by C. J. Thomas
The man continued to stare a hole into my soul and I cleared my throat as doubt crept up my spine. I wasn’t sure how he was going to let me leave. Now I worried that I had stepped through the wrong door. Every ounce of reason inside me was screaming for me to leave—now—and that if I didn’t, my day would go from bad to worse.
“I’m sorry. I can see that you’re busy,” I reasoned, pointing to his car with the opened hood. “Maybe it’s best I just get going.”
He lowered his chin and clamped his fingers into my arm.
He was staring, but I wasn’t sure he was listening to the signs I was sure were blooming across my cheeks.
Wincing, I felt the air leave my lungs. I rolled my neck to look down at his big hand. Besides a little dirt under the nail, they were surprisingly clean. That didn’t stop my brain from recognizing the sharp pain from the tight hold he had on me. Once again, fear left me unable to speak. One by one, my bones began to shake. Tears threaten to spill and just as I was about to karate chop his wrist, the radio was back to playing music and he relaxed.
What the fuck was that? My eyes darted across his face.
He released his grip, smoothing the palm of his hand down my prickled skin.
I watched his eyes go soft. It was like something had possessed him. Now that it was gone, he was back to the man I’d first walked in on.
“Your cut is deep. It needs to be cleaned.” He tucked my hair behind my ear.
Despite his brief moment of roughness, his fingers gently brushed against my face, getting me to relax. I felt my chest heat and when he matched his soft touches with even gentler glances, the fire spread.
We locked eyes and I nodded.
Holding my hand, he led me to the back of his shop.
I looked around with wide eyes traveling over the tool benches, the racks of engine oil and various fluids I knew nothing about. There were old tires staked in the corner behind the motorcycle perched on its kickstand. The walls were covered with the stars and stripes, the Colorado state flag, as well as military memorabilia that made me safely assume either he or his family was military.
He stepped into the dark bathroom, released my hand, and flicked on the overhead lights.
I caught my reflection in the mirror and all thoughts vanished.
It was the first time I had actually seen myself since Gary hit me. My eyes were round, duller than normal. There was blood stained on my white shirt, which had been torn. Beneath the makeup was a scared woman whose heart had been broken.
Now I knew why I was getting the looks I was. I looked awful. Beaten. Battered. Broken. It was like living a horror movie, one I never could have imagined being a part of. The victim of domestic abuse.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the faucet running.
“Take a seat.” He jutted his angular jaw toward the toilet.
The seat was closed and I lowered myself down onto it. Fiddling with my fingers in my lap, I watched him scrub his hands clean. He took his time, thoroughly lathering with soap before rinsing them clean. When he was finished, he turned to me.
Hovering over me, he took my chin between his fingers once again, shifting my head around and taking a closer look in the light. Without saying a word, he stepped away and bent over, opening the cabinet beneath the sink. I watched him pull out a bulky red first aid kit. He unzipped it on the sink counter and began preparing the gauze bandage and disinfecting ointment.
“Is this your shop?” I asked.
He didn’t respond, though I knew he’d heard me. I also knew he was focused on the task at hand, so I let it slide. Without anything else to do, I took note of and was impressed by the cleanliness of his bathroom. I expected it to have the same dirt and grime feel of his garage, but this was as clean as I would have liked my own to be. There were fresh towels next to the shower, a single toothbrush—almost as if he lived here.
Twisting his spine, he pinched a cotton swab with a dab of disinfectant between his fingers and brought it to my lip. I flinched at the sudden sting. He pulled his hand back, lowered himself to his knees, and gave me a moment to prepare myself better for the next pat.
I watched him work, his blue eyes glittering like the ocean. He knew what he was doing. I was convinced he had dressed wounds before.
More glances than words were exchanged and soon I was lost in the story of his tattoos. I wanted to know stories behind the pictures, how he’d received the scars that lined his flesh. He had the kind of mystery that only sparked curiosity and I wanted to know more about who he was and what he’d done. Before I found the courage to ask, he was closing the cut up with a butterfly bandage.
He pulled back to admire his work and, without thinking, I took his face between my hands and pressed my lips against his. “Thank you.”
4
Trevor
The moment her lips brushed against mine, everything inside me came alive.
Her taste was metallic but sweet.
Pulling back, she looked up at me with hooded eyes.
There was a tingle on my lips that I wanted to feel again. Her plump lips were soft and tender, everything that I wasn’t.
Time froze and my vision tunneled. I noticed nothing but the twinkle in her eye as everything inside of me told me to pull her back, let her have it, give her a kiss she would remember.
Slowly, I lifted my hand to her face, threading my fingers through her silky thick locks. Bringing my mouth closer to hers, I didn’t know who she was or what had happened to her. I swore I had seen her before but couldn’t place her. She shared the look of many women in the city, except that she was exceptional.
Her eyes swayed with mine as she curled her fingers over my shoulders, lowering herself into my lap. Wrapping her legs around my waist her scent was intoxicating. Her femininity had my blood traveling south and I couldn’t take my eyes off of hers.
We searched for some kind of unspoken confirmation—an okay to go further, take whatever this was up a notch.
