Is Gavin the one who caused my car to crash?
Is he the one after me?
He just so happened to be there both times.
No.
There’s no way he would do those things to me. Yes, Gavin holds so much mystery, but he doesn’t seem like the murdering type to me. The way Merelyn talks highly of him has to count for something.
A door slams in the distance, and I turn my head toward the hallway. I rise to my feet until I’m standing by the fireplace, hugging myself, too afraid and nervous to move. He’s the first man to see me without a shirt and pants. I’m curvier than I used to be, and Liam reminded me of that every chance he got. While it was dinner time, or when it came to shopping for clothes. He constantly reminded me that I didn’t meet his weight standards. That my stretchmarks on my hips, stomach, and ass would catch his attention to the point that whenever we would havesex, I would turn off the lights because I was afraid he’d find another thing on my body to complain about.
I haven’t loved myself since he betrayed me—loved life. I didn’t know there was anything wrong with me until Liam constantly criticized me. Now I feel a bit insecure, standing before Gavin like this, because what if he has the same thoughts?
And why do I care?
He emerges from the hallway in a change of clothes. He’s no longer wearing pants. Instead, he’s in dark grey sweatpants that hug his long legs and a loose flannel with long sleeves over a white shirt—a gold chain with a cross over his chest.
He comes back with oversized clothing and a blanket in his hand. He gives it to me, but doesn’t make eye contact. There’s his familiar cold shoulder again.
“Take a warm bath.” He grabs a smoke from his back pocket and heads toward the front porch.
Why is he always so grumpy?
“Do you ever smile, Gavin?” I tease, grabbing the clothes and wrapping myself in the warm, fuzzy blanket.
He quirks a brow and deadpans. Of course…he doesn’t say anything and holds an unreadable gaze. Those dark green, vibrant specks in his eyes glow against the blue, and I swear I could get lost in them if he looked at me longer than five seconds.
“One day, I’ll get a smile out of you.” I take my clothes and head for a shower. He stills, staring at me with a cigarette hanging out between his perfect white teeth and sharp canines.
CHAPTER 16
GAVIN
I’m a man at the end of the day, and something inside me has awakened. When I held her in my arms, I felt like I wasn’t in the cabin anymore but somewhere else. I felt something.
And something when you’ve been a numb soul all your life is everything.
I enjoy being alone. I enjoy reading books before I go to sleep. I enjoy living in the mountains where there isn’t another soul for miles. Just nature, the sounds of the earth moving every day.
I want to worry only about Merelyn and myself. I avoid judgment. I avoid human connection like it’s the plague.
What I didn’t anticipate was that I had to fight the urge to enjoy the way my lips wanted to curl up and match Coraline’s beaming smile after I pulled her out of the avalanche. Or the way her cold body shuddered against mine near the fire, pulled heartstrings I never thought I had. All I wanted was for her to live today.
She upsets me.
In the beginning, we didn’t get along much, but I’mdetermined to change that. I don’t know what to do with myself with a beautiful woman like Coraline so close to me.
But...before she went into the shower, all I wanted was to bark out all the reasons why venturing onto my land during a storm was one of the most stupid ideas she’s had since being in my home. And I couldn’t do it.
I held back, and I don’t do that for anyone.
I’m sitting on the couch, a Shiner beer in my hand, waiting for her to come out.
Waiting for Coraline Rosa.
Her name is perfect. Beautiful.
Like her.
