“I just have a lot on my mind.”
“You been playin’?” he meant guitar.
I shook my head.
“You should play,” he told me.
“I know,” I replied.
We stopped talking and started staring at each other again.
Why was this weird?
But it was weird, way weird, scary weird.
I worried that it was because I told him I loved him and he didn’t know what to do with that.
Things had always been intense between us, when we were together before and then getting back to it. He’d told me we were moving in together, real y moving in together even though we were somewhat moved in together now.
With al he was doing, I knew he had to care about me, a lot.
I didn’t know if he loved me but I didn’t think he’d think it was a bad thing that I loved him.
So, why was he so far away? Why didn’t he approach?
Why was he staring at me with his face blank like that? Why didn’t he even come ful y into the house?
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Fuck no,” he answered immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
He took a step forward, just one, but reached out the rest of the way. He grabbed a wrist and gently twisted my arm.
You could see the bruises, they weren’t angry but they were there.
there.
“Fucking hel ,” he muttered, eyes locked on my arm. His other hand came out and grabbed my other wrist, twisted it and his eyes moved to stare at the identical bruising there.
“Mace –”
His gaze came to mine and it wasn’t blank anymore. It was tortured but they were new demons now.
Beautiful.
Just what I needed, new demons.
“Never touched a woman like that,” he told me.
“Things are intense for you right about now,” I said, giving him what I thought was a logical explanation.
“Don’t make excuses for me, Kitten.”
“I shouldn’t have said what I said about Caitlin. I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“You were tryin’ to be nice.”