Stay For You (Texas Heat)

1. Amber Jaymes

Chapter 1

Amber Jaymes

I was so freaking tired. Why were Thursdays so damn busy around here? One more road call and I was going home for the night.

If I wasn’t such a reliable person, I’d already be at home in a hot bubble bath. But I’m not one to leave someone stranded or waiting for a tow from Burke. So here I am, driving out to Old Town Road for a tow call. It wasn’t the caller’s fault their car broke down. It’s not their fault that I’d stayed up late again last night, overthinking the attraction for my brother’s best friend that was eating away at me.

Why did men have that power over us? My hormones skyrocketed into the atmosphere anytime the gruff, bearded biker was around. The black jeans, silver rings, and those devilishly blue eyes did me in. Don’t even get me started on that wicked gleam in his eyes every time he caught me looking at him. Yeah, I let him see me, but then again, I don’t think I could hide from him. He always seems to see too much.

It’s not been that long, about eight months, since I ended things with my ex though. Tom…well, he’s a special kind of asshole. Manipulative in a way that you don’t even see him doing it. It took me almost a year to see he was trying to train me to be his puppet. It was him pressuring me to find a woman’s job that finally did it. I’m a mechanic. It’s in my blood. There was nothing I’d rather be doing. I’m carrying on my daddy’s legacy for saint’s sake.

Turning onto Old Town Road, I slowed when I spotted the car on the opposite side of the road. I stopped the truck behind his vehicle on my passenger side, enough that it showed in the monitor of my dash cam. Safety first, always. I grabbed my keys. I never left them in the cab. One tow truck hijacked in this family was enough. My uncle still hasn’t lived that down. I clipped the keys to my belt loop and hopped out.

It looked, from the quick glance I gave the area, that the car had a flat tire. If he had a spare, I could change it, give him a bill for a service call, and take my butt home. I called out as I walked around the front of my truck. “Sir, I’m from Daniel’s Service Center. If you have a spare, I can change your?—”

“You thought you could just push me away?” Tom had climbed out of the car while I couldn’t see it and within the half step I made backwards, he lunged for me. The pain of him twisting my wrist had me yelping. Diesel was in the cab, but there was no way for him to get out. He wouldn’t go through the closed window; his training told him that was not allowed. I could hear him barking, scratching at the door to get free. Why hadn’t I left the damn door open? I usually did, so he could push it open and hop down. Stupid.

A hand wrapped around my throat, pulling my full attention back to the man before me. His eyes were full of menace.

“Answer me, Amber. Did you really think you were going to get away from me? After all I’ve done for you, you think you can disregard me like a stack of old newspapers?”

My mouth opened, but no air came out. He was squeezing my neck so hard, it was a fight to stay on my feet. Black spots were crawling in. He was going to kill me, I just knew it. No one would know where I was. It was then, with that thought, that I reached down, fumbling for my keys. The panic button my brother had given me. I found it and squeezed. It would alert him that something was wrong. If he couldn’t come, he’d send someone. Chip, the cops, someone. I just had to keep fighting.

“Let…go…” I pushed the words out as his fingers relaxed marginally. Guess he wanted more play time. I was down, as long as I could stay on my feet until help got here.

I took a pot shot and hit him in the dick. It wasn’t a hard hit, a glancing blow at best, but it had him leaping back. I started to cough, my body wracked with spasms as air filled my lungs once again. Now I was mad.

“You sick bastard!” My voice was nothing more than a croak. Hopefully he hadn’t damaged anything with his hulk grip on my throat.

I swallowed back a scream as he lunged, slamming my back into the car. That was it. I was really mad now which made me a little unstable. I blame it on the Daniels’ temper I inherited. He wasn’t expecting me to fight back, so he didn’t see my booted foot coming up until it was in his gut. Air whooshed out of him as he doubled over. I didn’t hit him hard enough to do lasting damage, which meant he was like a pissed off grizzly bear when he grabbed my arm, twisted, and tried to get me to land on the ground. I spun, pulling myself free of his grip just in time for him to slam into the car. It didn’t end there, ’cause why would it? His grip on my arm pulled pain up through my toes, but thankfully the flashing lights coming our way gave me a moment to breathe.

I was saved, and this joker was going to jail.

That’s not what happened though. The moment the cops stepped out of the cars, guns up, they started barking orders.

“Burke PD, get on your knees, hands behind your heads. Now!”

I thought they meant him; I was the one he’d attacked. But no, they meant me too.

“I’m the reason you’re out here!”

They didn’t want to listen or care that I was the actual victim here. Whatever, I wasn’t taking the chance of getting shot because they thought I had a weapon or something. I was being cuffed when my brother’s big truck screeched to a stop. How tires screeched on a dirt and gravel road, I don’t know.

“Officers, I called you. She was in trouble. Why in the hell are you cuffing her?” His voice was hard. If not for Stella grabbing his arm, someone would have gotten bashed. My poor dog was still going crazy in the cab of the truck. I glanced over at him.

“Sir, back up. We have this handled.” The officer who was near Tom pulled him up, stumbling when he resisted. Too bad he didn’t try to get free and run. Maybe they’d have put a knee out and he’d feel half the pain he’d put me through this year. Stupid prick.

