BARE SKIN: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Callie Pierce

  We stayed like that for a while, me just holding her. I wanted to talk to her about all that had happened, to explain what a fool I’d been, but I wanted her calm when I did it.

  When she finally stopped sobbing, I pulled her back so that I could look at her face. It was red and splotchy, her eyes a little swollen from the crying, but I thought that she still looked beautiful anyway. I reached up to cup her face and let my thumb smooth over her cheek, wiping away the remnants of tears.

  This was it. I was going to tell her what had happened with Sarah and how terrified I was that it would happen again. Then I was going to apologize for being such an asshole and beg her to take me back.

  I opened my mouth, but never got a word out. Because right at that moment, her phone began to ring. She made a mad dash for it and fumbled with it until she’d answered. “Hello? Hello? Dr. Humbler? Yes, it’s Alyssa.”

  I stayed silent, because if she was talking to a doctor, then it probably had something to do with her sister – which meant it was probably important. I waited as she nodded her head and made affirmative noises. I saw her free hand clamp over her chest, between her breasts as a watery smile slipped over her lips.

  “Oh god, thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me.”

  I stood silent, waiting, feeling almost like I was intruding on an intimate moment. She said a few more things to the doctor and I decided I should give her a bit of privacy. Which was why I turned away and dug out my own cell phone. I dialed the police and let it ring for a moment. I wasn’t entirely sure what this asshole had done to Alyssa, but I knew it wasn’t good. I wanted her to give me the full story, but I didn’t want to give this jackass the opportunity to get away. When the police picked up and asked what was going on, I explained that someone had broken into my girlfriend’s house and had attacked her. Again, I wasn’t sure that was the whole story, but it was pretty reasonable given Alyssa’s state and the man’s belligerence. I explained that I’d knocked him out to protect Alyssa and would be happy to give my statement, but might not be here at the scene when they arrived.

  When the cop, a woman, asked why, I glanced over at Alyssa. She was nodding her head to whatever the doctor was saying. I answered, “My girlfriend’s sister is in the hospital and we need to go see her. I’ll leave my name and number with you and if you need me to give a statement, I’ll be reachable that way.”

  The police agreed and promised that they’d send someone down right away. I thanked the woman, then hung up. I would check back to make sure this imbecile had been picked up. And if he wasn’t, then I’d call Jimmy for a favor. Once I explained what it was, I had a pretty good feeling that he’d be all too happy to oblige.

  Shoving the phone back in my pocket, I turned to find that Alyssa was hanging up the phone. Her eyes were glassy, but she looked happy.

  “They can get her in early!” she told me happily, her mouth split open into a wide smile. “They can get her in for the surgery today. God, Jude, this is everything!” She hugged me, probably not even thinking twice about it because she was so damn happy. It was a quick hug though. “I need to get to the hospital. If I get there in time, I can see her before the operation, but even if I can’t, I need to be here. Will you come?”

  I nodded before I even knew what I was doing.

  I hated hospitals. I hated their smell, the feel of their white halls. All of it. It felt of sterility and sickness, no matter what they tried to do. But most of all, it reminded me of my mother. She’d been sick a long time and even though she’d pulled through, I never could forget the awful feeling of being in a hospital.

  Still, when Alyssa ran down the stairs toward her car, I couldn’t tell her no. Instead, I sighed and hurried after her. When we got to the lobby, I noticed a young man – greasy, hair slicked back, face cratered from acne that never healed right – leaning against the doorjamb of that damn office. I wanted to run over to him and grab him by the scruff as I told him just what a fucked up place this was that a young woman could so easily be attacked in her own apartment.

  It was only the fact that Alyssa blasted past him toward her car that kept me from stopping. I wasn’t about to lose track of her now.

  Still, I shot him a nasty look that caused him to back cautiously into his office again, closing the door behind him.

  Chickenshit.

  I headed outside to where Alyssa’s car was parked. She was fumbling with her keys, trying to get the right one in the door of her car, but she was shaking so badly that she was having trouble. I realized that amidst all the good news of her sister, she’d still been in a terrifying way only moments before. I wondered what had happened in that apartment and took some solace in the knowledge that she was still fully clothed at least.

  Stepping around the car to the driver’s side, I took the keys out of her hands. She looked up at me with wide eyes, her breathing short and a little panicky still. “What—?” she started to ask, but I cut her off.

  “I’m driving. You’re in no shape to argue. Get in the passenger’s seat and buckle in.”

  I spoke like I was giving her an order. I was giving her an order.

  Instantly, her whole body seemed to relax a little, like the weight was suddenly lifted off of her shoulders. She didn’t argue with me or protest or tell me that it was her damn car. Instead, she offered me a small smile and said, “Thank you, sir.”

  I felt a rush of pleasure at her calling me sir, but focused on the task at hand. Getting Alyssa safely to the hospital to see her sister.

