Page 38 of A First Sight

I started there, curious about the man who invited me into his home without a second thought.

Nothing about this man was what it appeared.

When he paid for my lunch, he was kind and polite, but there was no hint he would insert himself into a physical altercation. And he didn’t leave it there. If instead of finding me, he kept Dale subdued until the police arrived, Drake’s face would have been all over social media hailed as a hero, but he was only concerned about me. He came to the hospital, took me to my brother, and then stayed to make sure I had a safe place to stay. When Carson’s place was unavailable, Drake offered me a guest room.

I was too exhausted to be worried about what he might expect when we arrived here, and I trusted Carson’s opinion, but Drake was nothing but courteous. I caught him watching me a few times, but not with the sort of predatory gaze that I was used to with Dale. Instead, Drake seemed to weigh everything he said and did against whether it would make me uncomfortable.

Sounds behind me had me turning in time to see Drake step in from the hallway. Though his demeanor betrayed nothing, I suspected he purposefully made noises so that he wouldn’t startle me. I appreciated that.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said with a smile and gestured toward the bookcases. “I thought I’d look around a bit. Hope you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” He smiled back. “I meant it when I said to make yourself at home.”

As he came closer, I noticed he was wearing a pair of flannel pants that looked as if they came straight out of the package. His t-shirt looked a little more used, but I wondered if he usually slept without either and only put them on for my sake. That, of course, made me think about what he slept in then, if anything, and blood rushed to my cheeks.

“On nights when I can’t sleep, I like to come in here too,” he said as he came over to stand next to me.

He wasn’t close enough to touch, but close enough I could smell the clean scent of soap. No fancy body wash. Just him.

Damn.

He glanced down at me, a brief look, before turning his attention to his bookcase. “Nightmares. That’s what keeps me awake sometimes.”

I worked to hide how his comment surprised me, but I didn’t need to because he was studying the spine of one of his Goodkind books.

“Several years ago, my wife and I were in a car accident. She was pregnant.” His voice was soft and even, but I could feel the pain. “She didn’t survive.”

“Oh, Drake, I’m so sorry.” I put my hand on his arm. “That’s awful.”

“Thank you, lass.” He smiled at me, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I didn’t tell you for sympathy. Just to let you know, you aren’t alone with sleep issues.”

I noticed the way his accent became more pronounced.

“Thank you for telling me,” I said as I dropped my hand from his arm. “And thank you for what you did.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll go back to my room.”

“Please, don’t.” I grabbed his hand before he could walk away. A tug had him turning back toward me. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

Before he could respond, I did what I thought about several times from when he offered to pay for my lunch.

I kissed my mysterious savior.

THIRTY-ONE

DRAKE

Her mouth was soft,lips fuller than I imagined, and the feel of them against mine chased away my shock before it registered. I wanted nothing more than to deepen the kiss, explore her mouth, and then her body. Take her to bed and show her how a woman should be treated.

But I couldn’t.

After another stolen moment, I stepped back, gently placing my hands on her shoulders to keep her in place. She looked as dazed as I felt, and while I would’ve loved to believe it was from the kiss, after everything that happened, I would not assume.

“I’ll stay with you as long as you like.” I brushed some hair back from her face, barely able to resist letting my fingers linger. “But it’s not a good idea for anything more than that kiss to happen.”

She looked down, color flooding her cheeks. “You’re right. Thank you for looking out for me. I wasn’t thinking.”

We both stood there for a moment.

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