Chasing Daylight

by Carey Heywood

  “Are you guys doing anything next week?” Mitch’s mom asks, nonchalantly.

  Alec gulps to finish the bite he was chewing before answering her. “Unfortunately, we have the grand opening of our Critter Haven and Spa this week. With luck, we’ll be busy with new customers next week.”

  “What about you, McKenzie?” Cathy asks me pointedly, and I blush.

  “I also work at the Critter Haven and Spa. I’m in charge of the overnight boarders.”

  When her face falls, I go on. “It’s actually where Mitch and I met. I was already moved in, and he thought we were open and woke me up in the middle of the night when Zeus got sick.”

  “Zeus got sick,” Liz remarks.

  Mitch speaks for the first time. “He got into some rat poison.”

  “Rat poison? Was it something the pest control people left out?” Cathy asks, turning to face Mitch.

  He shakes his head. “I asked them. They don’t use it.”

  “Have any of the tenants complained of rodents?”

  He shakes his head again, this time not adding anything.

  Cathy’s eyes stay on him, her mouth twisting before turning her head to look down at her plate.

  “That doesn’t make any sense,” she says, not directing her comment to anyone.

  Did someone purposefully try to poison Zeus?

  I glance up at Mitch. He catches my gaze and squeezes my leg. This doesn’t sit well with me.

  “Is there a chance Zeus could have wandered and gotten into something off the property?” Joe asks, leaning back in his chair, his arm around the back of Cindy’s chair.

  The question surprises me; and one glance toward Rachel and Alec, I can tell it surprises them as well. Anyone who knows Zeus knows how crazy that question would be. Zeus does not wander. Case in point, at this exact moment he’s curled up, lying on Mitch and my feet.

  That leaves the true question, who would want to hurt Zeus?

  After dinner, I convince McKenzie I can go home. She agrees as long as she can come and stay with me. Ever since her ex broke in to the Critter Haven and Spa, she’s been sleeping in Rachel and Alec’s guest bedroom. It made sense in the beginning, since the back door was damaged.

  At this point, it’s been replaced and a security system has been installed. She still doesn’t want to sleep there which doesn’t bode well for being the overnight employee. I’d stay with her there, but I need sometime in my own space first. Since her ex is still on the loose, I want her with me if she isn’t going to be staying with Rachel and Alec.

  My truck is still parked back behind the pizza place so we take McKenzie’s Jeep to Gramercy Square. Once she parks, she turns to me, slowly unbuckling her belt.

  “Um, when you were in the hospital I wanted to do something nice for you so, don’t be mad.”

  I squint at her, glancing toward Building D and the door down to my place. “What’d you do?”

  She grins big, but it’s a nervous, overcompensating grin. “It’s probably better you see it versus me explaining it.”

  By the time I slowly make my way down the stairs to my place, it’s clear a makeover has occurred. Gone are the gray cinderblock walls. All four walls and my ceiling have been painted a fresh white. Some sort of concrete stain has been applied to the floor, giving it a subtle stone appearance. There’s also a plush cream rug centered in the room.

  One glance toward my bed and I can tell the sheets and comforter on my bed are new. They are both similar to my old ones in color; but even from across the room, I can see they’re a higher quality. Zeus instantly jumps onto it and settles down on his belly.

  “How?” I ask, turning to see if anything else has been changed.

  “Alec and Rachel helped. We did all of it while you were still in the hospital.

  I reach for her, tagging her behind the neck and pulling her into my arms. Kissing the top of her head, I thank her.

  “You didn’t have to do all this,” I add.

  She wraps her arms around me and replies to my chest, “I wanted to.”

  “I’m surprised there isn’t anything on the walls.”

  She tilts her head back to look up at me. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like. I figured white paint and new bed stuff similar to what you already had was a safe bet.”

  I touch my mouth to hers. “Fair enough.”

  When I lift my head, I see her mouth open in surprise, her eyes wide.

  “You aren’t annoyed?” she asks.

  I laugh, squeezing her tighter. “Were you trying to piss me off?”

