Trouble in Sudden Falls: A Sudden Falls Romance (23 page)

“I was in foster care about…” he paused and looked at the ceiling as if trying to remember. “…I guess two and half years ago. The wife was pretty nice. Her husband… kind of a jerk.”

Eli suspected immediately that he didn’t really want to hear this story. However, he
needed
to. “A jerk?”

“He drank. He was pretty mellow if he stuck to bourbon or beer, but tequila made him mean. He’d smack his wife around and the other two foster kids that lived there. He usually left me alone. I think he was kind of scared of me.”

Eli took in his son’s black hair, scowl and general bad attitude and suspected that Rogan was probably right. Eli’s chest ached at the idea of his son in foster care. Where had Becca been? Though the better question probably was where had Becca been Rogan’s entire life?

“Anyway, he went on a tequila bender, came home and started hitting his wife. I stepped in between them and the guy—Harry was his name—Harry clocked me. Fluffy was his dog but I guess she saw us as like souls or something. Fluffy started growling and took a bite out of his leg.”

A faint grin passed over Rogan’s face for a moment. “I’m sure she left a permanent mark. He had to go to the hospital afterward. One of the neighbors called the cops who came in and broke everything up. Brenda, my social worker, was called along with animal control. I refused to leave without Fluffy. Brenda—she was so awesome. About a hundred and forty-seven, her hair dyed a really weird shade of red—she tells animal control that the dog was coming with us. She put me up at her house for two nights until she got in touch with Nana and I went to stay with her for a while. Nana put up with Fluffy, but barely. But I couldn’t leave her for the pound, though, you know? They would have killed her.”

The pressure of tears behind Eli’s eyes built up until he thought they might spill over. What other horrors had this kid been through? “So how long did you stay with your grandmother?”

“Couple of months. She couldn’t really handle more than that. Mom would shuffle me off to another friend, long lost family member or ex-boyfriend in between staying with her for a few months at a time. Then back with Nana. Lather, rinse, repeat.”

“Until now,” Eli said.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not one in a list of long-lost family members. You’re here as long as you want.”

Rogan’s wary eyes met Eli’s gaze before his glance settled across the room. “Don’t make promises.”

Eli was about to argue when Chloe came out. “We tried pumping her stomach, but it wasn’t enough. I think we’re going to have to perform surgery.”

“How much will that cost?” Rogan asked in a hoarse voice.

Chloe named the price and Rogan’s face fell.

Eli would wipe that look off his kid’s face if it was the last thing he did. “That’s not a problem.” He turned to Rogan. “Remember, kiddo. She’s family.”

Maddie arrived home that night fully prepared to head next door for some dessert and naughtiness, not necessarily in that order. She threw herself in the shower for a speedy scrub and leg-shaving, then dressed in a pair of jeans that were tight in a good—but still comfortable—way and a low-cut blouse that she knew Eli would have a hard time resisting peering down.

Playing dirty? Sure. She had nothing left to lose except the bet, which as it turned out, was a small price to pay. Particularly after an entire day of anticipation.

She let herself in Eli’s front door, stepping out of her shoes. Rogan was upstairs gaming online if his exclaimed reference to a “Red mob going agro” was any indication.

Good. Eli would be alone.

The light in the kitchen was on so she stuck her head in. Eli sat at the kitchen table, his head held in his hands. Quietly, she stepped to the table, stopping when she was right next to him to lightly scratch the vulnerable expanse of exposed neck with her fingernails.

“Howdy stranger,” she said, a ready grin on her face.

Eli looked up, his eyes haunted. He immediately reached out, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Her stomach dropped. “What’s wrong?” she asked, cupping the back of his head with one palm, while using her other arm around his shoulder to regain her balance.

He squeezed her a little tighter, burying his face in her stomach.

“Eli. You’re scaring me. What is it?”

He took a deep breath and pulled back. His eyes looked
old
and her fear increased. “Fluffy got into the trash, ate her body weight in bad food and got a nasty case of bloat. She’s going to need surgery.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

His voice cracked as he spoke. “I sure hope so. Rogan loves that mutt.”

Maddie felt her own throat close off. “Oh, God. How’s he doing?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “Not good. I think he’s hiding out in his game.”

“Should I go up?”

He shrugged, not letting her out of his arms. “Couldn’t hurt. He hasn’t really said much to me since we got home.”

Maddie cupped his jaw and he leaned into her palm. She couldn’t remember ever seeing Eli this emotionally exposed. “How are
you
doing?”

He swallowed hard, then cleared his throat. “I’m kicking myself for not taking the trash out last night. I knew better.”

Maddie didn’t know how to comfort him, so she leaned down and dropped a kiss on his crown before straightening and pulling back. “I’ll go up and check on Rogan,” she said, her throat still tight.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she heard the radio playing softly, but Rogan had evidently given up on his game. She knocked on his door. It wasn’t latched tightly and swung inward slowly to reveal Rogan curled up on his bed holding one of Fluffy’s chew toys in his hand. It was furry like a stuffed animal and shaped like a hedgehog. He squeezed it and it gave an odd little grunt. Rogan looked so defenseless she felt her heart break for him.

The door squeaked as it opened and Rogan sat up quickly.

Maddie rushed to explain her presence as she watched his defenses slam down. “Hey, kiddo. I didn’t mean to barge in. Your dad told me what happened. I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

He shrugged, looking absolutely miserable.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

He gave a quick jerk of his chin, and she stepped into the room, to sit down on the bed next to him.

“It’s going to be okay.” She hoped beyond hope that she wouldn’t be proven wrong. This kid didn’t deserve anything or anyone else to be torn from his life.

He took a short, hiccupping breath. “What if she isn’t?” A choking gasp tore out of his throat.

