Page 56 of Perfect

Connor positioned himself a safe distance against a bale of hay but undeterred, I followed him so I again stood before him, allowing him no means of escape.

I pushed my hands into the pockets of my robe in order to appear less aggressive and more open. If I pushed too hard, I’d lose the connection and he’d clam up again.

“You know I heard you and Rachel today, I didn’t mean to listen but the door was open.”

His eyes narrowed further, maybe hehadn’trealised I’d been eavesdropping after all.

“And what do youthinkyou heard Harlow?” he said, searching my face.

I cleared my throat and banged a hand against my chest. Here goes.

“I know you were talking about your dad and that you’re both in hiding from him?”

Connor swore rudely in a ‘you know fuck all’ type of manner and I felt an unexpected twinge of sympathy.

“You heard wrong. Mymotheris hiding. I can’t wait to meet the bastard face to face.”

He tried to hide it but I heard the tremor in his voice, he wasn’t as cocksure as he put out there.

His sentence confirmed that at last, I appeared to be getting somewhere and I pulled my trembling hands from my robe and allowed them to drop to my sides. I had a feeling that what I was about to hear may not be easy to digest and I needed to appear relaxed in order to encourage him to offload. I was certain he’d shut down in a heartbeat if he knew how stressed and out of my element I was really feeling.

“What did he do? Did he hurt your mother?” I asked quietly and tactfully. If that was the case as I suspected, it must have been terrible for him.

The directness of my question verbally knocked him back a step.

He cleared his throat.

“Not physically. But it really isn’t any of your fucking business.”

I looked away for a moment.

“No, but it could be. Have you never heard the saying a problem shared is a problem halved?” I was desperate to awaken that thing inside him that he had obviously buried a long time ago. The ability to trust in someone else.

At my words, Connor smirked, searching my face.

“Have you ever heard the phrase, don’t stick your nose into things you couldneverunderstand?” he bit back.

I rocked forward as I battled with my reply.

“Really, andwhywouldn’t I understand; because my life has been so perfect?” I spat sarcastically.

“You said it,” he shot back.

I warded off the need to fold my arms again. Did he really think I’d had it easy with no problems of my own? Everyone has problems.

“That’s rubbish and you know it,” I growled, my knuckles curling into fists as I thought about my parent’s divorce and the torture of my last few weeks at school.

He pushed himself off the hay bale and took a step closer, his breath against my face. His top was stuck to the hard planes of his chest with sweat but his scent was still heady.

I craned my neck to look up at him, determined not to be intimidated as he towered over me. He was so tall and strong. I was like a small flower in his presence.

“Everyone has problems Connor,” I vocalised.

He turned his perfectly straight nose up at my words.

“Yes; and your biggest one will be me if you don’t go, while Iletyou.”

My pulse fluttered and I felt a momentary swirl of giddy panic rise in my chest. The latter part of the sentence was harsher as if my determination to carry on the conversation had started to grind away his control.

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