Hope - Book 1 of the Bad Boy Vibes series

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The harsh sound of his own breathing flooded his ears, drowning out her words as their meaning became clear. He had known this moment would come. That day when she would demand the truths of his past. Only he hadn't considered it would happen now. Here. In the middle of nowhere. And yet...

And yet...this place was strangely fitting. This quaint little bed and breakfast situated along this lonely, rarely driven country road. The four walls that surrounded them had seemed comfortable. Charming even, with its aged interior dressed to reflect that homey vibe expected of hospitality venues of this ilk. But now he could feel it closing in on him. Pressing down on his chest and stemming the flow of blood and breath.

Rafe centred his concentration on the only thing that could anchor him to the present as he felt that relentless tug of his cluttered past reach out to him. His molten brown gaze settled on her forest green hues. Rendered more mysterious and glinting with hidden depths by the light of the sole candle. In the far corner of the room, the fire was lit in the grate. A screen was tugged noisily to be placed in front of it. The old chimney smoked a little, but the waft of the burning eucalyptus bark gave out a softly soothing aroma that Rafe immediately inhaled to much relief.

The light from the fireplace added to that already flickering across her interested features. He was glad for the increased light chasing away the teasing shadows. It had been distracting to watch them flicker and flutter light and dark across her exquisite face. But with the tug of his past insisting on being brought to light, he knew that distraction would have been short-lived, even without the aid of the firelight.

Rafe drew in a shaky breath, pushing aside his plate. "You're right. Its best you know all there is to know before we get to the base."

"Base? I thought it was a military school."

"The base adjoins the place."

Anna had to gulp at that. Was she making a mistake? Was she blindly trusting Rafe in taking on more than she could handle?

"Oh," she managed feebly.

A lengthy pause ensued.

"My father is in prison," he said finally, unable to put off the inevitable any longer. As it was all bound to get out eventually, he thought it best he just start at the very beginning. "And my mum's dead."

Anna had to gulp again. She was eerily certain that what she was about to hear from his lips was pretty much some alternate version of her very own tale. Having heard it all before from his aunt, she knew what to expect, but somehow hearing it on another...from his own lips...made it all that much harder to bear. Knowing that she was not alone in all that she suffered sort of nullified the suffering altogether. To her thinking, anyway.

"She had been pregnant with my unborn brother or sister when he killed her."

Anna's breath stilled.

"It wasn't his. I wasn't his."

Rafe shook his head ruefully before reaching out to take a gulp of his wine. "My real father wanted nothing to do with me. He was a bastard who used my mum and then simply left. It was James Brown who put her back together that first time. He patched her up and loved her. Married her. Then loved me. But then years later, my birth father reappeared and had his way with my mother. This time by force, but James Brown didn't believe her claims to that extent. He didn't patch her up this time. Instead he sent her on to her early grave."

Anna couldn't help the shudder that went down her spine. Perhaps the telling of this now, in this dimly lit and all but deserted way station was not the best of ideas. It certainly sent an otherworldly chill rushing down her spine at the telling of it.