Page 37 of Beg Me Angel

Chapter Ten

Pax

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Vera sat with her legs crossed on the couch, wrapped up in a quilt I pulled out from the closet. Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks still holding shiny trails where the tears had streamed down.

I felt bad for her. She thought she wanted to see it, she thought she would find answers that could help her. But all she got was a basket full of sadness.

And a part of me felt responsible for her pain. The night I found her, I didn't take the time to look around for tracks and maybe I should have. But it all happened so fast, so unexpectedly.

There wasn't time for me to stand around and process shit. I had gone in expecting to find a few assholes, not a beautiful young woman. What I had done was the right thing, I knew that, it saved her life. But knowing it still didn't change the pain that stabbed my chest for not doing more.

You did what you needed to do, stop letting it eat away at you.

Stepping to her side, I held out a small mug. “Hot chocolate?”

Shaking her head no, she sniffled and wiped her nose.

“It has those tiny marshmallows in it.” Pushing it in closer, I watched her eyes glance inside, then turn back to the fire.

“I thought you don't go into town, do you have a marshmallow tree outside somewhere?”

“I said I try not to go, doesn't mean I'm never forced to. But when I do, I make good use of it and buy stupid shit, like tiny sugar puffs that serve no purpose.” Shrugging a shoulder, I said, “Expect for right now, they finally came in handy.”

“Do you have more? I like a lot of marshmallows.”

A tight-lipped smile hitched on my face as I walked back to the kitchen. “I found the magic key, huh? All I had to do was add an entire bag of marshmallows.” Chuckling, I headed back to her side and handed her the cup. “Careful, it's hot.”

“Thank you Captain Obvious.” Speaking into the mug, Vera blew a slow breath over the steaming liquid. “I don't know what the fuck I was thinking.” Taking a sip, she hissed as she swallowed. “Ah, that's hot.”

Taking the seat next to her, I prodded the fire. “I won't say I told you so, but I told you so.”

“Shut up.” Letting out a gentle giggle, she took another sip.

Tossing a new log onto the fire, I sat back and held my hands up. “Hey, I'm only pointing out the fact that you were warned.”

“Noted, thanks.” Scooting back, she laid her head on the back of the couch and let out a heavy sigh. “Why the hell did I let you take me there?”

“Because you wanted answers.”

Twisting in her seat, she pulled her legs up to her chest and coddled the hot cup in both hands. “I don't know if I'll get answers. Besides, what if I do and it turns out I was better off not knowing in the first place? How the hell would I handle that?”

Scrunching my lips, I turned to face her. “You'll only know if it happens, you can't possibly prepare yourself for that.”

Tapping her thumb against the handle, she stared into the chocolate, watching the pile of marshmallows dissolve. “I know, but I don't work that way. I'm the type of person who wants to prepare for anything, for each and every scenario. I hate surprises.”

“You hate surprises?” Resting my head on my hand, I let my eyes follow the lines of her face. “No one hates surprises.”

In the light of the fire she glowed. Her hair glittered in orange highlights, her eyes reflected the flames, making them come alive. She looked like a fallen piece of heaven sitting on my couch; an angel,my angel.

I couldn't stop looking at her, I couldn't take my eyes away. I wanted to learn all her little quirks and movements, every expression and wrinkle that would pop up on her face. She was mesmerizing, holding me still, leaving me unable to concentrate on anything but her.

“I do, I hate them. When I was younger, my dad used to secretly tell me what him and my mom were getting me for my birthday, just because he knew how anxious I would get about not knowing.” Taking another long sip, her tongue dragged over the top of her lip. “I still pretended I was surprised for my mom, she loved that stuff.”

Reaching out my hand, I took both her ankles in my palm and pulled her legs straight. Her face fell motionless as one eye squinted with wonder. “What are you doing?”

“It's a surprise.”

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