Page 10

She pushed her hair away from her shoulder at the same time the top of the robe by her neck slid open slightly, and a wave crashed into me.

I could hear the thud of my heartbeat in my ears.

My body was hurled into a solid brick barricade as my eyes locked on the little butterfly tattoo just below her left collarbone.

I knew she said something, but I couldn’t hear what.

My brain was being whipped as if in the center of a tornado while a disbelieving confusion constricted my breathing.

The tiny tattoo was identical to Amy’s butterfly tattoo and in the same exact spot.

WTF? The delicate curves, black outline, and the softest of blues in the wings.

I swallowed hard, at the same time my finger traced the butterfly like I felt I’d done one hundred times before.

I was lost for a moment as the past and present wove through me so tightly my head spun.

Déjà vu.

A few seconds later, I snapped back into reality when she cleared her throat. My eyes found hers and the soft smile on her lips. “Hello?”

I pulled my hand away. “Sorry, your tattoo. It’s, uh, beautiful.”

“Thank you. Dave took me to Rockin Tattoos in Egan on my birthday a few years ago. I have a slight obsession with butterflies so it felt right.”

I was searching her face but wasn’t certain for what as a fog overtook my brain. I stood there for another moment, trying to comprehend. “Okay then. I’ll turn on the water. Just give a holler if you need anything.”

I stood in the hallway for a few minutes with a little freaked out thing happening. I’d taken Amy to get her tattoo at Rockin Tattoo in Egan. WTH? Amy had picked the tattoo from a book that contained thousands. Had Fern looked at the same book at the same place and chose the same one?

I ran downstairs for supplies with the butterfly still floating in my mind.

While the odds were slim, they both chose the same tattoo.

Not too weird, correct? So what? Maybe it was only a little weird.

Not super-duper weird after all. Right? I quickly came to the conclusion that it was just one of those things.

Nothing to be weirded out about. Why was I using the word weird so much?

Once she was out of the tub, I was waiting in the hall for her. I scooped her up and walked toward her bedroom.

“Really, Gabe, I’m fine.”

Once inside, she pointed to the tray on the nightstand that contained a pile of scrambled eggs, strips of bacon, and hash browns I’d prepared while her hot, naked body lay in my tub. MY BATHTUB.

“I knew I smelled something.”

I set her on the bed before grabbing an extra pillow from the closet and tucked it behind her back.

“I’d be a crappy host if I didn’t make sure you were good and comfy.

” As if Santa Claus, I pulled out the bottle of muscle relaxers from my pocket.

“The directions call for one every four hours. As I’m sure you’re aware, they can make you a little loopy so I thought we should get some food in you.

And who doesn’t love breakfast for freakin’ dinner? ”

She raised her hand. “I do. I like breakfast for freakin’ dinner.”

“Great minds think alike.” I placed the tray on her lap.

She pointed to plate. “You’re an impressive chef.”

“I know. I’m pretty awesome.” I cracked open the medication, handed her one, followed by a cup of hot chocolate.

“You made hot chocolate?” Her eyes, that I do not love BTW, twinkled. “Nobody ever cooks or makes me coco.” She swallowed the tablet.

“Somebody should make you hot coco every day.” Stop! “Or not.” Now ya just sound like an idiot. I grabbed the remote control from the dresser. “You eat, and I’ll put the remote for you on the bed. You probably should get some rest though.”

She somehow made eating a piece of bacon sexy. “You’re right, I should.”

Damn. “Well, if you need anything, I’ll be downstairs.” I headed toward the door.

“Gabe, would you stay with me for a while?” Her eyes dropped.

I had to fight back the urge to do a backhand spring onto the bed. “Sure. Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m just feeling tied up in knots after the car thing. I can’t seem to push it from my mind.”

I sat next to her.

She reached over and patted my leg. “Put your feet up and eat bacon with me.”

I stretched my legs out and tossed a strip into my mouth. “I think we should circle back to my culinary skills. This is kind of amazing.”

I put a heaping spoonful of eggs into my mouth. The boy could cook. “Thank you for coming to get me today. I can’t believe I left my phone here.”

“Well, after our make-out session, you clearly lost your mind. I guess I am that good.”

“Yes, you are.” Oops, didn’t mean to spit that out.

“You’re pretty good too. This is all really too good, whatever this is. Don’t you think?” Gabe tickled my arm as I scooted over and rested my head on his shoulder. He felt it too. “But we can’t go there.”

