If You Only Knew (Harper Falls Book 3) (19 page)

She felt it. Her heart mending a little bit more.

“Air, sweetheart. Breathe. Tyler, breathe.”

She did, pulling in the much-needed oxygen. Breathing easy
for the first time in years.

“I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you.”

“No?”

He smoothed back her hair, his warm brown eyes taking in
every inch of her beautiful, precious face.

“Only you know how to touch me, Ty. Here.” He took
her hand, bringing it to his face. She cupped his cheek, her thumb running over
the day’s growth of beard.

“And here.”

This time he brought her hand to rest just over his heart.

“Drew…”

“Shh.”

He kissed her again, a bit of the desperation replaced by
something deeper. It was too soon to tell her how he felt. He still had so much
to make up for, so much more to repair. Someday, though. Soon he would tell
her. She was his first. The first to touch his heart. The first and only.

Tyler pushed up, deepening the kiss. Her tongue found his,
sliding, tasting.

The mood switched again. Heat rose. Needing his flesh against
hers, Tyler pushed at the sheet that still separated them. When her hands
finally found the bare cheeks of his ass, she gave a shout of triumph. Removing
one inconvenient piece of bedding wasn’t the biggest accomplishment, but at the
moment it felt damn close.

“I’m naked,” Drew said, his voice heavy with
passion. “You aren’t.”

“Pull the stupid dress off. Rip it. I don’t care. I’m
not wearing anything underneath.”

“Music to my ears.”

Drew would have done just as she suggested. He was about to turn
the dress into a shredded rag when someone pounded on the RV door.

“Ignore it. They’ll go away.”

Instead, the noise got louder. The person had moved from the
door to the small window just over their heads. The knocking was so hard it
rattled the bed.

“Goddamn it.” Drew leaned over and pounded back.
“Unless you want to be spitting blood and teeth, you better get the hell
away from here.”

“Boss?”

“Tripper?” He looked down at Tyler. Her expression
was somewhere between frustrated and amused. Drew had a hard time finding any
humor in the situation.”

“Go to bed. Whatever it is can wait until
morning.”

“It’s Al, Boss. He got into a fight over some whiskey
and a woman. A couple of guys beat the shit out of him.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Drew rolled off the bed. Within seconds, he had on jeans and
a t-shirt. He pulled on his boots before opening a hidden panel behind the
dresser. Expertly slipping a full clip of bullets into a gun, he tucked it into
the waistband of his pants.

“Tyler—”

“Give me a second to put on my shoes.”

“I want you to stay here. Keep the door locked and
whatever you do, don’t let anyone in.”

“Are you crazy?” She exclaimed. “You have the
muscles and the gun. I’m sticking with you.”

Drew didn’t have time to argue.

“Fine. But put on some underwear first.”

THE BLAST OF heat that hit her as they left the RV wasn’t a
surprise. However, it was unwelcome. The sun was down; had been for several
hours. Yet it felt like the temperature had risen, not decreased. How was that
possible?

“Tell me what happened?”

“Al hooked up with some old buddies he used to hang
with in the Navy.”

“What are a bunch of water jockeys doing in the
desert?”

“That’s what Al kept asking. The more he drank, the
more he complained about the heat and the sand. He hated the Navy, Boss. Half a
bottle of tequila, and he’s missing every last thing about it.”

Drew had taken her hand the instant they left the RV,
keeping her close. His eyes were constantly moving, anticipating any threat.

Earlier, there had been one big crowd, now the groups were
smaller, more specific. It made it harder to guard against an unexpected
attack. There was a lot of drinking and drugs. Mini-fights broke out without
any notice. Drew didn’t want to inadvertently be dragged into one. A gun might
beat a knife ninety-nine percent of the time. Right now, dealing with a bunch
of unruly drunks in a dark, isolated area made the odds a hell of a lot less in
his favor.

“If I tell you to run, run. If I say hit the ground, do
it. Understand?”

Tyler realized now was not the time for smartass quips.

“I understand.”

They made their way through the shadows, trying to avoid any
kind of confrontation, friendly or otherwise. To Tyler, it seemed to take
forever. In fact, five minutes probably passed from the time they left Drew’s
RV to when they got to the one Tripper and Al shared.

