Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Madi
The first week of my great escape to Texas flew by, but I wasn’t certain I’d make it the next five.
“Fuck. Fuck this. Fuck.”
I stood on top of my mattress. Completely trapped. I was going to die here, wasn’t I?
I’d made a promise to myself about taking chances. No more hiding the real me.
I should have added not letting my fear of bugs get the best of me.
Only scorpions weren’t just any type of bug. They were an abomination. Murderers with ugly lumpy tails and the eyes of demons. Why the fuck did Texas have so many bugs? And crawly things? And scary things with stingers?
A damned scorpion sat on top of my drawing tablet, unmoving. Watching and waiting to kill me.
Any time I moved, it raised its tail.
“Come on,” I whispered, stepping slowly to the right.
The bed creaked underfoot. The scorpion’s tail raised and it scurried a couple inches to the left. Fuck.
Maybe this all had been a mistake. I’d finally recovered from my long drive and the embarrassment of almost running over someone. I’d spent most of the week hiding in the loft, which had almost everything I needed. I did have to emerge for food, but the restaurant downstairs was perfect.
Basically, I’d become a recluse over the last few days.
I knew I needed to get out, but it had been nice to focus on art and rest. I still needed to deal with the car and either text Justin back or completely block him, but I’d really leaned into procrastinating about everything that didn’t involve me and my art.
It’d been nice.
But what wasn’t nice was murderous little creatures.
“Okay. Okay. We’re doing this. We’re going. We’re jumping. We’re gonna jump and get the fuck away from this thing.”
I screeched like a banshee as I launched myself off the bed, snatched my phone off the nightstand, and sprinted to the bathroom. The walls rattled as I slammed the door shut behind me.
Fuck that. A shiver rolled up my spine as I sank to the floor.
Now what?
Once again, I was in need of being rescued. It was humbling that this was the second time within a week. Really, this is what I got for leaving my apartment. Nothing ever happened to me when I was holed up drawing.
I could call Mr. Knight in Shining Armor.
I looked down at my phone and considered it. It would be a silly reason to text him, especially on a Sunday. He was probably enjoying his day off. He didn’t need me bothering him.
But god, that man had been on my mind nonstop since we’d met.
Dallas Whynot.
It wasn’t fair that he was hidden away in a tiny forgotten town in the middle of nowhere. He should have been on the front of a magazine in nothing but gray boxers, showing off his dark chest hair and sparkling smile.
Okay, Madi. The horny brain needed to chill the fuck out.
Really, what had been on my mind were his hands. I didn’t know what he did for work, but they’d been rough. Calloused. Gorgeous as they flexed while he drove.
I’d told myself no relationships for a while, but sex? And sex with a man who could actually get me off?
I strangled that thought.
The bitter truth was that for the last two years with Justin, I should have known he didn’t love me the way I thought he did.
The signs were there—I’d just been so consumed by work, I didn’t pay attention to them.
He never cared about my needs or wants in our everyday life or in the bedroom, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to finally realize I deserved better.
Maybe that’s why the thought of Dallas turned me on. After eight long years with a man who still needed directions to find my clit, part of me wanted to take the first chance to fuck away the sadness.
I’d now had a full week of dreaming about the muscled anime nerd. A complete stranger.
Would he still be a stranger if he rescued me twice?
Not that I needed a man to rescue me.
The scorpion came back to mind.
Actually, I did need someone to save me. There was a time and place for taking care of things by myself, but now was not one of them. That thing was a demon from the pits of hell in the shape of a gnarly croissant with pinchers and a tail.
Be brave. Remember? No more being a wallflower.
I typed out five different versions of the same text message before finally hitting send.
Me
Hi, Dallas. Do you have a moment to rescue me again by any chance?
Ugh. That text was stupid. I felt like an idiot. A girl bubbling over some guy she’d just met. I was way too old to feel like this.
My vibrator suddenly died last night in the middle of me thinking about riding his bearded face.
Imagining what it would feel like for his tongue to be inside me while my thighs clamped either side of his head.
Surely that’s why I’d just texted him asking for a rescue like some damsel in distress?
My old faithful had left me, and in its absence my thoughts had run wild, and now I was acting foolish and impulsive.
