Shelter from the Storm (Finley Creek Book 2) Read online

  He’d damaged the trust somehow, hadn’t he?

  He had never meant to do that.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  * * *

  SHE left him alone. Brynna couldn’t figure him out. He was the one who had kissed her. So why was he so angry about it? And why did it matter to her, anyway?

  She didn’t have time to mess around with a guy like him, anyway. The two guys she’d been with before had been guys she’d known for a while. Dated for a while. And she’d shared two quick, hot kisses with Jarrod. So quick she’d barely counted them at all.

  It wasn’t like she’d just hopped into bed with them and got it on. She’d planned it and talked about it with them and then they’d enjoyed each other.

  The first time had been right after her mother had died when she was nineteen. She and Mikey had dated for another six months after that. It had only ended when he’d gotten into the college he’d wanted to attend since junior high. They still emailed each other about once a month. She’d loved him, but not like Carrie loved Sebastian.

  The other guy she’d been with was a lot like Mikey, but he’d really just wanted a girl to sleep with. She’d figured that out after a month or so. She’d been twenty-one and more embarrassed than heartbroken.

  Mel had superglued the locks on his mustang. Her sister had always had her back.

  Maybe Chance was right. Maybe kissing him, doing more with him, would be a big mistake, anyway?

  After she ate, Brynna looked for the best spot and spread out the three other blankets he’d found in the trailer. She didn’t know about him, but she needed to sleep. Her head was hurting from sleep deprivation, and from the collision. Her side still burned, but not as bad.

  He left his candles burning and they put off a surprising amount of heat. It was cool in the shelter and the heat helped. She didn’t say anything to him as she settled into the little nest she’d made.

  He could do whatever he wanted. She was going to rest.

  She’d worry about what to do next later.

  * * *

  SHE snuggled up in the blankets on the floor like she’d slept there her entire life. The sight of her like that pissed him off. She shouldn’t be there. She should be home with her father and those sisters of hers, and even that ass Foster, who probably didn’t deserve her.

  He could see her sitting next to Gabby, talking computers and nail polish or something. Something girly. Something safe and protected and sweet in every way that mattered.

  Was this how his brother had felt, the first time he’d realized how vulnerable Gabby was?

  Elliot was far gone over Brynna’s best friend. Chance admitted to himself for the first time that he was starting to understand the appeal. Brynna twisted under the blankets, restless. He understood it.

  Nightmares were a real bitch.

  That she, that maddeningly irritating female, was plagued with them now pissed him off more than almost anything in his life ever had.

  Chance found himself kneeling on the floor next to her before he even thought about it. Thought about what he was going to do.

  She whimpered, but her eyes didn’t open. That little cry was all it took to have him slipping his hands beneath her and pulling her closer. He lay down, cuddling her against his chest until she settled again.

  He could smell the floral scent of the soap she’d probably used that morning. Her hair was soft and he ran his fingers through it absently. Her chest pressed against his side.

  Brynna was skinny, but she had all the right curves. Damn, how he wanted to touch.

  She hummed again and snuggled up against him. Was she cold?

  He pulled the blankets up over her. He wanted her warm and dry and safe more than anything else in the world.

  And as he dropped a light kiss over her forehead he knew he’d fight for that, no matter what he had to do.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

  * * *

  BRYNNA had to get past the fact that when she woke up, Chance’s fingers were wrapped around her breasts, playing with her nipples. He hadn’t been awake. If he had, what would she have done?

  She’d liked it. She wanted him to do it again.

  But she knew he hadn’t wanted that, so she’d carefully pulled away and then slipped to the opposite side of the cellar. There had to be something suitable for breakfast.

  She’d hoped the storms would be finished this morning, but she could hear the wind, even at the back of the shelter. They weren’t getting out of there today, either, were they?

  Her watch was working just fine. They’d been there not quite one full day. How much longer could they stay there before those men found them?

  Brynna had avoided thinking about them since Chance had found them this shelter, but she doubted he had. His gun was right there, near where he slept. She wasn’t unfamiliar with weapons—her father and her sister had been police officers, after all. They’d both made certain she, Jillian, and Syd knew what they were doing if they ever had to touch one.

  That didn’t mean she had to like them. But the knowledge that Chance had one—maybe more, he was like a weird ninja warrior or something, according to Gabby, after all—made her feel a bit safer.

  She had no doubt that he’d stand between her and anything those men tried to do. What she didn’t understand was why? Was it because of Sara? Because of her connection to his past? Like Gabby had thought it was with Elliot, though Brynna and Mel both had opinions of that. Elliot sure stared at Gabby quite a bit for someone who was just helping out an old family connection.

  Brynna thought he wanted Gabby romantically. Mel had confirmed it, too.

  But Chance didn’t feel that way about Brynna. He’d made that very clear. Although…he wanted to do things with her that hadn’t been invented yet. How did she feel about that?

  If she let him, what would come of it?

