Free To Hell and Back by Leigha Taylor Page B

I’m a complete ass.  This isn’t like a date with some starlet to get press recognition or some fangirl I’m hooking up with just because I can.  I’ve done that. Every face from my past is meaningless.  I haven’t been a monk; there have been girls in my life, but I have never cared about any of them like this.  This is important and I don’t want to screw it up.  For now, I’ll be happy that she didn’t correct me when I called her my girlfriend.  Labels may not matter in the long run, but right now it feels like something solid and that works for me.
    Brie looks pale as we pull into the driveway of the B&B.  I’m worried that she’s not really well enough to be out of the hospital, no matter what the doctor said.  “Brie, just take it easy.  I’ll come help you out of the car.  Do you need anything?  Are you in pain?”
    She just stares at the house for another moment and turns to me slowly, saying “What if he finds me here? What if Mrs. Hanley talks to him? Carson, I can’t let him find me right now.”
    She seems so scared, so small right now.  She is one of the bravest people I have ever met, but she has no idea.  I take her hand and try to reassure her.  “I already talked to Mrs. Hanley.  She cares about you and wants you to be safe and comfortable here.  She agrees that no one else can know you're here and is really looking forward to having you.  Apparently you were quite a cute kid,” I laugh. “Not surprising given how cute you are now.”
    The blush that creeps up her face is at the same time adorable and totally hot. 
    “Carson Malone, I am a lot of things but I am not cute!” she admonishes me, and the tension we felt on the ride here has been broken.
    Mrs. Hanley’s Bed and Breakfast has only been here for about thirty years, but the house has to have been here for at least a hundred.  It’s a Victorian-style house, which I only know because it says so on the brochure, and it’s painted a buttery sort of yellow. There is a white wraparound porch on the two-story home and the shutters have been painted blue. They could probably use a new coat of paint, but something about the worn look adds to the charm of this place.
    The bedroom I’ve been using, the “beige room”, has its own bathroom but the other three rooms on the second floor share one.  I asked Mrs. Hanley to make up the “blue room” for Brie since she loves the color.  I’d love to share a bed with her, or even sleep in the same room, but we aren’t there yet.  Brie’s comfort comes before anything else. I love kissing her, but I won’t touch her in any other way until I’m sure that’s what she wants.
    Mrs. Hanley is waiting in the foyer for us and pulls Brie into a careful hug.  “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re here.  You’re safe here for as long as you want to stay.  I usually visit with Edith on Monday afternoons, but I talked her out of coming over because she does tend to ramble and I didn’t want her spilling the beans!  No way is any harm going to come to you on my watch!  Now, I’ve been in that hospital and I know the cafeteria is just atrocious.  I figure after a few days of their food you must be starving!  I have a big old batch of my chocolate chip muffins just for you. That gorgeous boy of yours might get one if he behaves himself,” she titters on her way to the kitchen.
    The sly look Brie is giving me tells me she caught the slightly flirtatious tone coming from the older lady.
    “Do I have competition for you already?” Brie asks me. 
    “I don’t know. Her muffins are pretty good…”
    Brie sniffs a little and gives me a pout. “Well, if that’s how you really feel…”
    “You can’t imagine how I really feel, Brie. Muffins or not, no one compares to you.”
    Brie is quiet at this last comment and I hope I haven’t said something wrong. I worry for a second but she slowly breaks out in a smile and everything feels right