Rescue Me Please by Nichole Matthews

anything, he rubbed his knuckles over her cheek.  “ Are you afraid of me ?”
    Persephone stood there with her eyes wide, unblinking.  N ot moving until a flutter tickled her chest, like running her hands over the finest fur, this time not fear, which surprised her how quickly the feeling changed.  She shook her head.   “No,” she whispered , a slight quaver in her voice .
    “I desire most of all for you to not be afraid.  I want you to feel safe.”  He held out his arm and w aited.  No sign of impatience.
    She stared at his arm for what seemed an eternity , then laid her hand over the hard muscles and sighed with girlish longing .  T hey made their way down the stairs surprised that she would long for any man’s touch after what she had endured.  H e g uided her toward the Rose Room , t he warmth of his hand still linger ing at her waist .  She was afraid that she would be unable to stand once she was no longer holding his arm.  Her legs had turned to jelly at his touch.   His touch comforted on a deeper level she didn’t quite understand.  Just t he polite gesture of placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her in the direction of their destination affected something inside her that had been paralyzed with fear for so long.   S he was surprised that s uch a simple action could have a profound impact .
    He cocked his head to the side and studied her.  “Especially since I now know that you enjoy fine art.”  He grinned.  “Our gallery boasts some maste rful renderings of my ancestors.”  He slanted a playful glance her direction .  “Do you like dogs, Persephone.”
    “Yes.”  Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out his reasoning and the abrupt change in topic .  Paintings , then dogs?  “I had a dog when I was a girl.”   She lifted one red brow in question.
    To him she was still a girl.   She seemed so innocent.   “Where is your dog now ?” he asked conversationally.
    She averted her gaze and tried to think of how to respond.  “She was found dead one day.”  Her eyes grew sad and her voice was bereft .  “Her neck was broken, ” she added without inflection.
    “ Bloody he …” He stopped in the middle of their descent down the stairs causing Persephone to stumble.  He caught her around the waist with a n iron-hard arm to keep her upright and caught himself before he finished his words.  “I’m sorry, Persephone.”
    “It was a few years ago now.”  She shrugged .   “It happened a few months after the death of my parent’s .”
    Her arm now trapped against his body was rigid and he could feel her hand ball up into a fist.  “How old were you?” he asked, resuming their descent down the stairs.
    “Seventeen.”   Her chest constricted painfully her eyes wide as they looked into his gentle blue gaze .
    “ Still a girl, ” he said in an even tone.
    She shook her head suddenly afraid that he could see into her soul.  That he knew everything she had done . “Not for long,” she murmured tearing her gaze away .
    Parker frowned at her words, feeling t he shiver that ran through her body .  “I’ve thought of getting a dog.”  He felt her relax at his turn of the conversation to what he hoped would be a more innocuous subject for her.  He was right.  He could see her breathing ease from the corner of his eye.  “Poppy took her pug with her to Allingham Park after she wed.  I hadn’t realized how much time I spent with the spoiled mongrel until he was gone, ” he admitted.
    Persephone looked at him.
    “ While you are here, would you be willing to assist me with choosing a suitable pet?”   His eyes crinkled.
    “That’s not my place.”   Her cheeks heated under his scrutiny and she looked away, suddenly uneasy with his attentions.
    He touched her hand and she stiffened and he instantly felt protective .  “It’s only a dog, Persephone.”   His keen eyes focused on her face.
    She paused on the stairs , forcing him to