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A review by kandisteiner
What He Doesn't Know by Kandi Steiner
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★ What He Doesn't Know ➔ amzn.to/2FCEoYp
★ What He Always Knew ➔ amzn.to/2peockX
Keep reading for a Goodreads EXCLUSIVE sneak peek!
EXCLUSIVE GOODREADS SNEAK PEEK:
An excerpt from What He Doesn't Know, book one in the duet...
“Stop,” I said quickly, both to comfort her and to fight against the burning in my throat.
I didn’t even have the thought in my head before my hands were reaching for her, pulling her into me for a hug. I should have hesitated, should have remembered that she belonged to another man, but it was instinctive in that moment — the urge to stop her pain.
She was so small in my arms, the faint scent of coffee fresh on her breath, a few strands of her silky hair falling loose from her bun. I rested my chin on top of her head, rubbing her back with one hand. “It’s okay. Really, it is. I don’t hold anything against you and neither did Mallory.”
“She must have hated me,” Charlie whispered.
“She didn’t. She loved you, we all did.”
I still do.
“It’s not fair the way life works out sometimes, but it’s okay, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You had your own life to live here, Tadpole, and we had our own things happening in New York. It’s okay,” I repeated, hoping she believed me.
“You don’t hate me?”
She looked up at me then, her dark eyes glossed over with unshed tears, and I just chuckled.
“I could never hate you, Charlie.”
She sniffed, a small smile finding her bright pink mouth.
And I knew I should let her go.
I’d said what needed to be said, I’d eased her worry, but still, I held her. I swallowed, and her eyes fell to my throat before they glanced at my lips, sending a familiar zing of warning through me. It was the same warning I’d felt every time she looked at me that way when she was just a teenager, when the five years between us forbid us from ever being this close.
But it was a new warning, too. One that said she’s married.
My hands at the small of her back tightened, and my eyes watched hers, both of our smiles fading. I wanted to ask her if she was okay, if she was happy, if Cameron was what she wanted. But I had no right to ask any of those things.
Still, I held her.
Charlie watched my lips, like she was willing me to say something. I opened my mouth to grant her unspoken wish just as her dad’s voice called from the house.
“Charlie! Cam’s here!”
She stepped away from me quickly, a bit of her coffee sloshing out of her cup as she hiccuped again. “Sorry.”
“Charlie,” I tried, but she was already making her way through the yard.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” she called behind her. “I know my parents really appreciated it. I did, too.”
I caught up to her easily, reaching for her wrist to stop her. She spun, looking up at me with flushed cheeks.
“I have to go.”
“I know,” I said softly, reaching for the half-empty cup in her hand. “I’ll take this inside for you.”
She looked at my hand on hers, her grip still tight around the mug. Slowly, she loosened it, letting me take the porcelain from her grasp. “Thank you.”
I waited until her gaze found mine again. “See you at school.”
“See you at school,” she echoed quickly, and then her little feet carried her the rest of the way across the yard.
I followed behind her, pausing at the front door as she made her way to the open car door waiting for her. Cameron stood beside it, one hand on the top of the door, his eyes hard on me when I took my place next to Charlie’s parents on the door step.
“Don’t forget to call me about the fundraiser, Charlie!” her mom called, and Charlie just held up a hand in a short wave, not even looking behind her.
Before she could step into the car, Cameron’s hand found the crook of her arm, and she paused, looking up at him. His hand slid up the outside of her coat, up her slender neck to frame her face, and then he bent to kiss her.
When their lips connected, I looked away, down at the half-empty coffee cup in my hands, still stained with her pink lipstick.
“Young love,” Maxwell chuffed, smiling at me before clapping me on the back. “What do you say, Reese? Join an old man for a cigar?”
I chanced one last glance at Charlie, and immediately wished I hadn’t. She was looking up at Cameron like that kiss had brought her back to life, like he was the only man she ever wanted, and I had to remind myself that he was.
Cameron was her husband. I was the boy who used to live next door.
The sooner I got that through my head, the better.
Charlie slipped inside the car, and Cameron closed the door softly behind her, waving goodbye to all of us on the porch one last time. He watched me the longest, his brows low, and I knew that look in his eyes. He was threatened, and he was warning me. I’d have done the same thing if Charlie was mine.
“A cigar sounds great,” I finally answered. My eyes flicked to the window Charlie sat behind, but it was too tinted to see her through it. She was there, she was close, yet she was invisible. She was untouchable.
She was no different behind the barrier of that car door than she was to me in real life, and I needed to remember that.
With that realization, I tore my gaze away and followed her father into his study.
