I swallow, shying away from her fingers that lift to brush over my scars. “You shouldn’t have to see me like this.” Shame rides my voice like a tidal wave, the kind that leaves destruction in its wake.
Her hand makes contact before I can stop it, brushing over my flesh, unafraid of the man beneath it, taking it all in like it doesn’t bother her.
“Why, Rich? Because all I see are the best parts of you that you’ve purposely kept hidden from the world. You’re not a monster. You’re beautiful and pure. A man so hell bent on protecting me that he would risk his life and hypothermia just to keep me safe. That, my friend, makes you breathtakingly attractive in my eyes.”
Then she does something I don’t expect.
She hugs me.
Her arms encircle me, squeezing until I have no choice but to hug her back, allowing her in.
My body shudders. Tears threaten to fall even though I won’t allow them to appear.
She moves back slowly, still fingering my scars like she’s mesmerized by them, her smile welcoming and friendly.
“Don’t ever feel like you have to hide behind a mask for me, Rich. When you’re around me, I want to see all of you. Not just the parts you’re comfortable with, but all the ones that you try to keep hidden, too.
My chest cracks open like it’s just been crushed by a nutcracker, and my heart is the nut ready to be devoured. This woman is unlike any woman I’ve met in the past, and for the first time since meeting her and walking into this bakery, I take a much-needed deep breath, allowing myself to be mask free around a woman for the first time in years.
ChapterThirteen
Mindy
Seeing his face for the first time should’ve been alarming, but it wasn’t for me. It was breathtaking and heroic, something I didn’t quite expect from a face riddled with scars. He reminded me of theTwo Facevillain fromBatman,but more handsome, his scars giving him life instead of creating the monster he sees in the mirror.
After Moseley’s“little talk,”I could see why he chose to show up today. He was there to protect me, knowing that the man who gave me my bakery was the same man who carelessly played with my life.
“Now, Ms. St. John, I hope this won’t be a common occurrence.”
“What are you talking about, Mr. Moseley?”
“Him, his club. We can’t have that kind of riff-raff hanging around a place of business, especially one with my name on it.”
“He’s just a friend, Mr. Moseley.”
“Oh really? Because it looked like you and that friend were seconds away from becoming more than just friends. If me andRico hadn’t pounded on the door, who knows what would have happened?”
We would have kissed, and it would have been glorious!
“Mr. Moseley, what I do behind closed doors really isn’t any of your business.”
I didn’t like the way he smiled after that. It was sinister… evil. The kind of smile that makes babies cry and skin crawl.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Ms. St. John.”
“What do you mean?”
He twirled the corners of his mustache gleefully. “How well did you read your contract?”
“Well, I read most of it.”
He laughed. Not just a chuckle either. It was a laugh that had his whole belly jiggling.
“Just as I thought, seeing as you didn’t come up to me asking about Clause 42.”
“Clause 42?”
“The marriage clause.”
