Learning to Drown (4 page)

“Hey there, friend. My name is Lucas
Crow, I just took your truck.”

Damien’s enraged voice issued from the
phone. I couldn’t help but smile. He was pissed--good. Fuck him. Yelling about
his truck but not me? He deserved it if Lucas doused the truck in gasoline and
lit it up like the Fourth of July. I pushed my free hand to the warm dash and
strained to hear.

Lucas frowned. Shook his head.
Crow
.
I liked that name. I’d have to ask if he was Native American. His hair was
light but the nose was right. And the high cheekbones that begged to be traced
with a fingertip. I shook my head and looked out into the dark rushing past the
windows.
Get a grip, girl. Focus.

“I understand that, Damien, but that’s
not my concern. See, I work for Sideswipe. And independent contractor, if you
will. They give me an assignment and I wrangle the vehicle and bring it to the
lot. After that, the company figures it out. Not me. Doesn’t matter one lick if
you had to pay a vet bill for your dog or you mother needed an operation.” He
rolled his eyes at me.

“Lie and lie,” I mouthed.

Crow grinned and nodded. My belly did
a slow, lazy roll and I had to shift in my seat again. Inappropriately horny.
What did one do about that kind of situation? “Dude…hey, man, listen to me. You
can call this number in the morning and plead your case.” He rattled off a
phone number while I hunched toward the heat. I opened the blanket a bit,
trying to catch the warm drifts of air. I ignored how muscular his forearms
were. And how big his fingers seemed. He was imposing without being inflated.
An air of confidence surrounded him. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell
me, sir? About the truck?” Lucas pointed to me and to the phone.

I nodded. Here was Damien’s chance. He
could step up and try to save me. I held my breath. Lucas frowned and my heart
sank.

“That’s it?” he said. I leaned in but
the words were lost to me.

Lucas sighed, and hit the disconnect
button on his cell. He cut Damien off in mid bellow. “Well?”

“He told me he’d just had the paint
touched up and not to scratch it.” Crow looked mortified on my behalf and
somehow that was even more embarrassing.
“Not a word about me?”

“No. I’m sorry, la
¾
Ember.
Really. Look, let me take you home and I’ll kick his stupid fucked up ass for
you.” He leaned in and grinned. So close to me he was sucking up all my air. It
felt like he would kiss me, he was that close. I wanted him to kiss me. Despite
how much I loathed men at the moment, I wanted his lips on mine.

“I can’t go there. He left me to die.”
I tried saying it matter of factly, but my voice shook. One tear broke free. I
wanted to die of embarrassment right there. “I have to go somewhere else.”

“Where do you want me to take you?” He
put his hand on my arm, a comforting gesture that somehow exuded a heavy
sensuality. It was simply that he‘d saved me. I knew that deep down. It didn’t
make his masculine pull any easier to handle.

Then it hit me. The ugly truth.

“I don’t have anywhere to go.” A wall
of tears obscured my vision. I swallowed and swallowed again to keep from
crying. Bit my tongue and pinched my thigh and tried to slide away from him on
the bench seat. But he caught me up, a kind arm around my shoulder as the first
wave of tears broke the barrier of my lower lashes.

“Hey, hey, Ember. September--can I
call you that? Good,” he went on without waiting for my approval. “Why are you
crying? Don’t cry. Why are you crying?”

“Because I keep biting my tongue so I
won’t cry.”

“But you
are
crying.”

“I know.”

“So why are you crying?”

“Because now my tongue hurts!”

For whatever reason, his gruff barely
audible laughter made me feel better. I had to figure out where to go. I’d be
fucked blue and tattooed before I’d go home to Damien. That ass.

Chapter 3

Lucas put the tow truck in gear and it
took off with a grunt. He hit a button on a remote attached to his visor. The
gates opened slowly in the darkness. I sniffled, trying so hard not to let the
embarrassment turn me inside out. My emotional state was not making a good
first impression. Abduction Fantasy Barbie in my green undies wasn’t a great
start either. I was pretty much screwed as far as first impressions went.
“Where are you taking me?”

