Page 69 of Desperate Needs

Most of what I’d learned about this woman was from sneaking and stealing it from her. Having her talk to me was different. It was incredible.

I increased the pressure of my hand on her back and hoped she would continue. Pleased as fuck when she did.

“I, uh, some bad stuff happened while Pop was preoccupied, I was okay. And he came through in the end. But the point I’m making is, in my world, husbands and wives, parents, well, they do anything for their family.”

“I think that’s a good perspective to have, my sweet Darlin’. Not everyone is lucky like that.”

“No? What about your family?” she asked, lifting her green gaze, curiosity showing on her face.

I sighed.

“My father was a piece of shit.”

“Oh no. I am so sorry. Was he violent?”

I nodded, and her face contorted with sadness.

“It’s alright. I survived. Got my mother and sister safe,” I said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy, Connor, and I am sorry. Children shouldn’t have to do that.”

I was lost for words. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. I didn’t know if I was getting soft or what, but it touched me she cared.

“My father was nothing but kind and generous, protective, too. The best thing I think he showed any of his daughters was that a man should love his wife and his family unashamedly.”

“That’s a good thing, too, Darlin’,” I whispered, choked up at the image she painted so easily.

Was it wrong to want that, too? Was I even worthy to dream of such a thing?

“Pop actually bought the shelter where Mom worked for her and helped implement all her ideas on his own until more and more people got involved. I feel very strongly about that,” she said.

“About people getting involved?” I asked, unsure where this was going.

“Yeah. So, six months ago I told my father my plans and, well, he was upset at first, but he accepted my letter of resignation and he’s been very supportive.”

“So, you’re saying what? You are leaving Sigma to work at a shelter?”

“No, I am leaving Sigma International to open a shelter.”

“For women? Like your mother?” I asked.

Clementine sniffed and shook her head, sending damp russet curls cascading down her back.

Goddamn.

She was so damn beautiful it hurt me to look at her. That under used muscle inside my chest started to pound.

I wasn’t a man who led with his heart. In fact, there’d been a time when I wondered if I’d even had one.

But staring into Clementine’s pretty green eyes, kissing her soft pale skin, well, that did something to me. It set fires inside me, and not little bonfires, but blazing infernos that melted the icy wall I’d built around my emotions.

She was everything good and sweet and right with this world, and I was a man unused to sweetness.

She didn’t deserve the way I’d treated her before. I needed to do better by her, but I wasn’t sure how. What fucking experience did I have with this sort of thing?

I was forty-two years old. Jaded. Set in my ways. But in all my years I never had what I’d consider a woman of my own. No girlfriend or serious relationship.

I’d fucked women. Plenty of women. But I never cared about them.

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