Only Skin Deep (9 page)

“Who
is it?”

“You
have a package, ma’am.” God, he loved her voice and how she peeked out the
curtained window before opening the door.

“I
knew it was you!” She opened the door, letting him in. “The food is prepared,
your beer is in the living room and the game just started.”

“Open
it.”

Nadja
tore the bow off and ripped the box open. Her eyes
went wide with delight, pleasing him. She held out his favorite hockey jersey.
The shirt’s hem would barely go past her luscious ass, always giving him a
perfect view of her thighs and the undercarriage of her ass cheeks. Her squeal
of delight tickled him, and then she was in his arms, kissing him, thanking him
for the perfect gift.

Against All Odds

Chapter One

Sweat
dripped down Derek’s face, though he didn’t stop his stride. Not when the
incline on the treadmill urged him to run faster, to pound on the rubber mat,
albeit with light feet. Icy cold loomed outside his condo. The kind of frigid
weather that froze his balls the moment he opened the door. Running outside
tempted him, though the thought of slipping on ice covered pavement deterred
him.

Deja
plagued his mind. Four months of dating the skittish
woman and he was no closer to gaining her trust than he’d anticipated. Extreme
measures called for a drastic solution. First, he needed a way past her wall of
sheer stubbornness. The chirp of his Bluetooth interrupted his thoughts.

“
Tresvant
.”

Derek
punched the cool down button and slowed his jog to a brisk walk. News of a new
venture piqued his interest. Phil, his accountant rambled off his latest find.
“It’s for sale now?” Raising his hands over his head, he took a breath as his
heart rate decelerated. Numbers spun in his head and he took them apart with
systematic strategy. “Put an offer on the table, pending a thorough look at the
books for the last five years. I want those documents to me within twenty-four
hours.
The brewery?
It’s tripled the amount of capital
I put in two years ago. Let’s give it another year and then I’ll sell.” He
swiped the towel off the hand rest as he stepped off the workout machine. Hell,
if he sold the brewery
Deja
could point out he no
longer had a reason to put down roots in her hometown.

“Where
are we at with the real estate?
Hmmm.
Go ahead and
sell the place. I have no desire to hold onto the property. All the changes I
implemented were made. The complex is rehabbed. Let’s find a corporation
interested in buying. No…I want top dollar. Yeah, don’t back down. If they
press for a lower price, say you’ll think about their offer. Remind them there
are other prospective buyers who’ve taken an interest at the set price.” Derek
grinned. “You’re doing a damn fine job Phil. How’s the weather?”

Derek
stepped into his master bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed. “Damn, I miss
the heat. There are no buildings to protect a person from the cold here. I
swear the wind chills you to the bone. I’m tired of freezing my ass off.” Phil
chuckled on the other end.
Nice to be so amusing to others
.
Derek thought before
replying. “Nah, there are perks to being here, plus business opportunities not
available elsewhere. Look, I gotta go. I’ll check in with you later this week
to see how things are going.” He clicked off his Bluetooth, pressed the button
to open his closet, and grabbed dark blue worn washed jeans and a flannel
shirt. Tossing the hangers on his bed, he was moving to the shower when his Bluetooth
chimed again.
“
Tresvant
.”

“Hey beautiful.”
Derek tossed his socks and boxers on the
bed. Her tone worried him. “What? Where are you?” He listened to
Deja
give her location and grimaced. “You should’ve known
better than to leave your place. Are you hurt? What, you don’t think so? Call
9-1-1.
Deja
.
A bump on the head can be dangerous.” The more he
listened, the more she aggravated him.
“Fine.
Stay on
the phone with me until I reach you. If I think you’re falling asleep I’ll call
9-1-1 myself.”