  He didn’t want a future with a woman like her—that was more than clear, wasn’t it? She didn’t want a future with a man like him, either. What would a man like him be able to give to a woman anyway?

  He was gone all the time—from what Gabby had told her. Nobody knew exactly what it was that he did. Or if it was even legal. He was cranky and bossy and looked a little ragged. Even before the accident.

  He’d looked wild and dangerous and there was no way he’d want the same things from life that she did. She wanted a house next to her family. She wanted a career that she enjoyed that brought her recognition in her field. She wanted the type of recognition Benny had. Everyone knew what he had accomplished in his field. She wasn’t wrong to have those kinds of ambitions for herself.

  And then when she was a little closer to thirty than she was now, she wanted to find a man to share that with her. A man with his own goals, who would appreciate exactly who she was, and who would want to be a part of her family. Who would want her to be a part of his.

  And then, when they both decided the time was right, they’d have two kids to share that life.

  Brynna knew exactly what she wanted.

  Chance Marshall wasn’t it.

  No matter how much she wanted him to kiss her again, to touch her.

  She wouldn’t mind a blazing hot affair, but anything more than that was not something she could deal with right then.

  * * *

  SHE had heavy thoughts, didn’t she? Chance spent most of the day watching his little companion. An hour after she finished eating a can of green beans for breakfast she started prowling around the cellar, poking into every corner looking for something to do. She finally settled for taking apart an old radio and a clock and playing around with the gears and wires in both.

  He didn’t disturb her. He didn’t know what she hoped to accomplish, but it was keeping her occupied while the storms raged around them, so he wasn’t going to rock the boat.

  She’d snuck behind the little curtain she’d cajoled him into hanging for her and cleaned herself up using bottled water and baking soda. He’d waited just on the outside steps of
the cellar to give her some privacy. Then he’d taken his turn, hovering over the small drain that had been cut into the concrete floor. He’d been in worse circumstances; he was grateful for the recycled soda bottle full of water for his shower.

  He felt half human again when it was over, at least.

  His little companion was still climbing the walls. Chance stared at her for a long while, wondering if he could get away with tying her to something. Just to keep her in one place, of course.

  That thought led to at least half an hour’s worth of fantasizing about how else he’d want to tie her down. Imagining what he’d do to her once he had her arranged just how he wanted her.

  “Chance? You’ve been staring for a while. What are you thinking about?”

  “Things I shouldn’t be.”

  “What kind?”

  “Oh, whether you’re wearing that red bra and panties again. How I’d like to kiss you while you were wearing just the panties. How I want to take them off of you.” He leaned forward, until he could almost touch her. “I’m a man, Bryn. There are only so many things we think about when in a small, confined space with a woman who turns us on.”

  “What would happen if we had sex?”

  For some reason he hadn’t expected the bold question. But maybe he should have. This was Brynna, after all. And she had no qualms asking anything, did she? No filters.

  Just honest Brynna. “What do you mean?”

  “What would be so bad about it? There are condoms over there, you know?”

  Chance choked on the water he’d been sipping. “No. I didn’t realize.”

  “By the bullets. I’m not sure why they are there. But they are made of rubber, not latex. But they are still condoms. So we’d be safe. So…what would be so bad about us having sex? You say you’re attracted. I think I am, too. I liked your hands this morning.”

  “What?”

  “Your hands were under my shirt on my breasts when I woke up. I liked it.”

  He had had a very detailed dream about her. He couldn’t deny that. He may very well have been copping a feel in his sleep. Chance hadn’t been that embarrassed in a long time. Especially with a woman. “I…uh…”

  She sent him a level look, one filled with patronization. “You would not be the first man I’ve slept with, Chance Marshall. I know how guys are. If a woman doesn’t want sex in the morning, she’d better be the first one out of the bed in the morning.”

  “I am not going to think of the other men you’ve been with.”

  “Two. There were only two. Mikey and I were together for almost a year, until he went to school. He was a year ahead of me in school, but we were the same age. My parents delayed me in kindergarten so I could go with Jilly at the same time. I stayed here and went to FCU. That’s where I met Alex. He was a jerk. We were only together two times. Then he did something stupid and Mel glued the locks in his car. I was twenty-one then. How many women have you been with?”

  “Uh…” He didn’t want to have this conversation. He wanted to have her. “Bryn, we are not going to have sex.”

  “Why not? What else is there to do down here? I like you, respect you. And I know you’d treat me with respect, too. I can’t see Elliot and Anne Marshall’s son ever treating a woman badly.”

  “And once we are out of here? Then what?”

  “What what? We go on with our lives. Our lives.”

  “No strings, then?” He’d had a few encounters like that, when he needed someone. But…this was Brynna. How could he ever liken her to something like that?

  She was too…too…too Brynna to be taken casually. No matter what she said.

  “Why not? It’s been three years since I’ve had sex. It’s not like I’m promiscuous, or anything. Are you?”

