Page 21 of Truck Stop Tempest
Fuck me, but those pink toenails were hot as hell.
Carlos answered. “Tito, boy. Nice to hear from you.”
“Hey, Uncle Carlos. I’ve decided to buy.” I brushed a stray hair off her cheek.
Tuuli’s eyes narrowed. She took a step back and too far away, leaving my hand hanging in the air.
“Great, kiddo. Come by tomorrow. We’ll get the ball rolling.”
“See ya tomorrow.” I ended the call.
In a voice frail and full of disappointment, she said, “So, you’re a showoff, then.”
Knife to the chest.
She didn’t know me. Perhaps the time had come to offer a small piece of my reality. “That’s not entirely true.”
I hated that she wouldn’t look at me. “Come here. Maybe this will help you understand.” I grabbed her hand and led her up the staircase, through the upstairs hall, and to the third story master suite. The room may as well have been sitting on a cloud. Wall-to-wall windows. Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view of Whisper Springs. Open. Bright. Breathtaking. Even the master bath boasted a million-dollar view.
Tuuli remained silent, taking in her surroundings. She pushed open the slider door to the deck and gasped when she stepped outside to the private oasis with the outdoor shower and swimming jacuzzi.
“I’ve spent too damn many years underground. Or in windowless rooms, in front of computer screens, dealing with dangerous people and their vile shit. Don’t get me wrong. I love working. I’m the best at what I do. But my job can be suffocating.”
I shoved the hood off my head and tapped at the scar on my face. “This? This right here. The day it happened? Thoughtit was going to be my last day on Earth. Thought I’d take my last breath in a musty basement surrounded by the darkest people you’d ever want to meet.”
I looked away, avoiding the pity on her face.
“My uncle offered me this place, knowing what I’ve lived, knowing what I need.”
“And what is it you need?”
“Air.” A thousand pounds of pressure left my body with the simple confession. “To me, this place is air, it’s oxygen, and light, and freedom. Do I need twenty-thousand square feet? No. You’re right. Nobody does. But I need to breathe, Bunny. I need to fuckin’ breathe.”
Her gaze dropped again to my feet, her head bowed.
“Look at me.”
She did, stepping closer in the process. So close, I could smell the rain on her hair. Lifting a small finger to my face, she traced the outline of my scar, those blue beauties studying every inch of my mug.
Her lips parted on a sigh, her shoulders relaxed, and her gaze rested on my mouth. She wanted my lips. Fuck if I didn’t want to devour hers.
I couldn’t resist a second longer. I slid a hand around her neck, tangling my fingers through the silky mess, and I pulled her close, ducking to meet her halfway. I kissed her soft and slow, tender, and with no intentions, no underlying goal other than tasting and feeling and being closer to a soul that called to mine.
Tuuli was soft and pliant and so damn small in my arms. Petite and modest. The complete opposite of every woman I’d ever touched. White and pure. Tuuli was perfect. So goddamn perfect my chest hurt.
I would muddy the beauty in my arms. I would ruin her; there was no doubt. A noble man would’ve sent her on her way. A worthy man would never have lured the innocent to his den. I was no more noble than I was worthy of her kiss.
I didn’t want to break her. I didn’t want to stain her with my sins, so I broke the kiss before our kiss became more.
I was not, however, ready to let her go.
I pulled her close and held her small frame against my deadly planes. “When is your next day off?” I mumbled into her hair.
“Tuesday,” she answered into my shirt.
Two days. Fuck. Could I wait two days? ”Do you have plans?”
“No.”
“Good. I’ll pick you up at nine.”
“It’s a date,” was her simple reply. No, Where are we going? What should I wear? No batting her lashes, sexual innuendos, or lovelorn expectations. Just blind trust, bright eyes, and a chest-piercing smile.
I called a cab. After paying the driver, and seeing them off, I lifted my face to the crying sky. Cool pellets of rain batted my cheeks and rolled down my neck, soothing the burn below the surface of my skin.
Then I ran, pushing through the dreary afternoon until I was nothing but movement and sweat and breathing. Until my mind numbed, the screams dimmed, and images of an innocent, blue-eyed beauty were all that haunted me.