Page 8 of Autumn be His Wife
The truck sits high off the ground. I watched her struggle to haul herself into it before we left my cabin, a fact that is now seared into my memory.
“Need help getting down?” I ask, my voice rough.
She starts to shake her head, the automatic refusal, but then she pauses. Her gaze flicks from me to the significant drop to the ground. Her blush, deep and warm, spreads across her cheeks and toward her ears. She gives a small, almost imperceptible nod.
I reach up, my hands finding her waist. The moment my fingers make contact, even through the fabric of her shirt, I have to swallow down the start of a groan.
She’s soft under my hands, her curves easily traceable. I’m acutely aware of my own strength. I guide her down as she leans into my hold, her hands coming to rest on my shoulders for balance.
Then her scent hits me. Not some perfume she packed. Soap. My soap. My bodywash. The crisp, clean scent of pine that I wake up to every morning. Of course, she used it in my shower. It’s a logical, mundane fact.
Butfuck.
Smelling that scent on her, wrapped around her body like a second layer, is the most intimate, dizzying thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s branding her as mine in some ridiculous way my body understands instantly, even if my mind is screaming in protest that it’s just soap.
I need to make space between us. Need to pull away before I do something stupid. Something reckless.
A car pulls into the parking lot, claiming one of the empty spots. Somehow, I find the strength to release her. Pulling back, not even the cool air helps calm the heat collecting on the back of my neck.
This isn’t good. No, this isbad.
Trying not to focus on the way she bites her lip, or to take in the way her hands curl and uncurl at her sides, I clear my throat.
“We should head inside. Looks like there are already a few employees inside. Doors unlock in a few minutes.” Rubbing the back of my neck, I have to tear my eyes off of her before I accidentally do something I can’t take back.
She agrees, blind to my feelings as she clings close like she’s shy of everything else in the world but me.
Not wanting to kid myself, I guide her toward the clinic and let her in.
The receptionist, Jenny, sits behind the desk with a pen in her fingers. While she stares at the desktop, she twirls the writing utensil between her fingers. She’s always the first to show up for her shift, happily getting prepared for any morning appointments.
She turns her attention our way and looks at Piper with the exact amount of surprise and curiosity that I expect. She turns her gaze from the younger woman over to me. Blinking behind her glasses, her mouth curves into a polite smile.
“Morning, Dusty.” A few seconds of silence pass before she leans forward. “Are you going to introduce your friend?”
Circling the desk, I fetch my coat and my badge. As I work on buttoning a few buttons, I attempt to clear a pesky lump growing in the back of my throat.
“Piper will be hanging out in the lobby for a few hours while I work.” Flattening the front of my clothes like it’ll make a difference, I stand tall. “If she needs anything, you’ll take care of her, won’t you?”
“She’ll get bored.” Jenny returns her attention to her work, already no longer interested.
“I’ll be alright.” Piper glances toward the few seats and the couple of magazines spread across the side tables. “I’m pretty good at keeping myself entertained. Don’t worry, you won’t notice I’m here. Worst case, I can take a stroll around town and see what Forest Grove is all about.”
Something gnaws at me as the words leave her. I try not to worry about it, but it’s hard to ignore.
Jenny sends another curious glance my way. I’m sure the moment she finds me alone, she’ll ask all about the woman. She’s clearly not from around here. I’m the last person to get myself involved in anything outside of Eli.
I can only imagine what’s going through her head.
Sliding my gaze back to Piper, I fight the urge to tell her to stay. Instead, I somehow relax. “I’ll come find you when I’m ready to do my runs. If you would rather enjoy yourself, just find your way back here by late afternoon.”
Piper nods and takes a seat. She looks like she couldn’t possibly complain, and the curve of her lips sends a pangthrough my chest. It’s something that makes my heart beat a little faster. “I’ll be waiting.”
I thank Jenny softly for not minding the extra company, throwing a silent plea into the universe that my receptionist’s notorious friendliness doesn’t feel like an inquisition to Piper.
If Piper doesn’t decide to roam too far on her own, I’m half-convinced Jenny’s cheerful interrogation might just make her run for the county line.
4
