by C. M. Steele
“How do you know she’s not the crazy stalker I have?”
“She’s not. She’s running scared from her past. She was willing to sleep in her fucking car in the middle of the storm to get away from whoever she’s running from.”
“He’s a dead man.”
John nods, running his gloved hand over his skull cap. “So you saw his handiwork?”
“Do you mean I’m not losing it? That bruise on her eye isn’t from exhaustion.”
“Yes, she put some makeup on, but it’s still visible.” The bastard that did that to her may find himself at the wrong end of my gun.
“She stays with me. None of the guys end up in my house. Give them that warning. If I see them inside, I’ll beat the shit out of them and I’ll fire your ass.” I can’t stop the viciousness when it comes to protecting her.
“Merry Christmas to you, too,” John scoffs.
“I’m serious. If she’s here only for a couple of months, I don’t want anyone scaring her away.”
“Don’t you think that means you should stay away too?”
“Yes,” I grumble, knowing that’s not going to happen. I’m already itching to get back into the house when we have a serious problem that needs my attention. Pulling myself together, I ask, “So about the outage?” Just then the power comes on. “Well, never mind about that. How are my animals?”
“Good. It seems Dillon’s got it all worked out. We need to check the fences before we lose the rest of the light. The sun’s getting low, which means we have less than an hour.”
“The ATVs ready?”
“Yep.” We hurry and scan the fence line. It takes longer than we want, but only one has been smashed by a tree. Turning on the floodlights on the vehicles, we repair the fence as best as we can. “Let’s just keep the animals away from this area.”
“Okay. We’ll come out early and fix it. You better get in. You aren’t wearing the proper gear out here as it is.”
“Remember what I said about showing up.”
“Just don’t push Ava on her past. Whatever she’s running from, she’s scared of talking about it.” I nod. I can go to Landon to get me the information I need.
“From now on, everyone is armed at all times. Understood?”
“Of course.” I don’t know what she’s running from, but I’m going to make sure she’s protected, then I’m going to strip her bare and work on that family I promised to have. Fuck, it’s freezing out here and my dick hasn’t gotten the memo.
It’s been an hour and a half since I ran into my future wife, and I’m nervous. The first time, I didn’t get a chance to be nervous. I open the front door and then lock it behind me. I don’t want anyone in this house but us until I say so.
I barely get the door closed when I crash into her. She screeches out again, this time from the hot chocolate that’s all over her. I act quickly without thinking, knocking the cup down and lifting her shirt off of her. Tossing it, I open the front door and let the breeze in. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“What the hell?” John barks from the porch. Suddenly I’m blocking his view of her in just that pink bra. “What’s going on, Tobias?”
“It’s an accident,” she calls out. I slam the door on my foreman. He knocks hard.
“If your ass wants your job, I’d quit the fucking knocking. She’s fine with me.”
“Go up and wash off, please.” I give her my best “I’m sorry” look and turn her around toward the stairs. As soon as she’s out of sight, I open the door. “What the fuck? What part of ‘I wanted no one here’?”
“You forgot this, Tobias.” He sees the broken mug on the ground.
“Thanks. It seems I’m two for two on startling her. This time it’s hot cocoa. I hope she doesn’t have to go to the hospital.”
“True. It’s a long drive from here. She took her top off.”
“No…I did. It’s the first thing I could think of. It happened with hot coffee, and my dad had me take off my shirt right away to stop the burn from getting worse.”
“No. I’m just shocked. That’s what people would do, but with the door open?” His brows jet upward.
“It’s freezing balls out there. I figured it would cool her off quickly without ice.”
“Not a bad idea, but a bit crazy.”
“Welcome to the new Tobias Reynolds.”
“I kind of like this asshole better. Be nice and have a good night. I can’t wait to tell Louisa.” He laughs and shakes his head as he walks down my porch. I close the door and lock it. I look toward the stairs, but she’s not coming just yet. Damn, I hope she’s okay. I fucking burned her. I’m over here ready to kill the bastard who struck her, and I cause my own damage. Staring at the broken mug and sopping wet shit and floor, my anger at myself intensifies.
