I knew his instruction was only because he needed to be able to get to me just in case someone came in through the window. But for just a second I let myself believe he intended to sneak in while I showered and have his way with me, like he had the other day. I liked the idea of that so much, as soon as the water rained down on me I eased the ache the thought stirred. I bit my lip, lowered my head and hoped the sound of the shower drowned out my moan when I came.
I finished in the shower and dressed in my shorts and tee. I thought to enter the room naked and see if that stirred anything, but when he rejected me, which I knew he would when he saw the bruises, it would hurt even more than the injuries I had sustained in the alley.
He was already in the bed, resting on top of the covers, his focus was on the news playing on the television. I climbed under the covers, rolled on my side away from him. I wanted to scream at him, to snap him out of it, but this particular ghost he was mentally battling, my attack, was too fresh and raw. He needed time in his head to deal, so instead I whispered into my pillow. “Good night.”
I wasn’t expecting sleep so was shocked when I opened my eyes to find light streaming in through the crack in the curtains. Cautiously, I turned toward Damian only to discover his side of the bed was empty. I stretched then climbed from bed, grabbed my stuff and headed to the bathroom. I was just finishing up when I heard him return. Peeking around the door, Damian was dropping the key on the bed but it was the sight of the coffee that almost had me shouting in glee.
“Did you get one for me?” I asked.
He looked over and took his time moving his gaze from my bare feet slowly up my body until he finally reached my face, a face that was now burning because damn I felt that like a caress.
“No.”
I almost said thank you because I wasn’t expecting him to say no.
“No?”
He moved to his bag, ignoring me. I wasn’t going to be ignored. I walked into the room, right up to him, and poked him in the chest with my toothbrush. “No?”
His focus was on my toothbrush.
“You went out for coffee and didn’t bring me back a cup? It is bad enough you have decided to stop speaking to me, but that is just rude.”
He looked me right in the eye before shifting his gaze back to my toothbrush—his nonverbal way of telling me to back off. I pressed the brush harder into his chest.
“We are stuck with each other for the foreseeable future and when you are my only hope for conversation, the damn cat has got your tongue.”
His eyes went all dark as they speared me with a look but I hadn’t a clue what emotion was behind that look. “Next time you get coffee, in case your memory has also been affected, I take mine black with two sugars.” And then I grabbed his coffee and disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me for emphasis. It felt good for the two point three seconds that it lasted. The door flew open; the coffee I hadn’t even sipped was removed from my hand before I saw nothing but his back as he strolled to the door. I hurried with dressing because I wouldn’t put it past this less friendly Damian to leave me here.
He was standing by the trunk when I stepped outside, drinking his coffee. I hoped he choked on it. Dropping my bag in the car, I took a play from his book and said nothing as I yanked open the passenger door. And that’s when my eyes landed on the second cup of coffee, one that had Thea written on the side.
He climbed in, keyed the engine. “Black, two sugars.”
I was gushing a bit. He hadn’t forgotten about me. I belted in, reached for my coffee and flashed him a smile.
“Thank you.”
He didn’t answer. I hadn’t expected him to.
Deadwood, South Dakota. I had no idea how he found this place, but as we drove through town I couldn’t deny it was the perfect place to lay low. Quaint, off the beaten path, and looking similar to what I imagined it looked like in the day of cowboys and the Wild West. Stretches of land for as far as the eye could see and brilliant blue skies and mountains hugging the horizon. It was gorgeous. The air was cleaner; everything was cleaner.
We reached the house, a charming little cottage. “Are you going to carry me over the threshold?”
At my question, he spared me a glance and shook his head, but he wasn’t answering me, it was more like he was wondering how he’d drawn the short straw. I wanted to shout that he had volunteered but it was pointless. He climbed from the car.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
I walked to the trunk to retrieve my bags, but he had already grabbed his stuff and mine and was heading for the door.
Instead of following him in, I meandered a bit in the front gardens. Mums had been planted and the window boxes on the front windows were overflowing with ornamental cabbages and pumpkins. A stone path guided you through the garden beds, most of which had been cut down in preparation for winter. Turning toward the house, I noticed Damian had left the front door open for me. As soon as I entered the cottage, I immediately fell in love. Oak floors, whitewashed walls and an exposed beam ceiling. Furniture in fabrics of pale blues and yellows, coffee and side tables painted in a buttery yellow, a kitchen with wood countertops, white paned glass cabinets, a farmhouse sink and windows all along the back wall overlooking nothing but wilderness. The bedrooms were all done in soft colors with sheer curtains on the windows to add a touch of privacy but still allowing for the breeze from the mountains. Since my bags were in the room with the Wedgwood blue walls, I could only assume that was where I was sleeping. My room had a private balcony. When I stepped out on the balcony, I realized that it wasn’t so private because a second room shared it and somehow I just knew Damian was taking that one.