Page 55 of Falling for the Beast

The sound of the vacuum running upstairs set him on edge. He’d told her she didn’t have to clean the guest bedroom. Sarah would be coming. That was what she was paid to do. But Aribelle had insisted.

The vacuum shut off and he heard the sounds of her putting it away and coming down the stairs. She entered the living room and wiped her hands on her jeans. “Well, I guess this is it. Everything is packed.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until the coffee cake is done?” Yes, he was a blithering fool. He knew it.

Her eyes held uncertainty, and he was pretty sure she simply wanted to leave so she could forget about him and this part of her life. “All right,” she said, hesitation still putting an edge on her words.

He jumped out of the chair and went into the kitchen to check on it. When he’d found out she was leaving, he’d quickly made up the batter and stuck it in the oven, hoping it would at least keep her here for a few more moments. Pretty stupid.

“It will be done in about five more minutes,” he said, looking at the cake.

“I’ll go wait in the dining room.”

He nodded, knowing she wanted to see if she could finish up her father’s puzzle. She’d worked on it until late last night, but it still wasn’t done.

He joined her in the dining room, and they both began putting in the last of the pieces. They had maybe a hundred left to fit into place. He picked up a piece and checked on the picture on the box. This one had been bothering him.

It was all green except for one spot of bright gold. He’d been sure he’d be able to find it on the photograph, the bright gold looked so out of place, but the exact spot on the photo had eluded him. It was too metallic looking to be a flower. But nothing else on the photo was metal either. He couldn’t figure it out.

The timer went off in the kitchen, and he stood. Why was his stomach clenching? He’d known Aribelle had to leave from the first day. Why had he pretended it would ever work between them? He grabbed a hot pad and slid the cake out of the oven.

After serving up two pieces, he went back into the dining room. He watched Aribelle eat as discreetly as he could. She was beautiful, but more than that, she had looked past his scars, and he hadn’t met anyone who was capable of doing that for a long time.

She finished the cake and put down the puzzle piece she couldn’t place. “I’m sorry to leave this here, unfinished. I was hoping I’d get it done.”

“It’s no problem.”

“I’ll come back for it. You can show me how you rolled it up and moved it.” She wrung her hands and gazed up at him with her brown eyes.

He wanted to pull her close, feel her heartbeat against his chest one last time, but he knew that wasn’t a good idea. It would only make it impossible for him not to taste her lips again. And then he wouldn’t be able to let her go. “That’s fine. I can work on it, if you don’t mind.”

“That would be nice of you.” She glanced at the doorway. “Okay. Well, I’d better go.”

“Drive safe,” he said, his throat tightening as he thought of her leaving.

“I will.”

She turned and headed toward the front door. He watched as she left, resisting the impulse to go after her and beg her not to leave. He stood at the window staring out as her car disappeared down the driveway. He took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. It was for the best.

Ten minutes later when the sound of a car approached, he ran to the window, thrilled that she’d come back.

Only it wasn’t Aribelle.

Sarah got out of her car and came up to the house. He let her in. “You can wash the dishes,” he said before going upstairs and shutting himself up in his room.

Aribelle wiped a tear with the back of her hand as she drove. She kept telling herself this was for the best. But then why did she feel like she’d left a piece of herself behind? Why did she have to grip the steering wheel so hard to keep from driving back to him?

Steeling herself, she turned onto Peony Drive. The buildings in this neighborhood were nicer than she expected. She pulled into her complex and was surprised to find she had her own garage. No wonder the apartment was so expensive.

She parked her car and grabbed her purse. The front door to the building was locked, so she buzzed the manager. Ten minutes later she had her key and was walking into her new apartment. The manager gave her a short tour. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you.” She ushered the manager out and closed her door.

The apartment was gorgeous. Marble countertops and hardwood flooring. The furniture was nicer than anything she’d be able to pick out herself. Guilt wormed its way into her as she looked at her surroundings. She couldn’t afford this, and she couldn’t allow Thaddeus to pay for it. As soon as she had a job, she’d go looking for something more reasonable.

She brought in the two boxes she’d packed. All she had were the clothes and things she’d ordered online. Thaddeus said he would pay the movers to bring the rest of her stuff from storage next week. He wanted to make sure Gavin wouldn’t follow the movers and get her new address.

He was protecting her, still, even from afar. Her heart nearly broke again. She sat down on the leather love seat and buried her head in her hands. She’d never gotten to tell him how she felt about him. That she loved him.

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