“Calm down. She’s okay. I got her some soup, and she seems to be sleeping it off. I’ve checked on her a couple times. She just wants to lie on the couch and watch Good Luck Charlie.”
“Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for.”
He growls at me through the phone line. I want to laugh at his frustration, but I don’t. He would only take it out on me. I can tell that already. The sound of him does something else to me, though. The deep rumble. The sexy suave melody has me wanting him between my legs. I don’t want to act like a lovesick girlfriend, but I can’t help it.
“I miss you,” I admit to him in a sultry voice. Sex oozes off my words, and I pray I make his nether-regions feel the same way mine do. Desperate for relief.
“You don’t even know, baby girl.”
A chill runs through my body and lands square in my stomach. His words spark things inside me I have never felt. If I don’t hang up now, shit is going to get out of hand. I will probably say something I’ll regret.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Chrome.”
I see Scarlett moving. She smiles.
“He likes you.”
I collapse against the black leather recliner and kick my feet up. I don’t want to acknowledge her words, but it would be rude if I didn’t.
“I like him, too.” I don’t want to have this heart-to-heart with a ten-year-old, but I don’t think there’s any avoiding it. She climbs back under the giant motorcycle blanket on the couch and pulls it up to her chin.
“Are you still going to leave when you’re done here?” I don’t know how to answer her question. Because I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow, let alone months from now. I can’t make promises and I won’t lead her on.
“I don’t know, Scarlett. What I can tell you, that no one else knows, is I bought a house here. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to lie to you, either, or break promises.” She nods, and tries to hide the hint of a smile pulling at her lips.
“Get some rest.” I stand up and venture to Chrome’s bedroom with my laptop to try and find a contractor to fix up my house.
River sits across the table from me in Maggie’s. Scarlett is still dead to the world on the living room couch back at Chrome’s house. The little old lady who lives next door was kind enough to hobble over and sit with her so we could both grab something to eat.
The sun’s gone down and the tiny town of Woodstock is coming to a halt for the night. As soon as the street lights come on, most places close.
I pick at the cheeseburger and fries, and he downs the spaghetti and meatballs like he hasn’t eaten a damn thing all day. Boys his age have never ending hunger; it never ceases to amaze me.
The bell on the front door alerts the staff to a newcomer. Nobody bothers to look but me. I am instantly fucking glad I did, because there’s Blue, twenty feet away from me, walking toward the counter. He hasn’t noticed me yet. But there is no way I am making it out of here without him seeing me.
“You okay?” River asks. I’m sure I look scared shitless. I am not okay but I try to lie about it. I don’t want to clue him in on everything, even though Blue is already on his radar from the motel.
“Someone I don’t care to see walked in. That’s all.”
River turns to look and he recognizes him.
“That is the dick-face from the motel.” I just nod and finish up whatever I’m going to actually eat so we can get out of here. I look up and notice Blue is gone from the counter. While River and I were discussing him, he started making his way to our table. Soon, he is standing right next to me.
“Star, I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.” If my eyes could shoot actual daggers, he would be dead in a bloody mess on the floor of Maggie’s. I start thinking about ways to kill him. Running him over with my car, stabbing him in the eye with a fork, the list goes on and on.
“That’s nice. I don’t have anything to say to you, though, so you can be on your way.” I wave my hand in the opposite direction, shooing him off, and his face starts to turn red. He’s pissed. For the first time in my life, I am not scared. I am not intimidated. I couldn’t give two shits if he is mad.
“We have things to discuss.” He grits his dirty teeth together and starts to eye River.
“We have nothing to discuss, Blue. In fact, I was just on my way out.”
I stand from the table and shoot my gaze to River, who immediately joins me. Normally by now, my body would be freaking out, my heart beating far too rapidly, and craving something, anything to numb the feeling. But he has no impact on me.
“Don’t you dare fucking walk away from me, Princess.”
I want to stop, to turn around and tell him off. More than anything. But he wants my attention. He wants me to turn around and acknowledge that he has some kind of power over me.
I walk out of the diner with River by my side, and we drive back to Chrome’s house in silence. I try to sort through all my fucked up thoughts, but I don’t know what to make of them. No matter what I do, or say, I am never going to be rid of Blue unless I finally go to the police about what he has done. I should have listened to Seven and immediately filed charges against him. I was stupid, yet again. Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve. It is too late now.
Light spills through the curtains of Chrome’s bedroom window. I slowly blink my eyes open to examine the clock. It is just before eight in the morning, on Wednesday. Chrome will be back today. I don’t know what time he will be rolling into town, but I can tell you I feel much safer with him in Woodstock now that Blue is lurking around.
I let out a yawn and start to stretch when I notice something move in the corner of the bedroom. The old wooden rocking chair in the corner moves; someone is sitting in it. My eyes can’t focus and I scream bloody murder. I probably could have woken the dead with my shriek. It isn’t until the person moves that I realize it isn’t an intruder. It’s Chrome.
“Jesus, fuck, woman!”
His chest heaves, and I know I scared him just as much as he just scared the piss out of me. I throw a pillow across the room, beaning him upside the head with it.
“What the fuck, Chrome? Seriously, you scared the shit out of me!” My heart is still racing, and my hands are shaking from the sheer amount of adrenaline running through my body.
“I got back real early this morning. Since Scarlett is still out on the couch, I snuck in here. You looked too peaceful to wake, so I just sat down here. Didn’t think I would fall asleep.” He rubs his eyes with the heel of his hands. He is exhausted; I can see the circles around his eyes. It looks like he hasn’t slept in days.
“Come climb into bed. You clearly need some rest.” I pat the bed next to me, and he stands and stretches. I gawk at him as he stretches. His tight, white undershirt rises up, exposing his unbuttoned jeans laying low on his hips. His lightly tanned v cut makes me drool. I realize I am virtually fucking him with my eyes, so I lie back down, pulling the covers up and snuggling into the comfort of the bed.
“You know, you are on my side of the bed,” he teases me as he strips down to his boxer-briefs. I try not to ogle anymore, but it is so damn hard.
“I could move, but I didn’t think you would mind. I mean coming home to me in your bed and all.” I wink at him. I’m sure neither of us expected him to come home and find all this. I pictured him rolling back into my motel room again. Spending our time together fucking like animals up against the wall inside the door.