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Henry stared at her hard. He wasn’t going to win this one. He could already see it in the way she stared right back. When she wanted to put her foot down, Athena didn’t take prisoners. If he was right about his growing feelings, maybe this was the moment in his life where he considered all his options and prepared himself for whatever was to come his way in the future.
“Fine. You can try. But I’m telling you, it might not work out the way you think it will.”
* * *
“I can’t believe he’s letting you ride him.” Henry had stopped gawking after they reached the trails that would take them to the pasture where he’d find the cows. Still, every time he turned to look in Athena’s direction, he half expected Beast to get fed up with being ridden.
And yet, Athena continued to sit tall and confident in the saddle like she’d been riding for years. It wasn’t until she caught him staring that her self-assurance faded. Just like that, her shoulders slumped, and she turned her eyes toward the reins she fingered near the saddle horn.
He’d thought she might say something—several times. He’d expected her to bring up their near kiss. Heck, he’d even thought she might thank him for the dinner he’d brought her. None of that mattered, of course. He’d simply thought they would clear the air so the tension between them would dissipate.
When she didn’t speak, he let out a pent-up breath. “I guess I should—”
“Remember when you asked me if my parents abused me?”
His whole world turned sideways, and his body froze. “That’s not where I thought this conversation would go. Are you saying that they did?”
“No!” She grimaced. “I know it doesn’t make sense to bring it up now. It’s just…” She fiddled with the rope again, then took a deep breath and released it in a shudder. “My parents never abused me. They might have raised me to have a different life than my foster siblings, but that’s not abuse. I still had all my needs met.”
Athena shook her head again, refusing to look directly at him when she seemed to find her center. He burned with curiosity. The information she shared with him had come in a trickle. The more he found out, the easier it would be to find her family—something he’d gotten started on last night.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I feel like I should say something about… what almost happened last night.”
His throat closed up. Now he really didn’t know where this was headed. “What happened last night…” he said flatly.
“Almost kissing you and then running off.” She made a face and her cheeks flooded with a deep crimson color. “I… how do I say this so it makes sense? I didn’t run off like that because I was scared. Okay, maybe I was a little scared.” She shut her eyes tight even as her horse plodded along the trail. Beast must have trusted her implicitly for him to behave so well right now. Athena opened her eyes and pulled up on the reins so Beast stopped. He pawed once at the ground, but other than that, he remained on his best behavior.
“You don’t have to—” Henry started, but she stopped him.
“I had an abusive ex.”
A tsunami of emotion roared to life within him. Fury. Surprise. Concern. Heartache. And more blinding anger. “What?” he growled through gritted teeth. “When was this? What’s his name?”
She held up a hand. “While I appreciate—”
“No!” Henry ground out. “You don’t get to just drop a bomb like that and expect me to let it go. I want to know who this coward is so I can give him what’s due.”
“Henry,” she said softly, “that’s not the point of my story. Besides, it happened almost ten years ago. I was sixteen. I’d dropped out of school. He was the one I turned to for affection.” She shook her head and waved a hand through the air as if to dissipate the fog of memories that clung to her. “The point is, I ran because I was scared, but not because I was scared of you.” Her voice had taken on a raspy quality. “I ran because I was scared of the idea of you.”
“The idea of me?” He frowned. How did that make any sense?
“Yes. I was scared about getting too attached to you. I’ve lived my life on the run—moving around so I could remain safe not only physically, but emotionally and mentally, too.”
He didn’t think it was possible, but her blush deepened in color. She looked away, turning completely so he couldn’t see her anymore.
Without knowing what his plan was, he jumped down from his horse. It was time to settle this once and for all.
16
Athena
Athena watched Henry as he dismounted and came to her side. Her focus remained glued to him, but it almost felt like she had left her body and was watching from a distance. He held out a hand to her and her eyes dipped to it briefly. She could take it. Athena could accept his offering right here, right now.
She could shut her eyes, take the leap, and allow herself to find some meager amount of happiness.
For the first time in her life, Athena could see a happy ending. Henry was the first person she’d put her faith in since before she could remember. She hadn’t even given that part of her heart to her ex.
Time slowed, sluggish and had the taste of expectation. It was the feeling she got when she stood in the back alley of a bakery, knowing there would soon be stale bread to snack on. Only this time, her stomach wasn’t growling with anticipation.
