Here to Stay Read Online Free PDF Page A

water in
the tub, then jerked off her clothes and flung them on the
floor.
    She grimaced when she saw the blood on her
shirt. She craned her neck to see the cut in the mirror. A small
gash marred her skin. Not too bad. She took a steadying breath and
pushed back the sour taste that rose in her throat.
    She slipped into the welcoming warmth of the
water and pressed her back against the cold porcelain tub. The gash
stung for a moment. She sighed as the heat relaxed her tired body.
Maybe if she stayed in here long enough, Nathan would just go
away.
     
    ~*~
     
    Nathan heaved a disgusted breath and set the
plate containing the ham sandwich and chips he had prepared on the
kitchen table. The painters had gone, but the place still reeked of
fresh paint. He opened the fridge and removed a can of cola. He
closed the door, braced himself against the cool, white surface and
squeezed his eyes shut. Why did she have to come back? After all
this time, why didn’t she just stay gone?
    Seeing her again was like pouring salt in a
wound that had never healed. In spite of everything, Nathan still
wanted her. But he couldn’t have her. Wouldn’t have her. Not after
the way she had hurt him. He’d rather be alone the rest of his life
than take a chance on having his heart broken again by Paige
Weston.
    He reached into a cupboard and retrieved the
first aid kit Robert had kept in the same place for as long as he
could remember. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of all the
skinned knees and elbows he and Paige had patched up on each other
over the years. His heart twisted with the memory of her little
tradition of kissing the hurt and making it all better. He shook of
the thought and the feelings it evoked, then tucked the first aid
kit under his arm. The sooner he stopped dredging up the past, the
better off he’d be.
    Nathan trudged up the stairs and down the
long hall that led to her room. He opened the door, stepped into
the room and inhaled the steamy air and the scent of Paige. He
closed his eyes and forced away the need that jolted his soul. He
summoned up the courage he knew it would take to touch her and
stepped closer to the closed bathroom door.
    “Are you ready for me to come in, Paige?” he
asked, his voice hoarse with the need he couldn’t will away.
    “No, but since I know you won’t leave until
you’ve done what you think you have to do, come in.” She pulled the
door open and stepped back for him to enter the suddenly too-tiny
room.
    Nathan moistened his lips and allowed his
hungry eyes to travel over her. Clad in a long pink terry cloth
robe, what little of her skin he could see glistened, dewy and
smooth. She’d brushed her wet hair back from her face. Those big
blue eyes were a definite threat to his belief that he could deal
with her proximity and not lose his sanity. Her face had been
scrubbed clean and looked fresh and much younger than her
years.
    The day’s date hit Nathan like a blow to his
midsection. He frowned and lowered his gaze. “I forgot that
yesterday was your birthday.” He felt ashamed that he hadn’t
remembered her thirtieth birthday. But why should he remember? They
were nothing to each other anymore. He was probably less than
nothing to her.
    “No big deal. Here.” She turned her back to
him and dropped her robe off her slender shoulders. “Get it over
with.”
    Nathan’s body ached as his gaze moved over
the creamy, smooth expanse of her shoulders. He tried to breathe
but it seemed near impossible. He set the first aid kit on the sink
and hesitantly allowed his fingers to trace the outline of the
small, ragged wound. She shifted then settled beneath his touch.
His breath, shallow and uneven, was the only sound in the room.
    Nathan dabbed antiseptic on the injury,
eliciting a gasp from her. “Sorry,” he muttered and quickly blew on
the smarting flesh. She shivered. He clutched the sink with his
free hand and squeezed until he felt certain the porcelain would
crack. He willed