  She presses her lips together and shakes her head.

  “Good,” I say and softly kiss her again.

  Her lips spread into a wide smile against mine. I’ve never had that happen before and gotta admit, I kinda like it.

  “Any more surprises?” I ask, pulling away.

  She shakes her head, and then lifts her hand to cover her mouth as she yawns.

  It’s late. Dinner already ran long, and then we ate cheesecake afterward. It was clear toward the end, my family members were shuffling their feet in an attempt to get more time with me. I surprised them all by asking if I could take them to lunch tomorrow. Thankfully, my mom didn’t start crying right there, but it was touch and go for a minute or two.

  Finally, after they hit the road; and McKenzie and I, with help from Alec and Rachel, packed our stuff from the last couple of days into McKenzie’s Jeep.

  That yawn of hers has been one of many over the last hour.

  “Let’s get ready for bed.”

  She blushes, but nods her head, “I’ll grab our bags.”

  I hate that I’m useless to help her with them, because I’m not supposed to be lifting anything and have to take the stairs slow. She carries my chair down first, and then I wait for her at the bottom of the stairs with it. I might not be able to lift much, but I can push a chair across the room. It’s not lifting to tug whatever bag is in the chair, until it falls onto the floor.

  I figure it’s safe to do that since McKenzie doesn’t argue, and she’s been on me about not overdoing it. Between the two of us, we have everything unloaded in five trips, the last one being Zeus’ new dog bed. He seems disappointed when I point it out to him.

  “I’m cool with him sleeping with us,” McKenzie offers when she notices him hesitate.

  “We can play it by ear and see what he does.”

  She nods, pulling some clothes from her bag and walking toward my bathroom. I guess she won’t be sleeping topless tonight, which is probably a good thing. Earlier, in the heat of the moment, things went further than I had intended, not that I mind.

  Still, we’re both worn out and I don’t want to rush her. It’s already crazy to think she’ll be sleeping in my arms tonight. My only worry is I’ll disturb her every time I wake. I hope she’s a heavy sleeper.

  My eyes move to the bathroom when I hear the door open. It takes a moment for my brain to process all the beauty that’s standing before me. Her long brown hair is in a messy pile on top of her head. She’s wearing a form fitted light blue tank top and a pair of matching plaid pajama shorts. Her skin is lightly tanned; and, even though she’s shorter than I am by a long shot, in those shorts, her legs look miles long.

  She’s oblivious to my stares and, rubbing her eyes, moves right to my bed and crawls in. I sleep in my boxers so all I unpack for bed is my toothbrush. By the time I’m done, she’s out. I move my chair next to the bed and sit in it to take off my leg and liners. I switch off the light next to the bed.

  I left the bathroom light on and the door cracked for her just in case she needs to get up at some point during the night. When I slide in next to her, Zeus hops off the bed and ambles over to his new dog bed. I shift until my front hits her back and curl her into my arms.

  Sleep eludes me. My mind can’t process the difference between a dream you don’t want to wake from and the living, breathing one in my arms. If I sleep, my mind may drift from her.

  The dreams I
remember are half memory, half nightmare. As much as I want to sleep, I fight to stay awake. It’s been years since I’ve slept next to a woman. Eventually her warmth, and the sound and rhythm of her gentle breathing pull me under.

  A wet nose on my cheek is what wakes me an hour later. In the dim light cast from the bathroom, I see Zeus. His two front paws are on the bed, his head on my shoulder. He waits for me to tell him I’m all right and stroke his head before he pushes away from me to move back to his bed.

  Most of the time, when Zeus wakes me, it’s because I’m back there, in that trailer. If that’s where sleep took me tonight, the visions are gone before I can contemplate them. All I’m left with is a thudding heart and a sick feeling in my gut.

  My eyes move to McKenzie. Whatever woke Zeus did not disturb her. She sleeps peacefully next to me. Sliding my arm out from under her, she rolls forward slightly before settling again. I shift into my chair and wheel myself to my kitchen sink for a glass of water.

