Delivering Decker

by Kelly Collins

  “You want to get some coffee?” He slung his arm over my shoulder and started for the door.

  I pulled him left. “There’s a vending machine down the hallway.” He tugged me right, and we breezed out the automatic doors.

  “I can do better than a vending machine. Besides, I need to get out of here.”

  We piled into his SUV and drove a few blocks to a twenty-four-hour place that reminded me of where I worked.

  We collapsed into a worn booth. It was like time had rewound, and we’d been transported to the ’50s. Pictures of Tony Curtis, Elvis, and James Dean covered the wall space. A jukebox sat silently in the corner waiting for a coin. Whereas the diner in Fury was old, this place was authentic.

  “Coffee?” the bouffant-wearing waitress asked in a two-pack-a-day voice.

  “Coffee for me and…” Decker waited for my order.

  “I’ll take tea.” One way or another, I was getting my tea today.

  “You really do love tea.” He reached for the sugar and the bowl that held the little creamers.

  “I’m a tea fanatic.”

  “I’m such an idiot.” He rolled his shoulders, causing the tension to lessen one crack at a time. “On our next date, I promise to take you to Dushanbe again…and we’ll stay there this time.”

  “There’s going to be a second date?” So much had happened on this date I wasn’t sure I could handle a second, although deep inside, I wanted a second, and a third, and a fourth …

  “You can’t say it hasn’t been memorable. Although it’s not how I would have liked it to turn out.”

  Avis the waitress dropped off the drinks and left us alone.

  “I don’t know. I really liked the kiss.” My lips tingled at the memory of being in his arms with his mouth against mine.

  “It seems like the universe has been against us all day.”

  After a few dunks of the tea bag into the hot water, the color appeared perfect. “Only today?” Steam rose from the cup and disappeared. “I swear the universe is an evil bitch, and I’ve been on her radar for life.”

  He fixed up his coffee so it was white and sweet. “It can’t be that bad.”

  I turned and stared out the window into the night. “It hasn’t been good.”

  Silence surrounded us, and it was nice to be with someone whose presence was enough. Just to breathe their air and sit in their space was comforting.

  Decker was the first to speak. “Before crazy consumed our date, you were going to tell me something.”

  My heart hitched and stalled for a beat. There was no way I could tell him now. He had enough going on in his life; I didn’t need to add to it.

  “It was nothing. Tell me about your father.”

  Chapter 13

  Decker

  I ran my hands through my hair. The air left my chest with one forceful gush of wind. Where did I begin? It was half-past ten, and I could talk for hours. “This could take a while.” She didn’t seem bothered. Nothing but a smile crossed her face.

  “It’s not like I have another date to make.” She relaxed against the window and propped her legs onto the bench. “I’m here for you, Decker.”

  Avis topped off my coffee and brought another tea for Hannah.

  Once the waitress was gone, I began. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve let my father down.” I mirrored Hannah’s position, readying myself for the telling of my life story. “I can’t remember anything in the early years, but studies show most kids suffer from childhood amnesia. It’s a real thing, you know. In general, people can’t remember anything from before they were, like, three.”

  “Are you deflecting again?” She pulled the tea bag out of the steaming water. “We can talk about what Freud called infantile amnesia, or you can tell me why you think your dad is disappointed in you.”

  “You know about Freud’s study?” Every time I was around this girl, she surprised me.

  “I told you I wasn’t always a waitress. Now move on.”

  “You’re a pushy one, aren’t you?” I reached across the table and left my hand palm up. She rested her tiny hand in mine.

  “I’ve learned that you have to ask for what you want and often demand what you need. Right now I need you to tell me why you’ve decided you’re worthless.”

  “Shall I start a list?” I closed my hand around hers. Something about this girl calmed me. Where everyone else wanted something from me, Hannah wanted nothing but my time and story. One of those things was going to be impossible to give her after tonight.

