Embracing Danger by Olivia Jaymes

thoughts of meeting a family she’d never known lull her to sleep and crowd out visions of the man who slept so peacefully upstairs.
    So close, but he might as well be on the other side of the planet.
    *     *     *
    Arden was trying to fucking kill him.
    Shane moved restlessly in bed, throwing the covers off of his overheated body. He was trying so hard to be just a friend to Arden but it wasn’t easy. Even tonight, it had taken all the willpower he had not to slide in bed next to her and pull her into his arms. He wanted to protect her, care for her, and love her. He wanted to be the man she turned to when she needed…anything…everything. But that was never going to happen.
    This was what he could have. He could be the friend that she desperately needed right now and help her through what was from all appearances going to be a rough ride. The visit tomorrow to the cemetery was going to be tough and he would have to find a way to be there for her without letting her know how much he still wanted her. That would be a burden she couldn’t deal with right now, or ever really. She’d left him and she showed no signs of regret about that action.
    She didn’t love him anymore and this wasn’t a Disney movie.
    He needed to figure out how to help her without pouring out all the feelings and emotions he’d bottled up for so long. She wouldn’t be interested and it would only make her feel guilty while making him look like a loser.
    Making a silent vow to himself, he promised to keep his distance, if only for his own peace of mind.
    And heart.

Chapter Eleven
    ‡
    A rden’s fingers tightly gripped Shane’s bicep as they walked over the green lawns of the Hemingdale Memorial Gardens. They’d stopped at a flower shop after breakfast and picked up a small wreath of flowers to place on the grave, but now that they were almost there he could feel Arden’s pace slowing markedly. She was biting her lip and her skin was quite pale with what was probably fear and maybe anger too. She had every right to be upset with her family. They’d kept important details about her life secret even when she became an adult and Shane was glad that he was here to help her get through what would be a difficult few days.
    He stopped walking and captured her hand in his. “We don’t have to do this if you’ve changed your mind.”
    “I haven’t. It’s just emotional.” Her voice was thick with tears and Shane had to remind himself that his comfort wouldn’t be welcome. He longed to pull her into his arms and stroke her hair but instead he patted her shoulder in what he hoped was a tender manner.
    “I’ll be right beside you.”
    They walked to the middle of the row and Arden knelt down to trace the engraving on the marble stone. “Beloved wife and mother. I wish I remembered her, Shane. Father and Grandmother told me about her but how can I trust anything they’ve said now? Maybe every single thing they’ve said about her was a lie.”
    There were tears sliding down her cheeks and he knelt as well to help her secure the floral wreath into the earth, his fingers brushing her skin. “You’ll have a chance to talk to her best friend. I imagine she knows a great deal about your mother. I bet you’ll hear some great stories from when they were kids.”
    They both stood and Arden wrapped her arms around her torso as she sniffled. He dug a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at her cheeks before pressing it into her hand.
    “Thank you,” she murmured. “I guess I should start carrying around tissues or something. I seem to be blubbering like a baby every other minute these days. I know tears make men uncomfortable, so I’m really sorry about this. I’m trying to get myself under control here.”
    “Who the hell told you that? Tears are fine. You cry all you want to and don’t worry about me.”
    Had her husband told her that she shouldn’t cry? Or maybe her asshole father? It sounded like something Ben Cavendish