Debbie’s scream woke me with a jolt. “No,” she yelled.
I burst through my door and yanked hers open.
She had her hands over her face, curled in a fetal position. “No,” she sobbed, but at a lower volume than before.
I rushed to her side, sat on the bed, and put my hand on her shoulder. “Debbie. It’s okay.”
She jerked and struck me.
I grabbed her wrist.
What was with this girl? She tried to hit me every time I helped her.
In the dim light from the hall, I could see fear in her eyes as she blinked rapidly.
“You were yelling.”
Her arm relaxed. “Nightmare,” she said softly.
I let go of her hand and touched her shoulder. “Go back to sleep.” I got up and walked to the door. “Nobody can get to you here.” It was probably the memory of her attack that had brought this on.
“Don’t leave me.”
I cocked my head, sure I’d misheard her.
“Please,” she said, holding her arm out to me.
I closed the door and did the dumbest thing possible. I made my way to the bed in the dark and climbed under the covers with her. Now I was never going to get any sleep.
“I’m scared,” she said.
I laid there, unsuccessfully willing my dick to stay down with her warmth only inches away. “You’re safe with me, Red.” I had to hope that wasn’t a lie.
Chapter 16
Debbie
I lay on my good shoulder, my bad one in the air, protected from contact. It was warm in here under the covers. I pried an eye open. It felt like sleep had superglued it shut.
Morning light filtered around the edge of the curtains. As I blinked and focused, the reason for my warmth became clear. My head was on a pillow next to Luke’s shoulder, and I stared at him.
I closed my eyes again, and last night came back to me. I’d had another nightmare, and I’d been loud enough to scare him into waking me. The fear had strangely given me the courage to ask him to stay—to protect me from my demons.
I smiled with that thought. Challenges that don’t break you make you stronger—I’d read that somewhere. I should have been scared, embarrassed, or repulsed I’d asked a man I hardly knew to join me under the covers. This morning I was none of those things. I’d finally slept soundly for the first time in a long time. Because I’d been brave enough to take that chance.
A few weeks ago, trying a different salad dressing was as far as I would have gone, yet here I was—not naked, but still lying next to the hunk I hadn’t had the courage to speak to on his many visits to the Minimart.
I carefully slid off the side of the bed. After padding down the hall to the bathroom, the mirror told the ugly story. I lifted the hem of the T-shirt. A large area of my hip had already turned colors that were only going to get worse. But the bandage on my knee had stayed in place, and no blood had seeped through it.
My head itched like crazy, and when I pulled the cap off, the matted blood and dirt in my hair looked even worse than it felt.
When I returned to the room, I found the bed empty.
The door down the hall opened, and Luke emerged in a T-shirt and jeans.
“I tried not to wake you,” I explained.
He smiled, and those wonderful dimples appeared. “I know.”
“I have a question.” I pointed to my head. “This is super gross. Can I wash my hair this morning?”
He walked past me toward the kitchen. “If you’re careful. I’ll get the stuff.”
My shoulder was still pretty useless, and I knew from experience that it would be that way another day or so, but at least my hip wasn’t as sore as last night, and getting clean would be a major improvement. I walked to the bathroom and waited to learn what getting set up for a shower would entail.
When he returned, I welcomed the pills he offered, even though the pain was down from yesterday’s levels.
He’d brought tape and plastic with him. “Hold this in place,” he told me as he put the first piece of plastic over my knee bandage.
I held it with two fingers.
“We have to keep this dry today,” he said as he taped the plastic to my skin above and around the bandage.
“Do you plan on doing that to my head too?”
He shook his head. “No. You’ll just have to wash around the area without getting the cut wet. We do need to waterproof the bandage on your ribs, though.” He stood and helped me get my good arm out of the sleeve on the one side.
This was obviously going to involve getting naked with him again, but that wasn’t new.
He gently lifted the shirt sideways over my head and down my bad arm.
I moved my good arm forward and across my chest to give him space over the bandage while I covered up.
He held the plastic to my side. “Hold this here.”
There was no way I could do that and cover my boobs at the same time. I gave in and did a chicken wing on that side to hold the plastic up and leave my boobs free for him to see. It isn’t the first time, I told myself.
He taped me up quickly with only an occasional glance at my boob. “Okay. Just keep the water away from the cut on your head, and you should be good to go.” He gathered up his tape.
“Thank you,” I said as he left and closed the door.
I shed my panties, climbed into the tub, pulled the curtain closed, and adjusted the water temperature before pulling on the faucet diverter to send the water up to the shower nozzle.
The warm spray felt heavenly as I turned under the water. With one arm, I was able to wash most of me, but when I got to my head, I had to lean against the tile and admit I couldn’t do this with one hand.
I let the water rinse through the lower part of my hair to get some of the grossness from the ground behind the gas station out. It was either get help or be grossed out for another day or two. I swallowed my pride and yelled. “Luke?” It took a second yell before a knock sounded at the door.
“What do you need?” he asked, opening the door a crack.
“I need help,” I admitted.
“The arm giving you trouble?”
“A little.”
The door closed. “Give me a sec.”
Through the shower curtain, I could see the outline of him taking off his clothes and shivered. I hadn’t thought this through. I didn’t have a stitch on, and of course, he wouldn’t want to get in the shower with all his clothes on. I hadn’t even given him my last name, and I was about to be naked in the shower with him—my secret crush.
Annie wouldn’t believe it when I told her.
He draped a towel over the curtain rod and pulled the shower curtain aside. At least he’d left his boxer briefs on, not that it made me any less naked.
I turned my back to him.
He pulled the curtain closed again.
“I can’t get my hair,” I said.
His warm hand grasped my shoulder.
I jerked at the surprise. “Sorry,” I quickly apologized.
He leaned past me, pulled the spray nozzle loose from the showerhead, and brought it around me. The touch of his skin against mine was electric. “Close your eyes and lean your head back.”
I did as he asked, but it made me lose my balance.