Tank sipped from his water bottle as he sank deeper on the couch, staring at the television. The show he watched flicked on and off as the storm picked up strength.

“Shoot.” He clicked the power button on his remote and tossed it on the cushion next to him.

One contingency with living in the middle of nowhere, he had to get used to losing connection to the outside world. Normally, such nuisances didn’t bother him, but tonight proved different. He needed something to get his mind off the naked woman in his house. The incredibly attractive and vulnerable naked woman.

He rubbed his hands over his face. Who the hell was he kidding? Even if she were in a position to date him, she shouldn’t; he was damaged goods.

The bathroom door creaked open and steam billowed into the hall. Annie walked out in his clothes, her curves swallowed by the extra material. She held a rag to her cheek and the bag of mushy peas in her hand.

The fat rock from her finger was gone.

Stepping all over the bottom of his pants, she shuffled closer. The closer she got, the harder he found it to breathe. Gorgeous. Even with all of her bruises.

 He placed the bottle on the table and stood. “Sorry those are too big. That’s all I had.”

“It’s okay.” She handed him the peas. “I couldn’t roll them up. It hurts too much to bend.”

The bag suffered from his grip, the pressure threatening to pop the top of the plastic open. “You probably had a surge of adrenaline getting you through, and now it’s starting to wear off. Where are you hurting?”

“My side. I fell on the coffee table on the way down.” She glanced to the floor.

He motioned to the rag she used to cover her cheek. “Is your face bleeding again?”

“Yeah.”

“Here.” He led her to the couch. “Sit down. I’ll get some supplies.”

Slowly, she placed a hand on the armrest and sat. Alfred scooted next to her, licking her palm.

“You want me to push him off you?”

“No.” She smiled at the furry suck up. “He’s fine.”

Tank took the pea mush, stomped toward the kitchen, and tossed the melting bag in the trash. He reached in the freezer for an ice pack then gathered a first aid kit from the upper cabinet, along with a fresh towel from the drawer. Before he walked back into the living room, he took a deep breath and regained his composure.

She deserved more. Better than him, and a hell of a lot better than what she got from that bastard Duke, for damn sure.

Sitting the supplies on the couch, he bent down in front of her.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to roll up these pants first. Okay?” He glanced at her for approval.

She simply nodded. Placing her foot on his knee, he rolled the cotton fabric of his sweat pants up. Red toes stared back at him. A small tattoo of a crescent moon and three stars graced her ankle. An urge to keep rolling, explore the rest of her leg, burned inside of him. Instead, he removed his hands and rolled up the other side.

“That’s a nice tattoo.” He placed her foot on the ground and busied himself with the supplies.

“Thanks.”

“What does it mean?” He ripped open a few gauze strips and doused them in peroxide.

“The stars represent my dad, my mom, and me. And for the moon, my dad and I, we used to star gaze at night. The tattoo reminds me of a time when things were different, better.”

“You said your dad died, right?”

“Yeah. A few years ago.” She wrung the fabric of his too big shirt in her free hand.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.” She gave him a sad smile. “What about your parents? Where are they?”

“My mom lives just outside of Shreveport, and my dad, well…he’s…he’s dead, too.”

At least in all ways that mattered.

“Oh,” her voice wavered. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, things happen.” He didn’t want to talk about his father. Not yet. Not ever if he could help it.

“May I?” On his knees, he held up his hand and reached for the rag on her face.

She let him take the cloth. The cut began at the top of her cheekbone and stopped near her nose. Blood oozed out of the slit. He applied the gauze, careful not to apply too much pressure. “I’ll do my best, but you may need stitches.”

“I can’t go to a hospital. He’ll know.” She squeezed his wrist and stopped him. “Please,” she pleaded. “Please, do your best.”

Her fear gripped him. Annie reached him in a way no one else ever had. But he knew that the first day he saw her little toes dip into the water. Beauty was special. Always had been.

“Of course.” He looked down at his kit, the emotion in her eyes too frightening to face. Terrified, nervous, two feelings he promised himself he would never feel again, and he’d see to it she didn’t either. He placed a butterfly bandage against her cheek, and grabbed the icepack. “I’d like to put this around your side if that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

He grabbed the clean washcloth and unfolded it. “I’ll put this against your skin, then the ice pack and wrap it up, okay?”

She nodded.

“Where exactly is your side hurting?”

“Right here, on my ribs.” Slowly, she raised the shirt and winced, stopping just under her breast. A small freckle dotted her smooth skin, right below where her womanly curves began.

