I picked up my matcha to wet the inside of my mouth, left dry by his words and the intensity in his gaze.
"I'm sure you are." I cursed my voice for squeaking. "There must be a million other women you could spend time with."
"None of them as fascinating as you," he said. He pressed the pad of his thumb to his lip. "You've been through a lot. You came out the other end stronger."
"I'm really not—" I started.
He tilted his head slightly, cutting off my words. "You're stronger than you know. Many people who were subjected to thekinds of things you were, who saw what you saw, would have come apart. Not in a good way."
"There's a good way to… Oh." My face heated when I realized what he was saying.
He smiled slowly. "Of course there is. I have a feeling you haven't been given the attention you deserve in that department."
I swallowed hard. "I guess you could say that." Was he suggesting what I thought he was suggesting, that he could make me come apart? That he wanted to?
My gaze dropped to his hands. He had long, firm fingers, the kind that looked like they knew how to stroke a woman. Tease and touch until I came around them.
Great, now I was wet. Not to mention on the back foot.
How long was it since a man showed interest in me?Realinterest? I was used to being the recipient of looks of pity, glances of concern, some of derision, but not real interest. Not really.
Unless they were there and I missed them completely. I couldn't blame myself for that. I wouldn't have wanted anyone under Wolfgang's scrutiny, for one thing. For another, I tended to be really good at missing things like that.
"Do you always come at people that hard?" I asked, trying to get my head back under control.
"As a matter of fact, I do. When the need arises," he said. "I've never been one for beating around the bush. Things happened in the past that reminded me life was too short, not to go after what you want."
"Things…" I started to say. "Oh." I remembered he'd had another son who'd taken his own life a few years ago. That sort of thing would remind people to grab life by the balls and live it.
"I'm sorry," I said softly.
Forrest shook his head slowly. "I wish I could have done something to stop what happened." He glanced down at the table, the first time he'd shown any sign of being rattled.
He looked back up. "I wish I could have stopped you from going through what that asshole did to you. If I'd known…"
"No one knew," I said quickly. "I didn’t want to, I don't know… Rock the boat."
I watched him carefully.Someoneknew what was happening to me. I didn't know how, but they had. I wasn't going to tell him anything, though. I had a feeling he'd see right through me, find a way to get me to open up to him. If I told him everything, he might go to the police. What would happen then? They might catch the woman. They might charge me with, I don't know, lying to them or something.
No. He couldn't know. No one could. I liked him, but there was a difference between liking someone and trusting them. I was never very trusting. Never had a reason to be.
That reminder made me feel lonelier than ever.
Sometimes a person wanted to rely on someone other than themselves. Would I ever be able to do that? I didn't know. Maybe in time I'd be able to trust Forrest. Would it hurt to give him a chance?
"It's a shame Wolfgang is dead," Forrest said, breaking through my thoughts.
My gaze snapped back to him. Lips dropped apart.
He surprised me by chuckling and leaning forward. "If he was alive, I could throttle him with my bare hands for making you feel the way you feel. I see it on your face."
He leaned back and exhaled. "When I was a kid, I rescued a baby squirrel. I don't know what attacked it, but something or someone had. He always looked terrified. He ate and drank because he wanted to live, but he acted like he wanted to make a run for it. Do you want to make a run for it, Sable Kohl?"
I drew in a deep breath through my nose. "What do I have to run from? You?"
He chuckled. "To be honest, you probably should run from me. Some people would suggest I'm dubious at best."
"Is a judge allowed to be dubious?" I asked.
