by Ciana Stone
As much as she wanted to be alone with him, she liked the fact that he was considerate. "Sure.'
Mathias waved them over, and Hannah delivered another pitcher of beer and two more mugs. It was clear that Mathias and Grady were friends and she found Grady very easy to be around. As promised, the food was excellent, and dinner passed with them talking about the people who stopped to say hello, who they were and what they did. Mathias seemed to know just about everyone, and Reese liked listening to him speak. She learned a lot about him.
Mathias had a generous nature. He found something good about everyone and made no negative comments about anyone. That was rare, at least in her experience. Just as they were finishing, the band cranked up, and people started cheering and clapping.
"Wanna dance?" Charli asked Grady.
"Too full."
"Spoilsport. Mathias?"
"Same."
"Well hell. Reese?"
"Heck yes."
She saw the surprise on Mathias' face as she and Charli stood. Hand-in-hand, they walked to the dance floor. "Can you swing dance?" Charli asked.
"Yep."
"Who leads?"
"Me, I've got on boots, so I'm taller."
With that, they got to it. Charli was a great dancer, and Reese enjoyed it. It wasn't until the song was almost over that she realized they were getting a lot of attention. Including Mathias. She smiled at him and pulled Charli in for a little bump and grind that had the place erupting in hoots and boot stomps.
When the music stopped, they returned to the table. "That was fun," Charli said. "Maybe next time I want to go dancing I'll take you."
"I'm there, sistah."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Grady said and softened his words with a smile. "I thought y'all were going to start a riot. I don't think this place has ever seen that much hot. In fact, how about we head home Mrs. Hotness, and you can show me some of those moves in private?"
"An offer I can't refuse," Charli agreed and reached over to give Reese's hand a squeeze. "Monday morning workout?"
"Absolutely. Have a great weekend."
"You too."
"See ya, bro," Grady said to Mathias and then smiled at Reese. "Have fun."
"You know it."
After they left, the music slowed, and Reese looked at Mathias. "One dance?"
"Sure."
He led her to the dance floor, took her in his arms and held her close. The way a man danced told a lot about him and revealed how well he moved. Mathias scored high marks on all counts, and it took all of twenty seconds for Reese to wish they were somewhere private and naked.
By the time the song ended she had halfway made up her mind to invite him to her bed tonight. To hell with waiting. Life was unpredictable and uncertain and who knew when something would happen to rob you of your chances.
"You ready to ride?" he asked.
"Are you sure you want me to answer that?"
Mathias laughed. "Let me take care of the bill, and we'll go."
"I'm paying half, remember."
"You can get it next time." He took her hand and led her over to the end of the bar where Hannah was ringing up a customer.
It made her unreasonably happy to hear those words. Not that she could keep her cash, but the implication that there would be another time. Reese marveled at the feeling. For a lot of her life, she'd been labeled a variety of things like emotionally stunted, cold, all-lust-no-love, and lacking emotion. The hurt it caused made her even more shut down because she refused to react to it. She'd never give anyone the satisfaction of knowing she was hurt. She'd smiled at the insults and shoved her feelings into a compact and tidy little drawer.
Had it not been for Wiley, she might have found a way to truly rid herself of emotions. But he wouldn't allow that, and she was grateful. Tonight, more than ever, because she wasn't just sexually attracted to Mathias. She liked him.
And that scared her more than she wanted to admit, so she'd keep up her act of only being interested in casual sex until she figured out how he felt and what he wanted.
"Sure hope we see you again soon, Reese." Hannah's words had Reese snapping to attention.
"Oh, you will. The food is amazing, and this place is great."
"Well thank you. Y'all have a good night now."
"You, too," Mathias said and took Reese's hand.
He didn't release it as they made their way through the parking lot and Reese thought how long it'd been since someone had held her hand. She could remember exactly when and who and even how it made her feel. That was one of the drawbacks to the way her brain worked. Nothing was ever lost, misplaced or forgotten.
There were things she sometimes wished she could forget. This would not be among those. She wanted to always be able to summon up this moment. She looked at Mathias and was again struck by how beautiful he was. Why had he not married?
Was there something he hid, something that made him less than appealing as a long-term partner? Stop. She hated when her mind started sifting and searching, trying to fill in pieces of a picture that were missing. Curiosity was not always an asset.
Sometimes it was a downright hindrance. Reese shook the thoughts aside, and once they were on the road, headed back to her place, she rolled down the window and breathed in the night air. For a while, they rode in silence. Finally, she looked at him. "I don't yet recognize all the smells here. What did it smell like? The place you're from?"
He glanced at her and then away. "Poor. Hopeless."
"That's a bad smell."
He looked at her sharply. "How would you know?"
"Do you think Native Americans are the only people to have known oppression and poverty?"
"Have you known it?"
"Yes."
He nodded. "I was lucky. I had Mica, and because of her I had it better than most."
"How so?"
"She ran away when she was a teenager and married a man much older who was wealthy. He paid for her education and gave her money to send me."
"What about your parents?"
"My mother left us when we were very young, to go home to her parents in New York. My father was a drunk."
