Page 19 of Savage
She’d just taken a bite and was busy chewing but the quizzical look on her face let him know he’d confused her. Still, he waited until she could speak before saying anything more.
“Why?” she said after a moment. “They too extreme to suit you?”
“Nah, it’s more that I got tired of incorrect stereotypical assumptions. And not in the way you probably think. You say California and most people think of Sunshine, beaches, and surfers. And yeah, part of California is like that, but not the part I came from. I’m from up north, think mountains, redwoods, and weed.” He watched for a moment as she continued to eat.
Good. Talking about something else had her more relaxed and he was glad to see it.
“Anyway, I quit telling people where I’m from about the fiftieth time someone called me surfer boy.”
“I take it you don’t surf?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’d never even touched a board before I joined up. It wasn’t until I was at Coronado that I learned. Where I grew up was too far from the ocean to spend much time there, plus the water was way too fucking cold. Not that it’s much better farther south, but the waves are better down there. I did eventually learn to surf, but I’d rather dive.”
“Dive? You dive?”
“I do. It was kind of a requirement when I was in the Navy.”
“I really don’t know why I’m surprised.” She took the buttered biscuit that was the last thing on her plate, tore off a chunk and popped it into her mouth.
Savage lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Why would you know? We’ve only known each other for a little over twenty-four hours. In that time, I’ve been more concerned with making sure you’re taken care of then sharing my life story.”
“I guess. I just feel bad that I know so little about you other than you live in Arizona, you call these men brothers,” she motioned around them where several of the people he’d ridden up with milled around or sat at other tables eating, “and you are incredibly kind and generous.”
Savage shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with her assessment of his character. He would admit he didn’t go out of his way to be unkind, unless someone deserved it. But he didn’t think of himself as generous either. But oddly, he couldn’t watch Donna do without, especially if he had the ability to make sure she had whatever she needed.
18
Donnatiltedherheadand watched him for a moment. She didn’t think he would appreciate it if she pointed out that he was blushing, so she popped the last bite of her biscuit into her mouth and reached down for something else and found her plate empty except for a few crumbs.
“We can get more if you’d like.”
She looked up to find Savage watching her. A little embarrassed, she looked down at her plate and tried to think about it. Was she still hungry? Did she want more?
“No, better not. This is more than I’ve had at any meal in quite a while, and I don’t want to upset my stomach again.”
“Are you sure? There’s plenty of food, there always is with us. You never have to worry that you’re taking food from someone else when you’re with the Souls.”
“I’m sure. I think if I ate more, it would make me sick, and I don’t want to deal with that again so soon.”
“I don’t blame you.” He took a deep breath, then continued. “But if you get hungry, say something. We will find something for you.”
“I don’t want to be a bother.” Donna stood and picked up her plate, then looked around for a trach can.
“Here.” Savage took the plate from her, stacked it with his and dropped them both into the trash, then with a gentle hand on the small of her back, he guided her to a large ice chest where he pulled out two bottles of water and handed her one. “Come on, let’s go put our tent in order, then we can figure out what to do with the rest of our day.”
Once more his hand rested low on her back as they walked. Donna had found it slightly uncomfortable at first, as it reminded her of the way Noah had used a hand there to push her where he’d wanted her to go. She hadn’t said anything as she didn’t want to upset him. But it hadn’t taken long for her feelings about Savage’s hand in the small of her back to change. Once she realized he wasn’t going to shove her along like Noah had, but instead he used gentle pressure to steer her, she’d started to find it reassuring.
She never had to worry about how to find him or where he was. The hand on her back that had been disconcerting at first, had quickly become reassuring. Donna also got the impression that part of the reason he kept his hand there was because he wanted to touch her. Since Savage had been nothing but kind and gentle with her, and never pushed for more than she was willing to give. With the exception of his pushing for information in order to keep her safe or take care of her. Even she could admit she’d needed to tell him all of it, it just hadn’t been fun, or easy.
On the way back to the tent, Savage pulled out his phone, typed up and sent a text, but since Donna knew it couldn’t be for her, she didn’t pay much attention. When they reached the tent, Donna once more kicked her shoes off before stepping inside, leaving them outside as she had before.
Inside, she put her sleeping bag back on top of her mat, then rolled it halfway, the same as Savage was doing. The last thing she wanted was to climb into bed and find she had a six or eight legged bed mate. Or worse one with no legs. She trusted him, so she followed his example when it came to things she wasn’t sure about.
After they had the tent neat again, Savage sat on the empty section of his mat, legs crisscross.
“First, let me have your phone. I want to make sure you have my number, before I forget again. I want you to be able to reach out any time.” He held out one hand, palm up.
Donna stared at his hand for a moment, wondering the best way to handle this. After a few seconds she decided head on was best. She’d already told him things that were far more embarrassing.