by Fran Lee
When he turned back to face her, she was still flat on her back, her eyes wide and her jaw hanging, as if she’d been quick-frozen to the spot. He scratched his chest and yawned, and watched as her pale face turned all red. When she still didn’t move, he ran both hands back through his sleep rumpled hair, and almost laughed as her wide eyes popped again. Figuring he would have to be the one to start the conversation, he felt his cheeks crease with a wicked grin.
“Unless you are inviting me back into my bed, darlin’, it would be smart of you to get a grip and sit up. You look mighty invitin’ lyin' there like that.”
His words had the desired effect, because she jack-knifed up from the mattress and hit the floor with both feet, looking for all the world like she was ready to make a dive for the door. He lifted both palms like he would to calm a spooked horse, and he spoke softly in a calm voice. “Easy there, sweet thing…you’re safe. But I need a cup of coffee.”
Coffee? Hot coffee?
Lily’s mouth almost watered. She hadn’t eaten a damn thing except a stale granola bar since she’d run for it, and her gut was telling her off something fierce. She’d saved all her cash for bus fare and a room if she needed one, and the idea that he might be offering a cup of coffee was enough to make her sink back down onto the edge of the mattress and hug her stomach.
When the tall man moved to the cubby hole that served as a closet between the bedroom and the bathroom, and flipped the switch on a small two-cup coffee maker, she stared at his broad back, unable to take her eyes from all that golden skin.
His jeans hung low on his lean hips, and his bare feet were long and well shaped. Holy Hell, but she’d never seen a better looking man. His dark hair was almost black, with a few lighter streaks, probably from the sun. Her gaze slid over the nasty bruises that were on his back, ribs, and his shoulder. Then he swung his head her way as if he sensed she was ogling him, and a crooked smile curved his chiseled mouth.
Covering her rudeness, she coughed and looked down at the floor, and she spoke in a shaky voice. “Did you get the shit beat out of you, too?”
Flint hid his grin as he turned back to the coffee, and turned two of the Styrofoam cups over. “Not in the same way you were. The saddle bronc I was finished riding took it into his head to try and get the last word in on our argument.”
He heard her little gasp, and a moment later, he felt cool hands on the largest of his bruises. It was all he could do to not flinch. He stiffened as her small cold fingers ran over the lump where a hoof had caught his ribs a glancing blow. “Have you been to see a doctor?” she whispered, “to make sure your ribs aren’t cracked?”
Taking in a deep breath, he fought to remain still. “Yep. Just a bunch of nasty bruises.” His voice rasped as he went on. “Your cool hands feel damn good, woman…”
She moved away quickly, and the minute her hands dropped from his body, he wanted them right back where they’d been. He tried his damnedest to not look disappointed when he glanced down at her over his shoulder once more.
“I’m sorry.” Her face was pinched with concern.
“No need to apologize. It felt good…sort of like an ice pack. You can put those hands back on me if you want.”
He watched her expression turn from worried to pink with embarrassment, and he fought to keep from turning around and kissing her until the pink turned to a warm red flush of pleasure. But he managed to hold back. He almost growled under his breath. He’d never felt so damned hot and protective in his life before. She wasn’t a beauty, but there was something about her that grabbed his gut and twisted. Something about her seemed to reach out and touch him, and damned if he wasn’t ready and willing to figure it out. He needed to back the hell off and get some answers so he could decide what to do with his little burglar.
The water was dripping down through the grounds and he focused on the coffee until they each had a hot steaming cup in their hands. He watched as she dumped four sugar packets and two creamer packets into hers and realized she probably hadn’t had much of anything to eat, if she couldn’t even afford a room. She looked like she’d been starved. His eyes moved over her thin wrists and hands as she cupped the Styrofoam and blew away the steam.
He sank onto Curley’s bed and nodded for her to sit on his as they let the coffee cool enough so it wouldn’t burn their mouths, and started asking questions.
