13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Finn
L eaning against the kitchen counter, conflicting emotions warred within my chest. A mixture of happiness and relief instantly flooded my body when Tessa agreed to stay. I knew her acceptance of my offer was due to a lack of alternatives, but part of me reveled in the fact she trusted me to keep her safe.
A small voice in the back of my mind reminded me my offer wasn’t entirely altruistic. While my desire to protect her was genuine, I couldn’t deny that knowing I had more time before she left for good lessened a load I didn’t realize I was carrying. Despite my inability to explain it, something about her presence soothed the jagged edges of my soul, ones I long ago accepted would never be whole again.
Images from our moment in the bathroom continued to infiltrate my mind in the hours since we returned home. I had yet to stop beating myself up for losing control the way I did. My behavior was entirely inappropriate, which made it all the more irritating I failed to muster any genuine regret for my actions. The trust she placed in me by allowing me to touch her was something I refused to take for granted, and that meant I couldn’t let anything like it happen again.
My fists clenched involuntarily, my nails biting into my flesh when I recalled the visible marks on her body. Bruises of every shape and size covered her skin. Where others would likely see a victim, I saw a survivor. Few people knew the kind of strength required to continue living when the thing you wanted most in the world was to give up, but it was a feeling I was well acquainted with.
Despite the marks painting her body, I couldn’t ignore her state of undress. The large breasts that heaved at my proximity. The curve of her ass. The flare of her hips.
My cock thickened just thinking about the perfection that was Tessa. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she gave new meaning to the word beautiful. The way she filled out her clothes gave hints to what lay beneath the fabric, but the images my mind conjured during my weakest moments didn’t hold a candle to the reality.
I shook my head as my thoughts turned toward the conversation in my living room. I felt like a jackass when she explained that she couldn’t pay for the repairs. As soon as she said the words, her reaction at the clinic made complete sense. While I was intelligent enough to realize that even if there was insurance on her car, she couldn’t file a claim without risking her ex tracking her down, I should have realized that if she couldn’t afford a doctor then she wouldn’t be able to pay for thousands of dollars in car repairs.
The fury that lit in my body when Tessa recounted what I knew was only a snapshot of the hell she endured threatened to devour me. The urge to destroy her ex and lay waste to everything he valued in this world tested my self-control in a way I’d never experienced. I thought I knew what hate and rage felt like after my last mission, but the emotions I felt back then paled in comparison to those currently occupying my consciousness.
After her confession, it took every ounce of restraint that remained not to demand her ex’s name. The fact she had yet to share it on her own told me that while she might trust me to keep her safe, she didn’t trust me with all of her secrets quite yet. That was fine. I was a patient man, and I would do whatever it took to earn her confidence. When she did ultimately supply me with his name, I wouldn’t stop until I systematically dismantled his life.
After our conversation, the emotional toll of the day seemed to catch up with her, and she excused herself to lay down.
Once I heard the click of her door closing, I called my buddy at the auto shop again. As a favor to me, he agreed to store Tessa’s car in his lot until she could save up the money for the repairs. He was exceedingly curious about my involvement in the situation, but let it go when I refused to offer any information.
I looked down and checked my watch. Reagan should be here any minute. After Tessa agreed to stay, I realized there were things she would need. The only clothes she had were the ones she was wearing when she crashed. While a deeply primitive part of me enjoyed the idea of her continuing to walk around the house in my clothing, I knew she would feel more comfortable in her own clothes. Not to mention all the other things women seemed to require. Things I knew nothing about.
While my mother would be thrilled to go shopping for her, she was liable to get the wrong idea when I told her Tessa was staying indefinitely. Since that was a conversation I was not eager to have at the moment, I called the only other female I trusted with Tessa.
Reagan was an honorary member of the Remington family. Our fathers became best friends in the fire academy, and as their families grew, they named each other godparents to their children. As a result, our families spent birthdays, holidays, and vacations together for the last four decades. Born only five days apart, her older brother and my brother Knox were best friends from birth. Several years younger than Knox and I, Reagan followed us everywhere when she was little. Despite the nuisance she was as a kid, I knew Reagan possessed a heart of gold and would make sure Tessa had everything she needed.
