“Uh-huh.” Was all Dee said. She leaned back against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed and a skeptical look on her face. “Jaxson Avery, a man who alienates everyone including his own family, just happens to decide to let you be his houseguest for the evening— with no strings attached?”
“It wasn’t like that.” Shay knew where Dee was going with this. And yes, even though she and Jaxson ended up in bed together, that’s not how it started out. Shay found herself defending him, when before she couldn’t stand him. “It wasn’t like that Dee. Jaxson is so different. He just has a broken soul. Underneath all that anger, coldness, and misery, there is truly a good man underneath it all. He has just pushed everyone away for so long that he doesn't know how to act normal or be happy, or how to let people back in. He reminds me of an onion. You just have to peel back the layers to see what is really underneath. Ya know?” Shay said after rinsing the last dish and drying her hands on a kitchen towel.
“Yes, kind of sounds like my best friend, but not to that extreme.”
Shay just chuckled and grabbed the bottle of wine and her glass and motioned for Dee to follow her back in the living room. It had been an exhausting day, and she didn’t feel like being on her feet any longer.
Dee followed and sat down on the couch. She held out her empty wine glass, and Shay filled it. She topped off her own glass with the last of the bottle. Dee watched her over the lip of her glass as she took a sip of her wine and said. “So, tell me more about how you peeled back this onion.”
Shay laughed and took a sip of her wine. “Well, for one…he shaved.” She said smiling at the memory. She had been so shocked when he had come out of the bathroom without a stitch of hair on his face.
Dee almost choked on her drink and said, “What? I have lived here two years, and that man has always looked like a Sasquatch. What made him do it? Did you ask him too?”
“No, I didn’t ask him to shave.” Shay wasn’t comfortable revealing his reason for shaving. It was too personal and too intimate of a thing to share. If Jaxson wanted to share it with people, she would leave it up to him. “He didn’t really say anything to me about it, and I didn’t ask.” Shay shrugged her shoulders and finished her glass.
“Didn’t ask because you weren’t in a position too?” Dee asked grinning.
Shay couldn’t help but turn bright red at the innuendo.
“Ah-ha! I knew it! Dish on the details girl. Was he big? Was it amazing? He looks like he would be rough.”
Shay was a bit overwhelmed by the questions. “Oh my god Dee! That’s way too personal. I’m not telling you that!”
“Okay, okay. Was it amazing? At least tell me if he made you cum.” She looked so earnest; Shay couldn’t help but answer.
“It was beyond amazing!” She said, eyes twinkling.
“I knew it!” Dee leaned forward on her knees. “How many times? Come on you have to tell me that?”
Shay paused for effect. “It was all day long and into the night. I lost count!” Both girls fell back on the couch in squeals of laughter.
The girls spent the next hour gossiping and talking more about Jaxson and some of the cute guys that Dee has been flirting with up at the bar. They finished the rest of their wine and Dee finally got up. “Well honey, it’s past 9:00 pm and I have a very early morning.” She said grabbing her purse and heading for the door. “Supper was fantastic. Thanks again. Let’s try to get together again in a few days, ok?”
Shay smiled and kissed Dee on the cheek. “Thanks for coming. We’ll talk soon.”
She watched Dee drive away and then went back to the cottage. She was slightly buzzed from the wine, and her belly was full, but she didn’t feel like going to bed just yet. She flicked on the T.V. and started watching ‘The Proposal,’ but she couldn’t focus on the movie. Her mind kept wandering to Jaxson. To Jake’s words. Even though Jaxson tried to say what happened between them was a mistake, she knew he really didn’t believe that, and she was not going to let him get off that easy. She completely disagreed that they were a mistake; she knew they had something special. But she knew in order for them to be together that she needed answers. And she was going to get them.
Chapter 13
A full week had passed since Shay had spent the night with Jaxson. Every morning she did her run faithfully along the river in hopes of seeing him. As the days passed, with no sign of him, she got a little desperate. She even went as far as walking the private trail that led to his property. She would knock on the door, but no one would answer.
The house was as silent as a tomb as if it had been a deserted house. She even went to the extent of trying to peak in the windows, but the place looked empty. At night she would spend some time with Sue, having a bay breeze on the front porch and just talking. And then she would either read a book or watch a movie to pass the time. She slept poorly most nights.
The next day, she sat on Jaxson’s porch steps wondering where he could have gone to. It’s not like he could abandon his property. Where else would he go? Who would take care of the horses? And that’s when it hit her. The horses. She hopped off the steps with excitement as she made her way to the horse stables that were in the field beyond his house. She hadn’t thought to check there until now because the horse barn was set apart from the house beyond a grove of trees. Out of side out of mind.
When she reached the stables, she slid open the heavy wooden door and stepped into the dark barn. “Is there anyone here?” She said taking another step inside. She blinked a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light. Eventually, dark shadows formed shapes, and she could make out the tools and tack hanging on the wall and the doors of the horse stalls. It was a decent size horse barn with a ladder on the far wall that must have led to the loft.