Lily heard her stomach gurgle as she tried not to swallow the steaming coffee too fast. She almost didn’t hear the question he asked. “Sorry…I didn’t hear you…”
He watched her quietly, his dark gaze considering her as he asked again. “What’s your name?”
She fished about in her mind for one she would remember. “Um…Susan.”
“Okay…now what’s your real name?”
Damn, he was too observant.
“What makes you think it isn’t Susan?” She kept her eyes on her cup as she blew the steam away and took another tiny sip.
“Gut feeling. I’m trying to decide what to do with you, and the truth would help me make a good decision here. If you lie to me again, I’ll just let the cops sort this out.”
She set the cup down on the night stand beside the bed and clasped shaky hands around her bruised ribs. “Look, mister, I haven’t done anything illegal, and I didn’t mean to trespass. I just am down on my luck, and have nowhere else to go.” She avoided meeting his dark eyes. Praying her wouldn’t ask too damn many questions. “I have about seventy dollars, but I need all of it to buy a bus ticket, and couldn’t afford a room. I would have slept outside, but it’s raining and I was cold. I didn’t exactly have that many choices.”
“Sleeping outside probably was what got you beat up and almost robbed. Not the best option for a woman on her own.” His dark gaze held hers for a long moment before he spoke again. “You can sleep on this bed for the rest of the night. Curley seems to have found somewhere comfy to spend the night, so it’s available. The coffee shop across the way won’t open until six, but I think Curley has a stash of candy bars. You look like you could use some sugar and peanuts.”
Her belly chose that exact moment to rumble ominously, and she felt hot color fill her face. He didn’t comment…just got up and went back into the little cubby hole to drag out a large back pack. He unzipped one of the upper pockets and dragged out a handful of snickers bars, dumping them on the bedspread. He’d barely let go when she lunged across the narrow space between the beds and scooped one up, tearing at the wrapper like a lion tearing into a bloody bone.
“Whoa…easy there…you’ll make yourself sick if you eat too fast, sweetheart…” He swung the back pack to the floor and sank down beside her on the mattress, his large hand gently touching her shoulder.
Her eyes were closed as she chewed barely enough to make the candy swallowable before taking another big bite. The feel of that big warm palm made her jerk, and she blinked up at him as he gazed down at her with a concerned look. She chewed more slowly, and wiped her mouth with the back of one hand. “S…sorry….I haven’t eaten much since day before yesterday…”
The curse that came from him startled her, but he made no move to stop her from eating. She thought about shrugging his hand off, but it felt warm and comforting, and she was freezing, still uncomfortably wet from the rain.
Flint swore before he caught himself, and he felt her shiver under his hand. Her skin was icy, and her shirt and jacket were wet through. He got back up and went through his own back pack, dragging out a clean T-shirt and a pair of soft cotton boxers. As an afterthought, he pulled out a pair of socks, then turned back to see her finish off the second candy bar. He walked into the bathroom and set the items on the side of the sink before reaching into the shower and turning on the water, waiting for it to get nice and steamy.
He moved back into the bedroom as she was snarfing the last candy bar. He tugged the wet jacket off her and hung it over the back of a chair, ignoring her squeak of protest. “Get on in there and climb in the shower, sweet thing…
you’re as cold as an ice box. I left some things for you to put on. We need to get you dry and warm.”
She had chocolate smeared around her sweet mouth like some small child caught gobbling chocolates, and something grabbed him inside his chest, making it hard to breathe. Anger at the woman having to starve…frustration at not being able to make it better. He watched her hesitate, then seem to make a decision as she rose from the bed and did as he ordered. She closed the bathroom door with a snap, and he waited until he heard the shower door slide shut. He tried the door and found it not locked, then he called out that he was just grabbing her wet stuff to hang it over the room heater to dry a bit.
