Beyond Touched

by Ashley Logan

  Breaking the kiss, he tips us sideways as he giggles like a school girl and clamps his arms down at his sides.

  “Seriously? That ticklish?” I ask, laughing with him and trying to make it happen again.

  “Only my sides,” he says, gasping when I find a gap in his defenses. He explodes into more giggles until he dislodges my hands and shoves himself away from me.

  “You giggle like a little kid,” I tease, unable to keep from laughing.

  “Yeah, well... you taste like cookies. And your skin smells like cinnamon, but your hair smells of sunshine and rainbows,” he says, making me laugh harder. Laughing too, he scoots off the bed. “I’m going home before I think of a really good come back,” he says, adjusting his shirt and clearing his throat.

  “Do I get a goodbye kiss?”

  “Can I trust you to keep your hands to yourself?” he asks warily.

  “Well I trust you to do it,” I counter, standing on the edge of my bed and waiting for him to come closer. “I’m sure I can manage.”

  Inching closer with caution, he comes to stand in front of me. Standing on the bed, I’m a little taller than him and I quite like the way he’s looking up at me - though that might have more to do with his steamy look, than the idea of wielding some sort of power over him.

  Making a show of holding my arms behind my back, I lean in, nuzzling his fuzzy cheek a little before touching my lips to his. As soon as our mouths join, I want more, but I keep my hands behind my back, locking them together to keep them from grabbing for him. If he can restrain himself, I can too.

  Damon deepens the kiss with the slightest angle adjustment and I can feel my hands tightening around each other as I resist the urge to touch him. Even my legs start to move restlessly, wanting to wrap around him and lock him in close. Instead, I press my body into his, enjoying the firmness that meets my soft parts.

  Greedy for more, I stroke his tongue with mine, inviting him deeper. He responds immediately and a silent, appreciative moan runs through my body, only to be answered by a deep rumble from him. It’s as if we are just a bundle of sensation as the vibrations travel between us at every point of contact. Unable to help myself, I release my hands, twining them into his hair and running them over his shoulders to find the bare skin of his arms. Seeking to touch more of him, I run my hands back over his biceps and up inside his short sleeves to feel his smooth, muscular shoulders and...

  Damon’s chest bumps me backward so I don’t fall off the bed when he pulls away. He’s breathing hard. “You were meant to keep your hands to yourself,” he says, clearly battling to control himself. Adjusting his crotch, he sighs and rubs his forehead.

  “Well it’s really hard!” I say in my defense, missing the feel of him pressed against me.

  “You think I don’t know that?” he asks with an exasperated laugh.

  “You make it look easy.”

  “I’ve had more practice,” he says, his smile fading. “I really have to go, Alexa. Or I’m going to find a way of convincing you that no sex is a terrible idea, no matter how much it makes sense to me when I’m thinking straight.”

  Without telling him that I wouldn’t need any convincing, I nod. I know as well as he does that it makes sense. “My therapist thinks it’s a good idea too. She really likes you, because you suggested it.”

  “You went to therapy this morning?”

  I nod. “Does it weird you out that I’d talk about you to a complete stranger?”

  “Not at all. I think I’d prefer you talking to a stranger than say... Bruno. He knows too much to be objective.”

  I try to hide my smile, but Damon catches it and sighs. “What did he say?”

  Smiling as I recall the conversation I had with Bruno this morning, I begin rattling off the main points. “He says that you never back down from a challenge, you can read people like a book and talk them out of, or into whatever you want, that your soft spot for the little guy is a mile wide, that you deflect tough questions with humor, and that I should watch out for your feet, because you kick him ‘all the time’,” I say with air quotes.

  “He deserves it,” Damon says with a cheeky smile as he looks around for his bag.

  “It’s in the study.”

  “Okay, mind-reader.” Stepping in close, he briefly brushes my lips with his before moving to the door.

  “Pick you up from Madame’s at five?”

