by K. Langston
“Nothing, it’s just, I’ve never met a man as kind as you.”
“I have my moments. I’ve been known to be a real asshole sometimes.”
I laugh through my tears. “I don’t believe that.”
“Just ask Pop, he’ll tell you.” Justin grins. “Come on, you’ll love April and Lindsey.”
The bell dings above us as he leads me into the store. Upbeat music plays softly over the speakers as a couple of women dig through the racks of clothes. They don’t even spare us a glance as we head toward the large counter at the back of the store. There, perched on a stool, is a young woman who appears to be about my age, maybe a little older, with long brown hair and fair skin. Her fingers move furiously over the screen of her phone, her armful of bracelets jingling with her movements.
“Hey, Lindsey,” Justin greets and her head snaps up.
“Hiya, handsome.”
“April around?”
She focuses her attention on me, curiosity brimming in her eyes. “Yep, she’s in the back. This Selena? Hi, I’m Lindsey,” she says, reaching her hand over the old, worn out counter. I place my hand in hers and she gives it a firm shake before releasing it.
“You two head on back, I’ll grab some stuff for you to try on. We have some dresses and other clothes that’ll look amazing on you.”
Justin looks down at me, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Thank you,” is my only reply, overwhelmed by her kindness.
“You got it, hot stuff.” She gives me a wink and hops down from her stool.
With my hand clasped in his, he leads me through a black curtain behind the counter. We wander through dozens of racks of clothes before we arrive at an open door. The tiny office is cluttered with boxes but the desk is neatly organized and there are family photos everywhere as well as framed art that looks to be drawn by a small child.
Sensing our presence, the petite woman behind the desk beams at us. “There you are!” She rounds the desk and carefully leans in to give Justin a hug. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore, but good.”
“Thank God you’re all right. We’ve been worried about you.”
“She’s been taking good care of me,” Justin tells her, and I beam with pride.
“Good woman,” she praises. “Why don’t you head on down and visit Earl at the gun shop while us girls do girly things?”
“You okay with that?” he asks, and I nod. He turns back to April. “Be back in about an hour.”
“That’d be perfect,” April replies.
Justin kisses the top of my head and a tingle shoots throughout my entire body. “Have fun,” he says before turning to leave.
Fun?
I can’t remember the last time I had fun.
“You’ve made quite the impression on him,” April says behind me. When I turn back around, her knowing eyes flicker with delight.
My cheeks flush.
“I’ve never seen him this way with anyone.”
“Not even that two-timing slut he dated a while back,” Lindsey says, busting through the curtains with an armful of clothes. “Here we go!” she drops them onto the empty chair near the row of mirrors, pulling one particularly beautiful dress from the top of the pile. “This one, I have to see you in this one. Your hourglass shape is perfect for it.”
“You’ll have to excuse her, she has a mild obsession with clothes and she loves dressing up other people. She’s quite good at it, too.”
“I am. I have excellent taste. And, girl, you have to let me do a makeover on you. Justin would freak.”
“I appreciate your kindness but I only need simple things to wear. I do not need anything as fancy as this.”
“Honey, first, every woman should own a black dress, a killer black dress, a dress that not only gives you confidence but screams sex.”
“Lindsey!” April scolds.
“What? How old are you anyway?”
“Nineteen.”
She lets out a long whistle then her lips curl into a devious smile. “Well, I’ll be damned. I knew he was a little freak but robbing the cradle? Hot as fuck.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, unsure of what she is talking about.
April nudges her elbow, giving her a hard glare. “Don’t listen to her, sometimes her mouth outruns her common sense.”
“She just means I keep it real,” Lindsey adds.
I let go of a giggle and quickly cover my mouth but then remember what Justin said before he left.
‘Have fun.’
“Damn, no wonder he’s so smitten with you, you’re as pure as the driven snow.”
“Lindsey, will you shut up?” April looks up at the ceiling as if she’s praying to God. “Lord, give me strength.”
“You like him, don’t cha?” Lindsey asks with a devious smile.
“Yes, I like him very much.”
“No, I mean you really like him, like wanna jump his bones.”
“Jump his bones?”
A buzzer sounds and Lindsey hands me the black dress. “That’s probably my sexy beast. Here, try this one on first, be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.” Then she skips off toward the front.
“Her sexy beast?”
“She means her husband.”
“Oh.”
“He’s on his lunch break. We probably won’t see her for another half hour,” she says, shaking her head.
“What does she mean by ‘jump his bones’ and ‘robbing the cradle?’”
“One thing you need to know about my sister is the girl is constantly thinking and talking about sex. She’s almost as bad as a man sometimes.”
April leads me to a large dressing room, hanging up the dresses Lindsey picked out on the hook and the other garments on the turquoise antique chair in the corner that has a flamingo sipping a cup of tea on the throw pillow.
I proceed to try them all on with April’s help. Lindsey also rounded up shorts, skirts, jeans, socks, shoes, and undergarments. Most everything fits perfectly, flattering my figure.
