Thornhill Road (Love Me Tender)

Chapter Six

I woke with a start and immediately panicked.

First, because I knew I’d slept soundly, and I hadn’t checked my phone in hours .

Second, because I’d slept soundly in a bed that wasn’t my own.

Third, because I’d made a huge mistake I couldn’t take back.

I felt Mustang behind me. He wasn’t wrapped around me, but I still felt cocooned by him. One of his hands was resting on my hip, and his opposite arm was stretched out over my head. I knew this because I could see the fingers of his right hand dangling off the pillow.

I wanted to stay.

No, I wanted to roll over and catch a glimpse of him while he slept—then I wanted to burrow myself into his chest and stay a while.

But I knew all too well I couldn’t always have what I wanted.

I’d taken what I wanted the previous night, and it was going to cost me.

I needed to get out of there before he woke up.

I also needed to get to my phone and pray no one had called me during the night.

I really didn’t feel like being fired that day, on top of everything else.

When I was sure Mustang was definitely still asleep, I carefully rolled out from underneath his hand and quietly slipped out of bed. There wasn’t much light in the room, but there was a small window above his American flag that let in a bit of sun—enough that I could see my bra on the floor where I’d tossed it.

I put it on, my eyes on Mustang as I did so. I told myself I watched him to make sure he stayed asleep, but that wasn’t true.

I just wanted to see his face.

He was sexy even when lost in a dream.

Before I hurried to find the rest of my clothing, I saw the last of his tattoos.

M-A-R-Y was inked across his right knuckles.

Mary Kate.

I wondered who she was.

I doubted I’d ever find out.

Two minutes later, I was mostly dressed, my pink heels in my hands.

Freaking concrete floors everywhere were going to make it impossible for me to sneak out with my shoes on.

In bare feet, I raced to my purse and immediately went hunting for my phone. The relief that washed over me when I saw I had no missed calls was immense.

With one last look across the room, I strapped my purse over my shoulder and ever so slowly opened the door. I closed it just as carefully, then tucked my feet into my Jimmy Choos. Walking on tiptoes, I retraced my steps from the night before, hoping I didn’t run into anyone.

The clubhouse was quiet. Then again, it wasn’t even eight in the morning. Unless some of the guys were still up partying, I figured my chances were good I’d get out of there unseen.

I looked both ways when I got to the end of the hallway. When I saw no one, I hurried through the main room toward the exit. As I went, I noticed Mustang wasn’t the only one with an affinity for area rugs. They were scattered strategically, under couches, tables, and chairs—furniture that was well worn, but not ratty.

Furniture that was also not all empty.

I spotted a couple naked women passed out on one couch, reminding me I didn’t have time for a thorough look around. Not sure who else might have been sleeping it off in the room, I picked up my pace, holding my breath as I went.

The last thing I saw before I stepped out into the light of day was the Wild Stallions flag pinned above the double doors.

I made my trek back to my car unhurriedly, letting my mind process all that had happened as I went.

I’d crossed a line, and it was reckless.

I didn’t regret it, but I knew I should.

It had been years since I slept with a guy on the first date. I was usually a third date kind of gal. Three dates let me know he wasn’t just going to bail after he got me in bed. It wasn’t fool proof, but it was a safeguard I was good at implementing—and when it came to dating, I didn’t have many of those.

Mustang hadn’t even bought me dinner.

He did, however, put me on the back of his bike, and that was way better.

Now, the tables had turned, and I was the one bailing.

What sucked more than anything was that I knew I wanted Mustang the moment I laid eyes on him. Then he came to Ed’s house, he told me he wanted a third look, and I couldn’t resist. Fully aware he was out of bounds, I walked into that bar in my favorite jeans anyway. And before the night was over, I let him take them off.

I fell asleep not sure how much of myself I’d given, but I woke up certain I’d given away too much.

The walk to my car wasn’t full of shame. I might have been in last night’s clothes, but there wasn’t one thing I’d done I wished I could take back. Rather than shame, I carried a heavy dose of disappointment knowing I couldn’t have him again.

Mustang was more than the embodiment of everything I was trying to keep out of my bed. He was sexy and rough and daring, sure—but he was also interesting and gentle and smart. I fell asleep in his bed, and rather than wake me up, he curled himself around me and drifted off himself.

I’d crossed a line, definitely.

Whether or not he wanted to admit it, Mustang was the son of one of my patients.

That was part of my mistake—but not the whole of it.

The whole of it was, I needed to reestablish that boundary with a man I knew I could fall for in a heartbeat.

When I got back to my car, the only one left in the bar’s parking lot, I didn’t hesitate to get inside and start it up. I knew I wouldn’t be back. Not for a while. Not until I could forget what it felt like to ride wild and roam free at Mustang’s back.

Sadly, I wondered if I’d ever return.

I hopped in the shower when I got home, hardly looking at myself in the mirror before I did. A thorough cleanse of my night at Steel Mustang with the man himself was needed. Once I was clean, I made some coffee and distracted myself by paying bills. I thought about making breakfast, but remembered it’d been a few days since I’d hit the grocery store. I settled for a yogurt, then went to get ready for my pedicure with Jenna.

Wishing to be out of the house with some much-needed company, I left ten minutes earlier than I normally did. When I arrived at the nail salon, I didn’t stay in my car, but stepped outside and paced around the small parking lot.

I hadn’t told Jenna about Mustang the last time she’d called. Now I needed to, but there was so much to say. While I waited, I tried to pack it all into a quick and dirty version of the truth.

She pulled into the lot right on time, taking the spot next to mine.

Jenna was a honey-brunette, her hair grown out a few inches past her shoulders and styled in a layered cut. She complained about how straight it was, but it was thick, so she had that going for her. That and so much else.

