by Debra Kayn
Not knowing where the sound came from, she cocked her head, waiting for the noise.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She straightened, looking over the fence. It must be Nelson over at Steel Mechanics.
Familiar dark hair popped up over the fence. She jumped back out of sight, then used the curtain to hide behind and peek at Nelson. He was at the fence.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She gasped. Was he nailing the fence closed?
Hiding from view, she kept watching. All she could see was his head pop up every few seconds. When he disappeared from view, banging happened.
Ten minutes later, he walked away from the fence and never came back. Forcing herself to wait and not rush out there, she paced the family room. How dare he block her from going through the fence.
She'd used that escape route since she was eight years old. More than losing her not-so-secret way of going to Steel Mechanics, Nelson's actions were a slap in her face. Nelson knew she came over to see him. Blocking her path to him screamed how much he wanted her to stay out of his life.
She groaned and marched out to the garage. Finding a hammer in the toolbox on the shelf, she stormed through the house and out the sliding door. If she had to, she'd remove the boards altogether. He couldn't stop her from visiting.
Pushing on the top boards, the bottom wouldn't budge. Hurt more than angry, she kicked the fence.
The boards moved toward her and banged back on the fence. "What in the world?"
She pried her fingers into the space between the slats and pulled. A section of the fence swung toward her. There were two hinges on the side. Nelson had also moved the supporting two by four boards higher.
Walking through the gate, she ducked her head to miss the beam. She looked back and closed the gate.
"Huh." She warmed, and a smile grew on her face.
Nelson hadn't blocked her out, he'd made a hidden gate. From her back yard, she couldn't tell the fence opened. It would be her secret.
He hadn't kept her from visiting. Her stomach quivered, and she muffled a squeal. The gate was an invitation to come over.
"I figure you're too old to crawl on your knees," said Nelson behind her.
She whirled around. He leaned against the tire rack. Finally, the reunion they should've had on his return from prison was happening now. He was welcoming her back into his life.
She walked to him. It was too slow.
She ran and never stopped until she jumped off the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. Her heart exploded. He could pretend he'd changed beyond recognition or claim he wanted no part in her life, but he'd built her a gate.
"Thank you," she whispered against his ear.
Wanting to share her happiness, she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. What she saw wiped away all her giddiness.
Chapter 21
Scarlett
NELSON'S PUPILS DILATED, and his tongue came out and wet his bottom lip. Her sex throbbed from the hunger in his eyes.
"If you don't go home this second, I'm going to take you inside and fuck you over and over until I own every piece of you."
The roughness of his voice caressed her. She pressed her breasts forward, wanting to rub all the sensitive spots against his body. She never wanted to go home when she was with him, and today was no different.
Nelson, making the smallest move, letting her know he wanted her in his life, was the biggest thrill she'd ever received.
In answer, she kissed him, needing his mouth on her. Her world tilted, barely aware of him carrying her inside. He only made it to the desk in the garage, and he set her down on the surface. He stepped away and hit every button on the wall.
The garage doors came down. He stormed back to her and pulled up her shirt.
He caught her gaze before he pulled her bra down, and her breasts popped out over the material. A swift groan escaped his parted lips, and he soaked her in. It was the hottest thing she'd ever experienced.
He cupped her breasts, rubbing the rough pad of his thumbs over her nipples. Warmth traveled down her spine to between her legs.
"Over ten years..." His hands shook. "I don't want to hurt you."
She cupped his face in understanding that he hadn't had sex since before he left for prison. "You won't."
Guiding him down, she put her breast in his mouth. Stroking his hair back off his forehead, it was her time to soak him in.
He sucked with his eyes closed and his hand holding her other breast. He looked peaceful and happy, such a contrast to how he'd arrived home. Goosebumps broke out on her skin.
Nelson opened his eyes, heated with arousal, and lifted his head. She stroked his jaw, melting all over again. He was her Nelson. The boy that saved her from Butch. The man who taught her to kiss. The sad boy. The broken man.
She hated the life he was given. And loved the life he'd given her.
Giving him what he wanted and she needed, she undid her shorts and rocked side to side, pulling them off her. Nelson sat in the desk chair and cupped her thighs, opening her legs.
"I need all of you." He spread her folds and licked his lips, looking between her legs. "Once I'm inside of you, I'm not going to last, fox."
"I wouldn't want you to go slow." Her voice shook. "Not this time."
He leaned forward and kissed her inner thigh. Her legs trembled. Whether it was his touch, the moment, the vulnerability of being spread out in front of him, she balanced on the edge of an orgasm.
"Mm." Nelson opened his mouth and used his tongue on her.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she dropped her chin to her chest. Twining her fingers in his head, she panted. His strokes. His sucks. His tongue.
"Nelson." She mewed.
He lifted her leg over his shoulder and cupped her ass, bringing her forward. She leaned back and braced her hands on top of the desk. Her arousal shook her.
His tongue circled her clit. Held captive, she was at his mercy.
Her lower half spiraled. Her thighs clamped down on his head, eliciting a groan of approval from Nelson.
He moved his mouth in a way that consumed her. The act wasn't for her, it was for him, and that exhilarated her, and she benefitted. God, she was benefitting.