My heart pounded. If he said the
police station, I’d open the door and jump for it. What more could a girl want
than to take a flying leap from a moving truck while handcuffs circled her
wrists. Oh yeah, a boyfriend who’d think it important to mention that you were
locked in the back of his truck. You know, so you didn‘t freeze to death.

“Home. I’ve got some cuffs and the key
should work just fine. We’ll get your wrists free, dunk you in a shower, dress
you in some sweats and regroup.”

I blinked at him, feeling stupid.
Streetlights threw flashes of yellow and silver over his strong profile. One
moment he looked angelic, the next nearly demonic. A surreal and gorgeous play
of light that showed me how little I knew about the man sitting next to me. No
matter what the light, he always appeared gorgeous, I noted. “I’m sure your
wife will love that.“ I was testing the waters though I wanted to deny it. Not
quite ready to admit my attraction, I was cheating. Probing. If a shrink got a
hold of me, he’d have a field day.

“No wife.” He put his turn signal on
and took a sharp left. My ass slid across the bench seat, my thigh banged his
before I could scramble back to my side. The chains on the cuffs jangled
merrily and he smiled. “And before you go there, no girlfriend either. So no
one will care if I bring home a woman who’s cuffed up and bare. And you‘re kind
of blue, in case you were curious.” He stared at me not smiling and my heart
grew too big for my chest. “ No one will care if I get her out of her cuffs and
no one will care if I put her in a hot steamy shower and dress her in my too
big clothes. No one. Except maybe Daisy.”

His description in that soft sure
voice made my heart flutter. With Lucas it seemed that every word was
deliberate. He’d be the man who rarely cared what others thought. Who did what
he wanted and that was the way it was. If you didn’t like it, I bet Lucas Crow
would tell you to go fuck yourself. “Daisy?”

“My dog. She might be pissed. But if
you give her a treat, she’ll love you for life. She is a little big, so don’t
freak out, okay? You’ll want to, but don’t.”

In my head, X-rated images played of
me pinned to the shower wall by a huge wet Lucas. I struggled to inhale, barely
managed. The movie in my head was full of steam surrounding us. His big hands
pinned my hips to the cool white tile. His knee parted my thighs, forcing my
stance wide so that I was open to him. Exposed to his touch. When his fingers
found my pussy, I arched to meet him. His thumb rubbed my clit in perfect
circles until I made a soft sound. His fingers slipped inside of me, pushing
into my warmth, seeking out every secret place in my cunt that would make me
shiver in his arms like I was still cold. His lips would taste like coffee and
cinnamon. They would cover my lips and his tongue would push hard into my
mouth. His kiss would be almost angry. Possessive. Alarming. I heard a small
sound when my throat squeaked. He leaned in and I jumped like he’d burned me.

“Earth to Ember, I said, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. Your dog is big. Got it.”
I sucked in a shaky breath and pushed the rest of the stuff in my head away. It
came back instantly. Showed me in detail, Lucas Crow rubbing the head of his
cock to my wet slit. I gasped and then covered poorly with a cough. I managed
to clear my mind when he pulled up in front of a small cottage. He helped me
down from his giant truck. I stumbled when my knees gave from a mix of
exhaustion and relief. Lucas steadied me, mumbled
easy
and helped me up
the dark walk to his house.

The barking started half way to the
door. Big Daisy. Big dog that would love me if I gave her a treat. No big deal,
I reminded myself.

Lucas opened the door and a blur of
black and white the size of a small person came bounding toward us. Daisy made
a sound that put my hair on end. I backpedaled, bouncing off of Lucas. I
grabbed at him with clumsy fingers, trying to find something to clutch. “Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus.” I was chanting it as if I could summon up a savior. “That’s not
a dog. That’s a horse.”

“Oh, she’s a baby,” Lucas said but
stepped in front of me. “Daisy, heel!”

Daisy did so but didn’t look happy
about it. I peeked out. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“Don’t be silly. Let’s get you a treat
to give her.” He rummaged in his pocket but I couldn’t help but notice that he
stayed in front of me the whole damn time.

