Broken Beginnings

Chapter 12

Galen

“What about you?” I turned her question around on her. “What do you want from life?” She had opened the door for questions and there was no way I was passing up the chance at getting to know her better. I felt as though I had been trying to demolish her walls for eons. It had only been a day, but the girl was so closed off. Whereas I couldn’t get most women to shut up about themselves – I couldn’t seem to get her to give me anything. I didn’t even know her favorite color or what genre of movie she liked. Did she like to read? What was her favorite food – aside from peanut butter and pickles?

“I just want happiness.” She sat back in the chair, shivering. Night had fallen and although I was feeling warm from the heat of the fire, she was obviously cold. I felt a frown tug at my lips.

I stood, “I’ll be right back. Hold that thought.”

I walked away and I could feel her eyes on me. Her gaze was hot as molten lava. I walked through the back door and didn’t bother to turn on the light. Moving through the kitchen I pulled a blanket from the closet in the laundry room – one of my blankets since I knew she couldn’t seem to stand the scent of her own. I stood at the door for a few minutes and just watched her. She was staring into the fire, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was remarkably small, and despite her need to appear tough and independent, there was just something fragile about her. I took a moment to study her face. She was gorgeous. Her nose was small and straight. Her lips were full and pink. She had high, defined cheekbones, and piercing honey colored eyes. Her jaw was strong – the way she held it made her appear stubborn. And she was. In the little time I had known her, I doubted anyone could ever make her do something she didn’t want to do. The girl certainly had a mind of her own. A beautiful mind.

The thought was a shock. And my reaction to it was physical. I felt it in my chest – in my heart and even in my stomach. I thought she was beautiful. Not just sexy and not someone I wanted to hang around with for a while because she was fun or because I saw a good time arising. I wanted to be around her and simply just be. Because she was beautiful – but not just on the outside as so many were. She was beautiful inside too. She was kind and thoughtful. She was fucking gorgeous.

Feeling shaken down to the very core of my being, I pushed open the door. Chloe shifted to catch sight of me and as soon as she saw the blanket I carried, a grin split her face. Again, my reaction was physical – it took my breath away.

I handed her the blanket. “You looked cold.”

“Did I?”

“You shivered,” I watched as she pulled the blanket over her, kicking off her flats and tucking the blanket beneath her feet.

“Thank you.” She smiled unsurely. “I was a little cold.”

“You’re welcome.” I sat down in the chair beside her rather than reclaiming the chair I had been sitting in across the fire. She blushed but didn’t say anything in regard to my choice of seat. Instead, she sunk down a little in her chair and let her eyes fall closed. My breath caught and I cleared my throat. “You were saying you wanted to be happy,” I paused. She didn’t encourage me on and she didn’t open her eyes, but I knew she was listening. “Are you happy right now?”

There was a moment of silence, but I could see that her breathing had grown quick. Her eyes were still closed and I waited patiently for her to find her will to reply. “Yes, right now I feel happy.”

Those words made me feel like a billion bucks. I felt like a king. Never before had I ever found so much satisfaction in such a simple declaration of feeling. I was robbed of breath and words for longer than I had ever been before and it was all because of the beautiful – strong willed woman beside me. In that moment, I wanted to reach out and hold her but I refrained. I was afraid of her reaction. For the first time in my life, I was afraid of inflicting the need to flee in a woman. I fisted my hands in my lap and stared into the flames.