Read More Than Friends (The Warriors) for Free Online Page A

not sorry you reached out to me, Leah, but you’re not yourself right now. Taking advantage of you is at the top of my list of things not to do tonight. We’re… friends. I care enough about you to observe all of the rules that go along with friendship."
    Color spotted her cheeks. Embarrassed, she slipped free of him, climbed into bed, and drew the covers up to her chin. She pretended to be calm and in control, but her body continued to clamor for his touch even as heat streamed through her veins like unfurling ribbons of flame.
    Brett turned off the bedside lamp. Leah caught his hand before he stepped away from the bed. She felt his gaze sweep over her like a brushfire in the semi–darkness, and she scrambled to remember the question she wanted to ask.
    "Will you tell me about my life tomorrow?"
    "I’ll tell you everything you need to know, but only if you get some sleep."
    She gave him a troubled look. "I can’t remember the people in the photos I found in my wallet, but they’re my family, aren’t they?"
    "Most of them," he conceded, his voice a low, rough rumble.
    "Do you really think I’ll get it all back?"
    Brett released her hand and tucked it beneath the covers. "If I have anything to say about it, your life will be back to normal as quickly as possible."
    "I don’t know how to thank…"
    He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Then don’t, because there’s no need."
    "Yes, there is," she whispered. She fought back tears, not simply the urge to wrap her arms around him and just hold on until the current storm passed. She extended her hand and gently stroked the side of his face. Her fingertips tingled, and her hand began to tremble. "This would be a total nightmare if you weren’t here to help me deal with it."
    Still bent over her, he cradled her hand and pressed her palm to his strong jaw. She felt the prickle of a beard that needed shaving, the warmth of his skin, and the tantalizing strength in his long, narrow fingers. She breathed in the faintly woodsy scent of his skin, and then she exhaled. A shudder rumbled through him. She heard the ragged sigh that followed, and she felt certain now that he’d told her the truth. They were, or they’d once been, more than friends. Much, much more.
But why not
now?
she couldn’t help but wonder.
    Brett straightened, his spine rigid as he stepped back from the bed and crossed the room. He hesitated near the door. "You aren’t alone, and I have no intention of leaving you alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way, Leah. That’s a promise. Now, close your eyes and rest. I’ll be in and out while you sleep in order to check on you."
    Exhausted, Leah closed her eyes and sank back against the pillow. As she drifted into a restless doze, she questioned Brett’s reluctance to deal with the obvious chemistry between them. She was attracted to him, and she knew he wanted her. Why, then, she wondered, would he deny the obvious?
    ** ** **
    I trust you.
    Her words echoed in his head like a repetitive accusation. Brett laughed mirthlessly as he paced the sitting room. He didn’t deserve Leah’s trust. Christ! He’d never deserved it. Or her, for that matter.
    He couldn’t relax, and he didn’t even try to sleep. When he wasn’t pacing in an effort to tamp down the fever heating his blood and relieve the desire that throbbed in concert with his every pulse beat, he periodically checked on Leah in the hours that followed. He hated to wake her, but he knew the necessity of making sure that she hadn’t relapsed into the semi–conscious state of the evening before.
    Brett repeatedly cursed himself for having placed her in jeopardy even as he used the quiet night hours to plan the route they would take into the Pacific Northwest once she was rested enough to travel. He also struggled, on a minute–by–minute basis, against remembering the passion and love they’d once shared. He failed. Completely. He would never be able to discard the memories that had