  When she was around the other side of the car, I unlocked the doors and we both slipped inside. I started up the car, then gave her a pointed stare. She blinked at me twice, then said, “Oh!” She grabbed her seatbelt and buckled up.

  I glanced in the rearview mirror at my motorcycle and wasn’t too thrilled about leaving it parked in this part of town, but ultimately shrugged it off. If I needed to, I’d get another damn bike. It was unlikely that Alyssa would get another sister.

  I pulled out into traffic and asked Alyssa, “Which hospital?”

  “Wellborn,” she answered immediately.

  I knew where it was and headed in that direction, going as fast as traffic would allow. The car ride was silent. Telling her how I was feeling, the revelation I’d had when she left, was constantly on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t get it out. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the situation – the pressure of her sister’s imminent operation – or if I was just too chickenshit to bring it up. Either way, I just couldn’t do it right then.

  After she sees her sister, I promised myself. I’ll tell her everything then.

  I took my eyes off the road for just a second to glance over at Alyssa. She was cradling her phone in her hands, staring down at the screen. I was about to ask her why, when she said, “You called me. A lot.”

  I straightened up in my seat, focusing my eyes back on the road. “Yes,” I answered. “I was worried when you didn’t pick up.”

  She bit her lower lip and said nothing else for the rest of the ride to the hospital.

  When we got to the hospital, I drove around until I found a parking spot, then we hurried toward the entrance. But when we got there, I paused. The sliding glass doors were just up ahead and Alyssa was barreling straight toward them, but I’d slowed down to a crawl of a walk. Finally, I stopped altogether, just short of the doors. Alyssa paused, glancing back at me from two steps inside. The doors remained open, waiting for her to move.

  “Jude?” she questioned and I heard the hurt in her tone, but even that couldn’t seem to make me move.

  I was done with hospitals. Taking in a deep breath, I gave her a half smile and waved her ahead. “Go on. See your sister.”

  Emotions flashed across her face rapid fire and I thought she might stay just long enough to chew my ass about being too scared to go into a damn hospital. But she didn’t. Instead, she gave me one last lingering glance, then turned away and walked purposefully into the hospital.
The doors closed behind her and I suddenly had plenty of time to think of just how many stupid things I’d managed to do in one day.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Alyssa

  It killed me that Jude just stood there outside the doors to the hospital. For those moments in the car, when I saw those missed calls from him on my phone, I thought that things were shifting between us. I thought that maybe we had a chance. After all, who goes through the trouble of finding someone – I’d ask later how in the hell he figured out where I lived – if they didn’t care about that person, right? And he’d called me repeatedly, left messages, sent texts. He’d been almost desperate to get ahold of me. Why would he do that if he didn’t want me back?

  But now I was thinking that maybe I’d gotten it all wrong. That maybe he wasn’t really interested in having me back at all. It could have been that he was just interested in making sure that I’d gotten home okay. Or worse, what if he’d only gone through all of this trouble to make sure I’d abide by the contract we’d signed.

  The thought made me almost physically ill and I had to shove it aside before I dwelled too heavily on it. It would eat me alive if I let it and I just couldn’t do that.

  Forcing myself to move forward, I went to the front desk where the nurse sat. She was wearing blue scrubs and had her blonde hair twisted up in a pretty updo that would never have looked good on me. If anything, I would have looked like some ridiculous Barbie doll wanna be. Or worse, like a kid playing dress up in her mother’s closet.

  Ew.

  The nurse wasn’t one I recognized and I knew just about all of them. She had to have been new. “Hello, miss?”

  “Please, fill out a form and wait over there. I’ll get to you as soon as—”

  I interrupted the nurse, who sounded like she was either exasperated with people coming in – which seemed unlikely given that the place was basically empty – or she was just bored to tears. Either way, I was slightly annoyed with her attitude. Which was not good since I was already kind of amped up. Between my sister, Brendan, and Jude, I felt like I was in a whirlwind of complications that were driving me slowly insane. Or not so slowly.

  “I’m not a patient. I’m here to see my sister.”

  The woman looked up at me, slightly more interested, but only barely. Letting out a sigh, she nodded. “Okay, who’s your sister?”

  “Katy Henkins. She’s scheduled to go in for surgery early today and I—”

  “Hold on,” the nurse told me rudely as she swiveled toward her computer and began typing. I was so getting her name and getting her written up with this was all done and over. She began typing onto her computer quickly, then moving the mouse around as she searched for Katy’s name. “Ah. There she is.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, she softened. Her whole posture changed dramatically and when she looked over at me, I saw honest sympathy in her eyes. “Heart surgery?” she confirmed.

  I swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yes. Is… is everything okay? Can I see her?”

  The woman nodded. She’d changed like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, just that fast. All of a sudden, she was offering me sweet smiles and sympathetic looks. “Yes. She’s supposed to go in in just a few minutes, but if you hurry you can still catch her before they move her to the operating room. I’m sure she’d love to see you first.”

