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Her jaw worked and I could tell she was chewing the inside of her mouth.
“You’re different,” she said.
“How much experience do you have with men outside your family?”
“None,” she whispered.
I caught the look in her eyes and I regretted bringing the subject up. Her openness had caught me off guard and, if I was honest, it scared me a little. It was my duty to protect her, but if she was going to treat all men the way she was treating me, I was going to be busy.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
“I’m not stupid,” she said, her voice a little stiff. “I’m not just going around getting in cars with strange men.”
Something odd surged in my chest, something that felt a bit like…anger. The image of her with a faceless man who could hurt her roused an ugliness in me I’d never felt before, a bit like my control had slipped.
“Good,” I said. “Because I’d rather not have to kill anyone.”
She laughed and then her smile faltered.
“Are you joking…I can’t tell if you’re joking,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it, cariad,” I said.
I wasn’t sure where that word had come from. It was an innocent term of endearment in Welsh and it fit her perfectly. If she knew what it meant, she didn’t show it. She just released a sigh and nestled back into the seat, her fingers tight around her purse.
We were both quiet as we crossed the bridge and I pulled up to the upscale steakhouse. It was a little colder by the water and I offered her my jacket.
“I’m okay,” she said.
“I’m not cold, Clara, you wear it until we get in.”
She looked up at me in the dark, still chewing lightly on her mouth.
“It won’t look good with my outfit.”
I was about to drape it over her bare shoulders anyway, but when she spoke, a little bit of blood slipped from the corner of her mouth. I reached out and took hold of her face without thinking, turning it up.
“You’re bleeding.”
She wriggled away, bending her head. Her manicured fingers swiped over her lips, coming away with a little crimson smear.
“Sorry, it’s fine,” she said. “I just have this nervous habit of chewing a spot in my mouth. I bit it by accident, it’s fine though.”
I got a tissue from the car and made her sit still while I wiped the blood. She wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Open your mouth.”
She obeyed hesitantly, revealing a tongue streaked with blood.
“Jesus,” I muttered.
“It’s fine, it always stops bleeding really fast.”
“Do you—”
“Merrick,” she said firmly, pulling back. “This is really fine, I don’t want you to make this a big deal. Please just let me handle it and let’s go in and have dinner. I’m starving.”
I’d spent a lot of time in therapy and I knew what deflection looked like, but I decided to let it go for tonight. She didn’t protest as I draped my jacket over her shoulders and guided her into the restaurant with a hand on the small of her back.