Gripping her tight waist, her body was warm and inviting. I held on to her as if I knew who she was. As if we had done this before. Because that was how it felt. Natural. Loving. Compassionate.
She clasped her hands around my neck and hooked her ankles behind my back as if I was the only one who could save her. She was a snug, perfect fit, and the moment her soft hand cradled my face I was left feeling breathless as heat spread across my chest.
Not one to shy away from an attractive woman, I couldn’t stop the irresistible urge to kiss her again. The feeling was real, raw, timeless. Slowly, she lured me back to her amazing lips with her seduced eyes. The passion exploding around us clouded my thought as I went in for the kill.
Fireworks went off as soon as our lips met.
A surge of electricity zipped up my spine as I pressed her hips further down on my pelvic bone. The moment her lips parted, I plunged my tongue deep into her mouth.
Her tongue flicked against mine.
Our lips smashed together as our hips rocked in unison.
My fingers squeezed and grabbed hold of anything they could find.
The smell of motor oil and grease were soon replaced by her and the scent of my sparkling clean bathroom. A dirty bathroom was something I couldn’t stand. I was so glad that I had this clean room now that she was here—now that we were here.
She had me hot and hard the longer she kissed me.
We panted, we moaned, and a small part of me felt guilty for wanting to take this further when I didn’t even know her name. It wasn’t something I did. I didn’t know why I was doing it now, other than it felt like the right thing to do. She’d made the first move and I was determined to not stop until I made the last.
Just roll with it.
She gripped the hem of my shirt, breaking our kiss, and pulled it over my head. Dropping her gaze, she trailed the tips of her painted nails over my tattoos. I watched her admire the work of art, thinking of the hours that went into creating the canvas that was with me forever.
When her finger stopped at my wrist, I easily scooped her off my lap, stood, and set her on the counter ledge next to the sink. Feeling my heart beat hard and steady, I removed her shirt. Her perfectly round mounds were contained in a sexy black lace bra. Taking them inside my hands, she lifted her hips and unbuttoned her shorts, wiggling them over her hips.
I stared into her gorgeous eyes as I slid them down her legs, tossing them to the floor. Then I lifted each leg, splaying my fingers wide as I ironed them up between her thighs. Subtly, I looked for other bruises or cuts but didn’t notice any. Good.
She hooked her leg on my thigh and pulled me closer.
I yanked her bra down, revealing her perky tits to the world. My mouth fell over one taut rose bud and my tongue flicked over it, getting her to mew. Feeling our emotions quickly getting out of control, I opened my pants and pushed them down to my knees along with my underwear. My shaft sprang up and I stroked myself as I continued to circle my tongue over her sharp nipple. Then I licked my fingertips and wedged my hand under her matching panties.
Her breath hitched just before her lips rounded.
Then her body jerked in response to my finger grazing her tender bud.
She was hot and wet, ready for me to take her higher.
Leaning back I opened a bathroom drawer, hoping that my younger brother Travis had forgotten to take his things from his last visit. When I found his travel bag, I knew that a condom would be waiting inside.
The woman stroked her fingers over my nape as I opened the packet with my teeth, rolling it on with both hands. She silently watched as she bit the edge of her lip, her chest rising and falling with little adorable pants of air.
When I lifted my head, she crashed her lips over mine.
The room exploded with lust and passion.
I settled between her warm, soft thighs. Gripping her at the waist, I liked the feel of her soft against my hard. Taking myself at the root, I wedged my cockhead at her entrance and slowly worked myself inside of her.
The pulse in her neck ticked fast.
Flicking my tongue against hers, she began to moan.
Slowly, I rocked my hips against hers. She was tight, gripping, and had my head spinning.
It had been forever since my last woman, and when my balls pulled up into my body reminding me just how long it had been, I nearly lost it.
Breaking our kiss, I thrust in and out of her in long fluid strokes. She gripped and clawed, hanging on through tiny whimpers that were going to be the last of me. Suddenly feeling like I was going to release, I pulled out of her and flipped her around.
Taking her by her hips, I slammed back inside.
My vision closed in.
Stars flashed behind my lids.
A second later she held her breath, then cried out into the air just as I discovered my own climax.
Catching my breath, I blinked my vision back until I went limp. Then I pulled out of her, realizing that this was a mistake. Without saying a word, I gathered my clothes and went back to working on my Mustang.
5
Sienna
I didn’t know what to say, but I wanted him to say something.
From the corner of my eye, I watched him gather his clothes and step out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. An uncontrollable flush of heat rolled through my body in waves.
Pulling my bra back up, I tucked my girls away and tried my best to ignore the way my heart constricted when he didn’t at least acknowledge what we’d just done. Turning my head to the mirror, I looked myself in the eye wondering if even I could honestly explain what it was that just happened.
A sparkle caught my attention.
I glanced to the diamond ring on my finger, thinking how one minute I was running away from a fiancé who’d hit me, and the next minute I was lost in the hands of a complete stranger.
“Shit.” My palm hit my forehead as I inhaled the last of our dampness created by hot gasps for air. “What the fuck did I just do?”
