A squeak slipped from her lips, and she tried to spread the blanket over her legs while trying to hold it to her chest.
“Stop,” he commanded in a gruff, low voice.
Sky froze, and her eyes flew to his.He hadn’t moved, but for some reason, he seemed bigger and intensely more male.
“Wh-what?”she stuttered.
“I don’t want you to get into the habit of covering yourself or moving away from me.”
She tried and failed to close her mouth and to smother the soft, anxious hum that came from her throat.
“We don’t know each other, M ...Jared.We only just met.”
“I know that, but I want to start off our marriage the right way, the way I will expect you to behave from now on, and what you can expect from me.Although I want to make you as comfortable as the crazy circumstances will let me, I don’t want any misunderstandings between us.”
“We’re not married yet,” she reminded him timidly as her hands clenched the blanket tightly in her fists.
“But we will be very soon.”His hand came down on her lower leg.
Her breath hitched in her throat.She could feel the heat of his hand through the blanket as she watched him warily and tried to hold back the shivers of sensation she didn’t understand that raced down her spine.
Jared’s gaze raked over her before it landed back on her face to see anxiety.He silently cursed himself for coming on so strong.He surmised he needed to back off before he sent her into a panic, and she ran.
“Just know I’m going to take very good care of you.You won’t have to worry about anything besides me ever again.”He squeezed her leg before standing.“Get dressed and meet me downstairs.I’ll be in the living room.At the bottom of the stairs, go straight ahead, and you’ll run into it.”
Sky sat frozen as she watched him walk away and softly close her bedroom door behind him.She didn’t want to think about all he’d just said.She decided to think about what he’d told her later when she felt she was better able to handle the emotional turmoil that came with it.At that moment, she couldn’t grasp the emotions he drew out of her.She didn’t understand or wasn’t able to deal with the depth of them when she was so tired.
She waited until the door closed before throwing the blanket off.She rummaged through her suitcase and pulled out one of the three dresses her father had given her.It was plain and white, falling just below her knees.It had short sleeves, a scooped neck, and tucked in at the waist, showing her figure more than she wanted, but she didn’t have any other choice.
Sky brushed the tangles from her hair, leaving it down to fall around her shoulders and dry the rest of the way.She used what little makeup she’d brought with her, hoping it would make her look less fatigued and pale.
She took a step back and gave herself a good look.She could suddenly see the resemblance to her mother.She only had one picture of her that she hid from her father.His hatred for his wife was deep-seated and vicious.
Sky vaguely remembered her.She’d been only four when her mother left them.She remembered she cried for her every day until her father had enough and beat her.She’d been so young, but she learned quickly to never cry again, at least in his presence.
Although Sky had missed her mother terribly and was sometimes resentful, she now understood why she ran.All her mother had to do was look happy, and her father had railed against her, accusing her of having an affair.Still, as much as she understood, she was still desperate to know why she hadn’t taken her daughter with her, and knew she’d never get the answer to that.
Sky drew in a shaky breath and walked out of her room.At the top of the stairs, she squared her shoulders.This was her chance to get away from her father, and she’d do everything she could to make it work because anything had to be better than the world she’d come from.
