A Hero to Dance With Me

by Marteeka Karland

  “He did stay. We had a good time.” Right. Understatement of the century.

  “Great! I can’t wait to catch up! When is he bringing you over to meet the family?”

  Wait. What?

  “Uh, it was one dance. Well, two. Why would he have me meet his family?”

  “Because, no one has ever seen Steve so smitten with a woman. As far as any of them know, he’s never even been out with the same girl twice. But you…well. He couldn’t take his eyes off you the entire meal.” Melanie was practically bouncing in her seat, clearly seeing more than was really there.

  “I doubt it’s that serious.” Elle tried to brush it off, but damn, she wanted this! Wanted Steve. “Have you seen him, by the way? I think I just missed him this morning.”

  Melanie’s smile faltered. “Wasn’t he with you this morning?”

  How to answer that. “No. I haven’t seen him today.” Not a lie. Exactly. They’d been up having sex well past midnight, that was for sure.

  “I’ll ask Chase. If he’s anything like his brothers, he’s out planning something big for you.” Her smile was contagious and Elle found herself smiling back as she took the woman’s order and headed back to the kitchen.

  Two weeks later, however, there had been no word from Steve. No calls. No messages at work. He hadn’t exactly gotten her cell number, but he certainly knew where she worked and could get a message to her either through her manager or his family. Two weeks was too long as far as Elle was concerned. She’d gone from puzzled to hurt, to puzzled again and was rapidly making the transition to pissed off. What had she done wrong? She hadn’t clung to him exactly. And he was the one spouting “mine,” and “You’re mine. Now. Forever.” She certainly hadn’t said it.

  After work, she stopped by the grocery for a few essentials. Milk and bread were always necessary, even if she hadn’t eaten much lately.

  “Jezelle?” She turned at the sound of her name and came face to face with Mike Carver, the eldest Carver brother.

  If she hadn’t been holding the shopping cart, she might have fallen over. “Hey, Mike,” she managed to get out. She’d never seen him outside the Roadhouse, but calling him Mr. Carver seemed overkill. “How are you? I haven’t seen you at the restaurant in a while.”

  “Been busy with work. Why didn’t you come to the family cookout last week?”

  “What?” Elle was completely confused. “What cookout?”

  “The one Steve invited you to? Mom was really looking forward to meeting you.”

  Elle’s stomach sank. It took everything she had not to sink to the floor in a puddle. “I haven’t talked to Steve since the night we danced,” she said truthfully, not wanting to give his brother the impression she’d refused the invitation.

  “You what?” Mike’s eyes grew wide and he took a step toward her. “What do you mean you haven’t talked to him?” He sounded almost angry. At her?

  “I mean, I haven’t seen or heard from him since that night.” Her anger was getting the better of her now. “Why would you assume I had?”

  “Because,” Mike growled, looking away, “Steve assured me he’d ask you.”

  “Well, he didn’t.” Elle just kept herself from snapping her response. Funny how it had taken some kind of confrontation for her to get her ire up, but no doubt about it. She was more pissed than hurt now.

  “He went back to base four days ago. The get-together was his see-you-later party. I just assumed you’d want to be there.”

  “Well, apparently, he didn’t want me there,” she said with a tight smile. “I need to get home. It was good talking to you, Mike. Don’t be a stranger at the restaurant.”

  He started to say more, but Elle turned her back on him and walked away as quickly as she could. She had to get home. Had to make it out of the store before she broke down. So much for not being hurt. Halfway to the checkout, she abandoned her cart and practically sprinted for the door and to her car. When she was safely out of the parking lot, the tears came. She could barely see the road for them. Sobs racked her body and for what? A man? A man who didn’t want her, no less.

  Once inside her apartment, she curled up in a ball on the couch and wept bitter tears. Steve didn’t want her. Never had. He’d led her on, took what he wanted, then left without a word.

  Fuck this. She’d indulge in a good cry tonight, get it out of her system. After that, though, she’d never cry over Steve Carver again. Ever.

