Page 66 of Imperfection is Beauty

That only caused her to cling to me harder.

So, I did the only thing I could. I dropped my duffle bag to the floor, turned around, then sat down on the bed, tagging a blanket I saw, I tagged that, and then I covered her up with it.

We sat just like that, her face still buried in my neck, her bottom nestled deliciously in my lap, my arms around her.

And then… When I felt her body start to lighten from the tremble, I carefully moved my arm and then moved her face back from mine.

I looked at her face and felt the pit in my stomach drop out. I didn’t like the look on her face, she was scared. What the fuck?

“Talk to me,” I whispered softly.

Her voice was so small that it made me want to find the next person and beat them to an inch of their life, “I was abducted. Beaten. Kept in a basement when I was sixteen to get back at my dad. I’m terrified of the dark. And…. During all of that, we had the worst storm in five decades that week, it did nothing but storm. The cellar had two small windows, and every time lightning struck it seemed to hit the panes of glass, and the thunder made the pipes rattle.”

I would be talking about that to her, later, right now, wasn’t the time. Not when she was scared out of her mind.

Nodding, I thought about what I could do.

And since the wind was picking up, I knew the power wouldn’t be coming back on any time soon.

Therefore, I did the only thing that would hopefully make her feel safer.

I stood up, her body still clinging to mine, I made sure the blanket was wrapped around her, and then I tagged her comforter, and headed to the bathroom.

And yes, I had to walk in there sideways. But seeing how she was, no way in hell was I letting her go.

And honestly… I lived for the moments I had her in my arms.

Setting the comforter in the tub, I looked around and spotted a lighter and candles.

Once I had the candles lit with one hand, I kicked the door closed, climbed in the tub with her settled her atop my body.

I was so fucking uncomfortable it wasn’t even funny, however, when her body lost its tension into mine and her soft whisper of, “Thank you,” along with the kiss on my cheek?

And you want to know something else, I would have lived in the tub forever as long as she was right there with me.

Then… almost as if this was all she needed, I felt her body relax completely into mine and then after I placed a kiss on the top of her head, I made sure she was covered with her blanket so she wouldn’t get cold.

I too fell asleep in the tub, her in some sweats and a t-shirt, and me still in my suit pants, and black shirt.

We didn’t speak of that night again.

At least, we didn’t speak about it for another week.

Not when we hung out a few times, and not when I spent a few nights researching, and implanting my plan.

It was Friday after practice that I found myself driving six hours to Clearwater, North Carolina.

And all because of a business page, top reviews on Google, and a stellar recommendation from a buddy of mine.

The woman who met me from the side of her yard once I climbed out of my car, walked over to me with a smile on her face, and then asked, “So, what kind of protection dog does your woman need?”

I needed to correct her, I couldn’t be claiming her until she and I had a talk, had a real talk that I’ve never had with another woman, “She’s not my woman.”

“Uh-huh, that’s what they all say. But if a man is any man at all, he’s definitely spending thousands of dollars for a dog to protect someone if she’s not his woman. Okay.”

I shook my head at her.

And that was when a man, a man almost as big as I was came walking up behind her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his side, letting me know he was there and that I better not try a single fucking thing.

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