“Ugh!” She stormed, then stomped away. My lips curved into a grin. “You’re such a jackass!” I heard her yell.
I snorted, loosening the last bolt that was holding the tire in place.
Was that the best that she had?
I’d been called far worse before, and coming from her it actually sounded more like a compliment rather than an insult. It was good to know she was obviously feeling better, and more like the Miley I remembered. I was also thankful she couldn’t see my face. There was no way I could hide this grin. I didn’t want to like her. Hell, I didn’t want to care about her. I had a feeling I was in trouble with this one.
She slammed the truck door hard; so hard, in fact, the glass rattled. She’d obviously rolled down a window. I could hear her talking on the phone. “No, everything is fine. I just had a scare this morning and wanted to reassure myself that Sierra was all right.” I heard her say.
She looked my way as I walked past packing the tire and quickly turned her head continuing her conversation. A chuckle escaped my lips. The ice queen had definitely spoken loud and clear. I’d just been given the cold shoulder by her majesty, Miley Triton.
Kneeling back down on to the ground, the blonde currently sitting in the passenger seat of my truck occupied my thoughts. I stared blankly at the tire waiting to be changed.
When it rained… it fucking poured
. I glanced down at my wristwatch and frowned. It wasn’t even twelve o’clock yet.
WHEN I PARKED
the truck in Miley’s driveway, I glanced over at her but she was staring straight ahead as if lost in thought. There was a lot of shit we had to figure out. This place was not what I was expecting. Miley had some explaining to do. I’d been patient long enough. During the drive here, she’d said next to nothing and now looking at her house, it was hard for me to believe the Triton’s would allow their daughter to live in such a dump. The place was small and old with peeling paint and a sagging front porch. One of the windows along the side of the house that faced the driveway had duct tape crisscrossing the glass. I assumed it had been shattered at one point in time, and, instead of replacing the window, the universal fix for all had been applied. Her landlord needed a good swift kick in his ass.
After I’d changed the tire, we’d sat on the side of the road arguing for at least twenty minutes over where she and Sierra would be spending the night. Of course, she didn’t want to stay with me and had been contemplating calling that damn Cecil of all people when I yanked the phone from her hand. It was a dick move, but she’d left me with no choice.
Why would she want to stay with Cecil instead of me? But the even bigger question was… why did it bother me so much? Fuck if I knew, but I’d ended up getting my way at least for tonight. Tomorrow was another story.
When Miley had informed me — in no uncertain terms — that she was not leaving her car on the side of the road overnight, I decided to choose my battles wisely. I’d already won the war. This was only one, tiny concession so I’d agreed, shocking her speechless. I’d thought it would be damn near impossible to get her to shut up, but I’d managed the feat.
When she’d climbed from my truck, she slammed the door once again. I’d gritted my teeth and took it all in stride even though I’d wanted to yell at her, “Don’t slam the fucking door!” My baby had suffered all kinds of abuse at her pretty hands. As she’d made her way around the front of truck, she’d flipped me the bird along with one of the sweetest smiles I’d ever seen, but it was me who had the last laugh when her car refused to start.
During the drive to her house, I’d phoned the local sheriff asking for any info on Declan Ryder Blade. I also wanted to see if he could run the plate on his bike and pull any priors. There wasn’t even a question of there not being any, my gut told me, and I’d bet the list was a mile long. After letting the sheriff know I’d stop by in the morning to look over anything he found, I decided while I had him on the phone to ask for the number of a good tow service.
He’d given me the number for a place called The Mod, and told me to ask for Jake or Devon. I’d decided to have the car towed to my house since I was a fairly good mechanic myself, and was pretty sure by the look of Miley’s place that she didn’t have the extra money to pay for repairs. Life, it seemed, hadn’t been easy for Miley Triton.
As we’d pulled up and parked in front of her house I turned to her and ordered, “Stay in the truck.” I opened my door and climbed out. “I’ll need your keys.”
With anxious eyes, she handed me her keys. “Be careful, Nate. Ryder is dangerous.”