Aside from the adorable smattering of freckles sprinkled across her nose, she had dark hazel-green eyes and great eyebrows. She also had a beautiful smile. When she got out of her car, she aimed it right at me.

“Hey, you’re early. You’re also pacing around like a caged animal, what’s up?” she asked on a laugh.

I swept a bit of hair behind my ears and met her in the space between our vehicles.

“I have a confession to make. And I don’t really want to talk about it, but I do need to tell you, because if I don’t, I’ll just think about telling you the entire time we’re in there, and it’ll ruin our whole conversation, so I’m getting it out of the way now.”

“Okay,” she said, nonplused. “Let’s hear it.”

“I got a new patient this week. His name is Ed, and he’s all alone—as in, the only people who come in and out of his house are the woman who does his laundry and me. And his house is sad. No pictures anywhere.

“When I asked him about any loved ones, he told me his wife was dead and his son didn’t even know he was sick. Then I found out his son is local. He’s the owner of Steel Mustang.”

Jenna’s eyebrows shot up at this new revelation.

“Yeah, I know. So, I got this wild hare of an idea to stop by and see if I could get him to visit his dying father. Well, turns out, he’s not interested in that. Not even a little bit. But what he is interested in is me .”

Jenna tried, and failed, to hide her smile. Still, she didn’t interrupt.

“Get this—he meets me at his dad’s house Friday night, and he tells me maybe he’ll think about talking to the man if I go out with him. So, like an idiot, I say yes.

“Now, here’s the part where I have to tell you—this man is not even a little bit ugly. And he smells really great. He also has a mom tattoo I am fairly certain is not the least bit ironic, which is very sweet.”

Jenna was now grinning.

I sighed.

“I slept with him. I broke my number one rule. And then I snuck out this morning like a jack-hole.” I smacked my palm against my forehead and held it there for a moment. After I gathered myself, I finished, “Anyway—the truth is, I’m kind of bummed about it, but it’s probably for the best that I got out of there, because he’s exactly the kind of guy I’d fall in love with, and we both know I need to stop picking the same guy over and over again.

“Okay. That’s it. That’s all. Let’s go.”

I turned to head inside, but she called, “Wait, wait, wait!” so I stopped.

“Just one question.”

I nodded.

“How was the sex?”

My shoulders sank, the memory still very fresh in my mind.

“We went one round. I came three times.”

I didn’t look at her response but made my way into the salon.

It took her a couple seconds, but she followed me inside.

We browsed polish color options for a good ten minutes before we were both happy with our selections. She chose white. I picked blue, then told myself it had nothing to do with the fact that Mustang’s Harley was almost the exact same shade.

The salon wasn’t too busy, so we were seated in our massage chairs in no time. While they filled the soaking tubs with water, Jenna filled me in on a bit of hospital gossip. She always liked to tell me the latest, and I usually got a good laugh or gasp at it.

When we reached our first lull in the conversation, our technicians busy scrubbing at our feet, Jenna asked, “Tess, what if he never goes to talk to his dad? Does that put him back in bounds?”

There’d been no segue, but I was quick to follow her anyway.

“What? No, Jen, that’s not the point.”

“It is totally the point. In fact—” She twisted so she was leaning against the armrest closest to me. “I understand your boundaries. Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are absolutely necessary. You can’t get mixed up with a grieving family member. You just can’t. Even if he’s the perfect guy, it ends up being a right place/wrong time sort of situation. Then by the time things could work, they just don’t.

“But in this case—he’s not grieving. He doesn’t seem to care at all.”

“Right, okay, so shouldn’t that be a red flag?” I argued, leaning against my own armrest.

“I don’t know. There are two sides to every story, and it kind of sounds like you haven’t gotten either one.”

'Lived with an alcoholic the first sixteen years of my life. Just in case that shit’s hereditary, never touched the stuff.'

Jenna was kind of right. I still only had fragments of their story pieced together. But from the sounds of it, Mustang had his reasons as to why he’d cut his dad out of his life. I still wasn’t sure if that was enough to justify my actions.

“It just seems messy. Like—sorry your son won’t talk to you, and you’re probably going to die all alone, but I did meet him and now we’re sleeping together.”

With a nod, Jenna conceded, “That’s fair. But, honey…”

She paused long enough for me to realize she hadn’t conceded after all.

“This is going to sound heartless, but it’s the truth. Their relationship is not your responsibility. It’s your job to make sure Ed is cared for and comfortable as he journeys through his last stage of life. In the meantime, you have to take care of yourself, too. If this guy wants you, and you want him, and you think it might go somewhere…”

“What about the fact that he’s a Wild Stallion? He’s like a bad boy on steroids.”

“So, you have a type. Who cares? You’re consistent. You like him, right? I mean, what are you supposed to do, walk into a bank and chat up a loan officer until he asks you out?”

I grinned, and she laughed, knowing she had a point.

“And is it so crazy to think that if he never talks to his dad, but you get the chance to know him a little bit, you could share what you learn about him with Ed? Maybe that could be enough.”

I leaned back in my chair and considered what she said. It felt like a fairytale of an idea.

In a lot of ways, Jenna and I were opposites, but we weren’t always perfect at balancing each other out. We both drew our hope from the same well, and I kind of liked her perspective of my situation.

But I’d snuck out that morning, likely ruining my chances of anything with Mustang.

“We don’t even have each other’s phone numbers. Maybe last night was the start and the end of it.”

“He managed to ask you out the first time without your number…” She shrugged. “All I’m saying is, don’t be so quick to close the door on it.”

“Yeah, and what about you?” I asked, ready to change the subject. “What kind of guy are we going to get to check all your boxes?”

She scrunched her face at me. “Dating is so overrated.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Except, it wasn’t so bad when it involved a badass biker who owned a badass biker bar and a blue Harley.