“Why did you move? You know it’s safer to keep close to
each other.”

Tripper shrugged. Tyler could see the worry on his face.

“Al—”

“Jesus, Tripper. You told me when you recommended Al
that he wasn’t a drinker and you could handle him. Did you lie?”

Not waiting for an answer, Drew pulled open the door to an
RV that looked identical to the one they had just left.

Still holding her hand, Drew went in first, gave a quick
look around, then pulled her inside. The similarities between the RVs ended at
the door.

Not that this one was a dump. It just looked more like your
standard issue recreational vehicle. The real differences came in the upkeep.
Or lack of it.

Empty beer cans and bottles littered the floor. Dirty
clothes in piles, takeout containers, flies. The smell of sweat, dirty feet,
and rotting food was enough to make anyone gag. Add a top note of cheap
aftershave. It had Tyler looking for the nearest window. Unfortunately, those
had been covered with black construction paper to block out any light.

Either Drew was used to the pigsty or he didn’t care. It
certainly wasn’t his first priority.

“I’m sorry, Boss. I didn’t realize he’d been drinking
until one of his buddies showed up. They brought a couple bottles of the cheap
stuff. The women they brought were even cheaper.”

“Really?” Tyler hated that kind of attitude. She
might not admire the women that followed these guys around. As a career choice,
it seemed a bit limited. Calling them cheap just pissed her off. Men loved
taking what was offered. Then they loved acting like the woman was the problem.

“Sorry, Miss Tyler.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Go find one of the
cheap
women
and tell her you’re sorry.”

“Tyler.” Drew sighed. “Can we save the
feminist rhetoric for later? Once I have all this taken care of, I’ll be happy
to help kick the ass of every disrespectful jerk within a five-mile
radius.”

Not the right time. Tyler got that. Sometimes she couldn’t
seem to help herself.

“Sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

Drew opened the bedroom door. He looked in, cursed, then
turned back.

“Clean towels, if you can find any. And hot
water.”

“I’m on it.”

“Tripper? Get the first aid kit from under the sink.
Chances are you’re going to have to get this idiot to a doctor.”

“He won’t go. That’s why I came after you. Says nothing
is broken. Most of the blood is from a cut on his scalp where Sandrine hit him
with a bottle.”

“I imagine Sandrine had her reasons.”

“Well, they was—”

“I couldn’t care less, Tripper.”

They worked on Al for the next hour. Cleaning his cuts and
bruises. Cleaning him up in general. He had sobered up enough to protest when
Drew tried to get him to go for professional help. It didn’t appear anything was
broken. The main concern was internal bleeding and a possible concussion.

“You can’t make him go, Drew.”

Tripper fixed a pot of coffee. He used the end of his
grease-stained shirt to wipe the rim of a mug before pouring in the
acrid-smelling black liquid. He offered it to Tyler.

“No, thank you.”

Even a coffee addict like herself drew the line somewhere.

“Boss?”

Drew shook his head. Al was sleeping. Or passed out.
Probably a combination of the two.

“I’m counting on you to watch him, Tripper. Wake him
every hour. I’m still worried about a head injury. Those can jump up and bite
you in the ass even when you think you’re fine.”

Taking a big swig of coffee, Tripper wiped the back of his
mouth on his shirtsleeve.

“I know I let you down. I swear I’ve never seen him
drink like that.” Tripper shook his head. He had a worn face, the kind
that made it hard to tell if he was thirty or sixty.

“What’s done is done. Don’t worry about it.”

“It was a woman.”

Tripper whispered the words, glancing furtively at Tyler.

“You can speak up, Tripper,” Tyler assured him.
“I’m not going to give you grief again. Who am I to talk? I showed up
dressed like a stereotypical groupie. What does that say about me?”

“That you have the longest legs I’ve ever seen?”

Realizing that he spoke aloud, Tripper’s eyes almost bugged
out of his head.

“Sorry, Boss. Sorry, Miss Tyler.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Drew assured him.
“She does have pretty spectacular legs.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tripper said it almost reverently. How could she have a
problem with being admired? And in such a non-creepy way.

