Wild eyed and bewildered, she cowered and backed away. Definitely an inappropriate time to smile, but shit. What else could he do? For years he’d waited for this moment. “Did he hurt you? Can you move?”
“Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, I think I’m okay.” Liar. Attempts at pushing herself up had her wincing in pain. “Fucking bastard.”
“I love a girl with a potty mouth.” God, did he ever. In fact, it hadn’t dawned on him until right then and there how much he loved it.
“I’m sorry, I’m pissed right now.”
Palpitations, rapid breaths, sweaty palms. Every cliché hit him at the same time. As he bent to help her up, vanilla scented hair ticked his nose.
Reminded him of home.
Lifting her wasn’t such a good idea. Blood rushed to his sex and he’d never been more thankful for an oversized hoodie. “Can you stand?”
She nodded. A hazel-eyed glare traveled the length of his torso and width of his chest.
Pleasured by her perusal, excited by the red glow dusting her cheeks, he bit hard on his lower lip. The urge to taste her, the need to claim her fleshy pink mouth nearly short-circuited his brain.
“Wow. Workout much?” Cringing, Grayce placed shaky hands on his forearms. With all the tenderness he could muster, Zander attempted to set her upright, straighten her clothing, offer some comfort.
Big mistake.
With a sharp intake of breath, her body tensed and terror filled her eyes.
Fear was not the reaction he’d expected. Sure, he was huge and most people stayed the hell out of his way, but she wasn’t most people. This woman was his missing half, created by the heavens for him alone. If anything, his presence should calm her. She should crave his touch, not recoil from it.
Something was terribly wrong.
He tilted his head to catch her gaze. Glassy-eyed, she stared past his shoulder. Then she started to shake.
* * * *
As the beautiful giant set her on her feet and straightened disheveled clothing, Grayce’s brain shifted into auto pilot. Shutdown process initiated. She hadn’t been touched like that in years. By anyone, man or woman. Not since her escape.
The tremble started in her chest, spread to her limbs, threatened to rattle her teeth.
To lose control and slip into her dark place was a luxury she couldn’t afford. Not now. Not in front of this man. Desperate for a distraction, anything to wrench her from panic mode, she scanned the parking lot. Her search came to a halt when her eyes rested on the lifeless heap on the ground. Holy fuck, was he dead?
“You’re shaking. Do you have a coat?” The undeniable concern in his voice made it harder to pull her shit together.
Throat dry and tight, Grayce couldn’t manage to choke a word out. She blinked up at him, reluctant to meet him eye to eye. Before the next blink, he’d wrapped a sweatshirt around her shoulders. That’s when the waterworks began. A floodgate opened, releasing a surge of wracking sobs and a heavy flow of tears. Two heartbeats and she found herself tucked gently against warm, hard muscle, face buried in his chest, while he tenderly stroked her hair.
He lowered her to the ground, rested his back against her car and held her snug and tight. Despite obvious differences in size, she fit against him perfectly, like the last piece of a puzzle. His caress soothed, his touch brought solace, not pain. She’d never felt so fucking safe and warm. So she let tears fall and allowed him to go through the comforting motions. When composed enough to form a coherent thought, she realized his lips were pressed firmly against her head.
What the? Defensively, with a sharp shiver, she pulled away.
“Um, thank you, I’m sorry. I just—” God. Just what? What the hell was happening?
“No, don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. But damn, that fucker’s going to be sorry he messed with you. That was a mean knee to the balls.” A low chuckle vibrated his chest. “You’re a tough little cookie, brave too.” Awkwardly, he offered his hand. “I’m Z by the way.”
Grayce tried to sit up. His arms tensed, held her tighter, then relaxed. A vise gripped her heart and lungs simultaneously. “I’m Grayce. Thank you. I think I’m better now.” She wasn’t. All the up close and personal made her want to scream.
“Of course you are.” Like an air mattress with a slow leak, his taut muscles softened beneath her. He lowered his arms in a slow drag down the length of her body and let them drop to his sides.
Grayce dislodged herself from his lap, handed back his sweatshirt and climbed into her car.
“Can I call somebody for you?” he asked. As he rose to stand, his physique commanded her full attention, sucked the air from her lungs and one by one, brain cells fizzled and popped inside her cranium.