by Debra Kayn
Weakness warmed him, and he let go of her hair, watching her head drop forward between her arms braced against the wall. He caught his breath and pulled her back against his chest, holding her tightly.
Her head came back. His cock slipped from her wet body, and she trembled.
He washed both of them and helped her out of the shower. Wrapping her in a towel, he dried off, then kissed her.
Her half-closed eyes looked up at him. She was practically falling asleep on her feet after having put eight hours in at the bar and then pleasuring him.
She slipped under the covers of his bed as if she'd already made herself at home and held the blanket up for him. He joined her, and she snuggled against him.
"Mm." She nestled her head on his chest. "Night."
He held her tighter. "Night, fox."
She neither questioned or commented on what they'd done. Being with her was as natural as breathing. With her by his side, safe inside, the outside world couldn't touch her.
Chapter 25
Scarlett
SCARLETT JOLTED UPRIGHT in bed. Her heart pounded as she tried to make sense of the darkness around her.
Goosebumps broke out on her skin. The cooler temperature woke her completely.
The stale air filled with dust, and the aroma of grease tickled her nose. Her shoulders sagged. She was upstairs of Steel Mechanics.
She reached across the bed. Nelson's side was empty.
Wrapping the blanket around her naked body, she got off the bed and turned on the light. She slipped her feet into her Vans and navigated the upstairs looking for him. When she couldn't find him, she opened the door and walked downstairs. Going by how tired her body was, she assumed it was the middle of the night, and her concern quickly consumed her.
The light at the bottom of the stairs guided her way. She hugged the blanket tighter around her. When her foot hit the concrete of the garage, she spotted Nelson standing in the middle of the second bay.
She stopped and held her breath, taken aback by the stillness. There was nothing around him. No car or truck to work on, yet he held a wrench at his side. From twenty feet away, she could make out the whites of his knuckles.
He gave no clue that he was aware of her coming down to the garage. Not wanting to startle him, she stayed back. He held so much tension in his body. Nothing like he was upstairs when she came to him.
Alone, he struggled.
She hugged herself, wishing there was something she could do for him. When they were together, he seemed calmer and more content. But she couldn't be with him around the clock.
"Nelson?" she said softly.
He turned, spotted her with a stormy gaze, and looked down at his hand holding the tool. She stepped forward. He was no longer alone. She would always be here for him.
Nelson sent the wrench on the tool chest. She approached him, opening up the blanket and wrapping them both in warmth.
Shivers went through her. While his body was hot, his clothes were chilled from being down in the garage.
She pressed her cheek to his chest. "Why did you get up?"
"Couldn't sleep." He kissed the top of her head. "Didn't want to wake you up, so I came down here."
She tilted her head and gazed up at him. Whatever bothered him hung off him and put him in a dark mood.
"Why couldn't you sleep?" she asked.
"Too quiet," he muttered on a deep inhale. "In prison, there was always shit going on, all hours of the night."
He pushed her hair off her face and cupped her head. "You're cold. I can feel your tits against my stomach."
She rubbed against him, which only sent a quiver up her spine. "Come back to bed and warm me up."
"I'm dirty." He kissed her mouth. "The sun will be up in an hour."
She groaned. "It sucks to work nights."
"Go back to bed. I'll be here when you wake up." He stepped out of the blanket and folded her arms in front of her to cover her up.
She stared at him. His rejection of her offer to go upstairs hurt.
"What's going on?" she whispered.
He walked over to the rollaway and pushed it across the floor. "Got a lot on my mind."
"I can listen." She stayed downstairs, not wanting to leave him.
"Not going to bring you down because I'm bugging out." He walked to the end of the garage and started the coffee maker.
She followed him. "You never had trouble talking to me before."
"Things are different."
"How?"
"Scarlett." He exhaled loudly and braced against the counter. "Give it a rest, yeah?"
"No." She damned the blanket around her and not putting clothes on before she came downstairs. "I want to know how to help."
"Jesus," he muttered. "You can't help."
"If you let me—"
"Fox," he blurted. "Go back to bed or go home."
The anger in his tone slapped her. She recoiled.
"Fine." She walked backward, giving him time to stop her and tell her the real problem.
He made no move to turn around and smooth things over. She walked away, knowing he needed time to adjust to not only her being back in his life, but being out of prison. There would be ups and downs.
She understood where he was coming from, but it bothered her that she wasn't allowed to know that part of him. He couldn't protect her forever.
If nothing else, she could listen to him talk through his feelings.
She walked up the stairs, shaking her head at her lofty wishes. Nelson had always tried to take care of his problems without any help. She would need to give him time to figure out what he needed to do and just be here if he needed her.
Crawling back in bed, she curled on her side, trying to warm her body again. She couldn't shake the feeling that the vandalism on Steel Mechanics weighed heavily on his mind.
Sometimes, she really hated people. Couldn't the citizens of Missoula mind their own business?
Nelson was finally free of his past, and instead of celebrating his release, he was harassed by people who had no right to judge him.
