“My wrists hurt,” I murmured.
He released me as though my skin burned him and looked horrified. So horrified that I felt like I had to add, “You didn’t hurt me again. They’re just sore still. I’m fine.”
The light faded from his eyes, and he stared down at me with what looked like…concern.
“Cari—”
“I’m not hungry anymore. I’m going back to bed.”
I skirted around him and left the kitchen. I could feel him watching me, but I didn’t look back.
About ten minutes after I shut the door to the guest room, I heard Daniel’s quiet footsteps pause in the hall. I could see his shadow beneath the door as he stood in front of it for a few seconds.
Somehow, I knew that he wouldn’t open the door. Wouldn’t invade my privacy.
While I might not fully trust him, I was beginning to believe he was a man who honored his word. All the things he said in the kitchen, about his responsibility for the people of this valley, he meant them.
Not for the first time in the past twenty-four hours, I wished Aunt Bethany had told me the truth. I would have understood. Hell, if I hadn’t found out this way, I would have thought Devil Springs was pretty cool.
Instead, I learned things the hard way and I was sleeping in a room right next to the most handsome, terrifying, frustrating man I’d ever met.
And I had no idea what to do next.
8
The next morning, I woke up early, before the sun even came up.
Mostly because my hunger had returned with a vengeance.
The house was still quiet and dark when I walked down the stairs. I guessed Daniel was still asleep.
I walked into the kitchen and stopped cold when I saw a brand-new black Keurig on the counter and two boxes of pods sitting next to it. There was even a small sugar bowl on the other side.
I wasn’t sure how to feel. Even after all the snarky comments I made yesterday, the midnight attack I’d made on him, everything, Daniel somehow managed to procure a coffee maker and coffee. Just for me because he didn’t drink it.
I’d made his life as difficult as possible yesterday and he still took the time to make sure I had something I liked first thing in the morning.
I sighed and stared at the machine for another moment. I realized I had to thank him. Well, I didn’t have to, but this was considerate. Beyond considerate if I thought about what a pain in the ass I’d been yesterday.
I walked over to the machine and shook my head when I saw that the reservoir was full of water. He’d already prepped the machine for me.
Five minutes later, I had a steaming cup of coffee in my hand, and I was watching the sun rise from the window over the kitchen sink. I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to eat because my stomach was insisting that it was too empty.
I wasn’t sure what alerted me to the fact that I wasn’t alone, but I turned around and saw Daniel in the doorway.
We stared at each other in tense silence for a long moment.
Finally, I said, “Thank you for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome.”
I took another sip from my cup.
His eyes fell to my hands. I was still in my pajamas, which were technically a t-shirt and flannel pajama pants, so my arms were bare.
He took a step forward. “Your wrists look worse today. Do they hurt?”
I glanced down and saw the bruises circling my left wrist. They were dark purple and larger around the top of my forearm where his fingertips must have dug in.