Mercy.

His hands shook. “Okay.” He placed the cloth on her skin then dropped it. “Shoot.” Bending down, he reached for the rag at the same time she did, their hands grazing again. A tingle seared through his shaky fingers as they each let out a nervous giggle.

She pulled her hand away and sat back upright. Her face contorted in agony. “Oh, man, that hurt.”

“Are you okay?” He scanned over her. “You shouldn’t bend. Let me take care of you.”

She bit her no longer trembling bottom lip and nodded. He’d like to think her trembles subsided because she felt safe. In reality, it was probably because she wasn’t wet and cold anymore.

“I’ll try again.” He straightened the cloth back out, held the rag against her skin, then the pack. “Can you hold this here while I wrap you up? Does it hurt too much?”

“No, it’s fine.”

She held the pack while he took the bandage and circled her ribs a few times, careful not to let his hands graze her breasts, before securing it to her body.

“There, now.” He rubbed his hands against his jeans to try and secure his shake. His traitorous body acted as if it had never touched a woman before. Although he never had touched one quite like her.

“Here.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts and reached for the water bottle. “Take this.”

“Why?”

 Fishing a few pain relievers from his medical supplies, he handed her a couple of pills. “They’ll help the pounding your head is sure to be experiencing.”

“What is this?” Holding the tablets in her hand palm up, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the medicine.

“Just a pain reliever. Here’s the bottle.” He handed her the plastic so she could check the capsules out for herself. Her skepticism of his behavior came as no surprise. Knowing how abusers worked, it was a shock she had trusted him this far. In the beginning, abusers were charming, nice, doing everything they could to hide their true colors. But he was no abuser, and hopefully she could sense that.

“I can go out and get a new bottle if you’d like. I’ll leave everything in the packaging and you can open it for yourself.”

A crack of lightning lit up the night sky followed by a rumble of thunder. She glanced out the window. “You’d…you’d go out in this storm, all the way to town for a new bottle of medicine?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I would. For you.”

Her chest rose. “I don’t…I don’t know what to say.”

“No need to say anything.” He shot to his feet. “I’ll get my keys.”

“No.” Annie grabbed his wrist.

Electricity, as intense as the lightning dancing around his house, ignited his arm. She had to stop touching him or he might burn up. He wanted to pull away, but the feeling was too good, preventing him from doing so. Besides, his personal reasons why he didn’t want her touching him had more to do with his shame. It had nothing to do with her. That itself was the problem. He’d begun to want her too much in the short span of what? A week? If he didn’t watch himself, she would think that was all he was after. She would label him no better than the scum she left.

“I’ll take these. Thank you.” Annie tossed the medicine in her mouth and washed them down with water.

By her taking the pills, they were breaking barriers. He swallowed his relief. “Okay, well, it’s late, and you’re probably tired. You can take my room, and I’ll sleep here on the couch. I would offer to change the sheets for you, but I don’t have any extras. If you want to stay up another hour or two, I could wash them real quick.”

“You don’t have a spare bedroom?”

“Yeah, I do, but that’s my weight room. No bed in there.”

“Then, I’ll take the couch. You can have your room.”

“Not happening. Besides, I want to be by the front door.” Sure she understood his reasoning, he didn’t need to elaborate. “Alfred can sleep with you if you’d like.”

“Yeah, I think I would like that.”

“Okay, so want to stay up, watch a movie? The cable went out, but I have a large movie collection. You can pick while I start the sheets.”

“No, don’t do that. I’m sure the sheets are fine, and I’m pretty tired. Rain check?”

His heart shrank, and he lowered his head. “Yeah, sure.” He shrugged and glanced back at her. “But before you go to bed, I think we need to move your car to the shed. I’ll park my truck in the grass, and I’ll lock the garage door so no one can get in.”

If she was skeptical about taking his pills, there was a slim chance she would let him lock up her way of escape. But if someone came to his house, they would have no way of knowing she was inside if her car was hidden and secure. Concealing her vehicle was his best option in helping to keep her safe.

“I’ll even leave the key to the garage on the counter top in the kitchen. You can get your car out anytime you want, okay?”

The same concerning look from moments ago spread across her face again.

“Or we don’t have to lock the garage at all. I just thought—”

“No, you’re right. You should lock it up. I’ll fetch my keys.” She glanced around. “Where’s my bag?”

“I put it on the bed in my room.” He pointed to the hallway. “Right past the bathroom.”