“Trace—” The officer yanked me up. I winced. His hand was in the same spot on my bicep where Tom had tried to rip it off.

“AJ, we’ll get this sorted out at the station.”

“Get Diesel.”

“Stop talking. You have the right to remain silent, I suggest you use it.”

“Look, dipshit—” Trace started.

“Tracey, get Diesel!” I hollered out as I was shoved into a car. Tears of frustration filled my eyes. This was not the way I foresaw tonight going. The one time I should have refused a tow. If it hadn’t happened here, he’d have found another time or place. He was that kind of person. It was his way or nothing. How I’d been so stupid…

Hopefully they would listen to me at the station. I was pretty sure the sheriff, who I’ve met a few times thanks to my brother, seemed to be a level-headed man. I had the dashcam footage. I needed to thank my brother for his insistence that I have ways to protect myself. I just never thought I’d actually need any of it.

My body felt as if it had been in a fight with Tyson. Though my aches and pains had nothing on the throbbing in my head. My brain had been scrambled and would probably recover. The way it was throbbing right now…I wasn’t sure I was very hopeful of that.

I’d spent the last two hours at the Burke County Police Complex talking to the sheriff, deputies, and reliving the fight on the side of the road. The footage on the dashcam saved my ass big time. Because, of course, Tom was trying to pin this on me. The idiot who’d arrested me was in the chief’s office when I left. I get he has a job to do, I do. However, they were supposed to try and sort things out before acting. Or that’s how I thought it went.

Guess it didn’t matter now. I wasn’t being charged with anything as I’d done nothing wrong. We would see what happened with Tom. Maybe they’d bury him under the jail. Down in the sewer with the rest of the shit and rats.

Sinking down into the hot water and bubbles was just what I needed. The hurt and anger coursing through me would have to settle for now. I had to get my chi calm, center myself, and then I would work on easing myself of both. I would not allow someone like Tom to rule me in any way. By keeping that anger and hatred buried inside of me, I would be fueling his fire. Fuck that. I was woman enough to have my own fire. I’d not let him dim mine again. He’d already done that. This was my time to say ‘no thank you’ and add a few more logs to my own.

Burn bright, bitches. That was my motto.

A shiver rolled through me as I let out a long sigh. Diesel, my ever-faithful companion, was sprawled out on the hardwood half of the bathroom, a slobbery bone held between his paws. I watched him, smiling. He was a good boy. I’d had him for the last two years after adopting him from my Uncle Keith. Diesel’s mama, Maggie, was one of his prize bitches. She was also a spoiled princess, but hey, that was his dog.

Though, I admit it, Diesel was spoiled too. He worked hard, trained hard, and I loved that I could spoil him. Big breeds like his were made for working. A bored dog is a destructive dog. He had his moments as a puppy. The couch…well, that was a hot mess of laughs, tears, and utter shock. It taught me fast that he needed to be where I was at all times. He’s a good companion to have around. He listens and doesn’t talk back. Win-win in my book.

Closing my eyes, I let the day wash away. Tomorrow will be a lot of catching up. I needed to finish the day’s paperwork; there was no way I was going back there this evening. I needed to check my truck over too. God only knows what kind of damage it took with Diesel frantically trying to get to me earlier. If it wouldn’t cause him damage, leading up to and not including death, I’d have let him break through that window. Shatterproof glass or not, 165 pounds coming at you through a pane of glass…I wouldn’t do that to my dog. Now if I would have been thinking, I’d have slammed Tom’s head into the window and let Diesel have him.

Shaking off those thoughts, I sighed.

“What do you say we order a pizza and watch Steel Magnolias tonight, Diesel? I’ll order you a box of boneless wings, I know, no sauce, you don’t like it. We can binge and forget what happened today.”

Yeah, I was tired, frustrated, and the anxiety was starting to get to me. I talked to my dog regularly. Any animal owner does that. They’re there, so you talk to them. The fact that I was having an entire conversation with myself, that’s what bothered me. I was definitely starting to crack up.

Chuckling to myself, I scooted down into the tub and let my head go under the warm water. I needed to relax before I lost it completely. I scrubbed my hair under the water to symbolize for myself that I was washing the dirt and grime of today off of me. I wouldn’t leave this bathroom with it.

Now let me clarify, there was no dirt on me. I’d already showered to wash the actual dirt and yuck away. Bathtime was my special time. I’d not taint it with the yuck of the day in my water. Gross.

I came up and wiped my face free of water and bubbles to find a huge head in my face.

“Diesel, back.”

He did that grumble thing that dogs do when you are annoying or worrying them. It sounded like a bear gargling saltwater. I chuckled, reaching up to scratch him behind his ear. “I’m okay, big guy, promise. Just relaxing.”

He stared at me, grumbling more, drool dripping from his droopy jowls. My grin tugged my lips up. “I love you too. Now back. Go eat your treat, go on.” I made a hand gesture that had him backing up. He woofed at me then trotted back to his bone and laid back down.

I rested back against the tub and closed my eyes once more. Just a few more minutes, then I would get out. Pizza and a movie that was guaranteed to make me cry awaited.

If I cried because of a movie, then I wasn’t giving in and showing weakness… It was just what the doctor ordered.