Maddie pulled him into a hug. He resisted for a full three seconds before burying his face in her neck, latching on to her with a death-grip and sobbing inconsolably. He was crying so hard, she was afraid he might be sick. She stroked his back, murmuring words of comfort, wishing there was something more she could do.

The sound of his pain tore her heart out.

Finally, after several long minutes, he pulled back, wiping his eyes and nose on the hem of his T-shirt. She resisted the urge to hand him a tissue from the box on his nightstand.

“Sorry about that,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Guess it’s time to man-up and stop being a wimp.”

She tucked one of his long bangs behind his ear. “Honey, hiding that you love someone or something is never ‘manning up’. Quite the opposite, in fact. Real men know that showing their love for the important people—and Fluffy’s definitely “people”—in their lives makes them more of men, not less.”

“I wonder if Eli would agree with that.”

“Tell you a secret.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially.

“What?”

“When I came in, your dad was downstairs in close to the same state as you.”

Rogan scoffed. “He doesn’t even like Fluffy.”

“She may not his best friend, but other than her effect on his allergies, he doesn’t hate her. But he adores you and it breaks his heart to see you so sad.”

Rogan seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Really?”

“Really.” She tousled his hair and he leaned back against his pillows. “Get some sleep. I’ll make sure Eli wakes you if the vet calls.”

“If things are bad, I want to go back.”

She nodded. “I’ll have him wake you if the vet calls with good or bad news, ‘kay?”

“‘Kay.”

Maddie stepped into the hall to find Eli standing outside the door with tears running down his face. He wiped them away as she pulled Rogan’s door shut behind her.

“That goes double for you, buddy,” she said pointedly as he tried to erase the evidence of his emotion.

He gave her a watery chuckle. “God, you’re good for him.” He sighed. “Me too, for that matter.” He tugged gently on a curl that had escaped the clasp at the back of her head.

She was feeling the need to shed a few tears herself. Suddenly, the tension between them felt very heavy. She had to do something to break the tension. She rolled her eyes at him. “If you think I’m going to throw the bet for a couple of manly and sensitive tears then—”

“I’m completely on the money,” he said with a glimmer of his usual cockiness. He moved in closer until she bumped up against the wall.

“I’m not that weak,” she said, her Jell-O knees nearly betraying her.

“Then, could you kiss me?” There was more vulnerability in his tone than she was sure he intended.

How could she resist?

Chapter Thirteen

Eli waited for what seemed like forever before Maddie pushed her head far enough away from the wall that her lips finally met his. They were cool and tentative as they brushed against his, almost as if she were expecting him to run away.

And he probably should. Earlier this afternoon in the shop, he knew she was weakening. However, he wasn’t interested in a pity fuck because his whole family was in chaos over the dog. He wanted her here because she wanted to be. One hundred percent without any doubts whatsoever.

He knew she was moving in that direction, but he wasn’t sure she’d got there yet.

At the same time, tonight he needed her so damn bad.

He needed her strength. He needed her to erase the memory of the pain on his son’s face. He needed her to erase the memory of how little he could do to help Rogan, except pay for his dog’s treatment. He needed her to erase the guilt he was feeling about Fluffy having gotten sick in the first place. He needed her to quiet the fear that something would go wrong and that Fluffy wouldn’t be returning and with it, the fear that Rogan would hate him forever.

But more than anything else, he needed her to trust him, care for him—faults and all—and to be there for him in a way that no one else ever had.

Her lips warmed under his, her fingers slipped under his untucked shirt to scrape along the skin of his back, the light abrasion of her nails driving him insane.

He leaned farther in, pinning her tight to the wall, so there was no place for her to retreat and no space between them. Her lips slid from his to caress the edge of his jaw, down to his neck, where she nipped him. He heard the groan low in his throat, but it sounded like it had come from far away.

Slipping his hands off the wall, he skimmed his fingers down her sides to her hips, to reach for her ripe, round bottom, and to pull her into the pulsing, aching hardness that was driving his every action.

She wrapped one leg around his calf, whimpering when he licked into her ear and let his breath send shivers through her. When he yanked her shirt from her jeans and slid his fingers up to cup the fullness of one breast, it occurred to some remote, removed part of his brain that he was halfway to third base with her right outside his very impressionable son’s room.

“Wait.”

Maddie made a small noise of protest without actually articulating anything.

He motioned across the hall to his own room with one hand which had reluctantly disengaged from her full hip. “Rogan,” he said.

Maddie’s eyes grew wide as she slid her leg down his calf until she stood on her own. “Maybe I should go.”

“No!” Every fiber of his being rejected that as a terrible idea.

As sanity began to seep back in, he remembered all the reasons he kept telling himself they should wait until she completely trusted him. He considered calling a halt to things right then, but in the end, he couldn’t do it.

“Please stay,” he whispered.

Maddie’s pupils grew until they nearly filled her irises. Eli leaned down and slowly brushed his lips across hers. “Please stay here. With me.”

She hesitated a moment too long and he knew she would refuse. “What about Rogan?”

Renewed hope filled him. “His alarm doesn’t go off until after 7:00. We’ll get up before he does.”

She still didn’t answer and Eli sighed. Maybe she wasn’t as close to trusting him as he’d hoped. He was trying to find a way—and the strength of character—to let her off the hook when she put a hand up to his cheek and pulled him down for another soft, slow kiss. “Okay.”

He didn’t yell
“Yippee!”
but the thought certainly went through his mind.

He took her hand and led her to his bedroom, closed the door behind him and punched the button lock in.

She smiled softly with the soft click in the quiet of the room. “You realize any four-year-old with a butter knife could jimmy this open, right?”