CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

“God doesn’t give you the family you deserve. He gives you the ones to teach you to be strong in times of adverse weakness.” - Ruby.

 

 

 

Earlier that day.

 

 

"This is the last handout you get from me, Rita. I can’t keep doing it. I won’t."

She truly was the biggest pushover.

She'd given in like a sucker. Like she always gave in to Rita. Before she could go to the bus station she'd called her and asked to see Sebastian, it was only when Ruby had said she had money for Rita that her sister had invited her over. Predictable and hurtful, but Ruby had jumped at the chance to see her nephew.

"I swear! I won't ask again, sis. I promise." She grabbed the bundle of cash Ruby had drawn out of the hole in the wall, the last she had until pay-day and wasn’t that going to be fun, good thing she stocked up on tampons like she was training for the apocalypse. Her sister already mentally dismissing her turned and began walking down the hallway of her small two-story house.  

Ruby could see her lie.  

And it was more than probable going to go on drugs. Maybe Rita couldn't even recognize she was lying, she'd done it too often now. It fucking killed Ruby, you can't fix what someone doesn't see as wrong.  There was a point in the lie you began to believe it, trust in it, and absolutely have faith that you were telling the truth. The sad fact was as much as Ruby cared for her sister she didn't trust anything she said anymore. All Ruby could do was change the pattern, she meant it, this was the last time, it had to be or they’d both end up destitute on the street, and what good was that for Sebastian?

Sighing, she closed the door to the living room and followed behind to the kitchen at the end of the house. It was a pokey house with even pokier rooms, but given some love, it could be lovely. Rita was not inclined to make her home better for herself or her son, she was too wrapped up in her own selfishness to care.

“Shall I make a coffee?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh. I’m out, sis. There’s juice in the fridge if you’re thirsty.”

“No. I’m good. Shall I pour juice for Seb?”

“Nah, he’s fine.” Rita was busy texting so Ruby opened the fridge, maybe she could start on food for her nephew. Besides a few beers and OJ, the fridge was empty. Same went for the pantry.

Dammit. Ruby could feel her anger rising. For fuck's sake, be irresponsible with your own damn self all you want, but not taking care of your child that was sinking to low levels of shitty parenting. 

“Rita, what’s for Seb’s lunch?”

“Hm?” Finally, she deemed Ruby a second of her time, glancing up from the phone, her sister’s dyed light brown hair caught over one shoulder and her eyes unfocused. She wanted to believe that one day Rita would get her shit together, be a good mom, a decent human being, but then Ruby was a realist and knew her sister. If you looked up self-absorbed in the dictionary there was a picture of Rita. Beautiful and selfish.

“Oh. He’s fine for now, sis. He ate a bit ago.” She replied noncommittally like she had no fucks to give that her son wasn’t having lunch or that there was not a scrap of food in the fucking house.  What did he eat, fresh-fucking-air? Her lackluster response caused Ruby’s spine to tighten, she was biting her tongue so damn hard she tasted coppery blood, frustration flaring her nostrils.

With only her bus ticket and twenty dollars in her purse she was out of options here, Ruby stepped across the kitchen. “Give me twenty bucks of that money back, I’ll run and grab some groceries.” She offered lightly, knowing if she sounded in any way like she was giving her sister a lecture it would erupt between them, Rita didn’t like the truth being handed to her.

“What?” Rita embedded slivers of glass in that one word.

Be civil. Ruby warned. Don’t knock the fucking self-serving look off her face.

It was hard.

“You need groceries. I can run to the store before I catch my bus.”

She watched Rita’s eyes narrow, she popped up from her chair and glared so cold if Ruby was of a mind to care about what Rita thought she would have been chilled to the bone. As it was, she herself was fuming for that little boy in the next room who was playing so quietly she didn’t even know he was there. What four-year-old doesn’t make noise? She wondered. One who was conditioned to not make a fucking noise. She’d only been at Rita’s house thirty minutes and twice she’d yelled at Sebastian to play in the other room.

What was he supposed to play with, he had a ball as far as she’d seen? That was it. No other toys littered around and when she’d used the bathroom upstairs she’d poked her head around his bedroom door, not one toy. So, on top of the zero groceries, she wanted to know what happened to all the gifts Ruby sent regularly for Seb.

She knew. Rita would have more than likely sold them. And her selfishness just kept on rolling. Ruby was going to have to call on Jesus, or something before she smacked the tan off her sister’s face.

