Page 6 of Unlocked

“Please, Daddy,” I continue to beg as we reach the foot of the stairs. “I promise I’ll be good from now on. I’ll make sure you have supper every night. Just don’t leave me down here. Please,Daddy. Please!” I’m shaking so hard that he can barely get the handcuff on my wrist. I’m absolutely terrified of the dark and the creepy crawlies that lurk in our basement’s cellar room. Realistically I know there’s nothing down here that can really hurt me other than dehydration, but being as he’s done this to me since I was a small child, I have phobias of the dark, spiders, and crickets of all things.

Plenty of people will say my mother should have gotten me out of this, and I agree, but she’s as beaten down and traumatized as I am. Daddy has beaten any freewill she’d ever had out of her. I can see it when I look in her eyes. The fight left her years ago, but she hangs on for me, working at a diner all day and as a barmaid most of the night. There are times, like right now as I watch my father walk away leaving me on the cold wet floor, that I’m angry with her for not getting us away from him. Yet I know the only person to blame is the man himself for being so cruel. He is responsible for his actions, and someday, he will pay for them. Whether in this life or the next, I don’t know, but I know without a doubt he will pay, someday.

He climbs the stairs, glaring at me between the steps as he climbs. When he reaches the top, he leans down to give me a final parting evil grin. “Have fun with the spiders!” He flips the switch and I’m plunged into darkness as he slams the basement door.

“NOOOO!” I scream. “Please Daddy, please come back. Don’t leave me down here!”

“Shelby!”a deep voice pulls me from the nightmare as I’m lifted into a sitting position. My hand flings out to defend myself from another blow. I make contact with warm flesh. A grunt eruptsfrom whoever I’ve hit. I suddenly realize it’s not Daddy grabbing me. Firm hands grip my upper arms before a strong arm slips behind my upper back and presses me against a warm, muscled chest.

“Shhh, sweet girl, you’re okay. It’s just a dream. I’m here. You’re okay.” Bo’s baritone voice rumbles under my face, which is pressed tightly against his chest. My breaths are coming short and fast as the dark basement fades away to be replaced by Bo’s bedroom. I blink several times as the disorientation of the dream leaves me, and I am once again in the here and now.

My body shudders. The memories flood me despite my best efforts to push them away. Bo holds me tighter whispering softly. He has one arm tightly around me while the other is stroking down my hair. His touch is soft, gentle, and surprisingly mollifying. I shouldn’t let him comfort me, but I’ve had to comfort myself for so long it’s nice to let someone else take all my fear away for once. He makes me feel safe. I wrap my free arm around him, gripping his t-shirt in my hand to keep him from disappearing. I let him hold and soothe me until I feel I can speak without falling apart.

“Th-thank you,” I stammer after a few minutes, and my mind has cleared. Releasing my grip on his shirt, I push against his hold. He loosens it but doesn’t completely pull away from me. I look up to meet, dark chocolate brown eyes filled with concern. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, sweet girl,” Bo returns softly, staring into my eyes. His hand comes up to brush my hair out of my eyes. “Are you okay now?” I nod and take a deep cleansing breath, breathing in his woodsy scent calming me even more. I pull back from his embrace, and this time, he lets his arms fall away. I look around to see he is sitting in the bed with me. He has a red mark on the right side of his face. I reach upto run my hand down the mark. He stills as if he’s afraid of my touch.

“Did I do that?” I ask, already certain I know the answer. His eyes close as I continue to rub over the mark, trying to take away the pain it has caused.

“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me,” Bo answers. His hand comes up to catch mine. I’m suddenly embarrassed as I realize what I’ve been doing. Stroking him like I have a right to do so. I feel my face heat under his piercing gaze. He pulls my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm. “Thank you for making it feel better.” I jerk my hand away, not knowing how to respond to that. I turn my head, scooting away from him to put a little distance between us. I can’t think clearly with him this close.

An uncomfortable silence descends between us. I want to get up and flee to the bathroom, but then he will see me in my sleep clothes. I’ve never been around a man is so little attire. Hell, I don’t even go swimming at the Y unless it’s girls only. Glancing down, I see that the cover has fallen to my waist, and my sleep top is twisted, exposing most of my right boob. I grab the covers to pull them up and hide my nakedness, but Bo is sitting on top of the cover. I yank, but the cover doesn’t budge. It only serves to jostle me, and my tit falls completely out of my right arm hole. I yelp and pull on my top trying to right it. Bo’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t turn away, apparently enjoying the flopping boob show. Once I’ve managed to mostly cover myself, he raises his hips to free the cover. I pull it to my chin, lean against the headboard with my eyes closed.

“You want to talk about it?” Bo questions.

“Seriously?” I snap at him. My eyes flying open to glare at him. “You want me to talk about flashing my boob at you?” Bo’s rumbling laugh sets my lady parts ablaze. Feelings I have never felt before wash over me. Goosebumps erupt, and my coreclenches with a need for what it has never had. I turn my head to block out his cocky grin.

“No, Shelby. I was asking about your nightmare,” Bo replies smoothly. “But if you want to show me those gorgeous tits, I’d be more than happy to take a gander.” My eyes drift closed as mortification hits me like a semi-truck running a hundred miles an hour. He had asked about my dream, and I’d just had to bring up the exposed boob!God, take me now! Please, I can’t come back from this. How am I supposed to be around him, now?