★ What He Doesn't Know ➔ amzn.to/2FCEoYp
★ What He Always Knew ➔ amzn.to/2peockX
Keep reading for a Goodreads EXCLUSIVE sneak peek!
EXCLUSIVE GOODREADS SNEAK PEEK:
An excerpt from What He Doesn't Know, book one in the duet...
“Stop,” I said quickly, both to comfort her and to fight against the burning in my throat.
I didn’t even have the thought in my head before my hands were reaching for her, pulling her into me for a hug. I should have hesitated, should have remembered that she belonged to another man, but it was instinctive in that moment — the urge to stop her pain.
She was so small in my arms, the faint scent of coffee fresh on her breath, a few strands of her silky hair falling loose from her bun. I rested my chin on top of her head, rubbing her back with one hand. “It’s okay. Really, it is. I don’t hold anything against you and neither did Mallory.”
“She must have hated me,” Charlie whispered.
“She didn’t. She loved you, we all did.”
I still do.
“It’s not fair the way life works out sometimes, but it’s okay, and you didn’t do anything wrong. You had your own life to live here, Tadpole, and we had our own things happening in New York. It’s okay,” I repeated, hoping she believed me.
“You don’t hate me?”
She looked up at me then, her dark eyes glossed over with unshed tears, and I just chuckled.
“I could never hate you, Charlie.”
She sniffed, a small smile finding her bright pink mouth.
And I knew I should let her go.
I’d said what needed to be said, I’d eased her worry, but still, I held her. I swallowed, and her eyes fell to my throat before they glanced at my lips, sending a familiar zing of warning through me. It was the same warning I’d felt every time she looked at me that way when she was just a teenager, when the five years between us forbid us from ever being this close.
But it was a new warning, too. One that said she’s married.
My hands at the small of her back tightened, and my eyes watched hers, both of our smiles fading. I wanted to ask her if she was okay, if she was happy, if Cameron was what she wanted. But I had no right to ask any of those things.
Still, I held her.
Charlie watched my lips, like she was willing me to say something. I opened my mouth to grant her unspoken wish just as her dad’s voice called from the house.
“Charlie! Cam’s here!”
She stepped away from me quickly, a bit of her coffee sloshing out of her cup as she hiccuped again. “Sorry.”
“Charlie,” I tried, but she was already making her way through the yard.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” she called behind her. “I know my parents really appreciated it. I did, too.”
I caught up to her easily, reaching for her wrist to stop her. She spun, looking up at me with flushed cheeks.
“I have to go.”
“I know,” I said softly, reaching for the half-empty cup in her hand. “I’ll take this inside for you.”
She looked at my hand on hers, her grip still tight around the mug. Slowly, she loosened it, letting me take the porcelain from her grasp. “Thank you.”
I waited until her gaze found mine again. “See you at school.”
“See you at school,” she echoed quickly, and then her little feet carried her the rest of the way across the yard.
I followed behind her, pausing at the front door as she made her way to the open car door waiting for her. Cameron stood beside it, one hand on the top of the door, his eyes hard on me when I took my place next to Charlie’s parents on the door step.
“Don’t forget to call me about the fundraiser, Charlie!” her mom called, and Charlie just held up a hand in a short wave, not even looking behind her.
Before she could step into the car, Cameron’s hand found the crook of her arm, and she paused, looking up at him. His hand slid up the outside of her coat, up her slender neck to frame her face, and then he bent to kiss her.
When their lips connected, I looked away, down at the half-empty coffee cup in my hands, still stained with her pink lipstick.
“Young love,” Maxwell chuffed, smiling at me before clapping me on the back. “What do you say, Reese? Join an old man for a cigar?”
I chanced one last glance at Charlie, and immediately wished I hadn’t. She was looking up at Cameron like that kiss had brought her back to life, like he was the only man she ever wanted, and I had to remind myself that he was.
Cameron was her husband. I was the boy who used to live next door.
The sooner I got that through my head, the better.
Charlie slipped inside the car, and Cameron closed the door softly behind her, waving goodbye to all of us on the porch one last time. He watched me the longest, his brows low, and I knew that look in his eyes. He was threatened, and he was warning me. I’d have done the same thing if Charlie was mine.
“A cigar sounds great,” I finally answered. My eyes flicked to the window Charlie sat behind, but it was too tinted to see her through it. She was there, she was close, yet she was invisible. She was untouchable.
She was no different behind the barrier of that car door than she was to me in real life, and I needed to remember that.
With that realization, I tore my gaze away and followed her father into his study.