  “No. It’s been about two years for me.” They were sitting in a cellar, calmly discussing having a one night stand. Him and the girl he’d known since she was born.

  And damn it, he wanted her naked and beneath him more than he’d ever wanted anything in his damned life.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

  * * *

  BRYNNA waited for him to make his decision. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to have no-strings sex with a wildly dangerous, wildly sexy man like Chance Marshall. Was that so bad?

  They respected each other, they had protection, and they could enjoy each other and walk away. Was that so wrong?

  Her father and mother had taught her that sex was special and it should only be with people she cared about. Well, she did care about Chance. She did respect him.

  And she didn’t doubt that he had saved her life. That counted for something for her.

  She was a full grown woman and had the same needs as Mel or Gabby or any other woman out there. Shouldn’t she also have the right to have those needs met by someone she did respect?

  Still, why was she trying to convince herself? She knew what she wanted.

  Did he?

  “Chance? Why couldn’t we—shouldn’t we—have sex, if we both agree it’s just no-strings? That we’re free to go our separate ways when this is over?”

  “You’re serious. No ties?”

  “No ties. I don’t want ties. I have goals, remember? Are you attracted to me? Because I really want to know what those things you wanted to do to me are.”

  “Damn, I want to show you those things.”

  Brynna held a hand out to him. “Then show me.”

  * * *

  ALL it took was that small pale hand held out to him. Chance melted in a heartbeat. Her words were almost without inflection, but her eyes…Her eyes told him exactly what she wanted.

  “No regrets?”

  “I’m not in the habit of making decisions I’ll regret.” She let him pull her closer. Chance hadn’t felt so awkward with a woman since his first time almost twenty years ago. But it felt like his first all over again.

  “Bryn, baby…” He drew her closer and covered her mouth with his.

  Chance waited until her lips softened beneath his before pressing for more. He didn’t want to rush. That was one thing he knew for certain.

  He wanted to take his time touching, learning, this woman.

  Chance started on the baggy shirt first. It was the ugliest damned shirt he had ever seen, but on her it was perfect. It emphasized how slender and feminine the flesh beneath it was. It tempted while it concealed.

  He wanted it gone. So he made it gone, tossing it toward one of the corners of the cellar. The red bra was next.

  The cuts on her skin, the stitches he’d put in her flesh himself, were in the early stages of healing. He’d have to be extra careful, wouldn’t he?

  “I’m not going to break. You can actually touch me.” Her words were low, calm, but her hands were going straight for the shirt on his chest.

  Chance laughed. “Patience, Bryn. We have all the time in the world.”

  * * *

  BRYNNA gripped the shoulders of his shirt and pressed her lips to his. Something was different about this kiss from the way he’d kissed her before. She didn’t have a clue what.

  His fingers drifted carefully over her skin. He pulled back. Brynna dragged in a breath.

  “Brynna, I think...this is your last chance. Tell me to stop, unless you want this to end over there on those blankets.”

  Decision time.

  “I don’t want to stop.”

  And she didn’t. He made her feel, in a way she hadn’t about a man in a very long time. That had to mean something, didn’t it?

  Just because they had sex while there didn’t mean they were going to be tied together forever.

  She understood that.

  And hadn’t her parents always told her and her sisters to be with someone they cared about and respected? Who they trusted?

  She didn’t think Chance Marshall was the kind of man who’d hurt her.

  Hadn’t everything he’d done since they’d met proven that? “I don’t want to stop.”

  His hands tightened on her
, though not hard enough to hurt the injuries on her side. “If I do anything, anything at all, that you don’t like or that hurts you, you stop me right away.”

  “Ok.” Her hands went to the buttons of his shirt. She’d seen him without his shirt that morning—he’d taken it off and rinsed it outside in the rain—and now she wanted to touch him.

  He was definitely older than the guys she was used to, but he wasn’t anywhere near as soft as her previous lovers had been.

  Chance was all edges and muscles and strength. Her fingers trailed over his pecs. He shivered.

  Brynna grinned. “You liked that.”

  She did it again.

  * * *

  SHE shot him a look filled with such wickedness, such female knowledge that Chance just about lost it right there. Ripped her clothes off and gave them both what they wanted without the niceties a first time with a woman needed.

  Without the niceties a woman like Brynna deserved.

  Brynna. This was Brynna, and he was for damned sure not going to do anything that she wouldn’t enjoy. And that meant leashing his caveman and slowing himself down. Besides, they had all night to explore each other. To learn.

  “I can’t make any promises of forever, baby. I won’t.”

  “I know that. This isn’t a lifetime commitment. It’s sex, Chance. I’m not asking you to marry me or anything.” She leaned forward and nipped at his neck.

  He yelped, then laughed. When was the last time a woman had surprised him? He couldn’t remember. “Like to bite, do you?”

  Her eyes widened. “Um...”

  “I’m going to taste you everywhere, Bryn. From here—” He brushed his fingers over her lips lightly. “To everywhere...”