He left her in peace as she walked into his room to get her keys. Her mind had to be spinning right now. His size alone intimated most people. He waited by the front door, giving her plenty of space.

“Here you go.” She handed him her keys.

“Thanks.” He couldn’t fight the small smile that tilted his lips. She’d taken another small step toward trusting him. “I’ll be right back.”

Rain pelted his back as he ran from his house to the shed. He threw the creaky door open and hopped in his grandpa’s old truck. Shoving the key in the ignition, he turned, and the motor rumbled to life. Backing out onto the grass, he quickly parked and switched to her car. The rain poured down faster as lighting flashed all around. He glanced around, but didn’t see evidence of anyone. The only thing he could see: trees. Lots and lots of trees.

And about a million places for someone to hide.

He put one leg inside her car; his knee knocked the steering wheel. Reaching for the lever, he pushed the seat back as far as he could in order to fit behind the wheel. Even still, the space was tight.

He cranked the ignition and glanced around her car. Though the interior appeared clean, a slight aura of sausage and grease lingered. How many hours a week did she work at that diner?

Tyler whipped her small car into the shed next to his bike, locked up, and then ran back inside. Alfred howled like

mad when he crossed the threshold.

“Calm down, buddy. It’s just me.” The dog thumped his tail and bumped his booty against the floor as he scooted closer to their guest. “He’s already taking his job of protecting you seriously.” He handed her the keys to her car.

“I can see that. I’m glad I came.” She ran a palm down Al’s slick fur.

“We are, too, Annie.”

She stopped and stared. The green iris of her good eye penetrated him deep and long. Instinctively, he took a step closer. “You’re going to be safe. I promise.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I trust you.” Her eye glazed over before she shifted her gaze downward. “I think I’ll go to bed now.” Gripping the armrest of the couch, she stood and glanced at him again. A drop of moisture hit her cheek, and he fought the desire to wipe it away. “Thank you, for everything. Really.” She reached for his hand and squeezed.

He glanced down at their embrace. His chest tightened like her grip on his hand as he squeezed back. “Good night, Annie.”

“Good night, Tyler.” She let go and eased down the hall, Alfred following close behind.

With every step she took, the constriction in his chest eased. Annie turned and flashed him a smile before she shut herself and Alfred in his room. He heard the click of his bedroom door then plopped on the couch.

Mercy.

A pounding in his heart and head replaced the clenching in his chest. Even with her bruises, and the ice pack protruding from her side, and all the anger and hurt she’d been through that evening, she trusted him. Pride swam through him, honored she’d put her faith in him with her safety. Problem was, he wasn’t sure he trusted his self-control.

She’d always been beautiful to him. A few bruises couldn’t change that.

He punched a pillow on the couch a few times, giving it a fluff, dreading the night ahead. His legs hung off the side of the sofa. Bending his knees, he curled up, and grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the couch to toss over himself. While he lay curled in a tight ball, or tight for him, all he could think about was how she lay wrapped up in his bed, in his sheets, without him. He wasn’t going to get a lick of sleep. Not. One. Damn. Bit.

And if he were lucky enough to fall asleep, he prayed he didn’t wake her with one of his nightmares.

Please, Lord, not tonight.

* * *

Tank tossed and turned all night, dreaming of crescent moons, red toes, and freckles. Thankfully, his regular nightmares stayed at bay. However, dreaming of Annie turned out to be more pleasurable than he would’ve like. The bulge in his boxers proved as much.

His urge to be with a woman had never been so intense, and he desired the absolute one woman on earth he couldn’t have. He promised to protect her. Mixing his desire with his duty was a bad idea. Besides, there was no way she was ready for anything with anyone else right now.

I’m such a dumbass.

The creaking of his bedroom door alerted him Annie was coming. He tossed the blanket over his lap and placed his hands in front of him.

Her hair framed wild around her face, as she wiped sleep from her one good eye. His shirt she wore pulled a little to the right, exposing her shoulder, and her toes peeked out from the bottom of his pants.

Holy shit. He was in trouble.

“Good morning,” he squeaked like a pubescent teen. Trying again, he cleared his throat first. “I mean, good morning. Did you sleep okay?” He leaned his torso over his lap to cover up the bulge.

“Yeah,” she said through a yawn. “But Alfred snores.”

Think about Alfred. Think about Alfred.

His not so little problem started to control itself.

“Sorry about that. Did he disturb you too much?”

“No. Actually, it was the best sleep I’ve had in months. Even with his little paws kicking me in my arm.”

