Touching Scars (27 page)

I rose a few inches and looked down at her. “Believe me, you could if I made you.” My hips pulled back slightly before pushing back into her. She gasped at the sensation and her insides squeezed around me.

When she opened her eyes, she gave me a shy smile that melted my heart. “Point taken.” She turned her head to look at the clock and patted my butt. “Alright, big guy, I need a shower, and you have to go to work in thirty minutes.”

I growled in frustration. I was cozy here in her small bed, still buried in her pussy. “Work is overrated.”

She laughed. “Yes, it is. Up you go!”

I slipped out of her, and she sighed. “I wash your back, you wash mine?” I raised my eyebrow at her.

“You sure that’s a good idea? I’m thinking it might get you worked up all over again.”

She stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Her back was to me and I got a good view of her perfect ass cheeks. Standing up, I scooped her over my shoulder and carried her into the bathroom. “Let’s introduce you to the world of shower sex.” She giggled.

An hour later was I parking my Harley next to the trailer on the oil field. It had been several days since I’d been out here, and I wasn’t looking forward to a long day at work in the stifling heat. The temperature was already nearing one hundred degrees and it wasn’t even eight in the morning. My mood was further soured since I wasn’t spending the day with Kat. She promised me she would be running errands like she did every Monday, and then she was meeting up with Mel to do prep for the bar. I was going to try my hardest to cut out of here early so I didn’t have to spend any more time than necessary away from her. As I pulled my helmet off, I noticed a few extra vehicles parked by Slim’s beater truck. They were black Tahoes that didn’t fit in with the scenery around here. Who on earth did these belong to? And why did they seem so familiar?

The front door of the trailer opened, and Roger was standing in the doorframe with his back to me. I was about to make my way up the steps to grab a cup of coffee before heading out to get dirty. I heard him talking to someone that was obviously standing in front of him, but I couldn’t see who it was. Standing at the bottom of the steps, I remained quiet as I patiently waited for them to step out of the way. I was assuming that the out of place SUV’s belonged to the bosses that were in supposed to be in town. They must have just had a meeting with Roger and Slim. As I was glancing out at the acres of open space, I heard a voice that sounded entirely too familiar. At first I couldn’t place it, but that was because it had been years since I’d heard it. When the person on the other side of Roger laughed, I immediately knew who it was. What in the hell was he doing down here?

“Adam?” I called out a little louder than the two men were speaking. Adam’s face peered around Roger’s, searching for who said his name. When he saw me standing a few feet away, he moved forward. Roger stepped out of the way so he could pass.

“Holy shit, dude, I was hoping I’d see you today.” He held out his hand as he neared me. Screw that. I hadn’t seen him in three years. I grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a guy hug. I clapped him on the back twice before stepping back.

I took in his appearance. He was a few inches shorter than I was, but the guy clearly still hit the gym regularly. His brown hair was cut short, and he was wearing some grey monkey suit. I knew he’d gone to school for business, and from the looks of it, I’d say he was doing well for himself.

“What on earth are you doing down here?”

Roger stepped forward with a perplexed look on his face. “You two know each other?”

“Yeah, this dumbass was one of my best friends in high school. We go way back.” I smiled. Roger seemed taken aback by my casualness and term of endearment. “But that doesn’t explain what would bring you to bum fucked Egypt.”

Adam looked from Roger then to me. “I own this field.”

He said it so matter of fact it took a moment for it to register. If he owned this field, then that meant… “Wait, you own A&S Emissions?”

“Yes, this one and about ten other oil and natural gas plants across the gulf coast. I was stopping in to get a look at  production when Slim mentioned he had a rookie he’d recently hired that was really good. When he told me your name, I wasn’t sure if it was the same Timber. Except shit, who else has a name like yours? After a little digging though, sure enough, I found out it was you.”

My mind was buzzing with all of this new information. He was watching me, letting me connect the dots. “Wow, I can’t believe we’re running into each other. How long are you in town for?”

“Unfortunately, not long. I need to be moving to an offshore rig over near Mississippi day after tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Well, how about we get together for dinner tonight? We can grab a burger at the joint around the corner from my place, and then we can get a drink at the bar in town and do some catching up. Have you been to The Hole?”

Something passed over his features. “The Hole? No, I don’t think I have. Sure sounds good. I’ll meet you when you get off.”

I tipped my head at him and turned to walk out to the rig. My mind was working out the fact that I couldn’t believe one of my oldest friends was down here, and he was my
boss
. How did I not know this? I suppose I wouldn’t have figured it out unless I did some digging behind the company name, but why would I do that? I was only interested in showing up to earn a paycheck like everyone else. The longer I thought about it, it all made sense. A&S Emissions stood for Adam and Sam, his older brother. Their grandfather had been in the natural gas business back in the day, and it seemed the boys took over his company and expanded it.

As my day progressed, new thoughts sprung to the forefront of my mind. Did Adam give me the raise when he found out I was working here? Did he know I’d just come back from the war? I knew none of the other newbies got the same money I did, so was I given it because he thought I needed it? I was completely preoccupied with questions swirling around in my head until it was time to wrap things up and head home. I figured I would head to my place, grab a quick shower, and let Adam know where to meet me.

