Touching Scars (19 page)

“You look terrible,” she said quietly.

I gave her a slight smile. “I feel like shit.”

“You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

“I couldn’t. I was watching you to make sure you were comfortable.”

Her green-brown eyes became tender. “Sleep, Timber. I’m watching you now.”

Those words cut straight to my heart. Kat was working her way inside of me, making me feel whole. I hadn’t felt whole in over a year. She was healing me from the inside out and she didn’t even realize it. Leaning in, she kissed the tip of my nose and brought her fingers down over my eyes, making me shut them. I think she knew that if she didn’t force me to, I would have continued to watch her. It didn’t take long, being enveloped by her small body and smell, for sleep to take me over. For the first time in months, I didn’t dream.

T
IMBER
WASN
’
T
KIDDING
WHEN
HE
said he would be ‘on me’. He has barely let me out of his sight over the last week. He even made me come to his work to hang out with Slim and Uncle Roger,
twice
, when Mel or Beaver had something else going on and couldn’t be with me. I thought it was total overkill but I couldn’t not pacify him. When he’d come back from wherever he was after I’d kicked him out, he looked completely wrecked. I somehow knew that if I turned him away, he would have retreated into himself and I wasn’t sure I’d get him back. His eyes had been bloodshot and tired, and it was more than just sleep deprivation. It was fear. I once again did what came naturally with him and let him hold me. I don’t think he realized that he had sagged into me and I had been fighting to hold him up. He had been even more lost than I suspected. It broke my heart.

We were now lying out on the beach and I was smiling with my eyes closed because I could feel his eyes on me. “What are you looking at, Nelson?”

“Your fucking smoking hot body in that black bikini.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was grinning at me, and I couldn’t help the laugh that came from my mouth. “You’re so full of shit, but whatever. I enjoy it when your eyes are on me.”

His look became dark and his eyes hooded. I was on my back and he had been on his stomach while we enjoyed the heated rays beating down on us. He moved so he was blocking the sun from my face and I didn’t have to squint. “I’d like to put other things on you.”

I reached up and slapped his chest. “You talk so dirty.”

“Only with you, Kat.” He laughed.

He brought his mouth down onto mine, gently kissing me. This was a soft kiss. Not greedy and hungry, but sensual and explorative. His tongue licked my lower lip and I opened to him. His upper body came over and rested on top of my chest. His skin touching my bare skin felt incredible. He was warm and I felt my nipples harden under the loose fabric of my bikini. I wanted him to feel them brushing his chest. Opening my mouth a little more, his tongue swept inside and massaged mine. The seconds slipped by and my desire to have him take every part of my body as his became a living, breathing thing.

I craved him. I wanted to feel his hands all over me, touching me in places that I’d been afraid to let someone touch again. The sweet ministrations of his tongue probing inside my mouth simulated what I wanted his lower half to be doing. Timber propped himself up by his forearms on either side of my head, and moved to rest in between my legs.

“Oh, God, you’re so warm.” His voice came out rough.

I moaned as my hips rose to feel his erection rub me where I was on fire. My body was covered in goose bumps. Timber rolled his hips, putting more pressure on my already swollen clit.

“Please don’t stop,” I begged.

“Not on your life. You’re fucking beautiful like this.”

I had been gripping his shoulders. I dragged my fingers down his back, leaving nail marks, I’m sure. When I reached the waistband of his swim trunks, I slid my fingers inside. I felt him flex forward, and he groaned. Just as I was on the edge of the cliff and ready to fall into oblivion, someone cleared their throat. Timber froze and looked up at the person standing by our heads.

“I’d really appreciate it if you two would take that somewhere more private. There are children out here, ya know.”

It was Mrs. Carlisle, and apparently her whole family, enjoying the weekend before the Fourth of July. Her son and daughter were running around us screaming, playing and throwing sand. We must have been so immersed in each other that we didn’t even notice.

I felt my cheeks heat, and Timber let out a slight chuckle. “Sorry, we didn’t realize.”

“Apparently.” She stuck her nose in the air as she grabbed her children and moved further down the beach. “Boy, she has a stick up her ass.”

I covered my face with my hands. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I forgot we were out here with people around.”

Timber sat back and pulled my hands down. “Don’t be embarrassed.” He shrugged. “If she was in my position, watching you about to come, she wouldn’t have noticed anything else either.”

My mouth dropped. How could he talk so brazenly to me? “I wasn’t about to come.”

He gave me a knowing look and one eyebrow raised up. “Kat, this isn’t my first rodeo. When a girl is panting, grinding on my dick so much that I don’t even have to move, and moaning my name, she is definitely about to come.”

My face was for sure enflamed now. Was I calling out his name? I very well might have been since I’d been so into it. I’ve never let go that much before and as amazing as it felt, I’d have to make sure we were behind closed doors the next time something like this happened. Even just the idea of it happening again made my stomach flutter. Before, I would have questioned whether or not I’d be able to let go enough to let him take my body that far, but it was clear he could make everything around us disappear.

I moved to sit up, bringing my legs together and pulling a towel over my lap. The friction of closing my legs caused my body to shiver. I was still buzzing with need.

Timber was watching me closely. “I can take care of that. You weren’t finished and I know you’re feeling it right now.”

