She frowned. If she had her pajamas on she wouldn’t be able to feel the cotton. And she did, from the top of her shoulders to the tips of her toes. A new rush of heat prickled every square inch of her bare skin. She tried to glare at him, but it took too much effort. “I got a flat tire.” As if that would explain the extra layer of color shooting across her body.
“Why didn’t you call us? We would have come and got you.”
She tried to wiggle to the side of the bed where it was cooler. Nathan stuck his hand out, trapping her beside him.
“Cell phone was flat.” She closed her eyes. Nathan had looked at her like she was an idiot. A naked idiot. She knew she’d go to the top of the class on both counts. No one in Montana traveled anywhere on their own with a flat cell phone. Especially at this time of the year.
“Why didn’t you keep driving? A stuffed tire is better than being dead.”
“Don’t yell.” She meant to sound annoyed, but her voice squeaked like a rusty hinge. “I didn’t want to damage the truck.”
“You could have died and you were worried about a tire rim?”
She felt tears spill down her cheeks. She never cried. Never. A sharp pain lodged deep in her chest. She turned on her side, away from the anger vibrating through Nathan’s body. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she tried to release the misery choking her until she couldn’t breathe.
He didn’t need to tell her she could have died. She’d known that. As soon as she’d slid out of the truck she knew she had to get the tire changed fast. But she hadn’t counted on the freezing temperatures slowing down her muscles, making her fumble with the wheel brace and drop each nut on the icy road.
“I didn’t mean to yell,” Nathan sighed. “I seem to be doing too much of that these days.” The mattress moved. Nathan stroked the side of her face, pushing a strand of hair off her cheek.
She froze. It was too soon, she couldn’t handle his gentle touch, didn’t know what to do with the panic racing through her body. Dear God, when would it end?
His hand left her body like he’d touched a hot skillet. “We were worried about you.”
She squeezed her eyes tight. Old memories twisted with the fear she’d felt as she stood shivering on the side of the icy road. She bit down on her lip, desperate to feel something other than self-pity. It didn’t work. Fresh tears slipped beneath her lashes.
“Hey, don’t cry. You’re okay.” Nathan reached forward, then stopped. “Sean was right. You sounded like someone was trying to murder you. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“It must have been a pretty big nothing to make you scream like that.”
She clamped her lips tight. He didn’t need to know. She’d never told anyone apart from her mom, and she’d reacted the same way she did about every bad thing in their lives. She’d run, taking a scared kid halfway across the country from Alabama to Montana. Swapping one trailer park for another recycled set of problems.
“Who was he?”
“It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”
“Sure didn’t feel like it twenty minutes ago. Look at me, Amy.”
She burrowed deeper into the bed. “It’s late. We can talk about it another time.” Try never, her mind screeched. He wouldn’t understand. It had taken her years to realize it hadn’t been her fault. That no one deserved to be mauled like an animal. Her mom’s boyfriend had touched her, done everything he could to push his drunk body into hers. But she’d fought back and hadn’t stopped fighting every single day of her life.
Her fingers gripped the sheet, winding the cotton tight around her hands. She swallowed her fear, anchoring herself in the room with Nathan and not in a cupboard sized bedroom in Alabama. Nathan’s weight shifted off the mattress.
A quiet sigh left her lips. “Could you leave the light on?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He moved around the bed, sitting in
“Why didn’t you call us? We would have come and got you.”
She tried to wiggle to the side of the bed where it was cooler. Nathan stuck his hand out, trapping her beside him.
“Cell phone was flat.” She closed her eyes. Nathan had looked at her like she was an idiot. A naked idiot. She knew she’d go to the top of the class on both counts. No one in Montana traveled anywhere on their own with a flat cell phone. Especially at this time of the year.
“Why didn’t you keep driving? A stuffed tire is better than being dead.”
“Don’t yell.” She meant to sound annoyed, but her voice squeaked like a rusty hinge. “I didn’t want to damage the truck.”
“You could have died and you were worried about a tire rim?”
She felt tears spill down her cheeks. She never cried. Never. A sharp pain lodged deep in her chest. She turned on her side, away from the anger vibrating through Nathan’s body. Taking a deep shuddering breath, she tried to release the misery choking her until she couldn’t breathe.
He didn’t need to tell her she could have died. She’d known that. As soon as she’d slid out of the truck she knew she had to get the tire changed fast. But she hadn’t counted on the freezing temperatures slowing down her muscles, making her fumble with the wheel brace and drop each nut on the icy road.
“I didn’t mean to yell,” Nathan sighed. “I seem to be doing too much of that these days.” The mattress moved. Nathan stroked the side of her face, pushing a strand of hair off her cheek.
She froze. It was too soon, she couldn’t handle his gentle touch, didn’t know what to do with the panic racing through her body. Dear God, when would it end?
His hand left her body like he’d touched a hot skillet. “We were worried about you.”
She squeezed her eyes tight. Old memories twisted with the fear she’d felt as she stood shivering on the side of the icy road. She bit down on her lip, desperate to feel something other than self-pity. It didn’t work. Fresh tears slipped beneath her lashes.
“Hey, don’t cry. You’re okay.” Nathan reached forward, then stopped. “Sean was right. You sounded like someone was trying to murder you. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“It must have been a pretty big nothing to make you scream like that.”
She clamped her lips tight. He didn’t need to know. She’d never told anyone apart from her mom, and she’d reacted the same way she did about every bad thing in their lives. She’d run, taking a scared kid halfway across the country from Alabama to Montana. Swapping one trailer park for another recycled set of problems.
“Who was he?”
“It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago.”
“Sure didn’t feel like it twenty minutes ago. Look at me, Amy.”
She burrowed deeper into the bed. “It’s late. We can talk about it another time.” Try never, her mind screeched. He wouldn’t understand. It had taken her years to realize it hadn’t been her fault. That no one deserved to be mauled like an animal. Her mom’s boyfriend had touched her, done everything he could to push his drunk body into hers. But she’d fought back and hadn’t stopped fighting every single day of her life.
Her fingers gripped the sheet, winding the cotton tight around her hands. She swallowed her fear, anchoring herself in the room with Nathan and not in a cupboard sized bedroom in Alabama. Nathan’s weight shifted off the mattress.
A quiet sigh left her lips. “Could you leave the light on?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He moved around the bed, sitting in
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