The stranger approached me, and I hugged myself. I was too terrified he would hurt me. Then he smiled and offered his hand, and I released my breath.
“Princess, where is your home? Let me send you home.”
I shook my head, but the pain was throbbing in my feet. “Ouch!”
The stranger swooped and carried me into his embrace. “You are hurt. I’ll take you home, and I won’t take a ‘no’ from you.”
He brought me to his car, a black Jaguar.
When we were inside his vehicle, I asked, “T-thank you for saving me. What is your name?”
“I haven’t introduced myself to you. So, forgive my rudeness, princess. Constantine Night at your service.” He reached out to hold my hand, then brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly.
“I am Helena Starr.”
“Where is your house?”
After telling him, he drove without saying anything. I glanced at him. Somehow, Constantine reminded me of Ethan, yet, he is taller and skinnier than Ethan. However, their eyes and lips are similar. I shook my head. Maybe it was because I missed Ethan severely, so I compared every man I met with him.
“What’s wrong, princess?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh?”
I let out a sigh. “Well, you remind me of someone.”
Constantine didn’t comment at all. Instead, he focused on driving as if I didn’t say anything. When we were at the crossroads, he stopped because the traffic light showed red. “So, princess, how can you have anything to do with the loser I beat?”
I hesitated to tell him in detail. However, since he had saved my life, I told him the short version, “He was my ex. When we broke up, his parents knew about me, and they wanted to meet me. He said they liked me. So, now he forced me to meet with his parents.”
Constantine snorted. “What a loser! Then why did you run away from him?”
“He terrified me. He beat me, then when I ran, he threatened to catch and beat me. So, I ran like crazy.”
“Next time, you should be careful about the man you allow into your life.” Constantine then moved his face closer to mine. “You are a sweet girl. With a little polish, you can get any man you want.”
I shook my head. “I have already had a boyfriend. I only want him.”
Constantine grinned. “Really? It’s too bad because I started liking you.”
“It can’t be! We just met.”
“What did people say? Love at first sight?” He smiled as he touched my cheek. “Yes, it must be love at first sight.”
Constantine stared at me intensely until I blushed and looked away. Then, when he wanted to say something, the traffic light changed to green, and the car behind us started honking him to move. So, he drove again.
Finally, we arrived in front of my house. I smiled and nodded politely. “Thank you for driving me home and saving me. I owe you a lot!”
“How about dinner with me tomorrow?”
“Sorry?”
“To show your gratitude, let’s have dinner tonight.”
“Uh, I-I can’t.”
“It’s only dinner. I won’t bite you.”
I was thinking fast. Ethan was not in Moon City. I didn’t know when he would finish his business. Besides, I owed Constantine a lot for saving my life from Kenneth. “Uh, how about lunch tomorrow?”
Constantine touched my cheek lightly with his pointer finger. “So soft, so beautiful.” Then he smiled. “Do you think going for dinner with me is such a shameful thing?”
“Oh, no! Not at all.”
“So?”
“Uh, I have a boyfriend. So, I don’t want him to misunderstand the situation.”
Constantine rolled his eyes. “Where is your boyfriend when you need him the most? Where is he when the loser went after you?”
His comments were like acid poured into an open wound. I grimaced.
“I am sorry. I shouldn’t say that.”
I shook my head. “My boyfriend is out of town. So, he can’t protect me.”
“I see. Then your boyfriend won’t know that you are going with me.”
Since I was still hesitant, Constantine smiled. “Just once. I only want to have dinner with you, nothing more.” He ran his thumb to my lip corner. “Unless you want more ….”
Constantine stared at me. I couldn’t move since his look was so intense. Then, finally, he moved closer and stared at me. I froze. His lips touched mine, and I jerked back.
“I can’t! I have a boyfriend that I love, and he loves me too.”
Constantine smiled a little. “It is only dinner, princess. After that, we don’t need to meet again if you aren’t comfortable with me.”
Constantine was right. After tonight, I wouldn’t need to meet with him anymore. Ethan wouldn’t know, and all would stay the same.
Then I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll change my dress first. Can you wait for fifteen minutes?”
“Only fifteen?” Constantine grinned; his smile changed his face into younger. “Usually, women need a lot of time to prepare themselves.”
I shook my head. “Not this one. I’ll be right back.” Then I opened the door. But when I stepped my feet on the ground, I winced. Immediately Constantine got out of his car and carried me in his embrace.
“Why don’t you tell me? You are so stubborn, woman!”
“I don’t want to trouble you.”
“If you hurt more, it would trouble me. So, rest your feet and let me carry you around.”
After I unlocked the door, Constantine carried me inside. When he was about to reach my room, my mother called me.
“Sweetheart, are you home?”
“Yes, mom.”
My mom walked to see me, but unexpectedly she saw Constantine.
“Constantine, please meet my mother, Freya Ross.”
Constantine nodded. “Mrs. Ross, your daughter has an accident, and I helped her. Now, we will go to dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Accident?”
“A loser chased her and wanted to beat her. So, I saved your daughter.”
My mother gasped. “Don’t tell me it’s Kenneth again.”
“Yes, mom, he is.”
“Oh, no! What happened?”