Escaping the Past Page 13

  Brody chuckled. Then he grew serious. “Why are you drinking beer, Lou?” His silver eyes searched her own.

  She halfway shrugged, breaking eye contact with him and looking at the floor. She said quietly, “I heard what you said about my mom earlier. About me not being able to ‘unlive’ her life.”

  “And?” he coaxed gently.

  “And…you might be right. Just because my mom was all those things doesn’t mean I will be as well.”

  “And that means?”

  “That I can let my hair down a little. Maybe not be so serious.”

  And let me make love to you like I have wanted to do since I first laid eyes on you. Brody’s jeans got tighter and he adjusted his pants. Her next few words were just as potent as cold water being thrown in his lap.

  “That does not mean my morals have changed. I still believe the same things I did before.” She glared at him.

  “Point taken.”

  “Good,” she said.

  “Good.”

  Lou drained the rest of her beer quickly and rose to stand up. He watched her surprise as she found her world wasn’t quite as steady and she stumbled slightly. She reached for the arm of the chair she had just vacated, but the arm of the chair obviously wasn’t where she remembered it to be, so she weaved again.

  Brody wrapped his arms around her waist as she sank against him. He said softly by her ear, “I forgot what a first beer can do to you.” She tilted her head back to look up at him, her eyes veiled by suddenly weak eyelids.

  “Got one hell of a kick, huh?” she asked, grinning widely.

  He laughed at her antics and tweaked her nose with his thumb and forefinger. “You’re awfully cute when you’re tipsy.”

  “Tipsy? Is that what you call this?” she asked incredulously.

  “Yep,” he replied. “This is tipsy.” He took a long, deep breath. “And this is me putting you to bed. Let’s go.”

  “Where? To bed?”

  “Don’t I wish,” he responded candidly.

  “Huh?” was her only response.

  “Never mind.” He turned her around slowly and swatted her on the bottom. She yelped loudly. “Get to bed.”

  He opened the screen door for her and she walked slowly through it. She turned back to him. “Are you coming?”

  Not tonight. No. But his response was, “Yep. I’m right behind you.”

  She walked slowly up the stairs, her bottom well outlined by her jeans. He watched the sway of her hips as she carefully traversed each step. Sweat broke out on his brow. He was thankful when they reached the top step so he could walk beside her rather than behind her.

  She reached for the doorknob that would open the door to her room, but he beat her to it. Her hand closed over his and she smacked it playfully. “I can do it,” she said petulantly.

  “A gentleman always opens the door for his lady,” Brody responded with a bow.

  “Your lady?” She snorted. Very unladylike. And adorable.

  He stood in her doorway, watching her pull the sheets and comforter back. The scene seemed almost too intimate to watch. Then her hands moved to pull her shirt from where it was tucked in her jeans. He imagined he saw the skin of her belly as her shirt fell back in place. He coughed gently. “Are you okay? I’m going to go to bed.” He pointed down the hallway as though she didn’t know where his room was.

  She reached between her breasts and unhooked her bra. She slid her arms into the armholes of her shirt one by one and removed it without ever taking off her shirt. Brody watched in amazement. The fluttering piece of lace danced its way to the floor.

  Then she was tripped up by her pants. Lou fought desperately with the button of her jeans, which would not budge. “Oh, good grief,” she said, wiggling her fingers for him to see. She giggled and said, “My fingers don’t seem to want to work quite right.”

  He walked into the room, knowing he was walking into dangerous territory. “Do you need some help?”

  “With my pants? Probably,” she said absently as she fell onto the bed on her back. She threw her forearm over her eyes and said, “I give up.”

  He sat down on the side of the bed and tried to put on his best doctor’s face as he reached for the button of her jeans. “I’ll get it started for you and then I’m going to go.”

  “How chivalrous of you,” she responded, laughter bubbling out with the comment.

  Brody unbuttoned her jeans, the skin of her waist warm against the back of his hand. He unzipped her pants. “Can you take it from here?”

  “Can I take it? Take what?” she sat up slightly, confusion apparent on her features.

  Brody groaned. “Your pants, Lou. Can you take your pants off?”

  She thought seriously for a moment and replied, “Oh, yeah. I can take my pants off.”

  Before Brody could draw a breath, she reached to the waistband of her pants and lifted her hips off the bed. She slid the jeans over her hips and down to her ankles, where she shoved them from her feet and flung them on the floor. She lay back on the bed and covered her eyes again with her forearm.

  Brody gasped and groaned as he saw her panties, narrow hips and long, lean thighs bared to his gaze. Her panties were pink lace and were no more than narrow strings on her hips. He forced himself to look away. He tried so gently to straighten her on the bed and then raise the covers over her legs. He took a deep breath and tucked the blankets around her. He moved her arm from over her eyes and she opened them slowly. His eyes met hers and he asked quietly, “Are you going to be okay?”

