Chapter Seven

Minx

I spent a week walking along the beach from early in the morning until late at night, and it hadn’t been nearly enough. I rented a surfboard and just sat in the water letting the waves toss me around while I tried to sort my shit out. I needed more time because my head was nowhere near clear, and the nightmares were back. But I had a life to get back to, or more accurately, I had a house and a small business that I couldn’t abandon if I wanted to keep food in my belly and gas in my car.

I rolled back into Brently in the early afternoon and kept my promise to stop at Talon’s first thing. “Hey,” I said when she pulled open the door with a wide-eyed smile.

“Minx! I’m so glad to see you.” She yanked me inside and wrapped me as close as her belly would allow in a choking hug. “I was so worried about you.”

“You don’t need to worry. I’m always fine.”

“That’s what worries me,” she said and poured two glasses of iced tea. “No one is always fine, girl, not even you. That means you’re internalizing it.”

“It’s how I deal, T, but I’m trying.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I held up the box I carried in to stop her. “Now we can talk about that, or we can talk about the wedding gifts I found while I was away.”

She smiled, and when her gaze slid to the box for the third time, I shoved it across the table. She pulled out the vintage twenties style veil and gasped. “I love it!” When she spotted the light blue gothic style garter the waterworks began. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome” I said, chuckling a little. “How have you been?” The hairs on the back of my neck stood, and my spine went stock still the longer it took her to talk.

“Well, Cash has been worried sick about you.” She gave me an admonishing look, but I willed my entire being to stay still.

“I figured he would be, but I just needed to get away.” I wouldn’t apologize for that, not even to Talon. I listened with a sickness I couldn’t name in my stomach as she told me about Roddick. “Is he okay?”

She shrugged. “Mick says he will be, but tensions are high in town, and they’re talking war.”

“Looks like my timing is spot on, as usual. Great.” I stood and hugged Talon, letting her squeeze me tight because I knew she worried about me. “I probably have a lot of stuff waiting for me at home, so I’d better get going. Gotta make that money.”

“Come back tomorrow for dinner,” she ordered in that tone that told me that arguing would be pointless, so I waved and started the engine. I stopped at the store and picked up a few things before stopping at the club.

“Hey, Roddick, how are you?” He looked like shit, pale with red-rimmed eyes.

“I’ve been better, kid. What are you doing here?”

“Talon told me you were hurt, so I came to bring you a few things.” I unloaded the box of his favorite snacks and the tablet he kept hidden behind the bar. “Might make recovery less boring.”

He laughed and looked at everything. “Thanks, Minx.” He tore open a box of Suzy-Q’s and bit into one of the chocolatey cakes with a loud moan. “I’m sure Talon told you what’s been going on, so you know why I’m going to have the prospects man the bar this week?”

It was clear I was no longer needed, and that was just fine with me. These guys had become like a weird, horny family to me, but they weren’t the first family I lost. If I was smart—and I liked to think I was—they’d be my last. “Fine. I need to go so, feel better.”

“Minx wait—”

“It’s fine, I get it. Take care of yourself,” I told him and rushed from the room, through the club and back to my car. I knew what had to be done now, and it made me glad I’d picked up a few bags of groceries for myself. I spent the next few days holed up at the cottage, sewing and studying, studying and sewing. In between I would eat and sleep while music played constantly. I was always busy and it was always loud, just how I wanted it.

By day three my mind began to wander to Cash, wondering if he was okay or how pissed off he was. But I knew the truth was he’d already given up on me like everyone else had, only this time I couldn’t blame him. I pushed and pushed and in the end, he realized what I’d always known—I just wasn’t worth the effort.

Keeping weird hours and an impossible workload had taken its toll, and I fell asleep in the middle of the fourth day of confinement. I woke up to someone pounding on the door with the strength of ten men and instantly I went on alert, running to check the surveillance before pulling the door open. “Yes?”

