Todd took one giant step forwardsand stood toe to toe with Mr Obnoxious. Todd had at least a fewcentimetres on him in height, and an extra ten kilos in muscle. Ananxious few seconds passed without either of themmoving.
“Leave now, Paul.” Shedidn’t want to cause a fight, she wanted him gone. Chloe held herbreath. She had faith Todd could look after himself but … shedidn’t want to see him hurt. The hell withPaul. She could care less about him afterhow badly he treated her in Paris. Yes, years had passed, but thehurt remained and the fear she had tried to hard to bury threatenedto resurface once more.
Paul broke eye contact first,shot Chloe a menacing look, turned on his heel and left without abackward glance.
As soon as the door closed Toddput his arm around Chloe’s shaking shoulders. “Are you okay? Whothe hell was that?”
“That was myex-boyfriend Paul. I don’t know who would have given him myaddress. I didn’t know he was in Australia. The last I heard he hadleft Paris after his contract ended to dance in Vegas.”
“Come on. Let’s getyou a brandy. You’re shaking like a leaf.” Todd kept his arm aroundher as they made their way back to the kitchen. “Sit down, and I’llget you a drink.”
“Do you think he’sreally gone? I didn’t see a car. Did you?”
“No, I didn’t see acar. If you’re worried he’ll be back, I’ll stay. Sleep on thecouch, okay?” He handed her a generous nip of brandy. He poured onefor himself and sat beside her.
“I think I’ll be okay.You don’t have to stay. Sorry to have spoiled the evening.” Theroom had become chilly suddenly. She sipped the alcohol, enjoyingthe warmth it created, and pulled a throw rug from the back of thecouch to place over her legs.
“Why don’t you fill mein on Paul? He doesn’t seem like a guy you would gofor.”
“He hasn’t aged well.I presume life hasn’t been kind to him since he went overseas. Iwas young, just nineteen when I met Paul. He’s originally fromLondon. He was new at the Lido. All the girls flirted with him; hecould have had any one of them. I was thrilled when he eventuallypicked me. We were together for a few years, then we livedtogether, and in that time he managed to alienate me from all myfriends. In the end the relationship was a train wreck.”
“I can see why womenwould find him attractive, based on his height and his physique.But he comes across as a bully. I don’t want to frighten you, butthe way he looked at you concerns me. There’s something else goingon, you can see it in his eyes. He has serious issues. I’ve nodoubt about that.” He reached out and stroked her upperarm.
“Yes, I know. He canbe charming … well, he could be charming in the past. He changedwhen we moved in together and I didn’t know it to begin with. Buthe is a control freak. If I hadn’t had help to get away from him inParis … I don’t know what would have happened to me.” Chloe closedher eyes for a second. The unpleasant memories rushed in,threatening to swamp her, pull her under.
“Did he hit you?” Thequestion hung in the air between them for a beat or two. His hearthammered in his chest, anticipating the worst.
“No. He liked a moreinsidious form of abuse. He demanded absolute control in allthings. No one crosses Paul and gets away with it. He won’t likewhat happened tonight. He’ll be back. I’m sure of it.” Sheshuddered.
Todd sat closer and pulled hergently towards him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “Don’tworry. I’ll talk to a friend on the force tomorrow. We’ll see whatwe can dig up on him.”
Chloe cradled theglass with the remaining dregs of brandy in her hand. She kickedoff her shoes, raised her legs onto the couch and snuggled intoTodd’s arms, safe against his chest, safe listening to hisheartbeat. He kissed the top of her head and when she finished herdrink, he removed the glass from her grasp to place on the coffeetable. She closed her eyes, enjoying the closeness again.I’ve been idiot, I’ve missed this so, somuch.
Chloe woke up with a start,surprised to see Todd asleep on the couch beside her, surprised tobe still within his comforting embrace. They had fallen asleep andleft the table lamp on. The clock on the wall displayed the earlyhour. She pushed off the throw rug and tried to ease out from underhis arm without waking him, but failed, as he instinctively pulledher tighter and opened his eyes.
“What’s goingon?”
“I’m just going to thebathroom. I was trying not to wake you.” She moved to the edge ofthe couch, and turned to face him. Her hair had come undone, andflowed around her shoulders in messy waves. She pulled it back intoa ponytail.
Todd pinched the bridge of hisnose with his fingers and scraped his hands through his hair as hesat up, yawning. He observed her closely. “Are you okay? You look alittle better, you’ve got some colour back in yourcheeks.”
“I feel better. Thankyou for staying. I probably overreacted last night.”
“It was obviously ashock to find him standing on your doorstep. And I’ve seen formyself that he didn’t like rejection one little bit. I don’t blameyou for being concerned.“
Chloe folded the throw rug andpushed the cushions back into place.
“Regardless, Iappreciated you being here.”
“It wasn’t a hardship,Chloe.”
Warmth flowed overher, a trickle of a memory, and the familiar pleasure of being inhis company. A feeling of belonging, of someone looking out forher. Why am I fighting this? Tell himyou’ve missed him. Todd is not like Paul. He’s a caring individual,not a controlling one.
“I’ll be right back.How about some coffee? It’ll be dawn soon.” She stood up. The floorwas cold. She slipped on her shoes.
“Yeah, coffee soundsgood. How about a walk to the Pier for an earlybreakfast?”
“Will it beopen?”
“I’ve had earlymorning breakfast meetings with the builders at the Pier. If it’snot open we can walk back along the beach. Stretch our muscles. Getsome fresh air.” Todd stood and
