She tilted her head into his strong grip. “That’s what scares me,” she said honestly.
“What scares you?” He prompted, moving his body closer to hers, so that she was within the frame of his strength.
He had been talking about the fires he’d lit within her body. The flames only he had the power to extinguish and release. But there was a broader dependency than Chloe feared. “I don’t want to need anyone to rescue me.” Her eyes fluttered closed against her cheeks. “I’m not the same girl I was when I married William. A naïve idiot who believed life was some kind of Hans Christian Anderson existence.” She shook her head with scathing self-derision, freeing herself from his touch. “When I left him, I left that part of myself behind too. I stopped waiting for someone to come to the tower and slay the dragon for me. I rescued myself.” Her smile was weak. “Do you understand that? I made a life for myself, even though I was scared to the bottom of my toes.” She sucked in a breath. “I need your legal help. But I don’t want to need you.”
Something like frustration barbed in Hendrix’s gut. “What if I need you right back?” He asked quietly, his eyes probing her mouth thoughtfully.
Chloe’s expression was thoughtful. “I don’t think you need anyone,” she said finally, stepping away from him with a weak imitation of a smile. “Now. Let’s eat.” It was overbright. She was trying to gloss over the sadness that was ripping through her. The confusion, too, was making her weary. One minute, she wanted to grab him with both hands and beg him to make love to her, and the next she was erecting fences all over the place, designed to keep him at a physical and emotional distance.
Hendrix followed her into the small lounge, carrying two bowls of gnocchi. He sat down silently, contenting himself to be an observer of their lunch. Chloe and Georgia chatted almost incessantly. If Chloe was constrained by his presence, and his declaration that he needed her, then she was an excellent actress. It was difficult to tell from her demeanour that she felt anything for him at all.
He toyed with his fork, and then began to eat the gnocchi. He’d been unprepared for how delicious it would be. How deeply rich and satisfying the flavours. She’d mixed things together and created this from scratch. She was a culinary magician.
Ellie seemed to agree. Despite the cheese and banana she’d feasted on in the kitchen, she was making impressive headway with her gnocchi. And so lunch went, Chloe and Georgia talking, Ellie and Hendrix eating with silent appreciation.
Long after the meal had been devoured and coffee and chocolate had rounded it off, Hendrix found himself lingering. Her apartment was tiny, but it was cheery. It was homely. He felt comfortable in the brightly coloured lounge room. Nonetheless, he forced himself to stand. “I think it’s time for me to make a move,” he said, his eyes on Chloe.
“Oh.” Her disappointment was a wave; an icy bucket of water that doused her. “Are you sure? It’s only early.”
His eyes lifted to the clock on the wall. It was the evening, and he’d arrived mid-morning. But he understood. She didn’t want him to go. He walked into the kitchen, certain she’d follow him to a more private location.
She did, leaving Georgia and Ellie playing happily with the Duplo Hendrix had brought.
“I’ve had fun today.” His dark eyes saw through her soul. “I liked spending time with you.”
Her cheeks flushed at the compliment. “I’m sure it’s a vastly different speed to what you’re used to,” she said with a small smile.
“A welcome change,” he agreed.
They stared at one another, the silence and need causing the very air they breathed to hum with its vibrations. Chloe’s throat felt dry. Her tongue was immovable. She could only look at him. Speech was impossible.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” His words were pulled from him with an intensity she understood.
It was not sensible. It was not wise.
But Chloe found herself nodding.
Only a small part of her brain was left to wonder: How would she make it until then?
CHAPTER SIX
“You’re a great mom,” his words were spoken softly, in deference to the child Chloe had just settled into bed for the night. She pulled the door to Ellie’s bedroom shut and then moved towards him.
“Thanks.” Alone for the first time all day, she felt besieged by nerves. “Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. It’s the nature of the beast.”
He regarded her thoughtfully. Their time together had been surprisingly perfect. The word came to him out of nowhere, but he didn’t disregard it. It was the right way to describe what they’d shared.
They’d grabbed bagels and had lunch in a park, then spent the afternoon walking through Chloe’s neighbourhood while Ellie scampered at their feet. When the weather had turned cold, they’d come back to the flat to watch a movie. And now, Ellie was in bed, and Hendrix was looking down the barrel of a night alone with Chloe. Anticipation was nipping at his heels.
“Have you ever regretted it?” His voice was deep in the cool air of her flat.
“Being a mom? Not for a second. Even if I’d thought of … ending my pregnancy, the moment William hit me –,” instinctively her hands flew to her flat stomach, “I knew that I wanted the baby with all my heart. That I would have done anything to save its life.”
“Adoption then? You were what? Twenty one? And in a foreign country to what you knew, with no help or support.”
She nodded. “That wasn’t the baby’s fault though.”
His lips lifted in a small smile. “True.”