Chapter Four
Iris
All day I watch out the large windows, my nerves so unsettled that I quiver every time I see a dark truck, wondering if he’s coming to steal me away.
Strangely, I don’t care if he does. Hell! I want him to drag me away and ravish me in his bed, keeping us up for hours, quenching the fires that burn and ache along my sensitive skin.
I can’t fight it. I want the man to carry me away and do wicked, wicked things with his ruthless tongue and that big, brawny body that towers over me, making me feel dainty and delicate.
My curves have never made me feel bad. I came to terms with my lush hips, full breasts and thick thighs a long time ago. But I never really felt good about my own body until Connor Revere.
I breathlessly close my eyes and picture his big body tight against me, feel the thickening between his thighs and know that he wants me desperately, as much as I want him.
Time seems to slow down the closer to the closing of the restaurant and I finally close and lock the door and smile at Bessie. “Why don’t you go ahead and head home. I’ll finish cleaning up here.”
She eyes me uncertainly, her rheumy gaze studying me intently. “Are you sure?”
I smile. “I’ve done the closing with you. I’ll make sure that all of it gets taken care of and head home. My ride isn’t here yet.”
She grins mischievously. “Did you finally realize that you can’t fight fate? You may be very different people but fate always finds the perfect partner for us.” Her gaze turns inward and her smile tinges with sadness. “I had my shot but I let it pass and threw the love that fate gave me away. I regret that every day of my life.”
Sorrow tinges her words and I move closer. “What happened?”
She loses herself in her story. “I met my love a lifetime ago and when he asked me to run away with him, I let others decide my fate for me. My dad didn’t like him and considered that he wasn’t nearly good enough for me. So I said no and watched him walk away. And I’ve regretted it every day since.”
She gathers up her purse and slings it over her stooped shoulders, looking suddenly older than I’ve ever seen her. “If you’re sure?”
I nod my head. “Yeah. I’m good. Have a good night, Bessie.”
She nods her head. “As good as it ever gets. Love you, child.”
I watch her walk out the door, her old shoulders bowed and her steps slow. I close and lock it behind her. I pick up the bucket and towels and clean the counters and then grab the thing to haul it to the back and dump it in the industrial sink in the back by the door.
I barely notice that the door is unlocked and then it slams open, hitting the wall and scaring me. I jump and scream. “What the hell, man?”
My eyes narrow when I see my quarry again. “What are you doing here?” His smirky smile has my belly twinging with unease.
“You wanted to talk to me so here I am.” His big body moves closer to me but I don’t have the same feelings that I have when Connor slips closer to me. Being alone with Randy Watts makes my stomach churn unpleasantly. Like a bad roller coaster ride. Or a horror movie right before the slasher rips the shower curtain open with an ax in their hand.
My stomach roils when he gets closer to me. He smells like sweat and greasy, rancid burgers. I didn’t even know that was a thing until I smelled him.
But he’s moving closer and I’m starting to wonder if I made a mistake trying to talk to this man. I know what my sister said about him and none of it was good.
But I honestly didn’t think I was going to be alone with him in a darkened restaurant in the middle of the night.
His rheumy blue eyes lock on my chest and that swoopy feeling in my belly rushes over me again. Nausea pushes at my throat and I back away from him.
“I wanted to talk to you, yes, but not here and not now.”
He grins at me and keeps moving closer and now I’m just starting to get pissed along with nervous.
I stand my ground, my hands fisted on my wide hips. “Dude, do you remember Therese? Therese Cartwright.”
He stops and an ugly look crosses his eyes along with a tightening of his weak, fleshy lips that lets me know that he recognizes the name.
“No. Should I?”
Lying sack of shit! Rage coils in my belly and my fists clench hard as my jaw tightens to a grinding point.
“Yeah, you should. Since she made the mistake of getting involved with you and you sold her some little fantasy of the two of you being together and having a white-picket fence around your snug little colonial. All of which was a fairy-tale that you told her just to get her in the sack and take her virginity. She was an innocent and you used her and discarded her.”
I’m pacing up to him, my finger hitting him in the chest as my fury builds… along with the pain and hurt.
“She got pregnant with your child and you didn’t want a damn thing to do with her anymore and you sure as hell didn’t want anything to do with your own child.”
He glares at me and the ugly look in his cold blue gaze makes me shiver. “It wasn’t mine.”
“Really? Because she was a virgin and you know it.”
“She could have slept with someone else after me. I bet she did. She sure as hell didn’t try very hard to keep from sleeping with me.”
Rage. Blinding, all-consuming rage makes me want to scream and throw every damn thing in this restaurant at his selfish head.