When I lived with my father, I wasn’t allowed to wear revealing or tight fitting clothing and never had the desire to, not wanting to provoke my father’s men or their lustful gazes, but I must admit that for the first time in my life, I feel like a woman and not a little girl.
I adore everything I tried on but the black dress is my absolute favorite, and though I have no idea where I would wear something so beautiful, it doesn’t stop me from wondering what Justin might think of it.
Will he find me beautiful or, dare I say, sexy?
Lindsey returns about half an hour later, just as April predicted. Hair all mussed and swollen lips. She tosses us a smile before disappearing into the small bathroom.
Once April has the zipper of the last dress in place, I take in my reflection in the mirror. I hardly recognize myself. My hair hangs in loose locks around my shoulders and my face has a glow to it. A smile tickles my lips.
“I love that one. Aside from the black, it’s my fave. Though, you could pull off anything with that shape of yours and that color looks so good on your dark skin,” April says from behind me.
The floral maxi has a simple rose pattern of soft pastels and shows off a lot of leg when I move.
Lindsey ducks out from the bathroom door sporting fresh makeup and lipstick. She holds up a cosmetic bag. “Your turn.”
For the remaining time, Lindsey fusses with my hair and adds some subtle color to my eyelids and two coats of mascara, making them pop more. I remember my mother wearing makeup. She didn’t very often. She was naturally beautiful but I remember when she did, I thought she always looked like a princess.
“Here, you can keep this.” Lindsey hands me a small makeup bag. “It’s the essentials. You don’t need foundation because your skin is gorgeous but I hooked you up with some eye color, liner, mascara, and lip stain. Oh, and some makeup wipes.”
“I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
“Nonsense. It’s a gift. B
esides, I sell the stuff so I get it for dirt cheap.”
“I don’t know what to say. Thank you. Both of you. You’ve been so kind to me.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
Friends.
Something else I’ve never had.
Warmth invades my chest as I lean in and give her a hug.
The bell rings and Lindsey releases me. “I bet that’s Justin,” she says, rushing through the curtain.
My tummy flutters with nervousness. I hear the deep rumble of his laugh as he makes his way through the curtain, but as soon as his eyes land on me, his smile fades.
“Son of a…”
“Told you.” Lindsey grins as she disappears back up front.
“Do you like it?” I ask tentatively, smoothing my shaking hands down the front of my dress.
“Fuck yes, I like it. I like it a lot.” There’s a hunger in his eyes and something else I can’t quite describe.
“She looks absolutely radiant,” April says. “This would be perfect for Saturday’s barbecue. Oh, please tell me you two are coming?”
“Shit, I forgot all about that.” Justin tugs at the back of his neck.
“Would you like to go?” he asks, hopeful. “It’s just a small get-together with a few of my buddies from work and their wives.”
I smile at the thought of making more friends. “I’d love to.”
April beams. “Perfect. Let me bag up all your stuff then you can be on your way.”
“Should I bring anything?” I ask, but April quickly declines.
However, I don’t want to show up to a party empty-handed so I ask Justin to take me by the store so I can pick up ingredients to make an apple pie.
With his hand at my lower back, he guides me into the grocery store. His close proximity has my heart fluttering in my chest. It scares me how strong my feelings are for him already. How much safety and comfort his mere presence alone offers.
Justin retrieves a cart. First, he insists on me picking up some things for myself like shampoo, conditioner, another toothbrush, as well as some deodorant and lotion. Then we walk toward the food department where I get all of my ingredients to bake an apple pie for Saturday as well as a few other things to cook for him and Pop.
Inside the store, he watches everyone like a hawk, his eyes peeled for danger. I like the protective way he hovers over me.
“Have fun today?” he asks as we make our way down the frozen food aisle. I push the cart while he walks next to me, his good hand steady on my lower back.
“I did. I like them both very much.”
“April is a good woman and Lindsey, she’s good people too but crazy as hell sometimes.”
“She makes me laugh. She’s very honest and outspoken.”
“That she is.”
“She said you were, how did she put it, ‘robbing the cradle’ what does that mean?”
Justin chuckles, shaking his head. “Christ almighty that woman.”
“April wouldn’t tell me. Will you?”
He stops walking, turning to face me so I stop walking, too.
“It’s a figure of speech. Because of our ten-year age difference. But age is nothing but a number. It doesn’t define a relationship. If there are two consenting adults, it doesn’t matter what anyone else calls it.”
Hope soars through my heart.
Lifting a hand to my cheek, he drags a rough thumb over my quivering lower lip. “While every part of me aches to claim this sweet little mouth and that tender heart, I know I shouldn’t.”
My hope takes a nosedive, sinking deep into my belly.
“You’ve been through a lot. You’re hurting and confused.”
I lift my hand to cover his. “I’m not confused about what I feel for you, Justin.”
“I’m not confused either,” he says sternly, looking deep into my eyes. “I’m just being cautious—for both of our sakes.”
A man who is cautious with his heart can only mean one thing, he knows what it’s like to have it broken.
