She finished chewing, then spoke. “I’m a little out of my element here,” she confessed. “Sometimes I feel as if I’ve gotten caught up in one of those glitzy made-for-television movies or something. I’m just plain Cathy Eldridge, from North Hollywood. What on earth am I doing in your world?”
“You’re recovering from your accident.”
She looked at him. He’d seated her so she faced his right side. She couldn’t see his scars. Knowing they were there wasn’t enough of a distraction. He was still too good-looking by far.
“I don’t belong here.”
“Of course you do. You’re my guest.” His voice had a note of finality, as if the issue had been resolved.
“It’s not that simple,” she told him. “I still don’t understand why you’re doing this. Why aren’t you furious with me?” She took a sip of wine, hoping the alcohol would give her courage. “I lied to you.”
“We’ve been over this, and I told you it doesn’t matter. I understand.” He leaned toward her. “I mean that, Cathy. I do understand. More than anyone. You think I haven’t wished I could hide behind a mask? In a way, I do that every day. This house is my refuge, but it’s also my prison.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Yes, you have scars, but they’re not so terrible. I’m not kidding. I expected them to be much worse. A few people would stare, but they’d get over it. I wish you wouldn’t lock yourself up here. It’s not healthy.”
“No, but this salad is.” He speared a mushroom.
“You’re trying to change the subject.”
“I’m doing more than trying. Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “Just accept that you’re here. I’m glad I could help.”
“You have. You’ve been wonderful.”
He must have heard something in her voice because his gaze sharpened. He stared at her.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t make me more than I am. The reason I hide away is that I’m little more than a beast.”
“Don’t say that. You’re not. You’re gentle and kind and—”
He placed his hand on hers, but the gesture wasn’t romantic or even friendly. He meant it as a warning.
“I’m many things, but I’m neither gentle nor kind.” He motioned to his face. “These aren’t the only scars. You would do well to remember that. I can be dangerous. If you forget that, you do so at your own risk.”
Chapter Eight
Cathy squinted at the readout on the calculator, but it didn’t help. No matter how she looked at the numbers, there wasn’t very much in her checking account. Living with Stone kept her expenses minimal, but she still had to pay the mortgage and basic utilities on her house. While her salary had never been very high at her job, the temporary disability payment she received during her recovery was even less. There was always her savings account, she thought, then wondered if the meager amount would cover the bills still left to pay.
She dropped the calculator onto the glass tabletop and resolved not to think about that any more today. The bills would still be waiting for her in the morning. It was a beautiful afternoon, and she wanted to enjoy the sunshine.
She stretched her arms over her head, then turned to look out at the ocean. Blue water sparkled in the warm sunlight. Pepper had worked her hard that morning during their physical-therapy session, and her muscles ached pleasantly. Cathy no longer minded sweating or pushing herself during their workouts. She was seeing the results more quickly now. Not only was her knee healing, but the rest of her muscles were also toning up. She was able to do some aerobic exercise, and that had helped speed up her weight loss. Thankfully her stomach had gotten used to Ula’s sensible portion sizes while her brain had ceased screaming for chocolate every five minutes. She knew she still had a long way to go before she would be at the weight she wanted, but she was definitely getting healthy and feeling good about herself.
“You look like a cat preening in the sun.”
She turned toward the voice and saw Stone walking toward her. He moved with an easy grace she envied. Not only because her knee still gave her a little trouble, but also because he was so physically amazing. She barely noticed the scars on his face, and when his right profile was to her, he was incredibly handsome. Despite the time they’d spent together, or maybe because she was getting to know him and liking him more, she found that he still took her breath away.
There was something inherently masculine about his easy stride, his tall, lean body. Worn jeans hugged his hips and thighs. His white shirt was rolled up to the elbows, exposing muscular forearms. He was the kind of man women dreamed about, and she was no exception.
He pulled sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and slipped them on, then took the wicker chair opposite hers.
“I saw you sitting out here,” he said as he smiled at her. “You looked so comfortable and content, I thought I’d join you.”
“I didn’t know you ever went outside during the day,” she said without thinking, then could have cheerfully bitten off her tongue. Talk about an insensitive remark!
“Sorry, Stone,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know what you meant,” he told her. “I don’t usually go out much at all and when I do, I prefer the shadows of night. But my scars don’t seem to bother you, so I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I don’t. I like spending time with you.” She nearly groaned out loud. Talk about having a case of foot-in-mouth disease this morning. “What I mean is we have fun together. And I don’t notice the scars. They’re not that bad anyway.”
