Page 19 of The Reaper
Was that why I was feeling this way? Because she had a vulnerability that called out to me?
I stood in the middle of the pavement, but she didn’t see me, not until it was too late and she was about to bump right into me. I held out my arm to stop her, get her attention, and she jumped back, a grimace marring her delicate features.
Ethereal beauty. That’s how I’d describe her. Beauty that was rare, breath-taking, unique, and for me, nothing but heartbreak. I didn’t have time for the feelings and emotions stirring inside of me. I wasn’t ready to face up to what they meant for a man like me. I wasn’t like Adam. There was no room in my life for anyone else. Only the soldiers, the club, my family, and all in that order. It didn’t matter that she made the breath catch in my throat or my chest constrict with something I couldn’t explain. She was a distraction I couldn’t entertain. A force I had to repel.
She stared at me for a moment, her eyes softening as she steadied herself. I kept my body tense, my arms folded over my chest, and my eyes narrowed on her with a stern, fierce glare. I had to appear as if I had my guard up even though my mind was whirling with self-doubt.
“What are you doing here? Did something happen with your cousin?” I asked, my jaw twitching as I waited for her response.
My eyes drifted down to her neck, just like when I’d seen her earlier. I liked how the delicate muscles of her throat contracted as she swallowed nervously. That small action made the beast inside me rear his ugly head. Smooth skin, soft, flawless, so tempting. In another life or another time, I’d have devoured her. Made her mine. Buried myself inside of her and claimed every inch as my own, but that wasn’t an option. Not for me. A man like me would destroy a girl like her without even realising. A girl like her needed protecting not possessing.
“No, everything’s fine. I… I was just out for a walk,” she stammered. I didn’t believe her. Not for a second.
“Did you follow me?” I tilted my head, trying to catch a tell-tale sign in her reaction to confirm that she was lying.
“I didn’t follow you.” She scoffed, looking hurt and frowning at me. “Why would I do that?”
She wasn’t lying. But why was she here?
“Why would you be on the corner of our street watching me? That’s a pretty big coincidence after what happened this morning.” I noticed the hesitation in her response. She was hiding something.
Did she come to find me because she was in trouble?
She quickly righted herself and lifted her chin in defiance. Then she gave me a wide, wicked smile and said, “And yet, here I am. Maybe I like watching.”
I huffed out a laugh and shook my head. I liked that answer. It showed she had some backbone. She wasn’t afraid to stand her ground, stand up to me and challenge me. I still felt pissed that she hadn’t given me a proper answer though. If she needed help, I wanted to know.
“You shouldn’t be here.” I gestured around me to the derelict buildings close by. It wasn’t the most scenic route for a Sunday afternoon stroll. Broken bottles, litter, shit all over the street. Even I wouldn’t choose to walk here.
“Why not?” She challenged me. “You’re here.”
“I live here. This is my home, but you don’t belong in a place like this.”
“Brinton is my home too.” She was so naïve. Her version of Brinton was rose-tinted, protected, a far cry from the one we all knew.
“The vicarage is your home. The safe little rectory with its––”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she spat back defiantly.
I didn’t, but something deep inside told me I wanted to. And yet, I felt as if knowing more about her would be like Icarus flying too close to the sun. I wouldn’t survive.
“You need to leave,” I told her.
“What do you think I was just doing? Practising for the speed walking championships? Iwason my way home until you stopped me with your giant body taking up the whole pavement.”
I had to laugh at her attempt at being angry with me. She was too cute.
“Don’t give me stupid answers,” I chastised, fighting back a grin.
“Then don’t ask stupid questions.”
This girl was the definition of a conundrum. I don’t think even she could work out what she felt in this moment, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or wring her neck.
I leaned towards her to make sure that I made my point clear. Stern, but not nasty. I didn’t want to scare her completely. I had to give her a warning. Let her know she needed to be more careful and look after herself.
“Don’t come here again. This part of Brinton isn’t safe for a girl like you,Leah May.”
The way her eyes widened as I said her name made my heart beat a little faster.