“I’m going to check on the car.”

They were on their way out of the RV.

“If the people who did that to Al know who he works
for, they might decide to take their remaining frustration out on my ride. It
would be a nice bonus to knock me out of the race.”

“Well, shit. Sorry, Miss Tyler. I never thought of
that. Want me to go?”

“No.” Drew took Tyler’s hand. “You stay with
Al. Most likely the car is fine.”

Tyler didn’t speak as they made their way back to Drew’s RV.
There were still a few pockets of loud partying. For the most part, though, the
campground had settled down for the night. The drivers might be a rag-tag
bunch; they still had to respect the need for some sleep.

Right behind the RV was a tent that Drew and his crew used
to put the car in at night. It wasn’t big enough for anything else, leaving
about a foot of walking space around the vehicle.

Tyler sat on the hood while Drew made a quick inspection.

“Everything looks okay.” He turned to her with a
sigh, his eyes looking tired and slightly bloodshot. Even worn down from a long
day, he was still the best-looking man she had ever known.

“You’re awfully quiet.”

Drew joined her, pulling himself up until his back rested on
the windshield.

“Shit.” He shifted, pulling the gun from behind
his back and sitting in on the car’s roof. “It’s been so long since I’ve
carried one of those, I forgot it was there.”

“Why?”

His head tipped back on the roof, eyes closed, Drew raised a
brow.

“Why did I stop carrying a gun?”

“No. Why do you do this? Jack says part of it is the
thrill. He also thinks you have a semi-death wish. Some complicated crap about
your mommy issues and me. Rose says this is your version of running away to
join the circus.”

Drew snorted but didn’t speak.

“Dani just thinks you’re an idiot asshole.”

“Is that hyphenated?”

Tyler wrapped her arms around her legs, hiding her smile
behind her knees.

“It can go either way.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes listening to the
blissful silence. It had gotten quiet enough to hear the noises of a desert at
night. Owls, nighthawks, some kind of cat that made Tyler glad she was in here,
not out there. The sounds blended in an almost hypnotic tone that could easily
lull someone with less on their mind into a deep sleep. She wasn’t that lucky.

“What’s your theory?”

She waited for him to ask, wondering if he would.

“A bit of all the above.”

She turned, resting her cheek on her knee. Her eyes met his,
now open, alert.

“But that’s too easy.”

“How so?”

“If I thought you wanted to go out in a blaze of glory
because Regina didn’t show you any love, I would kick your ass from here back
to Harper Falls.”

“I’d let you.”

“Exactly.”

She chuckled slightly, Drew joining her.

“My ego likes the idea that I might be at the heart of
it.”

“Is that so? I’m surprised you’d admit that.”

“That I have an ego? It’s quite healthy. It also lives
in the real world. You wouldn’t still be doing this ten years later if I were
the only reason.”

“You always were the smartest one in the room. Any
room.”

“Smart enough.” She gave his leg a playful nudge
with the toe of her sneaker.”

“That leaves runaway or idiot.”

“Idiot asshole.”

“How could I forget?”

She scooted back until she was stretched out next to him, their
arms touching. Taking his hand, she laced her fingers with his. It was a
surprisingly comfortable position, considering they had nothing but hard steel
and glass underneath them.

“You like it. Part of it’s the danger. Jack got that.
Dani should have. She’s a bit a thrill-seeker herself. You, on the other hand,
like the competition.”

“Damn.”

She turned her head. The look on Drew’s face was part
consternation, part admiration.

“You don’t deny it?”

“What would be the point?”

Drew tugged her body until she was laid out on top of him.

“Nobody’s ever understood me like you, Ty.”

He cupped her butt, softly grinding her against his already
rock-hard cock.

Moaning, Tyler took his head in her hands, kissing him like
the world was ending. She pulled back, out of breath and grinning.

“You could enter legitimate races.” She trailed
kisses across his face as she spoke. “Indy, NASCAR, Formula One. Money
certainly isn’t an issue. Though I imagine plenty of sponsors would jump at
having you as the face of their racing team.”