“Now to clean this mess up.” I walk into the kitchen and pull out the small garbage can from inside the pull-out cabinet drawer—a cool feature, I might add. Then I grab the towel on the oven and return to the mess I made. After picking up the broken pieces of ceramic, I sop up the mess and toss the old towel in the garbage. It’s going to need to be mopped. Fuck, I hate mopping. I walk to the broom closet and see the mop, which I have no intention of touching. There’s a Swiffer thing hanging on the hook, so I take it over there and use it. Once it’s spotless, I admire my handiwork. “That is much better.”
“Oh, I would have cleaned it up.” Her soft voice comes from behind me.
I turn my attention to her and do my best not to choke. She’s in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Both of them trace her curves so pleasantly, as if they were tailored for her. “I didn’t want it to seep into the wood. I’m sorry about that. Are you okay?”
“It’s a little tender, but I took a cooler shower than normal.” I close my eyes and try to breathe. My dick did not need the visual of her in the shower, but there it is. Like it’s on a fucking movie theater screen. My cock beats against my zipper, and I pray she doesn’t notice.
“You have hot chocolate on your coat.” She points to it, which I didn’t even notice.
“I believe it’s lost the hot part, but thank you.” I strip out of my coat and hat so they can be washed. This is my travel coat and not my usual work one, but it can go to the cleaner’s if it’s not machine washable.
I’m sure my hair looks a mess. I run my hands through my hair and raise my eyes to meet hers. I look past my dirty fascination of her naked and in the shower because the water washed off what little makeup she had on, and the telltale signs of a fading bruise mars her face. Yellow and purple spread from the apple of her cheek to under her eye.
I reach up and cup her face. “You can stay here as long as you need. No one is going to let anyone get on my property. Just so you know. You’re not going back to the bastard.”
“I wasn’t.” She steps back and says, “I made dinner. I thought you would have been back sooner, but I…” I can tell I’ve overstepped the boss-employee dynamic and she’s not quite ready for what I have in store.
“Sorry. I’ll make sure to tell you when I’m going to be late. Just because the lights are on, that doesn’t mean we were done. We did all we could until first light. Now—you said something about dinner?” I smile at her, which brings her own smile shining right back at me.
“Yes, it’s just a simple spaghetti with garlic bread.” There’s an upbeat tone to her voice that sounds full of hope.
“Thank you.” I follow her into the kitchen and see everything set up. The pasta is in a strainer and the sauce is on a low simmer. “It smells so good in here.” I can tell she’s a better cook than the last one.
“Thank you. Hopefully it tastes as good.”
“I know it did earlier,” I grunt out. She blushes and turns to the stove. Fuck, I need to calm down and hold back. “So Ava, when did you arrive in Cunningham Falls?”
She sets down a plate with noodles and the meaty sauce on top, putting the garlic bread on the side. “Just before midnight on the twenty-third. Lo
uisa and John were so kind to me. I know you don’t want me here, but I promise to keep to your schedule.”
“Are you not going to eat?” I ask, digging my fork into my pasta and stirring it.
“I ate some before you came back,” she answers as I let out another moan from her cooking.
“Not even a little garlic bread?” I cock my brow. It’s awkward to eat alone, especially because I actually want to impress her. Not that I’m even sure how to do it. It’s not that I haven’t dated in my life, but there’s something special pulling me to Ava.
“Okay. One more. It’s a weakness.” She takes one as I take a bite of my food. Fuck, we both moan, and I’m not sure if it’s the food that is that damn good or if that sound coming from her does the trick, but I’m captivated by her.
“It’s simply because it tastes so good.” I twist my fork in the noodles and bring it to my mouth. “I get up early, but if you have a hard time with that, as long as you make a pot of coffee to go off, I can manage until lunch.” I continue eating because this is the best meal I’ve had at home in a very long damn time.