  “No list necessary. I know about the addiction problems, but that comes from something. Usually an unmet need.”

  “How many psychology classes did you take? You’re sounding like a professional. Maybe I should hire you for talk therapy.”

  “Why hire me if you can have me for free?” Her eyes grew wide. “For talking, I mean.” A blush rose up her neck to pink her cheeks.

  “Of course that’s what you meant.” She was beautiful. “But if you weren’t, you’re undervaluing yourself. You’re worth every cent I have.”

  “Fallen on tough times?”

  What was it with this woman? She wanted to point out the value in me, but she didn’t see it in herself. “What’s with this self-deprecating behavior?”

  “It’s not so much self-deprecating as self-aware.”

  I spread my legs and patted the empty space. “Come sit with me.” It wasn’t a lot of space, but I hoped Hannah would fit.

  She came right over. She didn’t fit after all, so I pulled her into my lap. Heaven was what it felt like when her head rested against my chest. Her ass pressed to my thighs, and her legs intertwined with mine on the cracked leather seat. She turned her head to me.

  She wasn’t offering a kiss, but I took it. When my lips touched hers, she surrendered completely. Out of desperation to feel something good, my lips clung to hers. My tongue delved in to taste the sweetness that was her. She half-turned and dug her fingers into my shoulders. She gripped me like I was the stability she needed when in reality, she was the rock for me.

  Breathless, we separated.

  Avis showed up and slapped our bill on the table. “You kids need to get a room. A kiss like that is wasted in a diner.”

  I wrapped my arms around Hannah and rested my chin on her shoulder. “A kiss from this girl could never be considered a waste,” I said.

  Though Avis was older than dirt, there was a light in her eyes that told me she’d been kissed plenty. “You better keep this one, honey. He’s easy on the eyes and says the right stuff.”

  “Oh, he’s not my boyfriend. This is therapy.”

  The old woman’s eyes bugged wide. “Where do I sign up for him?”

  “My kisses are saved for her,” I said, and it felt right. I’d kissed hundreds of girls in my lifetime. Only Hannah’s kisses made me feel something soul-deep.

  “I’m telling you, young lady, keep this one. At least until he stops saying stuff that makes you swoon.”

  Hannah loosened my arms and scooted from the seat. “I’m pretty sure he has an entire arsenal of sweet words. He’s had a lot of first dates.” She grabbed her wallet and pulled out a ten, placing it on top of the four-dollar check. “Keep the change, Avis.”

  She swiped the ticket and the ten from the table. “You two can come kiss in my station any day.” She turned and left us alone.

  Hannah stood at the end of my bench and held out her hand. “Let’s take a walk, and we can get back to your story.”

  I scooted to the end and wrapped my arms around her waist for a hug. “Come home with me, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  Hannah laughed. “I said I was free. I never implied I was easy. Besides, I have to work tomorrow.”

  I stood and towered over her. How could I not? I was six-foot-three, and she was five-foot-nothing. “I wouldn’t ask, but I don’t want to be alone. A few minutes ago, you told me you learned that you have to ask for what you want and demand what you need. I’m star
ting with an ask before I move on to a demand. I’m not asking for anything but your presence.”

  There was a moment of silence where I held my breath and hoped she’d say yes. Not because I wanted to sleep with her—even though I most certainly did—but because I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts or myself.

  “It’s not nice to throw a girl’s words back at her.” She tucked her purse under her arm and threaded her fingers through mine. “You better have tea.”

  “Total screw-up. I could have won your heart with Dushanbe, and I took you to a dive.” Before she changed her mind, I raced her to the Rover and helped her in.

  When I entered the driver’s side, she turned in her seat to face me. “Since we’re being honest, I would have loved Dushanbe, but anywhere you are is perfect for me.”

  Did my heart just flop? I’d never been a floppy-hearted kind of guy. Plenty of girls said similar things to me. Why was this one so different? Because she liked me and not what I could offer.