“Jesus fucking Christ. Can you stop being you for a fucking second, Ruby? I said we’re fine. I can get damn groceries later.”

“One of these days you’re going to have to be accountable as a parent. You have no food in the house, be pissed all you want, Rita, but stop neglecting that little boy, he doesn’t deserve it, now are you going to give me twenty fucking dollars back so I can grab some stuff for him?” She was done pussyfooting around.

“You know what, no I’m fucking not. Take your goddamn money back if you’re dictating what I can do with it.”

“What you can do with it? It’s rent! You think I’m funding your playtime with that waste of space you claim to love? Rent. Rita. Or did you conveniently forget you told me you were getting kicked out? Let me guess, the texting is to your dealer?”

“No, it’s---”

“Yeah, right, of course.  I’ve heard it all before. Money, now.”

It was rare for Ruby to talk that way to Rita, her sister blinked, her face turning an angry red, she shoved the money back into Ruby’s hand with force, she felt the bite of Rita’s nails in her palm.

“Just get the fuck out. You didn’t come to see me anyway, it’s all about that whining shit in there, isn’t it? You don’t have kids of your own so you wanna take mine. Well tough, go get knocked up already and leave us the hell alone, Ruby, but that would mean you getting a life of your own, wouldn’t it? You’re not my mother and never will be, and you’ll never get Seb.”

Her sister’s words rippled through her one at a time, tiny stabs of pain left in their wake. Sometimes the truth was about as stark of a reality as it could get. Nothing Rita said was a lie. She wanted Sebastian, she would be more than happy to take her nephew and give him a life better deserving of the one he had now. From his demeanor, he was the most depressing little four years old she’d ever seen. No joy in his eyes, no enthusiasm when he’d seen her, he hadn’t even smiled, as if even that was forbidden. Ruby’s heart was breaking every single time she saw Seb and a little more of his personality had been scrubbed away with a mother who had no maternal bond for him whatsoever. For Rita, he was a meal ticket, for welfare and Ruby’s kindness, to use against her in order to get what she wanted. If she thought it was beneficial to her to hand over care of Sebastian she would have done it already.

Ruby could only help on the fringes. All the while worrying what was going to happen to her nephew.

“I came to see you both, not that you’re interested, you’ve barely acknowledge my existence. You could have a home with me in Colorado.”

“Give it a rest will you. We’re staying here. Dwayne has a job coming up any day now.”

Of course, he does. As for what, a monumental douchebag? He was great at that already. She had no time for Sebastian’s father, he flittered in and out of their lives as and when it suited him, using Rita as much as Rita used her.

Now that was the true circle of life.

Ruby sighed, and slid into her coat, picked up her purse. She left the two dollars on the table and took only twenty. “Can I take Seb to the store with me?”

Rita scowled, shrugged her thin shoulders, already dismissing Ruby. “Whatever, take him, it’ll keep him quiet, I have a headache.”

If Seb was any quieter he’d disappear. But she didn’t say it. Instead, she walked through to the living room, smiled when he looked up with his big dark solemn eyes, playing with his ball.

One fucking ball. Her heart was breaking. “Hey, little man, you want to come to the store with me?”

He nodded and climbed to his feet. He wore threadbare jeans that were too small for him by at least a year, his footwear from the cheap section of Target had seen better days and when she bent down to tighten the Velcro strap on the casual blue and yellow shoe she felt how his toes were pushed right to the tips. Goddamn, Rita. He was the sweetest little boy, with a gorgeous face. She’d tried for too long to unravel all the intricate complications of Rita’s life, it was too hard, too time-consuming hitting her head against a brick wall, but Sebastian still had a chance.

He didn’t show enthusiasm to be going outside with the prospect of buying candy. What kid didn’t get excited about candy? Fucks sake, she was thirty and got excited for almond joys. She fastened up his jacket and felt the ache in her heart when he slid his small hand into hers.

He didn’t even look at his mom as they left. Didn’t run to give her a hug, or wave.

Neither did Rita.

She tried to engage him in an animated chat on the short walk to the store down the block, she asked what TV shows he liked, what he liked to eat, and did he want to choose some candy. While he looked around, seemed fascinated in a fleet of motorbikes that rode by, he was about as lively as static air, never smiled, and only nodded a few times to her questions. He liked Spider-Man, he told her and Twizzlers.

