Haunted by the Past

Chapter 9: Distance

Copyright 2016 © Rosesareforever

Haunted by the Past

Chapter 9

'Distance'

Rationally, David knew he shouldn't be surprised to wake up all alone in Stephanie's bed, no trace of the sassy woman to be found. Yet, it still hurt more than he dared to admit. It wasn't the first time she took off on him. He should've gotten used to the cold shoulder treatment she gave when he got to close for her comfort. Stephanie was like a stray animal, always on alert and easily scared when someone did something out of the ordinary. She wasn't used to showing vulnerability, certainly not in the company of a man.

David had gotten to know her fairly well over the past couple of weeks. While some parts of her still remained a complete mystery, David knew enough about the woman to realize he was starting to break through her carefully built armor. She'd undoubtedly realized as much and pulled back as fast as she could. He didn't need a fortune-teller to explain to him what was going to happen next. Stephanie was on the run and she would try her damn hardest to put as much distance between them as possible. Her tactic of distancing herself from everyone and everything that could possibly harm her, was one David knew well. He was a pro at running.

It might not have happened often, but over the years there had been a few women that had been able to capture his attention for longer than a few hours between the sheets. The moment there was a chance he might like a woman for more than just casual sex, he'd always run for the hills. Somehow he'd ignored all the signs where Stephanie was concerned.

The time had come for David to butt out and go look for a new woman to please his needs. He knew it, yet the prospect only made him want to groan in frustration. She wasn't the only one who hadn't been careful with her feelings. David knew without a doubt that there wasn't going to be any woman that would catch his attention any time soon. Stephanie had possibly ruined him.

He'd hoped that once he got her out of his system, everything would go back to normal. It didn't take a genius to realize that wasn't going to happen. In the time they'd spent together, David had only started wanting her more – and not just the sex. Last night he'd felt more peaceful than he had in ages with Stephanie asleep in his arms. Alarm bells should've been going off in his mind.

As much as David had wanted to keep fighting Stephanie at every turn, he needed to change his approach if he wanted to stay sane. His chasing needed to stop. The longer he played with fire, the bigger the chance became that he'd eventually get burned. Stephanie could easily wreck him if he gave her any more power over him than he already had. He'd made a promise to himself ten years ago and he was planning on sticking to it. It would be tough to keep his distance, but it was the only option he had left if he wanted to protect himself from future heartbreak.

***

Eleven days, nine hours and thirteen minutes. That's how long it had been since the last time Stephanie had seen or heard from David. It was pathetic, really, that she could say the exact time. He'd given her exactly what she'd wanted. She'd run to keep from getting hurt, but why did she feel like a truck had run her over? She'd been mopping for eleven days straight. Constantly checking her phone in case the bastard would've sent her a text. He hadn't. Not in any way had David tried to get in touch with her. Gone were his surprise visits and constant texts. It seemed like he'd finally given up on her.

It's what she wanted – or that's what she thought. She didn't take into account that it would hurt so damn much to be away from him. The man clearly affected her even more than she'd already feared. No matter how much she kept telling herself that it was for the best that he let her be, she couldn't help but feel like she'd made a mistake. She missed David, not the mind-blowing sex that they'd had or the chemistry between them. She plainly missed him as a person, missed their bickering and his sweet gestures.