She shakes her head and leans on the counter. “No, I can wake up early. What time?”
I give in because I can tell we’re going to argue about it. “Since it’s winter, I get up at six.” For the first time in my life, I actually want to spend time with one of my cooks. I want so much more than for her to cook for me, but one step at a time.
“Eggs and toast tomorrow okay?” she asks.
“That works,” I mutter through bites.
“I can always go back to bed after you leave. It’s not that serious. I’ve learned in the last couple of days that I can easily fall asleep anywhere at any time when needed. As for lunch, what time do you usually come in for it?”
“Around eleven thirty. Dinner’s usually around five thirty in the winter.”
“Okay.” She’s making notes on a notepad I keep on the fridge. It came free from the local bank, so I stuck it on there just in case I needed to write something down. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Please. Anything cold will hit the spot.” I dig into the food. She pulls out a glass of tea.
“Thank you.” I take a drink and groan. This is some damn good tea. Seriously, John’s going to get a raise for this.
“Do you want more?” she asks, reaching for my empty plate. Hell, I didn’t even notice that I finished it all.
“Please.” She plates another round for me. I’m going to have to work hard after this meal.
“I just made enough. Perfect.” She takes the pot and sets it in the sink to rinse. I’m a little heartbroken that it’s all gone.
“Says you. I could eat this every day.” Okay, maybe not every day; I love steak as well.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind, although I’m going to need to go to the grocery store before the year’s out. You’re out of a lot of things to make more of this pasta. Although, there are plenty of other meals I can prepare until then.”
Immediately I think about her out on the roads, driving and crashing on the ice. “No problem. I’ll take you into town as soon as the roads clear up.”
“You don’t have to do that. You’re busy. I brought my car with me, so I can drive into town,” she says while wiping down the kitchen island.
I reach out and stop her movement. “I’m not going to let you drive on these roads in this weather.”
“I thought the storm passed.”
“For the most part it will be entirely drivable in another day or so, but we’re still talking lots of ice on the roads and you’re not from around here, right?” I know that she’s from Indiana and that I’ve never seen her before the video, but I want her to tell me. If we’d met, I would have made her mine a long time ago.
“Okay. Well, I don’t need to go tomorrow, but at least in the next couple of days. So whenever it works best for you.” She shrugs, looking adorably sweet.
“I’ll let you know by lunch. How does that sound?”
“Great.” She begins to wash dishes while I finish my food. I would tell her not to, but I’m greedily focusing on her ass. Fuck, I nearly choke on my noodles. She turns. “A little too much.”
I take a drink of my tea to clear my throat. “Went down wrong.”
“I’m trying to off you on your first day back. Rogue noodles.” She smirks, pretending to be sneaky.
“You’re not getting away from me that easy.”
A blush comes over her face before she says, “You have me for three months.”
“Why three months?”
“It will be my birthday.”
Please tell me she’s over eighteen. She looks young, but I didn’t think she’d be a minor. “Which birthday?”
“My twenty-second.”
“Wow. So I know that John says you want to keep everything under the table because you don’t want someone to find you. I have to ask. Did you commit a crime?” I’m simply curious. Even if she did, I’d still protect her. It’s insane how I’d do anything to keep her safe.
“No. I’m not wanted by the police. I’m going to bed so I can get a decent amount of sleep. Do you need anything else?”
“No. Thank you, Ava. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Tobias.”
Chapter 4
Ava
I can feel his eyes on me as I leave the kitchen, and damn, those are some gorgeous hazel eyes. My heart’s racing so fast that I’m surprised I was able to keep any conversation with him. I had to keep looking away because Tobias is gorgeous from head to toe. He’s tall, muscular, like football-player big. His short hair is messy from the winter hat he had on. The man screams sexy to the point that I feel like I still can’t catch my breath. I don’t know how I make it through watching him eat with his strong jaw, chewing. His large forearms rested on the table, and I could see the corded muscle when he rolled up his sleeves.
