for…she wasn’t sure what. The clear azure of his eyes whirled and coalesced into a deep, smoky gray. How had she not already noticed that Corbin’s eye color changed with his mood?
The world went still around them. Leaves that had swayed in a gentle breeze only seconds before no longer stirred. Not more than a heartbeat ago, a glorious symphony of birdsong had filled the air, but neither chirp nor tweet nor warble broke the heavy silence of the here-and-now.
Corbin’s jaw flexed…relaxed, then flexed again. He returned her questioning gaze with the trapped expression of a man on the wrong end of a loaded gun.
And something else. Pain. Raw, heartbreaking, mind-shattering pain. The same agonizing torture she’d seen in her dreams every night for the past week.
In those very eyes.
No. Her soul shrank from facing the truth that stared back at her in Corbin’s broken expression. The abused kid in her dreams was real. He had survived that torture, grown to manhood, and now sat beside her in an agony of mortification.
She shook her head. Her eyes burned with tears that overflowed and streaked down her face in hot rivulets. When she spoke again, the words ripped from her throat in a painful, hoarse whisper.
“Oh, no, Corbin. No. You? ”
****
Scathing humiliation seared his soul and rushed in head-spinning waves into his face. The thought of Aria seeing him spread-eagled on those hay bales like a helpless fish waiting to be fileted went against everything his masculinity stood for.
“I, uh—I think I’ve been having the same dream.”
She narrowed her eyes and peered into his soul, then shook her head.
“Your eyes…I can’t believe I didn’t recognize them. You’re the boy in the barn.” She placed a soft hand on each side of his face and leaned close so she could press her forehead to his. “Oh, Corbin. I’m so… so sorry!”
His arms were around her before he gave them permission to be. He tucked her close, reveling in her sweetness, hungrily absorbing the elusive scent of jasmine that floated around her. Something about the soft fragrance heightened his senses, and he couldn’t tell if the pounding in his ears was the sound of his heartbeat or hers. Her arms went around his waist in a tight hug and she rested her head against his chest.
Corbin forced himself to breathe, and willed his pulse to slow. Could a heart pound so violently and not explode? Aria was offering comfort. That’s all. She barely tolerated his existence, and yet her soft heart couldn’t handle what he’d gone through.
For Corbin, though, the moment changed everything. His world would never be the same. Because now that she was in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.
7
As they walked back to the complex, Corbin’s introspective mood twisted Aria’s already raw emotions and squeezed her heart in a painful, unrelenting grip. His obvious embarrassment burned into her soul. She longed to ease his pain, but found herself battling an inexplicable shyness. Every ounce of courage she possessed came into play when she slipped a tentative hand into Corbin’s.
He immediately wrapped his fingers around it, and she released the breath she hadn’t known she was holding.
At her gate, she tiptoed to kiss his cheek.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, determined to rid herself of the unwelcome timidity that had overtaken her. “So many people would have let that kind of horrible abuse during childhood destroy them, even as adults. You didn’t, Corbin. Look at you. I’m so proud of you.”
He shook his head and traced a finger down her cheek. “I’m not anything special, Aria. Just a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who God rescued and saved from a whole lot of misery. You’re the one who’s amazing.”
His gaze traveled her face, and she felt its weight as surely as she’d felt his touch only seconds before, and it left behind a pleasant tingle she didn’t quite
The world went still around them. Leaves that had swayed in a gentle breeze only seconds before no longer stirred. Not more than a heartbeat ago, a glorious symphony of birdsong had filled the air, but neither chirp nor tweet nor warble broke the heavy silence of the here-and-now.
Corbin’s jaw flexed…relaxed, then flexed again. He returned her questioning gaze with the trapped expression of a man on the wrong end of a loaded gun.
And something else. Pain. Raw, heartbreaking, mind-shattering pain. The same agonizing torture she’d seen in her dreams every night for the past week.
In those very eyes.
No. Her soul shrank from facing the truth that stared back at her in Corbin’s broken expression. The abused kid in her dreams was real. He had survived that torture, grown to manhood, and now sat beside her in an agony of mortification.
She shook her head. Her eyes burned with tears that overflowed and streaked down her face in hot rivulets. When she spoke again, the words ripped from her throat in a painful, hoarse whisper.
“Oh, no, Corbin. No. You? ”
****
Scathing humiliation seared his soul and rushed in head-spinning waves into his face. The thought of Aria seeing him spread-eagled on those hay bales like a helpless fish waiting to be fileted went against everything his masculinity stood for.
“I, uh—I think I’ve been having the same dream.”
She narrowed her eyes and peered into his soul, then shook her head.
“Your eyes…I can’t believe I didn’t recognize them. You’re the boy in the barn.” She placed a soft hand on each side of his face and leaned close so she could press her forehead to his. “Oh, Corbin. I’m so… so sorry!”
His arms were around her before he gave them permission to be. He tucked her close, reveling in her sweetness, hungrily absorbing the elusive scent of jasmine that floated around her. Something about the soft fragrance heightened his senses, and he couldn’t tell if the pounding in his ears was the sound of his heartbeat or hers. Her arms went around his waist in a tight hug and she rested her head against his chest.
Corbin forced himself to breathe, and willed his pulse to slow. Could a heart pound so violently and not explode? Aria was offering comfort. That’s all. She barely tolerated his existence, and yet her soft heart couldn’t handle what he’d gone through.
For Corbin, though, the moment changed everything. His world would never be the same. Because now that she was in his arms, he never wanted to let her go.
7
As they walked back to the complex, Corbin’s introspective mood twisted Aria’s already raw emotions and squeezed her heart in a painful, unrelenting grip. His obvious embarrassment burned into her soul. She longed to ease his pain, but found herself battling an inexplicable shyness. Every ounce of courage she possessed came into play when she slipped a tentative hand into Corbin’s.
He immediately wrapped his fingers around it, and she released the breath she hadn’t known she was holding.
At her gate, she tiptoed to kiss his cheek.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, determined to rid herself of the unwelcome timidity that had overtaken her. “So many people would have let that kind of horrible abuse during childhood destroy them, even as adults. You didn’t, Corbin. Look at you. I’m so proud of you.”
He shook his head and traced a finger down her cheek. “I’m not anything special, Aria. Just a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who God rescued and saved from a whole lot of misery. You’re the one who’s amazing.”
His gaze traveled her face, and she felt its weight as surely as she’d felt his touch only seconds before, and it left behind a pleasant tingle she didn’t quite
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