  “We should pick up your car, but I’m afraid you’ll get in it and take off to Fury.” Not only was I acting like a total wuss, but I was also telling her my fears. Then again, she was coming to my home for talk therapy, so in a few hours, there would be no place to hide.

  “I promise not to run away.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m texting my sister just in case you decide to eat me.” Her hand went straight to her mouth, but it didn’t silence her laughter. “Oh, my God, just kill me now. That sounded so wrong.”

  “I don’t know. It sounds kind of right to me.” My laughter mixed with hers. “Do you always call your sister before someone eats you?”

  She reached over and slugged me in the arm. “What I meant was in case you decided to go all Hannibal on me.”

  “Hannah, when I eat you, and I will, it won’t be after I cut you up and cook you for eight hours in a crockpot. I want you raw and wet and wanting.” Holy hell! That shit came out of nowhere, but I wasn’t taking it back. It was the truth.

  She squirmed in her seat and then changed the subject. “What’s your place like?”

  “Now who’s deflecting?” Sadly, the drive to Dushanbe was short. As soon as I got her to her car, I knew this conversation would end, and most likely, she’d take off in the opposite direction. “I think we should finish our last conversation, not talk about my place.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go back to the beginning. You were talking about your father.”

  Her phone lit up, giving me another father-free moment. “Does your sister want fingerprints or a hair sample?”

  “Of course not.” She answered the text. “She wants my thimble collection.”

  Way too soon, I pulled onto Thirteenth Street. “Which car is yours?”

  She lifted up in her seat. “You see that Mercedes?”

  I shook my head. She drove a Mercedes? “I see it.”

  “That’s not mine. I’m the light blue piece-of-shit Honda next to it.”

  I pulled behind her car and parked. “Wow, you’re a comedian.” It took me seconds to round the Rover and open her door. We walked the few steps to her car. I ribboned my hand through her hair and stole another kiss.

  “I am going to follow you. You don’t have to drug me with another one of your kisses.”

  Her hair was so soft between my fingers, her voice was like satin caressing my skin, and she was accusing me of drugging her? I was an addict, for God’s sake, and she was my new fix.

  “My kisses are all I have to offer.” It was all I had that was authentically me.

  She lifted onto her toes, which brought the top of her head to my chin. “Don’t drive too fast. I know my car looks speedy, but it peaks at fifty-five.”

  “Hannah, I’ll drive ten miles an hour if you stay in my rearview mirror.”

  She tugged my head down and pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “If you drove seventy, I’d try to keep up.”

  It was the longest damn thirty-minute drive of my life. Relief washed over me when she pulled right beside me instead of driving past me.

  I rushed from the Rover to open her door. Over her shoulder, I looked at my townhouse, trying to see it through her eyes. Too modern? Too pretentious? Too much?

  “You live here?” She walked toward the modern brownstone.

  “I bought it two years ago.” I’d never much cared what people thought of where I lived. I certainly didn’t care when my father told me it was a poor investment because I’d never own the land. “It’s such a great location. Close to everything.”

  She eyed it like an artist would the Mona Lisa, taking it all in and forming an opinion without uttering a word.

  My hand sat above her perfect ass, right at the dip in the small of her back that fit my palm perfectly. “My place is over here.” We walked to the end unit, I pressed my thumb to the scanner, and the door popped open.

  “Pretty fancy.” Her shoes clicked on the black granite floor, and she looked up to the glass ceiling that sat three stories above. “How big is this place?”

  Automatic lights turned on as we walked through the hallway. “It’s just over three thousand square feet. Not huge by any stretch, but too big for me by myself.” Fourteen steps took us to the second floor. “The first floor has a home gym, an office, and a bathroom.” The kitchen lights flickered to life. “This floor has two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, and two bathrooms.”

  Her eyes went to the next flight of stairs up. “What’s up there?”

  I opened the cupboard and grabbed two mugs. “There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a rooftop deck.” I filled the cups with water and microwaved them to a near boil.