Drawing her higher, Nelson lapped and swallowed like a starving man. A desperate man.
Her pants for air weren't enough, and she held her breath, caught in the whirlwind, spinning, flying.
She moaned, her body jumping in his hands. Her lower half spasmed and released pleasure throughout her. Seconds ticked by as her orgasm suspended her, over and over. Nelson slowed, reluctant to stop.
Every nerve in her body squeezed and pulsed.
His heavy breathing warmed the skin between her legs. She inhaled heavily, caught up in him. Unbalanced. Weak.
He wiped his face off on the inside of her thigh and stood. Her legs fell, hanging off the edge of the desk. His predator gaze as he stood warned her, threatened her, loved her.
"I don't have a condom." He undid his jeans and grabbed his cock.
Her gaze dropped to his hardness. His frustration, arousal, and violent grip swelled her heart.
"I'm on birth control and have never had unprotected sex." She hooked his hip with her leg. "I would never do this for anyone but you."
He let go of himself and lifted her to the edge of the desk, settling himself between her legs. "Don't let me hurt you."
"You won't." She brought his head forward and kissed him softly, then whispered something she'd never dared say to anyone else, "Fuck me, Nelson."
He slid into her. Bucking his hips, he grunted with each thrust. Wet from her orgasm, he slipped deep, hard, inside of her. Her orgasm left her sensitive. Warmth built again, leaving her breathless.
The raw, desperate, powerful show of emotions of Nelson losing control excited her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He straightened, lifting her.
There was only one way to describe what he was doing to her. As if h
e'd held everything back for a lifetime, and chose her to let it out on, he gave her one more piece of himself.
She quivered as another climax shook her. Nelson, gripping her hips, slammed her down on him and held her, weaving on his feet as pleasure rolled through him.
Weak on his feet, he stumbled backward with her in his arms, hitting the standing air compressor and using it to brace himself while he clung to her. She pressed her cheek to the side of his head. It was neither awkward or wrong. Nelson was hers. He'd always been hers, even when she was too young to understand her feelings.
Chapter 22
Nelson
THE HALF-MOON OVER the mountain peak provided the only light on the river. Nelson gazed up at the stars with his back against the rear tire of his Harley, and Scarlett cocooned between his legs. His ass had fallen asleep an hour ago from sitting on the hard ground, but he wasn't ready to leave yet.
Scarlett had joined him on his first ride after fixing and painting his motorcycle. All he wanted to do was get out of town, away from everyone, and be alone with her.
Four days of being with Scarlett had calmed him in a way the garage, a few small car jobs, and freedom hadn't. He found himself counting the hours until she got off of work when she'd sneak over and stay with him.
"Could you see outside in prison?" she asked.
His thumb stopped strumming her nipple. "No."
She'd never asked him about his time incarcerated. The only thing he could go off of was her passionate display of his innocence in court when he was sentenced. But she'd only been sixteen years old back then when she'd bravely sat beside the judge and spoke to the jury.
Ten years ago, her opinion would be that of a child's.
"Was it hard being locked up?"
Sitting outside with her in his arms, the big sky above them, the hum of the river made prison seem a long time ago. He would never want to pollute her head with the hardships of prison. His stay was in another world. One that she would never visit.
He'd been beaten. He'd beat others. Everything from his cot to the supplies he received from commissary was fought over. He'd changed his behavior to fit the dirty atmosphere. It wasn't safe to be a loner behind bars.
On the inside, even the prisoners were divided. Whites stuck with themselves. Blacks on one end. Browns upstairs. The gangs ran the politics. If you aligned yourself with the wrong person, you could find yourself dead.
"Nelson?" she said.
"Yeah, fox. It was hard," he whispered. "It was lonely."
She shuddered in his arms and sniffed. He held her tighter, needing to remind himself that he was out and never going back.
"I wish I could've visited you." She turned in his arms and placed her cheek on his chest, cuddling against him.
He kissed her head. "I wouldn't have let you. It's no place for a girl. A woman."
"Did you ever get my letter?"
He cupped her head with his hand to keep her from looking up at him and seeing the pain he felt. "No."
"I wrote one about three years after you were sentenced. Ollie had moved back to Steel Mechanics after getting out of prison, and I gave it to him, hoping he'd go visit you." She sighed. "I should've known he wouldn't. I didn't know who to give the letter to. My mom wouldn't take me to visit you."
He had no plans to visit Ollie now that he was back behind bars or try and see Josh. At one time, when they were young, they'd bonded through the abuse their dad handed out, but they'd each chosen a different way to protect themselves. Far as he cared, they were no longer family.
The only ones who stuck by him were the members of Tarkio Motorcycle Club. They put enough money in his account for him to get the essentials. Like, paper to wipe his ass and a sweet out of the commissary. Not enough to make him a target but enough to know someone had his back on the outside.
And, Scarlett.
His days and nights were filled with a lifetime of memories he played over and over in his head. She would never realize how she'd saved him, more times than he could count.
She tilted her head. "I have to work tomorrow night."
He kissed her lips. Tomorrow, Jerry would have her, and he hated it.
