Head Over Wheels (Steamy New Adult Romance) (32 page)

"After you left the Hamptons that day, my parents had a blowout. Nothing unusual. My father took off and didn't return that night. Again, not unusual." Working his jaw, he spoke with bitterness. "We called the police two days later, and eventually found him slumped across Danny's grave. He'd been lying there for over forty-eight hours and was in such bad shape, we called an ambulance to take him to the hospital, where they dried him out." His cheeks were as red as the rim around his eyes, the circles beneath them scary purple.

While he bared his soul, a fist squeezed my heart. We stood at the edge of a rocky ledge and I couldn't let him fall. I couldn't fall. But were there any words of consolation for someone whose life had been shattered? How could I help him pick up the pieces?

"How is your dad now?" I asked, my voice cautious.

"He's been sober a couple of weeks. A landmark record for him. We've been walking on eggshells, hoping to keep it that way." When he shuddered, my arms wrapped him tighter. Once he began talking, it seemed his story was as endless as his pain. "He stopped practicing medicine after Danny's death. Accepted an appointment as CEO of a drug company. A position he's barely holding onto."

"That's promising, baby. It's a start." I tried my best to soothe him. "Healing has to start somewhere. Maybe with your dad ..."

His life was being torn apart, and mine hung in the balance. The storm raged beyond the windows as Indigo walked through his nightmare. His laugh was frightfully sardonic, chilling me to the bone. "After Danny died, my mother attempted suicide. I found her lying in a pool of blood, her fingers wrapped so tightly around a knife, I had to pry them loose."

Stunned, shocked, horrified, I had no idea what to say other than, "I love you, Jimmy." My voice was light as a feather, my lips pressed to his ear. "I'll do anything, baby. Anything to help you. Just tell me what to do."

"Danny was the only one who ever called me Jimmy. Until you." When he looked at me, his eyes were deep, once again mine.

"Oh baby. I'm sorry. And now I have my whole family calling you Jimmy. It's like an invasion ..."

"No." He put a finger to my lips. "It's okay." His throat sounded as raw as his emotions. "Danny was the most important part of my life. I loved him more than anything. After I lost him, I couldn't get close to anyone. I didn't want to. I buried myself in medical books. Then you came into my life. It was difficult to take the risk of loving you ... losing you."

The wheels in my head turned, and I realized why he'd been teetering on a seesaw. "You haven't managed to scare me away yet." I tried to put a smile on his face, but it wasn't working. "Danny wouldn't want you to suffer this way." I smoothed furrows from his forehead. "Or your parents." I began to understand his mother's behavior, although I could never accept it. "You can't blame yourself for anything. You were a kid, Jimmy, taking on all of the responsibility."

"I hear what you're saying, but," he frowned, "this is why I want to be the best doctor ... I have to be. If I can help just one child, save one life ..."

"You will, honey. With your dedication, you'll heal the world." My lips quivered as I kissed him softly. "You're like ice. Let's get you into bed."

I snuggled against him, pulling the covers around us. As his body relaxed, he sighed. "I'm sorry to unload on you, Jewel. I came up here with you to straighten things out between us, not make them worse. The last thing I wanted to do was involve you in my shit."

"I meant what I said. I'm here for you, whenever you need me, no matter what, I love you, Jimmy. I'll never let you down."

"What would I do without you ..." His arms were around me, and he was holding on for dear life.

"That's one thing you never have to worry about."

"I'll get through this ..."

"We'll get through this."

I hugged him so tight I felt the beat of his heart. After whispering, "Good night," we didn't speak again. I couldn't fall asleep. His anguish preyed on my mind. I imagined how horrible it must have been for him, then realized there was no way I could imagine how he felt. I heard his even breathing, pressed the side of my face to his back, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

I sensed I hadn't been out long when the sounds pulled me from my state of nothingness. I groaned, my lids fluttering. "
Dios mío,
not again."

The storm had finally worn itself out, rendering the bedroom pitch black. I tried to focus through darkness, but saw nothing other than coiling shadows created by my eyes. I listened intently, realizing the thud that had awakened me hadn't crept in through a window.

I leaned over Indigo. His breath was peaceful. I was tempted to wake him, but he slept so soundly, I didn't have the heart to. Thankful he'd shared his grief, hopeful he'd be healing, I snuggled against him, trying to relax, but the muscles in my arms and legs felt like high tension wires, ready to spasm in five-second intervals. Deep breathing, I willed myself to unwind, bring my mind to another place: the shower, Indigo's arms ...

Voices on the other side of the wall startled me, driving me into a state of irritated consciousness.

"Hop aboard, sugar baby." It was Derek, and he was slurring. I heard another thud, this time softer. What the hell were they doing? Moving furniture around? Was it a flat palm on the mattress? The thudding then turned into a definite skin on skin crack. Yvonne's butt?

I felt the vibration of bass and drums, and the pictures shuddered on the wall. I heard the thumping intensify, then Yvonne's voice, loud and comical. "Hold on, big man, this is gonna be one hell of a fucking bumpy ride."

