Time for Change Read Free Page A

wanting her. The women meant nothing to him. The times in
his life he enjoyed were the moments Rachel was part of it.
    “How’s the restaurant?” he
asked.
    “Still going
strong. At least I’ve not lost this job, and it’s keeping me
in rent and food.” She shrugged her shoulders, stirring something as she did.
    “You don’t need to be living
like that. You can stay here, and I’ll be happy for you to be here.”
    “No, I’m not staying here.
I’d soon cramp your style when you brought more women here to screw.”
    Chris couldn’t say anything.
If she was here then he’d stop fucking other women. They meant nothing to him
at all.
    “I want you back,” he said,
meaning it.
    She stopped to look at him.
    He stared back seeing her,
really seeing her. Rachel didn’t have the first clue as to why he’d brought
that woman back when he did. She’d been driving him crazy with her presence.
Rachel didn’t have the first clue how sexy she was, and when he’d first
noticed, it had scared the hell out of him. She was Rachel, Claire’s little
sister, the complete opposite of his wife. Where Claire was slender and blonde,
Rachel was curvy and a brunette. Staring at her now, Chris admired all of her
full curves covered in tight jeans and a long shirt.
    On closer inspection he saw
it was one of the shirts he’d given her when she spilled something on her
shirt, which he still owned. Great, he was turning into a crazy person, keeping
her clothing and occasionally sniffing it when he needed to be comforted.
    So many times he’d been
tempted to tear her clothing from her body and have his way with her. Instead,
he focused on talking about something else.
    His thoughts were drawing a
blank. This lust he felt for her shouldn’t be happening. He’d taken care of her
for so long that she shouldn’t be more to him than a sister.
    She’s never felt like a sister.
    This attraction terrified
him. She shouldn’t be getting past his defenses and making him want her.
    “What are you cooking?” he
asked, trying to distract his thoughts. Her cooking had improved in the last
three years, and he looked forward to whatever she cooked for him.
    “Pasta
and sauce.”
    “Look at me,” he said.
    Her gaze fell on his. Tears
filled her eyes as she stared at him. “What, Chris? What do you want me to
say?”
    Biting his lip, he stopped
himself from saying something he’d regret. “I never meant to hurt you.”
    She shook her head, stepping
away from the stove. He watched her wipe the tears from her cheeks before they
tracked down her face. “I’ve been asked out by Richard, the chef at the
restaurant,” she said, startling him.
    “What?”
    Rachel stepped closer to the
stove and began stirring once again.
    “I know, he surprised me, too,
but I don’t know if I should date a chef. I mean, they’re so controlling and
like things done their way,” she said.
    He couldn’t believe she was
using him for dating advice, again. Chris hated being this person for her. He
didn’t want to tell her who to date or how to date.
    “Don’t date him,” Chris
said, before he could stop himself.
    She stopped stirring and
looked at him. “What? Why?”
    “Because
he’d not right for you.”
    When she’d lost her
virginity, he’d known. Chris hated every new boyfriend or date that came into
her life. He’d seen this Richard at the restaurant where she worked. Every time
she got a new job, he checked the place out, making
sure it was okay for her to work. Rachel’s care and safety meant everything to
him.
    “You don’t even know him. I
want to date him.”
    “No, you don’t.” He stood
up, moving around the counter to take the spoon from her.
    She glared at him, stomping
to the other counter to get two plates from the cupboard. “I didn’t say
anything to get your permission. I was telling you. He’s nice and sweet. Claire
would have loved him.”
    Chris couldn’t let her date
another man. He needed to get his point across.