He exhaled roughly and leaned back in the chair. When he crossed his arms she couldn’t help but stare at the way his massive arms bulged. “How about we start with the basics?”
She glanced back at his face and nodded. “Okay.”
“You’re from Fairview?”
She shook her head. “Not originally. I grew up in Littlemore. It’s the next town over.”
He didn’t move, didn’t respond, and continued to stare at her as if he wanted her to finish what she had started saying. But then he started speaking instead. “Your boyfriend do that to you.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, but she found herself nodding as if to answer him.
“Yeah.”
He nodded slowly, and she saw the way he gritted his teeth. She saw the way his jaw locked up tight, and she could see the muscle underneath his stubble covered cheek jump. “He do that more than once?” He phrased it like a question again. “You’re safe here. No one will hurt you.” He leaned forward and braced his forearms on his thighs that were as big and muscular as tree trunks.
She nodded and glanced down at her hands in her lap. She hadn’t realized until then that she was twisting her fingers together almost painfully. “No, this isn’t the first time, but it is the last.” She lifted her head and stared right into his eyes. This man seemed like a cold, hardened person. He didn’t show emotion, didn’t buffer what he said, and although she knew that he was dangerous just from the air that surrounded him, she did feel safe. It was a very strange feeling to have with this stranger, but it was one she had nonetheless. “That’s why I ran, but…” She swallowed again, willing that damn lump in her throat to go down. Without thinking she lifted her hand and loosely circled her neck. It was sore, but certainly not as sore as other parts of her. “I hurt him.” Flicking her gaze to his, she saw that he was still sitting as motionless as a statue. Then, very slowly, he leaned back again in his chair. The leather of his biker vest creaked from the movement, and she got a concentrated whiff of whatever cologne he wore, and of the subtle scent of motor oil. It was an odd combination, but strangely enough it was very pleasing.
“You hurt him?” His voice was steady and non-accusing. He held her gaze, never wavering it from her. Although she should have felt like a bug under a microscope from the intensity of it, she felt strangely calm. It was very odd to feel this way given the life she had led, and it was very hard for her to not want to embrace it like a warm blanket.
God, when was the last time she had ever felt like this? Never. She had never felt like this, and that was comforting and frightening. He knew nothing about her aside from the small bits and pieces she had just given him, and adding outside drama to anyone’s life wasn’t normally what people wanted for themselves. But he wanted to know everything, and she felt obligated to tell him, that it was his right to know since he had saved her. Her heart started beating faster and harder, sweat broke out between her breasts, and she tried to breathe in deeply. As she opened herself up to the memories of what had happened so short a time ago, she started to shake uncontrollably as those emotions started crashing back into her. All she saw was Phillip coming after her, of the blade going through his flesh so easily it was sickening, and the words tumbled from her mouth on their own.
“Hey, it’s okay.” He reached out as if he meant to touch her, comfort her even, but right before he made contact he curled his fingers into his palm and pulled his hand away. “Take your time.”
She nodded, closed her eyes for a second, and told herself that she wasn’t back there with Phillip. “I don’t know if I killed him.” As soon as the words left her she wished she could take them back. Just saying them out loud made the situation even more real. God, what if this guy went to the police? He might have saved her, but who was to say he wouldn’t turn her over to the authorities? Just because he looked like some kind of outlaw that broke the law in his leather and wearing a hard expression didn’t mean he actually was any of those things. And then she started crying. The tears fell from her even though she tried to stop them. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried, couldn’t remember the feeling that her world was crashing down around her. With all the shit she had lived through, all the heartache and disappointment she had dealt with, Adrianna had always kept herself in check. But now, all she felt was this unraveling inside of her, and she didn’t know why it was claiming her right now.
“Hey.”
She wiped a few tears away and looked at him. He looked uncomfortable for a second as he stared at her with knitted brows. A hard, gasping sob left her, and her vision blurred as her tears refused to stop. “I-I’m sorry.” Her words were stuttered as they came from her. She felt broken, felt like she didn’t have a grasp on reality and was about to float away into nothingness. But maybe that nothingness was what she wanted, because that would be better than being something that didn’t mean anything to anyone. Wiping the tears away she sucked in a large lungful of air and turned her head so she was no longer staring him. She had never broken down like this before. She opened her mouth, maybe to tell him just that, but nothing came out. Before she knew what was happening he was sitting on the bed beside her and had his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her in close to him, and she didn’t stop herself from resting her head on his shoulder, and clutching at his shirt. Right now she didn’t worry about how weird and foolish this was. All Adrianna did was feel the warmth of his big, hard body pressed against hers, and let the sound of his heart beating a steady rhythm calm her.