Reese: A Safe Haven Novella

by Terri Anne Browning

  I opened my door and had to bite back a groan. Some women didn’t like the overly muscled look. All those popping veins, bulging muscles and hard angles. I, however, was not one of them it appeared. Stone was six feet three inches and the last time he had had a match and been weighed in he was two hundred and fifty seven pounds of solid muscle. His trapezoids were ginormous; his biceps and triceps sculpted under his tattoos, and…Lord, help me! That chest of his underneath that black tank top he wore just begged me to touch it.

  His eyes were eating me up while I was doing the same. I knew what he was seeing, and I also knew from the deep almost gun metal gray of his eyes that he liked what he saw. My long red hair with its many natural highlights was pulled back into a high ponytail, which exposed the tattoo on the back of my neck: A pink and white winged butterfly with a skull in the center as it’s body. My white tee was tight across my chest and just barely covered my belly. If I were to raise my arms it would uncover my bellybutton and the skull dangling from my ring there. My jeans were shredded at the knees and fit my slim hips perfectly. My biker boots gave a little extra height to my five feet eight inches.

  “Hi.” I greeted with a small smile.

  “Hey.” His voice was deep and a little hoarse. His hands clenched at his side and I knew that he was finding it hard not to touch me. That he did not had me melting a little more toward him. Soon I would be one melted puddle if I wasn’t careful.

  “I’m ready if you want to go.” My smile was a little bigger this time and his gaze zeroed in on the dimple in my left cheek.

  He licked his lips before nodding. “Got a jacket?”

  I reached inside my coat closet and extracted a leather jacket. It was early September and temperatures were still basically scorching, but I would need the jacket come December. I slipped it on and zipped it up as I followed him downstairs and out to his bike. It was a sexy bike: Gray like his eyes and gleaming. It was about two years old and I could tell that he tinkered with it regularly from the custom rims and tires to the art work on the sides. He pulled on his own leather jacket, which covered up all of those delicious muscles, but in no way made him less devastating to me.

  His powerful legs straddled the motorcycle and then he handed me his extra helmet. “There is a microphone and a receiver inside so we can communicate.” He told me.

  I slid on behind him before pulling it over my head. Then I carefully wrapped my arms around his waist and waited for him to start the powerful beast up. It roared to life and my arms tightened around his waist impulsively. I could hear his laughter in my left ear and a goofy grin spread across my face.

  “Ready?” His deep voice caressed my ear in an almost sensual way.

  Was I? I wasn’t completely sure but still said yes.

  He handled the Harley expertly. At first I was nervous because I had never been on a motorcycle before, but I began to trust his skills and relaxed more and more as the afternoon wore on. Stone didn’t have a specific destination in mind, just drove on and on, enjoying the ride. And the entire time his voice caressed me as he told me about himself.

  He came from a small town in Oklahoma. His father was a doctor while his mother had been the mayor of his hometown. His was the middle child of five, with an older brother and sister and two younger sisters, the youngest of which was eighteen. He was twenty-nine, which I had already known. He had gotten into the whole mixed martial arts world when he was twenty two, something else I had known because there had been a bio of him before his big championship fight two years ago. Up until then he had competed in various martial arts tournaments around the world and had been really successful.

  His brother was a corporate lawyer, and lived in New York. His older sister was a kindergarten teacher back in Oklahoma with twin six year old daughters that he spoiled rotten when he went home for Christmas and a few other holidays. The younger two sisters were in college, one was getting ready to graduate and was going on to get her masters in English, while the youngest one was just starting and so far was undecided what she wanted to do with her life.

  I enjoyed listening to him, hearing about his siblings and parents. There was affection in his tone and it made me yearn for the childhood that he had had. It wasn’t until we stopped just outside of Phoenix for dinner that he asked about me.

  I took my time cutting up my grilled chicken while I thought of what to tell him. My heart was racing, but when I was done murdering my dinner I raised my eyes and simply told him. “I was lonely mostly.”

