Chapter 38 Bruised Knuckles, Bare Heart
bruised knuckles, bare heart
DUKE
A scream slices through the night like a damn rifle shot. The table goes silent and every muscle in me locks up. For a second, my mind refuses to accept what I just heard.
Then the sound hits me again—raw, desperate, and it’s Roxanne.
My shoes hammer against the gravel, heart jackhammering in my chest. I round the corner of the kitchen, and the outdoor light throws everything into sharp relief.
Garrett’s got both arms around her middle, dragging her toward the tree line. Roxanne’s fighting like hell, kicking, shoving, clawing at his hands. For one heartbeat, she’s weightless as he lifts her clear off the ground.
“GET OFF HER!” I roar.
Garrett sets her down on her feet just as I launch a full-speed tackle, shoulder-first, straight into Garrett’s ribs.
He hits the ground hard, and I’m already on top of him, fists flying.
He tries to block me and though my vision blurs from anger, I still get in a few cracks.
Garrett swears and lands a punch in our scuffle, but all I’m seeing is red.
“Duke!”
Rusty’s voice thunders in the air and suddenly, arms are pulling me back. Topper. Rusty. Maybe Leo. I barely register what’s happening. My fists are still clenched. My chest is heaving.
Garrett’s sprawled out in the dirt, gasping with his nose bleeding.
Topper yanks him up by the collar of his shirt. “What did you do? What the fuck did you do?”
Topper shouts while I wipe the blood from my cheek. Rusty and Stedman both pull Topper away and grab Garrett by each arm.
“Call his parents,” I rasp as I cross the lawn to Roxanne. “I want him out of here, now!”
Allie and Millie comfort Roxanne and give me space when I wrap my arms around her. “Are you okay?” I ask. Every part of me is still coiled tight, but my pulse calms slightly when she hugs me. Her breathing starts to slow as I fold myself around her.
My heart’s still pounding so loud I can barely hear anything else. The whole world narrows down to the sound of her voice, the smell of her skin, the heat of her beneath my hands.
“I’m okay,” she says, her voice shaky.
I release her and frame her face between my palms. “What did he do?”
“Nothing. I might have a bruise or two, but—”
“That’s two bruises too many,” I say. “I’m so sorry, Roxanne.”
“Don’t be. I’m alright.”
“You sure?”
She nods, and something clicks in my chest, like a lock turning. Like a door I didn’t know was closed, just swung wide open.
Fuck, I am in love with her.
Officially, maddeningly, and stunningly.
That doesn’t even make sense, but I don’t give a damn if it doesn’t, that’s how I feel.
Man, this woman has got me, and I will burn the whole goddamn world to the ground before I let anything touch her again.
I blink when Thatcher checks in on us. “Stedman, Millie, and I will wait with Garrett until his parents get here.”
I nod. “Yeah, thanks.”
Roxanne pulls away when Leo and Allie touch her back softly. “I’m going to head back to the house.” She catches the look on my face and reaches for my hand. It feels like a gut punch to be away from her for a second at this point.
“We’ll go with her,” Allie says as Leo nods.
“Good, I want you to move into the other guest rooms until I get word that Garrett has been picked up.” When I say this, they understand what I mean by the rattled tone in my voice.
It’s not a request, it’s an order. By the way they glance at each other and nod, they understand that this is nonnegotiable. “I need to talk to Rusty and Topper, but I’ll come check on you before I leave.” I watch until they’re out of view.
Georgia, Topper, Rusty, and I return to the Nook. The lights and the remnants from our charming evening help to slow the blood thudding in my ears.
“I’ll get something for your nose,” Georgia says, forcing me into a seat so I can calm down.
“How the hell am I supposed to leave tonight?” I ask, holding my head in my hands.
“You’ve got to, son,” Rusty says, nudging me with a glass of water.
I take a sip because my throat feels like sandpaper. Georgia rushes out with a wad of paper towels. “Thanks,” I say, dabbing my throbbing nose. Garrett may have been drunk, but he’s still fifteen years younger than me. He landed some good shots.
“We’ll take care of everything here,” Topper says. “Garrett will be out of here in a few days.”
My jaw clenches. “No—”
“His parents are traveling. They’ll stop by and get him when they land in Denver. Stedman and Thatcher won’t let him out of their sight.”
“I can stand guard at the house if that’ll make you feel better,” Topper offers.
“Same,” Georgia adds. “But honestly, Garrett was crying when they were dragging him out. He knows he fucked up.”
“Doesn’t matter. I should’ve let him go a long time ago.”
“You thought you could get through to him,” Georgia says, sinking into the seat next to me. “We all did.”
Topper pats me on the back. “You can’t save them all, brother.”
“Still, I should have been more vigilant with him, and now he’s hurt Roxanne.”
