Page 33 of Falling for the Beast

His gaze held hers, and he shook his head.

“Did they beat you up?”

He looked down and pushed his food around with his fork. “No.”

“I see.” He had healed the very men who had attacked him. They wanted to hurt him…or worse. And he had fought them off and then healed them of their injuries. Emotion swelled in her and she blinked to hide it from Thaddeus.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

Chapter 15

Thaddeus pulled the pillow fromthe top shelf in the closet and laid it on the bed. “I hope you’ll be comfortable in here. It’s a guest bedroom, but it hasn’t been used for many years.”

Aribelle looked around the room. “It will be fine. More than fine. I appreciate you doing this for me.”

He swallowed. It was hard enough having her in the house during the day. Having her staying here, in the bedroom next to his, was going to be torture. It was a good thing he wasn’t usually home at night. He wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. “You can use the bathroom in the hall.”

“Okay.”

He rubbed his hands together, feeling awkward. “Do you need anything else?”

“I’ll need some clothes. Personal items.” She bit her bottom lip.

Right. “You can use my computer to order anything you need. It’ll go on my card.”

She smiled and put her hand on his arm. “Thanks.”

Her touch made his heart speed up, and he took a step back, breaking the contact. “It’s no problem.”

A flash of something crossed her face but disappeared before he could process it. “Okay.” She forced a tight smile. “Well, I’d better get ready for bed. Are you going to…?” She motioned toward the window.

He’d been planning on going out, but the fear he saw in her eyes made him reconsider. Was she afraid that Gavin would come here? He didn’t want her to feel unsafe. “Do you want me to stay home tonight?”

She put her hands behind her back, her gaze landing on the floor. “Yeah, I do. Is that terrible of me?”

“No. Of course not.” He couldn’t stand the thought of her being afraid. He stepped closer to her but stopped before he lost control and pulled her to him. “I’ll stay.”

Relief flooded her face. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He stood in front of her for another moment before turning to leave. “Good night.”

He went into his bedroom and closed the door, taking in a deep breath. He needed to get his head on straight. It wouldn’t help the situation if he did something dumb, like kiss her.

His life was not his own. He couldn’t be like every other man. It wasn’t in his cards to have a girlfriend…or whatever he was thinking Aribelle could be. She deserved someone who could give her a real life, which was something he couldn’t do.

He clicked the lock on his door and got ready for bed. Tonight, he’d stay. He’d pretend his life was a little more normal. Tomorrow he’d have to go back to doing what he always did. He couldn’t deny what he was for too long, or things would get out of hand.

Aribelle slipped into one of Thaddeus’s large T-shirts and washed her face in the sink. She was relieved he would not be going out tonight and coming back bruised and bloodied. He needed to heal from today. And she had to admit, it did make her nervous that Gavin was probably looking for him. Preventing Thaddeus from going outside would keep him safe on both counts.

She flicked off the bathroom light and entered the guest bedroom. It was like all the rooms in the house, filled with antiques. The bedside table had a French design with a marble top. She could imagine expensive perfume bottles sitting on it. Her bed was ornamented with a scrolled headboard. But the best part of the room was the large armoire that stood against the back wall. The carved wood was magnificent.

Her curiosity got the best of her and she walked over to the armoire and pulled it open. A dozen ball gowns hung there in a beautiful array of bright colors and shiny fabrics. She sucked in a breath and touched the material. Silk. The layers of organza under the silk made the skirts full and bouncy. They weren’t antique, but they were a French provincial style, and she imagined one of Thaddeus’s relatives wearing them to fancy parties held in the ballroom downstairs.

She closed the doors. No parties would be held here again. The thought made her sad, and she sat down on the bed and turned off the lamp. Thaddeus didn’t think there was a way to break the curse. She wasn’t so sure. She vowed to find out more about the old woman tomorrow.

Aribelle awoke when sunlight streamed through the windows. Something smelled good, and she dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen. Thaddeus was leaning on the counter by the toaster and he turned when she entered. “Good morning.”

He wore a T-shirt that showed how sculpted his muscles were, and jeans that looked a little too good on him. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Morning.”

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