  She grinned again and he felt his heart flip in his chest. “I’m going to be just fine.”

  Brody leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. He lingered there and drew a deep breath, taking in the scent of her.

  He sat back slightly. “Night,” he said softly, looking into her eyes.

  “Night,” she responded. He got up and walked to the adjoining bathroom door. He verified Sarah was sound asleep and moved to walk out of Lou’s bedroom. “Brody,” she called out.

  Sweat beaded up on his neck. If she called him back to the bed, he would be lost.

  “Thanks for getting me tipsy. It was a lot of fun.”

  “Glad to hear it, Lou,” he grumbled as he walked out the door.

  Brody closed the door behind him and heard the click as the door closed, removing the temptation Lou presented. He’d thought his heart would jump out of his chest when she innocently took off her jeans, exposing hips, thighs and panties. Oh, God, those panties. They were nothing but wisps of lace that did nothing to conceal the treasures beneath. He remembered seeing her wearing her underwear that first day when he had caught her swimming with John. Even then, he had been interested and appreciative, but it wasn’t like seeing her close up, so close he could feel the warmth of her body. He could probably walk right back into the room, have sex with her, and get rid of some of the frustration he had been dealing with. The woman was driving him crazy and she did it without any games or flirting or coy glances. She was just Lou. Plain old Lou.

  But there wasn’t anything plain about her. Brody placed his hand on her doorknob and started to turn it to walk back into the room. Then he hesitated. Who would hate him more the next day? Lou or himself? Probably both of them. He placed his forehead against the cool wood of the door and took a deep breath before he went to his room and took a cold shower.

  He toweled off and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. He dried his hair with a towel and tried not to think about the lady sleeping just twenty feet away. His imagination got the best of him as he tossed and turned for the next hour, unable to get her off his mind. Then, just when sleep was about to claim him, she began to scream.

  Her terror was loud enough to wake the dead. Lou shrieked at the top of her lungs. Brody jumped out of bed, sure he would not need the baseball bat because he was used to Lou’s nocturnal noises. These screams were different. She sounded tortured. He flew across the room and flung open his door. It slammed against th
e wall in his haste. He opened the door to her room even more quickly and didn’t bother to turn on the light. Lou was still asleep. A tortured expression was on her face and screams still tore from her throat.

  Brody sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed her shoulders. He sat her up and pulled her up by her forearms. Her eyes opened and looked straight into his. Yet she was still asleep and struggled frantically to get away from him. She scrambled across the bed to the corner of the mattress and crouched there, still screaming.

  “No! You can’t have her!” she screamed, tears running down her face, her body wet with sweat. Her naked legs shook under her weight.

  Not sure what she was talking about he started, “Lou, I don’t want her.” He extended a hand in her direction, hoping she would see it as a sign of peace. The screaming only grew louder.

  Brody rose from the bed. “For the love of God,” he muttered as he went to the adjoining bathroom and grabbed a cup of water from the sink. He walked back to the bed and threw it in her face. She sputtered blowing water from her lips. Her eyes grew wide. She reached shaking hands up to wipe her eyes.

  “Brody?” she asked quietly. Realization crossed her face and she visibly relaxed. He could literally watch the tension leave her body. She crawled across the bed and deposited herself in his lap, still shaking. Her arms climbed around his neck and she burrowed her face into his shoulder. “Thank God you’re here,” she whispered against his skin.

  He gently rubbed her sweat dampened skin as he murmured to her, “You okay?”

  He felt her nod against his chest and heard a small, “I think so.”

  Brody looked up to find Sadie and Jeb in Lou’s doorway. Sadie started to enter the room and Brody held up a hand. He said quietly to her, “I got this, Sadie.”

  “But…” she started.

  Jeb cut her off. He took Sadie by the hand and said firmly, “The boy says he’s got it, Sadie.” He looked pointedly at Brody and said, “It certainly looks to me like he’s got it.”

  “She’s safe with me.” His eyes met each of theirs in turn. “I promise.”

  Jeb tugged Sadie’s hand gently. “Let’s go back to bed.”

  Sadie frowned but allowed herself to be led from the room. Jeb closed the door behind them.

  Brody cupped Lou’s cheek with his hand and brushed the sweat-dampened hair from her forehead. He felt her breaths rising and falling against his chest. That was when he looked down and realized he only wore boxer shorts. At least I slept in something tonight.

  “Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked softly against her hair.

  He felt her shake her head against his chest but felt her arms loosen their strangle hold from around his neck. She visibly relaxed in his arms. He reached out and grabbed the outside of her thigh and pulled her closer to him on his lap to keep her from falling. She looked down, noticed her state of undress and said, “Boy, this is awkward, isn’t it?”

