Page 10 of Wreck Me
“I can’t do that, Aidan.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because”—she blew out a breath and met his gaze—“I know how tight-knit communities work, okay? The sheriff taking in a strange, injured woman into his home? And they’re alone?” She scoffed and looked away, taking in the charming little town outside the front window. “People will talk. I’m leaving soon so I can leave the gossip behind, but you live here.”
She set her shoulders the best she could in her weakened state and looked him in the eye. “I won’t besmirch your reputation that way.”
Stella raised a brow and glanced over at Aidan, as though she were waiting to see how her son was going to handle that one. Not for the first time, Megan wondered how often a woman said no to him. Her guess was not often.
His lips pursed before he spoke. “I won’t deny the town will talk. But first, I don’t care. And second, you know what would really put them in a tizzy? They’d ask how I, of all people, could dump you off at a room and make you fend for yourself when you need to be monitored.”
“So what you’re saying is there’s no winning?”
“Basically,” Aidan and Stella said in unison.
She continued to stare at him. Why would he do this? He just said he didn’t care if they talked, so he could ignore the wagging tongues. But he didn’t know her. And while he might be law enforcement, this seemed a little extreme on the “to protect and serve” front.
Aidan sighed, his wide chest expanding and contracting. “Look, I have a guest room that’s ready to go. I live alone so it will be quiet for you to recover. If it would make you feel better, I can call one of my sisters to come over and play chaperone. After the forty-eight hours, you can find a room somewhere else.”
Megan wanted to trust him, and even though her gut told her she could, she’d been burned one too many times before. She’d trusted people that should have protected her and they’d turned out to be the wrong people.
“No. I can’t.”
He stood up and moved next to his mother, jamming his hands on his hips. A V formed between his brows that she wanted to smooth away, and his lips turned down in a frown.
Was it bad that in the middle of the chaos that continued to plague her life, she couldn’t quit looking at his mouth and wondering what it felt like?
Mother and son looked down at her, identical blue eyes studying her, waiting for her to tell them why she couldn’t stay alone with a strange man who looked like an Adonis.
What was it with this family and their eyes? They were so sharp, like they saw everything.
Stella finally spoke. “I understand your hesitation. You’re in a strange town and banged up. And this guy is offering to take care of you.” Her eyes moved back and forth between Megan’s. “Not something you’re used to, is it?”
Megan swallowed back the tears that threatened to form. She wanted to lie, wanted to tell this woman with the beautiful smile and kindness in every movement to mind her own damn business.
But for the life of her, she couldn’t. There was a moment of understanding that passed between them, and a glimpse of a feeling that had been foreign in Megan’s life for so long appeared. Trust.
Megan shook her head before whispering. “No.”
Stella’s smile was sad. “I know. And while Aidan is my son and I love him, I can tell you this without bias. You don’t have to worry about anything with him. He’ll take care of you. He’s one of the good ones.”
She pointed a finger at Aidan. “And if you tell your brothers I said that, I’ll deny it.”
A hint of a smile that Megan had seen a couple of times—which wasn’t nearly enough in her opinion—tugged at Aidan’s mouth.
Megan smiled and met Aidan’s eyes. They were steady, not backing down from her stare. She couldn’t read all the emotions there, but one thing she didn’t see was lying eyes. And she’d learned pretty quickly what those looked like.
He did appear to be one of the good ones, much like her brother. Nate was the only person she trusted in her life. But it looked like she was going to have to trust the man that currently towered over her as well.
“Okay, I’ll stay with you.”
“Excellent.” Stella smiled and stepped back. “Aid, get this girl home so she can start healing.”
Before she took her next breath, Aidan was by her side and helping her from the chair. Stella opened the door to the inn and then the passenger door of the SUV, and within moments, Megan was strapped in.
“Take care, Megan. I hope you feel better soon,” Stella said before closing the door.
“I will, thanks.” All she could do was close her eyes and lean her head back. God, why was the sun so freaking bright? She groaned and covered her eyes with her hand.