  “Five,” I confirm with a nod, bringing my fingers to the smile on my lips as he disappears out the door.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  DAMON

  After my Thursday classes, I swing by the new place to check on progress. Each time I walk into the loft-style apartment with its huge open spaces and high ceilings, I get excited. I’ve spent too long living in a basement, like a troll, and I can’t wait to have the room to breathe again. I also can’t wait to move my old couch in here so I can flop onto it and stretch out. Maybe Alexa will stretch out with me and we can do what I wanted to do when I saw her lounging on it at the storage unit.

  Mentally kicking myself for going there when it could be weeks or months before that might happen, I smile at Al, the contractor who’s over-seeing the renovations, as he emerges from the bathroom.

  “You should still be all set to move in this weekend,” he says, straightening his cap. “The tiling is just finished and the grout is going in. The wiring in the bedroom will be finished tomorrow, in time for the sign off. Kitchen’s signed off already. The security system is all go. You’ve got a swipe pass and half a dozen others are in the top drawer in the kitchen. The joiner swears the garage shelving would be finished Friday too, and that’s all that’s left to think about.” Looking around, he nods. “Unless you can think of anything else?”

  “Nope. I’ve been keeping a log, and those are the only things I had left on my list too. Thanks Al,” I say with a grin. “I’d shake your hand, but I have a germ phobia.”

  “Uh huh,” he says with a chuckle as he rolls his eyes, because I make up a new excuse every time we meet.

  “Okay, then. Keep up the great work and I’ll leave you a case of beer along with the last installment on Friday,” I call over my shoulder as I head out.

  “Sure thing, Boss,” he calls back.

  Driving over to pick up Jenkins, I take him with me to Jake’s gym so he can get his workout too.

  “Okay,” he says, after I’ve put his wheelchair in back and climbed in behind the wheel. “What’s changed since I saw you on Sunday? You get laid?”

  “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

  “Well you sir, are no gentleman. Who is she?”

  “One of Bruno’s roommates. I met her in the street the week before, but when he made me go visiting after art class, I found out she lived there the whole time. Shoulda gone over sooner.”

  “Which one is it?” Brad asks, turning the radio down a bit more. I’d forgotten he’d met some of the Beyond crew when he’d been helping Bruno do some painting in the club. “Your type used to be chicks that don’t cringe at you and there were no similarities beyond that, so I can’t even guess which one it might be. Is it the redhead? She’s got great legs and tits that just scream ‘motorboat me!’” Following up with the mouth-flapping noise as he shakes his head in a blur, Brad holds up a finger to acknowledge his next thought. “Or is it the owner, Prez? That piercing she has set right into her dimple totally works for me in a way I didn’t think it could, and I can only imagine what other piercings she has going on in other places,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows with glee.

  “It’s Alexa, the little blond with the beautiful eyes and the heart of gold, and if you say a single word about her, I will use your face the next time I need to wipe my ass.”

  Laughing a little, he looks out the window as he nods. “Nice. I like her. She’s sweet.”

  “I know.”

  “How do you wipe your ass?”

  “You know that thing that dogs do when they drag their ass along the grass? It’s like
that, but with your mom’s Sunday best.”

  Laughing, he keeps looking out the window. “So you think I should find myself a nice stripper too?”

  “If you want one,” I reply with a shrug. “I kinda see you with a naughty nurse, though. You know the type. The kind that steals your wheelchair when she thinks you’re asleep so she can race it around the ward, and when you catch her, she just winks and says she’ll give it back if you promise to give her a ride sometime.”

  Shaking his head, Brad looks out the window and sighs. “Stace was a nurse-aide. She was pretty cute. And funny. Gave great sponge baths too. You don’t think she’s been fired?” he asks with a grin. “That girl had mischief written all over her.”

  “I don’t know man, but you need a girl that can keep your dumb butt occupied and I’m sure she’d fit the bill,” I say, pulling into a park just down from the gym and Alexa’s dance school. “She never did that shit with any of us other guys, but you were too tangled up in Mandy Bitch-face to realize that.”

  “You think so?”

