Taming Rafe Animals MC book 7

Chapter Ten.

She made a hearty pot pie with homemade crust for dinner, he was starving and her cooking made him want to keep her around. He did notice she seemed more relaxed in his presence.

They were eating in mostly silence until she spoke.

"Why didn't you tell them about me?"

"I don't know," He admitted with a shrug.

"What happens now?"

"You stay here until I can figure out what to do next. I don't kill women...or innocent people. You weren't even supposed to be there that night."

"I know, I...had been staying later, Harold insisted."

He wanted to ask why but he was pretty sure he already knew, she was obviously sleeping with her boss. The only thing that puzzled him was why she didn't seem upset that the person she had been sleeping with was dead.

"The men hired me to kill Harold...they don't have to know about you."

She fell silent picking at her food and switching between staring at her plate and out the darkened window. It started to get under his skin, true the entire one side of his face was nothing more than a map of scars but surely he wasn't so ugly that she couldn't stand to look at him.

He was used to children being afraid of him and staring, some women would cross the street to avoid him and of course, the occasional whisper or rumor as to how he got them circled back to him. Normally he reacted with disinterest, he didn't want a woman in his life and never planned on children so why the hell did he care what people thought but her obvious reluctance to look had him more irritated than usual.

He set down his glass of water a little harder than what he intended and she jumped, her eyes darting to him and then away again.

"Do I frighten you?" He asked bitterly, keeping his head down.

"Yes."

"Is it the scars?" He asked still not looking up at her.

"No," She replied seeming shocked he would think so.

He forced himself to look up at her and she was looking at him, her blue eyes so innocent he almost believed she meant it.

He didn't reply but he stood and moved into the kitchen to pour himself a whiskey, he downed it pretty quickly as she cleared the table of their platers also moving into the kitchen. She put the plates in the sink but didn't speak to him or look at him.

He set his glass in the sink as well turning to leave the small kitchen and running into her. His chest colliding with her small frame nearly knocking her off balance.

She was small, so small compared to him and standing this close he realized how good she smelled. He wondered how she ever managed to drag his body to the cabin the night in the woods.

Before he could stop himself he reached out and touched her, barely brushing his fingertips against her cheek, her skin was soft and smooth like velvet.

She didn't move but he saw the fear and confusion flash in her blue eyes, her lower lip and body trembling. A dark part of him wondered how far she would let him push this before she fought back.

He dipped his head as if he was going to kiss her, stopping just a second before his lips touched hers. She let out a whimper but still didn't move.

"Do you want this?" He asked.

"No," She whimpered.

"Will you tell me to stop?" He asked, the end of his nose brushing hers, eyes falling shut.

"No."

He knew what she was doing, if he wanted her body she was prepared to let him have it. At that moment she would have done anything if she thought it would convince him to keep her alive.

He pulled away from her, he would admit she was attractive and it had been so damned long since he had a woman in his bed, since he had been alone with a woman but if they were going to end up in bed he wanted her to come to him.

"I'm going to go check the generator before bed," He said.

She watched him pull on his boots obviously shaken and confused but then again so was he.

"You go to bed, I'll sleep on the couch. Just let me some blankets," He said.

"But...I thought..."

"If we end up in bed together Tess, It will be because you want me. Not because you think it will help your cause or that it's better than being forced. I won't have sex with a woman who isn't interested."

He stepped out into the cold night air and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he was feeling but there was no denying that Tess was a beautiful, attractive woman. It was no surprise to him that Harold had been sleeping with her, he couldn't blame the man.

She was the first woman since Jenny to admit that she wasn't afraid of his scars. Chloe had never been forced to see what was left of his mangled face and he had promised himself no other woman would. Then Jennifer came along, he liked her and despite trying to remain, friends, he fell for her hard. A few months ago she had told him straight out she didn't feel the same way and with that his last hope of finding happiness with a woman vanished.

He took one last job to ensure he would have money for a long break and a few months of solitude and then he found Tess.