Brutally Beautiful(41)

I watched her smooth ivory fingers tremble against the dark cherry wood of the tabletop. My gaze traveled up her creamy arms across her shoulder and along her neck to her face; to her eyes. For a second, the thought of spending time with her overwhelmed me with a strange emotion. I didn’t know what it was; hope maybe? She wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before, was she? “I apologize for offending you the other day. Please, call me Kade,” I croaked.

She stopped moving away and looked curiously at me. Then a man walked up behind her and placed his hand on her arm, causing her to look away from me and into the man’s face.

Francine, the man-girl.

“Hello there, Kade.” He glossed his eyes over my state and cringed. Instantly turning his eyes back to Lainey, “I’ve paid the check. Are you ready?”

Lainey’s lips pressed together tightly and her narrowed eyes moved from him to me, and back again. She shook her head as if to say she didn’t quite understand what he was going on about, then locked eyes with me again. “You’re sure you’ll get that looked at?” she asked pointing to my hand.

“I’ll meet you in the car, sweetheart,” Francis interrupted tightly, stomping away like a child. Lainey bit her lip to stifle another laugh and shrugged her shoulders.

Sipping my coffee I looked up at her and nodded, “I’ll be fine.”

Her lips opened as if she was about to say more, then she just pinched them together, nodded a goodbye, and walked out the door.

Dropping my head in my hands, which hurt like hell, I squeezed my eyes tight. I needed to stay away from her. I needed to stay away from her.

I needed to stay away from her.

Rummaging in my pocket, I took out my wallet and threw a fifty down on the table, grabbed my bagel and walked out of the diner. Fran’s smart little car was just pulling out of the parking area and onto the main road.

Yeah, I was going to follow her. Staying away from her was not an option. I would have to staple myself to the damn seat to stop myself from running after her.

Tearing out of the lot, I trailed them for a few miles, hiding myself behind a few other cars.

Fran dropped her off at a grocery store. Psycho me followed her in.

I hid in aisle five, grabbing a box of Band-Aids and a giant box of double stuffed Oreos; she got coffee. She caught me near the cash registers when a group of local elderly jackasses nodded my way and started grunting loudly about the hermit being out of his lair.

“Oh my goodness, is that him?” One ancient fossil hissed. “Dear God, it’s the Devil himself!” To add to the disgust, she made the sign of the cross over herself. That made me laugh. Out loud.

The mother next to her, actually covered her daughter’s eyes from looking at me. “Don’t look at him, Becca. Just ignore him and he’ll go away.”

“Is he really the devil, Mom? But, he was holding a bag of cookies!”

Goddamn small town bullshit. I growled at them and bared my teeth; I mean I might as well let them believe all the shit that’s said about me, right? “The cookies are for all the monsters I keep in my basement,” I whispered and winked at the little girl.

Laughing, Lainey shoved me past the harrumphing townies. Pulling me by my coat sleeve, she dragged me to the first aid aisle and loaded my basket with peroxide, gauze and other shit I didn’t need. I stared at her as she looked thoughtfully at the items. “That should be enough to help you.” Her thick dark lashes swept up and her green gaze met mine. The beginning of a small smile played on her lips and a faint blush covered her cheeks, “Stop making these people afraid of you. You’re just fanning the flames. You’re no more the devil than I am Mickey Mouse.”