Page 10 of The Promise Of Rain
Can’t what?
Can’t be here?
Can’t settle down and have a family?
Can’t hurt me?
That last one was the only one I was sure of.
I wouldn’t survive it.
Not again.
No longer caring who watched, I pushed my chair back and grabbed my coat.“There’s nothing left of the girl you remember,” I snapped.“I’ve moved on, so have you, and the past is long dead.”
I was spinning, his swinging moods giving me whiplash.
He settled deeper into his chair and watched me quietly.“I’m not so sure about that.”
His face was hard.
But his eyes had changed.
No longer angry, with that determined glint in his eyes, he was a much larger threat to my well-being.
I stepped away from the table and plunged my arms into my coat before yanking up the zipper.
“I don’t expect anything from you,” he continued.“Not after everything that happened.Not yet.”
One side of the teeth slid through the zipper while the other side caught.I yanked it free, and the zipper pull skittered across the floor.
Un-fucking-believable.
Ladies didn’t curse, but if there was an occasion where it was warranted, surely this was it.
I backed away from him, spun on my heel, and high-tailed it for the door.
I don’t know what I’d hoped for when Deacon showed up but sitting there with him made one thing crystal clear.
I was not in any way equipped to handle another ride with Deacon Raine.
Breath escaping in rough pants, I left the same way I came; alone.
A brisk ten minutes later, I ran up the outside staircase and burst through the door to my soft, cozy apartment.Then I ripped off my only good coat, kicked off my boots, and buried myself in the well-used corner of my wide couch.
Rich colour, plush pillows, and the softest of blankets welcomed me home, soothing the raw nerve endings of my memories.
I lit my lavender candle and worked to settle the quaking in my limbs.
Breathe in.
Here, I could be soft.
Breathe out.
Here, I could let down my guard.
Breathe in.
