Page 14 of When You Saved Me

But I’d ruined that perfection. I wasn’t fucking strong enough to save her and now she would be scarred for the rest of her life because of me.

Following her inside, I shut out the cold behind me. I watched as she knelt to let Casper out of her arms. He pounced across the floor then sniffed the air like he wasn’t quite sure if the surroundings were up to his liking.

Then, Charlie turned around slowly and started walking further into the living room. Watching her in my home made my stomach flip. So many questions ran through my mind.

Did she like it? Had I already ruined any chance of getting to know her? Did she blame me for the marred skin on her ribcage?

I already knew the answer to the second question. There was no chance in hell I’d be good enough for her. I just needed to put that hope to rest and never think of it again.

I was so twisted up in my mind, I didn’t even notice her cat starting to rub himself against my pant leg.

“Um, what do I do?” I asked, catching Charlie’s attention from where she stood next to my large leather sofa.

That damn giggle she let out had my heart lurching intomy throat. How it was possible to beaffectedby another person was beyond me.

I was starting to fray around the edges the closer she moved toward me. Suddenly, the large open floorplan of my home had become stifling.

She bent down in front of me and picked up her cat. It was purring in her arms when she lifted him up.

“When he does that, it means he really likes you and wants your attention.” She extended the white furball toward me. “You can pet him if you want. I promise he won’t bite.”

He’s not the one I’m worried about, I wanted to say but kept my mouth clamped shut.

Reaching out, my palm covered the entirety of the cat’s small head. I tried to be gentle as I ran my hand over his ears, but his head sank with each pat from the weight of my palm.

“He won’t scratch anything, will he?” I straightened back to my full height.

Her smile was wide as she responded, “No. He’s well trained.” A soft chuckle moved past her lips. “You’re really not an animal guy, are you?”

It took me a moment to focus on the words she said and not the ruby red color of her lips. It seemed they darkened when she wasn’t outside freezing her ass off.

Clearing my throat, I blinked out of my stupor. “I’m a dog guy.”

She looked around the living room like she was waiting for a dog to come prancing through.

“I don’t have one right now. I’ve been enjoying the alone time since I moved to Pebble Brook Falls.”

“Oh.” She shifted on her feet uncomfortably. Silence settled over the both of us, her gaze shifted to the ground.

Then, out of nowhere, she darted toward the front door. “This was a stupid idea,” she murmured, moving past me.

It took me a second to realize what I’d said to make her scramble out of my home. Letting my eyes flicker shut for a moment, I internally groaned to myself.I am such an ass.

Before she got too far past me, I reached out and grasped the crook of her elbow.

“Charlie, wait.”

She paused; her back was still facing me as she slowly looked down where my hand was gripped around her arm. I could feel the heat of her underneath the thin layer of her Long Johns top. The comforting smell of vanilla overwhelmed my senses and when her blue eyes lifted to meet mine, my breathing hitched.

Striking. That’s what Charlie Banks was. Not beautiful. Not gorgeous. Those words didn’t encapsulate what she did to me every time I looked at her. Because when I did, it was like taking a blow to the heart. A bolt of lightning hitting me square in the chest, setting my entire body on edge.

I wanted to pull her into my chest and feel the curves of her supple body againstme. To bury my face in the strands of her fiery red hair. To lose myself in the depths of her ocean blue eyes.

But I did none of those things because I didn’t deserve to. So, I let my hand fall from her arm.

My throat was thick as I forced out the words, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I didn’t want you here. I…” Raking a hand over my head, I tried to find what I wanted to say through all the muck of emotions that were clouding my mind.

Letting out a sigh, I felt my shoulders drop. “I don’t always say the right things. And I’m finding that to be especially true when I’m around you. So, I’m sorry.”

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