Page 42 of Deserving Cora
To her relief, he didn’t ask her what she was doing. Didn’t throw her off his lap. His arms encircled her as she lay her head on his shoulder and snuggled close. Her legs were hanging over the arm of the chair, and to be honest, it wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position, but Pipe was warm, and she was content.
“Is this okay?” she whispered after a moment.
“It’s perfect,” Pipe reassured her.
Smiling, she relaxed into him.
As far back as she could remember, Cora had kept her emotions to herself. She’d found that it never helped to cry as a child. She was still removed from one home and placed in another. If she acted out, she was labeled “difficult” and, once again, moved to a different home. If she admitted she was depressed, she was taken to the hospital and given pills. She’d learned it was easier to keep what she was feeling to herself. And while it had been a very long time since she was in the foster care system, much of what she’d learned during that time had become a lifelong habit.
She was able to talk to Lara about what she was feeling, but that was literally the only person she’d opened up to in years. Until now.
“I’m scared,” she admitted in a barely there whisper.
Instead of immediately telling her that everything would be fine, Pipe asked, “Of what?”
Cora snorted. “Everything.”
“Break it down for me.”
She sighed. “That Lara’s already gone. I know the statistics…when women disappear for so long, it’s unlikely they’re found alive.”
“I’m not saying that’s not a possibility,” Pipe started…and while Cora didn’t like what he was saying, she appreciated that he was being honest, wasn’t trying to sugarcoat the situation. “But this doesn’t feel like a normal kind of kidnapping. Michaels didn’t keep it a secret that he was in Arizona, and that Lara was with him. If he did want to hurt or kill her, I’d think he would’ve just done it in DC. What else?”
“I don’t want you or your friends to get hurt. I convinced you to help me and if anything happens to any of you, I’m not sure I could live with the guilt.”
“What happens from here on out is not your responsibility,” Pipe said sternly.
Cora merely shrugged. “You can say that, but it doesn’t mean I won’t still feel as if it is.”
“We’re going into this with our eyes open,” Pipe told her. “We aren’t thinking we can just walk up to the door of this guy’s mansion and ask to speak to Lara and that will be that. We know it’s likely to be much more of a bloody mess.”
Unbelievably, Cora smiled.
“What’s that smile for?” Pipe asked.
“I thought the exact same thing earlier, about walking up and knocking on Ridge’s door and asking to see Lara.”
Pipe tightened his arms around her for a moment. The hug felt good. “What else are you scared about?”
Cora debated for a second whether to say what was on her mind, but since it was dark out, and she was feeling braver than usual, she blurted it out. “You.”
Every muscle under her stiffened. “Me? You’rescaredof me?” Pipe asked, sounding completely shocked.
“Yes.”
“Stand up, Cora,” he said in a strangled tone.
But she refused. She burrowed into him deeper. He was strong enough to stand with her still in his lap and physically put her away from him, but she hoped against hope that he wouldn’t.
“You make me feel things I never have. Never thought I would,” she said quickly. “Lara’s the romantic. She’s always seeing Prince Charming around every corner. Every man she meets could potentially be ‘The One’ for her. Me? I’m the exact opposite. I see a monster in a man’s body when I meet most guys. I’ve learned the hard way that people aren’t who they seem to be on the surface. But the more I’m around you, the more it feels as if you’re exactly who you portray to the world.”
“A fucked-up freak covered in tattoos because it was the only way he could feel anything other than a detached kind of fog?” Pipe asked a little harshly.
“See? Most men wouldn’t even admit that was why they’d gotten tattoos. They’d probably just say they looked badass, or they liked the designs or something. But not you. You’re more genuine than anyone I’ve ever met. And…around you, I feel…safe,” Cora said softly. “And it’s myfeelingsfor you that scare me.”
Little by little, the muscles under her relaxed, and she went on. “I like the way you look. I liked that at the auction, people were a little scared of you. I totally would’ve won my bid if bitchface Eleanor hadn’t done what she always does, try to put me in what she sees as my place…beneath her, simply because she’s pretty and has money.”
“You’re safe with me,” Pipe told her.