"And you grew up being the parent rather than the child."
"In some ways."
"You turned out well, Matty. I hope you have family who is still alive to be proud of you."
"I have Mica."
"That's more than some."
"What about you?"
She shrugged. "That's a tale for another day."
"Or for a day when you know I can be trusted."
"Oh, I know you can be trusted. I just don't like talking about it when it's such a wonderful night, and I've had such a good time."
"Have you?"
She smiled at him. "Yes, I have. I think I may be a little smitten with you."
"Smitten?"
"Um hmm. Remember I told you that in high school I was skin and bones?"
"Yeah."
"I wasn't kidding." She looked out of the window as she talked. "From the time I was twelve through sixteen I literally grew ten inches. I couldn't eat enough to keep weight on, and I just kept getting taller and skinnier. The other girls made fun of me and called me a scarecrow and the boys—well, they wanted the pretty cheerleaders who were not taller than they and who weren't Brainiac’s."
He made the turn onto the gravel road that led to her house, and she continued. "I didn't get asked to the parties or the dances, and I didn't go to prom. But I did think about it and wonder what it would feel like to be with the cutest boy in school, the one all the girls wanted."
Reese turned to look at Mathias. "That's how it feels being with you. I finally get to be the girl who's with the guy all the girls want."
Mathias put on brakes, put the truck into park and the next thing she knew, he turned off the engine, got out and rounded the vehicle to open her door. She barely had time to turn before he'd pulled her to the edge of the seat and wedged himself between her legs
.
With a hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her into a kiss that answered a question she'd held in her mind since the first time she saw him. There wasn't anything sweet or gentle in this kiss.
This wasn't a man wooing a woman, it was a man claiming what he wanted and as barbaric as some might consider the notion, it thrilled her. Few men she'd met could hope to achieve what he just had. Reese didn't resist, but she also was not merely a passive receiver of his passion. She scooted closer to the edge of the seat and wound her legs around his body to pull him more firmly between her legs. What pressed against her assured her that her hunger was matched and that had her wanting to peel his jeans down.
Wanting. That was her entire reality. No. That wasn't right. There was something else. Something so enormous and powerful that impossibly, it blocked her mind of everything else. She felt Mathias. His spirit. She saw it in her mind, felt it inside her, right down to the essence that couldn't be defined.
How was this possible? How had he moved in and taken over? How was it possible for one soul to claim another? Reese marveled at the swirl of energy spiraling through her, imparting data she'd never experienced, filling her with something new and frightening, but something she wanted more than anything.
Belonging.
Just as his free hand moved up one leg to her ass, the world exploded. Literally. An explosion rocked the truck, and the world lit in fire. They both jumped, and she slid out as he turned and positioned himself protectively in front of her.
Fire billowed above the tops of the trees, and Reese's heart leapt into her throat. "My insects!" She took off, but Mathias grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Let go of me! I have to get to them. They're in the hives and–"
"Okay, but we should be careful. We don't know what's happened."
"All right." She let him take the lead, and they made their way down the rest of the road. Most of the length of the road was sheltered by forest on either side, but once they rounded a curve, they emerged into a clearing.
That's when she saw it. The house and the apiary were burning out of control, and the small butterfly enclosure was just gone. Reese felt her hands tighten into fists and anger flowed up her spine like a river of lava.
She walked ahead of Mathias and stopped far enough away from the fire to be safe but close enough to smell and to feel. Her gaze moved methodically over the scene, recording everything. This was no accident. Someone had deliberately blown up her home and her insects.
"I'm going to destroy whoever did this."
"You don't mean that. You're probably in shock. And it may have been an accident—a gas leak or—"
"You know that's not true. First, I don't have gas, and second, even if there was gas in the house, it wouldn't have destroyed the rest of it. No. This was deliberate."
"That doesn't make sense. Why would someone—"
"I have to call Wiley." She interrupted before he could finish the sentence. In fact, he shouldn't even be there. "You don't have to stay. I can handle this."
"I'm not leaving you."
The tone of his voice and his expression told her he'd brook no argument, so she gave none. She just pulled her phone from her skirt pocket and made the call. "Someone just blew up my place. Bugs and all. Yes, Mathias is here. Hold on."
Reese turned to Mathias. "We need to leave here. Wiley said I could come there if you would drive me.
"You'll go home with me."
"You don't need to be involved in—hey!" Mathias plucked the phone from her hand and lifted it to his ear. "Wiley? She's going to my place. Yeah, fine. Okay."
He handed her the phone, and she looked at him as she raised it. "Wiley? I don't think—look I hear you but—yes, I do. Okay, fine. Yes. Bye."
Reese crammed the phone into her pocket and looked around before facing Mathias. "Wiley's going to meet us at your place."
"Fine. Let's go."
They headed back to his truck, got in and left. It wasn't until they were on the hard-surface road that he spoke. "You want to tell me what's going on?"
"We need to wait for Wiley."
"Reese—"
"Matty, please. Just wait for Wiley."
"Fine."
