“There’s nothing like live music. Maybe some dancing. You’ll save a dance for me, right, doll?” one of the others asked and they all chuckled.
“If she was going to dance with anyone it would be me,” Tony said and winked.
“I’ll be working, but I’m certain there’ll be plenty of single women looking to dance with any of you.”
“The class starts in a few minutes,” Milton barked, getting annoyed with the flirting despite how Carina was blowing the men off. Thank God, or he might say something he could regret. It was becoming difficult to hold back around Carina.
“I guess we’ll head out. Nice seeing you again, Carina. Hopefully we’ll see you real soon,” Tony said and eyed her body.
She turned from his gaze and stepped further behind Milton.
Milton immediately got his defenses up and stepped in front of her so he was completely blocking her from their views.
“We’ll see her again at the Filling Station. She can count on it,” one of the others added.
“She’s not available,” Milton said, straight-faced, and he heard the mumbled words as they exited the building.
Damon gave him a serious expression and Milton raised his eyebrows up in response.
“Thanks for taking care of her. I’ll see you Thursday. Later, Carina.”
She waved bye and then Damon headed outside and ran to his truck.
Milton walked over to the door and locked it, and then he turned to look at her.
“You didn’t need to lie. They wouldn’t have bothered me again.”
He looked at her from head to toe. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You don’t think so?”
She uncrossed her arms and stared up at him, her hair still dripping, her nipples very hard and poking against the tight, light blue T-shirt she wore.
She looked away from him.
“Where is everyone for the next class?” she asked, changing the subject.
“It looks like everyone else was smart enough not to venture into a major rain storm but you.”
“Well, if you don’t want to do the class then maybe I can stop Tony to ask for a ride back, then.” She went to walk toward the door and he grabbed her hand. She froze in place.
“Not happening, Carina,” he said firmly and she looked scared, but also aroused as her nipples hardened and she placed her other arm over her chest in an attempt to hide the reaction.
She stared up at him and pulled her hand free. He wasn’t holding it tight. She was petite and delicate. He liked that about her despite feeling like he could break her if he squeezed her too tight.
“If this is about the whole guardianship thing, I told your brothers it isn’t necessary. I decline.”
“Good luck with that,” he said and started heading toward the main room where he usually conducted the self-defense training.
She followed.
* * * *
Carina stared at Milton as he started talking to her about positioning and starting off with basic counter moves. It was a first class that would progress into further instruction. She absorbed the sight of him. He was about six-foot-three, over two hundred pounds of thick, hard muscles. He wore a black T-shirt that not only showed off mega huge biceps but also tattoos.
She learned pretty quickly that he was fierce and serious when he was instructing. She was glad for his professionalism, and after a few awkward moments of him touching her, she got over it. What stood out most about him touching her was once again his size and how he didn’t even grab her wrist with his hand. He grabbed it with thumb and pointer and was able to grip it tight enough that she couldn’t move. It reminded her that, despite any training she did like this, she more than likely wouldn’t be able to defend herself. She lost focus and Milton had her on the ground once again.
“You’re not focusing. You were doing well but then lost it. What’s wrong?” he asked, in that tone that was not nice or gentle like Nevin’s or Jesse’s. She shook the comparison away. It wasn’t worth the thought.
She exhaled and sat up. He moved to the side and stared at her.
“Is this stupid for me to even bother with?”
His eyes widened.
“What I mean, is that could I use any of this if I had to? Would I make a difference? I’m petite and I mean, look how big you are. You’re using your pointer and thumb to grab my wrist, not even your full hand, and I can’t escape.”
He stared at her, licked his lower lip and then reached out and took her wrist. He held it with finger and thumb wrapped around it. She did have small wrists. She was petite, and he was extra large. Why was she feeling so defeated?
“I didn’t want to accidentally bruise your wrist while practicing. This is definitely worth it. Not because you may or may not be able to defeat your attacker, but because you can buy yourself time to call out for help, to run, to grab for a weapon, to catch them off guard and give yourself a fighting chance.”
She stared at him. He was something else. A total, full-package hottie. She pulled her hand gently and he released it and stood up. He reached down, offering her his hand, and she took it. When he pulled her up, she lost her balance and wound up against him. He immediately pulled her close even when she tried to step back.
“Listen, baby, it’s a lot to take in. That’s why these classes go on and on. You have to master each thing, find your comfort zone, and go after what you want.”
She felt his hand at her lower back, nearly to her ass. She wished she could feel just one finger stroke over the cheek and then she damned the thought. She promised herself not to get involved with them. She was making these changes and needed to stick to her plan.
The damn man gave her palpitations. The thick muscles, that dark, firm expression and look in his eyes, and even the scruff along his chin was badass. A man like him could protect her. She tightened up. A man like him could do her major harm, too.
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll keep trying and maybe a few key moves will stick.”
She pressed away and he released her. “The kickboxing class you were taking is still a good idea. That in itself can assist if someone ever tried to attack you.”
“I liked those classes. I was still a bit sore on my chest and shoulder, though.”
“How are they healing?” he asked her.
She pushed her shirt down slightly to show him the nasty discoloration, which he seemed not to fully react to. She was certain the man probably saw worse as a soldier. She swallowed hard. She wondered how resourceful Milton was.
He reached out and held her upper her arm to look at the bruising.
