My feet dangled as I tried to reach my other hand up to him. Panic had set in. Once he finally had me, he pulled me up to safety and got me inside of the window. Reed climbed in to follow, and watched as I fell to the ground crying. I’d almost taken a terrible fall; something that could have ended my life. He’d saved me, and I couldn’t begin to know how to thank him for it.
He got down on his knees in front of me. “I need you to go downstairs and wait for me. Can you do that?”
I nodded and listened to him this time, trusting that he had been right all along. I had no business getting out on that roof.
I heard a loud noise coming from upstairs as soon as my foot hit the first floor. Against his orders, I ran back up the stairs and saw him climbing inside of the window. Though I couldn’t see it, the sound of the tarp was above us. I pulled the flashlight out of my pocket and looked at Reed. He had blood pouring down his leg. “You’re cut.”
“I slid and sliced my leg on a piece of flashing.”
In the hallway bathroom I found a first aid kit under the sink. I sat the flashlight down on the vanity to use for light. Reed hobbled inside and sat down on the edge of the tub. I opened the peroxide bottle. “This is going to sting.”
He sucked in air as I poured it over the open wound. I dabbed it with a dry cloth and applied some ointment, before fastening it up with band aids. Once I was finished I stood up and backed away from him. Reed got on his feet, breaking the distance between us. He was so close that I could see the stubble on his face clearly. His lips parted, and I became mesmerized by his handsome attributes. “Thank you.”
I looked down at my feet. “I should be thanking you. I almost fell off of the roof. You probably saved my life.”
I felt the back of his warm hand running over my cheek. “I couldn’t let someone so beautiful fall to her death.” His comment caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how to take it. Up until this very moment I’d considered this man a complete stranger, maybe even a threat. The fact that he’d literally gone out on a limb for me, and then rescued me had changed that. This man wasn’t going to hurt me. If he wanted to he could have let me fall. In that very moment the uncomfortable feeling wasn’t because I was scared. It was because I was blushing. Luckily it was too dark for him to notice.
Even though I was ashamed at myself for even finding his comment to be flattering, I turned to look at him in the dim light of the bathroom. If I was someone else I’d be playing off of his words, doing whatever I could to impress him into jumping in bed with me. Unfortunately, the most daring thing I ever did in my life was skinny dipping with my sister and her friends in a pond when we were seventeen. My last lover had been intimate with me once with the lights on, and the person I lost my virginity to had never seen me naked. I’d worn a shirt the entire time.
The man in front of me wasn’t like anyone I’d ever been around. He was mature, and probably experienced. He’d seen more in his life than I knew existed in the world. That’s why I knew his compliment wasn’t meant to be an advance. He was simply being kind when he knew I was freaking out, and because of that I knew I had to get control over myself. “We should probably go back downstairs so you can rest your leg.”
We did just that. After getting downstairs, I helped Reed prop his leg up on the coffee table. Then I grabbed us two bottles of water out of the pantry. While I handed him his, I sat down across from him again. A chill hit me, reminding me that I was walking around in wet clothes. I stood up. “I’m just going to change my clothes again. I’ll be right back.”
He started to get up. “Until you get the whole roof checked out I’d be careful about going on the second floor. These old houses weren’t built to withstand that many years of pounding.”
I kept walking. “I’ll be right back. Wait here for me.”
Once I got to my aunt’s room, I grabbed my bag and started rummaging through it to find something to put on. The flashlight wasn’t a big help. I managed to put on a pair of yoga shorts and a tank top. The dry fabric hit my skin making me feel much more comfortable. I then walked into the closet and fetched pillows and blankets, knowing that neither of us were going to be able to sleep on the second level of the house. Silently I was thanking God for not having to go through the whole tree episode alone. Against my better judgment I probably would have jumped into my car and manned out the storm inside of it.
When I got downstairs Reed was already up. He’d crouched down in front of the fireplace. “What are you doing?”
“The temperature is supposed to drop. There is a stack of wood in the box that will take us through the night. Plus it will give us some light. There’s no telling when those batteries are going to go dead in that flashlight.”
He had a point, so I got down on the floor next to him to help. In no time at all the old dried out wood lit, providing the room with ambience. “I’m glad you’re here.” My confession shocked me, but what surprised me more was what he did right after I said it. He took my hand and brought it up to his lips. I didn’t feel threatened, which was alarming since I was usually so careful.
“That’s funny considering that when you came to the door you looked at me like I was a criminal.” I would have felt awful had it not been for his smile. “I can tell you’ve changed your mind. Obviously I have no interest in causing you harm. If anything it’s the opposite.”
He had my attention.
I raised my brow, still trying to not pay close attention to the boxer briefs that fit him tightly everywhere. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged and sat back down on the couch. “I shouldn’t say. It’s probably a bad idea anyway.”
Of course, now I wanted to know what he was thinking. I pointed toward the outside window, where rain was pounding down. “We’re going to be here for a while, so I’ve got plenty of time for you to figure out how to say what you were going to.”