He looked at me, green eyes furious yet relieved, and pushed his way inside, slamming and locking the door behind him. I wasn’t worried because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but still I took a step back. “Don’t run away from me.”

“I didn’t run—”

He cut me off. “You did. You fucking did.” He toed off his boots and pulled me into the living room where he wrapped me in his arms. “You told me about your past, freaked out, and ran.”

Okay, now he was pissing me off. “So what if I did, Cash? I’m not your responsibility just because we had sex a few times.”

“I refuse to even respond to that bullshit, Minx. Lie to yourself, sweetheart, but don’t ever fucking lie to me.” His voice was low and daunting as he brushed a whisper-soft kiss against my lips, so achingly tender I felt my eyes begin to sting.

“What are you doing here?”

“As soon as I found out you were back in town I came to check on you. Though it would have been nice to get a call or a text. Maybe a smoke signal.” He leaned in and kissed me again and this time it was all hungry and frantic, demanding and desperate. I couldn’t resist his kisses if I wanted to, and I didn’t want to. I missed him, and I told him so with my mouth. My tongue. “I’m glad you’re okay, Minx, but goddammit I want to paddle your ass for making me worry so long.”

I rolled my eyes up at him and smiled. “Promises, promises.”

He tossed me over his shoulder and carried me to the bedroom where he tossed me on the bed and kept his promise. “I told you, Minx, I’m a man of my word.

I was starting to see that.

***

Willingly sharing my body with someone was an act of trust and intimacy that scared the hell out of me. I just wish I’d realized it before now—before another earth-shattering night spent with Cash’s big body wrapped around mine. The man was a master lover, using his entire body to bring mine to unspeakable heights. And he made the most delicious noises when I explored his big, strong body. I woke up and turned to him, and only one word came to mind. More. I wanted—no I needed—more of this man. My body buzzed with need like I just couldn’t get enough of him, and that scared the shit out of me.

Yesterday morning after he kissed me until I was on the verge of begging him to stay, I gave him my number. A way to get in touch with me when he was worried or wanted to come by. Now that he knew why it was a big deal, I knew he’d call even if it was to tell me he was on my doorstep waiting.

I smiled as I thought about how grumpy he got when he was worried because an alpha like him didn’t do vulnerability. It was nice to have someone in my life who seemed to give a damn about me, but it would take some time to get used to. Probably a long time.

Or maybe I was fooling myself, thinking I could have anything that resembled normal after what I’d been through. A guy like Cash would probably want someone with less baggage, less damage. Eventually the nightmares, my hang ups about security and visitors, all of it would grow tiresome. He’d get sick of it just when I was getting used to having him around, and then he would leave. I sighed. Why did the thought of losing him make my heart feel hollow with a dull ache? I didn’t like that shit. Not at all.

I couldn’t get used to this, I had to back away.

No more sleepovers.

No more sex.

No more Cash.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! “No. More. Cash!” I said out loud just to get it through my thick skull.

Yet when he called later that afternoon, I answered halfway through the second ring. Weak, that’s what I was. Fucking weak. “Yeah?”

“What do you want for dinner?”

“I’m already cooking so if you want, you can stop by.” He went silent because apparently, I surprised him as much as I’d surprised myself.

“I’ll be there in ten. Wear something sexy,” he chuckled and disconnected the call.

“Fucking weak, that’s what you are.” I told myself that at least three times before I put the chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in the oven to roast. And though I wouldn’t change my clothes—a girl had to have some pride, after all—the cook time would allow for one more taste of that sweet man.

Fifteen minutes later a knock sounded and I went to the door, ready to give him crap for being late. I paused a fraction of a second before turning the knob as a weird sensation skittered down my spine. But it was too late. I groaned. “What are you doing here, Wagman? And how the fuck do you even know where I live?

“Why, sweetheart, Minxy baby, I came for you,” he said with that smarmy smile that made my stomach turn. “Ain’t you happy to see me?”

I didn’t get the chance to answer because a meaty fist flew at my face too fast to move, and then shit went black.