Page 31 of Horned to be Wild
“Not yet,” he said grimly. “I need to board up that window before the storm causes any more damage.”
“You can’t go back out there!”
“I won’t be long,” he promised. “Will you be all right by yourself?”
Her lips were trembling, but she nodded.
“Brave girl.” He bent down long enough to brush his lips against hers before heading back out into the storm.
The branch had smashed through her living room window and he shuddered when realized how easily it could have fallen on her. He didn’t have time to clean up the damage but he boarded up the window with the leftover wood from their work on the porch. It was temporary, but it would keep out the worst of the rain.
Back in his cabin, he found her exactly where he’d left her, huddled in front of the fire, still shivering. She looked so small, so vulnerable, that his chest ached.
“You need dry clothes,” he said gruffly.
He disappeared into his bedroom, returning with a soft flannel shirt that would hang like a dress on her small frame, then left her to change while he went to strip off his own wet clothes. When he returned, he joined her in front of the fire.
“I boarded up the window,” he told her. “The rest can be fixed once the storm is over.”
She nodded, her brown eyes reflecting the dancing firelight.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
Despite everything—his coldness, his withdrawal, his fear—she had run to him when she needed safety.To him.He wanted to tell her she belonged here, with him, but his throat was too tight, his emotions too raw. He’d been so determined to protect himself from her that he’d failed to protect her. If anything had happened to her…
He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her damp hair, his chest so tight he could barely breathe.
“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely. “I’m so sorry.”
She snuggled closer, her hands cold even through the thick fabric of his shirt. “It’s not your fault. And you were coming for me, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He closed his eyes, holding her as if she might be ripped from his arms at any moment. “I should have been there to protect you.”
She shifted, turning to face him, her eyes searching his face. “What were you protecting yourself from? Me?”
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. What could he say? That he’d run from the possibility of happiness because he was afraid of losing it?
He couldn’t lie to her, not after what she’d been through, not when she was here, in his home, in his arms.
He swallowed hard. “Myself. I was afraid of hurting you, but I was also afraid of being hurt.”
She was silent, and his stomach twisted. Had he revealed too much? Would she laugh at his fears, or dismiss them?
But her expression was serious as she met his eyes. “You’re afraid that I’ll leave.”
“Everyone has always left.” He couldn’t hide the bitter edge in his voice. “Why would you be different?”
“Because I love you, you big, stubborn minotaur.” Her voice shook with emotion, but her gaze never wavered. “You don’t have to be alone anymore. I’m here, with you, and that’s not changing.”
She loves me?His chest ached with a sudden, desperate hope, his throat tightening until he thought he couldn’t draw another breath.
“Say something,” she whispered. “Or I’ll think I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“No, no,” he choked out. “Not a mistake.”
His ability to speak failed him. Having her in his arms, so small and vulnerable yet somehow still strong, made all his fears about losing her seem suddenly insignificant.
She was here. Now. And he wanted her with an intensity that terrified him.
