Page 9 of Broken Hearts

I was starting to think that Hal really was worried about me. I wanted to tell him that everything was okay, and I wasn’t going to be in danger, but I didn’t. It’s not that I thought I would be in danger, but I wanted him to stay with me and make me see that I was fine. I wasn’t sure how easy having him around would be, but he was nice enough to offer, so I was going to take it.

Hal said that he had to make a few calls before we left. I had to jump in the shower and said I would be down soon. I wanted to mention his shower last night, but I obviously couldn’t. Hearing that water turn on last night had been music to my ears. It had also made me nervous for other reasons as well. If I was wrong about how he felt, did that mean that I was wrong about other things as well? I thought I knew Hal, but I was starting to understand that there was a lot about him that I had no clue about.

There was a part of me that tried to ignore the feelings that came over me. It was hard to focus on the day when I had Hal beside me to look forward to. I was going to think about the kiss the whole time. There was nothing else to think about or do. I got in the shower and likely did what he had done the night before. At least his was done after the fact. Me, all I had to do was think about it and I was right back to where I was in the beginning.

I got out and he’d made us some eggs for breakfast. “You cook too? How are you single?” I asked him, only half-joking because it was something that I really wanted to know. I could smell the coffee in the cup in his hand. It smelled really damn good.

“Is that for me?” I asked, and he responded by handing me the cup. It was perfect, just how I liked it. Hal was throwing me off left and right.

“I’m single because I could never find anyone else that made me feel.”

The words were said so simply and, of course, I wanted to know who he thought made him feel? Was it me? I wanted to be the one, but he’d left me so that didn’t make any sense.

“What about you, Marilyn?”

I shrugged. “Jesse and I weren’t meant to be together. He wanted more than I was willing to offer, so I figured that he wasn’t the one.”

I was told that it was an ambiguous answer, but it was the only one that he was getting. We ate breakfast and finished getting ready. I had a rare court date to go to, which never happened on weekends, but everything about the case was off. It felt only right that I would take Hal with me. He was certainly making me feel off. He made me feel off in a good way though. A really good way.

Hal insisted on driving, and I was just fine with that. I had a couple of briefs that I had to get through and it was good to get prepped up before I went in to court. Hal was the one that gave me something soft and light to listen to while I was reading. For many it might seem counterintuitive, but silence was hard. I wanted something playing in the background, or I would be distracted by every little thing. Of course, Hal would remember that, and he did it all so seamlessly, not saying a word, just putting on the best station. He always knew just what to do, or at least he had. I missed certain aspects of our life together.

It wasn’t the first time I had pondered why things were going the way they were. Of all the guys that I could have met to do my security, it was Hal. He could have done the job and walked away, but he didn’t. I didn’t know what any of it meant, but it felt like it meant something. It was hard for me to think of it as something to get off my mind. I looked over at him a couple of times, his strong jawline the only thing I had to look at.

There was something between us and it was hard to let it go. I wanted to ask about his dream, but more than that the kiss and the state of him afterwards. It was just like before when we would work ourselves up over each other. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, how hard he was in the most important places. I mean, he was so hard and big. I had felt him before, seen it a couple of times too, but it felt different this time around. It was the first time that I wanted to finally see where it would all go. How many times had I put myself right there at the line, only to pass it up in the end? I hadn’t wanted to the night before. Last night, I was in the moment, and I’d wanted him to carry me away. Considering how awkward it was now, it was likely for the best that he hadn’t.

Hal followed the GPS to the coordinates that I’d put in for him. He was dressed for the part of bodyguard, and I have to say that he was certainly handsome in his button-down shirt and slacks. His large body was almost comical in the soft clothing, because it was clear that he was nothing but solid muscle underneath it. The few scars that smattered his face just made him look even more dangerous and sexy.

Shocks hit my body with the thought, and I had to look away. I also had to press my legs together as tightly as I could. How was I going to go through the day with him right there? It was going to be a constant distraction and it wasn’t one that I would be able to say out loud. He wouldn’t understand and I was not in the mood to try and explain it. I was already far more embarrassed about my reactions than before.

When we got to the courthouse, Hal made a couple of calls and said that he was working to get someone to get eyes on my ex. I didn’t know what he read in the report he got on him from the police station, but it was quite clear that he was not taking any chances. I was happy about that but still knew that it was going to be a busy day. I could only imagine how it was all going to go.

Since we were early, I had time to talk to my client. Hal was the sort of man that got attention, so I was asked about him. I just said that he was part of my security team. The client was a middle-aged man and since he didn’t ask why I needed it, I would let him assume all he wanted to. That was easy enough.

Hal seemed uncomfortable in the court room, and I asked him if he was okay. He said that he was but left soon after to make some more calls. I didn’t know who he was calling, but I wondered if he was trying to keep his distance. When he came back, he sat a pew behind me. I could feel his eyes on me, and I felt them all throughout the day, watching me. By the end of it, I was going to win, I knew I would, but I was feeling some sort of way having Hal here. He was trying to keep himself small and unseen, but my eyes weren’t the only ones on him. He got so much attention from the females that I was flustered by the end of it.

One even came up to him while I was getting my things together. The verdict had been put off until the next working day and I was feeling good about it, but not about the cute little blonde that walked up to Hal. She had a wholesome look of lust on her face, and I wanted to scratch her eyes out. Notable, that was a hard feeling to have on a stranger, but that was exactly how I felt when I saw them talking, the woman laughing. It was like a knife to my heart.

He saw me and looked at me with relief. He called me his girlfriend and she got out of there. I didn’t know how to feel about it. In one way I loved it when he called me his girlfriend, but in another way, I didn’t know how to take it. I could have sworn that I would have done better, but apparently when it came to Hal, I couldn’t.

“Sorry about that. I got distracted and she was standing there.”

I shrugged. “I bet it happens a lot.”

He scoffed like I was just saying it, and I honestly couldn’t understand the way he was acting, like I was joking.

“What?”

“You don’t have to say that,” he told me, sounding mad.

I was put off by his tone and how he acted. I blew out a breath. “No, but it’s true. I bet you get hit on all the time.”

“Not since I got back.” Hal’s voice was so stiff.

I knew immediately what he was talking about, and I didn’t think of it that way. Yes, he had scars now and I remembered him before. He did have a pretty face, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t just as sexy. I mean, I had almost lost it in his arms. If I had known more about how to seduce someone, I would have given it a shot. I didn’t know how though.

“You just had a woman drooling over you, Hal, and you didn’t even notice. You have tunnel vision, been like that since I knew you in high school. Nothing has changed.”

He looked at me stunned and then I could have sworn he turned red-faced, like he was embarrassed. I wanted to know what was going through his mind, but I didn’t want to ask because I would just make it worse. When did it get so weird between us? I should have known that it was going to be messy. I guess I did, and I had agreed to it. I must in some way want this.

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