Kick his ass, girl
, I giggled into my hand. Then I felt guilty for finding humor in anything after the things Indigo had revealed. My grandmother's face flashed across my mind. She found humor in almost anything. I recalled her saying, "There's a bright spot in every dark room; it's an angel laughing its wings off at our humanness." And when my grandfather fell gravely ill, she swore it was an angel's laughter that cured his pneumonia, even though I knew the wavering light high on the wall came from the table lamp.

"Grandma," gripping my cross I whispered, "I hope your eyes were closed tonight, and you weren't listening." My cheeks flushed.
Then it hit me: If anyone understood passion, it would have been my grandmother.

I
ndigo's lips on my shoulder, his warm palm circling my butt, awakened me from the sleep of the dead. I uncurled my legs and stretched my sore muscles, shielding my eyes from sunshine filling the room.  I lifted my head and squinted, seeing only the side of his face as he lay behind me, propped on an elbow.

"It's finally morning?"  I groaned, pulling my arm from beneath me, shaking out pins and needles, then rolled onto my back.

"Yep. You okay?" He untangled strands of my hair that had wound around my neck while I slept.

"Yeah. How about you?" My words tight, I ran a finger along his jaw line, hoping our issues had dissolved with the night, hoping my breath wasn't dreadful.

“I’m good, babe.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Thanks to you. Getting things off my chest was the best thing that could have happened. I honestly feel better ... optimistic. Having you makes all the difference in the world.” To my relief, he looked down at me, smiling as though the anguish of last night hadn’t occurred. Was he burying it, or was it really over? “How’d you sleep?” He tweaked my nose, then kissed it. "My little angel."

I threw my arms around his neck, sank my lips into his smooth skin. He sighed into my hair, held me tight, and when I felt his erection, I knew everything was fine. I came up for air. "How much did I sleep is more like it." I giggled. "Yvonne and Derek were going at it last night. They were so loud, they woke me ... scared the living shit out of me."

Indigo's eyes widened. "Arguing?"

I lifted a brow. "If that was arguing, we should try it. They were pounding the walls."

He chuckled. "So you didn't get enough last night?" His fingertips dug into my ribs. I started laughing, and then we were rolling across the bed, and the next thing I knew we were making love on hands and knees on the floor. Afterward, Indigo lay on his side, leaning on an elbow, stroking my hair, gazing down at me as my breathing normalized. He ran a fingertip around my ear, tucking my hair behind it. "Yesterday was one fucked up day, huh? Are you sure you're good with everything?"

My fingers tiptoed across his chest. "I'm fine if you're fine, which I kind of just got the feeling you are. And what a feeling it was ..." I slid my knee up the inside of his thigh, ran a finger over his lips. "Hey, you never curse. You're starting to sound like me."

He was playing with my hair, lifting strands, threading them through his fingers. "Is that a compliment?" His voice was easy. The way he looked at me, how his fingers traced my face, the outline of my breasts, told me I had become as big a part of his life as his family, his career.

“I don’t know, but if you start cursing in Spanish ... we’re in trouble.” I plucked his chin.

I'd never felt so secure. I heaved a sigh, my spirit so airy, I felt like it could float across the room, out the window, into the wilderness and never stop climbing. I was giddy, high on love. "Stick with me baby. I'll teach you all there is to know about four letter words."

Indigo chuckled softly, then buried his face in my hair. "I'm stuck. So what do we do now?"

"Shower ..."

E
veryone congregated in the kitchen. Pete had made coffee and set out cups and plates. We sat at the butcher block counter, plastering bagels with cream cheese and jelly, recounting the night before.

"Kit Kat," Pete said, slapping his palm on the countertop. Shaking his head, he guffawed, repeating, "No way were those wolves. You may have been sleeping with one," he smirked at Indigo, who looked uncomfortable, then his gaze traveled a full circle, landing back on mine. "I doubt any wolves hang out in the driveway, Jewel. Not as pets or houseguests," he chuckled, "what you must have seen were the walkway reflectors."

Taking my hand, he pulled me to the window which was directly beneath the bedroom where Indigo and I had slept ... made love. The rapture of the prior night still filled me. I looked around the room at my friends, at Indigo ... My life was perfect.

I stared up at Pete, relief spewing through my lips. "Your reflectors almost gave me a freaking heart attack. I can deal with anything in the city, Pete. You know I'm not a wuss, but creepy woodlands are not my thing."

"That's alright, Kit Kat. We can't all be up for a promotion." He ruffled my hair. I swatted his arm. He grabbed a bagel and threw it at me. I picked up the cream cheese, and the food fight was on until Emma stood between us, yelling, "Hope you two have fun cleaning the mess while the rest of us are relaxing."

"Wait ..." I stood in the middle of the kitchen, a wet sponge about to be launched from my fingers, "you're up for a promotion?"

"I'm losin' the blues, baby." Smug, he lifted his chin.

I dropped the sponge and threw my arms around him. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me, Pete?"

"I've been waiting for the right time." He grinned.

After wiping grape jelly from the side of Pete's face, we finished breakfast, which could have been lunch as it was already afternoon. Draping our bodies across the living room furniture, we lounged for a while, deciding what to do with the remainder of the day. Each time our gaze met, our hands touched, it was clear Indigo and I knew what we'd be doing that night.