  My eyes flick to my clock as I count the minutes in my head. I slept two hours and thirty-seven minutes straight, give or take. It might be a personal record for me. Wheeling back next to my bed, I make no move to rejoin her.

  Previous endlessly wakeful nights have shown me there’s no way I will be able to fall back to sleep anytime soon. Since I don’t want my restlessness to wake her, I stay put.

  Before I was stabbed, I would park outside her place to watch over her while she slept. Now, here she is in my own bed. I hardly believe it, even though the evidence is right in front of me.

  The rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps is hypnotic. How can she seem to be dancing without even moving? When my eyelids begin to droop and the weight of my head becomes difficult to support, I lift myself back into my bed.

  She turns, snuggling into me, her cheek pressing to my chest.

  “Where’d you go?” She mumbles, half asleep.

  Did I wake her and not realize it? She looked like she was out cold when I got up.

  “Shhh,” I murmur against the top of her head, “I’m right here.”

  “Good,” she breathes.

  I wait to see if she’ll say anything else, but minutes go by without a word.

  I curl my arm around her, my hand cupping her shoulder. The last thing I want to do is worry her.

  So I don’t disturb McKenzie, I stay in bed each time I wake. Watching her sleep is temptation enough to want to stay where I am. I’ve been scared I would be restless, but soon learn that even during the moments where my body anxiously shifts from sleep, I don’t wake her. I envy her deep sleep.

  My eyes move again to the clock. It never helps knowing, but I’m powerless against mentally tracking the minutes I’m able to sleep. One hundred forty-seven plus sixty-seven plus eighty-one plus one hundred four plus thirty-nine will equal my total minutes slept by morning. I can’t remember the last time I slept for longer than one hundred minutes twice in the same night without being drugged since before I lost my leg.

  This morning, her pulling away wakes me from my last period of sleep. Groggily, I tighten my arms around her, not wanting to lose her warmth.

  “I have to pee,” she insists, tugging free of my arms.

  I turn as she moves around the bed, her fingertips dragging across the end to keep her from bumping into anything. My head tilts to watch her accidentally bump into the cracked door of the bathroom emitting a soft “oof” before opening it. My own bladder is now begging relief; but rather than startle her by waiting outside the bathroom door in my chair, I wait in bed for her to finish.

  When she’s done, we pass each other, her pausing my movement to brush a soft kiss across my lips. I can smell the toothpaste fresh on her breath and make a mental note to brush mine as well. With any luck, she’ll be waiting for me back in bed when I’m done.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she asks as I roll back to the bed.

  “You just did,” I joke, shifting myself from my chair.

  She smirks at me, which makes me laugh and pull her toward me. “Shoot.”

  “Why don’t you wear your leg when you sleep?”

  I tense at the mention of my prosthetic, but try to school my features to be blank. I can do nothing about being an amputee. I’ve worked hard not to allow my injury to hamper me physically. That doesn’t mean I enjoy talking or even thinking about it. There’s a reason I only wear long pants when I’m around people. If they don’t see my prosthetic, they don’t know.

  “Do you sleep wearing your shoes?” My tone is purposefully calm, and light.

  She shakes her head and nuzzles her face against my neck.

  “It’s kinda the same thing,” I say, one hand sliding down her back to cup her ass, the other moving upward until my fingertips slide into her hair.

  I silence any more questions by pressing my mouth to hers. She accepts my kisses greedily, her arms wrapping around me. Yesterday, things went from zero to sixty fast. After having the day and night to think about it, I’ve decided not to rush things.

  Deciding that was simple. Holding to that with a warm and willing McKenzie in my arms might be a different story. She makes me feel like a horny teenager. I haven’t had a woman in so long, there’s a decent chance I’ll embarrass myself. Not rushing is my only hope to avoid that.

  She rubs against me, lifting her leg to curl around my hip. There’s no way she can miss how hard I am for her.

  As long as our hands and mouths stay on the outside of our clothes, I will be able to hold back from ravishing her.