  He was watching me closely. No doubt taking in my flushed cheeks, the fear and indecision in my eyes. I had only ever told Mel the whole story of my life up until I had come here. I felt like I was two separate people. Rebecca was part of the childhood I had had. Reese was me now.

  “So you don’t have any brothers or sisters.” Stone gave me a reassuring smile after a minute, telling me that he wasn’t going to press me for information I wasn’t ready to give. “I don’t know if I would have liked that.”

  I stabbed a steamed carrot and devoured it. “I would have loved having a big brother.” Someone who would have protected her from The Pervert; who would have been a friend when I needed one the most. Maybe gotten me into and out of some of the trouble that Stone’s had him. “Your family sounds really special.”

  “I like to think so.” He took a long swallow of his tea to wash down his bite of steak. “Even the times when I really only wanted to stab them—most times it was my brother—in their sleep, I still felt loved and needed.”

  I put my fork down and reached for my water. “You know, listening to you talk about your family and everything it makes me wonder. How the hell did you end up owing Greg Daventry a favor?”

  He grimaced. “My brother…Kevin works for your grandfather at the New York office. He has this one weakness. Blonds. His new secretary was a blond and it is against company policy to sleep with someone within the company, and especially in your own department. But when the relationship came to light Greg decided not to fire either one when he found out who I was.” He shrugged. “Long story short, I had to owe the old man a favor down the road or Kevin was out and black listed from any other corporation this side of the globe.”

  “That sucks.” And it sounded just like my grandfather. He was a shark in the boardroom and in real life.

  “I thought so too, at the time.” He caught my gaze and I watched as those steel gray eyes darkened. “But then I never would have met you if I hadn’t owed him that favor.”

  That muscle sprang to life and if I had been scared of it before I was petrified now. I was developing feelings for Kieran Stone that went way beyond a crush. But with the trepidation also came a little of excitement. Stone was turning out to be a great guy. And as the evening wore on I found myself smiling more and more.

  “So…” He was leaning against the door frame of my apartment as I unlocked it. “Are you free tomorrow?”

  “I don’t work on Mondays.” I told him, as I opened the door and turned to face him. “Most people are still recovering from their weekend hangovers so Safe Haven doesn’t get much business. One of the bouncers bartends.”

  “Will you have dinner with me?” His smile was so infectious that I took a half step closer to him, returning it.

  “Maybe.”

  His fingers skimmed along my jaw and I couldn’t help my shiver. What was it about this man that affected me in such a potent way? “Want me to beg?” He murmured, seeming fascinated by the softness of my skin…the angle of my jaw…the soft peaches and cream skin tone compared to the darker tone of his fingers. “I will if you want me too.” His voice is a caress to my senses and I fight the tremors that quake my body.

  My tongue slipped out to dampen my now dry lips and I watched in my own enthrallment as his steel gray eyes followed the movement and dilated with want. “You don’t have to beg. I just don’t spend that much time out…Can we order in and have dinner here?”

  Those skimming fingers dared to journey dow
n my neck causing my heart rate to run wild. “That sounds perfect. I could really use an evening just being lazy.” His thumb stopped over my raging pulse at the base of my neck. “I’ll text you when I am through with my workout and training session.”

  He stepped closer, his head lowering. And even though I had known it was coming, panic set in and I jerked back, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now. His eyes darkened, but a small smile lifted at the corners of his sexy mouth. “Slow.” His tone held a promise. “We will go as slow as you need to.”

  Chapter 5

  “Got a letter of my own from FedEx.” Mel is munching on something crunch and I have to hold my cellphone away from my ear a little because it is so loud. But her words are smooth and clear and I grit my teeth at this news.

