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I WASN’T EXACTLY sure who the blond was standing on Trevor’s porch but she certainly didn’t look thrilled to see me. And the comment about me smelling like puke – well, it was probably true, but she didn’t have to point it out. Beaten or not, she was still a bitch.
Sighing, I turned on the light, removed my boots, and caught my first impression of Trevor’s place. From what I could tell, it was a cozy, split-level house that couldn’t have been more than ten years old. It smelled kind of nice, too. Like fresh cedar and lemon. It was a nice surprise, considering I’d expected it to smell more like cigarettes or stale beer, since he was a biker and obviously liked to party.
To the left of the front door, I noticed a pair of Nike tennis shoes, a brown pair of cowboy boots, and a set of steel-toed mountain boots sitting next to a wooden bench. I placed my own boots next to his.
Damn, he has big feet.
Smiling, I walked up the stairs, to the main level, which was obviously a bachelor pad. There was an oversized brown leather sectional, which faced a large television and an impressive stereo and sound system. There was also a large fish tank that took up most of the other wall. Other than that, there wasn’t much thought put into the decor, save for a few candles and a painting of an older model Harley Davidson, which hung over a small fireplace.
Intrigued by the aquarium, I walked over and stared at the colorful fish, which were obviously the saltwater kind. I leaned down and watched a group of clown-fish swim through some rocks, amazed at the sheer size of the tank. I didn’t know a lot about fish, but I knew that a large tank like this wasn’t cheap and needed a lot of maintenance. As I began examining some of the other fish, the front door opened and then seconds later, slammed shut, startling me. I straightened up and met him by the stairs. He looked like he wanted to hurt someone.
“So, is she going to be all right?” I asked, nodding toward the doorway.
He grunted and shook his head. “She was a total cunt to you and yet you still care about her welfare?”
I winced at the word “cunt.” I hated it, but for some reason, it seemed kind of fitting for her. “I don’t know. She just looked so desperate. Like she really needed help.”
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. She can go to her sister’s or her mom’s for help,” he said, climbing the steps.
“Who is she?” I asked, having a pretty good idea.
“She’s... nobody.”
“Nobody, who visits you in the middle of the night?” I replied.
He sighed and removed his leather jacket. “She used to be my Old Lady. Before she decided she needed to be more than that.”
I stared at his bare chest and muscular arms, wondering why in the hell she’d given all that up. “Her loss though, right?”
Trevor smiled. “That’s what I keep telling myself,” he said, walking closer to me.
I grinned.
“How are you feeling? Still sick to your stomach?”
I shrugged. “A little. I think I just need to sleep.”
He nodded.
“So, you said I could use your shower?” I asked, feeling nervous now that we were alone in his house and he was already half-naked.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, turning toward the hallway. “There’s a shower you can use right through here. I’ll show you.”
“Okay.”
I followed him to the bathroom and he turned on the light.
“Everything you need should be in there – shampoo, conditioner, soap...”
“Thanks,” I said, as he reached inside the linen closet and handed me a thick, blue towel.
He looked down at my clothes. “Oh, yeah. You’ll probably need something clean to wear. I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving me in the bathroom. He returned shortly with a pair of red boxers and a long black Harley Davidson T-shirt. “I don’t know if these will fit,” he said, nodding toward the boxers, “but the T-shirt should be comfortable enough.”
“Thanks,” I replied, taking them from him. I smiled shyly. “You’ve been so nice. I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I could help.”
“Me, too,” I said, trying not to stare at his biceps. But it was hard. Not only were they nice but his tattoos were intriguing. “What is that on your upper arm? The face with the empty eyes?”
He looked down at it. “I got that when I was sixteen. It’s supposed to represent a soulless asshole.”
“Your father?”
He chuckled. “No. Me. Back then. I was going through some things. I had a lot of anger issues. Got into a lot of fights. Did some shit I wasn’t proud of.”
“We all did.”
His eyes twinkled. “You like to make up excuses for people. You need to stop doing that.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You think so?”
“Definitely. You’re far too nice.”
“I’ll work on it.”
He smirked. “You have any ink?”
“Tattoos? Me?” I laughed. “No. Not that I don’t want one. Maybe someday.”
“You could start out with something small. Like a heart. Then build from there.”
“I was thinking a skull would be kind of cool. A skull with a rose.”
He grinned. “You like skulls?”
“I like flowers. I just thought the skull would make it look not so... girly.”
“Nothing wrong with being girly,” he said. “But, having a dark side can also be damn sexy. You have one of those?”
“A dark side?”
He gave me a slow grin. “Yeah.”
My cheeks turned pink. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“I don’t think you do,” he replied. “But, to tell you the truth, it doesn’t make you any less sexy.”
I could feel my blush deepen.
He suddenly looked like he’d gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar. “Sorry. I’d better let you get into the shower so you can get some rest.”
“Thanks. Where is the guestroom?”
“It’s right next to my bedroom,” he said. “Down the hall and to the left. There should be clean sheets on it and the mattress is decent. It’s not as nice as mine, though. So, if you want, I can take the guest bed and you can have my room.”
“No. I’m sure the bed is just fine. Thanks, though.”
Nodding, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “If you change your mind and have a hard time sleeping, you can always sneak into my bed. It’s a king and I pretty much sleep like the dead. I doubt I’d even know you were there.”
I laughed. “Right. I bet you say that to all your female guests.”
He looked serious. “I know what you’ve been through tonight. There’s no way I’d take advantage of you, Adriana. I’m serious.”
I smiled. “I appreciate it. I’ll be fine though. In the guestroom.”
He nodded. “Okay. Well, I’m going to make a phone call, so when you’re done with your shower, feel free to crash. Unless you’re hungry, that is. Would you like something to eat? I was about to make a pizza before I left to pick you up.”
My stomach was empty but food just didn’t sound that appetizing. “No, thanks. I’m just going to go to bed.”
“Okay. Holler if you need anything,” he said, leaving me alone in the bathroom.
“Thanks,” I replied, shutting the door.
I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror. Sure enough, there was dried puke in my hair. Not a lot, but enough to be offensive.
He had to have seen it.
I was too tired to even care. Sighing, I turned on the water, got undressed, and slipped into the shower.