Anger
surged through him as he hurriedly shrugged into his clothing and found his
boots. “Calm down. No, I’m not yelling at you. I’m concerned.
Deja
—listen. Get in your car and lock the doors. Can you
crank the engine on?” While waiting for her answer, he grabbed his coat,
gloves, hat and keys. “Good. Are there any odd odors coming from the car?” Questioning
her would keep her lucid enough until he reached her side. Derek let himself
out of the condo and paused before giving her more instruction. “Now turn on
your heater. Can you tell me if warm air comes out of your vents?” After a few
moments she reported her heat worked. “Good, that’s one less thing to worry
about. Did you put the blanket kit in your trunk?”

Her
silence told him she hadn’t done as he told her. Hell, he grew up on the West
Coast and knew to be prepared. Prevention meant being prepared. He held his
breathe before counting to ten. “I’m on my way, don’t fall asleep. Just sit
tight. Do not get out of your car,” he reiterated, ready to take off like a bat
out of hell to reach her.

Time
moved slowly or so it seemed as he climbed into his four wheel drive. After
checking the chains, he wished he’d had the foresight to purchase studded tires
for her or a better set of snow tires, but he had good tire traction and
warranty still in effect. Heat blasted him in the face and he reached down to
adjust the setting. By the time he got on the highway ramp irritation began to
fade. What else did he expect from his
Deja
…She never
planned for anything, but ran full speed
ahead.
He’d
be lying to say he wouldn’t have her any other way. Getting her to listen and
take some advance measures would be
ideal,
however, it
wasn’t in her personality so he couldn’t begrudge her.

Jammed
traffic prevented him from getting to her in a timely manner. Frustration at
the twenty minute wait seized him before he pulled up to her vehicle. After
turning on his hazard lights, he looked for oncoming traffic. What she’d told
him wasn’t half as bad as he’d expected.

Derek
braved the cold, trekked over to the car and rapped on the window. Relief crossed
Deja’s
face as she rolled it down a bit. The bump
looked big. Her pallor worried him.

“I’m
so sorry to drag you out in this. I hit a patch of ice.”
Deja
stepped out of her car on wobbly legs.

Derek
took in her attire. “Aren’t you cold?” He slipped his gloves off and ran his
fingers over the knot on her forehead, feeling the heat emanate under his
fingertips. “That’s a nasty bump. Let’s get you in my truck. We can take care
of your car later.”

One
look at her stiletto boots told him she would break her fool neck if she
attempted to walk on the shoulder of the road. “You should really dress for the
weather.” Derek bit the tip of his tongue and picked her up unceremoniously.
The ice made walking difficult. He cradled her body against his awkward gait
best he could. That she was about to speak didn’t escape his notice. He left
her in the passenger seat with a smile on his face when she didn't say a word.
He pulled out a blanket from behind his seat. “Cover up.”

Thick
chunks of snow covered her hood and the passenger side, but both appeared
undamaged. He deduced he’d have to call in a tow and headed back to his
vehicle.

Once
again, hot air blasted him as he climbed in next to
Deja
.

“Thank
you Derek.” She refused to meet his eyes, looking out the window to her broken
car. No doubt mad at him for his attitude. He was pissed she was pissed, what a
pair they made.

Crazy woman
.
He
cut his eyes to her and slipped on his safety belt. “Strap up.” While waiting,
he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, and then using precaution, moved
into traffic.

“I
wasn’t expecting to get stuck.”

“I’m
not up to arguing
Deja
. We don’t live in California.
It’s below zero. Fashion is cute and all but is it worth hypothermia or dying
for?”

“Don’t
lecture. I’m a grown woman. I can wear what I damn well want. I have a coat on.
I have boots on. I expected to get in and out in a covered garage. Accidents
happen.”

“That
is not a real coat.” He referred to the thin material hugging her body, the
only closure a belt tied at the waist.
You'd
think someone with her connections could find a stylish parka to keep her warm
.
“It’s below zero outside,” he reiterated.

“I
had a fashion meeting,” she snapped.

“Of
all the stupid—” Derek bellowed at her.

Guilt
washed over him when he noticed
Deja
wince and cover her
eyes with her arm. Maybe he was being too harsh on her with the current
circumstances. Hadn’t he said he didn’t want to argue or fight?