  No promises if she touches my cock.

  “God, you feel good,” she whispers, her lips moving from mine to the scruff of my chin.

  “I never thought I’d be into a guy with a beard.” She playfully tugs at the whiskers at my chin.

  It kind of hurts, but the look in her eyes makes me ignore the pain.

  My hand moves down to cup the other cheek of her ass, pulling her body to mine.

  “You into me?” I ask.

  She nods, her mouth dropping open.

  I accept her invitation, tasting the fresh mint from her tongue. I want to taste every inch of her, but that will have to wait.

  She pulls her head back, but tips her forehead forward to touch mine. “We have the worst timing ever.”

  I quirk a brow and stare into her eyes, so she goes on. “Two weeks ago, I had all the time in the world. Today, when all I want to do is stay in bed with you all day, I have to work.”

  I laugh, putting a hand to the back of her head and tucking her face into my neck.

  “It’s not funny,” she huffs.

  I chuckle but manage to stop after a moment. “How long do you need to work?”

  She lifts her head. “It depends on if anyone books us to board their pets today. Since it’s our grand opening, I have no clue if that will happen.”

  I cup her jaw. “Do you get a lunch break?”

  She nods.

  “Want to have lunch with me and my family?”

  Her face breaks into a wide smile, her pale green eyes lighting up. “Yes.”

  I touch my lips to hers. “Sounds like a plan.”

  It sucks; but I let her go, so she can take a shower. I have my follow up tomorrow with my doctor to get my stitches removed. I’ll have a scar but compared to having half a leg already, I’m not that worried about it.

  When I get out of the shower, I pull on some boxers in the bathroom before rolling out to put my leg on.

  McKenzie watches me and doesn’t hide it. I like that she gets that I need to do this for myself. Once I’m standing, she approaches, bending over to inspect my side.

  “Have you put ointment on it yet?”

  I shake my head, enthralled by the sight of both of her hands on my waist and her head ducked to look at my wound.

  She looks up at me; and I shake my head again, realizing she couldn’t see it before. She moves to the prescription antibiotic and proceeds lightly to coat my stitches with it. Before moving away, she le
ans in and gently kisses the skin above it. I stand stock still watching her walk away as if she hasn’t just rocked my world.

  Before I knew Mitch, I thought he was perfect, or at least a version of perfect I never knew existed until I met him. He is the definition of masculinity, his face so chiseled, and his body so big and strong. I fell in love with the fantasy of him.

  In learning the things that make him imperfect, I’m falling for the man he actually is. Mitch has taught me a lesson in personal strength. Even though he has needed my help during his recovery, he is truly the strongest person I’ve ever met. The way he has held himself away from the people in his life so he doesn’t burden them with his struggles is so sad.

  It’s clear his family loves him and something happened for them to become estranged. I can only guess it has something to do with the injury that caused him to lose his leg. He won’t share and I don’t want to push him.

  We drive together to the Critter Haven and Spa. His truck has been there since the night he was stabbed. He’s well enough now to drive again. Zeus rides with us, relaxing in the back.

  “Do you want to hang out for a bit?” I ask, after parking.

  He’s picking me up for lunch with his family, but I still don’t want him to leave. He gets out of my Jeep, holding his door for Zeus to hop out behind him and walks around the back to meet me by my door.

  Taking my hand in his, he’s answered my question without words. Together we walk to the building. The backdoor was replaced after Tyler destroyed it. It still makes me shiver to look at it. It’s unlocked; both Alec and Rachel’s cars are here so they beat me.

  “Hey guys,” Rachel calls as we walk in.

  “Any customers yet?” I ask, slipping my purse from my shoulder to set on a shelf on the backside of the front desk.

  Alec ignores my question and drops down to a squat, calling Zeus over to him. Zeus happily obliges as Mitch grins down at his dog.

  Rachel tilts her head toward Mitch and widens her eyes before shaking her head. “No walk-ins, but I have scheduled three grooming appointments over the phone.”

  “That’s great news,” I grin at her.