Read Impacted (Conflicted Encounters #2) for Free Online Page B

happen next. I watched her eyes flutter shut and her muscles relax. I pulled the covers out from under us and covered her up.  

    I woke up feeling rested and calm for the first time in a long time. I stretched and forced myself out of the luxurious bed. The sheets were too soft and the mattress supported my body perfectly. If I didn't get up now, I never would. I stepped over our discarded clothes, grabbing mine and quickly dressing before going to the kitchen. I leaned against the counter while waiting for the coffee to brew.  
    Once my eyes were open, I started to pick up the glass from the living room floor. I was surprised she didn't cut her feet open last night. If she would have, I would have forced her to go to the hospital then. I piled up the ruined photographs and placed the glass in an empty paper box I found in her office. The more I walked around the apartment, the more it seemed unlike her. It held no personality or memories.  
    When the floor seemed safe to walk on, I stood in the doorway to the bedroom. Kallie was spread out in the bed, her hair sprawled across the pillows. Her bare shoulders were uncovered and the sheets clung to her small body. She almost looked lost in the king sized bed. I wondered how lonely she must have felt every night when she went to sleep. I could imagine, because I felt the same.

C HAPTER F IVE

    Kallie
    I stretched out in my familiar bed. I didn't want to wake up; I could sleep away the rest of the day. I moaned and rolled over to stare up at my ceiling. I was alone, not surprisingly. I didn't think Ryder would have stuck around for the cuddling. My body ached in all the right places and I smiled at the memories running through my mind.
    I could smell coffee so I sat up, ready to grab a cup. Ryder stood in my doorway, fully dressed and holding two cups of coffee. He smiled, but it wasn't his full smile. He was still here, so that was a good sign, but he wasn't going to let me think last night meant more. I held the covers over my chest as he came in and handed me the cup of heaven.
    "How's the ankle?" he asked.
    I shrugged as I took a sip. "I don't know yet."
    He gently pulled the covers off my feet. "Looks better. Still bruised, but the swelling went down."
    I nodded and drank my coffee, feeling slightly awkward. I never had casual sex. I didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed as I would’ve if I had slept with a stranger or made a drunken mistake. This was Ryder. It was different and complicated. I trusted him regardless if we were together now or not. I knew how I felt about him, and my body wasn't going to forget it. Neither would my heart.
    "I'm going to get dress," I told him.  
    He nodded and left my room, closing my door behind him. I tested out my ankle before standing up and limping over to my closet. It stung a little, but I could hobble around now. I grabbed a pair of yoga pants and white shirt that fell off one shoulder. I wanted to be comfortable for the long drive home. I limped back out to the living room. The room was shockingly bare.  
    "You didn't have to clean up," I scolded him.
    "I didn't want you to cut yourself," he shrugged while he rummaged through my fridge. "Do you even eat here?"
    "Rarely," I admitted while I took in the bare walls. The place felt even more empty and lifeless.  
    "Well, we have to grab something to eat on the way then," he grumbled. He gets crabby when he's hungry.  
    "Okay, I'll get packing," I said and scampered back to my bedroom.  
    I pulled my suitcases down from the top shelf of the walk-in closet and started tossing clothes in. I stuffed anything casual I could fit, leaving my work clothes behind. There wouldn't be a reason for a three-piece suit anymore. I needed another bag for shoes. I threw a few dresses in and packed a smaller bag with bras and panties.  
    Our store was right next to a Victoria's Secret. I don’t know why, but every lunch break, I stopped inside and bought something for myself. I had a weakness for