Her eyes roamed to the left and the right as she counted five horse stables on either side. All 10 were full except one. Curious at the visitor, the horses had stuck their heads over the gates and began to whine in unison. She ignored them and headed to the back of the barn where the ladder was. Stepping up to ladder she gave it a little shake to make sure that it was secure. It didn’t budge. “Hello?” She called out as she began to climb the ladder.
She had only climbed a few rungs when a noise behind her that caught her attention. She halted and waited as the noise became louder. It sounded like a horse. A few moments later she saw the horse trot in with Jaxson on his back. The horse came to an abrupt stop as Jaxson pulled on his reigns. She watched him ease off the horse. He turned and looked at her his eyes again were like ice. Cold.
“What are you doing here Shay?” He said in a low tone.
Shay carefully climbed down off the ladder. “I was looking for you. Where have you been all week? Why are you avoiding me?” She asked, unperturbed by his standoffish manner. Now that she’d had a chance to get to know him better, she knew his surliness was a defense mechanism. But she wasn’t afraid.
“I’ve been busy. Besides, I told you not to come back. What part of that didn’t you understand?” He said walking past her guiding the horse to its stall. Shay stood there waiting impatiently as he studiously stripped the saddle and tack from his horse and then proceeded to brush him down. She could appreciate a man that took care of his animals, but she was pretty sure that he dragged out the chore longer than it really needed to be. Once he was done, he closed the door and latched it before walking away from her in long, fluid strides.
Shay watched him walk out of the stable and followed him. She nearly had to run just to catch up. “Hey.” She called, but he didn’t stop. “Now, wait just a damn minute.” She yelled and then grabbed his forearm. He stopped and whipped around glaring at her. Shay immediately regretted grabbing him, but still refused to let up. She released his arm and raised her hands in a silent apology. “Look, I want some answers. I think you at least owe me that.” She waited for Jaxson to say something, anything, but he just stared at her with his jaw clenched. “What did Jake mean b
y what he said? Was he talking about Jillian?”
“It’s none of your damn fucking business. Go home, Shay.” He said in a harsh tone and started walking towards his house again.
“What the hell is your problem?” She yelled running after him. “You sleep with me, we spend an amazing day and night together, and now you want me to just disappear and pretend like it never happened? I don’t think so.” She hissed.
“Besides, it is my fucking business whether you like it or not. He threatened me, and that wasn’t the first time.” She yelled at his back. That seemed to get his attention because he stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean ‘that wasn’t the first time’?” He asked, looking back over his shoulder.
Shay debated whether or not to tell him about the night with Lucas and Alex. Truth be told; she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was the jealous type. And even though, he may be pretending indifference to her now, who knows how he would feel finding out she’d been out with his brothers. Granted she hadn’t really ‘been out’ with them, but he wouldn’t know that.
She decided to just keep it simple. “I had a run-in with him, Sherry, her red-headed sidekick, and another goon up at Whitepoint when I was visiting Dee on her shift. Let’s just say he made it clear what he thought of me.” She didn’t say anything else on the matter.
Jaxson just stopped and stared at her like he was contemplating on something to say, but then he thought better of it and turned and continued to walk away from her.
“Jaxson! God dammit!”
“What?!” He yelled whipping around to face her.
“Don’t be like this! You know we had something special, and you want to pretend like it didn’t mean anything to you. I know that’s not true.” She pleaded. She hated the vulnerability in her voice, but she couldn’t stop. She wasn’t going to let him walk away from this.
They just stared at each other, chests heaving with emotion. Something flickered across Jaxson’s face, but Shay couldn’t read him. Frustrated she yelled, “What? Say something damn you!”
“You fucking think I’m your little project now. Someone you can help or fix? Hmmm? Is that it?” Shay just stared at him dumbfounded. “Answer me!” He growled as he looked down at her with menace. His eyes began to glow golden around the edges, and the intensity made her body shiver.
“I didn’t say that.” She said as her lips trembled. He wasn’t her charity case. That’s not how she felt, but he didn’t give her the chance to explain.
“Shay, go home. You can’t help me; you couldn’t possibly understand what I’ve been through!” He said and started walking.
She could feel the anger in her come to the surface. Like a soup coming to a boil and she finally erupted. She ran up to him again and grabbed his arm, this time forcing him to turn and look at her.
“You don’t fucking think I understand?!” She hissed through her teeth. If she was bigger, she would have ripped his head off. “I’ve been through fucking hell and back, you asshole! Have you ever lost a child Jaxson? Hmm?” Shay yelled and released his arm. His expression turned from anger to shock, but Shay didn’t notice. She was too busy pacing back and forth like a caged animal rife with grief, anger, and pain all in one.
She whirled around and faced him again and shoved him hard in the chest. “Have you ever received a phone call saying that your child has been abducted? And realized that there isn’t anything you can do. You have to wait and hope and pray that they are okay, knowing that at the very least they are scared shitless, and at the very worst they are being hurt by someone.”
Shay didn’t bother to try to hold back the tears. She didn’t care if he saw them. “And you go insane with worry, trying to convince yourself that she’s okay, knowing full well that statistics are not on your side. Then a week after searching day and night, you get another phone call delivering the news— the news that your child has been lying in a field dead for more than a day? And your mind goes to all the terrible thoughts of how scared she must have been? Calling for her mother to help her? Only to have her mother not save her!” Shay screamed at him as the tears spilled down her cheeks and she fell to her knees. She let her head sag into her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. She felt Jaxson reach for her and then say, “I’m so sorry Shay. I had no idea.”
