Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
Austin
DID I DO THE RIGHT thing by showing her the video? The incriminating evidence?
Yes, yes, I fucking had because Elle Madelyn was in my Jeep, The Ol’ Green Goddess, staring out the passenger-side window and texting on her cell like it was her lifeline.
I lost count of how many times I’d imagined the moment.
But my imagination had not done her justice because my smoldering little obsession was a hundred times more intoxicating than I remembered.
Her caramelized eyes sweetened my original memory of her while the energy we shared still made it harder to breathe.
The adrenaline swimming through my veins as I gripped the steering wheel to keep from drowning in her presence proved it. She was the same girl I’d met two years earlier. Only now, our paths had collided, and I had nowhere to be tomorrow except by her side.
The name Ruthie lit up her phone’s screen repeatedly. I hid my amusement. Elle struggled to respond quickly enough before more messages came through, garnering a few hardened smiles, soft chuckles, and tears she tried to pocket.
For the most part, Elle was quiet the entire way.
The silence only gave me more reasons to steal glances in her direction.
Ten minutes after leaving the base, we approached the tip of my hidden driveway and turned down the winding, paved path.
A thick wooden sign with the words Haroldeen Lane and an arrow greeted us.
The sign had been the first thing to welcome me when my grandparents adopted me at two years old. That was my turning point.
Would Elle find her new beginning on Haroldeen Lane too?
She slid her phone into her pocket and slowly craned her head around the vehicle, likely taking notes of her surroundings from every window.
Smart girl.
“The address is 2818 Haroldeen Lane, Waulumbee, Illinois, if you want to share your location with anyone. New places can be disorienting. I want you to feel safe.”
She had plenty to worry about. Her own safety shouldn’t make the list.
“I don’t mean to make it weird, but I started sharing my location with my best friend the second we got in the car. I hope you don’t mind,” she said. A confidence riddled her admission.
“Of course not. I’m happy to hear it. Is that who’s been making you fight that smile?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah, that’s my roommate, Ruthie. I swear, if I get to Jesse before she does, he’ll be the luckiest asshole on the planet. She will literally rip his dick off for what he did.”
I like Ruthie already.
“Sounds like a good friend to me,” I revealed, pulling my Jeep into its usual gravel parking spot a few paces from the steps leading up to my porch.
My inherited house wasn’t huge, but it offered comfort, charm, and me.
All the things that I knew could help Elle after her day from hell.
“Jeesh, you’ve got quite the spot here, Chief. This place is giving The Secret Garden vibes.” She admired it before unbuckling her seat belt, opening the passenger door, and stepping out.
Goddamn it, if she called me Chief one more time …
The magic words went straight to my groin the moment they left her full, pouty lips. She might as well be talking into it like a microphone.
“Yeah, I, uh … I grew up here,” I stuttered as I stepped out of the vehicle.
The loud slam of my car door closing concealed my nervous swallow. Thank God. I met her where she stood and prayed my dick behaved long enough to get me into the house before she noticed my testosterone-packed teenage-boy behavior.
Get it together. Fast, I thought.
“No kidding? Lucky getting stationed so close, huh?” Elle looked my way before glancing back at the house.
The way she made small talk to show her appreciation was adorable. She didn’t have to thank me. I should be thanking her.
“Very lucky.” I closed the car door behind her.
Together, we climbed the three small steps and approached the front door I’d walked through countless times before.
My large frame towered over hers. Our size difference was on full display, forcing me to imagine how easily I could cocoon her body in my arms. How safe I could make her feel if she ever asked me to.
How vulnerable she made me.
“Welcome to Hotel Carterson. I hope you’ll excuse the mess. The housekeeper called in sick today,” I announced.
Fuck, that was lame.
I shook my head, silently cursing myself, and unlocked the door before entering first to ensure she didn’t feel trapped between my body and her exit.
Making sure she felt safe was my top priority.
Keeping the blood as far away from my cock as possible was a close second though because seeing her walk into my house nearly killed me.
Like a superhero and his semi-depressed sidekick, we walked deeper into my foyer. She closed the door behind her, sighing.
My house was tidy—I’d made sure of it. No speck of dirt remained on the wood floors. No shelf was left undusted. A spoon and coffee mug were the only things left in the sink by design, so my preparations weren’t too obvious.
I couldn’t have predicted if Elle would see my place in her time here, but you bet your ass I had been prepared in case she did. Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows formed a veil of suspicion over her face.
Was she onto me?
My heart thumped against my rib cage.
“I’m searching for the mess you excused, but I can’t find it. This place is immaculate,” Elle said. The tension in her face released, relaxing her forehead as she inspected her new accommodation.
“Almost ten years in the military will do that to a man. Wait until you see how crisp and tightly tucked the sheets are in the guest room. You’d think I’d written a textbook on bedmaking in my last life.”
“Wait, are you serious? I’m a total sucker for good linens. Towels, fresh sheets—they’re kind of my thing …” she said.
A knot formed in my throat. I visualized Elle wrapped up in nothing but a towel after a hot shower. What would it be like to see her almost naked, only comforted by the softness kissing her skin while the exposed parts of her body dripped wet?
I’d die to find out.
“You’ve come to the right place then. The guest room is just down this hallway to the right.” I gestured past the kitchen and pivoted, hanging my cover and peacoat on the hooks lining my entryway. My scalp thanked me for allowing it to breathe.
Elle stepped deeper into my house, leaving a stream of brisk air that still flowed out from under the door behind us.
The forecast called for a major cold front in the coming days, that infamous Windy City chill making itself known. Was my Florida girl ready for it?
Her jacket must be back at the hotel, along with the rest of her luggage. I made a mental note to remedy that as soon as possible.
She followed me down the hallway and stopped when I did without hesitation. I nodded, assuring her it was the correct door.
“I’m not sure why you’re being so kind to me.
But I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you did for me today,” she voiced.
I froze, a pang of guilt finding me before she continued, “If it’s all right with you, I might hibernate and catch you in the morning when I’m more rested. ” A fatigued exhale followed.
She’d had enough for one day. Her smeared lipstick, darkened under-eye hollows, and the stray hairs that remained stuck out of place from the others on her head further supported my theory.
If things were different, I’d take a warm shower with her.
I’d dry every drop of water off her skin, wash and blow-dry her hair, cook her dinner, and then put on her favorite movie.
But those things weren’t an option yet. Would they ever be?
For the time being, my only job was to help her comfort herself.
To be there for her only if she needed me.
The ultimate test of my restraint.
“Everyone deserves respect. That’s why I’m being so nice to you,” I offered. “I’ll be across the hall if you need me, but I won’t come in unless you ask. The space is yours, along with the private bathroom attached.”
Her fingertips gently grazed my forearm in appreciation while her tired smile penetrated its target—my soul. I wasn’t prepared. Our contact was quick, ending before it ever really began, but every touch from her meant something to me.
This one meant she felt safe in my presence.
Austin: 1, Jesse: 0.
I pulled the door closed behind her after she vanished into the room that hadn’t seen a guest since I’d moved back into the house.
She didn’t need to know that though. You’d think I managed a high-end resort with how much preparation had gone into ensuring the room and bathroom were perfect in case she found her way into them.
To my amazement, she had.
Somehow, my dream girl had fallen out of my dreams and landed in my life for the second time.
Maybe one day, I could start calling her my angel instead.