they
were
locked
ti
ght
before
g
o
ing
back
into
the
li
v
i
ng
room
to
do
u
s
e
the
f
i
re
and
c
ut
of
f
the
ligh
t
s
.

A
s
h
e
mad
e
th
e
t
r
i
p
a
c
r
o
s
s
th
e
y
ar
d
to
h
i
s
s
t
udio apa
r
tmen
t
,
h
e
g
l
ance
d
u
p
a
t
th
e
s
t
a
r
s
an
d
sai
d
s
o
f
t
l
y
to
n
o
on
e
i
n
pa
r
ti
c
u
l
a
r,
“
I
t
shoul
d
b
e
y
o
u
here
,
Sc
o
t
t
.
I
’m
s
o
god
d
am
n
s
o
r
r
y
.
”

J
or
d
an
woke
t
o
H
ut
t
on
b
a
bbli
n
g
over
the
moni
t
o
r
.
H
er head
ached
—
no
it
w
as
more
l
i
k
e
—it
pounded.
S
he
t
ook a
deep
breath
and
thought
she
s
me
l
led
cof
f
ee,
but
she
w
as
prob
a
bly
im
a
g
ini
n
g
i
t
.
W
hen
H
ut
t
o
n
’
s
b
a
by
t
a
l
k
t
u
r
ned
t
o
f
u
s
s
i
n
g
,
she
k
new
there
w
as
no
chance
for
a
quick
showe
r
.
S
he
s
wu
n
g her
le
g
s over
t
o the
s
ide and
realized she
w
as
st
il
l wea
r
i
n
g
the
sho
r
ts
and
shi
r
t
f
rom
the
night
befor
e
.

I
t
hit
her
then.
Y
e
s
t
er
d
a
y
.
C
ar
l
a
V
ar
g
as
h
ad
s
t
opped
by—but
n
o
t
for
a
f
r
ien
d
ly
v
i
s
i
t
.
N
o
,
af
t
er
C
ar
l
a
a
s
sured her
that the
comp
l
aint
would
be
f
i
led
a
w
a
y
as
h
a
v
i
n
g
no
me
r
i
t
,
sh
e
’
d
s
til
l
spen
t
th
e
d
a
y
u
ps
e
t
.
B
u
t
fo
r
H
u
t
t
o
n
’
s
sak
e
sh
e
’
d
ke
p
t
it
t
o
gether
unt
i
l
l
ast
night—when
N
ick
had
come
bac
k
.
N
ic
k
. The
l
ast
thi
n
g
she
remembered
w
as
h
i
s
han
d
s
—
d
o
i
n
g
thi
n
g
s
t
o
he
r
.
S
he
g
rew
w
a
r
m
remembe
r
i
n
g
h
i
s
gentlen
e
s
s,
the
t
ender
w
a
y
h
e
’
d
trea
t
ed
he
r
.
S
h
e
’
d
felt
safe
in
h
i
s
a
r
ms
for
the fi
r
st
time
s
inc
e
...

D
amn
i
t
.
I
f
only
she
had
n
’t
fa
l
len
aslee
p
.
W
as
there
s
ome c
o
s
mic
force
at
work
kee
p
i
n
g
N
ick
out
of
her
bed?
S
he
w
as be
g
inni
n
g
t
o
think
s
o
.

F
if
t
ee
n
minu
t
e
s
l
at
e
r
,
sh
e
ca
r
r
ie
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
in
t
o
the
k
i
t
che
n
.
N
ick
s
t
ood
at
the
s
t
ove,
for
k
i
n
g
bacon
on
t
o
a
paper
t
owel.
H
e cocked h
i
s head and
g
a
ve
her a once ove
r
.
“
I heard
y
ou
get
u
p
.
Ther
e
’
s
cof
f
e
e
.
”

S
he
inhale
d
th
e
aroma
.
“
T
h
ank
God
.
”
A
f
t
er
she
locked the
tr
a
y
in
p
l
ace
on
H
ut
t
o
n
’
s
high
chai
r
,
she
poured
cof
f
ee and
w
at
ched
as
N
ick
g
o
t
out
the
s
ippy
c
u
p
,
f
i
l
led
it
w
ith
m
il
k and
handed
it
off
t
o
the
b
a
b
y
,
who
e
a
gerly
t
ook
i
t
.
F
un
n
y
,
she thought
how
quickly
he
fit
in
t
o
our
liv
e
s
as
if
he
belo
n
ged her
e
.
S
he
s
no
r
t
ed.
T
r
y
c
on
v
incing
N
i
c
k
H
a
r
r
i
s
of
t
hat
.

N
ic
k
wa
l
ke
d
t
o
th
e
c
a
b
i
ne
t
,
pu
l
le
d
ou
t
a
b
o
ttl
e
of
as
p
i
r
i
n
,
dumpe
d
t
w
o
in
t
o
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
pal
m
.
“
Y
o
u
loo
k
l
i
ke
y
o
u
coul
d
u
s
e
th
e
s
e
.
”