the speedometer in town and I just went three-sixty with you
on a sand covered beach parking lot, and…” He went
quiet.
“ And, what?” I
prodded.
He reached up and touched
my arm where he’d tried to snap it off earlier. Even though the
touch was soft, my arm was still painful, and I had to bite my
tongue to keep from crying out. “You’re here with me,” he
answered.
“ So you’re saying you are a
big risk?” I pried. It was time to find out more about the guy who
was magnetizing my heart, drawing me to his steel
façade.
I reached over and touched
the scarred shoulder through his tee-shirt. I thought I felt him
shudder under my fingers. “I didn’t realize I’d guessed this right
that day at gym—I just hope I was wrong about it being a girl you
were stalking.”
“ No, it wasn’t a
girl.”
“ Do you mind?” I asked as I
started to lift his sleeve.
“ Would you be satisfied if
I said no?”
“ I already know what’s
there. I just don’t know the story behind it.”
He nodded slowly, giving me
permission to look at the disfigurement on an otherwise perfect
arm. I pushed the sleeve upward, exposing his shoulder in the
moonlight. I could see the pink tail of the scar where the bullet
must have grazed before piercing through the muscle. He had closed
his eyes as I inspected the place on his arm, his breathing deep
and quiet as my fingers traced from the tail to the rounded
indention. It dawned on me that it must have traveled completely
through and exited along the triceps, so I carefully felt the back
side of his arm with my free hand. Once again I found a scar, but
it wasn’t quite as rounded as the one on the front. He flinched as
my fingers brushed the marred skin. “Does it still hurt?” I asked,
surprised that what appeared to be an old wound might still be
sensitive.
His eyes opened. “No, I’m
just not used to having someone touch it.”
“ How did it
happen?”
Indecision was so clear on
his face I could almost watch the internal struggle as he weighed
what he wanted to tell me.
“ If it’s not the truth,” I
added quietly, “I don’t want to know.”
His eyes closed again.
“You’re a fine one to add that little disclosure—I don’t even know
your last name.”
That remark stung.
“But—but, I can’t…” Stupid emotions! I sat upright and wrapped my
arms around my legs once again. I couldn’t continue the
conversation if I couldn’t control my feelings. I wasn’t one of
those ‘I’ll cry to get what I want,’ kind of girls, and it
infuriated me when I could do little to stop the tears from
appearing every time my feelings bruised.
He sat up, brushing the
sand from my back. “My car seats are never going to forgive me for
this,” he said as he continued wiping me off.
My chin was resting on my knees at this
point and I was starting to gain a little composure.
“ I was in a fight with
someone,” he said hoarsely. “I had him down on the floor when he
pulled a gun and shot me through the arm.”
“ You could have been
killed,” I said, clearly shaken at the truth of what he was
revealing, and I was certain this was the truthful
version.
“ I thought I was dead when
that gun when off,” he admitted. “It didn’t hurt as much as it
burned like he’d slammed a piece of red-hot steel through me. My
ear was in so much pain, I thought the bullet had gone through my
head.” He looked at me and could tell I didn’t understand. “The
sound of the gun going off that close ruptured my
eardrum.”
“ What happened after he
shot you? Did he leave you there or was he sorry…”
He gave a gruff sound like
a strangled laugh. “Yeah, he was sorry he did it,” he said tersely,
“when I got finished with him.”
“ What did you do?” I was
asking, but I wasn’t really certain I wanted to know the outcome.
he turned to me with those eyes. Those eyes that I knew were dark
green, but out here away from any lights they just looked like deep
black
on a sand covered beach parking lot, and…” He went
quiet.
“ And, what?” I
prodded.
He reached up and touched
my arm where he’d tried to snap it off earlier. Even though the
touch was soft, my arm was still painful, and I had to bite my
tongue to keep from crying out. “You’re here with me,” he
answered.
“ So you’re saying you are a
big risk?” I pried. It was time to find out more about the guy who
was magnetizing my heart, drawing me to his steel
façade.
I reached over and touched
the scarred shoulder through his tee-shirt. I thought I felt him
shudder under my fingers. “I didn’t realize I’d guessed this right
that day at gym—I just hope I was wrong about it being a girl you
were stalking.”
“ No, it wasn’t a
girl.”
“ Do you mind?” I asked as I
started to lift his sleeve.
“ Would you be satisfied if
I said no?”
“ I already know what’s
there. I just don’t know the story behind it.”
He nodded slowly, giving me
permission to look at the disfigurement on an otherwise perfect
arm. I pushed the sleeve upward, exposing his shoulder in the
moonlight. I could see the pink tail of the scar where the bullet
must have grazed before piercing through the muscle. He had closed
his eyes as I inspected the place on his arm, his breathing deep
and quiet as my fingers traced from the tail to the rounded
indention. It dawned on me that it must have traveled completely
through and exited along the triceps, so I carefully felt the back
side of his arm with my free hand. Once again I found a scar, but
it wasn’t quite as rounded as the one on the front. He flinched as
my fingers brushed the marred skin. “Does it still hurt?” I asked,
surprised that what appeared to be an old wound might still be
sensitive.
His eyes opened. “No, I’m
just not used to having someone touch it.”
“ How did it
happen?”
Indecision was so clear on
his face I could almost watch the internal struggle as he weighed
what he wanted to tell me.
“ If it’s not the truth,” I
added quietly, “I don’t want to know.”
His eyes closed again.
“You’re a fine one to add that little disclosure—I don’t even know
your last name.”
That remark stung.
“But—but, I can’t…” Stupid emotions! I sat upright and wrapped my
arms around my legs once again. I couldn’t continue the
conversation if I couldn’t control my feelings. I wasn’t one of
those ‘I’ll cry to get what I want,’ kind of girls, and it
infuriated me when I could do little to stop the tears from
appearing every time my feelings bruised.
He sat up, brushing the
sand from my back. “My car seats are never going to forgive me for
this,” he said as he continued wiping me off.
My chin was resting on my knees at this
point and I was starting to gain a little composure.
“ I was in a fight with
someone,” he said hoarsely. “I had him down on the floor when he
pulled a gun and shot me through the arm.”
“ You could have been
killed,” I said, clearly shaken at the truth of what he was
revealing, and I was certain this was the truthful
version.
“ I thought I was dead when
that gun when off,” he admitted. “It didn’t hurt as much as it
burned like he’d slammed a piece of red-hot steel through me. My
ear was in so much pain, I thought the bullet had gone through my
head.” He looked at me and could tell I didn’t understand. “The
sound of the gun going off that close ruptured my
eardrum.”
“ What happened after he
shot you? Did he leave you there or was he sorry…”
He gave a gruff sound like
a strangled laugh. “Yeah, he was sorry he did it,” he said tersely,
“when I got finished with him.”
“ What did you do?” I was
asking, but I wasn’t really certain I wanted to know the outcome.
he turned to me with those eyes. Those eyes that I knew were dark
green, but out here away from any lights they just looked like deep
black
Similar Books
