Free Uncovered by Truth by Rachael Duncan Page A

too much of a liability after I froze on stage and had to be escorted off.” Her gaze shifts down to her hands where she’s fidgeting with a piece of string on her shirt.
    “I saw that. What happened?” I’ve wanted to know ever since I saw it. I know the press put out a statement claiming she was being treated for exhaustion, but I don’t buy that bullshit.
    She bites her lip and shakes her head several times. “You have things you can’t talk about, and I have mine,” she says just above a whisper. Her bottom lip quivers as she holds in the tears.
    I grab her arm and gently pull her into me. Leaning back, I hold her while her head rests on my chest. “You don’t have to tell me,” I reassure her. She nods her head. “So, do you want to watch some trashy TV? I’ve got way too many brain cells right now and need to kill a few off,” I joke with her. I want so desperately to make her laugh and smile, and it works. Her body shakes slightly as a small laugh leaves her lips. It’s fucking music to my ears.
    “Sure.” She grabs the remote and scrolls through the DVR listings. To my horror, there are pages of Housewife shows on there. “I haven’t been keeping up with my shows,” she offers up in explanation.
    “Why not? You realized how God awful it is?”
    “Uh, no.” Her tone changes from lighthearted to somber. “It made me think of you, so I couldn’t bring myself to watch it.”
    And now I feel like the biggest ass.
    “I’m so sorry, Elizabeth.” I reach out to comfort her again, but she shakes her head so I stop.
    “I’m tired of living in the sadness. It’s eating me alive. Now that you’re here, I want to move forward and let go of all of that, okay? If I don’t, I’m going to drown in it.”
    “Okay, from now on, we only talk about good things.”
    “Exactly. Now, let’s destroy some of your underused brain cells,” she teases with a little smirk before leaning back into me. In this one moment I see and feel it. The girl I know and love. I rest my chin on the top of her head as we turn our attention to the TV.
    We only watch about fifteen minutes before we’re sitting facing each other, bantering back and forth like we used to. There’s light in her eyes, her face is animated, and most importantly she looks happy. It’s the best I’ve felt since all hell broke loose six weeks ago.
    Damn.
    It feels a helluva lot longer than six weeks. Before, I swear we’d been apart for an eternity, but sitting with her now, the time away from each other vanishes. Almost like it was a dream or some distant, vague memory.
    We’re both quietly laughing when our eyes lock. An all too familiar electricity courses between us and our laughter quickly dies. The darkening of her eyes and lust filled expression matches my own.
    “Come here,” I demand softly. When she’s close enough, I grab her by the back of her neck and guide her to straddle my lap. My mouth crashes into hers, needing to taste her sweet lips. I could do this all day long and die a happy man. A little moan passes through her lips, which spurs me on. My tongue slides into her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her tongue meets mine eagerly stroke for stroke. The little sounds of pleasure she makes are about to drive me crazy as my dick strains against my pants. She moves her hips slightly, grinding down on my hard on. With everything she’s been through, I want to make sure she has a clear mind. I don’t want to move too fast, blue balls be damned.
    “Wait,” I say breathlessly while pushing her away by the shoulders. Her lips are red and swollen from my attack, making me want to do nothing but devour them again. Closing my eyes so I can stay focused, I continue, “I don’t want to rush this. You’ve been through a lot the last couple days, and I just want to make sure you’re—”
    “Please, Alex,” she interrupts. “I need this. Make me feel alive.” My eyes fly open to look at her. With those words I’d expect to see