  Chapter Five

  Three months later

  Elle checked the clock above the bar, which seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. Eight o’clock. Three more hours. God, she was so tired. She seemed to be devoid of energy the last few weeks, which wasn’t surprising since she hadn’t been sleeping well either.

  Rubbing the back of her neck, she braced the other hand on the bar and stretched her back. Man, she ached all over. A good, long soak in a hot tub would do her wonders. Surprisingly, though she had no energy, her appetite was raging. Elle found she was constantly hungry. As a result, her clothes were starting to fit funny. She’d finally broken down and bought a couple pairs of new jeans and work shorts, but they still didn’t feel right. Too big in the legs but tight in the waist.

  It had been a long few months. After the run-in with Mike at the grocery, she’d done everything she could to avoid the Carvers. Any time they came to the Roadhouse, if they sat at one of her tables, she begged a co-worker to serve them. Sometimes, she took on two or three tables to get rid of that one. Logically, she knew she couldn’t keep it up, but she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.

  As if thinking of the situation conjured it, she approached one of her tables and, before she realized it, she was face to face with the entire clan of Carvers. Including Steve.

  Just like that, the tentative hold she had on her sanity slipped. Elle’s world tilted. She stumbled backward, snagging a chair for balance. All the pain and confusion, all the longing came rising back with dizzying intensity. Her vision closed in as stars glittered around the edges. Elle fought not to pass out. She could hear people around her asking if she was all right, but was unable to process exactly which direction the question had come from. Her ears roared loudly and everything sounded as if it came from a well. The struggle to stay conscious and on her feet brought on a wave of nausea too strong to combat. There was nothing she could do about it. She was definitely going to throw up.

  Covering her mouth with the back of her hand, Elle turned and sprinted for the back exit. How she made it outside, Elle had no idea. She was sure she’d stumbled into several people, but managed to make it to the Dumpster before collapsing to her hands and knees beside it. Vomit exploded from her in a wave of intense nausea. Over and over again she heaved, the sick feeling overwhelming any sense of modesty she might have. Sweat covered her body even in the cool December air as she emptied the contents of her stomach. Dimly, she was aware of voices near her and knew she should be mortified for anyone to witness this, but all she could concentrate on was taking her next breath. Tears streamed down her face from the intensity of her sickness and she brushed them away as she tried desperately to regain control of her body.

  As she gradually came back to herself, she realized a man’s strong thighs caged her in. She gripped his knees for support as one of his arms wound around her middle while his other hand held her hair away from her face. He murmured in a soothing tone, nuzzling the top of her head with his chin.

  “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. You’re all right. I’m not letting you go.” His voice was gentle, like he was soothing a hurt child. It was oddly comforting.

  Until she realized who had her.

  When she would have stumbled forward into the mess she’d just made, Steve gently pulled her back, helping her to stand. That didn’t stop her from striking out.

  “Don’t you dare touch me!” she screamed at him. “You don’t ever get to touch me again, you prick!” Elle knew they weren’t alone, that his whole family was witnessing their fight
. She knew she needed to rein in her temper, but once unleashed, she couldn’t seem to stop the tide of anger. Or the tears.

  “I know, baby. I was a complete jerk to you, but let me get you home and I’ll explain.” Steve sounded so reasonable when Elle felt anything but reasonable.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you! Get away from me!”

  “Jezelle, I think there’s just been a big misunderstanding. All my fault, of course. But I swear to you I’ll make up for it.” Steve held his hands out to her, like he was trying to calm a wild animal. In that moment, Elle felt feral enough to be an animal.

  “A misunderstanding?” She was shrieking at Steve now and just couldn’t seem to help herself. “What part of, ‘You’re mine. Now. Forever’ did I misunderstand? Sorry, but that seemed pretty goddamned clear to me!”

  Steve winced, probably at her use of profanity in front of his mother. Elle knew she’d be mortified later, but right now, she couldn’t bring herself to give a damn.