She wanted to buy him every stick of Twizzlers she could find. She gave his hand a little squeeze. Auntie Ruby loves you, little one.

She wouldn’t cry, she couldn’t. And even as she reached up and brushed under her eye she knew she’d have to go home and leave him behind.

She also knew it had been a lie. She would give Rita money again and again because each time she had hope it would go towards something for Sebastian.

When she left him an hour later, she gave him the biggest hug, felt his arms slip around her neck, he watched her so pensively, his big dark eyes were what she’d fallen in love with first that night he was born wailing his head off in the hospital.

Maybe she could move to Nebraska to be closer to Rita and Seb.

It was an option.

Even as she thought about the chance of a life with Preacher. It had to be an option.

The only good part about being alone as she could see was unless you lied to yourself, something Ruby was prone to on occasion, you knew exactly where you were with that. You were never left wanting in the dark, because hey, it was just me myself and I. Logical and pathetic all at once.

When she thought about Preacher she didn’t want to be alone, she didn’t want nights and days where she had no one to hold or tell her everything would be alright.

They had a handful of times together, and somehow, he’d slid beneath her defences.

He never did text her again on the long bus ride home.

But she thought about him the entire journey.

 

 

It was back to reality that week. Her shift at the bar began with a bang. Literally, a young couple fucking in the toilets, it wasn’t something Ruby wanted to see, ever. She’d kicked them out. It was a bonus it hadn’t been Preacher in there, she supposed. Her belly curled at the thought. Now she was intimately acquainted with that sex-maniac she didn’t know what she’d do the next time he hooked up with one of the waitresses.

Stabbing was a possibility.

 “Someone is asking for you, Ruby,” Tom informed, poking his head around the doorway. She was busy collecting a new bottle of spirits to change with the empties on the optic pumps. Funny, how her job title was no different to any other bar-staff, but it always landed on her toes to replenish the stock, to close the bar, to open the bar, she was doing the managerial position for shitty pay. One of these days she’d stop people walking all over her. As it was she needed this job more than ever so she kept her mouth shut.

“Okay, I’ll be right out.” Speaking of jobs, she had that one over in Westbank Falls to chase up, she hadn’t heard back from the tattoo place either. Luck was not on her side.

Ruby was shot with adrenalin walking back behind the bar and seeing who was waiting at the far end. She didn’t have to check with Tom who was looking for her.

Preacher had the gaze of a man who was on a mission.

After she hadn’t heard anything from him for more than a day she’d assumed he’d agreed with her that what had shared between them had come to its natural end.

Liar. you want more. So much more. Her body spoke for her when her brain refused to voice the words. Looking at him her belly curled inwards, grew warm.

“Hey, Asher.” Sparks flew between them. “What can I get you? Your usual?” How about me spread over the bar, maybe? Her traitorous body wanted him more than it ever did. She wished it had gone better for their couple days away, to end on a sexual high rather than her sneaking out unable to face his questioning. Now he knew it all.

“You got a minute to talk, beautiful? Somewhere private.”

“Uhm. Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Fine. Just need a minute with you.”

Ahh…he was doing the kiss-off face-to-face. It was admirable of him, at least. No one could accuse Preacher man of bad manners. A stab of pain. She pointed towards the other end and Preacher followed silently. All too aware of his prowling gait from her peripheral. Over her shoulder, one fast glance, she encountered a green stare so hot.

Oh, my god.

Oh, fucking god.  She’d opened Pandora’s box by sleeping with Preacher, and now there was no closing it. She wanted him and would always want him. And he was about to give her the cringing kiss-off. Great. Well done, Ruby.

Be strong. Let him say what he had to say then you can get back to … not having that man inside you, on you, over you.

Ruby fortified her shoulders with a strength she didn't feel, leading him into the staff room. It was empty, all the girls were busy working on the floor and Tom was behind the bar. She let him go in first, closing the door slowly after him, she could do this, let him tell her their booty calls were done and then she -------

He grabbed her around the waist and slammed her up against the door. All air vacating her lungs in a fast whoosh. Eyes wide looking up at him she was in no doubt what he was thinking, it was there on every angle, every line of his well-worn face, the pupils so dark they practically masked his irises.

“Asher. What----”

“You fucking took off, Ruby.” Breath touched the side of her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek until she felt marked.

“----are you doing?”