He'd seen the look on the man's face, the way he reacted with Scarlett when he felt threatened. That asshole was no better than his dad. It wouldn't take much to make him snap.
"I want you to be careful." He smoothed her hair.
Scarlett sat up and faced him, throwing her legs over his thighs. "I haven't asked, but Jerry acts like our past relationship has nothing to do with my job. I don't think he's going to fire me for breaking up with him."
"I don't trust him."
She sprawled her hands on his chest. "He's a nice guy. Just not the one for me."
He grunted. "You used to hate being around people who drink. You spent most of your time with me or hanging out in the tree fort when your mom was married to...whatever that guy's name was."
"Chuck." She scrunched her nose. "Did you know my mom got married a couple of years after she divorced Chuck?"
"Did she get rid of that guy, too?"
"Yeah." She laughed softly. "He was lazy and spent a lot of time at the titty bar when mom was working and was surprised to find all his belongings on the front lawn after mom found someone else's panties in his car. I almost moved in with Hazel then, but she was engaged to Scott, and soon after, got married to him."
"Your sister probably still hates me."
"I never understood why. Do you know?"
"When you first moved next door, you were too young to remember, but Hazel used to flirt with Josh. He was cruel to Hazel. She always thought I was like my brothers."
"Josh and Ollie were mean to everyone." She placed her hands on the side of his head and used her thumbs over his eyebrows. "But you were never like them."
"Spend the night with me," he blurted.
She smiled. "Okay."
Dropping her hands in her lap, she tilted her head and looked at him. He'd made her happy.
"Sometimes, I think you're going to disappear from my life again." She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again to look at him. "You're still here."
"I'm not—"
She put her finger over his lips. "I still want to follow you around and believe I'm the only one you care about. That sounds so silly now, but it's how I feel."
He brought her forward and kissed her. If she needed time, he'd give it to her.
"Not silly, at all." He inhaled her scent, knowing he'd been deep inside of her when they first arrived at the river. "Let's get out of here and go to bed."
For him, there was no one else he wanted to be with. It'd been like that forever. He was desperate around her. If all he could have was her by his side, talking to him, and offering her soft touches, he'd spend the rest of his life a happy man.
He stood and handed her the sweatshirt she'd worn on the way to the river. She slipped it over her head. It was a warm night, but the ride would put a chill on her.
"Oh, look. The moon is reflected on the motorcycle." She pointed. "I really do like the color."
"It's nice to have a ride again." He straddled the seat.
She climbed up behind him and hugged his back. He rode slowly over the gravel until he hit the interstate. Taking it easy since tonight was the first she'd ridden on the Harley, he enjoyed the freedom of the road and the warm softness on his back.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled onto the street for home and was greeted by flashing lights half a block away. His muscles tensed. The police were parked in front of Steel Mechanics.
He braked hard, stopping in the middle of the road.
Scarlett's arms tightened around him. "Isn't that your place?"
"Yeah." He glanced in the side mirror, ready to turn around and leave.
"Look." She pointed over his shoulder. "There's a bunch of people standing on the sidewalk."
He hadn't done anything. There was no reason for the police to be at his place.
Knowing he was innocent last time and they still found him guilty, he shot forward, making a U-turn.
Scarlett patted his stomach. "Wait. Mrs. Philamin is walking this way. I'll ask her what's going on."
He'd barely stopped the motorcycle, and Scarlett slid off the seat. His hand tensed on the throttle, he rather lay low out of the area until the cops left.
Scarlett jogged to the sidewalk. She pointed, talking to the elderly neighbor that lived at the end of the block, then looked back at Nelson. His pulse pounded in his veins. The last time the police were here, they'd arrested him on drug charges and being the number one suspect in his father's murder.
Knowing everyone in Missoula wanted him locked up for crimes they believed he was guilty of doing, he felt his freedom slipping away.
Scarlett jogged toward him. He turned the bike all the way, prepared to ride out with her behind him. He wasn't going to lose her again.
She stopped beside him, breathing hard. "Someone vandalized your building. Mr. Gumfrey heard a car squeal from across the street and looked out his front window and seen them leave. He's giving the police a report now."
"I'm not going back." He hitched his chin. "Get on."
"Nelson. They're not after you." She held his arm. "I'll go with you."
For all he cared, they could burn the place down. He'd barely made two hundred dollars since he opened the garage back up.
"It'll be okay." Scarlett leaned against him. "Please."
His jaw ached. At least he'd had Scarlett and his Harley with him. What if he'd been gone and she'd walked over while others were vandalizing the place?
He hitched his chin. "Get on."
She climbed up behind him. He turned around again and rode into the crowd in the parking lot of Steel Mechanics. Parking his bike in the grass, he waited until Scarlett stood, and then he got off the bike.
The headlights of the patrol cars shined on the front of the building. In red spray paint, clear across the front of all three garage doors were the words KILLER, MURDERER, DRUG LORD.
"Oh, my God." Scarlett slipped her hand into his. "Who would do that?"
Probably the same person or people who beat the hell out of his Harley. He walked toward the building, holding Scarlett's hand.