  “Well shit,” I reply, dumping my hooks and grinning at him. “You must finally be getting over Mandy the traitorous skank! I think that’s the first time you haven’t thumped me for insulting the cow. Congrats man!”

  The dumbfounded look on Brad’s face is enough to make me laugh and he soon joins me.

  “Yeah,” he agrees slowly. “I was agreeing with you in my head when you said it, so I guess I am getting over her.”

  “About fucking time, too.”

  Brad’s fiancée had dumped him when she found out he’d never walk again. Recently he’d found out she was getting married and was pregnant. He took it pretty hard.

  Getting out, I grab his chair and park it next to his open door before shrugging out of my hooks and grabbing my box of gym gear from the trunk.

  “Hey,” comes a voice behind me.

  Turning around, I see Sam, Alexa’s friend. Funny that I’d met her so many times before and never learned her name. She looks like a Sam. And though she isn’t much bigger than Alexa, she looks as dangerous as Alexa looks sweet; as if life has hardened her into a seasoned fighter.

  “Hi. Sam, right?”

  Rolling her eyes, she sighs and closes my trunk for me before leaning against it. “So Lex got brave enough to take a chance on you, huh?”

  “Yeah,” I say with a grin. “I hear you might have helped sway her.”

  Shrugging, Sam watches Brad get himself into his chair as he tries to look over his shoulder to figure out what we’re doing. “You seem like a nice guy. She needs a nice guy.”

  “She does,” I agree. “Hopefully she’ll let me stick around long enough to convince her of that.” Unable to keep from thinking about the two of them together as I look into Sam’s face, I turn away. “Thanks for being there when she needed you. And for doing right by her.”

  Again Sam shrugs, as if it was something anyone would do, and while I’d hope for that to be the case, Alexa’s past is a clear example of the contrary.

  “I mean it. Alexa’s lucky to have you,” I say as Brad rolls over to us.

  “Hey,” he says to Sam, by way of greeting. He’s been with me before when I’ve given her money. Looking her over, he gives an approving nod. “Hat, coat, boots. Good choices.” Eying the attachments on her small backpack, he looks to me. “Got enough cash on you for a decent compact sleeping bag, or a solo tent? There’s only a twenty in my wallet, but if you want it, it’s in your glove compartment. I’m heading in,” he says, wheeling slowly towards the gym. “It’s so cold I can’t feel my feet.” Reaching the swing doors, he forces them open with his chair and disappears inside.

  “Was that a joke?” Sam asks, turning back to me.

  “Pretty sure, yeah,” I reply, setting my box of gear on the roof of the car and fishing out my wallet for her. “I don’t know how much is in there, but he’s right. If you don’t like sleeping under a roof, you’re going to need to replace your bedding before winter really sets in. If there isn’t enough in there, I’ll get you some more.”

  “I didn’t come over here to take your money, Damon.”

  “But it’s a good opportunity, all the same,” I say, holding out the wallet. Sighing, she takes it and flicks through the notes. Taking some, she leaves some too.

  “What happened to your hands?” she asks, watching me as she puts the cash in her inner most pocket.

  “Mexican wave under a ceiling fan,” I answer without missing a beat. Narrowing her eyes at me, she folds her arms across her chest and waits.

  “Actually, I got caught stealing in the olden days. Twice.”

  The corner of her mouth twitches, but she continues to stare at me.

  “Owed money to the mob?”

  Rolling her eyes, she looks toward the dance school. “Do you tell her the truth?”

  “From day one.”

  “Good. Can you give her what she needs?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Good. Because if you hurt her, I’ll cut off your feet with a rusty saw. Tell her I’ll see her later.”

  “Okay. Good talking to you,” I call after her as she walks away. Shivering a little, I lock the car, grab my box of gear, and head for the gym.

  SNEAKING INTO THE BACK of her class with the swarm of parents as they arrive, I watch Alexa end her lesson. She has a natural way with the kids as she manages to give each of them some sort of individual attention that makes them glow. Dismissing the kids to their parents, she spies me and waves. I raise my arm before I can stop myself from giving the creepy no-hand wave and she smiles, making her way over.