  “I know baby, just let me take you home--”

  “Steve.” Vivian approached them, her hand held out to Elle. For some reason, Elle was compelled to take the other woman’s offer of unity. “What exactly happened between the two of you?”

  Elle looked straight at Steve, her eyebrow raised. Would he tell his mother what they’d done? That the sex had been mind-blowing? She had to hear this.

  “Mom, this is between me and Elle.” He still sounded reasonable, but Elle noticed his immediate unease. “Let us take care of it.”

  “It seems to me you’ve done a really poor job of taking care of things,” Vivian said curtly. “Now, did you invite Jezelle to the cookout or not?”

  Steve didn’t even come close to stifling a wince. “No. I didn’t.”

  Vivian gasped, taking a step back, almost as if Steve had struck her. “Steve Carver! You…lied to me?”

  “I’m sorry, Mama. I had things I needed to get straight in my head and every single one of them had to do with Jezelle. I panicked.”

  “So you ran off?” Vivian tugged Elle closer to her, putting her arm around Elle’s slim shoulders. “You ran off without saying goodbye?”

  “Yeah.” Steve sighed. “I suppose I did.”

  “No wonder the poor girl had trouble…” Vivian trailed off. Her body stiffened beside Elle. Then Vivian turned to face Elle. The older woman’s clear blue eyes seemed to bore inside Elle’s skull, seeking out all her secrets, her desires and fears. In her fragile condition, Elle couldn’t hold her gaze and looked down at her shoes. Vivian framed Elle’s face with her hands, forcing her to look up. With a slow visual sweep of Elle’s form, Vivian’s expression went from curiosity to shock to utter fury.

  She whipped around and marched the two steps to Steve. The loud smack as Vivian’s hand connected with Steve’s face shocked everyone into silence. Leland, Vivian’s husband, was immediately at Elle’s side, his strong hand on her shoulder. Elle had no idea what to do next, so she simply stared in horrified fascination as Vivian laid into her son.

  “If I thought it would do you any good at all, Steve Carver, I’d turn you over my knee and beat some sense into you,” she said through clenched teeth. “I raised you better than this! How could you?” Then she burst into tears. “You know how much this family means to me! Yet you’d throw it all away, throw your own future family away? And what about sweet Jezelle? You’d leave her to face this alone? Well, let me tell you one thing, young man, I’ll forbid you to ever come near my house while Jezelle is there if that’s what it takes. You may be a cold-hearted person, but I assure you, your father and I are not. We will grow to love that girl just as much as we love Melanie and Laura.”

  “Mom?” Steve looked nearly as stricken as Vivian. Like a lost little boy who’d earned his mother’s displeasure without knowing why. “What’d I do?”

  “You know precisely what you’ve done! Don’t play games! You’re a big boy. You understand how the birds and the bees work. Don’t pretend you don’t! You left her! You were irresponsible then you just left, not caring how she fared. I bet you never even once considered this might happen.” She shook her finger his face. “Fix this, Steven Jay Carver! I don’t care how you do it. But fix it!”

  “Oh, God,” Elle heard herself say as the full situation finally clicked into place.

  Right before everything went black.

  Chapter Six

  Nothing was going the way Steve had envisioned. He was more shocked that Jezelle was possibly pregnant than anything else, but he really hadn’t expected his mother to actually strike him. Or for her to burst into tears. He was torn between trying to comfort his mother or Jezelle. The decision was made for him when Jezelle crumpled into his father’s arms.

  Steve lunged for her, reaching her just as his father lifted her into his arms, holding Jezelle’s slight form against his much larger frame. Steve and Leland locked gazes. For the first time in his life, Steve saw unadulterated anger and intense disappointment directed at him. He and his brothers had all gotten into trouble their fair share of times but, no matter what they’d done, there was always that invisible line that was never crossed. He didn’t have to see the look on his father’s face or hear his mother’s quiet sobs as she stroked hair away from Jezelle’s delicate features to know he’d not only crossed that line, he’d obliterated it. Without a word, Leland relinquished Jezelle to Steve then enfolded Vivian in his arms as she cried into his chest.