  I had hoped that the letter and other documents from Greg Daventry would be the end of it all. But now he was reaching out to Mel. I glare up at the ceiling above my bed and wonder if it would be sensible to just run away again? But I roll my eyes at the thought even as it whispers across my mind. I was done running from my past. And if I wanted to move on and get over what had happened to me five years ago I had to start facing my past.

  And I was more than ready to move on so I could explore what I felt for Kieran Stone. One date and I suspected that my feelings went far deeper than a mere crush. It was terrifying, yes…But exhilarating too.

  “What does it say?” I ask as I set up in bed and switch off the alarm that was going to go off any second now at noon. I didn’t have anything to do today except maybe a little dusting before Stone arrived.

  “It explains who he is, and that he has given me the title to Safe Haven free and clear. Also that he wants to thank me in person for being so good to you…Get this, he wants to meet me at Kieran Stone’s MMA fight the Sunday after next. There are two VIP passes as well as the tickets with the letter and another copy of the deed to the bar.” She sounds both outraged and a little excited. Mel, like me, was a big MMA fan.

  “Are you going to go?”

  She blows out a long sigh. “I don’t know yet. I guess it depends on you. I’m not going without you. But if you aren’t up to seeing the old fart then I’ll send the passes and tickets back.”

  Without even really taking time to consider it I told her to accept them. “It’s time I dealt with some of my ghosts.” I murmured.

  “Well I will be with you the whole time, kid.” Mel assures me with what I think is pride in her voice. “And if at any time during the fight you want to leave, or you just want me to kick some old man ass, just let me know.”

  I laughed. “Will do.”

  “Oh. Guess what.”

  “What, Mel?”

  “Those biker guys, Scarface and Lefty? They did a really good job scrubbing the bar yesterday. So good that I told them they had to scrub it again next Sunday or I was going to press charges myself.”

  When the two had come back to Safe Haven Saturday night they had attempted to cause trouble again. They had been twice as pissed when I had kicked their asses for the second time. But it was Mel who had really changed their attitude about wanting to come back to Safe Haven. She had stepped on top of Scarface, as she liked to refer to him, or as I preferred, Biker One. There she was, stepping on the guy who was flat on his back with yet another bloody nose in as many days, calmly informing him that if he didn’t make restitution for harassing me I would file charges against him and Biker Two, or Lefty as she like to call the guy with the broken arm.

  Restitution included cleaning every inch on the bar until Mel was satisfied. Mel was like a drill sergeant when it came to cleaning.

  My face hurt from laughing and grinning by the time I got off the phone. I hadn’t laughed so much in five years…And it was all because Kieran Stone had opened something up deep inside of me…

  ()

  “Chinese?” I sniffed the cartons, my mouth watering at the aroma of honey chicken, noodles, fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and pepper steak. Stone had found my weakness without even trying.

  He laughed as he dropped down beside me on the floor in front of my television, the coffee table acting as our dinner table. I groaned, lost in the flavors of my favorite dishes with the first bite. “Wow, to look at you, someone would never know that you like to eat so heartily.”

  I dropped my chopsticks into the carton of noodles and wiped my mouth on a napkin. “I’m usually a health freak when it comes to what I eat.” I admitted. “But Chinese is my kryptonite.”

  Those steel gray eyes darkened in a way that had my heart stuttering. “I will remember that.” He murmured as he picked up his own chopsticks and stuck a dumpling in his mouth. “This is a nice place you have here.” He commented as he glanced around. “It has a warm, welcoming feel to it…Just like you, once you get through those walls you keep up and under heavy guard.”

  “I have my reasons.” I mumble as I grabbed the remote and began channel surfing. “What do you like to watch?”

  “Anything is fine with me as long as it doesn’t have to do with MMA. I’m a little fried right now.” He was really digging into his food, eating like he hadn’t had a meal in days. But I had noticed the night before that that was how he normally ate. When a guy was as big as Stone, burned as many calories as he did with his workouts and training regimens, then he was always hungry. It was kind of adorable, actually. And he wasn’t a pig about it either. Some guys would be making noises, slurping their noodles, and talking with their mouths full. I had seen it plenty of times at the gym, or at restaurants.

