Would she ever be normal again?
Mia shook her head and dropped it into herhands as she struggled to suppress the emotions and memoriesrocking her.
David took a step toward her before hestopped himself from getting any closer. Touching her would sendher over the edge, but the battle he saw her waging with herselftore at his insides. He’d never felt so helpless in his life. Hehad no idea how to comfort the only woman he’d ever longed tocomfort in his life.
“Mia—”
“I can touch you!” she cried, not sure ifshe was convincing him or herself of this. “Just let me touchyou.”
“If you’re not ready for this, then let’s goto the gym or swimming or something else. I’m not willing to riskpushing you away.”
Tears pricked at her eyes, but she swiftlywiped them away. “I’m not sure I am ready for this,” she admitted,“but I want you, and I want to try.”
She didn’t know what this would all mean.She may not be able to do more than touch him. Then again, shemight be able to do much more, and she might end up discovering hewasn’t her mate, but just another guy.
No, not just another guy. He would foreverbe David to her. He would never be number twenty-four. Already hemeant more to her than any of the other numbers in her life.
David’s eyes were drawn to the rise and fallof her breasts against the black sweater she wore. Despite herdistress, the musky scent of her desire filled the air. He couldease her need—she might even let him if he went slow enough—butwhat would the consequences of that be? He’d seen Liam losecontrol. That loss of control was something he never would havebelieved his friend, or himself, capable of. He knew it couldhappen, and it could happen to him.
“If we do this, Mia, and you are my mate, itwill advance things rapidly between us. The bond will have to besealed. Before this progresses, you have to be certain you’re readyfor that.”
“Do you always try to talk women out oftouching you and possibly having sex with you?” she muttered.
“No, but I’ve never cared if they were stillthere the next day or not before. I do with you.”
Mia sucked in a breath. “I’ve never cared ifa man was there or not the next day either,” she admitted. “Untilnow.”
“If you’re not ready now, I’ll wait untilyou are,” he told her.
“Why are you so understanding?” shewhispered.
“Because you’re worth it.”
“You don’t know that. You know so littleabout me.”
“Then tell me about you. I want to hear itall.”
“What about you and your life?”
“You know most of it already, or at leastthe important things about it, and you’ve met or at least heard ofthose I care for most. I’d prefer to hear about you right now, butI’ll tell you anything else you want to know about me.”
Mia stared at him before stepping away fromthe door, her gaze dropping to his erection. He had to beuncomfortable; there was no doubt what he would prefer to be doingwith her right then, yet he was asking about her life. He may notbe able to touch her, but they could both figure out a way aroundthat. He wanted to know abouther, and not as some attemptto get into her pants.
Her gut clenched. She knew there would be anintimacy between them she’d never experienced before if they didthis. She had a feeling David could destroy her, if he walked outof her life or was taken from it. The funny thing was the thoughtdidn’t terrify her as she’d assumed it would.
“What do you want to know?” she asked.
“Tell me more about your life after yourparents died. Tell me what you did and where you went after theywere killed.”
“As I said before, I went to Hartford first.We lived in a very rural area that was nothing like the city. Ihave no idea what drew me to the city, but it’s where I foundmyself roaming around when I….” She paused as she tried to think ofthe right words to describe what it had been like for her. “Cameto, I guess you could say. I spent those first couple days almostin a fugue state. When I became aware of my surroundings, I had noidea where I was. My feet were bare, black with dirt and soot andcaked with both dried and fresh blood. I had no pants on, only theT-shirt I’d worn to bed the night of the fire, and it was a burnt,smoke-stained mess. My thighs had been burnt to the bone while I’dbeen trying to reach my parents during the fire, but they werealready healing when I became aware of the burns again.”
Her hands instinctively fell to rest overthe burn scars still marring her thighs. “If they’d been normalinjuries, they would have healed without any hint of damage leftbehind on me, but I still bear the scars. I think it’s more thanthe burns being bone deep, or that I was an immature vampire at thetime they occurred. I think it was also because my soul had beentorn open too, and a part of me felt I deserved those scars forfailing to save my parents when I succeeded in getting myselfout.”
David clasped his hands behind his back tokeep from trying to console her when she lifted her head to look athim. In the powder blue of her eyes, he could almost see the flamesof the fire playing through her memories. Her suffering washed offher in waves that he’d never felt from another before.
“The last memory I had before I came to inHartford was standing in the snow, watching while the fire consumedmy family. I could hear my mother’s screams from within, but therewas nothing I could do to get to her. I’d already tried and failed.Burns covered my face, my hands, my feet, but my palms and thighswere the worst.”
“Why is that?” David inquired.
