Still, given what happened between us, and knowing how badly I'd hurt her, I vowed to myself that I would handle it better than I had before. No more running away. This time, we'd talk about it later. There was no other choice. She deserved no less.
It was just after six in the morning, which was late for me to get out of bed. I should have been out in the field working already. But, I didn't want to leave her to wake up alone either. I walked out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen where I started the coffee maker and opened the fridge, hoping to find something she could eat for breakfast. I frowned as I scanned the contents – or lack thereof – in the refrigerator. There wasn't much in there. Just some bacon, which thankfully, she loved. There was a carton of eggs tucked away on the bottom shelf. I opened it up and found two eggs – and they weren't expired – which was perfect. At least she'd have breakfast when she got up.
I cooked her breakfast as I chugged my coffee, and just as the eggs were finished, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway toward me. I glanced over my shoulder and she stood there, her hair still in a loose, sloppy braid with most of it spilling free. She had on a robe I hadn't seen before, probably from one of her bags. It was bright pink and silky, totally fitting for her personality. It fell to about mid-thigh, giving just a hint of her sexy, shapely leg.
“Hey, you,” she said, sidling up to me at the stove.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and planted a soft kiss on my shoulder. I had to admit, if only to myself, that it felt good to be held by her. To feel her warmth and energy flowing through me. To have her there, by my side.
“Whatcha cooking, hot stuff?” she asked.
“Just some eggs and bacon,” I said. “You hungry?”
“Of course,” she said.
I put the scrambled eggs on her plate, followed by some bacon. She took the plate and walked over to the kitchen table, munching away happily as I sipped my coffee. I leaned against the counter instead of joining her at the table. She looked up at me, cocking her head like a puppy dog again.
“You not eating?” she asked.
“I'm not really a breakfast person,” I said. “Coffee suits me just fine.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” she said with a laugh.
It was amazing to me that she was so bright and cheery, even though she was sporting a nasty purple bruise on her face. She was smiling wide at me, and it seemed like she'd already somehow forgotten about everything she'd been through. She was so happy and chipper, it seemed like whatever her ex had done to her hadn't really happened.
Either she was very good at faking it, or she was just a naturally happy, optimistic person. I honestly couldn't tell which it was.
“So, we need to head over to the police station and file a report,” I said. “Figured once you finish eating, we can shower and – ”
“We can shower? As in together?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.
I grinned and swallowed a big gulp of coffee, doing my best to ignore the question and the innuendo behind it. It wasn't what I meant, but I couldn't deny that the idea of showering with Abby did sound appealing.
“We'll head over to the police station pretty early,” I said. “The sooner we can nab this bastard, the better.”
“I agree,” Abby said, her smile wavering a bit. “I just don't think it'll be that easy.”
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “He's good, Chase,” she said, a note of dejection and fear in her voice. “He's good at getting what he wants – and he wants me. I'm afraid there's not going to be anything anybody can do to stop him.”
“He's not going to get to you, Abby. Not while I'm alive. I promise you that,” I said, hearing the steel in my words, and hoping she found comfort in it.
She stared at me, a serious but thoughtful expression on her face as she munched on a few pieces of bacon. The sunlight streaming in through the windows cascaded around her, making her skin glow, and casting a halo around her. An aura. A glowing aura around a glowing woman that only added to her ethereal beauty.
Her face was still bruised and it hurt me to even look, but she was still so beautiful and perfect. The thought that any man could do this to her killed me inside. More than that though, it filled me with a deep and abiding rage – a rage that made me want to destroy something. Or, more to the point, somebody.
Abby stood and walked over to the sink, washing her plate off and setting it on the rack to dry. I watched the way her ass swished beneath her little robe as she walked, and it drove me crazy. Admiring the smooth legs, the toned calves – and remembering just how good it felt to have them wrapped around me – I felt myself growing hard in my jeans.
Trying to distract myself, I cleared my throat and downed the rest of the coffee, before putting my cup on the counter. I needed to get out into the fields. I had work to do. But, Abby took my hand in hers, and without saying a word, guided me down the hallway.
I should have stopped things right then and there, should have told her we couldn't keep doing this, but I couldn't. I opened my mouth but found my throat suddenly as dry as the desert. What I wanted to tell her was in my head just fine, but the words weren't coming out of my mouth – a side effect, I was sure, of my cock pulsing in my jeans as my blood rushed south.
As I let her lead me, her silky robe came open a bit, taunting me with the sight of her perfect flesh. She glanced back at me with her girl-next-door smile, making my cock impossibly hard. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her – you would have thought it was my first time seeing a naked woman – but one of her perfect breasts peaked out from underneath the robe, flaunting just the right amount of nipple.
My breath caught in my throat and although I wanted her so bad it hurt, I didn't want to let things get out of hand. Or, rather, any more out of hand than they already were. I let out a long, tortured breath and stopped in my tracks, holding on to her hand a little tighter.
“Abby, we should talk about last night,” I said.
She stopped and turned toward me, her blue eyes bright and sparkling, framed by long, thick eyelashes. Even without makeup, she was stunning. Despite the darkly-colored bruises on her face, she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She took my breath away – literally and figuratively. Abby was walking perfection to me.
“Yes, Chase?” she asked.
Her voice was soft and sweet, but there was a tinge of anxiety behind her words – as well as behind the sparkling in her eyes.
“I just – well, we keep falling into bed with each other. And I really don't want you to think – ”
I bit off my words as her eyes fell and she dropped my hand, looking crestfallen. I silently cursed myself out, frustrated with my inability to say what I wanted to say. Say what I meant.
“You don't want me to think what?” she asked, biting her lip.
I let out a long breath. “I don't want you to think that I'm looking for something serious. I'm really not,” I said. “I know I wouldn't be good for anybody right now. And I don't want to hurt you.”
She nodded. “I'm really not looking for something serious either, Chase,” she said. “Especially with everything going on with Paul and everything. I just know that you make me feel good and, right now, I could use all the good I can get.”
“I understand,” I said, surprising myself.
Truth be told, I did understand. I knew exactly what she meant, and it was the same for me. After years of being alone, it felt nice to be with someone else again. Someone who made me feel good – and not just in a sexual way either. Her sweet innocence and adorable smile did something to me, it made me want to be happy again. It made me feel like it was even possible. It gave me some small spark of hope. No one had ever done that to me before.
“But, I understand, we should probably keep our distance,” she said. “We probably shouldn't be sleeping together every chance we get.”