  “What?” He asked when he realized I was staring at him.

  I smiled and just shook my head. “You are really cute.” I told him honestly.

  “I try, babe.” He gave me a wink before turning back to his food. The next hour was filled with us enjoying our dinner and each other’s company. We watched an old Cary Grant movie, because I was a geek when it came to old black and white movies, especially ones with Cary in them.

  Kieran Stone had me laughing and more at ease than I had been in what felt like a lifetime. He sat close without crowding me, which touched something deep inside. He was really going to take things slow with me, just as he had promised the night before. My trust in him grew with that knowledge.

  “As much as I like the makeup, I have to admit that the you underneath it really is more beautiful than words can describe.” He murmured giving my makeup free face a close appraisal. “And I love it when you smile. That dimple is such a tease.”

  I found that I was sitting closer to him than I had been earlier in the evening. Only an inch or so separated us and I was leaning toward him. “The makeup is my shield.” I reached out without thinking about it and brushed a piece of fuzz off his black shirt. “It keeps people out…”

  “And you locked up deep inside.” He finished for me. “I understand that. I just wondered why you felt you needed to keep everyone out.”

  “Because I have trust issues.” He rolled his eyes at the obvious and I sighed. “It isn’t a pretty story, Stone. I didn’t have the happy family that you do…My parents weren’t like yours.”

  His eyes narrowed, but he reached over and gently skimmed those magical fingers down my cheek. For once I didn’t flinch at the first contact. “Tell me.” He murmured and my heart clenched…And that freshly awaken muscle deep down ached.

  I was trapped in his gaze and I found comfort in them as I opened my mouth. “My father died when I was young. I don’t remember much about him. Only that he would sometimes read me a story on the rare occasions that he was home in time to tuck me in. Like Greg, he was a manic workaholic. So when he died I don’t really remember crying all that much…It’s hard to miss something that wasn’t really in your life anyway.”

  “How old where you when he died?”

  “Seven.” I shrugged. “When he died Greg promised to take care of me and my mother. He managed my inheritance, and gave my mother a monthly allowance for herself and another as a kind of chil
d support for me.” My body temperature dropped a little at the thought of my mother. “My mother sent me away to boarding school when I was nine. Switzerland.”

  “What?”

  I gave him a small smile. “By that time I was more than happy to be as far away from her as possible. She had started using drugs and drinking heavily by then. Nothing too hard at first. But I can remember the prescription bottles laying half empty on the dining room table. Her room smelling of pot. The discarded liquor bottles littering the floor all through the house.” I shrugged. “Our housekeeper tried to clean it up so that I wasn’t exposed to it. But Sharon worked faster at dirtying everything up, than poor Petra could clean it.”

  “Did you like boarding school?” His tone was a little hoarse, as if he was finding it hard to take in my story.

  “I excelled at boarding school. I was top of my class. If I had continued on there I could have graduated a year early. A few prestigious universities were already trying to entice me to attend.” I shook my head, thinking of what my life could have been like if I had continued on at boarding school.

  “Why didn’t you?”

  My body temperature dropped a few more degrees and I wrapped my arms around myself to keep what little heat I still had locked in. “My mother got married. Stephen Thorne…I’m sure you have heard of him?” He nodded, because everyone knew who Stephen Thorne was. The man I had dubbed ‘The Pervert’ was a hot shot in the financial word. He was known for having the golden touch when it came to deciding what to buy, when to sell, and when to buy more, more, more. I happened to know that he just had a lot of inside information; otherwise he would just be like any other stock broker.

  “Sharon married him and he convinced her that I was better off going to some private prep school in New York.”

  Stone raised a brow. “You don’t like your stepfather? He has been very generous over the last few years with donations to Make-A-Wish and Feed-America.”