Walking to my bike, I saw Slim about to hop into his truck.

 He looked over at me and said, “Hey, kid. I heard you know the big boss man. How’s that for coincidence?”

“Yeah, no shit. Sure surprised my ass.”

“How long have you two known each other?”

“Long time. We’ve been friends since we were in grade school. We played every sport together and became best friends when we got to middle school. I haven’t seen him since before my first tour, though. He’d gone off to college and I had my own thing going on. Different paths, I guess.”

“That’s usually how life works.” He shrugged. Climbing the rest of the way into the cab, he paused. “Hey, I’m heading to The Hole tonight, you coming?”

I gave him a look like ‘you’re kidding, right?’ He laughed. The engine of his old truck turned over a few times before it finally sputtered to life. A thought occurred to me before he put it in reverse. “Hey, Slim. I’m headed home to grab a quick shower then I’m meeting Adam at Greased Up for a bite to eat. I told Kat I’d be at the bar when I got off, but since my plans changed and you’re heading over there, would you mind letting her know I’ll be in a couple hours late?”

“Sure, no problem.” He started to back out, but hit his brakes. “Wait, if
you
went to school with Adam, then Kat did too. Why don’t you just ask her to come with you?”

I’d thought about that already. I didn’t think it was a good idea because I wasn’t sure how Kat would feel being around the guy who constantly picked on her back then. She had despised him all those years ago, and I couldn’t imagine that things had changed much since then. We were all adults now, but still, I figured I’d try my luck later that evening when I brought him by the bar. “No, she’s working her shift, and with Ed out of town they’ll be short handed. I’m sure she won’t mind. Just let her know I’ll see her later, will ya?”

“You got it.”

He pulled out, leaving me to put my helmet on and cruise over to my place.

Adam had gotten my number from Roger and texted me to ask where the burger joint was. I messaged him back with the address, and now I sat in the parking lot waiting for him to show up. I’d also texted Kat before I’d taken my shower to tell her where I was going to be. I never heard back from her, but Beaver had let me know that she was okay and dealing with the usual customers. I wasn’t pleased that she didn’t respond, but we could talk about it later. Lights flashed across my face as the now familiar black Tahoe turned into the space next to me. Adam stepped out and approached me with an easy going smile.

“Greased Up, huh? Sounds… appetizing?”

I chuckled. “Shut up, you’ll like it.”

We made our way into the restaurant and took a seat at a booth in the back corner. After we ordered our food, we started talking about anything and everything. We reminisced about our days playing football, and how he had gone off to college and joined a fraternity because his dad had belonged to it. He said he had hated every minute of it and all of the guys were a bunch of douchebags. That little bit made me laugh because I couldn’t help but think it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The world had a way of bringing things full circle and Adam more than likely had gotten a taste of his own medicine.

He asked me all sorts of questions about my dad and how he was doing in Houston. I told him about Alice and that I felt she was going to be good for him. Adam seemed pleased he was doing well. He gingerly asked about my time in Iraq, and I told him he didn’t need to tip toe; I’d tell him whatever he wanted to know. I hadn’t realized until that moment just how much Kat had helped me heal. Before, if anyone had asked me about the Army, I would withdraw and give short answers. Now, I was genuinely okay answering anything that he wanted to know. Granted, I spared him the details that I’d told her, but he understood and nodded his head as I spoke.

“Wow, sorry about your loss. I’m sure it was rough.”

“It was. It’s still hard to think about, but I take it day by day.”

“So are you done with the Army now? Can they call you back up?”

“Nah, my contract is finished. The military has plenty of other people volunteering to go. A lot think that the benefits we’re given are worth the possibility of not coming home. Like guys that are married and have kids but no medical benefits. They think it’s good for their families.”

“Well, I commend you for serving. You made a huge sacrifice by going over there.”

“Thanks, man.”

Our food came out and we dug in. Adam literally ate his words because he said it was one of the best burgers he’d ever had. We ate in silence until our plates were clear, then we both sat back, totally full.

“So, I have a few questions to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

I figured it was best to just come out with it. “Did you already know it was me before I was given that over the top raise, or was it something that I’d actually earned?”

Adam leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin. “Both. Slim had told me how hard of a worker you were, and that you were innovative and caught on to the job quickly despite never working in an oil field before. It piqued my interest, so I did some digging. When I found out it was you, it seemed only right to give you the raise. I was already going to tack on some extra money prior to knowing, but it ended up just solidifying my decision.”

I thought about what he said. “Why so much, though?”

He sighed. “Okay, truth. It was never going to be that much money. But I increased the amount because I figured you needed it. And before you go blowing up on some macho power trip, I’m not taking it back. I’ve seen the figures, Timber. You’ve helped production and I’ve implemented some of your techniques out in my other fields.”

Even after all these years, he knew me well. I didn’t want to take the money knowing that he never had intentions of passing down that much. I wasn’t a charity case, and I certainly didn’t need the money because he felt sorry for me. Almost every penny that I’d earned while overseas was put away and did nothing but earned interest in some CD’s and other various accounts. I could live just fine on that money for quite a while; Kat included, if need be. However, the look on his face told me that he truly agreed with whatever Slim had told him about me.