Page 12 of Falling for the Beast

Her father had gotten sick when she was a senior in high school. The doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and within a year he had lost his job and was struggling to get out of bed in the morning. She put off going to college, thinking if they could do a few more tests, they could figure it out and cure him. That hadn’t worked. One year became two, and then three. She enrolled in online classes so she could work toward her degree and still take care of him.

She picked up one of the puzzle pieces scattered on the table and stared at it. Her father loved working jigsaw puzzles. He’d spread one out on the table and work on it for weeks. Kept his mind sharp, he’d say. Then, when he’d finally get it done, he’d pack it all up and put it back in the box. She always complained that he didn’t leave it together for a while so they could enjoy the pretty picture. He would smile and say that the challenge was the fun part, and he was ready for another challenge. She stared at the puzzle until she was able to put a piece in place. Emotion swelled in her throat and she blinked back tears. She missed him so much.

When the lasagna was done, she scooped her portion out onto a plate and went into the living room to eat. She set the plate down on the coffee table and flipped on the television, scanning the channels for something to watch.

After supper, Aribelle cleaned up her dishes and went to bed. The weekend was going to be her chance to catch up on the latest Mackenzie Nicholas novel: paranormal romance with suspense. She couldn’t wait to crack the spine.

She turned on her bedside lamp and snuggled against the pillows. But as she read, she couldn’t stop thinking about what Thaddeus had said to her.

“Writers write. That’s what they do.”

Once again, the annoyance stirred in her. He didn’t know anything about it. Why did his words make her upset? Was there any truth to them?

She balked at the idea. Was she not a writer after all? Of course, she was. That was what she’d wanted to do since she finished reading the Narnia chronicles when she was eight years old. She hadn’t wanted the story to end. She’d thought of ways she could write more books in the same world and knew that someday she would create a world of her own. A world that others would want to live in as much as she wanted to live in Narnia.

Shutting the book, she frowned. The words wouldn’t stick in her head. Maybe she would try reading more tomorrow. She slipped the book onto the nightstand and clicked off her light.

Chapter 7

The weekend seemed to stretchon forever. Thaddeus couldn’t sleep during the day, and at night he was driven to the streets. But even while he sped down the lifeless dark highways, he couldn’t get Aribelle out of his head.

All he wanted to do was see her again. No. Not just see her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close. Taste her sweet lips. Drink her in and never let her go.

By Sunday afternoon he was more than anxious to see her again. It clawed at him from the inside, making him regret ever opening the door for her. He pulled out his leather-bound journal. He’d been writing in it since he was young and had no one else he could talk to. It gave him a sense of peace to be able to share his thoughts on the pages. He spilled all his conflicting feelings about Aribelle.

After he slid his journal back in the drawer, he scrubbed his hand over his face and looked out the window once again. The large oak tree in front of his house flapped its dying leaves in the October breeze. A squirrel ran across the lawn.

He pulled the heavy curtains shut and sat on his bed. Every time he got near his recliner, her smell overpowered him, reminding him of who he was now. Not human. A monster.

He couldn’t keep seeing her. It was driving him crazy.

He picked up his cell and dialed the employment service. No one was there on a Sunday, but he didn’t feel like talking to anyone anyway. When the answering machine came on, he said, “This is Thaddeus Walker. It’s not working out with the girl you sent. Find her another job. I want a new housekeeper. Please stick to the original agreement.”

He hung up the call and threw his cell across the room, denting the wall and shattering the phone. This was his fault, and he would have to live with the consequences.

Aribelle quickly stepped out of the shower and ran the towel over her skin before plugging in the hair dryer. She was late and didn’t have time to put on makeup. She didn’t even have time to fully dry her hair. She rushed to throw on some clothes before stepping into her fake leather boots, grabbing her purse, and heading out to her car.

As she walked across the sidewalk to her parking space she noticed someone leaning up against her Rabbit.

Gavin. Ugh. What was he doing, waiting for her?

He gave her a smile which was more of a leer. “Hey, babe. Where you off to this morning?” He folded his beefy arms across his chest.

“I have a job. And I’m late. Sorry.” She started to worm her way past him, but he moved so she couldn’t get to her door.

“Wanna come over Wednesday? The boys and I are having a Halloween party. It’ll be epic.” He stretched out the word ‘epic’ and made a movement with his hands, suggesting something big.

“Sorry, I can’t.” She took a step closer, thinking he would get the hint and move out of the way, but instead he took it as an invitation to pull her close, his hands around her waist.

“Why not, doll face?”

His breath smelled of cigarette smoke and stale beer, and she jerked away from him. “Gavin. Stop it. You know I’m not your girlfriend.”

“You’re beautiful. We’d be good together.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Loosen up.” He moved to snake his arm around her again, but she stepped back.

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