still be able to stop. I don’t trust myself. We just met and this feels too good, too comfortable.”
She reached for his hand, but he drew it away and thrust it inside a pocket. “I agree, but why do you need to stop? We’re both consenting adults. I want you to know, this is not my usual behavior.”
In a heartbeat, he appeared to collapse into someone smaller, more fragile. Even his voice softened. “There are things about me that make me different in a way that would be difficult to accept.”
Inching closer, her arm brushed his. “Mitchell, you can tell me anything. I’ll listen with an open mind.”
His reflection on the dark pane looked somber. “I can’t tell you because it’s not my secret to share.”
She battled the desire to place a hand on his shoulder and comfort him. “Can you share any of the secret?”
“I shouldn’t. The responsibility of knowing would be unfair to you. After what you’ve been through, you deserve something uncomplicated and normal. You’re way too young to get pulled into the stuff I’m carrying around.”
“Have you talked to anyone about this?”
“Gee is the closest thing Los Lobos has got to a confession box. Even he can only take so much. One day, I tried to tell him about Robert Meadows—”
“Who is Robert Meadows?”
“His name on the MMA circuit is ‘Slam Cyclone.’ You heard about it. He’s the man I made into a quadriplegic. I didn’t know he was married with two young daughters. To be honest, I didn’t care. Until I hurt him so bad he’ll never make love to his wife again or hold his children in his arms. I did that to him. The worst part is I can’t think of a justifiable argument why. It certainly didn’t make me proud. Tex split with the purse, so there was no profit. Every day I imagine Robert in his bed, hating me. For reasons I won’t explain, I healed from a car accident that should have killed me or, at the least, left me in the same condition as Robert. Justice might have been served. Instead, I healed. I’ll be back to one hundred percent in no time. I’m almost ashamed of it.”
She leaned against the wall and felt the chill of the storm leak through. “Would you say the car accident might have been a self-inflicted punishment for what happened to Robert?”
“Maybe.”
“Have you considered your miraculous healing might be a gift? Maybe you’re strong and whole because you’re not finished doing good deeds?”
He looked away. “Or bad. It’s ironic telling you this. I’m built to fight. It came easy to me. Four years ago, what I did in the alleyway might be the purest thing I ever committed to in my life. Those men were hurting a kid and needed to be stopped. I felt no conflict in my heart or mind. The cage is a different story. Robert was just a guy like me but with more to lose.”
She reached for his hand, and unlike earlier, he didn’t recoil. “I don’t often get credit for being able to cope with reality as well as I do. If you have something going on in your life that makes you feel alone or unable to share your true self, I am exactly the right person to talk to.”
He looked into Christy’s soft hazel eyes. Had any angel in heaven ever looked so compassionate? In so many ways, they were alike. He’d seen the world, and she’d seen the world’s shadow. They were both too young to be so brittle. She appeared to have survived her hell with her heart wide open. Something he could only dream of. Even more enviable, she possessed wisdom beyond her years, wrapped in peaches-and-cream freshness. His scars showed on his body and attitude.
“Mitchell, you’re not saying anything. Did I put you on the spot?”
“I’m thinking.” A weird jittery sensation overtook him. His Wolf instincts shouted She’s perfect for you! He wanted to hold her and nuzzle his face against her hair. Take her to his bed. Laugh with her, talk with her. Know she would be at his side, smiling when he woke in the
She reached for his hand, but he drew it away and thrust it inside a pocket. “I agree, but why do you need to stop? We’re both consenting adults. I want you to know, this is not my usual behavior.”
In a heartbeat, he appeared to collapse into someone smaller, more fragile. Even his voice softened. “There are things about me that make me different in a way that would be difficult to accept.”
Inching closer, her arm brushed his. “Mitchell, you can tell me anything. I’ll listen with an open mind.”
His reflection on the dark pane looked somber. “I can’t tell you because it’s not my secret to share.”
She battled the desire to place a hand on his shoulder and comfort him. “Can you share any of the secret?”
“I shouldn’t. The responsibility of knowing would be unfair to you. After what you’ve been through, you deserve something uncomplicated and normal. You’re way too young to get pulled into the stuff I’m carrying around.”
“Have you talked to anyone about this?”
“Gee is the closest thing Los Lobos has got to a confession box. Even he can only take so much. One day, I tried to tell him about Robert Meadows—”
“Who is Robert Meadows?”
“His name on the MMA circuit is ‘Slam Cyclone.’ You heard about it. He’s the man I made into a quadriplegic. I didn’t know he was married with two young daughters. To be honest, I didn’t care. Until I hurt him so bad he’ll never make love to his wife again or hold his children in his arms. I did that to him. The worst part is I can’t think of a justifiable argument why. It certainly didn’t make me proud. Tex split with the purse, so there was no profit. Every day I imagine Robert in his bed, hating me. For reasons I won’t explain, I healed from a car accident that should have killed me or, at the least, left me in the same condition as Robert. Justice might have been served. Instead, I healed. I’ll be back to one hundred percent in no time. I’m almost ashamed of it.”
She leaned against the wall and felt the chill of the storm leak through. “Would you say the car accident might have been a self-inflicted punishment for what happened to Robert?”
“Maybe.”
“Have you considered your miraculous healing might be a gift? Maybe you’re strong and whole because you’re not finished doing good deeds?”
He looked away. “Or bad. It’s ironic telling you this. I’m built to fight. It came easy to me. Four years ago, what I did in the alleyway might be the purest thing I ever committed to in my life. Those men were hurting a kid and needed to be stopped. I felt no conflict in my heart or mind. The cage is a different story. Robert was just a guy like me but with more to lose.”
She reached for his hand, and unlike earlier, he didn’t recoil. “I don’t often get credit for being able to cope with reality as well as I do. If you have something going on in your life that makes you feel alone or unable to share your true self, I am exactly the right person to talk to.”
He looked into Christy’s soft hazel eyes. Had any angel in heaven ever looked so compassionate? In so many ways, they were alike. He’d seen the world, and she’d seen the world’s shadow. They were both too young to be so brittle. She appeared to have survived her hell with her heart wide open. Something he could only dream of. Even more enviable, she possessed wisdom beyond her years, wrapped in peaches-and-cream freshness. His scars showed on his body and attitude.
“Mitchell, you’re not saying anything. Did I put you on the spot?”
“I’m thinking.” A weird jittery sensation overtook him. His Wolf instincts shouted She’s perfect for you! He wanted to hold her and nuzzle his face against her hair. Take her to his bed. Laugh with her, talk with her. Know she would be at his side, smiling when he woke in the
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