“---- Didn’t like it one bit.”

They talked over each other but she heard his every growled word, the noise doing funny things to her heart.

“I explained why,” she said feebly, his hand moved from her waist, up her belly, causing heat to follow in its wake, he grasped her gently around the neck, angling her head back until it lay against the back of the door.

“You took off. And now you’re going to give me the time you wasted.”

“I’m going to give you-----” her eyebrows dropped in confusion and then flew up into her hairline with a realization of exactly what he meant. This didn’t sound like any kiss-off she’d ever heard before.

He still wanted more from her?

Why was she filled with sudden euphoria? It flooded her veins, shot down between her legs, and made her smile.

“Don’t fucking smile at me, beautiful. I’m angry as fuck at you,” he told her, putting his face dead center of hers so they were nose to nose.

She couldn’t help it. She smiled.

“You don’t look angry.”

“Well, I fucking am.”

 

 

******

 

 

 

Preacher was breathing through his nose. Nostrils flared scenting her arousal, she was sugar and vanilla and all sex. He dwarfed over her, glaring down at the woman who had run him a merry-fucking-dance and she was right, he wasn’t truly angry, not now, the long ride home he’d had a lot of time to think, but he wasn’t above punishing her.

His hands got really fucking busy. Pinning her in place, using his bigger body to show her what she did to him. Try and get rid of me now, if you dare, baby.

He knocked her legs wider, the sexy little skirt she wore had given him the filthiest ideas as he watched it cling to her thighs when she'd strutted out of that back room and towards him, his tiny dancer didn’t even whimper a protest. He held her in two places. A hand smashed over her mouth, the other dipped between her legs from behind.

He palmed her core, cupping her with the whole of his hand, eyes darkening when he encountered only skin. "Shit, do you ever wear underwear?" Two fingers pushed into her, stretching her muscles, her eyes squeezed shut on the offset of that fizzle of pleasure no doubt denoting her womb if her shuddering was anything to go by, making her hips curve into him, silently asking for it. He curled his fingers inside her and found her kryptonite. Goddamn, he would destroy her with this, this he knew she’d give him.

Her body belonged to him.

The keening noise she made shot to his dick. He was hard the moment he laid eyes on her. Now listening to her enjoying herself, he became steel.

"Oh, god.” A hot tongue licked the fingers covering her mouth.  “If you dare stop right now I will make it so your grandchildren regret your decision." Her threat would have meant more had it not been gasped like he was killing her. He grinned and moved his fingers a little faster. Adding a third.

"For the sake of the grandkids then, beautiful.” Ours. “Hold onto me tight, that's it, you dig those nails into my skin, mark me up, claw me deep, show me you're loving what I'm doing to you. You use teeth if you gotta because I'm not taking it easy on you, not now I know what you can give, how much you can take. You are goddamn explosive when you let go, Ruby. I won't accept anything less."

She whimpered, pressing her face into his chest, her entire body was shaking.

Fingers thrust in, hooking them right in, and then he jerked them up and down, his palm hitting her pubic bone.

"This is where you want me, isn't it? All this time, you crave it."

“God. Preacher. Give me it, stop teasing. Fuck me.” Her whisper sounded tortured. He loved it.

He laughed a dark noise because he knew the answer without her confirming it. Her body came alive for him. Even with his fingers speared inside her, she thought she had some control here by not answering him, she had none.  

Silly little thing.

He moved his hand, totally removing it, much to her inhaled protest, he turned her, pressed her back against the wall, letting her feel all his hard body, see the fire he'd set in his eyes as he gazed down at her into those pools of misted over russet eyes.

So incredibly beautiful.

She was stunning.

And he was going to make her his.

Not just with sex.

In everything.

Ruby Steele was going to belong to him.

Be his old lady.

When he looked at her, that fast second before she knew he was at the bar waiting for her, he’d watched her face, fatigued and beautiful and knew this was a woman who sacrificed her own happiness and pleasure for the sake of others. He got why she had boxed herself in, a family could drain the life out of you, but he wasn’t accepting it. Oh sure, for an hour after she’d left he’d said fuck it, plenty more pussy out there. But there wasn’t another Ruby.

This woman, with her smart mouth and the saucy glint in her eyes and the ability to put even him in his place would walk through flames for those she loved. And Preacher re-reading her texts for the hundredth time had decided then and there he would become one of those lucky SOBs she cared for. He wanted to be blessed enough to earn one of her heart emoji’s knowing she absolutely meant it.

