Page 15 of When You Saved Me

Her face softened and I swore she leaned forward, like she might take a step toward me.

But she remained standing where she was, only a few feet away from the front door. Something about the view of her being so close to leaving upset me. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted. Having her near me was suffocating. I could hardly breathe, let alone think in her presence. But there was a clear absence in my chest when she wasn’t around. It was like she repaired something inside of me that had been broken from all the shit I’d been through in my life.

So, I did the one thing I probably shouldn’t have. “Will you please stay?”

Chapter 6

Charlie

A warm glow emanated from the windows of my tiny cabin as Deacon pulled up next to my car. We’d spent about an hour at his place, letting the smoke clear out and the hearth cool down before heading back. Most of the time was spent in silence. He’d made me a cup of peppermint tea and honey to sip on as we sat on his leather sofa and watched Casper explore the space.

It was awkward at first. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. Growing up there had rarely been silence in our home, even though it was just my parents and me. Even when it was just Casper and I in our various homes, I was always talking to him, and he was always meowing or chirping back to me.

After a few minutes though, I started to enjoy just sitting with Deacon. There was something comforting about his presence. Or maybe it was the fact that I couldn’t stop thetingling sensation in my arm from where he’d grasped it, preventing me from walking out his front door.

There had been such earnestness in his eyes. A pleading that struck me right to my core and I couldn’t get the image out of my mind. He was such an enigma.

One second it felt like he couldn’t get rid of me fast enough and the next he was urging me to stay.

I felt it in my heart. That something had happened the day of the fire. There was some piece I was missing. I wanted to ask him. To get to the bottom of why he was so hot and cold with me.

But the thought of scaring him off with the question stopped me. As badly as I wanted to know, I couldn’t risk pushing him away. Not now that I felt myself wanting to get closer to him.

Cold air hit my face when he opened his truck door. I watched as he moved swiftly in front of the hood, coming around to my side. Casper stirred in my arms when Deacon opened my door.

“Thank you,” I said, slipping out of the seat.

He gave me a curt nod in response.

Despite the air appearing clear when we walked into the cabin, the smell of smoke still clung to the space.

“It’s not as strong as before, but it still smells smokey. I’m going to put my bedding in the laundry while you work on the fireplace.”

“Okay.”

Casper darted into the kitchen where his automatic feederwas and started feasting while I stripped my bed bare and tossed everything into the washing machine.

Aware of every movement Deacon made, I watched him from the corner of my eye lay down in front of the hearth and scoot himself closer so he could get a good look at what had caused the mess.

I moved to the sofa and asked, “Do you need a flashlight?”

He was silent for a moment, a vein in his neck bulging with the effort of twisting and turning to see up the chimney. When my eyes trailed down the length of his body, I realized just how large he was. His thighs pressed firmly against the fabric of his jeans, and I wondered what it would feel like to have that kind of power beneath me as I straddled his lap. What it might feel like to be beneath him as he rocked his hips against me.

Was he a gentle lover? Or was he the kind of man who rode hard?

“Charlie, are you okay?” I heard him ask.

My gaze snapped to his face that was shadowed from the hearth. I realized then that my breaths had quickened. I was practically panting over the man, and he’d caught me gawking at him.

“Yup!” I squeaked. “Perfectly fine.”

Rising from the sofa, I decided I needed to get some space before I made a total fool out of myself. I went into the kitchen and washed out Casper’s water bowl before refilling it again.

“It looks like part of a bird’s nest fell through thechimney and got stuck about halfway down. I need to grab a tool from my truck. I’ll be right back.”

Not trusting myself to speak, I simply nodded and went back to filling up Casper’s water container.

When the front door was shut and Deacon was out of earshot, I knelt beside Casper and said, “I think I’m in deep trouble with this one, buddy.” He looked up at me before leaning hard against my kneecap. “Do you think he’s one of the good ones?”

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