Surviving Broken(44)
He caught her arm, steadying her. “Think gold, orange and avocado green. I have a lot of work to do on both houses.”
JC scrambled over a few large boulders. She stopped abruptly, turning to face him. “So are you moving to California or going back to Texas?”
As Reed climbed over the boulder, he wasn’t paying attention and ran face first into her boobs. His eyes drifted over her chest and she saw his throat jump when he swallowed. Her heart damn near burst noticing a pink hue dusting across his cheeks. Their eyes locked and a grin pulled at the edge of her mouth.
“’Scuse me? I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”
“Boys. You’re all the same. I said, are you moving to Malibu or are going back to Texas?”
Reed reached the top of the boulder and stood beside her. Gently grasping hold of her wrist, he pulled her closer. Hovering over her, he stared down with big blue eyes. “Darlin, I’m not a boy and all men are not the same. I’ve already moved here. I’m not going back to Texas. There’s nothing left for me there.”
Blood drained from her face. The feel of his fingers manacled around her wrist ignited a flash of panic, nearly throttled her voice. She wriggled free of his grip, snapping weakly, “Let go of me.”
JC quickly turned from his view, trekking briskly down the path cut within the rocky terrain.
Reed kept pace, calling after her. “JC. JC! Hey, stop for a minute. Wait up!”
Horrible memories had flooded over her when he grabbed her by the wrist. He hadn’t hurt her. The man did nothing more than touch her with playful affection and she freaked.
JC stopped, inhaling slowly to even out her heart rate and gain control of her emotions. Reed cautiously reached for her fingers. Her body quaked from head to toe.
“What’s wrong? You’re not scared of me, are you?”
She refused to meet his worried gaze.
“I know I’m a big guy, but you don’t need to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. JC, honey…”
The tender touch of his hand and soothing tone of his voice utterly disarmed her. Despite her heart pounding anxiety, she managed to sigh with a faint chuckle. “Reed, honey is pushing it. I kind of like darlin’, but honey is not gonna fly with me.”
He smiled, stroking the center of her palm with his thumb. “Then darlin’ it is. You all right now?”
Her lips pursed into a strained smile. “Yeah. I’m okay. Sorry about that. I…I’m not afraid of you, Reed.”
It was true. This man did not frighten her at all. It was just the flashback from her reoccurring nightmare haunting her in broad daylight.
“Thank God. I hope not. For a second, I thought you were gonna take off like a scared cat.” He paused beside a large oak tree blown over on its side by the wind. “I promise. I’m tame.”
Desperately needing to change the subject, JC took a seat, straddling the uprooted tree. “Can I see your tattoo?”
“How did you know I have a tattoo?”
“Streaker,” she teased sardonically.
Guardedly, he folded his arms across his chest, tucking his fists beneath his biceps.
She sobered.
“It’s not a big deal, Reed.” Though she wanted to see it, his austere body language and sadness concealed within his eyes let her know the tattoo was a painful subject for him. “You can show it to me later. Or you don’t have to show me at all. It’s okay.”
Unbuckling his arms and tugging at the hem of his shirt, Reed pulled it over his head. Kicking his leg over the tree, he sat in front of her.
JC stared at his exposed muscular back. His light brown hair cut in layers covered the nape of his neck and a spicy scent lingered with the heat of his skin. An intricate tattoo of a dead tree, which was nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful, covering the entire left side from hip to shoulder.
“Sometimes I forget it’s there, especially lately. After I had the tattoo done, I wondered if I’d made a mistake by putting it on my back because I don’t see it very often.”
“And now?” JC asked inquisitively, examining his ink and half-naked body. Green vines climbed up the trunk of the tree and several colorful flowers in full bloom dotted the old dead tree with life.
“And now, I know I made the right choice,” he admitted somberly.
JC tentatively reached her hand forward. Her fingertips warily traced over the dead branches and the outlines of the colorful flowers. “Do the flowers have a meaning?”
Reed released the air from his lungs and hung his chin to his chest. “Each flower represents someone I’ve lost in my life.”
As her fingers continued touching his skin, she felt his powerful strength yielding to sadness and loss. “I’m sorry, Reed. You’ve lost all of your family?”