She pulled the blanket up to her neck and burrowed down into the pillow. She'd need to scale back and slow down with Nelson. He needed to acclimate to his new life. Going slow was never easy for her because, in her heart, nothing had changed between them. But if she was honest with herself, she knew things were different.
Sure, the feelings were the same uncontrollable insanity she always felt for him. It was different for Nelson. He'd lived a life not many people ever experienced. His baggage only made her love him more.
The light thump of boots on the floor came to her before the mattress shifted, and arms pulled her back against the solid body. Emotions clogged her throat, and she swallowed, grabbing his hands and linking her fingers with Nelson.
She wouldn't apologize for being pushy. Nelson had to realize that she cared, and she was here for him when he was ready.
His body inflated and slowly deflated on a shudder against her back. "I'm glad he's dead," he whispered.
She held still, not wanting to interrupt him when he finally volunteered his thoughts. Understanding flowed through her. He never had to mention his father's name to know who he talked about.
Tank Steel was the worst kind of human being in the world. He deserved what he got.
She only wished Nelson hadn't gone through the abuse of his childhood. That made the rumors about him killing his dad unfair and painful. He never should've been blamed for something that wasn't his fault. She understood, more than anyone could, why he was glad that his dad was no longer alive, but now he had to deal with people thinking he was the one responsible for the murder. If they only knew that if Nelson had killed his dad, Tank Steel deserved it, a hundred times over, for the pain and scars he caused his son.
"I can't protect you from what people will say about me, and how they'll talk about you being with me." Nelson continued speaking softly. "That kills me, fox. More than anything."
She held on to his hands. "I'm stronger than you think."
"I know..." He pressed his lips against the back of her head. "But you shouldn't have to be. That's my job."
Tears slid out of the corners of her eyes. Life had forced him to be strong. He was a survivor.
Chapter 26
Scarlett
THE LIGHTS WENT OUT.
The music stopped.
Silence came.
Everything happened at once before the noise inside the bar escalated, and a body bumped into the back of Scarlett, knocking her into a table. In the darkness, her equilibrium failed her. She turned, not knowing what direction she pointed.
"Everyone, don't move. Stand where you are, so nobody gets hurt. I'll look for some lighting," shouted Jerry.
Someone brushed against her. "Scarlett?"
"Yes?" She half-turned when two hands gripped her upper arms.
In a vulnerable position, not knowing who touched her, she stepped back and collided with a hard object. She gasped, panic rising within her.
"It's okay. You bumped into the table." The man held on to her.
"Who are you?" Unable to see in the dark.
"It's Curley."
She relaxed, knowing he was Nelson's friend. "Why would the power go out?"
"Don't know, but I want you to stay right beside me. There are three more Tarkio members behind me. We won't let anything happen to you," said Curley.
Until that moment, she hadn't given it a thought that the power outage could have something to do with the harassment of Nelson. What if he was right, and whoever was after him could come after her? What if someone at the bar wanted to hurt her?
"I need to get to the breakroom and call Nelson." She grabbed Curley's arm. "Can you get me there? I can't see a thing."
"Nah, we're staying right here." Curley fell toward her, righted himself. "Jesus, everyone, stop moving around."
"Turn on the lights," yelled a man.
"Ouch. Richard, stop," said a woman.
Low rumblings started. The longer the power stayed off, the more worried she became.
"Who's got a lighter?" shouted Jerry.
Someone behind her answered. Bodies shifted. Excuse me's were shared around the room. Shoved up against Curley's chest, Scarlett tried not to panic. Claustrophobia hovered on the edges of her subconscious. There were eighty people at the bar. When everyone was on their feet, it made for a packed room.
"I found a flashlight," yelled Lorraine, a second before a beam of light came from the other side of the bar.
Scarlet squinted, straining to see what was around Lorraine and made out the counter running along the right side of the room. Knowing where she was, she pulled Curley toward the source of light. From there, she'd be able to get to the breakroom if she held on to the wall and walked forward.
"Wait." Curley stopped her. "If you need a phone, I've got one."
He let go of one of her arms and then put something in her hand. "Flip the top."
She turned the oblong object in her hand, opened it, and a soft light came on. She'd never used an mobile phone before.
"Here, I'll get Nelson's number up for you." Curley's fingers moved over the phone.
She couldn't tell what he was doing, but the screen changed right after she read Nelson's name.
"It'll ring," said Curley.
She held the device to her ear.
Nelson answered, "Yeah, man. What's up?"
"It's Scarlett. I'm on Curley's phone-thingy." She ducked her chin, trying to hear him with all the noise in the room. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just working on a customer's truck."
She exhaled in relief. "The power went out at work, and then Curley grabbed me and—"
"I didn't grab you. I held on to you," said Curley, still holding her.
She rolled her eyes since he couldn't see her. "Curley is here with me."
"What happened?"
"I don't know. Maybe a transformer blew, or someone hit a pole," she said.