  “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t,” he said. He realized there was only a slip of lace between her bottom and his boxers and he stiffened slightly. “Maybe I had better put you down.” He slid her slowly off his lap and leaned back against the headboard. He crossed his arms over his chest. She started to shake again and he groaned. “Come here.” He motioned with his hands she should come closer. This time, she tucked herself under his armpit and put her head on his shoulder. One hand lay flat on his chest. Slightly uncomfortable, he slid down further in the bed so they were both reclining. He pulled the covers over her bare legs and bunched them in his lap to hide the ever increasing bulge in his boxers. He took a deep breath.

  When he imagined Lou trembling and sweating in bed, it certainly wasn’t because of a nightmare. So, he needed to focus more on the situation and less on his needs.

  “Why don’t you tell me what the dream was about?”

  He could feel her lips move against his skin and her breath tickled the hair on his chest as she took a long breath and then sighed. To distract himself, he used one hand to lift the heavy mass of sodden hair from her neck in hopes of cooling her down. She shifted slightly and burrowed even closer to him. “My mother always said your dreams will come true if you talk about them.”

  He stared straight up at the ceiling. Trying to stay focused. “And you believed her?”

  “Well, I certainly don’t want to chance it.” He felt her smile against his chest. She yawned loudly. “Can you stay with me for a while?’

  “Do you need me to stay?”

  “Please?” she asked quietly.

  “Sure.” He tightened his arm around her shoulders and squeezed gently. “I can stay.” Not sure how long I can stay like this, but I can stay.

  She started to relax against him and her breaths became more even. The slow rise and fall of her chest moved against his. The length of her leg pressed up against his own. Her hand rested against his chest hair. He felt everything. Boy, did he feel everything.

  She was fast asleep. At least one of them would be able to get some sleep. Brody closed his eyes, knowing there were not enough sheep in the world to help him get to dreamland. He kissed her gently on the forehead, tasting the salty sweat on her skin. He was in for a long night.

  ****

  Brody woke at sunrise to a tangle of limbs. Lou’s head was on his chest and her arm was wrapped so tightly around him that it was tucked under him on the other side. One leg was flung across his thighs. Lou’s breath touched his chin and tickled his morning whiskers. He raised his head and looked around. He lifted his one free hand and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The other was firmly planted under Lou and was asleep.

  Brody looked down the length of their tangled bodies and noted the covers had shifted during the night. Lou’s legs were once again bare and one cheek of her bottom was exposed because her panties had risen during the night. He groaned inwardly and laid his head back, staring up at the ceiling.

  The woman was driving him crazy and to top it all off, she didn’t even intend to. She was independent and self-assured yet she had these tiny moments of weakness like last night when she had the nightmare. She was open and honest, and she was sleeping on top of him. He groaned again. When he did, she shifted slightly. Please don’t move. Please don’t move. He looked down at her again. Please move. Please move. He had to get out from under her or he was going to go crazy.

  Brody rolled sideways toward Lou, hoping to slide from under her without waking her. But with his arm asleep, that was nearly impossible. He rolled onto his side, causing Lou to straighten her leg that was originally across his lap. She was now stretched along the length of him, nose to nose. Lou peered at him through lids that were open a fraction of an inch. She grumbled and closed her eyes again. Brody slid his sleeping arm out from under her head and tucked a pillow under it instead. She rolled toward his body heat as he moved away from her.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” he whispered. “You’re going to stay over there and I’m going to get out of your bed while I still can.” He grabbed the covers and pulled them up to her chest and tucked them around her. He lifted himself gently from the bed, shook his dead arm, and flexed his fingers. When he could feel the blood moving again, he opened the door to Lou’s room and stepped out, running straight into John.

  John took one look at Brody as he tiptoed out of Lou’s room and his face turned red with anger. “What the hell are you doing?”

  Brody sighed. “John, it’s not what it looks like.”

  “What it looks like? It looks like you are sneaking out of Lou’s room before the sun comes up! That’s what it looks like.” He paused. “Are you and Lou?” He motioned with his hands while trying to balance the crutches trying to indicate they might be together.

  “No, John, it’s not like that.” He reached to place his hand on John’s shoulder and John dodged him, obviously still ticked off.

  Then Brody got angry, too. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he whispered vehemently. “She had a nightmare, John. A nightmare! She had a
nother of those screaming, wall-shattering nightmares. So, I went in to help her and she asked me to stay and ‘hold’ her for a few minutes. We fell asleep.”

  “So, you guys are not?” John motioned again with his hands.

  “Not what?” Brody asked, exasperated.

  “Not sleeping together?”

  Brody ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “No, John. We are not having sex. Is that what you want to know?” He laughed sarcastically. “We slept in the same bed and didn’t have sex. I swear to God.” He held up one hand to the heavens. “And to be honest, I got a pair of blue ones the size of my head because I haven’t slept with her. Do you hear me? The size of my head! But you know what? I like her. There. I said it. I like her. If I didn’t like her so damn much, I would have slept with her long before now. So, go back to bed, John. Lou’s virtue is still intact, thanks to me. Feel better?”