Leaning down, his head lolling on his shoulders like it weighed a million pounds, he licked the shell of her ear and up her neck, grasped her chin gently, tipped her head back and smiled lethal and dangerous, on the edge.

He hadn’t forgotten she had left him. He wasn’t going to be nice or soft. Not yet.

“Beautiful, do you think this is a sex drive-thru, that you can make demands on my cock and then collect at the next window? Three pumps of dick and a dash of orgasm, is that it? You’ll take what I give you. Now be a good girl because I’m still so fucking angry with you for leaving like that.” He smiled again, saw her eyes widen, but there was no time for conversation. He had to work fast.

He did. Crushing her mouth, kissing the hell out of her.

She was heaven on his tongue. He wanted to suck and drain her dry until there was nothing left. His fingers toyed with her until he had her mindless. Only then did he pull them free.

"You made a mess," he said lifting two glistening fingers to her mouth. She sucked them in immediately, didn't even give it a thought that it was her own salty pleasure she was tasting. When they were clean, she popped his fingers out, licking along each digit, his cock raged to be free, something feral lurked in his chest, and because she was just a little bit dirty she lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him hard, giving him her own taste by sharing tongues. Good god, this woman. He laughed into her mouth, stroking her tongue.

“You need to be quiet.” His belt unbuckled. Zip came down. He took out his cock, already wet at the tip, taking care of a condom he positioned at her entrance. “Can you do that?”

“I don’t ---” she was rubbing on him.

“That’s okay.” The moment he pushed inside her he took a hand to her mouth muffling her cry against his palm. He filled and stretched her. This wasn’t about his sexual prowess, he was too far gone to give Ruby his best.

What he was giving her was his dirtiest. The fuck of ownership.

Preacher let go of a stream of hushed obscenities against her shoulder. She felt too good, he wasn’t going to last.

He punished her long, fast and hard, making her come in record time, she shattered in a series of shudders and cries under his palm, soaking him, making the slide so slippery. He lost it a second later, deep hard, he emptied and stayed buried in her until it was necessary to pull free before he lost the condom. He dealt with that in a tissue, before he zipped, buckled and walked back to where she was, still resting against the wall, her skirt still hiked up around her gorgeous hips.

Preacher chuckled, helped to pull her skirt down. Put himself in her space again, they shared a hot breath, her eyes all over his face as if she wanted to say a million things. Say them all, he implored. Their mouths just sort of found each other; neither one initiating but moving into each other’s spaces.

“I’ll be picking you up after work and taking you home. I’m staying the night, Ruby.”

One more kiss, he rubbed his nose against hers, liked how she fingered along his beard before he set her aside and opened the door, leaving first.

 

 

Every limb was relaxed when he sauntered back through the bar. “Where the fuck did you go to? I drank your bourbon.” Grinder said when Preacher slid into the far side of the booth next to Lawless and Reaper.

“Aww, you missed me, buttercup? Big dumb sap. I was seeing my girl.”

“-----Your girl!?”

“-----Is there an echo in here?”

“------Wait...what… You have a girl?” interjected a gaping Butcher. His mouth twitching holding his bottle of beer to his mouth. Preacher arched a brow at all the nosy fuckers eyeballing him like he’d just grown unicorn hooves. There was only Reaper whose face didn’t flicker or chime in, but he rarely did.

“------Did I stutter?”

“------Another one bites the dust. I’m telling you, the disease is catching. I need to get my shots.”

“------ I’m inoculated.” Gloated Lawless.

“------I feel like we’re all on the biggest fucking trip right now. Own up, who spiked my beer?” laughed Snake. “Our Preacher, gosh darn has done growed up and got himself a girl. And she’s not a blow-up doll. I’m like welling up here.” The conversation went fast and furious around the table. Shitheads acting like he was an alien. Yeah so what, he had a girl. Preacher grinned keeping her in his peripheral.

Ruby was his girl.

 

 

 

 

******

 

 

 

"Guess you're just like the rest of us darlin'."

Ruby looked around to see Kendra, one of the waitresses smiling not so pleasantly at her. That kind of smile that at first glance feels friendly, but it smacks of a forewarned backhanded compliment about to arrive.

"Say what?"