If her having the best sleep in months included a snoring dog kicking her, there was more wrong with the picture than he had imagined. What all had this Duke guy done to her?

“You want some breakfast? I can make bacon and eggs.”

“I don’t eat pork, but eggs would be great.”

“You don’t eat pork?”

“No, it tastes weird to me.”

“Tastes weird? But you work in a diner, where almost every dish comes with a slab of bacon.”

“Yeah, I know. Sandi’s been working on me since I started, but I just don’t like it.” A look of frustration crossed her features.

Shit. Did she see his problem? He glanced down. Little Tank was finally under control.

“What’s wrong? Did I pry too much about the bacon?”

“No, no.” She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just, I’m supposed to go in to work this morning, and there is no way I can. Not looking like this, and if I do, Duke will be sure to know. I won’t be able to escape him.”

“Yeah, I thought about some of that last night.” One of the ways he tried to get his mind off her crescent moon. Needless to say, it didn’t work—completely.

“And?”

“And what?” What had he said? His mind was back on her stars.

“You said you were thinking about me going to work. What did you come up with?”

“Oh, that.” Come on, man. Get it together. “I agree. Safe to say you shouldn’t be going in to work for a while. You need to heal, Annie, and we need to figure out a game plan before you make any moves.”

“You’re right.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she crossed the room and gently sat on the couch. Al followed and sat on the floor beside her. “I honestly hadn’t given much thought to any of this last night. I just ran. I was so scared.” Her gaze tilted to the clock on the wall. “Duke should be home from work any minute, and he’ll notice I’m not there. Once he realizes I’m not at the diner, either, he’ll be so angry.” She squeezed herself tighter.

“Your phone.” He shot up, his veins pulsing with adrenaline. Little Tank was no longer his concern, but the Big Bad Wolf was. “Annie, where is it?”

“In your room, why?”

“If Duke is as horrible as I think, I’m sure he’s got you tracked.” Damn it, why didn’t he think about this before?

“Oh my. I didn’t even think of that.”

Heart pounding, he ran into his room. The scent of her perfume had invaded his personal space, and damn if he didn’t like it. He pretended like the floral smell of Beauty didn’t excite him as he grabbed her cell from his nightstand and rushed back to her.

“You’re going to have to turn it off.” Another look of concern crossed her features. This was harder than he thought. Everything he did and said seemed to push her boundaries. “Here.” He took his own phone off the counter. “You can have mine if it’ll make you feel better. At least until we can get you a new one, or figure everything out.

“But you won’t have one.”

“It’s okay. I won’t need it. Take it. Really. Besides, most of the time cell service doesn’t work all that great out here.”

“Well, why do I have to turn mine off then?” She accepted his phone.

“Because, if the satellites or the towers are having a good day out here today, we don’t want to take the chance of Duke tracking you.”

“Okay, you’re right.” She powered hers down. “I’ll need the code for yours.”

“One-nine-eight-nine.” He turned toward the kitchen, and reached in the refrigerator for the eggs.

“Your birth year?”

“No, the year the best ever Batman movie came out.”

“I wouldn’t figure you for one of those superhero kind of guys.” She placed his phone on the coffee table.

“I’m not.” Something else he wasn’t ready to talk about—his appreciation for Batman. Not yet.

He set the eggs on the counter and stared at his pup on the floor. Annie’s own vigilante standing guard. Alfred’s allegiance to him had been totally abandoned the minute the hot blonde walked in the door. Hell, he couldn’t blame his four-legged friend, but even vigilante’s had to pee. “Come on, Alfred. Go outside.” He opened the back sliding glass doors. Al cocked his head sideways then looked back at Annie.

“Go on, boy.” She nudged him with her foot. He gave them each a passing glance, then trotted outside, and ran for the water.

“Disloyal dog,” he mumbled, then shut the door. “How many eggs do you want?” He stepped back into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl.

“Two.” She walked around the counter and took the bowl from him. “I can do that.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but you didn’t have to take me in and you did.” She gave him another sultry smile and his pulse quickened. He took a few steps back.

“Okay, well, then, I’m going to go and get dressed. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Is scrambled fine?”

“Scrambled?”

“Eggs.” She pointed to the carton. “Will you eat your eggs scrambled?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” He scratched his head and turned down the hall. His brain was scrambled standing next to her. Good God, what had he gotten himself into? He needed a cold shower. Quick.

He glanced at her again. His shirt fell lower down her shoulder as she cracked the eggs.

Little Tank throbbed under his boxers.

Damn.

This was going to be a long, cold shower.