She hasn’t spoken a word since we left the grocery store. When we arrive at the house, I offer to help carry her bags to her room but she politely refuses so instead I put away the groceries. I give her half an hour before I make my way upstairs to check on her.
Pressing my ear to the door, I hear her faint cries and sniffles. Rosco looks up at me from his new post next to her door. His dark eyes are hard and critical.
You made her cry, asshole.
Guilt nips at my gut, even the dog knows it was me who upset her. I give the door a soft knock.
“Just a moment,” she says, and a few seconds later the door opens. Her face is red and splotchy, her eyes bloodshot.
“I’m sorry, Selena, I didn’t mean to—”
She waves her hand back and forth, bringing a tissue to her red nose. “I am just a silly girl.”
Turning away from me, she walks toward the open French doors and stands with her arms wrapped around her. I follow her inside and shut the door behind me. The wind catches her hair, lifting some of the tiny strands from her shoulder.
“Up until I was ten years old, I didn’t know who my real father was. My mother and I lived in Iowa with my stepfather, Teddy. We had a good life. A happy life. Then.” She turns to me, raking her teeth over her bottom lip, stifling the tears.
Her lip trembles.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
She moves to take a seat in the chair next to the open doors. “No, I want to talk about her. It’s been a long time since I could out loud. I’m very fortunate that I had her love in the beginning, because after living in hell for the past nine years, I would have never survived without it. I will never understand how she ended up with a monster like my father.”
I take a seat on the edge of the bed. Close enough but still so far away. Every part of me longs to touch her. Hold her. Make her mine in every way possible.
She takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. The strength resonating in her eyes is admirable.
“We lived on a ranch, much like this one only smaller. Miles from anywhere. My mother and Teddy were madly in love. I remember thinking how much I wanted what they had one day. They were happy. I knew early on he wasn’t my real father but he treated me like I was his own. We were a family.” A sob tears from her trembling lips. “I miss them so much. I miss my family.”
I reach my hand out to cover hers, searching for the right words to ease her pain but there are none.
“Her final words to me were, ‘you were given this life because you were strong enough to live it.’ Those words got me through some of the darkest moments of my life, but sometimes I wonder if I am strong enough, because right now, I just want to fall apart.”
Fuck me.
That’s when the dam breaks and who could blame her? If the bastard wasn’t already dead, I’d hunt him down and kill him myself.
I can’t hold back any longer, pulling her from the chair into my lap. She gasps at first, shocked by our closeness, but then she buries her face in my neck and lets herself fall apart. Stroking her back, I remain quiet, simply holding her. Giving her what she needs.
Silence and comfort.
Words seem so trivial right now. There isn’t anything I can say that will erase what has happened or what she’s seen.
What she’s lost.
Lifting her head, her eyes find mine. “I’m so sorry.”
“For what?”
She shakes her head, hair falling in her face, I push one side back behind her ear. “I’m a mess. My emotions are all over the place. I just…feel so alone. I have no one.”
I brush her damp hair from her cheeks then drag the pad of my thumb beneath her eye.
Goddamn those eyes.
The sadness in them guts me every time.
“You’re not alone.”
She nods, dropping her eyes before licking her pink lips. My cock hardens and I mentally berate myself for pulling her in my l
ap, but feeling her against me, all soft and sweet, I don’t regret my decision.
I move my hand to her knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I have an idea. Let’s go for a horseback ride tomorrow.”
She sniffles. “I would love that. It’s been ages since I’ve been on a horse. Not since my mother was alive.” A small smile tugs at her wet lips and it gives me immense satisfaction that I’m the one who gave her that. I want to kiss her so fucking bad, to claim those sweet lips, taste not only her happiness but her pain, devour it and take it on as my own.
“You’re beautiful when you smile like that,” I tell her, looking deep into her brown eyes.
Her eyes shift away as she shakes her head. She has no idea what she does to me. No idea the impact she’s not only having on my body but also my emotions.
I gently grip her chin, bringing her eyes back to mine. She gives me another heart-stopping smile.
I lean in, unable to hold back any longer, and place a kiss on her forehead. I have every intention of claiming this woman but I want to be careful, to take it slow. Then, when the time is right, I’ll make her mine.
But in my heart I know she is already.
Justin is unlike any man I’ve ever met. He’s patient, kind, and the way he looks at me makes me feel wanted, beautiful.
Butterflies dance in my belly as I get ready for our ride this morning. I’m so nervous. It isn’t until I put on a pair of jeans and a tank top that I realize I don’t have any boots.
Shoot.
Looking over my meager shoe collection, I pick out a pair of shoes I got from the Good Stuff yesterday.
That’ll just have to do.
I hurry downstairs and start cooking breakfast, turning on the pot of coffee. I’m just about to spoon the cooked eggs into a bowl when Justin finally emerges, walking into the kitchen. The air in my lungs freeze and my skin tingles with awareness.
He’s dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and square-toed boots with a red and blue plaid button-down and a baseball cap.
Goodness.
Licking my dry lips, I beam. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” Making his way to the coffee maker, he pours himself a cup. I noted yesterday that he likes his coffee black.