"Sneaking out of the breakroom with Preacher. Thought you were better than us, looks like you're just the same, girlie."

Ruby felt her skin heat and her temper rise. What the fuck. What she did with who was her goddamn business.

"Now you know what it's like for us who fell for his charm." She giggled like they were sudden sorority sisters who had a secret handshake.

It was on the tip of Ruby's tongue to slice the puffy blonde-haired woman down and tell her if they were sharing stories Kendra was well ahead since at last count she'd fucked most of the bar already.

"It's not like that. He needed to talk to me."

"Sounded more like fucking and moaning, but what do I know..." an all-knowing grin covered her freckled face.

Now Ruby had the urge to punch her. One freckle at a time.

"Why don't you get back to work instead of gossiping about shit that's none of your concern."

"Just saying. You're not so different, you opened your legs just like we did. I mean, it's worth it, right? He's a fucking beast. But you'll see, he doesn't do repeat performances."

Is that why he's coming home with me? She wanted to gloat and thought better of it. Ruby was not that girl to fight over a man.

Whatever. Kendra might be right, she had just become a new number to Preacher, but she knew they were different, it might be the lingering sex haze talking, but she felt it between them. She wasn’t just a bathroom hook-up. Nah, she fucked in the breakroom like a classy lady.

It's funny really that Ruby never once suspected in all this time she was walking through life with the lights turned off. Until Preacher crashed and bullied his way in, turning her existence on its head, making her see in fluorescent intensity, breathing a soul into her. Damn the man showing her something diverse she hungered for that had nothing to do with family obligation and all to do with her own wants.

His eyes were magnetic. An irresistible force compelled Ruby to look over towards the Renegade Souls gathering time and again that night. All the large men sprawled around two tables as they usually did. The table littered with drinks and baskets of chicken but it was Preacher who caught and held her gaze. A small smile playing on his full lips surrounded by clipped hair and his famous beard drawn down into a point giving him a roguish expression, challenging her to come to him? Scowl? Say something? She was too churned up inside to do anything to answer his stare. He winked and she swore her belly muscles clenched, still feeling him stretching her inside.

His eyes held. Daring her to look away from him.

All around her the bar was busy, people living there lives while she was transfixed in a pair of eyes, people waiting for her attention. Only Preacher had it.

Connection.

It was there. Right there. Stealing her breath.

Funny how an outlaw showed her how to feel alive.

I’m staying the night, Ruby.

She hadn’t even protested.

Not one word.

Embarrassing how quickly she’d nodded and told him okay.

Because I want him in my home, in my bed.

Breaking eye contact, she got back to working. Feeling him between her legs with every step. And when he stepped up to the bar an hour later, after many trips from his boys, he smiled, ordered a repeat of their drinks.

“You look stunning.”

“Thank you.”

“Aren’t you gonna say I look handsome?” He grinned.

Ruby laughed, pouring the drinks he wanted.  Starting with his bourbon. “You’re a dirty biker. It’s the best I can do.”

Preacher gave her the most devastating smile as if that compliment was better than any other she could give him. She felt it in her abdomen, flushing heat right into her heart.

“Thanks, beautiful. Take one for yourself,” he said handing over a fifty. Their fingers brushed as she gave him the change. Electricity charged.

He knew how he affected her when he smirked, his hands full he gave her one lingering glance before walking back to his table.

All night he came back and forth to the bar, she was highly aware of him wherever he was, could hear his laugh above the din of the bar, her body in tune with him, and every time he sidled up to order more drinks, not looking worse for wear despite the bourbon he was asking for, she suspected he was passing it off to someone else, he gave her sweet compliments, didn’t even mention again what they did in that little room. Instead, Preacher told her how he enjoyed her smile and the way she swayed her hips to the music while she worked and how he noticed her taking care of an old guy who was drunk and needing a cab.

He’d noticed every damn thing all night.

He was letting her know he was with his boys, but more than interested in watching her.

And when it came to closing time, dog tired she cleared tables with the bus boy, told Tom he could leave, Preacher sat quietly at the bar, not at all impatient, just occasionally stroked his beard, took a few calls, made a few and waited for her.

And then he took her home on the back of his bike, arms encircled around his waist, her cheek laid on his spine, the sensation morphing into something she had no words for because it felt so good, more so when he rested a hand over her clasped ones at a stop sign.

Connection.

Preacher stayed the night. And the next.

And the one following that.