He chuckled. “It’s not what I was going to say that’s making me keep quiet.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Do you think I can’t handle it?”
“Erica, you and I come from different worlds. What I mean as a compliment may come off as offensive. I’d rather not take the risk, as we’re stuck in this house together for at least the night.”
I couldn’t let it go. For some reason I was adamant about finding out what it was he felt I couldn’t handle. I knew I wasn’t in his league, but certainly I could take any type of comment he had to make. I wasn’t made of glass.
The room was quiet for a while. We both sat there watching the fire crackle. The wind whipped outside, but we were nice and warm. Soon his shorts would be dry and I wouldn’t have to keep avoiding making eye contact with his groin. The fact that I was doing it in the first place was appalling to me. It was extremely out of character.
Reed broke the silence with his next question, and I don’t think either of us was prepared for what it would provoke.
“So, how come your boyfriend isn’t here with you?” He took a sip of his water and sat the bottle down, seemingly unaffected by his curiosity in my private life.
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
His dark eyebrow raised, and I got this hint of intrigue. “That’s surprising.”
“Why is that?”
He leaned forward and cleared his throat before continuing. “It means that someone as beautiful as you are should have a man chasing her around.”
I giggled. “I’ve never been chased, Reed, but thanks for the compliment. Besides, I’m too bossy for a relationship.”
“That’s a damn shame. Life’s too short to focus on one thing. You’ve got to be willing to have fun sometimes.”
“I have fun.” I defended. “I have plenty of fun.” He didn’t know me, or my hobbies.
“Name one thing you like to do that’s fun, and it can’t be part of your job.”
I sighed and prepared to answer with something surprisingly witty. My lips parted, but the response wouldn’t come, because I d
idn’t have one. There were no hobbies, and I couldn’t even remember the last time that I’d gone out and done something with people I would call friends. “I don’t have to explain myself to you, or anyone else. I happen to enjoy my life the way it is, and I most definitely don’t need a man to make me happy.”
Reed shook his head as if he didn’t believe me at all. For some reason it made me fume. He didn’t know anything about me, yet he was going to have an opinion about the way I chose to live my life.
Since I didn’t want to continue with the conversation, I got up and headed into the kitchen. In the back of the pantry was a hidden cabinet. My aunt had kept it a secret so that her customers wouldn’t be able to find it when she wasn’t around. Inside she kept a full stock of wines, red and white. I pulled out a bottle of red and located a glass in the cabinet. The corkscrew was tough to locate in the dark drawer, but I managed to find it.
The house was quiet when I popped open the cork and poured myself a glass of something that would relax me. His voice startled me, and from the dim light of the fire in the other room, I could see the form of his body leaning against the doorframe that separated the two rooms. “Can I have a glass of that?”
“Sure,” I said as I turned to grab another one out of the cabinet. Reed waited and watched me pouring it, before lifting it off the counter and up to his lips. I downed my whole glass and poured some more. “I figured now was as good of a time as ever to break into the good stuff.”
“I agree, but I also think you were avoiding our conversation.”
I leaned against the counter toward him. “So what if I was? I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t have to explain the reasoning as to why I do things in my life.”
“True. I’ve just been alone for a long time, and I wonder why someone would choose that kind of life.”
“I don’t have to answer to anyone,” I quickly replied. “I can go where I want, and talk to whom I please. Being with someone means you have to make sacrifices. It’s something I’ve never been good at.”
“Not every relationship is like that. Some people appreciate having their own space. You’d be able to do that with or without a partner.”
I picked up the bottle and walked past him, moving back into the living room. I felt irritated that this guy kept trying to get me to talk about my personal business. Admittedly, I knew that I lived the most boring life, and that his traveling all around trumps any kind of experience that I’d ever had. I just didn’t need reminders about it.
He followed me and sat down on the couch, this time next to me. “Did I offend you?”
“No. I just don’t like talking about my personal life.”
“Then I guess we have to talk about mine.” He said it as if he had no secrets. His confidence was apparent.
I crossed my legs and looked over at him, noticing how his eyes glowed in the light of the fire. “Fine. How come you don’t have a girlfriend? You’ve been back for a while, and obviously you’re looking to be grounded.”
“I’ve dated, but that’s nothing new. I dated when I was overseas as well. You know, there are women in the military. Relationships are common, especially when you’re away from home for so long. A personal connection can sometimes prevent people from going utterly insane over there. It certainly helps with the nightmares.”
“The nightmares?” I was curious.
“Yeah. Every time I saw someone die, especially children, it devastated me. I’ve seen parents lying over their dead kids, who were scattered across roads. I’ve watched mothers and fathers murdered. It takes a toll on a person.”
I covered my mouth with my hands. “I’m so sorry, Reed. I can’t even imagine what something like that is like. I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep either.”
The thought of seeing deceased children made me ill. Not only did I long to have a baby someday, but I valued the love that only family could bring. The idea of a parent watching their children die was too much for anyone to fathom.
