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Tiago stood and offered Alexis his arm.
She slid her small hand into his and he pulled her up effortlessly. The woman was so featherlight that she seemed to have hollow bones.
Be careful with her. Don’t hurt her.
The idea was a little frightening. Tiago had never considered himself to be particularly rough in bed. But Alexis was tiny compared to most Maltaffian women.
And there was something vulnerable about her, that went beyond the eating disorder in her past. She had talked so calmly about a topic that sent one of his best friends to his knees. It was something more than that, some other fragile thing hiding in her eyes.
Whatever it was, he was determined to protect her from it, to offer her whatever comfort she needed to feel safe as long as she was with him.
She stood before him, looking a little uncertain.
“Should we find the bedroom?” he asked her. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, but we could stretch out and talk some more.”
“That sounds really nice,” she said, looking down at her feet.
He felt a pang in his heart, and it scared him.
No,he warned himself.You can’t fall for her. She’s not for you. She’s the opposite.
And it was true. On paper, Alexis was everything he didn’t want. Her very choice to be here killed any chance that she was the kind of woman he would let into his heart.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be nice to her.
And it didn’t mean this couldn’t be fun.
He just had to keep his wits about him - protect her body and protect his heart at all times.
But he was a fighter, he had been born to defend.
The bedroom wasn’t far. The whole farmhouse seemed to be made up of only three rooms. He opened the door to reveal another cozy fireplace, a view over the apple orchard through two massive windows with a window seat, and a gigantic bed that took up the rest of the space.
“Wow,” Alexis said.
“Nice big bed,” Tiago agreed appreciatively.
“Do you think that’s the bathroom?” she asked, pointing to a door. “I think I’d like a quick shower.”
A sizzle of heat went through him at the idea of her naked body under the pounding water.
“Check it out,” he said, shrugging.
She wandered over and opened the door.
“It’s nice,” she said. “I’ll be really quick.”
“Take your time,” he told her.
He looked out the window at the trees as the shower turned on. It was beautiful, but somehow desolate out there. The farmhouse was the same way, lovely character, but no artwork, no personal touch, no warmth. He hadn’t noticed it until Alexis was out of the room.
Maybe we’re supposed to provide that for each other.
He thought about his past flings, and didn’t remember a lot of warmth in either direction.
A lot of the women who wanted to sleep with a fighter wanted bragging rights because of his fame, or maybe an expensive gift, or a chance to land him without a pre-up. And some were just having fun, like he was.
In fairness, he was really only looking for the most beautiful bodies he could find, without a thought in the world as to what kind of people were inside.