  “Hey,” she says, taking in my freshly showered appearance. “You’ve been to the gym?”

  “Yeah. Brad and I often workout out together on a Thursday. I hope you don’t mind that I have to drop him off before I take you home.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” she says with one of her radiant smiles. Lowering it to the kid putting on her coat next to me, Alexa gives her a wink. The kid barely acknowledges it, because she’s staring at me.

  “What happened to your hands?”

  “Ever been to an amusement park?” I ask, catching the attention of the girl’s mom as I bend down to talk.

  “Yeah?”

  “Make sure you listen when they tell you to keep your arms inside the rides, okay?” I say with a firm voice and a small smile. I never get tired of seeing how wide a kid’s eyes can get. Nodding solemnly, she takes a hold of her mom’s hand, checking to see if her mom heard.

  “I told you they gave those warnings for a reason,” the woman says, giving me a sympathetic smile as she leads her daughter away.

  “You’re a compulsive liar,” Alexa mutters out the side of her mouth as she waves them goodbye.

  “I’m just using my misfortune to provide a necessary education in the form of a cautionary tale. Kids need the occasional proof of an urban legend if they’re going to keep spreading the word. The stories that start with ‘I knew this girl that met a man who lost his hands at a theme park...’” Pausing, I try not to laugh at Alexa’s unimpressed expression and point my stump at the kid that just left as she walks by the tinted window. “That girl will be the girl in those stories for years to come. It’s been one of the most effective forms of safety education throughout the ages. I’m just helping to keep the world safe.”

  Rolling her eyes, Alexa drags me to the front of the empty studio and starts packing her bag. “You could reason your way out of anything.”

  “Maybe. I like to think I’d at least try.”

  Chuckling to herself, she swings her bag over her shoulder and I lean down to give her a kiss, but she pulls away.

  Kicking myself for being presumptuous, I take a step back. “Sorry. I should have asked first.”

  Blinking, Alexa shakes her head. “It wasn’t that, it’s just that I’ve danced three classes and I’m all grimy and gross. I need a shower.”

  Smiling a little, I offer her my arm to walk her t
o the door. “Alexa, as disgusting as it may sound, I would still want to kiss you if you hadn’t showered in a year, but I’m very glad that that was your reason for avoiding my affection, and not that I scare you, or make you feel uncomfortable. I’m taking it as a win.”

  Alexa chews the inside of her cheek and says nothing, but her obviously thoughtful expression is evidence of an internal thought process, so I don’t feel as if she’s disagreeing with me. I will consider that a positive sign too.

  Holding the door for her while she sets the alarm, I look down the street towards the car as Brad comes out of the gym. “Perfect timing,” I say to myself as Alexa pushes me out of her way so she can lock the door. Waiting until she’s turned around I hold up my arm and give her a questioning look. Smiling, she tucks herself under my wing as we walk.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I warn as Brad waits by the front passenger door. “That seat’s reserved for the guest of honor. Sit your ass in the back like the second-rate citizen you are.”

  Brad glares at me, but rolls to the back door and waits for me to unlock the car. “You’ve changed, man. You used to be cool,” he says in disgusted tones before raising his eyes to Alexa and turning on the charm. “Hi Alexa. Nice to see you again.”

  Stifling a laugh, Alexa hands her bag over for me to put it in the trunk. “Hey Brad. Long time no see. How’s the mural-painting business going? Bruno says that office building downtown is going to be nothing but a work of art when you two are done. The owner must be loaded.”

  “You can say that again,” Brad says, pulling himself into the back seat. “We’ve got months of work from him alone. I don’t even know what he does, because he spends hours just looking at the ones we’ve already painted. Why anyone has to wear a suit to do that, I don’t know. And he definitely has hands, so it’s not like he got a massive government payout with cushy-”

  Kicking him as I move his chair away and collapse it, I throw it into the trunk.

  “Perks,” he finishes, giving me the stink-eye as he rubs his thigh.