“I think I already got that one figured out.” Her concern had my lips twitching and curving into a grin. The sensation felt strange, but I kind of liked it. “I will check the house and when the coast is clear, I’ll motion you in. You got it?”
She frowned, her eyes shooting sparks. “Yeah, I’ve got it. Regardless of what you think, Nate Lucas, I’m not a complete moron. I would have never stopped on the side of the road. My engine light came on. I got out to check underneath the hood and he pulled in behind my car. When I saw him, I ran but he chased me. End of story. You got it?” she retorted, and it was all I could do not to smile. I liked that sassy attitude and smart mouth of hers just a little too much.
“There’s a gun in the glove compartment. Lock the doors.”
She nodded in reply, her lips tight.
I left the keys hanging in the ignition in case Miley needed to make a getaway. This wasn’t a safe neighborhood, not for a single mother and child. Tall, scraggly shrubs blocked Miley’s house from the view of her one and only neighbor. She also lived at the end of a dead end street. An overgrown field lay directly behind the house. It was less than a mile from the main road. This wasn’t a good setup. I didn’t like it all. Anyone could park and manage to be at her back door in no time. At the most, it was a good five-minute hike. There were too many places for someone to hide; to watch and wait, to catch her unaware.
Hell, I bet she didn’t even own a gun.
After unlocking the front door, I glanced back at the truck to find her in the same spot watching me
. Focus, Nate!
I slid my gun from my waistband and carefully pushed the door open. The loud creaking of hinges interrupted the silence and had me gritting my teeth.
Damn it!!
Had no one ever heard of WD 40? Just squirt that shit on and good as new.
All of a sudden, the frantic thudding of footsteps had me running full speed through the house despite my need for caution. There went the element of surprise. A loud bang echoed through house. It sounded as if something had crashed into something else. The back door was standing wide open. There wasn’t any sign of movement in the field behind her house. Cautiously, I made my way down the steps and checked around outside. I found nothing.
Whoever had been here was nowhere to be found.
My guess was Ryder Blade, and he’d hightailed it out of here as soon as he realized Miley wasn’t alone. I hurried back through the house to the front door where I found Miley still waiting inside of my truck.
Thank fuck, she’d finally listened to me for once!
When she saw me, she climbed out of the truck. I walked down the front porch steps to meet her. I wasn’t taking any chances, whoever was in the house might still be lurking around somewhere outside. If it was the last thing that I did, I would keep her safe.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her face filled with concern. Anxious eyes held mine awaiting an answer.
After all she’d been through, I hated to scare her but she had to know. She had to be made aware of what was going on. It was better to be scared than in the clutches of Ryder Blade or someone even worse than him. “Someone was in the house. They’re gone, but you need to pack a bag. We have to get moving.”
For all I knew, whoever had been in the house might return or had left to gather reinforcements. The quicker we were on the road, the better. This whole situation made me entirely too uneasy.
“Did you see who it was?”
With a sigh, I shook my head no. “Whoever it was, heard the door and ran. Let’s get inside.” I followed her into the house. This time I actually managed to take a look around.
“I’ll hurry,” Miley promised, and I nodded in reply. Without another word, she quickly disappeared down the narrow hallway.
Left alone and waiting, I anxiously paced back and forth. Miley’s furniture was outdated, probably picked up from a second hand store. A faded blue rug covered the majority of the shitty looking green carpet peeking out from around the corners. Along the walls there were various photographs of Sierra and Miley. She’d tried her damndest to make the place as homey as possible, but seeing all of this made me realize just how far she’d fallen from the lifestyle she had been born and raised in.
What was taking her so long?
I couldn’t be still. We were sitting ducks. I walked down the hall only to come to a stop outside her bedroom door. She was busy cramming clothes into a duffel bag she had lying on the bed. She was unaware that I watched her. I had an overwhelming desire to walk over to her and take her in my arms… to reassure her that everything would be okay, but instead I remained where I stood.
Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Miley Triton was starting to get under my skin. There was the sudden urge to put some much needed distance between us, but that thought was downright ludicrous; after all, she would be staying at my house.