“I’m
sorry.” Derek didn’t mention how the call saying she’d slid into solid wall of
snow scared the shit out of him. Imagining finding her dead brought out the
part of him he’d thought he’d conquered or at least suppressed. “You have to
think more, beautiful. Watch the news and go from there to learn if you need to
cancel your appointments during inclement weather. You could’ve frozen your
pretty ass off at the least…the worse, flipped into a mangled mess. I could’ve
been visiting you in the morgue. Not here picking you up safe and sound. Every
man hates not being able to protect their woman, I’m not any different.” He
patted her leg to reassure himself she was okay,
then
put both hands on the wheel.

Twenty
minutes later, he parked at the entrance of the closest emergency room. “Let’s
go get your head looked at. When we’re settled in there I’ll look for a tow
company.” Kissing her cheek before exiting, he strode around to her side, glad
the trucks had plowed the hospital parking lot. Once he had her in his arms
again, he carried her inside the hospital and settled her into a chair. A
triage nurse had him sign in while she took
Deja’s
vitals. Derek took a second to breathe and rein in his emotions now that she
was being looked at.
Deja
didn’t need the
lecture,
he just couldn’t stop the words from leaving his
mouth.

A
quick talk to the stationary police officer gave him a local tow company. The
call was short and sweet. Derek gave the mile marker along with the location of
the keys to the dispatcher who promised to take care of her car post haste.
When he got off the phone,
Deja
was being led into
exam one. He trailed behind them.

“Sir.
I need some information.” Registration stopped him and
handed him a clipboard with a form for consent to treat.

“I’ll
fill out what I know ma’am. Her total history I’m not sure about.”

“Just
do your best. The nurse can ask the rest.”

Admitting
handed him the necessary forms to fill out and sign. “I believe she pays her
own insurance, however, just take down my information here. I’ll provide the
payment for her care.” If her out of pocket expenses were high, making her
premium increase because of a gross error in judgment made no sense. For now
he’d take care of her needs to save her the aggravation and soon maybe she’d
let him take care of her for good.

“Thank
you.” Registration motioned for the next in line. Derek knocked on the ER room
door before joining
Deja
.

“How
is she?” Derek asked, standing off to the side but close enough to lay a hand
of support if needed.

“I’m
fine, just ready to go home.”
Deja
yawned.

“Is
she really fine? I doubt she’s ready to go home just yet.” He didn’t want to
take her word for it, not unless a trained professional agreed. After seeing
the recent news on head injuries, he wouldn’t allow
Deja
to play Russian roulette with her life.

“No.
Not just yet. I paged the physician on call and he’s instructed us to have
neuro
come down for a consult.” The nurse patted
Deja’s
hand in comfort.

“I
don’t need treatment. I just bumped my head a bit. How much will this cost me?
I can’t afford tests to tell me there’s nothing wrong.”

Derek
crossed over and sat on a stool next to
Deja
. “I want
you to have the tests. We played things your way by not calling an ambulance.
We just saved you a few hundred by bringing you in, have the tests done.”

“My
insurance is already high. I can’t afford for the premium to rise. I’d rather
outpatient it at my doctor’s office tomorrow.”

“Then
let me pay for your care.” He put her palm to his hand and kissed her soft
skin. “Before you say no, consider it a concession for the ass I was acting
like bringing you in.”

“That’s
a hefty fine to pay for being such an a—”

The
registered nurse, Jenny smiled at them. “She’s ready for a room in the back.
Radiology will come down for her to take her for a CT scan and we’ll go from
there.”

“Thank
you.” Derek helped
Deja
up. “I’m not budging on
this.”

“It’ll
cost you, in more than just money. This is a big deal.”

Don’t I
know.
Don’t
I
know.

In
room two they waited for radiology to show. Since she wasn’t in critical
condition other trauma patients came first. The wait was killing him though.
Hard to believe hospitals still made him nervous after all this time. Luckily,
caring for
Deja
kept his mind in the present, leaving
his past dead and buried where it belonged.