Neither of them spoke again until he stopped in front of his home. Reese got out, looked at the house then at him. "I can't do this, Matty. When Wiley comes, we'll leave."
He was around the truck in two seconds with his hands wrapped around her arms. "What's going on?"
She shook her head.
"Yeah, I know," he said. "Wait for Wiley. But hear me, Reese. People don't have their homes blown up unless they're involved in some shit, and if you're in league with Wiley, then chances are it's next level shit which means the fallout could affect a lot of people. So, I'm going to wait, and I'll listen to what he has to say, but you hear me. I protect what's mine."
"I wouldn't do anything to bring danger to your family, Matty. I swear."
"I wasn't talking about them."
"But—but that's crazy. I'm not—we just met. You can't–"
"I can and either it just hasn't sunk in yet, or you're trying to deny it, but you know you felt it as clearly as I when we kissed. There's something between us. I don't know what or how strong, yet, but it's there."
She nodded. He was right, and it terrified her because she knew right down to her bones that if she cost Mathias his life, whatever mind she had would flee and that dark world of insanity would claim her forever.
Chapter Seven
Reese and Mathias sat on the front steps of his house, silent and unmoving. She'd refused to go inside. She said she needed to think. Mathias hadn't argued. He just sat beside her and waited.
Of late, he’d faced situations that had tested his stability. Not that he felt unstable, but he acknowledged the presence of an echo of PTSD. Seems that life thought he needed a test by fire and if that was the case, then so be it. He’d beat whatever it threw at him.
Except for one thing. The nagging suspicion that the shooting at the high school and Reese’s house getting blown up were connected.
When headlights flashed between the trees on the road leading to the house, Mathias stood. Reese didn't move or even blink. He walked down the steps as Wiley parked and got out of his vehicle. "What can you tell me?" Wiley asked.
"Not much. We hadn't reached the place when it exploded, and I mean sky high. The house and the butterfly enclosure along with all the hives. It's all gone."
"Did you call the fire department?"
"I placed a call on the way. She only allowed that for fear the fire would spread beyond the property."
Wiley nodded. "Good. Any other observations?"
"No, but plenty of questions."
"I expected as much. First, I need to see Reese."
"She's waiting on the front steps."
"Let's go."
She watched them approach in silence. When they stopped at the base of the steps, she spoke, directing the comment to Wiley. "They think they destroyed my work and that destroying my work will stop me."
"And?"
She stood, and Mathias marveled at how much a warrior she appeared at that moment. "And you know better. The only way they'll stop me is to kill me."
"They may try," Wiley replied. "Again."
"Then they'll get part of their wish but not the way they want. I'll weaponize it, but I'll use it to annihilate them."
He nodded. "You sure you're ready to go that far?"
"What do you think?"
"If you take that path there's a very good chance you'll reveal more than your intent to destroy them."
Until now, Mathias had been silent, but the direction of the conversation both puzzled and concerned him. "Someone want to tell me what you're talking about?"
Wiley and Reese looked at each other for a few seconds. Wiley was the first to speak, and when he did, it was to Reese. "I trust him, but remember, you're playing with more than your life."
Reese nodded before tu
rning her attention to Mathias. "I know you're strong and capable and you've seen more than your share of killing and death, and there's probably not much you can't face and conquer. I also know that you're kind and good and there are a lot of people who love you, a lot who would hurt if something happened to you and I don't want to be the reason they have to face that."
"You're so sure it's going to end in death?"
"In someone's, yes."
Mathias considered her words for a minute while Reese and Wiley watched him expectantly. "Since I don't know the facts, there's no way for me to make an informed decision so tell me, and if I'm not willing to take the risk, I'll tell both of you to hit the highway."
"That's fair," Wiley answered, earning a glare from Reese.
"What? You can't trust me?" Mathias asked her.
He saw the way her jaw clenched, and her eyes narrowed, and then the look of calculation that covered her face like a mask. A few moments passed before she opened her mouth. "Fine, then the truth it is. May we go inside?"
"Please." He gestured toward the door.
"Lead the way," Reese stepped aside.
Rather than argue, he just walked into the house and to the kitchen. "Want something to drink?" he asked as he pulled out a chair at the table for her.
"No, thanks." She sat, propped her elbows on the table with hands clasped and her mouth pressed against them.
"Wiley?"
"No, thanks, I'm good."
"Okay." Mathias took a seat beside her as Wiley took the chair across from her. He looked at Reese, and she gestured toward Wiley by opening her hands as if in offering.
Wiley's gaze locked with hers for a long moment before he turned his attention to Mathias. "To be fair to the story, I have to start at the beginning. If you'll bear with me?"
Mathias nodded and cut a quick glance at Reese who had resumed her position, staring at Wiley over the top of her clasped hands.
Wiley wasn't sure this was the wisest course of action, but he could read Reese well enough to know that whether she was willing to admit it, she wanted transparency with Mathias. He wouldn't violate her privacy to try to ferret out a reason. For the part of the tale that was his, he had no reason to mistrust Mathias. He trusted the story would remain between them.