* * * *

Daisy greeted me in a super aggressive
way. It was clear the behemoth was not happy. I could tell by the way she
showed her teeth. As if to say,
he’s mine, bimbo, back off.
A huge
Dalmatian colored beast, Daisy had big paws, floppy ears, one blue eye and one
green. “She’s pretty, if not frightening. What is she?”

“Part Great Dane, part Burmese
Mountain Dog and part other stuff.”

“Part bear?”  I followed him up the
steps when he tugged my hand. Daisy followed close on my heels, hot breath
rushing over the backs of my legs. The dog was tall. Her snout probably waist
high to me. I couldn’t help but imagine what might happen to my poor spine
should Daisy decide to sink her teeth into me right above my tailbone.

“She just wants more treats, don’t act
afraid. Trust me. You do not want to act afraid.”

“Shh, then! Saying that makes me more
afraid.” I took the steps faster, staying right on Lucas’s heels. My own unstable
breathing didn’t distract me from noticing how nice his ass looked in faded
denim. Or how his jacket hugged his broad shoulders. What would he look like
with the jacket off? Or all his clothes.

“…in here. I have a few that might
work. If not, I can try and pick the locks. Might be able to do it, too. I bet
I can.”

“What?” Damn. I had to stop going off
into pornographic fugues. I was not here to get laid, I was here to…what? Hide?

“I said, the key should be in here.”
He pulled me into what could only be his bedroom. Daisy sat at the threshold,
settling down in the doorway like the Sphinx. She seemed to be blocking all
possible escape routes. I cleared my throat, nerves making my belly tingle. The
hair on the back of my neck tingled too. My pussy was so wet and hot that I was
hyper aware of it. The whole thing made my cheeks blaze.

I dropped onto his tall, old fashioned
bed. It sported an ornate wood headboard that dominated most of one wall.
Antique. Nice. I touched it, feeling mildly stunned, while Lucas rummaged
through his closet. I wouldn’t even ask why he had handcuff keys. Not one key.
Plural--
keys.
“Let’s try this one,” he knelt. The elevated mattress hit
him at shoulder height.

“I like this bed. Is it a family
heirloom?”

Lucas nodded, pushing a small silver
key into the hole. “Family heirloom, yep. Rough guesstimate is it’s about a
hundred and twenty years old and I’m the fourth generation to have it. Nope.
That one didn’t work.” He pushed a slightly larger key into the hole.

“You have a lot of keys on that ring,”
I said, my voice soft. Daisy snorted, lowered her head, her eyes drifting shut.

“I have a lot of use for them. When I
choose.” He bent his head, turned the key, the cuff sprang open. He didn’t say
any more on the subject. Simply undid the other cuff, took them both and dumped
them in a tall silver trash can in the corner. “Better?”

I rubbed my wrists, though they
weren’t raw, they felt it. It was surprisingly emotional to have them off.
“Yes, thank you.”

He plopped onto the bed next to me,
hands on his thighs. Big hands. Nice hands. Squared off fingertips and big
knuckles. Some oil and grease stains at the knuckles. Lots of small nicks and
scars. The hands of a man who worked hard and played hard.
And fucked hard?
“So
you and this Damien…you played games?”

I nodded, studied my own hands. The
same hands as before. A bit stiff and cold still. Plain, boring, event planner
hands. “Yeah. Sorry you were pulled into it. Sorry you had to find me that way.
Trust me, very sorry. I’m sure that was not on your agenda for the night.”

He grinned and hooked an arm around my
neck. “You were a very pleasant surprise on a cold, lonely night.” His
brotherly way made me feel somewhat shunned. He kissed the top of my head,
which seemed both normal and shocking. “So, let’s talk. You were the one who
wanted the playtime?”

His voice was almost tactile it was so
rough. Something in my chest loosened. Felt a  little freer than usual. “Yeah.
Me. I couldn’t…I didn’t. It made stuff better for me. We were stale.”

“Rape or abduction? Or both?” His
voice dropped lower. Fear prickled at the nape of my neck even as a whorl of
pleasure unfurled in the softest spot between my legs. I cleared my throat.

“Abduction. I’m sure you think I’m
insane.”