I couldn’t help my reaction to bugs, though. Especially scorpions. Even sitting here knowing it was on my stuff kicked my heart rate up. Sweat was already forming a river down my back.
Dallas’s response was quick.
Mr. Knight in Shining Armor
What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?
Me
There’s a scorpion in my room and I’m hiding in the bathroom
Ughhh. This was humiliating. Justin used to give me such a hard time about my fear of bugs. He even thought it was funny. There’d even been one year he’d played a prank on me by leaving a bunch of plastic spiders on my desk, and I’d had nightmares for weeks afterward.
Looking back, that should have been a major red flag.
Text bubbles popped up then disappeared. I jumped as my phone started to ring, Dallas’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hello?” I choked out.
“Are you afraid of scorpions?” His voice was warm, but absent of any amusement.
“I am.” My voice was barely above a whisper, as if being loud would beckon the damn thing to me. “I hate bugs. Why are there so many bugs here?”
“Well, it’s Texas.” Oh, of course. Texas. Naturally that was an answer that made sense. “You’re staying in the artist loft, right?”
“What? Are you already here?”
Dallas cleared his throat. “I was about to grab some lunch at the cafe down the street so I was close by. Can I come into your room?”
Fuck. I hadn’t thought this all the way through. I thought about the laundry that had made a pile in the corner over the last few days, all of my equipment and cords everywhere, and yet . . .
“Yes,” I caved. “Please kill that thing.”
Dallas let out a soft hum. I could hear his boots on the staircase. He was fast.
“Are you running?”
“Yep. One of my favorite hobbies.”
“That’s frightening.” There was something so easy about talking to him. “Running is your hobby?”
“One of them. It has its perks . . .” He trailed off and I wondered exactly what he meant by that. “Come let me in so I don’t have to break down the door.”
“Okay.” Even though the thought of him busting down a door for me made my blood pump in a way that was pointless without a vibrator to help me out later. I hesitated for a moment and then slowly cracked the bathroom door.
My eyes darted to my tablet and I blanched.
“It’s not there,” I hissed.
“Madi,” Dallas’s voice was muffled and serious. “Let me in.”
I could hear him on the phone and from behind the door. I cursed under my breath and scurried from the bathroom, unlocking it quickly and throwing it open.
Dallas stepped inside swiftly. God, he really was sexy. I hadn’t just made that fact up in my head on Friday. He was taller than me with broad shoulders and biceps that could have belonged to Superman.
But then all the horniness fled my body as I remembered why he was here. I pressed myself against the wall and pointed at the bed.
“It was on my tablet but now it’s not there and I have no fucking idea where it is.”
Dallas planted his hands on his hips, surveying the room. “All right, just stay there. If you see it, tell me.”
“Believe me, I will.”
He turned on his phone’s flashlight and stepped around the room, his boots heavy on the hardwoods. Oh, goddamn it.
A red lace pair of panties was strewn next to some leggings and socks.
Right where he was standing.
Fuck.
Humiliation wasn’t my favorite kink, but I’d gotten a heavy dose of it this week. I blushed as he knelt down, inspecting the area closely.
I tore my gaze from my underwear, looking for any signs of movement.
“Hmm. The problem is that they’re pretty fast,” he sighed. “And they hide really well.”
Fresh horror rolled through me. “That’s not comforting at all.”
“Just make sure you dump your shoes out every time you go to put them on.”
What? What the fuck?
“Is this how you live here?” I rasped. “With these demons?”
Dallas’s dimples could be glimpsed through his beard. “It’s just the season, princess.”
Princess.
Heat stirred in my belly as he suddenly snatched my empty water glass from the side table and brought it down on the ground beside the bed.
“There we are,” he said. “It’s caught. Hopefully that’s the only one.”
“The only one? I’m not going to be able to sleep at night,” I whispered. “How the fuck am I going to sleep knowing it’s the season for them?”
Dallas used a menu for a local pizza place and wedged it under the cup. “Honestly, I’m shocked it’s out right now. They’re usually only active at night. This one is just a mean one.”
He lifted the glass and I watched in horror as the scorpion jabbed at the inside of the glass repeatedly.
“I try not to think about them. They aren’t a problem too often. I think you should be safe.” He swiftly walked into the bathroom.