“It haunts me, but I’ve learned to manage. I think a part of me always wanted to have a family so that I could take care of them, but when I got out of the military I’d changed my mind. I’ve been traveling for so long, unable to settle down for that reason.” He drank the rest of his wine, leaned over and refilled the cup. “Sorry. You probably didn’t want to know all of that.”
The sensitive side of him had my undivided attention. “No. It’s fine. I’ve been told I’m a good listener.” I paused and looked over at the fire. “So, have you met anyone special since you’ve gotten back?”
He scratched his head and looked directly at me with a half-smile flashed across his face. “I’ll let you know in the morning.”
His cocky answer made me blush. I giggled because I didn’t know how else to react. “You’re funny.”
“Just trying to make you smile after a tough time.”
I appreciated his humor in light of the situation. “If only this were one of those romance novels that my aunt used to read. Real life consists of trees falling into the house, and us running out of dry clothes trying to repair it. It’s about bad storms that leave us stranded with no take out delivery, and bathing with wash clothes. There is nothing romantic about this. I’m just glad you showed up when you did. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done, and I’m sorry for thinking you were a criminal. I admit that I was very wrong.” It took a lot for me to come out with that reply.
“I appreciate your honesty, Erica. I tell ya, it’s hard to travel and earn the trust of people around me. Most see the bike and assume what they want. Honestly, I just like the way the wind feels against my face. I feel free after being tied down to the military for so long. Life isn’t about being afraid of something, and when I find the right place to settle down, I believe I’ll know it, because it will feel right.”
“I commend the way you live so carefree. I can’t do that if I want to survive in my business. The more cutthroat you are, the further you get.” I didn’t mean to sound vicious, but it was ideally how I was expected to act when I was at the office.
“I bet your job isn’t as hard as you make it out to be. I’d imagine that your smile gets you some perks. I can’t see very well in this light, but I’m guessing those eyes of yours are blue. A blonde with blue eyes isn’t something that men are likely to not notice.” He winked at me after he said it, and I felt a hot flush growing on my cheeks again. Every time he looked directly into my eyes it gave me chills.
“If they do, I’ve never noticed.” I drank the second glass of wine down and poured the rest of the bottle into it. Already, I was beginning to open up. There was no way I’d talk about this on a normal day.
“Can I ask you something personal?”
I nodded. “Sure. If I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”
“That’s acceptable. My question isn’t bad. I’m just curious if you’ve ever been intimate with a man for pure satisfaction?”
I had to turn away. His question was more personal than I was prepared for. I actually felt uncomfortable. I gulped the rest of my wine and got up to grab another bottle, denying him an answer.
In the kitchen I leaned on the counter and tried to gather my thoughts. My mind was in all sorts of places, but mostly sending me to fantasies that I didn’t want to be imagining. I couldn’t help but picture those strong arms holding me, his firm lips kissing me, and those large hands touching me. This was so out of character for me, yet I couldn’t control myself.
I wanted to know what was under the tight boxer briefs.
We were in this terrible situation, stuck for the night together, with nothing to do but get to know each. We were both adults, yet he was the only one that seemed composed, while I was crumbling before him. I didn’t know how to act, and out of pure fear, I was making a fool out of myself, showing him how inexperienced I really was.
It wasn’t long before I was back in the living room. He was sitting in front of the fire putting in another log.
I opened the second bottle of wine and poured us both a new glass. “That last question was my queue to leave. I’m not very open, if you didn’t notice.”
He turned his attention to me when he sat back down and picked up his glass. “Do I make you nervous?”
I bit down on my lip and nodded. “Maybe a little.”
“When I walked up on that porch and saw you standing there, with those wet clothes stuck to your body, I thought you were the sexiest woman I’d ever seen. I knew there was no chance in hell that you’d be interested, plus I really need a roof over my head for the night, so I’ve been trying my hardest to be a gentlemen. I’ve gotta tell you though, sitting here with you is getting harder by the second. Now, I’ve got no problem going over there on that other couch and giving you your space, but if this attraction is mutual I’d like for you to let me know. If I see you lick your lips one more time I might have to kiss you.”
I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. A fire ignited between my legs, and all I could think about was his lips touching mine. My breathing increased and I crossed my legs to try to distract the feeling of losing control over my actions. “I…”
“You’re interested.” It was as if he was answering for me, like he already knew I was crumbling.
He was convinced that I wanted him, and I had no idea how to respond. “I never said that.”
“You don’t have to, Erica. I’ve been around enough women to know when a beautiful lady is attracted to me. I’m not trying to put you on the spot, and certainly after everything we’ve been through tonight I’m not trying to push myself on you. I’m just stating that the attraction is mutual. Look, my years of beating around some bush to get laid are over. I’m an adult and I know what I want. There is nothing wrong with being confident.”
“Get laid? I’ve never…”
“You can call it whatever you want.”
It wasn’t the word. It was the fact that I’d never just slept with someone. I’d been involved with them first, gotten to know them for long periods of time where we courted each other. Then, when the time was right we’d be intimate.
Riding It Out Page 3