“I’m fine, and there’s nothing to take care of.”

He stood and helped me up. “When we get back to my place, I’ll make sure to run a cold shower for you.”

He laughed as I chased him off the beach all the way to my car. Before we climbed inside, I looked over the roof and soaked in his gorgeous smile. It occurred to me in that moment that I hadn’t seen Timber this carefree before. It warmed my heart and I only hoped I could help keep the shadows out from behind his eyes.

When we’d gotten home to his place, we both took a shower to wash all the sand off our bodies. Timber begged me to let him shower with me, but I told him to get a life and locked him out of the bathroom. He threw out a few empty threats about taking the door off the hinges and saying that he was going to make me pay for it in cookies and kisses.

I was relishing his lighthearted side. When I had seen him in the bar a couple of months ago for the first time, I had thought he was a hard ass. I had automatically put him in the category of douchebag, and assumed he was in town for other reasons. Those other reasons couldn’t have been further from the truth. He’d had no idea what I’d gone through. He’d wanted to save me from it. He’d threatened to
kill
whoever it was that did it to me. And the scary reality is… I think he really would. But if he found out it was
Adam,
would he still choose me? Would a lifelong friendship beat out possible feelings with me… a girl that he hasn’t yet figured out if anything is going on between us? I don’t know why, but I find that even scarier than the possibility of seeing Adam again.

It didn’t take long to realize that I’d become attached to Timber. I looked forward to being with him. I liked the way he made me feel. When had I crossed the line of liking him to something deeper? I didn’t know if I loved him, but if there’s an in-between, that’s where I was at.

There was a knock on the door. “Hurry your cute ass up. You’re going to take all the hot water.”

I giggled and busied myself with washing off the residual soap. “I’m going, I’m going.”

I heard him laugh. When I got out and toweled off, I slipped on one of his long t-shirts and a pair of boxers, which was quickly becoming my wardrobe while I stayed here. Timber liked seeing me in his clothes and who was I to not oblige him? Walking out of the bathroom, steam poured out behind me.

“Jesus, woman. How can such a small person that barely has any mass to wash take so much time getting clean?” He seemed thoroughly amused as his eyes traveled the length of my legs. When he looked at me like this, it felt like more than him watching me. It felt like his fingertips were skimming up my body. When his gaze met mine, he winked at me, indicating that he knew the reaction he was getting out of me.

He passed by me, brushing his body along mine. My nipples pebbled from his brief touch, and I could have sworn I heard him groan. “Cocky bastard,” I grumbled as I walked into the kitchen. He chuckled and closed the bathroom door.

A short time later, he and I were sitting at his two person table, chowing down on spaghetti, which was what he’d offered me the first time he asked me to come over. I teased him because he’d twirl as many noodles as he could onto his fork before bringing it to his mouth. I’d never seen someone put away such a big bite and still be able to chew. When he noticed me staring at him, he stopped eating and said, “
wha
?” around a mouthful of food. He couldn’t even say the whole word without some of his pasta slipping out.

“We have all the time in the world, Timber. You don’t have to shovel it in like it’s your last meal.” I curled my lip at him as he stuffed another forkful in.

He chewed, and took a long drink of his water. “It’s damn good spaghetti, what can I say? Besides… maybe I’m anxious to get to dessert.”

I was about to say I didn’t make any dessert, but then I caught his heated glance. My cheeks flushed as I understood what he was referring to. Warmth flooded my lower half and I squirmed in my chair. After the beach earlier, I hadn’t realized that my body was still humming with need. Nope. It seemed that it had just put itself on pause, waiting for Timber to hit play and pick up where we left off.

I cleared my throat and tried to change the subject. He wasn’t oblivious to my avoidance but he let me have this one. “So what are we going to do for the Fourth of July? It’s the only time besides Christmas when Ed closes the bar. Crazy old man has a thing for fireworks. Pretty sure it’s because Rose loved them so much.”

“Well, it’s funny that you ask, because I have a proposition for you.” He was leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head. It caused his shirt to ride up and I could see a sliver of skin. It was golden from the sun and all I could think about was licking it. He cleared his throat and brought my attention back up to his bright blue eyes. They looked positively mischievous as he smirked at me. “Focus Kat, I’m about to ask you a question and I’m not sure how you’re going to respond.”

For the millionth time today I was certain I was blushing. “I was listening.”

“No you weren’t, but that’s okay. I like it when you look at me like that. You can touch whatever part of me you want later. But for now, I want to ask you a question. What would you say to coming with me to my dad’s place? He lives in Houston and I haven’t seen him in a few months. He texted me while you were in the shower and said he’d like me to come up for a BBQ and stay for the weekend.” He paused, as though he were gauging my reaction. “I told him it would depend on you.”

“You want
me
to come stay at your Dad’s? Shouldn’t it be like some sort of special father-son bonding time or something? I really don’t want to intrude on that.”

“You’re not intruding when I’m inviting you. Dad is curious about the girl I want to bring home, and I think it might be fun to get away for a few days. Besides, I need to check on him and make sure he’s still doing alright in that big house by himself.” He paused. “I got the impression it might be more than just you and me there. I think my dad might have a lady friend.”