Page 14 of Wounded Hearts

Chapter 8

Drew shot straight upin bed, the sheet pooling at his waist, an unfamiliar noise in his normally silent flat waking him. He listened for a second and quickly realised that Mara was awake and moving around in the living space. Laying down he brushed a hand over his face. He hadn’t fallen asleep until the early hours of this morning, his mind going over and over everything that had happened last night.

The event, talking to that asshole Brayden Wells, watching Smithy flip out for no obvious reason, and then seeing Mara again. That was the biggest shock—seeing her so changed from the woman he’d known. Finding her in his car had been a surprise, a nice one and a sad one. Nice because he wanted her with him, but sad because she should’ve been able to walk out of there without having to hide like that.

Whatever had happened to her had been painful and brutal and had beaten her down in a way that made Drew want to drive back to Blaisdon just so he could pound Brayden Wells face into dust.

Remembering the way the long dress had clung to her thinner curves made his already hard dick twitch. Waking up with morning wood was normal, thinking about Mara with wood was normal, having her within touching distance was making things a whole lot more complicated.

She was beautiful in an age-old way like Liz Taylor. Long dark hair, big pouty lips, and eyes that could seduce the Pope. Her curves though, which he’d spent many a night fantasising over, were all but gone. She was painfully thin now, only her full breasts remained.

He hated that. She’d always been proud of those curves, swaying her hips with confidence. Now the confident woman was drained of her magic as if all the light had been sucked from her world. He wanted to fix that. Although he hadn’t known the promise he was about to make last night in the car, he was glad he’d made it and meant every word. He’d protect her because she mattered to him.

Throwing the sheet back as he heard more noise from the living room, he sat up and reached for his leg, taking the time to fit it and then slide his legs into gym shorts knowing he’d shower soon anyway. Throwing a white tee over his head, he opened the bedroom door.

That had been the only bone of contention last night. He’d wanted her to have the bed, but she refused, arguing he was too big for the sofa. She wasn’t wrong but his sister and Dane would have his hide for making a lady sleep on the sofa. But what he’d quickly realised as he’d argued with her last night was that she’d needed that small victory more than she needed a soft bed.

Her head came up from the mug she was stirring sugar into as he entered, and her eyes widened, not with desire like he wanted to see, but apprehension.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first.”

Drew frowned, unsure what she was talking about. He tipped his head in question as he approached her slowly. “Sorry?”

“The tea. I should’ve waited and asked if it was okay. It was wrong to help myself.”

Drew had to lock his jaw so he didn’t speak out of turn and frighten her. The rage he was currently feeling that someone had made her feel this way was clawing at his gut. He swallowed and then forced his features to relax. “Mara, let me make this clear for you. While you’re in my home you have free rein over anything in it. If you want tea, make tea. If you want to eat all my food, carry on. If you want to re-fucking decorate then have at it.” He saw her relax so moved closer until he was standing inches from her face. “Do as you please. It makes me happy to see you in my space so treat it as your own. Okay?”

She nodded. “Okay, Drew.”

“Good. Now I’m going to go brush my teeth then I’ll make us breakfast. Have a look in the fridge and see what we have.”

He saw the hint of a smile curve her lips and wanted to punch the air with joy. Such a small thing but it meant the world to him. He walked to the bathroom and quickly used the toilet, washed his face and brushed his teeth, before joining her in the kitchen. The tiny kitchen. He saw she’d pulled out a bunch of stuff from the fridge.

He assessed it and frowned. “No meat?”

She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. “Meat?”

“I’m on a high protein, low carb diet. I need meat.”

“Sorry, I’m vegetarian. It didn’t cross my mind.”

“Since when?”

Mara blushed and looked away. “About a year now.”

“So, I’ll eat the meat, you can eat the carbs. Sounds like a good combination to me.” He saw the surprise on her face at his acceptance but pushed it away. “How about smashed Avo on toast with poached eggs and I have bacon on the side? Or will the smell make you ill?”

“No, of course not. That sounds lovely.”

“Okay, you sit over there.” He pointed to the other side of the small island with a paring knife.

“I can help.” Her words held a hint of the fire he remembered, and it gave him hope that she’d return to her feisty self.

“You could, but the kitchen is small, and we’d be brushing up against each other and I’m a man and you’re a beautiful woman.”

“Can’t you control yourself?” she asked with a hint of distaste that curled her lip.

Far from finding it an insult he smiled. “No, Mara. I trust myself. But I’m not sure I trust you not to jump my bones.” He indicated his body. “All this is tough to resist.”