Beauty and the Sexy Beast

[22] Mood Swings

Before I even had time to open my eyes I was shoved to the side, slamming me into the wall with enough force to knock the air of me.

I heard a sick crunch as Julian caught the tree branch and snapped it in half like it were a small twig rather than a thick, solid, tree branch.

Brushing my hair away from my face, I tried standing up. The wind was still strong but I found my way to my feet and pressed myself up against the wall, making my way to Julian who was still in front of the window.

“Julian?” my voice was no more than a whisper. I couldn’t even hear it over the wind, but he heard me.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he asked glaring at me.

“What?” I asked, shocked.

“Don’t play coy with me. You could have gotten yourself killed!”

“I’m sorry!” I hollered over the wind. “I wasn’t thinking, okay? It’s not like I planned for this to happen!”

He closed his eyes tightly as he ran his hand through his hair.

“It’s not like you care either way,” I mumbled as I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the wall.

“What?” he growled.

“Oh, Julian, don’t play. We both know you haven’t looked at me the same since the whole Jordan incident. You hate that there’s a small part of me that fears you, even if it is natural. Even if it’s exactly what you want. Guess what, Julian,” I said as I turned to face him. “I’m not afraid of what you will do to me. Of what you have been doing to me since I got here.”

“What’s that?” he breathed as he took a step towards me.

“Playing with my head and my heart,” I mumbled that last bit as I looked away from his searching eyes.

Before I knew it, he had his hands around my waist and had me up against the wall, “I’m no good for you, Chloe.”

“You should have thought of that before you locked me away and threw away the key,” I said keeping my arms crossed putting a safe distance between us.

He leaned his forehead against mine as he collected his thoughts. His breathing was irregular. As if he were fighting off anger or something else, I don’t know.

“Julian? What are you afraid of?”

He pulled back as if shocked by the question. I could see a war raging behind his baby blues. He was fighting something within himself.

I reached out at touched his chest feeling it rise and fall with each ragged breath, he searched my eyes for something as his large hands swallowed my small ones.

“I’m afraid of you,” his left hand reached out traced the side of my face. “You’re so fragile, if I were to lose my temper with you just once…” he trailed off as he read my facial expression.

“You’ve showed some good restraint so far,” I whispered.

He chuckled, “It’s getting harder every day.”

I chose then to ask, “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

A little bit of the anger that he had been hiding surfaced right then. Not a lot but enough to flash through his eyes and be gone too soon to know if it had actually been there or if it had been a figment of my imagination.

But I knew him well enough to know that if I thought I seen it, I did.

“Julian, I trust you more than I should. I know that. I also know that you’re more afraid of yourself than you admit,” before I could stop myself it had slipped out.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but ended up just closing it again.

He let me go completely and walked across the room leaving me in the corner.

“I’m a monster, Chloe.”

It clicked right then, “You’re nothing like your father!”

His eyes locked to mine, I was right, I could see it from here.

“You don’t know that,” he growled.

“Don’t I? Sure you have anger issues and certain dietary needs. Everybody has a dark side. Yours is just a little darker than most,” I walked over to him, fighting the winds. He met me half way and held onto me tight enough to keep me from blowing away.

My hair whipped around my face as we looked into each other’s eyes. Until he turned me so his back was facing the window blocking the wind.

I placed my hands on either side of his face as I said, “You’re not a monster. You’re my beast.”

His eyes glistened as he leaned down close to my ear, “And you’re my beauty.”

I couldn’t help the little burst of laughter that left my lips, “Beauty and the Beast.”

“Sorry, love. I can’t get any hotter, don’t get your hopes up.”

Laughing, I swatted his shoulder, “I take that back, you are a monster.”

Once we both sobered up, I could see a little doubt in his eyes as he held onto me as if the wind would lift me up and carry me off and he’d never see me again.

“Forgive me?”  he asked.

“Already have,” I gave him a reassuring smile.

***

The storm ended without much more incident. The house was still in one piece and thankfully so was I.

“Chloe!” Julian opened my bedroom door without as much as knock.

“Julian!” I shrieked as I held the towel tighter around me. He knew damn well that I showered the same time every day.

He just smirked and walked towards me with a mischievous look in his eyes.

“You look especially good today,” he teased as he pulled me towards him by the hips.

Since I was holding onto the towel for dear life I couldn’t fight him off, so I just glared.

“Don’t give me that look, love. You know you’re dying to see what I’m hiding underneath these lumpy dreads, just as much as I’m craving for you to show some skin.”

I just rolled my eyes. He had some serious mood swings, no doubt I was getting whiplash.

His clothes were far from lumpy if anything they left no room for imagination with his tight forming beater and tight black jeans. I never found skinny jeans very hot but he wore them instead of the other way around.

“If I show anymore skin I’d qualify for a spread in one of those sleazy men’s magazines,” I teased.

“My eyes only,” he growled.

More mood swings, yay!

“Chill, you nor anyone else for that matter will be seeing my goods,” he started pouting. “Not anytime soon anyways.”

His whole demeanor changed, “I can live with that.”

With a peck on the lips, he left. Leaving me more confused than ever.

Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door that was definitely not Julian.

“Come in!” I called out.

“Pack your things,” Chloe said as soon as she opened the door.

“What? Where am I going?”

“Home.”