Chapter 14
Frankie sat on the floor with her head against the wall. The shower started, and she was doing her best not to think about Keel in there naked. It wasn’t too hard with the fear twisting through her, but still, thoughts of what Keel was doing drifted into her mind, distracting her.
She blew out a big breath, trying to focus on something other than Keel, and thoughts of Stone, Forest’s brother, came to mind. The man was as hard as his name sounded. Stone may have grown up with money, but he was one mean jerk.
Stone was much more gangster than Forest. He enjoyed being a thug and had no problem taking out his aggression on others. She hated spending time with Stone because bad things happened.
She’d seen Stone beat men and women within an inch of their lives. He was the type of guy who didn’t have friends. He had sycophants who did his bidding.
It sounded like Keel had finished washing his hair when she heard a noise that sent a chill through her. Stone’s voice was strong outside the door, yelling for her to open the door.
A shiver snaked through her, and she couldn’t stay out in the hall. If Stone broke into this condo, she would be dead before Keel finished his shower.
She stood and held onto the bathroom door handle, flinching as Stone banged on the door to her grandmother’s condo, his screams coming through loud and clear.
Fear twisted tighter, and her knees shook. She couldn’t deal with the screams and cracked open the door.
“He’s here and I can’t…” She stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, then slammed her eyes closed as she faced the door. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I interrupted your shower, but I can’t.”
The water stopped, and she heard Keel grab his towel. “It’s okay. I get it.”
He didn’t sound annoyed, which she was thankful for. She kept her eyes closed as he dried his body. Then his hands were on her back, and she spun, hugging him. It might have been a mistake.
His naked chest was flecked with water, and he smelled shower fresh. His strong arms held her as he slid his hands down her back.
“It’s okay. He’s not coming in here. He doesn’t know where you are. The police should be here any minute.”
“I hate them. His family. I hate them all. They are mean, and I can’t go back.”
Keel stroked her hair, calming her. “It will be okay.”
She glanced up. The sound of Stone yelling had stopped. Her gaze met Keel’s and held. White hot intensity rose between them. She shouldn’t be in here, not in Keel’s arms in the bathroom, him only wearing a towel. But she couldn’t push away.
Keel didn’t need her bullshit. The problems of Forest chasing after her wouldn’t end for a long time. Forest wasn’t the kind of man to admit he lost.
Her eyes flicked to Keel’s lips, and she knew what was about to happen. She should push him away. She didn’t push because she didn’t want to. She tightened her grip on him, willing him to be even closer than he was.
It was maybe a second later, and his lips were on hers, brushing gently at first. Pleasure slid through her, and she was satisfied, but then the kiss intensified to the point that she had her head tilted back, open to him, allowing him to slowly explore her mouth while electricity sparked through her.
Heat sizzled between them, making her wish this was real and not just a fling. Waking up to this man every morning would be a lovely pleasure. But this kind of guy wasn’t for her. She didn’t deserve someone this good.
Keel felt like fire sizzled through his veins. His lips connected with hers, and it was like an explosion went off in his body. Fire sang through him, and he wanted to hear more of the song, but they were only supposed to be friends.
It took a long moment for the kiss to wind down, and when their lips parted, he opened his eyes to see the same wonder in her eyes that he felt inside. The look in her eyes took his breath away.
He’d planned on saying something a little snarky, maybe, something to lighten the mood. To make sure neither of them took it too seriously. But he couldn’t come up with anything to say because he was struck hard by how much he wanted Frankie. Even with the fading bruises, she was beautiful.
He cupped the side of her face, trying to find a way to untangle himself from her, all while wishing he never had to.
Why had he found this amazing woman now?
His emotions were still raw after hearing that video from Shana.
Add to it the crap with Forest that she was dealing with and it was too much for both of them.
He shouldn’t have kissed her, but he wanted more.
The sounds outside the condo led him to believe the police had convinced Forest’s brother to leave. Maybe they would get him to leave town. That would be best. Then he and Frankie could drive back to his place, and all would be good.
He still had a few more days here, but it wasn’t worth putting Frankie in danger. Plus, it would be good to get her settled at his house before he had to go back to work.
Was he being delusional? He should find a different place to set her up, find her a shelter, or get her a realtor who could get her into an apartment, then he could check on her, and they wouldn’t have to live together.
But that’s not what he wanted. No question, he needed to get to know her better. This was all fucked up, but he liked it. He liked spending time with her, liked having her close.
“Let me get on some clothes, and we’ll check with the police. I want to make sure he is gone.”
She stepped back, and he disentangled from her, wishing he didn’t have to. With the door open, they could hear better, but there wasn’t anything happening on the landing. They were in the clear for now.
Frankie moved out to the main room while he pulled on his clothes. Once he was dressed, he started pulling his clothes together.
“We’ll leave once I make sure the parking lot is clear.”
Frankie moved to the doorway. “Okay.”
After he had his things packed, he turned to her standing in the doorway. He had questions, and he could see questions floating around her head.
She might doubt that kiss, but he knew it was real. The intensity had been off the charts. What he felt wasn’t a trick of his mind. Mind-blowing was more like it.
He moved to her and held out his hands. She didn’t hesitate to step closer to take his hands. That made him feel better.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed you,” Keel said. She opened her mouth to say something, but he put one finger on her lips, stopping her. “But I’ve been fighting that feeling for days.”
She took another step closer. “Was that real? Like, did you really want to kiss me?”
He nodded. “I know you’re dealing with a lot. You just came out of an abusive relationship, and that can be difficult. I don’t want to push you.”
“You aren’t pushing me.”
“We should slow things down and let both of us adjust to it.” He should tell her he didn’t want a relationship. The thought made his breath catch. No, he didn’t want a relationship at all. It was ridiculous to think anything had changed. He wasn’t good at relationships.
She nodded. “So you aren’t mad about the kiss?”
He shook his head. “Hell no, I wanted that. It was amazing.”
Her smile drew him in more. He needed to put a stop to this, but he felt like he was in a free fall, and the only way to stop was to hit dirt. “Oh yeah, it was a very good kiss.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Not thinking I’m a total waste of time. I haven’t felt good about myself for a long time. You being nice, that book, too, and journaling, helps.”
Her words hit hard. She was thanking him for being a decent person. It would take her time to get past being under Forest’s thumb. She’d suffered, no question. He didn’t want to make her suffer more.
He wasn’t built for relationships. He’d proven that with his marriage.
Being good enough for any woman wasn’t in his wheelhouse.
He may be exceedingly competent as an operator, but in love, he would always come out lacking.
He should tell her he couldn’t be more than a quick fling, but he couldn’t get the words out.