From That Moment: A Promise Me Novel

by Ryan, Carrie Ann

  I did my best to push thoughts of Prior from my mind and made my way to my bathroom, ignoring my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t like to look at the bruises still healing on my skin.

  I had always bruised easily, and the attack had just made that even more evident. I was healing, but my skin was taking its sweet time.

  It didn’t help that every time that I dreamed about falling, I always remembered the exact feel of the gravel against my flesh. That wasn’t something I ever wanted to feel again, but my dreams weren’t letting me forget it.

  I quickly showered and then went about my business, putting on creams and doing my hair. I wanted to feel pretty, or at least normal. I had nowhere to go today, but having my hair done so I wouldn’t have to wash it the next day was pretty much the main reason for doing that and taking the time.

  I had been truthful when I’d told Prior I didn’t have anything to do today, so I pulled out my tablet and looked through my house to-do list. I went through what I needed to clean and deep clean and figured I could do that for the day, and then winced when I looked at what was overdue.

  “Fuck.”

  I needed to replace the filter in my A/C unit. The only problem? It was in the attic. Why they had put it in the attic at a hard angle was beyond me. In fact, it was one of those tiny ones that was one foot by one foot and barely did anything.

  I hated it, but it’d come with the house. And with my current rib situation, and the pain I was already in from healing, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. Not that I’d ever done it on my own before, but that was a whole other matter.

  “Fuck,” I mumbled again.

  And while I could maybe use my little, rickety ladder to get up into the attic, if I got hurt again—and I probably would since the last time I had tripped over the bottom step, I had fallen and bruised my elbow—my friends would hurt me more.

  And while I wanted to do everything on my own most of the time, I was trying to lean on others more.

  Because my ribs already hurt, I pulled out my phone and dialed.

  “Hey there,” Hazel said.

  “Hey,” I said. “I need some help.”

  “You’re asking for help? Are you okay?” Hazel asked, and I could tell that she had just stood up as if she were ready to grab her keys and head to me.

  “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. However, I do need some help changing the air filter in my attic. I have a spare one. I have two actually, but I can’t physically do it right now. And as much as I loathe saying it, I could use either your or Cross’s help.”

  “I can do that for sure. I’m actually with Cross’s family’s family at the moment, but we can make this work.”

  “His family’s family?” I asked, somewhat confused. Then again, I did get confused with the number of people Cross knew.

  “Cross’s sister’s family. A few of us are hanging out, but I can head over. Or I can send Cross or someone. One of the Montgomerys.”

  I had heard of the Montgomerys, and had even almost gone on a blind date with the last single one, but that hadn’t happened. I was grateful because one didn’t date within one’s circle, even if that circle was sort of somewhat adjacent to ours.

  “Take your time. Or do it this weekend. Or next weekend. I don’t know, I’ll think of something.”

  “No, I’m sending someone right now. Do not get up on that ladder. If you do, I will know, and if you get hurt, it will not be me who hurts you more. Or even Myra. No, I’ll send the mother. Dakota will strip your hide. She’s a mom. She knows how to give you that I’m disappointed in you look that makes you feel even worse than if she’d actually yelled at you.”

  That made me smile and wince at nearly the same time. “You’re right. She does do that whole I’m disappointed look, doesn’t she?”

  “I hear you learn it during the birthing process, or at least during the first few months.”

  “When you and Cross have a baby, you can tell me all about it.”

  “Okay, slow your roll. We are not having kids anytime soon.”

  “So you say. You’re the one who told me you try to jump his bones as much as you can.”

  “And there are such things as condoms.”

  “Condoms break. Babies are born. And I want to be an auntie again. So get on that.” I paused, grinned. “Or get on him, I should say.”

  “You know I’m trying to do you a favor, and now you’re making me picture having sex with my man.” She paused. “Well, I’m going to hate you for that only because I’m surrounded by other people, but I’m going to thank you for it later.”

  “Great, now I’m picturing it,” I lied.

  “Stop picturing Cross naked.”

  Sadly, it wasn’t Cross who came to mind all naked and hard and wanting.

  No, it was his brother.

  Fuck. I was so screwed.

  Or rather, not screwed.

  “Thank you for sending someone. And jump his bones later. Only not in public. I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail.”

  “You’re so sweet. Love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I ended the call, and then let out a breath, doing my best to slow my racing heart because I kept thinking about Prior in ways I shouldn’t.

  I was losing my mind, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

  I knew I could count on Hazel, so I went back to my to-do list and got started on a few other things I could do around the house while waiting to see who she sent me.

  I was out on the back porch, sweeping off the old leaves and dirt that had gotten there thanks to the wind, and froze, looking over my shoulder.

  Why did it feel like someone was watching me? There were trees behind my house and a large fence that nobody could see through since it was made of metal and adobe. I was grateful for where my house was located in the subdivision because I was on the end, and it was hard for anybody to see through my windows or anything like that. It was one of the main reasons for my purchase.

  But it felt like somebody was watching me.

