Page 13 of Embers of Torment

"Did he do something to you?" Fear tinged with anger rose through me like a wave. I forced myself to soften my voice as I fought to tamp it back. "Della, talk to me."

Della exhaled a heavy breath, her chest deflating like a shrinking balloon. "It didn't go well. His comments made it clear I didn't meet his standards, and he ditched me for the bartender. Are you happy now?"

"What the hell do you mean he ditched you?" I looked around, realizing I was practically yelling, and Della was looking at mewild-eyed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice. So, what did this idiot do?"

"My appearance bothered him, my laugh bothered him, and my enthusiasm bothered him. The guy was a jerk. Just drop it. Let's go."

"The dude was an asshole. I fucking hate people who demean others like that. No, I'm not going to drop it. What happened with the bartender?"

"Fine. Freaking, fine! You want the details? I'll tell you. He walked away, leaving me sitting by myself at our bowling lane. I thought he'd gone to the men's restroom until one of the women in the booth next to us told me he left with the blond bartender. I took off, and when I got to the parking garage, I spotted him making out with the chick like they were going to have sex any second. I went home. That's it. It's in the past, so leave it alone. It was the guy's loss, not mine."

I stared at Della. I couldn't even come up with any words to say to her. She was embarrassed and bitter. I got that. But what I couldn't understand was tossing what had happened aside and saying it was in the past and no big deal. What the prick did to her was degrading and cruel. Then it hit me as I studied Della's face. She may appear and sound angry, but that wasn't what her eyes told me.

Those deep brown enchanting orbs of hers were pools of moisture. Della was wounded, her feelings painfully raw and more profound than she was willing to show. Her anger and attempt to brush the incident off were a protective mechanism. Without thinking, I reached out and gingerly grabbed her by the upper arms and pulled her to my chest. The urge to comfort her was overwhelming. She fought me, but I held tight and whispered soothing words in her ear. It took a moment, but she finally stilled, her face burrowing in my shirt.

We stood there, partially blocking the sidewalk, while I did my best to reassure her. "You're right. It's that asshole's loss." I brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. "Your date should have treated you like you deserve. You're beautiful, intelligent, and witty, and your positivity and zest for life are to be appreciated rather than made fun of. That guy has his head up his ass."

"Thank you." Della pulled away, a half smile gracing her lips. "Now that you've filled my head with hot air, we better go before I float away."

"Well, well. You do have a flaw," I teased. "I would bet you use those off-the-wall comments to camouflage your feelings because you don't want them put on display or acknowledged. We are human, and we do get hurt. That's not a weakness." Although I understood what Della was doing, using humor, mock anger, and snarky commentary to protect herself, I still couldn't help chuckling at her uncanny way of turning an ugly incident around. It was like Della refused to let anyone keep her down. Yes, she was wounded, but she got back up, countering the situation with defiance.

Della drove her shoulder into mine. "Hey, don't get all mushy on me, Mr. Psychology. I'm not going to flay myself open because some guy was an asshole. Besides, his idiocy was a reflection of him, not me. And for the record, I do not have a flaw. So don't be mean."

"Okay. I wasn't trying to be mean. You're a beacon of calm and a gift to be treasured. How's that?"

"Aha, that's more like it. Now can we go before you make an even bigger spectacle than you already have?"

"Yes, my little diamond. We can go." I chuckled at the expression on Della's face at my endearment. She clearly wasn't used to being teased like this. Enjoying the moment, I slippedmy arm around her shoulders and casually escorted her down the street. "I should nickname you Hortensia."

Della cackled uproariously. "Hortensia? Where the bejesus did that come from?"

"Hortensia is the name of an orangey-pink, multisided, famous diamond that was once part of the French Crown Jewels. I saw it on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris years ago. For some reason, it reminds me of you."

"Oh, brother. Now I'm positive you've lost it. We should walk faster before you become completely delusional."

"Too late. I already am." I squeezed her shoulder and felt her arm come around my waist in a friendly manner. I was glad I could make her feel better. No guy should treat a woman the way that asshole treated her. Della may be quirky, but to me, that was a plus. And she certainly made my protective instincts come out.

She also felt damn good in my arms, much more so than I expected.

Now, I needed to figure out what to do about it.

Chapter 5

Della

My stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time as Sofie and I sat at one of the tables in the plaza. Licking my bottom lip, I eyeballed what I hoped was my turkey, bacon, and white cheddar sub on the tray in Adam's hands. He had emailed me earlier saying he had to run a personal errand but would pick up our lunch from the café downstairs if I wanted to meet him there at noon. I responded by telling him what to order and was now fighting the urge to barrel over to him, snag my sandwich, and stuff it down my throat.

Sofie laughed from the seat diagonal to me, which wasn't helping my mood.

"What?" I scowled at her.

"You look ready to jump out of your chair and attack Adam any second."

"I can't help it. I woke up super late this morning and didn't get a chance to eat breakfast. Now I'm starving, and Adam's walking over here way too slow."

"You know what they say about patience."

"Yep, and that character trait is non-existent right now."

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