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Raina had no intention of embarrassing Zane, but she damn sure wasn’t going to let him eat alone. Looking around, she had no clue where he might be. Walking down the steps, she noticed a path and headed that way. Seeing Zane sitting on the ground leaning against a wall that was only half built, she smiled when he looked up at her.
“Hey.” She said as she made her way toward him.
“Be careful; there may be nails lying around.” He warned, not looking very happy at her interruption, which was just tough.
“Care if I join you?” She said but sat down across from him before he could even answer.
“Sure.” He replied, placing his half-eaten plate on the ground beside him.
“Ants are going to get your lunch,” Raina commented after swallowing a bite of her food.
“That’s okay. I’m finished.” He answered, staring at her as if daring her to go further with the food issue. Well, he didn’t know her very well. It really bothered her that he ate alone. Why it bothered her so bad she didn’t know, but it did. “Don’t pity me, Raina.”
“Pity is the last thing I feel for you, Zane.” She replied without hesitation. “But eating alone is…well, lonely. Take it from someone who knows.”
“Not for me. I prefer it.” Zane’s voice had an edge to it that Raina should pay attention to, but Raina was sometimes tone-death and didn’t read the room well. Or maybe she read the room just fine and didn’t give a shit.
“Because of your scars?” Raina shot back the question and wondered if she had gone too far when his eyes narrowed.
He just stared at her for such a long time she felt her neck start to heat and wanted to squirm under his gaze, but she held her ground and stared back, waiting for the answer.
“Yes.” He finally answered. “Because of my scars.”
Shaking her head, she forked in another bite of pasta salad and chewed, studying his face. “Why?”
This time, he made an exacerbating noise in the back of his throat. “Because they are grotesque, and I don’t want to ruin someone’s dinner.”
“Your words or someone else’s words?” Raina frowned, knowing that someone in his past had hurt him badly, and she wanted to claw that someone’s eyes out.
“What does that matter,” Zane said angrily as he abruptly stood up, grabbed his plate, and tossed it in the trash bag that lay a few feet away. “It’s the truth.”
She heard the pain in his voice. Even as hard as he tried to hide it, she heard it as if it was her own. “We all have scars, Zane. Some you can see and some you cannot, but scars do not define a person.”
“They do if they are on your face for the world to see.” Zane shot back, then looked like he regretted saying anything at all. “I have to get back to work.”
Raina knew she had been dismissed, but she didn’t care. Standing, she also tossed her half-eaten lunch in the trash, but she wasn’t finished. “The most honest people on this planet are children. They see beauty and kindness that is invisible to others. Rose touched you today, and you allowed it. Why?”
Raina saw his shoulders stiffen, his back still turned toward her. “I said I have to get back to work.” He growled, still not turning to face her. “Maybe you should be worried about getting yourself out of your mess instead of worrying about my…scars.”
Okay, that was a dig, but Raina could handle it. She wasn’t finished and refused to let him chase her away. “You almost kissed me,” Raina whispered loud enough she knew he could hear her. “Scars and all, you were going to kiss me, and I was going to allow it, looked forward to it, and was disappointed when it didn’t happen. I don’t see scars when I look at you, Zane. I see a man who is kind, loyal, and handsome. That is coming from someone who just met you. My opinion may not matter, and that’s fine, but those who do see only scars are the ones you don’t want in your life anyway.”
Knowing she probably just ruined a perfectly wonderful and mind-blowing one-night stand with this handsome alpha Shifter, Raina didn’t care. It sucked, but she seriously would rather let him know his worth than have a fast fuck. He was worthy enough to sit across while having a meal, and she wanted him to know that, even if he hated her for it.
Turning away after waiting to see if he was going to say anything, Raina frowned as she walked back to the house. She had hoped he would stop her but knew in her heart he wouldn’t, and that hurt her more than anything ever had. She was in love with this man, this stranger, and even though it terrified her because they had just met, Raina knew it was real. How she knew was a mystery, but she was head over heels in love with Zane…hell she didn’t even know his last name…and still that didn’t frighten her. It just felt right. What terrified her now was that she had no clue how he felt about her.
Raina had always been well-grounded. She didn’t believe in love at first sight, which you see in movies and read in books, but meeting Zane and her intense feelings for him blew that belief out of the water.
“Girl, you are in some deep shit.” She whispered to herself but smiled because she was a fighter, and she was going to fight for him. With that decision made, she decided to take his advice and take care of her past so she could focus on her future.
CHAPTER13
Zane worked until dark, even when Thorne quit for the day. He needed to work out his frustrations as well as think things through. Raina’s words hit him hard today. It was hard to believe someone who said his scars didn’t matter after living for years knowing that they did matter to most people, especially women. No woman, beautiful or not, wanted to be tied to someone with a disfigured face. As much as he wanted to believe her words, it was hard for him to do just that.
Hearing a noise, he turned to see Raina walking toward him, balancing a tray with plates and glasses. She stumbled over a clod of dirt.
“Whoa!” She said after steadying herself and the tray. Glancing up at him she wiggled her eyebrows after gaining control again. “Pretty impressive, huh?”
“What the hell are you doing?” He rushed toward her, taking the heavy tray from her. He noticed she was wearing a long skirt and a sleeveless blouse of blue that brought out her eyes. She looked absolutely gorgeous, so much so it took his breath away.