Knowing Tessa would have all of her material needs met, my focus switched to finding her a job. Before she retreated to her room, Tessa mentioned she had experience working as a waitress and a barista. With that information in hand, I called one of my teammates from the Navy. With no biological family to speak of, Theo moved to Absolution after he left the military and subsequently bought the only bar in town. He poured his life savings into renovating the run-down tavern into a honky-tonk that drew customers from several towns over.
I was hanging up the phone when footsteps padded down the hallway. Turning, I found Tessa standing in the doorway.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Hey,” she murmured in response, her voice still heavy with sleep.
“I just got off the phone with my buddy, Theo. He owns the local bar in town. Apparently one of his waitresses up and quit on him, which left him in a real bind. I mentioned you were looking for a job, and he asked if you’d be able to start tonight.”
Her eyes widened at my statement as she looked down at herself.
“Yeah, I had the same thought. I told him we needed to get you a few things first and get you settled. We agreed on next Thursday instead, as long as you’re good with that.”
Relief washed over her face. It wasn’t a lie. We did need to get her some clothes that were suitable for work. But my true motivation in delaying her start date was to allow her time to heal. Living in a such a small town meant people were nosy as fuck. Regardless of what I did, I knew it was only a matter of time before she faced Absolution’s version of the Spanish Inquisition. She didn’t need rumors circulating about her bruises. God knew there would be enough of those once people got wind she was staying with me.
I closed my eyes briefly when the marks on her body seared through my mind again. I inhaled deeply to stem the rage I managed to stuff back into its cage over the last few hours. As angry as I was over what she endured, nothing I could do or say now would change it. The only thing I could do for her was help her move forward. In the grand scheme of things, a week was nothing when it came to the kind of injuries she had, but it was something.
I cleared my throat before forcing my attention back to our conversation. “I texted another friend of mine to see if she might be up for a shopping trip. Reagan’s working overtime for the next few days, but she jumped at the opportunity for a little retail therapy. She said she’d swing by next Thursday to pick you up. In the meantime, she’ll stop by on her way to work and drop off a few things to tide you over.”
Chuckling internally, I recalled the third degree she gave me when I mentioned I had a house guest. I knew eventually I’d have to come clean with her. The woman was like a bloodhound when she was trying to sniff out the truth. The fact I managed to get her off the phone with a vague explanation and a promise to explain things later was one of the universe’s great mysteries.
The moment I mentioned Reagan, Tessa’s hands began wringing the hem of her shirt. While she’d gotten more comfortable around me during out time together, she still defaulted to the nervous habit when she was unsure of something.
At some point while I was lost in my thoughts, Tessa pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. My cock throbbed at the sight, and I fought the urge to liberate it. I mentally shook myself and shoved the thought aside. If she was going to be staying here for the foreseeable future, I needed to get a hold of myself. The last thing she deserved was some asshole lusting after her.
My rapidly darkening thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Saved by the fucking bell.
Alarm spread across Tessa’s face. I did my best to soften my voice and reassure her. “It’s just Reagan. I’ll be right back.”
I walked to the front door, noting Tessa didn’t follow. Disarming the alarm, I swung the large piece of oak inward. As the frigid Montana air swept past me, my eyes landed on the woman who was more like a sister than a friend. Waist length auburn curls swirled around her heart shaped face while the wind continued its brutal assault. Amber eyes twinkled at me as a smirk spread across her face.
“Hey, soldier,” Reagan chirped from the doorstep, knowing full well how much her comment rankled. Not waiting for an invitation, she brushed past me.
Since obvious irritation at the misnomer would only encourage her further, I kept my mouth shut. I turned to follow her, only to freeze at her abrupt halt when she entered the front hallway.
I peered over Reagan’s head to see what stopped the fiery tornado’s path of destruction, only to realize Tessa followed me after all. Tessa stood in the doorway to the kitchen, her doubt on whether she was welcome to observe our interaction blatantly obvious.
After looking over Tessa from head to toe, Reagan strode forward. Her hand locked around Tessa’s before she began towing her down the hallway that led to the bedrooms.
“Which guest room is she staying in?” Reagan hollered while she continued to drag a bewildered Tessa behind her.
“First one on the right,” I said.
“Oooo, good choice,” Reagan cooed at Tessa.
Tessa gave me a questioning look, silently asking who this lunatic dragging her away was and why the hell I wasn’t doing anything about it. The pair disappeared into the room I would forever associate with the gorgeous brunette who turned my world upside down.