think about that now. Get dressed, give him the full truth, deal with his anger and then move on. It was a simple plan, she thought as she searched for her black, lace underwear, finding them almost shredded.
At least her pink bra was still in one piece. She quickly slipped her jeans on, laying her torn up underwear on the sofa to be discarded later. Turning her back towards his bedroom, she pulled on her bra and slipped her sweater over her head, relieved that she was already dressed by the time he walked out.
His eyes immediately caught sight of the scrap of black lace and he lifted them, his eyes dancing with the memory of how they’d become so damaged last night. “So you have nothing on underneath those jeans?” he asked, his voice deep and husky, his eyes traveling down her body to see if he could notice a difference.
Sierra’s hands automatically went to her bottom to try and cover up the space where her underwear should be. She couldn’t answer him, but her blush told him everything he needed to know.
Actually, the piece of torn lace answered his question but the look on her face, the embarrassment she couldn’t hide, was pretty cute and answered a whole bunch of other questions.
“Come along,” he said and led the way into his kitchen. He pressed a button and the fire immediately flamed to life once again, dispelling the gloom due to the overcast skies. “So tell me what’s wrong,” he said as he pulled down two cups from a cabinet, pouring both of them a cup of fragrant coffee.
She took the cup he placed in front of her, warming her hands with the heat. She took a deep, fortifying sip, ignoring the pain from the hot coffee because she needed the sustenance more than she needed taste buds on her tongue at the moment. Besides, the burning sensation in her mouth gave her something to focus on besides the anger he would feel very soon.
He busied himself getting out eggs and milk then whisking them together, waiting patiently while she gathered her thoughts. “It can’t be all that bad, Sierra. I think I know you well enough to be a good judge of character and you’re not a horrible person.”
She bowed her head slightly, staring into her black coffee. “My father is,” she choked out, another tear escaping and running down her cheek.
She felt his stillness more than saw anything. “Excuse me?” he encouraged. “If you’re mad at your father, I can deal with that. In-laws are all part of the package, I know that.”
Her head reared up at his comment. “In-laws!” Her mouth fell open and she shook her head. “I don’t have any in-laws!”
He smiled slightly and started chopping up onions for an omelet. “You will once we’re married.”
She pushed away from the counter, pacing back and forth. “You won’t,” she finally said. “My mother died when I was a child and my father…” she hesitated, her eyes searching out his so she could be clear and not have to repeat this, “my father died in prison.”
One of his dark eyebrows went up in surprise. “Okay, so your father went to prison. It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person.”
“You don’t really know my father,” she laughed derisively, thinking of all the horrible things her father had been convicted of plus all the other brutal actions the authorities couldn’t find evidence of. “He was bad. Really bad. And you don’t actually know who I am.”
He sighed and put the knife down, coming around to the other side of the counter to take her hands in his. He pulled her over to the low sofa, sitting down next to her. “Sierra, whatever your father did in the past, it doesn’t affect how I feel about you. And it doesn’t make you a criminal by association.”
She choked and shook her head. “You don’t understand.”
He took a deep breath, trying to maintain his patience but he wanted to yell at her that he knew that she wasn’t a bad person. “Possibly because you aren’t explaining it to me very well. Perhaps if you could start from the beginning, I might have a better grasp on what you’re trying to tell me.” It occurred to him that he was having a slightly ridiculous conversation. He was trying to convince a woman he’d just made love to that she wasn’t horrible?
Yes, the day definitely could have started out better if he’d had