Chapter Eleven
I t’s been four hours since I left Marly to nap. The parts came in for her car this morning but I’m not going to lie, I haven’t touched it, instead I focused my attention on the bronco even though I have another week to get it finished.
But even as I worked, I could hardly focus on the task knowing she was back there, in my bed, wearing my shirt. I saw how she reacted to me, saw the blush, the pressing of her thighs and the memories have left me semi-hard for the better half of the day.
Where the fuck has my control gone!?
I adjust my cock again, for what feels like the hundredth time today and roll out from beneath the vehicle. Has she slept enough now? Has the pain eased?
I sit up and then stand, grabbing a rag to wipe away the oil on my hands and look toward the door that leads to my living quarters, as if I’ve somehow developed x-ray vision that’ll show me her current status.
What a damn joke I am.
With it being Saturday, I only ever work half a day, but I am almost afraid to call it quits. Time off is a must, I use it to decompress, to work out or drive or fight, but I feel like giving it up now will only lead me into a whole world of new trouble.
I should have packed her up into a cab this morning and sent her on her way but seeing her all sleepy, with her hair mused and her blue eyes hooded, stopped me. She looked so damn human, so damn real, I didn’t want to send her away.
But I know I must face her again, I have to face her right now. I cross the garage and drop my tools on the bench as I make my way to the door that leads me back to her.
“Oh!” A sweet feminine cry sounds as I push on the door and when I finally step through, she’s standing there with my shirt hanging off her body and her hair in her hands. She has more color in her cheeks, looks more alert and put together. “You’re back.”
“I didn’t go anywhere, princess,” I tell her, lifting my arms to lean on the door frame and watch her. Her eyes travel over me, like a damn caress I feel everywhere her eyes touch.
“We’re at the garage?” She frowns.
I nod.
“But you live here,” She points out, looking back to the freshly made bed. The sheets are tucked neat and tight, and my pillows are fluffed and positioned neatly against the worn headboard.
“We can’t all live in palaces.”
She frowns, “I don’t live in a palace.”
“Compared to this place, I’m sure that’s what it looks like,” I drop my arms, “You ready to go?”
“Um yes, do you have my clothes?”
“It’s in the wash, you can wear that.”
“Okay,” Her cheeks bloom with color, “Well, I’ll just call a cab then.”
“I’ll drive you, Marly,” I cross into the bathroom, “Just give me five to grab a shower and change.”
With her nod, I close myself in the bathroom. Once I’m clean and dressed in new clothes, I walk out to find her sitting on the edge of my bed, her hands folded in her lap, waiting patiently.
She looks out of place in this oil-stained hole, but even realizing it doesn’t lessen how good it feels to have her on my bed.
I grit my teeth at the thought and grunt for her to follow, snatching my keys off the side on the way through. Her steps are light behind me, her breathing soft and once outside, the sun beaming down, hot as fucking hell, I open the passenger door for the jeep and wait for her to get in.
For the first five minutes of the journey it’s silent, she has her head turned to the window, the sun kissing her skin and the wind teasing her hair from the open window.
“Where do you live?” I ask, even though I know. I’ve driven past her house countless times, not because of her but after the fire I found myself lost. I didn’t sleep for weeks and spending time in that garage alone was driving me crazy. I was looking for a reason. Maybe her brother would be out, maybe I’d have easy access to him, but the opportunity never came. I should have known it wouldn’t since he doesn’t even live there, only she does with her parents.
She provides her address and then goes back to looking out the window.
“What are you thinking about?” I eventually ask, the silence making me uncomfortable.
“If you’re going to tell me what happened to your face,” She turns to me, looking directly at the bruising that hasn’t stopped aching all day.
“No,” I grunt, hands tightening on the wheel.
I pull up to her house after ten more minutes of silence and she doesn’t wait for me to get out and open her door.
“Thanks for the ride. And for last night.” With a nod, she turns to the gate and inputs a code, the gate opening automatically for her, and she doesn’t wait to disappear through it. It closes behind her, leaving me on the sidewalk, my car idling behind me.
I can’t see the house from here, not with the ten-foot wall surrounding it but the drive-through gate ahead gives a view so that’s where I go. She’s almost halfway to the house by the time I spot her, her blonde hair blowing out behind her. She doesn’t look back once and yet here I am, watching her until she’s just a small shape against the house and then gone completely.
“Who was the girl, River?” Sadie asks later that evening. I have Logan Junior in my arms, napping peacefully against my chest, my nephew is looking more and more like my brother as he grows, with his mop of almost black hair and dark eyes. He’s the perfect mix of Sadie and Logan and I am beyond grateful every day that I have a small piece of my brother still here.
Sadie had just found out she was pregnant when Logan died.
“Marly,” I answer.
“Marly who?”
“You got enough cash?” I change the subject, not wanting Sadie to know exactly who she is. I don’t know how she’ll react, but this is for her as much as it is for me.
“Marly who!?” She snaps.
“You don’t want to know, Sadie,” I sigh, “Just leave it.”
“Is she your girlfriend?” She asks, straightening out the throw blanket on the back of the couch.
“No.”
“Do you want her to be?”
I scoff, “No.”
“Well last I heard you were ready to rip someone apart last night because she got drunk,” Sadie pouts her lips and gives me a cocked brow, her signature I’m calling bullshit expression.
“She was alone,” My nephew whimpers in my arms so I start to bounce him gently, lulling him back to sleep, “I don’t particularly want girls being taken advantage of at my track.”
Her eyes narrow, not buying what I’m selling.
“Rach was out of line,” I continue.
Sadie grumbles, “That girl is trouble and always will be, if I were there it wouldn’t have happened, to anyone.”
“I know.”
“River, really, who is she?”
“It doesn’t matter,” I meet her eyes, “Promise.”
“You’re as stubborn as he was,” She sighs, “I could never get Logan to talk if he didn’t want to.”
“He loved you.” I look down at the baby, “More than anything.”
“I know he did,” Sadie stands and walks toward me, leaning down to pick up her son so she can place him in the bassinette, “Even if he did have his secrets.”
“Logan never did anything without reason, if he had secrets, they were there to protect you.”
“And maybe, if I had known something, anything , we could have stopped that fire from ever happening.”
My heart thuds. Sadie knows most but not all. She knows the fire was started by Liam, Marly’s brother and she knows he never got charged for it but everything else is my secret to bear. My brother isn’t here to protect her anymore, so I have to be.
“I’m going to head out,” I tell her, standing and giving her a hug, “I’ll transfer you some money when I get home.”
“I don’t need your money, River,” She pats my back.
“I know you don’t, but I’ll send it anyway.” I walk to the door and let myself out, heading back to the jeep parked on the road. Night has fallen but the air is still warm, a crescent moon lighting up the dark.
How far do I go with this? I wonder to myself as I drive through the streets, how far do I push?
Marly Winchester is only the tip of the iceberg, only a pawn in this very long game of chess. But she’s the gateway to Liam, she’s the path to finally getting justice for my brother.