“Okay…” her voice sounded like she was shivering, and he opened the door enough to reach in and snag her wet things. But the sight of her naked body turning under the steamy spray made him forget his errand, and he stared at the rounded globes and the way her hands ran over them with a washcloth. He swallowed hard. Shit! She was just a bitty little thing, but that rack was enough to make his mouth water.
After a full minute went by with him just standing there, holding her clothes, she said quietly, “That makes us about even. I stared, and you stared. Now go away and let me finish my shower, okay?”
He felt enough hot blood leave his hard cock to fill his face, and he backed out of the steamy room, closing the door behind him.
Holy fucking hell!
He managed to shake out the wet shirt and jeans and drape them over the room heater at the foot of his bed. Her boots were sopping wet, so he set them next to the door on a section of newspaper, and then he picked up her bra and panties from the crumpled bedding and lifted them to his face, inhaling deeply before arranging them over the top of her other stuff.
He let out a shaky breath. He’d never…repeat never…had a female affect him so much since he’d turned fifteen and had gotten his first piece of tail. The wonder of sinking hard and deep into a slick cunt had left him breathless and in shock…but nothing had quite affected him as deeply since. Until now. A pair of huge golden eyes…spiky wisps of dark blonde hair…a too-thin little body with breasts that were firm, round, and uptilted, with nipples that had stood out as she’d washed them.
He clenched his teeth and swore softly as he pressed the heel of his hand over his cock, shifting it so it wouldn’t get pinched against his zipper. Shit. She was nothing like his usual type. He had a marked preference for round, leggy, lush red heads. So what the fuck had him all in a lather? Maybe it was because he hadn’t gotten laid in over a month. Yeah. That had to be it. He should have gone with Curley and joined the rodeo bunny party.
Lily heard him call out from the other side of the door, and she was glad he’d been thoughtful enough to warn her that he was coming in. She could see him through the etched glass as he bent to retrieve her wet things, but then he’d straightened, and had simply stood there, staring.
She had stiffened, damn well aware that he could see her as clearly as she could see him…and a little devil had prompted her to slowly run the soapy cloth over her breasts and belly as he watched. A tingle of naughtiness made her nipples tighten, and her clit grow needy. After all, turnabout’s fair play…she’d looked her fill at his body back in the bedroom.
Then she’d spoken, and he’d withdrawn from the bathroom, leaving her in a melting, warm puddle of awareness. It shocked her that after Jake’s attempt to rape her, she could feel anything but fear and revulsion when a total stranger showed appreciation for her body. But this man was certainly not Jake. And in spite of his ogling her through the shower door, he’d backed off and made no attempt to take advantage.
He had caught her sneaking into his room at two in the morning, had pinned her wet body to his bed, but instead of freaking out and calling the cops, or ripping her clothes off and using her, he’d ended up offering her a place to sleep for the rest of the night, a hot shower, and warm, dry clothes. Her own backpack had gotten soaked by the rain, and she’d left it hidden outside the room in some bushes. She couldn’t help but feel attracted to someone who was so damn good looking, yet so totally...gentlemanly.
So kind…
When she was thoroughly warm, and her hair wasn’t filled with sticks and dirt from crawling through that big hedge to sneak into the parking lot of this motel without being seen by the desk clerk, she turned off the water and toweled dry, then wrapped the damp towel around her head to draw out the excess water. The things he’d left for her to put on were soft, dry cotton…too big by a mile but still something to cover her and keep her warm. She tugged the T-shirt over her head to fall almost to her mid thighs and then pulled the boxers up her legs. There was no drawstring, but she found that rolling the elastic waist down over itself several times made them stay on her hips fairly well.
The socks were blessedly warm, and they were the kind that didn’t have a heel built into them, so she tugged them up to her knees, and then sat on the closed toilet to rub her hair dry with the towel. She mopped up the watery mess she’d made with the damp towel, and tossed it over the top of the shower stall before she turned to the mirror and began trying to comb her hair with her fingers. The light knock on the door made her turn to see the door inch open.