I give him a shove, just wanting to get him out of my space, but he takes it as playful. He pushes me back but much more gently than I did him. He laughs as he shoves me. His deep reverberations become contagious. Despite wanting to be angry with him, I can’t help smiling as he laughs. After a bit, he gets himself under control.

“Now you want to talk about your dream?” My eyes fly up to meet his as all humor leaves me. I shake my head and close my eyes, willing the images to leave me once more. “Hey, you’re okay now.” I feel him shift closer like he’s preparing to pull me to him again. I huff out a breath.

“I’m fine. You can leave now,” I dismiss him not wanting to relive the dream again and certainly not with him. He frowns down at me. Even though we are both sitting, I still feel like he is towering over me, but it isn’t in a threatening way. It’s comforting as if he can keep the demons that chase me away. I can’t afford to feel this way. I’m only here for a couple of weeks, then I’ll be back in my little apartment in Maryland far from here, having to deal with this shit all alone as I’ve always done. No point in getting used to someone making me feel safe. I have to do that myself.

“Shelby, it will make you feel better to get it off your chest,” Bo advises. I’m about to protest when he continues, “Look I get it. You’d rather forget about it, but I’ve dealt with nightmaresmyself. Shoving them away didn’t help. It only made it worse. So, take my advice and spill. You’ll feel better.” I scowl at him. He knows nothing about what I’ve been through. I have talked about all this shit many, many times to my therapist, and still I have the nightmares, but I’m not ready to tell him about all the time and money I’ve spent on therapy.

“Thank you for waking me,” I tell him. “I appreciate your offer to listen to me vent about my dream, but I’m not discussing it. Would you leave now? Please?” He stares down at me and I’m about to think he isn’t going to honor my request when he finally nods. He shifts his weight as if to get up, but he shocks the life out of me when he leans over and presses a tender kiss to my forehead. I’m frozen with shock. I don’t know what to say or do. Why is he being so…intimate with me?

“I’m here any time you need me, sweet girl,” Bo murmurs as he eases off the bed. I’m afraid to respond verbally to that. I can hardly catch my breath from the emotions running through me at the tenderness he’s showing me. “Everyone is gathering on the patio for dinner if you’d like to join us.” I clear my throat, removing the lump that’s cut off my words.

“All right, I’ll be down in a minute.” I manage to give him a tentative smile. He nods and heads for the door. I let out the breath I’ve been holding when he softly closes the door behind him. I scramble from the bed, hurrying into the bathroom to relieve myself and dress to go downstairs. My nerves are still raw from my nightmare and the aftermath Bo created with his kindness. I’m so in over my head with Bo Robertson.

Chapter 3

Bo

Leaving Shelby alone after hearing her screaming at her Daddy not to leave her while caught in the throes of a nightmare is by far one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long while. And I was a POW for a time while in service. I stand outside the bedroom door listening to her scurry across the room and into the bathroom. I scrub my hand over my face in hopes of easing some of the tension that’s plagued me all day. From the moment I laid eyes on Shelby’s picture, I’ve had the feeling she is going to change my life. Whether it’s for better or worse, I don’t know yet, but a life changer she most certainly is.

I push off from the door and make my way to the stairs. I had come up to tell Shelby dinner is about ready when I heard her screaming. Fear had taken over as I sprinted up the last few steps and down the hall to the room I usually occupy when I stay over at Luke’s. I’d burst into the room, gun drawn, expecting to find an intruder attacking Shelby, but instead I found Shelby fighting the bedcovers.

Instinct had taken over as I returned my side arm to its holster while crossing the room to climb onto the bed next to Shelby. A visceral scream had left her throat before she began to plead in earnest. The unadulterated fear I’d heard in her voicehad me pulling her from under the covers to wrap her in my arms as I tried to calm her frantic movements. It had taken a couple of minutes to pull her out of the dream.

When those gorgeous blue eyes met mine, I swear something snapped into place that had been missing for far too long. Her eyes had been filled with fear, but when she’d recognized me and she’d relaxed, the need to be the one who calmed all her fears had slid into place.Am I losing my mind?Possibly, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think the love bug that bit Luke’s ass the day he gave into his desire to have Marley in his life has decided I’m his next victim.

A smile ghosts over my face at the thought. Me, Bo Robertson, interested in a woman for more than a roll in the hay? It’s never happened before, and I have the feeling it never will again. Shelby Brooks is the one woman who could make this self-proclaimed eternal bachelor rethink my life plans of fucking my way through a string of one-night stands who could never hold my interest for more than a few hours. Shelby has piqued my interest in more ways than one. Am I attracted to her? Yep, no doubt, but more than the physical attraction I feel, I want to know what has caused her nightmares. I want to be the one to take them away, never to return. I want to know why she’s so shy and reluctant to have a conversation with me. I can feel her physical reaction whenever I’m nearby. I have the feeling that even if I could get her into my bed for more than a nap, once wouldn’t be enough. There’s an innocence to her that is pulling me in like gravity. Yet, I can feel there’s a passion burning just under the surface, and I want to be the one who unlocks it.

I need to tread carefully though. My brothers and Marley will beat my ass if I fuck this up and hurt Shelby’s feelings. It would never be my intention, but I’ve never been in a relationship before. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do exactly. I’ve madea career out of one and done, no repeats. It’s been a hard and fast rule that I’ve lived by for many years now.

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