“I think it’s pretty explanatory why.”
“Not to me.”
Zoey licked her bottom lip as he strode across the room, and then was startled when he pounded his fist against the wall beside her head.
“Stop it, Zoey!”
“What did I do?” She quivered, unaware tears were escaping from the corners of her eyes.
His gaze softened like they usually did when she was upset, yet they bore down on her, pinning her in place. She was unable to make a move to escape his overwhelming presence.
“What haven’t you done? You’ve been twisting my nuts into knots since I first met you. I’m not your best friend.”
Zoey nearly jumped out of her skin when he pounded the wall again.
“I am not your fucking student!” He pounded the wall yet again. “I’m a man who wants to make love with the woman he loves! You might be celibate, but I’m not!”
“You’re in love with me?” she asked him shakily.
“That’s what I’ve been telling you for the past five minutes, and that’s what I’ve been trying to show you for the last month and a fucking half!”
Her hand went to her churning stomach. “You don’t love me. No one ever loves me.”
“That’s not true!” Astounded, he jerked his head back as if she had struck him. “I love you. Penni loves you. Grace loves you! Hell, even Hannibal loves you more than me!”
“No… it won’t last. I’ll do something to make you mad, and you all will stop loving me.”
“I can’t speak for them, but my love will last.”
Stump quit yelling at her, lowering his voice into a tone she had never heard from him.
“You’re not afraid my love won’t last. You’re afraid it will. You don’t want anything tying you down that you can’t carry with you. If you love someone, you can’t take it with you. That’s why you don’t carry a purse. You carry your IDs and keys in a pocket or a wristlet. You live with the bare minimum around you, not because you want to live simply but because, if you have to leave, you don’t want to leave anything behind.
“You don’t have to run anymore, Zoey. The state isn’t going to drag you away from everything you love. If you want to leave, it’s your choice, not because you have to.”
“I know that.” She used the sleeve of her dress to wipe her tears away.
“Do you? I don’t think you do. When Penni saw us kissing, she told me you’re special. I didn’t understand at the time that it was a warning until yesterday at work when I asked her what pink auras meant. You told me what red means but not pink. People with pink auras are very sensual and romantic. That’s why you touch everything. You can’t help yourself.”
Stump took her hands, placing them on his chest. Closing his fist, he then stroked her tear-stained cheek with his knuckles. “Pink auras are very sensitive. They have to be handled very carefully or they can become hurt very easily. Baby, as God as my witness, I would never hurt you.”
She stared up into his eyes, seeing the promise glinting from deep within and knowing he meant every word.
“I don’t know if I can… I don’t know….”
“Make love with me?” he finished for her.
She mutely nodded, then started crying again. Unable to bear looking at his sad expression, she lowered her head, pressing her forehead against his chest.
“Zoey, has anyone hurt you that way?”
“No,” she mumbled. “But I just can’t.”
He tugged her hair back. “Baby, look at your hands.”
She raised her head to stare at what her hands were doing. She was unconsciously stroking his chest.
“I think you’ll be fine when the time is right. I can wait. I can’t wait forever, but I can wait until you’re ready. Do you love me, Zoey?”
Confused thoughts swirled in her mind. “I think so, but I can’t be sure.”
“Then I can wait until you are,” he said, stepping back from her. “I don’t want to take your beliefs from you. I know how important they are to you. Is your stomach feeling better?”
She nodded.
“When you get upset, it affects your stomach, doesn’t it?”
“It used to be bad when I was younger. Julian taught me how to chant. Since then, it hasn’t been as bad until today.”
“Because I didn’t go jogging with you?”
“Yes, I could tell you were upset with me last night, and I couldn’t understand why. When Jackal showed up this morning instead of you, I was worried I wouldn’t see you anymore because you were mad at me.”
“I would never be so mad at you that I would stop seeing you, Zoey. I would have been back tomorrow. It hurt when you called me your best friend and student. I want to be more than that to you. I can wait to be together with you, as long as we’re on the same page as to where we’re going.”