Chapter 9 #3
Chaos frowned. Hating that she felt the need to barricade herself inside the room.
He understood the need, but he hated it all the same.
He wouldn’t hurt her. Never. But she couldn’t know that for certain.
He hoped deep down she had an inkling that he was a good guy…
but she’d also thought her ex was a good man at one point.
Forcing himself to go sit back on the couch, Chaos rubbed his chest. His heart hurt.
The things the woman on the other side of that door had been through were appalling.
But unfortunately, not unique. Too many women and children were victims of domestic violence.
Too many weren’t able to escape. To get out. To be free.
Determination welled up within Chaos. He’d see Kara free of her tormenter no matter what it took. Even if she never felt about him the way he was already feeling for her…as if she could be the most important person in his life. That she could be the woman he wanted by his side forever.
She’d feel safe to live her life however she saw fit if it was the last thing Chaos did. She deserved to be happy. To be free. And he’d be damned if he held her back from doing anything her heart desired. It would suck to watch her fly without him, but he’d let her go if that was what she needed.
Getting to his feet, Chaos rechecked all the locks on the windows and doors in his house.
He also made sure the security system was on, then he sat back on the couch.
He got up several more times to check that all was well in the house.
He couldn’t seem to settle. Even though he was exhausted, having Kara in the house, and knowing how anxious she probably was, wouldn’t let him completely relax.
He dozed on the couch…and before he knew it, the sun was coming up over the horizon.
He woke from his light sleep at the sound of the dresser sliding across the floor. He sat up and stared at the door. Kara opened it—and stopped dead in her tracks at seeing him on the couch.
“Did you sleep there?” she asked.
Chaos nodded. “I wanted to make sure you were good.”
Her features softened. “Oh, Arrow. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did. Are you a big breakfast person? Or do you like to start your day off with something light?”
“Wait, I thought you had PT this morning?”
“Casper texted and told me to take the morning off, which is good, because I wasn’t going to leave you alone in the house no matter what. Fruit and yogurt, or pancakes and eggs for breakfast?”
She looked confused and befuddled. “Are you going to get in trouble?”
Realizing she wasn’t going to let it go, Chaos stood.
He stretched, trying to work the kinks out of his back from sleeping on the couch.
“No. Trust me, Casper understands. As do all the guys. And he doesn’t want me busting my stitches or tweaking my ribs, anyway.
After we get you settled at Jen’s place, I’ll head into work. Now, breakfast?”
“Um…do you have coffee?”
Chaos grinned. “Am I a guy?”
“You said that yesterday.”
“And from then to now, it seems as if I’m still a guy. So yeah, I have coffee.”
“Not all men drink coffee.”
“Are you arguing about me having coffee?”
She smiled a little sheepishly. “No?”
Chaos chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re still half asleep.” He gentled his voice, wanting to go to her but forcing himself to stay over by the couch. “You sleep okay?”
“Surprisingly, yeah.”
“I’m going to say this, and I don’t want you to be embarrassed. You don’t need to bar the door from me, Kara. I’ll never hurt you. Never invade your privacy. I understand why you needed to do it, but it makes me nervous not being able to get to you, just in case…”
She blushed but met his gaze. “It wasn’t because I was afraid of you—”
Chaos held up his hand, stopping her. “You don’t have to explain. I just want you to know that with me, you’re always safe.”
“I know.”
He wanted to ask, “Do you?” but refrained.
“I’d love some pancakes or waffles for breakfast, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course it isn’t. I’ll get started on them while you use the bathroom. After breakfast, we’ll call Jen and if it’s still all right with her, we can get you settled in over there. Okay?”
“Sounds good.”
They shared a smile, then Chaos stayed where he was, absurdly pleased when Kara crossed the room, opting to use his en suite bathroom.
He had a flash of her doing the exact same thing sometime in the future, except turning to give him a sexy smile right before she disappeared, telling him not to stay up too late, that she’d be waiting for him in bed.
He blinked and the vision was gone.
Shivering in reaction to the image, he closed his eyes.
He desperately wanted to believe what he’d just had was a premonition.
But he wasn’t going to get his hopes up.
Baby steps. He didn’t want to scare Kara away.
Or freak her out. For now, he was her friend.
Helping to get her back on her feet. If anything more developed between them, great.
If not, he’d have to come to terms with that.
Taking a deep breath, he headed for the kitchen and the coffee maker. Coffee made everything better. This morning would be busy, and they both needed sustenance.