  It had taken Steve a couple of days to realize he might have overreacted. Just a little. It had taken another couple of weeks to realize how much he wanted to see Jezelle again, but he hadn’t been in a position to act on it. He hadn’t invited her to the family get-together because he had no idea what he would say to her or even if she’d still want to see him. Besides, the cookout had been in those first days when he was still panicked. Then, when he’d settled back into his routine on base, the gnawing feeling he’d given up something precious grew with alarming speed. Every night he’d woken up reaching for her. Every day he’d longed to see her lovely face. He’d thought about calling but had hung up the phone before it could ring. Since he hadn’t bothered to get her number, all he’d had was the restaurant’s. While her manager might be a good family friend, he might not take kindly to him making a date on company time. Besides, by then enough time had passed he wasn’t sure Jezelle would appreciate hearing from him, especially at work. Looking down at her face, the dark circles prominent under her eyes even through her dark complexion, Steve had never regretted anything more in his life.

  Her lids fluttered open and those lovely dark brown eyes met his. The depth of her pain nearly drove him to his knees.

  “Put me down,” she whispered. “I don’t want you near me.”

  “Just let me get you somewhere you can lie down and rest. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

  “No,” she hiccupped. “I just want to go back to work.”

  “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart,” Leland responded to her with a soothing voice. He stood over her in front of Steve, his hand going to her forehead. Much as he’d done when any of the boys had been sick as children. “I’ve taken care of everything. Your job is safe. Everyone just wants you to get better.”

  “I’m fine,” she insisted. “Let me down.”

  “Please, child,” Vivian pleaded through her tears. “Just let me take you home so you can rest for a while where I know you have someone to help you if you need it. It would ease my mind and I wouldn’t worry so much.”

  Steve could see Jezelle wanted to refuse but couldn’t quite tell his mother no. Vivian always had that effect and for once Steve was grateful for it. He could also feel his father’s eyes boring into him. Hell would be coming for Steve later. He was certain of that.

  With a sigh, Jezelle nodded, relaxing a little against him. He looked around and saw the entire family watching with a mixture of curiosity, shock, and a couple of grins—those coming from Rick and Chase. Like his father, Mike...wa
sn’t smiling. At all.

  “I’ll get the car,” Mike said. Lord, when his dad and Mike got hold of him, Steve was in for a beating. Well, he’d take it like a man. They obviously thought he needed it. Maybe he did.

  Once in the backseat of his father’s Expedition, Steve settled Jezelle into the seat next to him. He fastened her seatbelt and draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her resisting form against his side.

  “Just because I’m trying to be nice to your mother doesn’t mean I have to let you touch me,” she said coldly. “Don’t.”

  “Jezelle, please--”

  “I said,” she bit out through clenched teeth, “let. Me. Go.”

  With a sigh, Steve reluctantly complied, moving his arm to lay it across the back of the seat. She sat staring straight ahead as if she were riding to her execution. She didn’t want to be here and he’d put her in this position with his callous attitude toward her. By disappearing from her life, he might have fucked any chances he’d had at a future with her.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he said. “I’ll try my best to explain later, but I know what a huge mistake I made.”

  “You don’t have to explain anything to me,” she said softly, no emotion reflecting in her once emotion-laden voice. She seemed to be going from one extreme to the other, a sure sign his mother’s suspicion was correct. It could be stress, but combine everything else with it and it added up to their one night of passion yielding a very unexpected present.

  “But I want to.”

  She turned her head to look at him. “Why? Why would you want to explain? To make me feel better about you just up and leaving without even saying goodbye? So I know you’re not a complete jerk? Or how about so you might have a chance to win me back and get back in your family’s good graces, especially if there’s a child involved?”