I am so screwed, and this is all my own doing
.
As if sensing my presence, her eyes lifted from the task at hand and met mine. “I’m hurrying,” she stated, obviously aware of the potential danger we were both in. She had probably expected me to growl at her. I wasn’t a patient man.
“I have to get Sierra’s things next,” she informed me, but her words barely registered. My gaze was immediately drawn to a display of silky skin as the weight of her tangled hair slid forward along with my shirt while she continued to cram more clothes into the bag before her. The slight curve of half a shoulder, the sleek lines of her slim neck, the graceful slopes of the her collar bones and the tiny bit of cleavage she innocently displayed made it impossible to look away. That pale ivory skin of hers would be my undoing. My hands itched to caress her.
Damn, this woman made me want.
It was all I could do not to touch her.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, and it was only then I realized that she’d caught me staring at her.
Smooth, Nate, really smooth
.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and silently praying she didn’t think anything of my strange behavior. If I didn’t watch myself, this woman would slowly gain the power to twist me inside out. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to get a grip. I knew firsthand the consequences of allowing one’s self to be ruled by their heart. That wasn’t happening to me ever again.
“You need any help?” I offered, and she raised her head and smiled back at me.
“No, I’ve got it.” She quickly zipped up the bag and slung it onto her shoulder. She grabbed the other empty duffel bag lying on the bed and came toward me. The right thing to do would be to step aside and give her room to pass. I should have moved out of her way, but that was the last thing on my mind when she drew even with me and began to move past me. Our eyes met. Her breath hitched. My head was filled with nothing but the sight of her and her scent. That sexy sound — I wished my ears could un-hear it. My muscles refused to cooperate, and well, being a gentleman was highly overrated. That ship had already sailed a long time ago. The warmth radiating from her body had my own overheating. I cleared my throat, finally coming to my senses, and shifted uncomfortably out of her way.
What in the hell was I doing?
“You need to hurry,” I reminded her, and she nodded in reply before disappearing into the room right next to hers. Time was of the essence, and we’d already worn out our welcome and stayed far too long as it was. For my peace of mind, I decided to leave her to it and headed back down the hall to keep watch. It was the smart thing to do.
As the minutes passed, I stood in the living room waiting and staring out the window of the storm door. Thoughts of the woman down the hall occupied my mind.
Maybe she should stay with Cecil.
He was one big motherfucker and could probably protect her after all, but deep down I knew that idea was out of the question. As bad as I hated to admit it, I wanted her with me.
“I’m ready,” she said, drawing my attention, and I turned to find her standing in the living room. I reached for the two duffel bags she carried. They were surprisingly light. She smoothed her hands down her thighs. She was nervous; her expression anxious.
I noticed then she’d also changed clothes. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail. Her face was scrubbed clean. She’d tried to hide the bruise on her cheek with makeup, but there was nothing she could do about that lip. The thought of another man putting his hands on her was almost more than I could stomach. Before I could stop myself, my thumb gently brushed against her full bottom lip. She was as soft as silk. I felt that touch all the way down to the tips of my toes. My muscles tightened in anticipation.
Her lush mouth parted. A small gasp escaped her lips. Our eyes held one another. The flash of heat in her gaze surely matched my own. Regardless of all of the rules I’d set for myself, I wanted this woman despite the consequences.
“Let’s go,” I muttered, suddenly angry with myself for my loss of control. If I didn’t watch it, the next thing I knew, I’d be spouting lovesick shit and following her around like a lost puppy.
Hell no, that wasn’t happening to me.
“Get in the truck.” My temper rising. This was all her fault.
“What the hell is your problem?” she huffed as we walked down the front porch steps into the yard.
Instead of answering, I ignored her and tried to focus on our surroundings instead of the woman who was slowly but surely driving me out of my mind. As soon as all of this shit blew over, I’d be paying Lilah a visit. She’d said anytime, and you can damn well guarantee I’d take her up on that offer since a certain trouble making blonde had inspired an itch I needed desperately to scratch. Miley Triton was one big complication after another.