Topper leans forward, forearms on his knees. “You have been vigilant, Duke. Hell, you bent over backward to give that kid a shot. What happened tonight? That’s on him.”
Georgia nods. “Roxanne’s okay because you were the one who got to her first.”
Rusty tilts his chin. “I get that you’re shaken up, but you’ve got to refocus.”
I rake a hand through my hair, every inch of me still tense, still simmering. “It doesn’t feel right leaving her tonight.”
Topper squeezes my shoulder. “You’re not leaving her alone. She’s got Leo. Allie. Me and Rusty. And when you get back, we’ll all be here. But right now? You’ve got about—” he checks his phone, “twenty minutes before your ride gets here.”
“Right.” I force a breath through my nose and stand, the aches from the scuffle settling into my ribs and jaw. “I just need to say goodbye.”
The porch light’s on, casting a soft glow over the steps when I get home. The door creaks as I push it open and find Allie and Leo in the living room. They both stand as I enter.
“How’s she doing?” I ask.
“I think she’s a little rattled, but okay.”
I hang my head. “Thank you for being willing to stay with her. I’m sure she’ll be all right, but I’d feel better—”
Leo puts up his hand. “Say no more. We are already in love with the decor in here, anyway. You may not get rid of us.”
I manage to chuckle as I head upstairs. “Sounds good to me.”
The light’s on under her door, and I secretly wish she had chosen my room to stay in. “Roxanne?”
I knock softly and the door opens not a second later.
She’s freshly showered, in her pajamas, her damp hair hangs in loose waves, and her eyes lift to mine.
I don’t say another word. I wrap my arms around her waist and hold her like I’ve been gone for weeks instead of minutes.
She melts into me as I gently kick the door closed behind me.
“How you doin’, Trouble?”
“Better now,” she sighs.
Our moment should end here. My brother will be arriving any minute, but there’s something else lingering in the quiet.
When her hand slides up my chest and rests over my heart, I almost lose my footing.
God help me, I want to stay. I want to tell Charlie to go on without me, throw my phone into the pasture, and forget the rest of the world exists.
I want to tell her that I love her, that I’ve never felt this way before, that she owns every steady and broken part of me. But I keep all this to myself. I don’t want to spook her again. When she’s ready to hear me say it … well, I hope I’m smart enough to know when that moment comes.
I pull back. “I’m so sorry about tonight.”
She releases me and takes my face in her hands. “Don’t do that. Garrett is the one who needs to be sorry. I mean, I can’t help but feel it’s partly my fault too.”
My brow furrows. “What are you talking about?”
She looks down and takes my hand in hers. “He got the wrong idea. I was running around in my sultry new outfits, trying to get your attention, not thinking I was attracting his.”
“So?” I tilt her chin up with my index finger. “This is not your fault. You should feel free to wear whatever you want when you want. Just because a man notices you, doesn’t mean you owe him something. That’s on him that he got all riled up, not you.”
“Still …”
“Hey, do you feel good wearing those clothes?”
“You know?” The corner of her mouth tugs up as she folds her arms across her chest. “Yes.”
“Then that’s all that matters.”
“I guess you’re right.”
I squeeze her hand. “I hate that I have to leave you tonight.”
She rubs the back of her neck. “I, uh, hate it too.”
“I’ll be back next Sunday, but …” I release her hand and search around. “Where’s your phone?”
“Oh, uh, here,” she says, pulling it out of a tote bag.
I reach for it. “May I?”
She nods and I create a contact for myself in it. “Text me, call me, FaceTime me, anytime.”
She smiles and takes her phone back. “I wouldn’t want to bother you if you’re at some Hollywood party rubbing elbows with movie stars.”
“Remember what I said? You’re never bothering me. Please, interrupt anytime. But beware, my emojis are a little rusty. Topper had to tell me what an eggplant stood for the other day.”
The tension still hammering around in my body releases when she laughs.
“Hmmm, let’s see if you can decode this emoji?” She types something and my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see a pair of lips from her number.
I glance up and pretend to be confused. “I’m not sure what this means. Can you show me?”
“Yes, now, this is me saying goodbye so don’t get too excited,” she says while her fingers curl around my wrist and she pulls me to her. Her fingers weave through my hair as she kisses me. The kiss is slow at first, soft, searching, but when she presses closer, it deepens.
All that restraint I’ve been clinging to starts to fray as my hands curl around her hips. I kiss her back, slow, deep, and consuming. It starts soft, but the way she sighs into me, presses her palms to my chest like she needs to feel me, lights me up from the inside out.
She pulls back, but her lips are still grazing mine. “I really hate that you have to leave.”
“If this is your goodbye, I can’t wait for your hello.”
She opens her mouth but stops when we hear a sound overhead.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.
“What’s that?” she asks, looking up at the ceiling.
I roll my eyes. “My ride.”