“No. She didn’t. She was so hung up on you that she cried into her pillow every fucking night, wanting you to come back to her. Wanting that fairytale of the perfect family you wooed her with. Only you never had any intention of actually having that. You just wanted another fucking conquest.”
I rake my eyes up and down his lumpy form. “Honestly, I don’t know what she saw in you.”
He glares at me. “You don’t know that I didn’t love her.”
“I do actually. If you had, you’d sure as hell never have told her to go away because you didn’t want to raise some little bastard.” A flash of pain makes me close my eyes and shudder.
I still remember that last view of her. She looked so happy when she rubbed her hand across her belly and talked to that baby. It made her so happy.
But by the end of the night, both of them would be gone and I’d be staring at the last of my family and saying good-bye for a final time.
“All of that no longer matters. I just wanted to make sure that you know that you don’t have to worry about it anymore. My sister and your son died in a car accident a month ago. She was killed by a drunk driver on her way home from work. A job at a bar that she had to get to pay for the extra doctor’s appointments and stuff that you refused to pay for.” Tears sting my eyes and I grit my teeth to fight them back. I’m not crying in front of this pitiful excuse for a human being.
“So your conscience is free and clear and I hope that makes you feel good, asshole, because if it wasn’t for you I would still have my sister, my last remaining family. So I will be saying a special prayer every day that you lose as much as I have.” I push at his broad chest. “And now I’d appreciate it if you left. I’ve got to get ready for a date. Good-bye.”
And I turn on my heel, stalking off, not even bothering to look back. I’ve said what I wanted to say and although I hoped I’d feel better afterwards. I honestly don’t. I feel like absolute shit and it takes everything in me not to burst into noisy, endless tears. My nose stings and I sniffle, pushing the pain back.
A voice from the dark makes me jump. “I’m sorry about your sister, princess. Is that why you’ve made such an effort to keep from going out with me? You’re scared that I’m like him?”
I sink down into a chair and pull a tissue out of my purse, cocking my head at him. “How long have you been here?”
His big body steps from the shadows and another kind of quiver ripples through my belly. His blue gaze shifts down my body, taking stock of me. Not in a sexual way though. The affection in his soft gaze makes me fight like hell not to run right into those big, brawny arms of his and cry like my whole world fell apart and he’s the only thing holding me together.
“Long enough. I followed him in to make sure that he didn’t do anything stupid.” There’s a bit of a clipped tone to his voice and I almost smile. I swear he sounds jealous which makes me want to laugh my ass off.
Randy has nothing on this man. He’s a cartoon character and Connor is a sweet man that basically looks like a roman god. There’s no comparison at all.
“Maybe a little bit.”
He flinches and then sighs, running his hands through his thick, dark hair. “I can see why you might be a little cautious.” He eyes me carefully. “Do you have any family left?”
I shake my head. “No. Therese was my younger sister. Our mother died when I graduated from high school and I took care of her for the last year of high school. She was so smart. Very quiet and shy. She got a scholarship for college. And she was on her way to a great future.”
He winces. “Until she ran across Randy.”
I nod my head slowly. “Until she ran across Randy. He ruined her life but she wasn’t mad about it.” A smile curls my lips. “She was so excited to see her baby. Couldn’t wait. She didn’t even mind working an extra job. She had bought some second-hand furniture and was setting up the nursery already.”
A pang hits my chest and I claw at it absently. Like I can dig that pain out.
“I’m afraid I’m not going to be very good company tonight. I don’t think you should have to deal with my awful mood. Maybe we could do this another time… if you still want to, that is.”
His blue eyes stare into mine and the care in them makes my heart ache with some strange feeling that I’ve never felt before.
“I’d rather spend a bad day with you than a good day with anyone else. So if you want to still hang out… we can go back to my place and I’ll make you dinner.”
“You cook?” I cock a brow at him and he grins mischievously.
“Not well but I can definitely make tomato soup and grilled cheese.”
I laugh recklessly. For some reason this adorably awkward and gruff man makes me want to spend time with him and I smile back. “How did you know that’s my favorite dinner?”
He holds his hand out to me and without even thinking, I take it, the electricity zinging up my arm making my heart skip a beat. His palm is warm and strong and I want him to never let me go.
“We’re made for each other. Happens to be my favorite meal too. Will you come home with me?”
It feels like he’s saying more than for just a single date and ordinarily I would be running the other direction.
But I don’t. “I would love to.”
I follow him and it feels like something bigger is happening here. Something strong and lasting and right.
Something perfect.