It was the middle of summer. The power could go out with an electrical storm, but she hadn't heard of the weather changing.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be when the lights come back on." She looked in the direction of the flashlight, and another light came from the left. Then, another. "We've got a flashlight and some candles. Now that I know you're okay, I can let you go. I don't want to use up all of Curley's minutes."
"Let me talk to Curley before you hang up."
She handed the phone over. "He wants to talk to you."
Curley continued to hold her arm. She turned her head, looking at half a dozen lit candles burning around the room. Others sat around the tables, having given up on moving around.
Her vision adjusted to the dim light. Jerry stood behind the bar, talking on the phone, probably calling in the outage. Without power, the cash register wouldn't work, and the refrigerator and freezers would stop cooling.
Jerry brought his arm down and spoke with Wendy. She frowned at how close the server leaned against him. It was almost as if they were comfortable touching. No, Jerry wouldn't hook up with someone so fast. Not with another employee.
Her head snapped back, and she looked away. She'd gone straight to Nelson from Jerry, but that was a special case. Nelson had just arrived back from spending ten years in prison. It was totally different.
"Nelson's coming over," said Curley. "Until then, stay with me."
"I need to work."
"Not until there's power." Curley pulled out a chair. "Take a seat if you want."
She remained standing. Now that there were some light sources, she probably panicked for nothing.
"Can I have everyone's attention?" barked Jerry. "I reported the outage, and the dispatcher couldn't give me a timeframe for when the lights would be back on. There are only two hours until closing, so we're going to close the bar."
Everyone booed. Jerry held up his hands.
"I need the servers over at the cash register. Everyone else, the drinks you've had tonight are on the house. Remember that tomorrow and come back and have more...when you can pay." Jerry laughed with everyone else.
She turned to Curley. "I need to go help get everyone out the door."
"I'll wait around and escort you home." Curley let go of her.
She hesitated. There was probably no reason for him to watch over her, but she was grateful. "Thank you."
"I'm doing it for Nelson." Curley dipped his chin.
She smiled in appreciation. Nelson needed more people to see the good in him like Curley and the Tarkio Motorcycle Club.
It took twenty minutes for the bar to clear of customers. The power stayed off the entire time. She spoke with Curley and walked with him out the front door. He led her to the back of the building, where she'd parked, and stayed with her until she'd locked the doors and started the engine. Then, she drove to the front of the bar and made sure he followed her on his motorcycle.
She had to admit that having the biker around calmed her after the odd night, and Nelson vocalizing his worry about keeping her safe.
At her house, she waved to Curley and went inside. Dropping her bag in her room, she quietly went back downstairs.
"Where are you going?" said her mom, in the dark.
She muffled her scream of surprise, pressing her hand to her chest. "Shit. Mom. You scared me. What are you doing sitting in the dark?"
Her mom turned on the table lamp beside the couch. "I wanted to talk to you before you snuck out." She looked at the sliding door and then back at Scarlett. "You're seeing Nelson Steel."
She let go of the handle on the door. "Yes."
There was no use denying it. She wasn't hiding her relationship with Nelson from her mom or sister. It was none of their business, and with the way they'd both judged him, and the neighbors badmouthed him, she preferred to keep her personal life to herself for the time being.
"Oh, Scarlett." Her mom shook her head.
She swallowed.
While she was an adult and long past having to share the details of her life with her mom, seeing and hearing the disappointment aimed at her took the air from her lungs. She swallowed through a tight throat.
Her mom's mouth pursed, and then she said, "He's not good for you."
"He is," she said. "You don't know him like I do."
"How many times growing up have I told you not to go over to the neighbors, and you always went behind my back. Look what happened last time. There was a murder. It could easily have been you who got shot."
"He did not kill his father." Her temperature went up, and her face heated.
"Nelson was found guilty of intent to distribute cocaine." Her mom stood. "Please, stay away from him. I don't want to see you hurt or worse."
She pressed her lips together. It would do no good to argue with her. She wasn't going to change her mom's mind tonight or maybe never.
"I hear what you're saying, and I love you for worrying about me, but you're wrong. You're going to have to trust me when it comes to knowing Nelson and trusting him." She stepped over and hugged her mom, who kept her arms at her sides and never returned the hug. "We'll talk more about this later, but I need to go see Nelson. I'll be home before you go to work. Okay?"
Her mom's mouth hardened into a straight line. She stepped away and went outside. Before she talked to her mom, she'd need to speak with Nelson. It was his safety that was at risk. If he wanted her to keep their relationship secret from her family, she would.
Slowly walking to the fence, she couldn't come up with a way to change her mom's mind about Nelson. She opened the gate and jogged over to the back door of the building. Knocking loudly, so Nelson would be able to hear in case he was working, she waited outside.
She shivered, looking behind her in the area she'd found Mr. Steel the night someone shot him. Her mom had to know Nelson wasn't guilty of killing his dad because they'd both witnessed him arriving after the police came to investigate.
Freaking out, she knocked again when the door opened. She rushed Nelson, hugging herself to his chest.
"What's wrong?" He cupped her head, shutting the door with his foot.