This was it. My cue to assure him it’s nothing because all I want to do is be close to him now. He doesn’t do relationships anyway. “You’re nothing really.”

“Ouch.” He nudged my shoulder.

“No, I mean, we’re two people who have some type of connection, and we both don’t want anything permanent.

Right?” I said the words as my brain elbowed me because I had a gut feel if I were close to him, no other man in the vast universe would be able to fill what he could.

“Can’t we just enjoy each other’s company until the others get here?

No strings? Like a weekend thing? A seventy-two-hour deal? ”

“But—”

“Shhh.” Desperation gripped me.

His deep voice buzzed around like a swarm of bees that could kill me if I get too close. “I think Fern Ethel digs me a little.”

“You’re okay, I guess. But we both agree we want nothing, and we don’t need my six-foot-five burly brother hunting you down.

That’s why I never had a high school boyfriend until after Dave graduated.

He and his I-will-kill-you resting face scared everyone away.

It serves him well in hockey but never when it came to me. ”

“Yeah, he can’t speak about you without the word angel as a prefix or suffix.”

“Oooh, Gabe knows grammar…sexy.” I set my empty plate on the nightstand before I scooted down on my pillow.

He did too, and we turned so we were face-to-face.

“Maybe we have something nobody will ever know about. Clearly, I need to be out of the United States in order to ever find a man.” I’d never been in a room that felt as cozy and unbelievably perfect in my life.

“Close your eyes. I can tell you’re tired.”

“There you go again, being bossy.”

He pulled the comforter up to my chin, and at some point, I drifted off to sleep as his hand stroked my hair, leaving me with a feeling of being taken care of that I hadn’t felt since I was a little girl.

My mind was swimming when the dark monster of fear crawled in and locked me down.

I was in the car, and the tree gave way.

I heard my screams ricochet off the windows as the car picked up speed and crashed into the lake.

In seconds, icy water poured in, stabbing my body as the car filled.

My hands pushed, trying to get my legs free, but I couldn’t.

Hot tears streamed down my face, and I hit the window while the car went lower as the lake began to devour me.

I heard my screams, but nobody was coming for me.

There was no one. The water was up to my chin as the daylight was disappearing. I was almost gone.

The next thing I knew I was sitting up gasping for breath. It was a dream. It was a dream.

I was hot and cold at the same time, and it took a second to remember where I was. I jumped when arms suddenly wrap around me. I turned and buried my face in his chest.

“It’s just a dream,” he whispered.

“It was so real. I was trapped.” My heart was racing so fast I was afraid I might die. “I can’t breathe.”

He held me as he stroked the back of my neck with his fingers. “Let’s breathe together, okay?”

I nodded and he pulled back as my eyes locked with his in the dimly lit room. He inhaled deeply, placed his open hand over my pounding heart, and placed my hand over his. “Feel the heartbeat. Breathe from here.”

I was in a trance as we stared at one another, and I felt his beating heart under my hand. I don’t know how long we were there, but eventually my body relaxed, and my mind sort of followed.

He gently pushed until my head was back on the pillow,

“I know all about those dreams. So real, making you relive it.” His voice was low and quiet. “The details vivid. How something in your mind can cause your body to have the same feeling again and again.”

“You know the dream?”

“I do,” he whispered.

“How?”

He let out a breath. “Why don’t you just try to get some sleep?”

Unlike anything I’d normally do, I turned and kissed him. Maybe it was the dream or the smell of his skin, but I was bold and wanted what I wanted. For better or worse.

The kiss was tender, slow, and making my nightmare lift like a layer of fog when the sun arrives. I needed the sun. My hands found his biceps and then his muscley chest. Sleep was the very last thing in the world I wanted.

The way he kissed me, like he was trying to be slow and thoughtful, vanished in a moment’s time. His mouth overtook mine, and I pressed against him, sending zaps through my lower half at the same time he hissed. “Do you know what a fucking bad idea this is?”

I ran my tongue across his lower lip. “Worst ever.”

His hands went through my hair to the back of my head as he adjusted me. “This stops right now. Do you hear me?”

His lips crashed into mine as the moan that escaped me seemed to ignite something in him, making me feel desired like I’d never been before. I sat up straight and yanked my shirt off before pressing my chest against his. The friction was enough to drive my self-control off a cliff.