"I don't think I could live like that, myself," I said, hoping to stroke his ego a bit. He deserved it, after all the ways he'd stroked me. "I don't even really know how to live on my own." Now that I'd started speaking, I was saying things that I hadn't realized I'd felt before they left my mouth.
"I'm sure you know more than you think. You're just confused right now, you know? It's a tough thing, what you're doin'. Ain't got no one to help you along the way?"
I shook my head. Both my parents had passed, I had no siblings, no other family, and my friends … well, I'd stopped having friends the longer I stayed with Jeremy. Because he didn't trust me to go out with them on my own, and thought they would poison me against him. He'd never said those things, of course, but he made my life such living hell whenever I tried to keep up my friendships that I eventually stopped trying.
There was no one on this earth I could trust anymore. That thought made me want to start crying. But I didn't want to do that here, now, in bed with this mysterious stranger who'd helped me climb that final mountain. Attain that last peak, if you'll excuse my mixing metaphors.
"No, no. And it's not just my husband," I said, lifting myself up onto my elbows as my mind turned. Should I tell him the whole truth? About the money and everything? Because it really wasn't just escaping Jeremy that was plaguing my spirit. If anyone would understand, it seemed he would. But he was basically a stranger, still, and he wasn't being very secretive about his criminal habits. I'd be stupid to tell him about the money. He might not turn me in, probably wouldn't, but he'd probably take it for himself and his club.
"Oh?" he asked, and I realized I'd been silent for a while, thinking of how to tell him that I was in trouble with the law without telling him exactly why. The solution, as most things in life, was actually simpler than I made it out to be.
"I just … I had to do something to get away, and it's not exactly legal. I can't stick around. I've got to get somewhere safe, and soon. I need to get to Mexico. I have … I have money," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask for more details.
"And you think Mexico is gonna be safe? Darlin', do you know anyone in Mexico? Do you even speak Spanish? You look like you might," he said. I was relieved he didn't pry into exactly what it was I'd done; then again, it seemed like that might be some sort of criminal code. If you meet a like-minded (or luscious-bodied) person on the run for something bad, you helped before asking questions. I shook my head at his queries.
"What do you think is gonna happen? You get ‘cross the border, they hold a party for you, welcoming to the great country of Mexico? Shit, the way you look, you don't wanna take two steps in that place unless you got bodyguards. They'd eat you up, honeybuns," he said.
I bit my lip. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Then again, after so many years of mind games from Jeremy, it was hard to tell when someone was being genuine and when someone was being manipulative.
What if he was just trying to get me to stay so he could find out what it is I'd done; maybe he had suspicions about how much money I had? I cursed myself for telling him I had any money at all. But what other reason could he have for not wanting me to hit the road as soon as possible? Surely, he had plenty of girls to choose from, what with his kiss-me lips and honey-come-here eyes.
"I don't know. I just figured I'd be better off living free in South America than on the run here … "
"Sure, but you can't just go barging down to no man's land in a beater. You even have a passport? I mean, not your passport? They track that shit, you know. Girl, you best to stick around a few days. I can help you. With the car, sure, but I know people down there. Let me make some calls. And we'll get you some clothes, a new ID, all that," Reign said, leaning back and closing his eyes as though the discussion was done.
"Well, thanks for the offer, but I really feel more comfortable … "
"You think you do, but you won't. Trust me. Nasty guys down there at the border. You don't wanna risk your pretty little neck. Let me get it all set up for you. C'mon, let me be a good Samaritan. You did me a favor tonight, let me repay you," he said, opening his eyes slightly, looking at me through the corner.
"What kind of favor did I do you tonight? Seems like you did all the work," I said, unable to keep the blush from my face and the excitement from my voice as I remembered what had brought us to our current, naked, lounging state.
"Just trust me, you done me a whole lotta good," he said, suddenly reaching out and grabbing me around the shoulders, pulling me into his broad, tattooed chest. I breathed deeply, savoring the smell of him, the musky, leathery odor, so masculine and rough. They should bottle that scent, it'd get guys laid a whole lot more than Axe.
Suddenly, the alarm clock next to the bed went off. I looked over; it was 8am. I'd set the alarm as soon as I'd gotten into the room, meaning to be on the road as soon as I could. 8 was the latest I'd wanted to sleep. Now, I hadn't slept at all. Regardless of whether or not I wanted to take Reign up on his offers, I wouldn't be going anywhere that day. Not on zero hours of sleep. Not with my mind as screwed up as it was.
"Shit," Reign said, rolling over. "Is it morning?"
The heavy curtains blocked the entirety of the sun, keeping us in the illusion of constant evening. I nodded, suddenly feeling very, very tired. Reign's hand crept up my thigh, slowly. My body shuddered, but I put my hand on top of his, halting his progress. I couldn't do that again now, as much as my body might want it. I needed sleep, and a shower, and time to think without oxytocin flooding my neurons.
"Sorry," I said, hoping to sound as genuine as I felt. "I need … I need to be alone for a bit. I didn't realize … "
He nodded.
"Sure, you had yourself a hell of a day. Don't worry about the room; no one gonna come kick you out. I'll make sure of that. You get yourself some sleep."
I could hear disappointment in his voice, but his eyes were all understanding. It almost made me want to change my mind. But, no, I needed to deal with my shit. Reign rolled out of bed, landing on his feet like a cat, his magnificent manhood dangling between his legs. It would have looked comical if it didn't flood me with memories of what he'd done to me with it.
I clenched my legs together, biting the inside of my cheek as I watched him get dressed. His lean, toned, gorgeous, tattooed, hairy, oh-so-edible body disappearing one garment at a time. I just sat there in the bed, covered to the chest, watching him, hoping that I'd get to see him without his clothes again sometime. If I was going to be there another night …
"Mind if I come by later?" he asked, the question sounding not like a question at all. He knew the answer. Damn, but that cockiness was just as hot as his body. It was different from Jeremy's confidence, which was inflated beyond reason. It was a cockiness that was backed up by … well, cock. There, I said it.
I nodded. "Much later," I added, meaning to sleep the whole day if I could. I needed it.
"Trust me, I won't be opening my eyes before 9," he said with a chuckle.
"Are you … are you sure I'm safe here?" I asked, panic setting in as the warmth of his body left the bed. When he'd been lying next to me, it was easy to chase away my fear. Now, I was going to be alone again. Alone in this room, with no one to protect me.
Images of the body under the mattress in the other room, Jeremy's squad car pulling up, the cocaine stashed in the drawer, my phone in pieces on the passenger seat of the car, began to flash in my head, as though I'd blacked out for the past twelve hours and was trying to piece everything together bit by bit. Reality came in a rush. And it hurt.
Reign looked at me as though he could see right through me into my head. He dropped his hands to his sides, came to sit on the edge of the bed beside me.
"Do you want me to stay?" he asked. I could see it wouldn't be an imposition on him. I shook my head. He couldn't just stay forever. At some point, I'd have to be on my own. And that might as well start now. And, I figured, I was so exhausted I would probably pass out quicker than I thought, anyway.
"I'm okay. But … you … no one will tell anyone where I am, right?"
"Of course not. We're not in the habit of selling people out. And I'll make sure everyone knows you ain't even here," he said, then paused, seeming to think. "Give me your car keys."
My chest constricted. What did he want those for? What, was he going to steal my car? But then why would he ask for my keys? What if he wanted to strand me here? What if, under all that charm and sincerity, he was just like Jeremy – worse? What if he was going to make sure I couldn't leave?