Free The Runner's Enticement (Men of Circumstance Book 2) by Addie Jo Ryleigh Page B

seven when she died, I can’t bring to mind how she smelled, the sound of her voice, and without paintings, I’d never recall her face. But I remember our trips to the school and as absurd as it sounds, I feel her presence when I’m here.”
    Immersed in her story, the torment of the hard wood beneath his buttocks slid away. Though she remained a typical society miss, she clearly felt more than most put on. Having lost his own mother, albeit later in life, every one of her words hit him square in the chest. Nate feared one day he’d forget the sweet melody of his mother’s voice. The woman who’d sacrificed everything for him. All taken away because his father had found her pleasing in bed but too far beneath him to acknowledge.
    Old hate swirled from him and mixed with Lady Annabel’s melancholy, seeming to form a connection between them.
    Unable to handle the strength of the silence, he found his voice. “Wanting to keep her memory alive, however you need to, is not absurd. We do what we must. Believe me, I know.”
    Her turquoise eyes locked onto his and the pull was so alarming, he had no choice but to look away.
    “When did you lose her?” she asked quietly.
    “My tale is not nearly as heartbreaking. I was well past the point of being a child when my mother contracted consumption. She’d lived a hard life at the hands of my father and I think, in the end, she’d embraced death as much as it had crushed her to think of leaving me, a grown man, to fend for himself.”
    “I don’t think it is ever easy for a parent to say goodbye to their children.” Sadness encircled her words and brought his focus back to her.
    “Leaving you at such a young age must have been difficult for your mother. Had she been ill?”
    “Nothing quite as predictable as an illness. She died during childbirth. It was later in her life and it took time for my father to recover from the sense of responsibility. I’m not sure if it wasn’t a blessing the baby died as well. It may be selfish but I don’t know if I would have had the capacity to love the sibling who I’d no doubt believed took my mother from me.”
    He didn’t know why she’d decided to share so openly with him. None of his actions over the last two days had encouraged it. Nate was pleased nevertheless. Despite them being worlds apart, and her still a spoiled princess, it broke through his shell knowing they’d experienced similar grief.
    “If the affection you show the students is any indication, you would have loved the child enough for you and your mother.”
    He didn’t know where the sentiment had come from but she seemed as if she needed to hear it. Their acquaintance wasn’t deep enough to be considered a friendship.
    The only acknowledgement she gave that his words meant something was a slight nod of her head before she turned away once again.
    He didn’t need her words. Or her confirmation. Her eyes had said it for her. Before she’d lowered her gaze and deprived him of those fathomless depths, he’d seen the sheen of tears mixed with a subtle acceptance.
    “I need to speak with Evie, then we should return home. I’m still worried about my father.”
    As simple as that, she severed the moment. If Nate was a different man, he’d mourn the loss of their brief connection. It was for the best though. After last night and her escapade in the garden, he needed to keep a clear head. There had to be something she was hiding.
    He’d be damned if he’d allow a mere miss to best him.

Chapter 12
    Anna no longer knew what to make of the Runner. After their conversation at the school the day before, something had shifted. In no way had they become friends, but gone was the gleam of absolute contempt in his eyes when they fell upon her. Likewise, she no longer found him completely loathsome. If anything, they were on the precipice of becoming cordial to one another.
    A development that could be her salvation or her eventual downfall.
    Despite this, she wasn’t