  All my earlier animosity toward the woman faded and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I really was an emotional wreck. Offering her a watery smile, I nodded. “Thank you.”

  I turned to go, but the woman stopped me. “Dr. Humbler is the best we’ve got. He’s going to do everything he can for your sister, so don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll come out just fine.”

  I was surprised by her reassurances, but grateful for them nonetheless. Thanking her again, I hurried down the hall toward my sister’s room, suddenly needing to see her more than anything in the world.

  When I got there, she was clutching a teddy bear – named Wanda, because she thought that crazy witch girl from that comic book was the best thing since sliced bread – hard to her chest, looking small and fragile there in her hospital bed.

  “Hey, there, kiddo,” I said from the doorway.

  She looked up and instantly her face split into a smile. “You made it! I wasn’t sure you’d be here before the surgery.”

  I waved off her worry like I’d known the whole time that I’d get here before she went under. Really, I hadn’t known a damn thing and Brendan and Jude had both sent my whole day for a loop. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to see you off. After all, I’ve worked my butt off to see this moment.” I headed into the room to her bedside.

  Her smile faltered slightly and she looked down at Wanda, tugging at loose tufts of reddish brown fur. “I told myself not to ask, but… how did you get the money?”

  I froze after sitting, perched there on the edge of her bed. Some part of me had known that this moment would come. Katy wasn’t stupid; she knew I didn’t have that kind of money. And despite Dr. Humbler’s wish that he could help everyone regardless of how much money he had, he didn’t have the resources or the money on his own to do stuff like that. Worse, Katy knew of my scheme to sell my virginity. I’d promised her that I wouldn’t, but… well, I’d lied. And now I wondered if some part of her knew it all along.

  Hesitating for just a second, I finally relaxed my shoulders and reached for her hand. “I did what I had to do to help my sister. I did what any sister would do.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, to tell me that she never wanted this for me, but I cut her off before she even got a word out.

  “I took out a loan.”

  It was a blatant lie and kind of a ridiculous one at that. No bank in their right mind would give me a loan, not if I put my car and everything I owned against it. Hell, that car probably wasn’t worth the tires it sat on.

  But the lie was important. Katy wouldn’t understand why I’d done it or how, in the end, losing my virginity hadn’t been important to me.

  Losing it to Jude had, though. And that was why I told the lie. To me, it hadn’t been prostitution because I’d wanted to be with him for every second of it. It had been real to me, even though… even though things weren’t going to work out. I had made this huge decision and it had changed my life. That wasn’t prostitution, even if I had gotten paid for it.

  Katy wouldn’t understand that, though. So one more lie to protect her.

  Instantly, Katy’s expression changed. It brightened for one and it opened up, too. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open slightly. I couldn’t blame her for being shocked. “Someone gave you a loan?”

  I laughed. It really was funny. “Hey! Give me some credit. I did pay off that car.” Finally. “And I might have used said car as collateral. And gotten a ridiculously high interest rate. But I got it. And it’s worth it, so I don’t even want to hear you arguing with me.”

  Her mouth closed and she gave me a soft, sweet smile. “You’ve always taken care of me, Alyssa. I… I know it’s been hard and that it’s not fair—”

  I held up a hand to stop her. “Stop it. I love you. You are my world. If I had to give up everything for you tomorrow, I would. And I’d do it with a damn smile on my face, because you’re my sister. I do this because there is nothing stronger than the bond we share.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she laughed and cried at the same time, swiping at her tears. “You’re the best, you know?”

  I leaned in and gave her a tight hug, Wanda the bear trapped between us. I held on to her longer and harder than usual, because amidst all the money and the boy craziness and the sisterly love, I was still scared. This was a serious operation. Getting it was the first step, but that didn’t mean it was a guarantee. A lot of things could still go wrong. One misstep in the operating room and suddenly my sister was dead. What little time I might have had with her would be stolen from me. And then even if she did make it out of surgery, there could be complications after. Her body might reject the
heart. She might not heal properly. She could get sick while taking the autoimmune depressants. There were so many things that could go horribly wrong and I was terrified about all of them.

  I needed my sister, now more than ever.

  It wasn’t until the door opened again and the doctor came in that we broke apart. Both of us wiped at our eyes discretely. I turned to look at Dr. Humbler. He gave me a soft smile, his older face crinkling and wrinkling in familiar ways. He had laugh lines and crow’s feet and graying hair at his temples, but he was still firm. His hands didn’t shake and he was as able bodied as most of the men half his age. These were small things, but important to me right now. They told me that my sister would be okay. That she’d come out of this thing alive.

  “Alyssa, good. I was hoping you’d make it by before we went in for surgery.”

  I nodded. “Of course. I wanted to be here.”