Page 13 of Road Rash

5

Jonesie

Imust’ve drifted off sometime in the night, but exactly as he promised, he’d held me. At some point, he rose before me. The indent on his pillow tells his tale. It’s rumpled and butted up next to mine. The indent is closest to me and my pillow.

Despite this constant headache, the smile spreads across my face. Whose life is this? If anyone would’ve told me last week that this week my friends and I would be victims of a crime, yet I’d be waking up with a smile on my face, I’d have told them to check their med expiration dates because clearly, they were no longer working. As I ponder on the crazy turn my life’s taken, even as I would much rather stay in bed snuggled under a comforter that smells of Dane and sex and dryer sheets, a full bladder waits for no woman.

Burk lays on my feet at the end of the bed. He looks over at me frowning. Apparently, dogs frown especially when their humans disturb their doggy sleep.

Slowly I push myself up, the head rush even going slowly causes, makes me woozy. I drop my hand to the bed to keep myself from falling back and Burk scuttles around to reposition himself while huffing out his irritation. Only once there’s no chance of me falling again do I attempt to stand. It’s a farther distance to drop, one that could send me back to the hospital. No thank you.

“Sorry to bother you, buddy,” I say. He snorts at my apology.

When I cross the hallway to the bathroom, I hear Dane talking on the phone. I quickly do my business and wash my hands. Then, because I’m in here, I brush my teeth so he doesn’t get a dose of morning breath when I go in to kiss him. And make no mistake, I will go in for a kiss. After what we discussed last night, I get all the kisses.

Me and Dane. The thought sends shivers, the good kind of shivers, throughout my entire body. After years of wanting the man, after years of slowly but surely falling in love with the man, to find out that he’s wanted me equally as long? It’s a revelation I never expected to get in my life.

He’s still on the phone when I leave the bathroom. I walk into the living room to him saying, “Listen bud, you and Brandi take as much time off as you need. You got good people at the motel and I got enough help to get by at the bar for now.”

Dane must be talking to Drake. That’s amazing. He’s talking on the phone already? I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek to his back. He links his fingers through one of my hands holding him to move me around until he’s holding me with my chest pressed to his side and front.

“Mornin’ baby,” he says, bending in to kiss me.

“Drake is out of the hospital already?” I ask, just for clarification on the situation. They’re either out or getting out.

“Getting discharged today.”

“And Brandi?” I ask. Even if I haven’t been showing it because of my own injuries, I’ve been worried about my friends.

“She’s gettin’ out, too.”

“Do they need anything? Can I do anything for them?”

He doesn’t answer me. Apparently, Drake heard me because Dane answers him instead. “She thinks she’s fuckin’ superwoman. Has a head injury and won’t stay in bed.” There’s a pause then a soft chuckle. “Fuck yeah, I’m sure. Never lettin’ her go.” Another pause. “I’ll probably end up in an early grave puttin’ up with her shit but it’ll be fun until that happens.” He laughs full out and I punch his shoulder.

“Hey…” I protest. “I’m not giving you shit.”

“You in bed restin’?”

“No.”

“Right. Shit. Just like I said.”

“Whatever. Do they need anything?”

“No, baby. They’re headin’ to his sister’s house to recuperate. The one that’s the home health aid. She’ll be able to take care of ’em while they heal.”

I sigh, somehow feeling better that they’re not coming back to town. I’ve got Dane to take care of me, and I’m not stupid. The longer it takes the police to find who assaulted us, the more the whole town has to worry about a repeat.

He ends his call with Drake, turning his full attention on me. “Now, what’re you doin’ out of bed?”

“Had to use the bathroom and then I saw you out here…” I let the words trail off starting to feel stupid. “Sorry.” I drop my arms from around his waist to give him space, dropping my head. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“First,” he says, using the tip of his finger to tilt my chin up. “You’re never a bother to me.” He bends in to press a kiss to my lips. “Second—” he pulls back slightly. “This is your house now. Move through any damn room you want.” Move through? His voice moves throughme. Rough. Dragged along the gritty terrain of his vocal cords, it hits my ears at panty-drenching levels every time he speaks to me. A decade of hell in wet panties.

“Need you,” I whisper, pressing up to kiss him again, rubbing myself against him until there’s no doubt what I want.

His arms tighten reflexively around me, one hand supporting my head while the other grips a fistful of sleepshirt. Images of him and me in that bed last night flood my memories. If I can just get him over to the sofa…

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