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Heart heavy, he made his way to the stairs. Just a couple hours ago, he was light as air, enjoying the most amazing kiss of his life, and looking forward to more. Looking forward to the fight to win Holly’s heart. The last thing he wanted to do was pull back, but he had to. Like he said, her safety was more important. The most important thing to him, aside from Shelby.
His tiger roared in pain inside him, and it doubled Ian over, stealing his breath. The animal was in anguish over not being near his mate. Ian did his best to reassure him, telling him they’d still be seeing her as they watched over her, but he was in as much pain at the thought as his cat, and it didn’t do much to lessen their pain.
As much as it physically hurt him, knowing he had to stay away and not be in direct contact with her, he had to. It was what was best, for all of them. Because Lord knew, if something happened to her, Shelby would be devastated, and he… well, he’d be hard pressed to survive it.
HOLLY RAN HER FINGERS OVER THE SOFT FUR of the plush tiger in her hands. It was another gift from Ian, and it was on her desk when she got to school this morning. It was also the first contact she’d had from him in a week. He’d given her what was possibly the best kiss of her life and then disappeared.
True, she hadn’t come out and said that she was open to a relationship with him, but hadn’t she gone with him to look at potential gyms? Hadn’t she allowed him to kiss her, then kissed him back with everything in her? And even if she hadn’t done all that, he said he never gave up when he was fighting, and he was fighting for her.
But it sure felt like he gave up. And she’d been flooded with disappointment and hurt ever since. Crazy as it was, since they’d just been starting something, she was hurt by his disappearing act. And there was an annoying little voice inside her, whispering how he must have found her lacking, her kiss was a turnoff, her bad leg was more than he could deal with.
Blowing out a breath, she unclenched her hands from around the tiger and placed it on the desk. She hated that she suddenly doubted herself, that her self-confidence was taking a nosedive, and all over a man she was just coming to know. He’d burrowed deeper into her heart than she’d originally thought, given her reaction to his disappearing act.
Exhaling, she picked up the note that had been tucked under the tiger this morning, reading the words she already had almost memorized.
Holly,
I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by to talk to you. Life has been crazy lately. I won’t get into it right now, but I wanted you to know, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. You’re all I think about, in fact. Or at least it seems that way. And I wanted you to know that.
I’m not sure if you’re a fan of tigers, but really, who isn’t? They’re beautiful, majestic creatures, and I thought of you when I saw this stuffed one. I hope you enjoy it.
And I might have been absent lately, but I’m not giving up. Remember that. I meant it when I said I was going to fight for you.
Ian
Her lips were curved in a smile as she finished the note. It went a long way to soothing her fears and restoring her confidence, and what did that say about her? She’d never needed a man to validate her in any way, and here she was, needing that from Ian.
No, she didn’t need validation. That wasn’t it at all. If she was being truthful with herself, she had to admit that her feelings this past week were because she was coming to care for him. Deeply. And that scared the hell out of her. She’d never wanted to care for a man again, and it took very little effort for Ian to gain her affections.
Grabbing her bag, she pl
aced the note and tiger inside and started packing up the papers she needed to grade tonight. Her mind went to Shelby, and she frowned. The little girl had been distant and moody all week, not interested in lessons or schoolwork. Holly tried everything she could think of to get her to engage, but nothing worked.
It seemed like whatever it was that was going on with Ian was affecting his daughter, as well. She wanted to ask for another meeting, but for the first time ever, she found herself nervous about speaking to a parent. Something else that was unacceptable. If this, whatever it was between her and Ian, was affecting her job, it was another reason to think long and hard about a relationship with him.
Her students meant the world to her, and Shelby was precious to her. She couldn’t let her attraction to Shelby’s father stand in the way of doing her best for Shelby, for giving her the best possible education she could.
Limping her way to her car, Holly found herself wishing she’d brought her cane in today. Her leg was in good shape, but as the day went on, it became worse and worse. Casting a glance at the sky, Holly was pretty sure she knew why. The sky was a stormy gray, looking like the heavens were going to open up at any moment. Her leg always hurt worse when it rained.
Glancing up from where she’d been watching the ground as she walked, she gasped and rocked abruptly to a halt, causing her to grimace as the motion sent pain shooting through her leg. But her car… what the crap. Limping slowly around it, she saw that all four tires had been slashed. But the back window was the worst.
Whore.
In bright red spray paint, the word whore was written across the window. Who would have done such a thing? Suddenly cold, down to her bones, she wrapped her arms around her waist and glanced around the parking lot, looking for anyone else. But it was all but deserted, everyone having gone home a long time ago. She always had the tendency to stay late, but she was regretting it now. Suddenly, everything seemed sinister to her, and she shivered, unnerved.
Unlocking the door, she snatched her cane before locking the car back up. Going as quickly as she dared, she limped back to the classroom and unlocked the door, rushing inside and locking it behind her. She felt a little silly, and it was probably an overreaction, but she’d never had anything like this happen to her before, and it was freaking her out a little.
Walking over to her desk, she sank down in her chair, pulling her phone out. Calling information, she got the info for the sheriff’s office and called, reporting what happened and letting them know she was in her classroom. After she ended the call, she sat for a moment, still feeling unnerved and unsure of what to do next. This would be a good time to have friends in town so she could call one for support, but she had none.
Wait—maybe that wasn’t completely true. Debating with herself for a second, she hesitated, but in the end she was too shaken up to resist. Getting up, she walked to the filing cabinet in the corner, opening a drawer and pulling out a file. Entering the number listed, she took a deep breath and hit the send button, chewing on her thumbnail as she listened to it ringing.
“Ian Gallagher.”
Holly closed her eyes briefly as his deep voice washed over her, feeling instantly and inexplicably comforted. Taking another deep breath, she said, “Ian, it’s Holly.”
“Holly?” he asked, his voice turning from impersonal to warm in an instant. “It’s so good to hear from you. You got the tiger?”
Momentarily distracted, she smiled a little as she said, “Yes, I got it. I love it. Thank you.”
