Page 52 of Falling for the Beast

She snorted. “No, you don’t.”

“Okay, I have rudimentary searching skills, and I happened to get lucky with a dealership in Carson who had one of these.”

A balding man got out of the Rabbit as a Toyota Corolla pulled up. He waved a few papers at Thaddeus. “She’s yours, I just need you to sign a few documents.”

“Actually, she’s hers,” he said, pointing to Aribelle. “She can sign them.”

After the paperwork was done and the men had left, Aribelle turned to him and hugged him. “How did you know that car meant so much to me?”

He ran his hand down her silky hair. “A hunch.”

“I’ll pay you back. When I get another job and get back on my feet.”

“You don’t have to, Belle—”

She silenced him with a kiss, which he gladly accepted. See, he was a happy person. Right now, he could be the happiest person on the planet. He explored her lips, letting the sensations wash over him. When she pulled back, he kissed the tip of her nose and sighed.

“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”

“I won’t argue with you. Because I’m a happy guy.”

She burst out laughing. “You have mellowed out a lot since I first met you.”

Because of her. She was the light in his life, the joy in his days. Too bad it wouldn’t last. “And you’re just as demanding.”

“I demand we go back inside. I’m freezing.”

Chapter 23

Aribelle ignored the tight feelingin her gut as Thaddeus spent the afternoon on his computer looking up apartments for rent. At first, he would ask her about each one, making sure she’d like the one he picked. But when she objected to the apartment on Dodge street because it was two blocks from the Doughnut Hole, he shooed her out of the room. He didn’t want to listen to her fake objections anymore.

So, she sulked at the table and worked on her dad’s puzzle. It was almost complete. Sarah finished the laundry and made lunch, and then cleaned the kitchen. It was nice to know Thaddeus would have someone taking care of his daily needs once she was gone.

Gone.

The word was so final. A hollow feeling entered her chest. Thaddeus was sending her away. It hurt to think about it, so she pushed the thought out of her head. After Sarah made a light supper, an amazing pasta dish Aribelle drooled over, she left and it was just Thaddeus and her sitting at the dining room table. Aribelle tried not to feel jealous over Sarah and her cooking skills. She was old enough to be Thaddeus’s mother.

“I found you a furnished apartment in Carson.” He picked up his fork and took a bite.

Her mouth went dry. She’d known he would find one. What did she think, that being a baby about it was going to stop him? “How far? How much rent? Because I don’t have a job yet so I can’t afford much.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll pay the rent.”

He really wanted her gone, didn’t he? “How much?”

“Fifteen hundred.”

She choked and took a drink of her water. “Fifteen hundred? I can’t afford that. Not even if I get a job.”

He frowned. “I said I’d pay for it.”

“If we can’t have a relationship, then I need to be on my own. That means getting a job and supporting myself. Not living in an apartment that some rich guy pays for, like a mistress or something.”

He flinched, her comment hitting its intended mark. “It’s in a safe neighborhood.”

Ouch. A jab about where she used to live. Well, after Gavin turned out to be a nut case, she couldn’t blame him too much there.

“And just because we can’t have a relationship doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”

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