Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF

raise his drink in return. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I’d
be able to keep our relationship hidden forever, and I knew it was
inevitable that he would find out about my relationship with David
sooner or later. I just hoped to be able to tell him on my own
terms just how serious we’d gotten.
    “You know, my father is going to suspect
something is up if we keep meeting like this,” I teased, returning
my attention back to David.
    He laughed softly as he disregarded my
statement. “Brooke, we’re partners. As far as he knows, we’re
discussing work.”
    “That,” I said with a flick of my head back
in my father’s direction before continuing, “is not the look of a
father who thinks that this is simply a working relationship.”
    I knew the instant that David’s eyes met
Dad’s when he lifted his drink and nodded his head. I giggled
softly into my glass when his eyes took on a look of fear and he
gulped back the last ounce of his drink.
    “Would it really be so bad if he knew?”
David’s eyes begged me to finally admit the truth, however, I just
wasn’t ready for the world to know. Everyone in this room already
knew far too much about my personal life, and I just wanted to keep
one tiny piece for myself.
    Was that so bad?
    This discussion was always a source of
discord between us. He wanted to shout from the rooftop that we
were together, and I just wanted to keep my private life…well,
private. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if people found out; I
just wasn’t ready. Why was that so hard to understand?
    Instead of angering David tonight, I decided
to try and keep the subject light. I cocked my right eyebrow at him
and smirked. “You’ve seen him in the gallery, right? The man
doesn’t miss,” I joked.
    David’s eyes burned into mine with the
intensity of the sun, and I shivered beneath the force of his
stare. “I’m being serious, Brooke. We’ve been together for almost
two years now. Isn’t it time to tell him?”
    With a despondent sigh, I turned my head
away. I couldn’t bear to see the hurt on his face as I denied him
what he so desperately wanted from me. “It’s complicated… I’m complicated.” I paused for a moment, waiting for him to tell me he
understood, but he didn’t. “Look, we can’t talk about this here.
Let’s just enjoy the party, okay? Are you still coming over
tonight?”
    “Samuels.” My father’s voice was right
behind me, but I felt fairly certain he hadn’t heard our
conversation since David still seemed relatively calm. Though, his
calm demeanor could have very well been an act, or it could have
just been him not giving a damn anymore. The ball was in anyone’s
court at this point.
    “Captain,” David says, formally tipping his
head.
    My father moved to stand beside me as he
continued to look at David. “You’re monopolizing the guest of honor
here.” Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder, giving me a gentle
squeeze. I briefly wondered if he could sense the tension between
us, and that was what drew him here.
    “Dad, be nice. David was just wishing me a
happy birthday, weren’t you?” I smiled up at David as his eyes
moved between my father and me.
    He ignored the question, his eyes telling me
that this conversation was far from over. It was obvious that he
had grown tired of the pretense, and I suddenly feared that he was
done trying. Period. I didn’t want that, so I desperately hoped I
could fix this. “Well, Brooke, I should go mingle.” He tossed a
glance back toward a group of our coworkers and chuckled softly. I
couldn’t tell if it was one of amusement or distrust. “O’Malley
looks like he’s about to attempt a move on our new officer. I
should probably go and intervene. Maybe remind him why that’s not a
good idea.” Stepping around me, he flashed me a look. “Happy
birthday. I’ll talk with you in a bit, all right?”
    I pushed aside my feelings of unease and
offered him a smile in return. “I’ll be