“What are you doing now?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about it.”
So calm and collected for a man carrying a killer. The toilet flushed, then the faucet ran, and he appeared in the doorway with a broad smile. He hooked his thumbs in his jean pockets, his dark hair curling at the base of his neck.
I liked his beard. I liked the way his brows softened when he smiled.
There were a lot of things I liked about Dallas. None of them were helping me want to stay away from him.
“Thank you,” I said. “I realize this was silly.”
“It’s not silly. If you need another rescue, you’ve got my number.”
I crossed my arms, slightly disgruntled. “I feel like you’d be happy if more scorpions showed up.”
Dallas met me in two easy strides. “Not about the scorpions. About seeing you again, though? I think so.”
Oh.
The way he looked at me made me want to melt into a puddle.
It’d been too long since someone had made me feel .
. . giddy. My words tangled on my tongue and I opened my mouth to speak, to apologize for making him come rescue me again, to say something.
But nothing came out. Instead, I found myself staring at the way sunlight turned the tips of his hair and beard auburn, the way his hands looked rough and calloused and like they’d feel really damn good grabbing my hips.
Dallas cleared his throat. “Want to come to lunch with me?”
“It depends . . .” I trailed off. I could flirt, right? I remembered how to flirt. I’d called him cute last Friday without fainting. Granted, I’d been running on car fumes and nuts then. I batted my lashes at him. “What are we having?”
His eyes swept up and down, his throat bobbing. “Madi.”
My breath hitched. “We’re having me?” I found my back against the brick wall again with a wince. “That sounded stupid, didn’t it?”
“Not at all.” Dallas tilted his head. His eyes lowered for a split second, then froze. His expression twisted, his cheeks turning red as a soft curse left his lips. “Jesus Christ.”
Was there something on me or—
Oh.
I looked down at myself and simply stared.
I wasn’t wearing a bra. I did not have the kind of tits that could go braless and not be noticed. There was not a single thing left for the imagination.
My nipples were hard enough to cut steel.
And the outline of my piercings were visible.
Something flashed in his sweet brown eyes. Guilt. Embarrassment for me. I wasn’t sure, but he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets without a word.
All my bravery now had the strength of cheap paper towels. “I should probably get back to work . . .”
“On a Sunday?”
“Perks of being an artist . . .”
Coward. You’re a coward. What if I just went for it for once in my god damn life? Nipples and panties be damned.
“Actually . . .” I trailed off. “Actually, if you still want to, then yes. Let’s go to lunch. Is there coffee at this place?”
Dallas sucked in a breath. “Yes, I want to. Are you sure? If you’re busy, I don’t want you to feel like you have to—”
“No,” I decided. “I’ve been cooped up all week. I haven’t really left the hotel, and it would be good for me to get some fresh air. Let me put on some proper clothes and pretend you didn’t see my panties and nipple piercings and then I’ll be ready.”
Dallas blinked. “Right. I’ll wait outside for you.” He reached past me, then went very still. “For the record, red lace is a personal favorite.”
That heat in my stomach turned into an inferno.
I didn’t tell him that after I’d egged Justin’s house, I’d stopped by a shop and blew half a grand I didn’t really have on lingerie he would have hated.
Those red lace panties were from that haul.
Zero regrets on that purchase. I hadn’t treated myself to lingerie in years, and every single piece I bought made me feel good.
“Mine too,” I finally said.
Dallas held my gaze for a moment longer. The way his throat bobbed drew my attention. Was he going to kiss me? His eyes dropped down to my lips, and I wished he would. But instead of kissing me, he slipped out into the hotel hallway.
My heart thundered as I swept my hair back.
When was the last time someone looked at me like that?
A long, long time.
I was keeping that promise to myself. Even if it ended up causing more trouble than I wanted. I was done suppressing how much of a horny gremlin I was.
The new Madi was here. Ready to test out whatever tension I was feeling with Dallas. I wasn’t just imagining that, right?
Regardless . . .
I was really doing this. It wasn’t a date. It was just lunch with a sexy bearded and muscled new friend in a small town I’d soon be leaving.
If anything, it was the proof I needed that I wasn’t going to live the rest of my life alone and unwanted.