She flinched away from his touch. “Fuck you Jaxson!” She cried out looking up at him with tear stained cheeks. “You’re not the only one who has gone through hell or feels dead inside. The only difference is at least I’m not fucking hiding from the world, or from the people who want to help. I’m facing my shit head on.” Shay stood up slowly, ignoring his outstretched hand. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked him straight in the eye. “You want to wallow in your misery. Fine! I don’t give a fuck. Go on and be a coward. I don’t care.” With nothing left to say, she turned and started walking away towards the dirt road back to her cabin. He didn’t say anything or try to go after her as she continued to walk. Maybe this was for the best she thought as she continued home.
Chapter 14
By the time Shay reached her house, she had gone from sad and hurt to full-blown pissed off. She had worked herself into a frenzy and was ready to blow. She hadn’t been this mad in a long time. But, it felt good to be something other than full of sorrow. She stomped into her cottage and slammed the door behind her and yelled, “Fuck!” She walked into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator so hard the condiments rattled in the door shelf. Realizing she had nothing to eat or drink she slammed the door in frustration.
Well, it’s not like she didn’t have the energy and motivation to walk the few miles into town. Stalking back into the living room she grabbed her purse. She dug through it and pulled out a fifty dollar bill. She crammed it into the pocket of her shorts and headed back out.
A few minutes later she was walking the dirt road into town. When she reached the bridge, she heard a car coming from behind so she stepped to the side to allow it to pass but it didn’t. Instead, she heard it slow down. When she turned around to see what the car was doing, she noticed it had slowed down and come to almost a complete stop right before the bridge. Shay thought that maybe the driver was just being polite and letting her cross the bridge before proceeding, so she picked up her pace.
When she was almost to the edge of the bridge, she glanced behind her to see where the car was. To her surprise, it was almost upon her. She hadn’t heard it come up behind her that fast. She didn’t recognize the car as anyone’s she knew, and she couldn’t see the driver. Slowly, the hair on the back of her neck began to stand up, and she got goosebumps on her arms despite the summer heat.
She tried to convince herself that she was just paranoid, but something just didn’t feel right. She hurried to the end of the bridge and breathed a collective sigh of relief once she was back on the main road to downtown. She expected the car to pick up speed and pass her now that she wasn’t on the bridge. Instead, it maintained its pace, driving right alongside her.
Before she could react, she heard the electronic whir of the window being rolled down. “Nice place to pick up and move to.” The voice yelled from the car. It was a voice from her past, one that she recognized instantly and that sent shivers down her spine.
Shay whipped around to look at the driver, even though she already knew who it was. The car had stopped right beside her. Flashing a wicked grin from the driver’s side was none other than her ex-husband Kane. A tremor ran through her body, and she could feel her heart start to race. She hadn’t seen him in months, but he could still strike fear in her heart. So much for the restraining order.
She turned her head to look back the way she had come and then towards the woods on either side of her, looking for an escape route. But, back the way she came ended in a dead end on her property, and she didn’t want to lead him there. She was fairly certain he wouldn’t try to run her down with the car. But, if she took off into the woods, he would probably follow her.
And despite, the knee injury that ended his football career, he was still in pretty good shape and would no doubt track her down in no time. The thought of him catching her alone in the woods terrified her.
Her only choice was to try to make it to town or close enough that other cars would come by and she could stop one for help. She didn’t bother to respond she just turned back toward the road and started walking faster to reach the main downtown area where there would be more people around.
She could hear the tires on the gravel as the car rolled slowly after her. “Oh come on Shay. You’re not happy to see me?” Kane taunted as he continued to drive beside her.
Shay would have called 911 right then and there, but in her anger at Jaxson, she left her purse back at the house. Her cell phone was in the front pocket. So with no form of communication, she had no choice but to keep going. She kept walking at a steady pace determined to not let him get to her. But after a few more minutes of his taunting and following beside her, she couldn’t help it. Finally, she stopped walking and faced him. The squeal of the breaks of the car as he came to a halt pierced the air, and the car rocked gently when he put it in park.
Shay had a moment of panic when Kane stepped out of the car and started to walk over to her. But she knew she could show no fear. “You’re not allowed to be within a thousand yards of me, Kane. I suggest you get your sorry ass back in the car and drive out of here immediately before I call the police.” She said with a lot more bravado than she felt. Granted she didn’t have her cell phone on her, but he didn’t know that. She secretly hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff.
“Oh come on now. Don’t be like that.” He said and tried to put his arm around her. But she backed out of the way. For a moment the charming mask he wore faded and was replaced by a true fury. Shay backed up another step. Seeing her fear, he quickly switched back to the charming Casanova again, imploring. “Come on now honey. You shouldn’t have left without telling me where you were going. I’ve been so worried about you.” He reached out with lighting reflexes and pulled her into a tight hug
His Vengeance: Shifters of Alaska Series Book 2 Page 10