Page 22 of Loving Her
“I don’t matter here. You’re the one that has to go meet with them, Breaker.”
“I want you with me when I go, Indy. I told you I wanted you. That’s not changing. I want you in my life. I know I don’t have much to offer you right now, but I’ll figure it out somehow.”
“It seems like a bad time for both of us. I don’t think I’m ready.” I let out a squeal when he grabs my chair, manhandles it and somehow pulls it out and picks me up with little effort at all. He remains sitting through it all, just using the brute muscle of his upper body as lifts me and pulls me into his lap. “Breaker!”
“Decided against calling me Matthew?”
“You don’t look like a Matthew. Breaker fits better. Are you going to let me sit in my own seat?”
“Not right now. If I don’t look like a Matthew, then what do you think my name should be?”
“Sam. You look like a Sam.”
“Sam? Seriously. That’s just a boring name.”
“No, it’s not. Haven’t you ever heard of Sam Elliot? That man radiated sex appeal. He could sigh and every woman around him would overheat, melting their panties simultaneously around the world.”
He stares at me like I’m insane. Heck, maybe I am. I mean, not about Sam Elliot, because every woman knows that’s true. Still, I’m still trying to understand how I feel about everything that Breaker is saying. My heart is running away with me, and I need time to process all of it. I’ve been preparing myself to say goodbye to him and now he’s saying he wants me to go to Kentucky when he meets his family.
“The only man who will be melting your panties will be me, Indy.”
“Don’t you need to go back to the bunkhouse or something?” I huff.
“Speaking of names, is your name really like the state—Indiana?”
I roll my eyes. “My name is Indy. My parents weren’t the best. Well, my father was the worst, mostly because he disappeared as soon as he discovered I was planted in my mother’s belly—a fact she never let me forget. My mother wasn’t the best, although she did take care of me until I graduated from high school, so I give her props for that. Because she’s a bitch and thought it’d be funny, she gave me the middle name Anna.”
“Yikes,” he laughs.
“Incidentally, Indiana was the state in which I was conceived, apparently under the bleachers of a high school football game. This is another fun-loving story my mother loved to tell everyone.
“She sounds like the life of the party.”
“If the party is in hell, sure,” I respond drolly.
“Could I interest you in sharing a bed with me tonight?” he asks out of the blue.
“Um … I don’t think that’d be a good idea.”
“What if I promise to keep all my clothes on and do nothing but hold you all night?” I narrow my eyes at him. “I’ll be on my best behavior. I just had a really stressful day, and I’ve missed the hell out of you, Indy.”
“You promise your clothes stay in place?” I question. He nods his agreement. “You’ll stay on your best behavior—not even a hand venturing where it shouldn’t?”
“I promise. I’ll be a good little boy. Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a Boy Scout, where you?”
“No idea, can’t remember,” he jokes. “Still, I promise all of the above. Still, if you want to try something on me, I’m not going to object.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. Let’s rinse these dishes then. I’m tired.”
“Sounds good,” he says, standing up with his empty plate. I hadn’t even realized he had eaten all of his while we spoke. Inmy defense, I was trying not to look at him too closely. I know I’m probably making a mistake tonight. I just couldn’t say no. It’s weak, I know. The thing is, though, I really want him to hold me while I sleep. Right now, that sounds like the closest thing to heaven I’ll ever experience. I don’t really answer to anyone but myself, so I’m going to ignore that small voice that tells me I’m making a mistake.
At least for tonight.
Chapter 13
Breaker