“I’m done in here…” she said a bit too breathlessly as she opened the door the rest of the way. “Sorry I took so long.”
“Just checking. You were in here so long, I thought you might have fallen asleep in the shower.” Dark eyes traveled from her wet hair to her sock-clad feet, and back. He had pulled a flannel shirt on but hadn’t buttoned it.
Talk about sex on the hoof…
“You wouldn’t happen to have a comb, would you?” she managed to ask as she edged past him in the doorway without brushing against him.
“Yeah…just a minute…” he said as he stepped on into the bathroom and lifted the toilet seat while she stood there staring like a peeping tom. Realizing that she was watching him take a piss, she whirled around and almost ran to the side of the bed he had offered her, and her eyes slipped over the way he’d arranged her wet things to dry out a bit. The sight of her under things on top of the pile brought a flush to her face, and she barely stopped herself from grabbing them and tucking them under the rest.
For God’s sake, girl, he’s seen way more of you than just your panties and bra!
She heard the toilet flush, and a moment later, a man’s black comb extended over her shoulder, and she jerked a bit, before reaching for it. Taking it from his hand, she turned and took a step away from that long, lean body. “Thanks. I didn’t think to grab a brush before…” she stopped herself before blurting out that she’d left home without taking much of anything. She didn’t want any more questions. He nodded as she started dragging the teeth of his comb through her tangled hair.
It was tough going, combing though her thick hair, and after a few minutes, he took the comb from her hands and turned her around toward the mirror over the dresser. “Let me see what I can do…” he breathed softly behind her, as long, strong fingers began to untangle the hair and the comb slid more easily through the wet strands. She sighed and closed her eyes, too tired to protest him just taking over her grooming.
“Thanks…”
No reply, but she could feel his warm breath as he gently tugged the comb through her hair from the top to the bottom, as if he had leaned closer to her. She could feel the heat of his body behind her, and then the brush of his chest against her shoulder blades as he gathered her hair into one big hand and lifted it off her neck. Every nerve in her body was tingling as she felt his lips against the side of her neck. His warmth against her spine and the soft caress of his mouth sent a shot of something hot and delicious scurrying through her body, and she had to fight to draw away, talking a step forward and glancing over her shoulder. “Thanks…it’s been a long time since anybody combed my hair for me…”
Flint had forgotten that she was a total stranger…that he didn’t even know her real name. There was just a quiet, easy silence betwe
en them that felt natural somehow. He sensed that her body was as aware of him as he was of her. It had felt right to take the comb from her weary hand and to use his own fingers to ease the tangles as he used his comb to smooth the thick mass of damp curls. It had felt right when he’d gathered her hair in one hand to bare the side of her neck and to bend down to taste her sweet, clean skin.
And she had shivered with awareness as he’d dragged his mouth over her neck and shoulder. But when she’d moved away, his body felt raw. His insides felt tight and hot. He’d almost reached out and dragged her back against him.
Somehow he’d managed to keep his hands to himself.
As she glanced over her shoulder at him, and thanked him softly for combing her hair, he realized that no matter who she was…no matter where she’d come from…no matter what…he was bound and determined to keep his little waif. As fucking dumb as that sounded even to him, he simply accepted that his sudden decision would stand. She would never be cold, bruised, hungry or alone again.
He nodded, and turned away from her to draw the bedspread and blankets back on Curley’s bed. “Climb in and get warm. Get some sleep. We’ll be haulin’ out of here early, so rest up.”
Her hesitation made him smile. “You’ll be safe. If Curley climbs into bed with you before dawn, he’ll be too damn drunk to do much. But I warn you, he likes to cuddle.”
The smile that spread over her face hit him like a fist in his gut. Christ! He was gonna have to fight his hardest to keep from crawling into bed and cuddling her against his own hard-as-nails cock.
She lowered her body and crawled wearily into the open bed, and he drew up the covers over her curled up body as he realized she was already fast asleep.