I tried to reason with myself that it was no big deal. That what I’d allowed him to do to me was natural. And it was. Nothing I’d done was wrong … other than the fact that I was supposed to marry another man.
I started to shiver as my cheeks burned with sudden feelings of shame.
It was best that I didn’t learn his name before he walked away. Everything about today was totally unexpected—possibly the biggest mistake of my life. From the moment Gary lost his temper and took it out on me, to the way I spread my legs so easily. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling any regrets when Gary clearly didn’t, but I did. My heart had been shattered.
If it wasn’t for that incredible instant and unspoken, immediate connection between us, I would have been fine pushing him—this—out of my mind and never mentioning it to another soul. I knew I couldn’t. There was something there. Something real.
I slid my legs into my shorts, pulled my shirt over my head, and scooped the items spilling out onto the floor back into my purse.
His scent—our scent—still lingered and was now sticking to the walls.
Tying my hair back on my head, I exhaled a deep breath and exited the bathroom. I wanted to stay—make it last—but knew that I couldn’t. Stepping out into the garage, fresh smells of whiskey caused my stomach to curl.
Music played through the small stereo and I found the big man already under the car, working. His tools cranked below as I glanced to the front door. It was still cracked open, exactly as we’d left it.
Pulling my cell from my purse, I cursed when I remembered it was dead. Enough time had passed for me to feel safe to leave that I wasn’t concerned with Gary still looking for me. I could leave and not have to be constantly looking over my shoulder wondering if he was going to finish what he’d started.
Maybe that was what this was all about. Me finding a way to escape the fear that wrecked my mind earlier. Now, all I could think about was how that nameless man felt when moving inside of me.
My skin flushed as my cheeks bloomed.
Opening the door preparing to exit the garage, I glanced one more time with hopes that he’d be watching. The same noises were still coming from beneath the car. I knew that there would be no goodbye—just as there had been no greeting when I’d arrived.
“Thanks. I needed that,” I whispered in his direction, not expecting a response—not expecting anything more than what he’d already given me. It was the truth. He’d given me the boost I needed to survive.
I slipped through the same door I’d come through and hurried through the alleyway before emerging back on the busier street. I stopped and glanced back one last time, wondering how I’d even managed to find his place. There was no sign, nothing indicating that his garage was tucked away. Hidden in plain sight in the bustle of the city. A complete enigma, just like the man who occupied the space.
Strangely, a part of me wished he would chase after me, demand to know more about who I was. He had asked. I just couldn’t tell him at the time what happened to me today. He knew. He’d seen it in my eyes. Cleaned it in my cut. Then again, I supposed I had enough men chasing after me today and didn’t need another.
My head spun in a web of confusion.
Back and forth it went. To this morning, to now. First, Gary, then the way the stranger kissed me. In that short amount of time, a stranger made me feel more desired and wanted than my own fiancé was currently making me feel. Something was wrong with that picture. That alone was what made me okay with my actions in the garage.
Coming to terms with my feelings, I turned up the street and walked with the same passion we’d created inside his tiny bathroom.
In that short hour, he’d managed to resuscitate my heart and bring me back to life. Filled me with inspiration and the belief that I could get through this hurdle thrown across my life’s path. It wasn’t the roughness of Gary’s bruising hands that I felt. Instead, it was the stranger’s touch that lingered, sending waves of heat across my body, still flutteri
ng across my empty belly.
Walking with my head down, I wondered what had guided me to that garage. Would I have found escape in any one of these buildings, or was I sent there for a reason? I didn’t know. I couldn’t know. And I wasn’t sure I needed an answer. One thing was certain, though; he wasn’t going to be easy to forget.
I stopped at a crosswalk thinking about my next move.
My phone was dead. I smelled of sex. And I needed a shower.
I didn’t want to go home knowing that would be the first place Gary would go looking for me. But when the light changed and it was safe to cross the street, I knew I had no other choice. It was important I washed off the evidence of my betrayal before I got caught. I decided to hoof it back to my apartment if only to kill a little more time.
My situation was beyond fucked up.
I blamed myself for putting myself in the position I was in. I should have never gone snooping behind Gary’s back; should have asked him first before confronting him with hard evidence that could convict. But after what that asshole did to me—how hard he hit me—the story of our perfect relationship kept coming to the same inevitable conclusion.
We were finished.
A half-hour later I was stepping into my apartment with the same reoccurring thought. I kept thinking about the familiarity in the stranger’s eyes. I swore that we had met before but, again, couldn’t answer where or when.
I trotted up to the elevator and squeezed myself in the first open cart I saw.
Leaning against the back wall, I found comfort in the compassion he’d shown. Sadly, it made me realize what had been missing in my relationship with Gary. It was like the clouds had parted, showering me with the silver lining of revelation before I made the mistake of marrying the wrong man.
Pulling out my keys, I opened my front door to the sounds of my home phone ringing. Skipping across the floor, I dove for it just as it was about to click to voicemail. “Hello?”
“Sienna, where are you?” Monica’s voice spat through the line. “And why haven’t you been picking up your cell?”