Broken Road

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Devil woke feeling stiff with cold and rolled onto her back to open her sleep dusted eyes to a sight she didn’t want to see.

   A fully dressed Mr. Canter was leaning against the windowsill looking out over his ranch below with a grim face that looked as if it had been carved of stone. When he heard her move on the bed he turned that same stony grim expression to her.

   It hit her like a ton of brick over the head would have.

   His unnerving silver blue eyes focused on her face.

   “Morning, kid. Mind telling me what the hell happened here last night?”

   Leave it to a man to get straight to the point and make it hurt as if he were going to rake your body over glass.

   Devil would have taken the glass and did it with a smile and a cheerful tune over what she was about to do.

   Devil carefully covered her bared chest pulling up her knees, resting her chin on them, and picking at the edge of the blanket. When she was sure she could look him in the face she did just that.

   “It’s simple really. You were drunk and I helped you to your room,” she said trying to sound normal and giving a half shrug with one slim shoulder.

   “He smiled without humor. “You know that’s not what I meant. What I wanna know is why I woke up with you in my bed.” His eyes took in her carefully hidden body with an expert glance and he raised an eyebrow.

   Devil colored at the accusing look and coiled ready to strike. “If you must know it was your entire fault,” she retorted.

   The other eyebrow joined its brother in the middle of his proud forehead. “Oh really?”

   “Yes, really. I tired to help you yet when it was time for me to go you wouldn’t let me. One could even say in my place that it was rather disappointing when you took what you wanted and fell asleep,” Devil said tartly with a bitter smile.

   At that Winthrop felt his jaw slide south about a hundred miles per minute. That was the last thing he had expected out of her mouth and damn it if he wasn’t feeling guilty now thanks to her.

    Had he really taken something from her while he was out of it? He had never been a good with holding his alcohol which was one of the reasons he never drank, yet he had this time and he couldn’t remember a damn thing of the night before.

   Winthrop felt himself flush with guilt and embarrassment. He had been a fucking idiot and the girl might pay for his mistake now.

   “I’m sorry,” he began reaching out a hand towards her only to realize he was still leaning up against the room’s only window. He got up and slowly came over to the bed. He knelt beside the bed and put a hand on Devil’s small hand clutching the bed’s blanket.

   Her hand was cold and he felt another stab of guilt for not having thought to cover her with another blanket after he had left.

   The girl snatched her hand from under his as if he were going to burn her. Then he noticed it had been her injured hand.

   “I’m sorry,” he repeated looking up into her icy blue eyes. The mirrored pain in them shattered his soul until he couldn’t look in them anymore. “I am sorry for whatever I did last night, but I’m even sorrier that I can’t remember what I did to you.” He turned his head away and looked at the ground, shame over coming him. “Please tell me what I did to you. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.”