  “You have a rooftop deck?” She slid the stool away from the center island and climbed onto the seat.

  The pantry was stocked with several teas because I’d read once that it was good for you. It also helped me sleep. “I’ve got Sleepytime, Lemon Lift, Moroccan Mint from Dushanbe, and English breakfast, which is fine to drink all day long if you ask me.”

  Her giggle floated through the air like a song. “Unless, of course, you plan to sleep, then it’s not recommended. I made it through three years of finals on English breakfast tea.”

  I set the tea boxes in front of her. She picked Moroccan Mint. Hannah would have loved Dushanbe. I’d have to make that blunder up to her.

  “I hate that you didn’t get to finish college.” I scooped loose tea into the metal strainer and dunked it into the hot water. “Will you go back?”

  “Someday, I hope.”

  I dipped a Sleepytime tea bag into my cup. Once hers had steeped the recommended time, I took her upstairs to the rooftop deck.

  “It’s peaceful up here.” With the flick of a switch, the fire pit flamed to life. “This is my favorite place besides The Dive.” She took a seat in front of the glass barrier, and I plopped comfortably beside her. We sipped our tea silently until I gained the strength to tell her everything.

  Chapter 14

  Hannah

  My hand automatically rested on his thigh as a gesture of comfort and safety. Whatever he wanted to share would stay with me. If I could keep Ryker’s and Silas’s secret, then I wouldn’t betray Decker either.

  “About my father…” He sipped at his tea. “He’s a hard man who can’t be pleased. Especially by me.”

  I stayed silent so he would continue. He talked about never belonging. Never being able to gain his father’s favor. “It’s like I’m not even his son. He treats me like someone dumped me on his doorstep, and he felt some obligation to feed and clothe me.”

  I had no idea how Decker came to be in the household of the Rileys, but he wasn’t far off from the truth.

  I spread my arms open in front of me. “A man who didn’t love you wouldn’t give you all this.”

  He sat for a minute in silence. “I earned this. I’ve worked selling homes since I could talk. The only good thing about my dad is that he always pays me my commissions.”

  “So you’re good at what you d
o. That’s wonderful. You should focus on that.”

  He stared into the fire pit. “Are you a good waitress?”

  I knew where he was going. “Most days.”

  “Do you love it?”

  “No, it’s just something I have to do.”

  “Exactly. I sell real estate because I have to, and now I have to devote my life to it because it’s what my dad expects. How can I disappoint him when he’s dying?”

  Decker and I seemed like polar opposites. He lived in a fancy townhouse and drove a pricey car; I lived in an old beat-up bungalow on Happy Drive and drove a ten-year-old heap of metal on worn tires. But somehow we had compatible souls.

  He picked me up and sat me on his lap. When he played with my hair, it sent shivers all the way down my spine to my girly bits. It would be so easy to ask him to take me to bed—to make love to me. It might even be the best night of my life.

  “It’s exhausting being everything to everyone. How do you cope?”

  “I used to drink vodka. Now I drink tea and drive motorcycles too fast.”

  “Both vices haven’t worked well for you.”

  “I don’t know, I met you, and it seems to be going okay. How do you cope?”

  I snuggled in closer to his body heat and set my hand on his broad chest. His heart beat steadily under my palm. “There are days when people tax my nerves, and sometimes I accidentally trip while delivering their food.” I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. “It happens.”

  He laughed. “Remind me to never agitate you.”

  “Too late. You’ve been agitating me since I met you, but in a good way.”

  “And I’m not wearing food yet.”

  “Give it time. I’m sure you’ll do something trip-worthy. The key is to order something that won’t soak into your clothes. Chocolate shakes are the worst.”

  “I’ll stick to grilled cheese and water.”

  “You’re a smart man.”

  His body shook with his laugh. “If I were smart, I would have taken you someplace other than The Dive.” His hands wrapped around my waist. My head settled on his shoulder.