  Dread rolled in my belly, and the hair on my neck stood on end, so I quickly swept the rest of the porch, trying not to let my paranoia ruin my day. Then I went back into my house, locking all the doors.

  I went as far as closing the blinds on that side of the house. I let out a deep breath, telling myself that I was just overreacting.

  Nobody was watching me.

  It wasn’t as if anyone could be.

  Then I remembered the attack, and the fact that my dad was out, and my mom.

  Maybe somebody was watching.

  I almost called my detective, but I didn’t want to bother him.

  Before I could wrestle with that decision, someone knocked on the door, and I froze before shaking myself out of my reverie and walking towards the front of the house.

  I looked through the peephole and could have cursed.

  Of course.

  Of course.

  I unlocked the deadbolt and the other two locks before opening the door to Prior.

  He stood there, his hands in his pockets, his hair looking a little windblown, and the stubble on his face looking way too sexy.

  I wanted to reach out and touch that chest of his, to see if it was as hard as it looked. I wanted to go up on my tiptoes and bite at his chin, just nibble and taste and lick.

  I was losing my mind.

  And I needed to stop doing that.

  “Hey. Hazel said you needed help?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  I wasn’t going to sound awkward at all, was I?

  “I asked if you needed help earlier. You could have texted me.”

  I narrowed my eyes and then folded my arms over my chest. I didn’t realize that I had just made my breasts look larger and more pressed together until I saw his gaze drop and then quickly move back up to my eyes.

  Or maybe I imagined it.

  “I didn’t know I needed help when you asked, and then I reached out to Hazel because she usually kno
ws who to contact. Or Myra or Dakota. I’m used to talking to them.”

  I shook my head and then took a step back, lowering my arms to gesture for him to come inside.

  “Anyway, though, thank you. My unit is in the attic, and I can’t get to it.”

  “Why do they put them in the attic?” he asked, shaking his head.

  He smelled like cedar and male.

  Dear God, I had it bad.

  “I don’t know, but it’s very annoying. I pulled out my car earlier since the access is in the garage, so let me open the garage door and show you how to get up there.”

  “No problem,” Prior said, looking around my house.

  I followed his gaze. “It’s not much, and I’m still figuring out how I want to decorate, but I like it.”

  “It looks great,” Prior said. “I’m not good at decorating, so I pretty much have random things that I’ve seen and liked over the years, and it’s sort of made this whole metal and wood thing.”

  “My house is white and gray with splashes of wine because I like wine, and that’s the color that Myra gave me, and I went with it.”

  Prior laughed. “Maybe I need to get Myra to decorate part of my house.”

  I didn’t want to think of Myra and Prior together, and I didn’t know why I was so jealous right then. What was wrong with me?

  We went out to the garage, and I opened the big door, and he stood under the hatch to the attic and looked up.

  “How the hell do you reach this?”

  “A ladder and a prayer?” I asked.

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  “I don’t know. I usually just jump like a duck or something.”

  “Now I’m imagining it, with your limbs all flailing about.”

  “Stop it,” I said with a laugh.

  He reached out, hopped a little bit, his toes barely lifting off the floor, and grabbed the cord.

  “Showoff,” I said.

  “Yes, it’s the height. I work hard at it. You got that filter?” he asked.

  “Yes, let me get it,” I said, going to the shelving unit where it was stored in a large black bag so it wouldn’t get wet.

  I handed it over to him, and he crawled up the ladder. I winced at how flimsy it was.

  “You need better brackets on this.”

  “It came with the house, and I’ve never been up there other than the first time during the inspection. I never want to do it again.”

  “How have you changed your filter before?”

  “I sort of just ask friends to help. Or my neighbor. Or a handyman once, but that cost me an arm and a leg.”

  I did my best to keep my eyes off Prior’s very nice ass as he ascended the ladder, but I failed.

  I couldn’t help it. He filled out his jeans so perfectly.

  I clearly needed to go on another date, but not with him. This was going too far.

  “Almost done,” he called out, and I looked up at the hole in the ceiling and hoped he would get down soon and then leave so I wouldn’t have to look at him anymore. Or think about him the way I kept doing.

  Not that I needed him to be here for me to think about him like that.

  He made his way down the ladder, and I winced when it started to squeak.

  “Get off that, I don’t want you to fall.”

  I must have startled him, and his forearms bulged as he held himself tight to the ladder, having missed three rungs above the bottom.

  My pulse raced, and I reached forward, holding out my hands to stop him from falling.

  Only my hands were on his ass and not on the rest of him. My face burned.

  Prior looked over his shoulder, his brows raised. I quickly lowered my hands, my heart beating so quickly that I could actually hear it pulsing in my ears. And then he was off the ladder, standing in front of me, his chest heaving.

  “Sorry for touching you. For your butt. Well, not sorry for your butt. Because you have a great butt. I just wanted to let you know that I’m sorry for touching that part of you, but…thank you. Because I couldn’t have done that on my own.”

  “Are you done?” he asked, and my brows rose.

