She grunted a laugh. “My sister was attending a concert in San Antonio… she got on the Colter rollercoaster and never left.”
I nodded. “Ah. Gotcha. You said he was abusive?”
“I’ve never met a man who made my skin crawl before.” Her gaze found mine. “Jason, there is a darkness in him that I cannot adequately explain. Something sinister.”
“And you wanted me to stay in Chicago and face this guy alone?”
She sagged in her seat. “I just don’t… I don’t want you to feel as though you owe me. You don’t. Do you have any idea how badly I needed a job when you hired me?”
Actually, she didn’t know it, but I’d overheard her on a phone call before her interview. She was begging someone, presumably her landlord, not to evict her. I hadn’t been planning on hiring anyone that day, but she’d impressed me. She was incrediblyattractive, yes, but more than that, she seemed genuine. She had a sharp mind, stayed focused throughout our conversation, and made me laugh without even trying. Unlike every other woman who’d walked through my office, behaving like they were trying to score a date… she never once even so much as flirted with me.
By the end of the interview, I was offering an immediate unplanned signing bonus. Enough that she could keep her apartment. She had flung herself at me and hugged me. The cute awkwardness after made her even more endearing.
“You were the best candidate.”
“I was about to lose my apartment. You rescued me.” Her lips curved up. “Besides, if you’d died, I would have had to find another job.”
I chuckled. “You were at the hospital every day I was there.”
“Because Anna asked me to be.”
She hadn’t. I knew because I’d asked my sister after Cora said it the first time. That was one of countless times she tried to convince me that Cora was in love with me. That a woman didn’t step in front of a maniac to save someone they just liked.
“You cooked me homemade meals.”
“You think I was going to eat cafeteria food? Even the rats gave that stuff the stink eye.” Cora yawned and slid down in the seat. “The sun isn’t even going down, and I feel like it’s midnight.”
She was always deflecting, always arguing with me, but I knew better. I’d heard the tremor in her voice that first day I was fully conscious after surgery. The raw fear, the relief.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have feelings for her. But after failing to protect her from my father’s violence, I didn’t feel worthy of her. She’d been terrified, and I’d been powerless to stop it. Whatever attraction she might have felt before was probably gone now, replaced by pity for the man who couldn’t even protect the people he cared about.
I stood and leaned down, bracing my good arm on the armrest of her seat while reaching for the recline button.
Her eyes widened as I grew closer.
I’d avoided getting anywhere near her the last few months because resisting the temptation to kiss her had become painful. Anna called me a chicken, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure what I wanted.
One minute I swore I could never have a relationship with her, the next I’d ache all over at the thought of her finding someone else.
And I didn’t want to be that guy. The one who started something and decided he didn’t have the courage to finish it. Cora deserved better than that.
Better than me, and I knew it.
She’d sat with me at the hospital the entire time I was there. Going home to shower and then returning. Anytime we got even close to sharing personal details, we both ran.
At the time, I’d put a wall up because I’d put her through something traumatic. Since then, I’d build it as tall and as thick as I could because I never wanted her to get hurt ever again because of me.
But I was so drawn to her.
The hum of the engine faded, and it was just the two of us.
She stretched her hand out, hesitated, and then combed her fingers through my hair before resting her hand on my jaw. “Thank you, Jason. For… for everything.”
A second later, her lips were touching my cheek, lingering there for a brief moment before leaning back.
Innocent and sweet. Everything about her undid me.
Our eyes met, and I was the tide being pulled by the moon. I wanted nothing more than to touch my lips to hers.