“It will get really ugly before it heals completely. Just needs time.”
She held his gaze. “It’s pretty damn ugly right now, Milton.”
He reached up and caressed her cheek. “At least this one healed. I hated seeing your beautiful face battered like that,” he admitted and then pulled back.
She didn’t say a word. “Well, let’s get you home and then next time we’ll work on some more counter moves that can incorporate the kickboxing that you’re learning.”
“Great. I need to get back on the schedule. Is there room in the Wednesday afternoon class?”
“For you, definitely,” he said and she followed him from the room. When they got into the office her cell phone was ringing. She walked over to answer it and saw it was Trevor, the guy that the hardware store manager recommended.
“Hi, Trevor. Really? Oh, God, I hope it works out. No problem, I’ll find someone else. Thanks anyway.” She disconnected the call while Milton was turning off the lights and locking up.
“What was that about?”
She nibbled her bottom lip.
“This guy Trevor who was going to come over to fix my leaky sink and look at the window. It’s rotting.”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me? How long has this been going on?” Milton asked her as he grabbed his keys.
“It’s okay, Milton. I’ll find someone.”
“No, you won’t. It’s my job. My brothers and I own the cottage. We’re your landlords and you’re supposed to tell us if something is wrong. I hope to hell the window doesn’t have to be replaced or the cabinets under the sink.”
She nibbled her bottom lip.
“Could it get that bad?”
“Honey, water can cause serious damage. Let’s go. It’s a good thing I’m driving you home and can take a look right now.”
“Today?” she asked.
“Hell yeah, because if something needs fixing and that window is rotting, this storm is only going to make matters worse.”
He guided her out the door and she tried covering her face as the wind and rain whipped against her. “My bike.”
“Forget it. I’ll drop it off tomorrow.”
“I need to do errands tomorrow. It’s my day off.”
He opened the truck door and then helped her get in. It was so high up, she needed the boost.
He closed the door and she inhaled the scent of his cologne in the cab of the truck. Everything about the truck was big like Milton. Including the shotgun that lay behind her head and above the small glass window that looked over the bed of the truck. She swallowed hard.
“What kind of errands do you need to run tomorrow?” he asked her, pulling from the parking lot and heading back to Repose.
“Just grocery shopping and I was going to visit with Antonia.”
“Why don’t you have your car back yet?” he asked her and she didn’t know what to say. Was he asking because he heard that Antonia was registering the car under her name and insurance? She didn’t want to lie and she didn’t want to tell him why.
“It’s taking time to process the insurance and registration.”
“I thought Nancy was helping out with that after Cesar spoke with her.”
She was surprised that Milton knew about that. Then he must know about Antonia registering the car under her name.
“It’s no big deal. I have it covered and should have the car in a few more days. That’s why I wanted my bike.”
“Well, I’ll give you a ride anywhere you need, and Jesse and Jack will be available, too. That all depends on what I’m walking into at the cottage.”
She felt bad, like maybe she made matters worse by not contacting him all because of the attraction she was trying so hard to ignore.
If things were normal then she would be giddy right now and completely smiling that she was in Milton’s truck with him and they were talking so nicely. That wasn’t the case. She needed to remain friends only.
“I appreciate that you are giving me a ride home, and that you’ll check out the leak and the window. I hope it isn’t bad.”
“Me either.”
As they entered Repose and then her neighborhood, the rain continued to pour. It was also a little chilly and she was so wet.
As they got out and ran to the door Milton saw the stream of water coming from the side of the house around the foundation.
“Shit, have you looked in the basement lately?”
“No. I haven’t been down there since I moved in.”
“Well, that doesn’t look good from here. There’s a window on the side of the house.” He stepped onto the grass to look and she followed, getting soaked and then heard him curse. She jumped and then she saw what he saw. Water was basically pouring into the window on the side of the house and foundation.
“What do we do?” she asked as he turned abruptly and she grabbed on to his arm to not fall.
“Get you inside before you get sick. We may need to pump out water. Let’s take a look inside.”
They hurried to the front door and dried their feet a little before trekking across the tile floor to the basement door. A quick glance to the left and she saw not only the water leaking into the window by the kitchen and sink but also water on the floor.
“Oh, God, the place is flooding.”
He pulled out his cell. “Yeah, got water problems big time at Carina’s cottage. Checking out the basement now. Bring the pumps. If they aren’t strong enough we may need to call the fire department. Yup.” He disconnected the call and they headed down into the basement.
“Fuck, this isn’t good.”
She covered her mouth and gasped, seeing things floating on the flooring including boxes of pictures and things from her grandparents. She went to step down and he grabbed her. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to save the boxes of stuff.”
“Forget it, they’re ruined, and if not, then you’ll get them after the water is pumped out.”
“No. Those things are all I have left right now to look at of my grandparents. No.” She headed into the water that was nearly up to her knees and she started grabbing at boxes.
“Jesus,” he scolded but then went in and started helping her. They carried a few items up when they heard yelling from upstairs. “Jesse and Jack are here,” he said, carrying the box of items to the top of the stairs.
Jesse appeared. “One more please, Milton,” she said to him. He grabbed it from her and passed it to Jesse, who joined them.
“What the hell is going on? This has never happened before,” Jesse said.
“We haven’t had rain like this in a while. We’ll know more once we start pumping out water.”