Page 20 of Confined Space

"You won't," I sputter. "You won't allow it. If I wanted a father figure, I'd go back home where my father told me what to wear and dictated my life from the moment I was born. I won't have that again."

He reaches out to brush my hair back, but I step away and avoid his touch. "Coral, I don't want to dictate your life, but I can't stand the thought of other men looking at you in the uniforms the girls wear here. Besides, why do you need a second job?"

"That is none of your business, Rowdy. I figured the uniforms were just shorts and tank tops."

He steps closer to me, and this time when he goes to push my hair back, I let him because when he's this close I can't control myself. I want him to kiss me again.

"Oh, they wear shorts, all right. Teeny, tiny barely covering your ass cheeks shorts with torn up half T-shirts that will expose your belly and cleavage. That's what I don't want to see other men watching you wear. I already have to control myself when I see you dressed up in your shorts with your legs showing. I want all that, Mouse. Get it now," he whispers in my ear, his breath feathering against my skin.

I swallow and try to control my breathing so he doesn't know how much he affects me.

"I guess I didn't think about the uniform before I considered a job with them." I lift my chin and squint at him. "None of that matters, though. If I choose to get a second job, that is none of your business, and you can’t carry me out like I'm a sack of potatoes."

He steps back and opens the passenger side door of his pickup. "Get in. I'm taking you home. We are packing up Archer and grabbing food before we go to the game."

"I'll take the bus and see you later when we planned to meet up." I turn to head to the bus stop. I make it only a step before I'm again lifted into his arms. This time, he has the back of my body pressed to the front of his.

"Mouse, please don't argue with me. I'd like to take you to a late lunch, early dinner." He grits out the word please, and I can tell how hard it was for him to say it.

"Okay. Put me down." I huff.

Instead, he turns and lifts me into the passenger seat of his truck. He pulls out the seat belt and buckles me in, not caring that I'm trying to take it from his hand and buckle it myself.

I watch him through the windshield as he walks around the front of the truck. His wavy hair is long on top and wild. He's sporting a couple of days’ worth of facial hair on his chin and around his lips. When he kissed me last night, I felt the tiny hairs abrade my skin. His hazel eyes are now covered by sunglasses he had hooked into the front of his T-shirt. I felt them in my back when he held me close. His jeans encase his long legs and hang from his hips in a sexy way that makes me look at his tight butt. I want him in ways I've never felt before. I want his protection, his help, and his body. A tattoo runs down his right arm. Another one peeks out of his left sleeve. The black ink makes me want to trace it with my tongue. I shake that thought out of my head. He pulls himself up into the truck and we head out. The music playing on the stereo is quiet, but I start to listen to the song.

"Is that Tim McGraw? Who is he singing with?”

“It’s Tim McGraw and Def Leppard. The song is called ‘Nine Lives.’”

"I never knew they did a duet. I like it."

I might have been sheltered most of my life and told what I could and couldn’t listen to or watch, but I know music. My grandmother had made sure I got a thorough knowledge of all things pop culture and modern country singers, but I never knew Tim McGraw did a duet with an ’80s rock band.

"Stick with me, Mouse, and I'll expose you to lots of new things." He chuckles when he turns to look at me. "I don't ever want to stifle you. It was not my intent. I'm sorry I upset you. This is why I want to get to know you. So we don't have these arguments. Because, Coral, I'm going to mess up time and time again. I'm new to this too. I haven't wanted to be in a relationship ever. Even in high school I was a love them and leave them man. But I don't want that with you. I want more."

"Rowdy, I don't know if I'm capable of that. Archer's father ruined me, and I'm scared. He taught me a valuable lesson that I don't want to learn again, and with you it could be my heart this time."

"You didn't love Archer's father?"

His question makes me pause. I don't know if I'm ready to explain what happened to me. I can still feel the edge of fear from stepping into the bar. That is the main reason it was so easy for me to get out of there. I would have to deal with the terror every time I stepped into that place. The fear that I was going to be hurt again. The pain I felt.

"Coral, baby, you’re shivering. Are you okay? Do I need to turn up the heat?" I didn't realize my body was trembling until he pointed it out. Rowdy is stopped in front of my apartment. His hand touches my arm, but I don't jump like I usually do when people touch me as the memories invade my mind. I calm instead. His hand gently strokes my arm.

"No, I'm okay." I shake off the memories and turn back to look at him. "Come on, let’s get Archer." I open my door.

"Don't you dare get out," Rowdy orders, and I stay in my seat. I've never had a man treat me like this. Never had one treat me special. I've read books with heroes who open doors, lead women with a hand on their back, and get jealous of other men seeing what she’s wearing. But nope, I’ve never experienced it.

Rowdy walks around the truck and lifts me out of my seat. He tries to take the backpack from me, but I keep a hold of it and head toward the stairs. He follows me with his hand on my lower back, guiding me.

We enter the apartment to Archer cooing from his chair as Georgia talks to him and folds the basket of laundry I left. She looks over her shoulder at me.

"Oh, you're back quicker than you thought." She stops when she sees Rowdy walk in behind me. "Well, hello, stranger." She gets up and walks over to give Rowdy a hug. "Your momma and I are having lunch on Sunday."

"Yeah, she told me. She's meeting us at the game to help Coral with Archer."

"I didn't know you two were seeing each other."

"We aren't.” I clarify.

---