Page 16 of Sheltered by the Lawman

Say something, jerk!

“I-I didn’t know you were out of the bathroom,” he said.

“I didn’t know you were here.” The tremble in her voice revealed her inner turmoil.

He knew he should apologize but he wouldn’t mean it, not even in the slightest. Nothing about him was sorry for seeing her beauty in the raw. So instead, he tried for the truth. “I brought over some clothes. I was going to knock, but…I heard the TV…”

“Th-thank you…I should get dressed.” She held the towel so tight against her body, her knuckles were white.

Cull crossed the short space to lay the clothes on the dresser. “There you go. Clothes for you. Ma insisted.” God, how stupid could be? Ma insisted? He turned and took a step into the hall, then he had a thought. He looked back at her, attempting to keep his eyes glued to her face which was a difficult task. “I have a question.”

Several expressions flittered over her face before she slammed the door in his.

He lowered his gaze to the floor and shook his head. Damn. What the hell had he done? Hadn’t she been through enough over the last few days without her thinking he was a pervert. Knocking softly, she didn’t answer. “Ma wants you to come over to dinner. I’ll understand if you don’t want to. I know it’s a lot to ask, but she’s a damn good cook and you’re probably hungry. We’re eating in about a half hour if you decide to come. Anyway, I gave you the invitation.”

Rolling his eyes, he stomped out of the apartment and down the stairs. He’d screwed up royally.

****

Monica stood outside at the screen door of the house listening to the sounds of family and happiness ringing from inside. She’d gotten over some of her humiliation, but what she now felt was beyond sanity. Why wouldn’t her inner thighs and nipples stop throbbing? Cull had seen her naked. For the last half hour, she’d tried to minimize the fact that he’d seen her nude and that she’d liked it.

Maybe she needed to relax.

She’d go out on a limb and gather he’d seen a woman’s body before. Probably more than one, or two, or three... A man had seen her body too…well, she guessed she wasn’t a virgin, but in the scheme of things, she really had no clue. Sex seemed as foreign as the face staring back at her in the mirror earlier.

What really got her was that she saw something in his gaze, something akin to admiration, when he was looking at her. It had stunned her so much that all she could do was stand glued to the floor until logic kicked in. And she’d slammed the door in his face. Not as much logic at work but pure mortification.

As she stood there listening to the laughter of the Cade family, she wasn’t sure she was prepared to meet them, but she didn’t want to be rude. Cull had said his mother had invited her. How could she not come?

Like a kid in a candy store, she looked through the screen, down the hall and into the dining room, watching and taking in the scene. They were sitting at a long table, laughing. Her gaze naturally settled on Cull. He wasn’t wearing his hat and his hair looked thick and wavy. His broad jaw was covered in dark whiskers.

The food they were eating smelled marvelous and, as if in plea, her stomach growled. She’d taken two bites of her hospital eggs that tasted like cardboard that morning and she wanted real food. She salivated, and she could almost taste home cooking. She saw the large bowl of whipped potatoes being passed around and what she wouldn’t give to dive in…

Cull smiled at something someone had said. She found herself smiling too. The idea that she could feel so happy when life was so chaotic was a step in the right direction.

Although she had no memory of what life was like before the memory loss, she had a feeling there was a void in her life when it came to family. Maybe the fact that she had no one here was a big tip off that no one cared, but she just had a sixth sense that she was missing a lot.

Bringing her gaze upward from Cull’s enchanting smile, two cobalt blue eyes met hers. Oh shit! She dropped back from the door, humiliation returning. She’d been caught ogling him. As quickly as her feet would carry her she started for the grass about the same time she heard, “Monica?”

She stopped, clasped her hands tightly and counted to five. Turning, she attempted to put a smile on her face and act natural. She screwed up in the very first second because she almost lost her balance and thankfully recovered.

“Where are you hurrying off to?” he asked with that grin bracketed by deep dimples. “I see the clothes fit.” He raked his gaze down her, leaving her trembling while he seemed unaffected.

After she’d snuck in her own peek of his white T-shirt, faded jeans, and dusty boots, she managed to keep her eyes on his face. “Yes, they fit, and I was just going back to the apartment.” She gave a nervous point in that direction.

“Aren’t you hungry?” One thick brow lifted.

If she lied her stomach might growl loud enough to make her a liar. “Yes, but…”

“But what? Did we scare you off already? Before you even had a chance to meet the clan?” His smile grew.

“No, that’s not it. I felt like I would be intruding. You all are having such a good time.”

He stepped off the porch and crossed the grass to her. “We invited you.”

“There’s something else.” She swallowed against the lump in her throat and took a small step forward. “I don’t think I’m very good at this.”

“Good at eating dinner?” Would he burst into laughter at any moment? He must really think she was foolish.

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