“I don’t know.” My voice comes out distant—lost. I can’t really answer her question accurately. Mainly because I don’t want to dip into my past and tell her that just by looking at her I knew she didn’t deserve to be violated the way she was, no woman deserves that. But I’m not going to mention it to her because at that moment, when I saved her life, I thought of my Ma and Tee, and it’s too painful to think about my dead mother or sister in that kind of situation.
The thought has my temper flaring again and I have to inhale and exhale to keep myself calm. To keep my temper in check. To keep myself from flying off the handle and punching something.
A lone tear drips down Hadlee’s ivory cheek and I catch it with my curled forefinger. “No more tears, okay?” She smiles faintly and nods, and at the same time, the door to the classroom swings open and the women begin filing out.
Lara catches a glimpse of Hadlee in my arms and rushes toward us, eyes narrowed, hands balled into fists. She hops up into the ring, and snatches Hadlee from my grasp, a spark of anger in her light blue eyes. “What the hell did you do to her?” she accuses, pulling Hadlee to her chest.
“Nothing I—!”
Hadlee intervenes, “It’s not his fault, Lara. I had a weak moment, that’s all. He was just comforting me.” Hadlee gazes deep into my eyes assuringly. “Everything is all right now.”
Lara is still glaring at me and I have the sudden urge to snatch Hadlee away from her. But I don’t. The want inside of me is boiling like a steel kettle full of water, but as much as I want Hadlee back in my arms, I don’t go there. I know Lara is only looking out for her friend. Hell, I’d do the same thing she did for someone I’m close to. Come to think about it, I’d probably do worse.
They’d probably be leaving the gym in a body bag.
Lara looks at Hadlee and pushes her hair back off her shoulders. “You ready to go then?”
Hadlee nods and Lara flashes me one more dirty look before helping Hadlee out of the ring. They walk to the exit and I stare at them, my arms stretched out along the red rubber ropes.
A twinge of sadness pools inside of me when I watch them walk out the gym doors and a tiny pin prick of a pain stabs my heart.
I’m not a mushy guy.
I don’t do relationships .
I insist that fucking is universal and mind altering and that making love is for twats or fucking
morons.
Leaning backwards, my arms are taut, my fingertips curled around the ropes. And I’m hit with an epiphany. I realize that I used to think those things. Until Hadlee came along.
Now the only thing I can think about is how Hadlee is like the blow that Connie’s bitches hustle to the addicts on the streets.
She’s pure.
Mind numbing.
And dangerous.
Dangerous because I haven’t even tasted her yet, but I already know that I’m completely, totally, and utterly addicted to her.
Chapter Twenty Four
~Hadlee~
Friday comes and I’m working the morning shift at the coffee shop. It’s never busy early in the mornings and I hate it, not only because it makes time drag, but because that gives my mind plenty of time to wander.
To think about the last couple days.
To think about Sean and how’s he’s given me something I’ll never be able to repay him for.
A second chance at life.
Ryan sticks his ash blonde crown out of the stock room door. “Hey, Lee can you restock the cups?”
“Sure thing, Ryan.”
I make my way to the stock room and grab the long, slender plastic bags of cups in sizes small, medium, and large. Then I fill up all the bins underneath the counter. After I restock all of the cups and lids, just because I was bored and we’re slow, I decide to wipe down all the counters, clean out the coffee grinder, repeating the process more than once.