The one thing I thought of when I saw him wasn’t fear, but a sense of safety, which is strange because we don’t know each other. For the supposed curmudgeon he came off very nice, especially someone who had no idea I was even here.
Then he stripped off my top. If I weren’t burning from the hot chocolate, I would have come on the spot. He acted fast and probably kept me from the burn deepening and needing medical attention. Although seeing John’s eyes widen and then narrow to anger, mortification swept over me.
Now as I make my way to my bedroom on the second floor, I do a slight turn around to steal a glance at the kitchen door, and there he is. “I just wanted to thank you for dinner again.”
“My pleasure, Tobias,” I say, turning my head quickly forward. I walk the rest of the way upstairs, refusing to look at him again. Louisa said that room downstairs was normally for the housekeeper but had been cleaned out and never replaced so I could take one upstairs. I didn’t think my heart could beat faster, but I guess I’m wrong. I take a deep breath the second I close the door to my temporary bedroom. I lean against the wooden surface, letting the past two hours wash over me. The next three months are going to be difficult, especially if he has a girlfriend.
I open the door to a small closet which I’ve made my own in the past two days. I added nothing special except I put up a picture of my mom and I before she died. I miss her so much. No one should lose their mom so young. She wouldn’t have let my dad become the crazy son of a bitch he’s turned into. She would have kept him on the right path.
I take a seat on the bed and hold the picture with my elbows resting on my thighs. “If only you were still here. I’d take you over the money any day.” I set it down on the nightstand next to me and then get ready for bed. Thankfully, there’s an alarm clock because I can’t imagine waking myself up, and I still haven’t turned on the burner phone since I bought it. I set the alarm for six thirty and then head into the bathroom to get ready. I slip on my warmer Purdue pajama pants and Purdue tee and go to bed. It’s cozy in the house, but it’s still winter outside and the wind howls throug
h the open field.
I look at the clock and it’s only eight, which is way too early to sleep, so I make my way downstairs, passing his room where I hear the shower running. My feet stop on their own accord to listen a little. It’s sick, so I remind myself that I’m not that kind of girl and move along. Shit. I should have stayed in my room.
I grab a glass of water to take upstairs. I’m halfway up the staircase when I hear his bedroom door open. Tobias runs across the hallway to the linen closet stark naked and snatches a towel, running back only to see me less than ten feet away from him. We’re staring at each other and my mouth is wide open, eyes raking over his amazing body. His thick cock is clearly hard as hell as he tries to hide it with his hand and a part of the towel. He’s blushing with embarrassment, while I’m cataloging his features. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t restock the towels in my bathroom.” He dashes back into the bedroom and closes the door. This has got to be one hell of a first impression.
I take the steps and start toward my room when I slip on the now wet floor. “Son of a bitch,” I groan out as I come crashing down, banging my tailbone. The glass of water doesn’t fall completely but the contents are now putting me in for the best wet T-shirt contest winner. I attempt to stand, but I think I bruised my wrist.
His door opens and he’s coming near me. “We seriously have to stop meeting like this,” I tease, looking up at his concerned eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
“It seems I keep wearing liquid. At least this one is cold.” Shit. I drew attention to my chest with that. You can’t miss my hard nipples through my tee. His eyes widen and then he takes the glass and sets it down on the small table in the hallway. Suddenly, he has me in his strong arms. He carries me into his bedroom and sits me on his bed.
“Let me go clean that up.” He takes the towel and goes about drying the floor. Then he comes back into the room and pulls out a shirt from his drawer. It’s a Bears tee. Without thinking, I pull mine off and take the one he’s offering, completely forgetting that I’m not wearing a bra. My large tits are completely on full display. As I slide it over my head, I steal a peek at his expression but the first thing my eyes catch is his tented boxers. Quickly I finish slipping on his shirt. “Shit. Did I just really do that?”