  “No need to be rude. I said I was sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry.” He let out a breath. “I only wanted to make sure you were done talking.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “This is what I mean.”

  And then I thought I was dreaming again. Prior’s hand was in my hair, and his mouth was on mine. I couldn’t breathe.

  Though I didn’t think I needed air again if I had this.

  Chapter 11

  Prior

  I should not be doing this.

  I was doing it anyway.

  I angled her head and kissed her deeper, her taste a sin on my tongue as if it were everything I had been missing.

  Dear God. I needed to stop. We needed to talk about this.

  Talk? Who the fuck was I?

  She slid her tongue against mine, and I groaned, needing more.

  Her hands were on my chest, her nails digging in. Not pulling me closer, but not pushing me away.

  I didn’t know what to do. I knew what I needed to do, what would be smart for both of us. We needed to stop this, walk away, and pretend it never happened.

  I knew that wouldn’t be what I did.

  Because, apparently, I was good at making mistakes, and this was a whopper.

  I pulled away, gasping for breath as she did the same, then I rested my forehead against hers. Her fingernails still dug into my skin through my shirt, her hands clasping once, twice, before she relaxed a bit, nearly letting go. She didn’t push me away, though.

  Instead, I was the one who moved away, taking a step back, lowering my hands so I could see her.

  “Well,” I said, knowing I should probably have said something better than that. What was there to say?

  “Well. That’s a good word for it. The other words would likely be a little more profane, so, well works.”

  I smiled that that, not able to help myself.

  “It’s pretty much what I was thinking.”

  “I didn’t ask you over for that.” She frowned. “I didn’t ask you over at all, actually.”

  “I know. I didn’t come here thinking this would happen.” I paused, kind of frowning. “I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t thought about it, though.”

  Her eyes widened, and I wanted to take my foot out of my mouth and apologize.

  “You’ve thought about this?” she asked.

  “All the fucking time, Paris. And we both know it would be a mistake to take it further. This is probably a mistake.”

  It didn’t take a genius to see the hurt cross her face. I wanted to kick myself.

  “Not that I think the kiss was a mistake. I meant how it could be.”

  “Your semantics don’t make sense,” she bit out through gritted teeth.

  “You’re right. They don’t. Because I’ve been doing my best not to think about you.”

  “Right back at you. You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t have come at all. You shouldn’t have kissed me. Or I shouldn’t have let you kiss me. Whatever.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “You’re the one who called it a mistake. You tell me why.”

  “I wanted to make sure we were on the same page for why this is wrong.”

  “Wrong. Mistake. Seems you’re good at using the words that push me away. You won. Now, go.”

  “We need to talk about this, Paris.”

  “No, we don’t. You’ve talked enough for both of us.”

  “I’m not saying the right things, and I’m sorry. How could I tell you that I’ve been thinking about this a lot? We fucking work together. So as long as I’m there, I shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “There’s nothing in our bylaws that says it’s against the rules.”

  She said the words so low that I almost missed them.

  “You looked that up?”

 
“Of course, I did,” she bit out and then turned away, beginning to pace before she spoke again.

  “I’m an idiot. You’re right. This is a mistake.”

  “It’s not against the rules?”

  “No, it’s not. I already have to deal with Benji and his ilk. This isn’t smart.”

  “I never said I was smart.”

  “So you’re calling me stupid right along with you?” she asked.

  “Paris.”

  She rolled on me, her eyes dark as she narrowed her gaze at me. “You kissed me. You got it out of your system. We shouldn’t do it again.”

  “That doesn’t mean we can’t,” I said slowly.

  “Wouldn’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, can’t, all the words we can mix together. They’re still not going to make any sense.”

  “Paris. The main reason for us not to is our friends.”

  “I know that. It’s why you should leave. We should just forget that this ever happened.”

  Dread filled my belly, but I nodded.

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “Why? Do you want to hurt them?”

  “No, I don’t. But it’s so confusing.”

  “You just got out of a relationship, too. A pretty serious one.”

  “She was fucking her ex in my bed. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that serious.”

  Her eyes widened, and she took a step forward.

  “Prior.”

  “No, I don’t need any sympathy. Only wanted to let you know exactly what happened. There’s no going back. And honestly, right now, she’s not a part of this.”

  “Maybe she should be.”

  “No, she shouldn’t. She can do whatever she wants, and so can we.”

  “Prior,” she said again.

  “We’re going to talk about this. We’re going to figure this out. Because that kiss? You know we can’t ignore it.”

  “Maybe it’d be smarter if we did.”

  “Are you going to tell the girls?”

  “We try not to keep secrets from each other. However, if this is just a one-time thing, maybe I shouldn’t tell them at all. That way, it’s not a big deal.”

  I moved forward and traced her jaw with my finger. She didn’t move away. I moved my hand so I could cover her cheek.

  “What if it’s not a one-time thing, Paris?” I asked, the tension between us palpable. I still had her taste on my lips, and I wanted to kiss her again. Needed to touch her, to know what she felt like.