Pete and Casey rode their bikes through the many trails surrounding the house. The rest of us unhitched our bicycles from the car racks and kept to the road. Pete had visited the area since he was a kid, and knew his way around. We had no clue where we were.

After riding, we decided to explore the grounds, which in daylight, weren't half as ominous as during the prior stormy night. With Pete as our guide, we set out for the lake behind the house, agreeing it would be a fantastic backdrop for photographs. We packed a cooler and were on our way. Intending to hang around outside until daylight faded, we brought our non-functioning cell phones just in case, and our iPods, along with all the snacks and beer we could carry.

The lake was a glistening behemoth. Dropping our gear, we immediately started snapping photos. Before anyone realized what was happening, Derek had stripped down to his shorts, plunged into the water, and was swimming out to the float which had to be at least forty feet offshore.

Yvonne started screaming, "You don't know what's in that filthy water, Derek! Get back here!" But after pulling himself onto what appeared to be disintegrating planks, he just goofed around on the float, calling the rest of us chickenshit, then started grooving. "I can see your goose bumps from here, idiot," Yvonne screamed. "It's freezing, Derek. I'm calling your mother." She tried everything to get him back, including flashing her boobs, but he was in his own zone, until we spread out blankets, grabbed sandwiches and handed out brews. I assumed his stealthy return was due to a combination of Yvonne's luscious breasts and the beer everyone began slugging.

Crawling to shore, he snatched his clothes and tried to drag Yvonne into the woods, but she wasn't having it, so he disappeared to dry and dress.

After eating, we sat in a circle drinking beer, enjoying the fresh air. The forest was beautiful and so serene, we decided to take a nature walk. Splitting up, we chose our own directions. Indigo and I hadn't gotten very far when Yvonne stumbled onto our path, pointing and screeching, "Something's out there! It tried to grab my leg!"

The blood rushed from my limbs. Derek must have heard the panic in her voice, because his head instantly popped out from beneath the lush boughs of a fragrant evergreen. "I'm sorry, baby girl .. I couldn't help myself," he said, but he was laughing hysterically, so she slapped him, screaming, "you almost gave me a heart attack, asshole," and the next thing I knew, they were chasing each other down the trail.

Indigo and I strolled for a few, then he started tickling me, so I broke into a sprint with him hot on my heels. His intention might have been to pull me to an abrupt halt and into his arms, but after employing one of my self-defense tactics, I tackled him and we tumbled to the ground, with me ending up on top. We panted, we laughed, we kissed. Content as a fed, burped and freshly diapered newborn, I rolled onto my back with a sigh of glee.

"You really know how to handle yourself." Indigo lay beside me, twisting and stretching. "My back's killing me."

"Oh baby, I'm sorry." I leaped over him and pushed him onto his side. "Let me see. I'll kiss the boo boos."  I lifted his shirt, rubbed his back, and began kissing.

"I'm fine." Laughing, he caught me in a headlock and pulled me down next to him. "I'm teasing. I tell you, though. After listening to Pete's story last night. I look at you," he took my hand, kissed each finger, "already worrying about when you're on the force, fighting guys twice your size." His shoulders moved with an intentional shudder. "You're not as badass as you think you are." As I switched positions, his kiss landed on my forehead.

"I can take care of myself." I lifted a brow. "I am
so
badass. You've just never seen me in action. I can handle dark alleys in the city, cuz I have a good idea of what I'll be encountering, but here ... there's something spooky about this place. Like what might be hiding behind the trees ... jumping out of the bushes. Too many horror movies, I guess." I shrugged, ran a fingertip along his parted lips. "So how did you learn to fight like that?" I loved touching him. I sifted strands of his hair through my fingers, dropped kisses on his cheek. "The night at the club ... you and that creep." I drew back to watch him; something else I loved to do.

He was stretched out on his back, one arm beneath his head, the other crossing his forehead. His gaze disappeared into the branches above us. "I was raised in a family of Marines who liked to play rough." He sounded distant. "Used to get together with my cousins all the time. We're all scattered now."

"Maybe you'll have a reunion sometime."

"Maybe."

"I have family all over the country, even in South America. Imagine the reunion that would be?"

He chuckled. "You'd need to hire Madison Square Garden for that event." He ran a twig he'd been toying with down my back as I sat beside him, hugging my knees.

"Jimmy ... why didn't you ever tell me about Danny ... about your family?" When he sighed, I was sorry I brought it up.

“I never talk about Danny ... to anyone. He’s locked in my heart.” His lips twisted into a sad smile. “It feels like yesterday. I know we should celebrate his life ... he was precious ... and I do,
believe me I do ... privately. Danny was a special little kid. I guess some things feel impossible to overcome.”

“But it gets easier.”

“I'm still working on that."

"You keep everything buried?"

"Nope. He's with me every day. Grief doesn't always bring people together, Jewel. Danny's death built a wall between my parents. I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize our relationship. It's something I have to deal with on my own. Besides, grief and family issues aren't the best things to discuss on a date."

"I thought I was more than a date?" I felt my entire face pull into a frown.

He pulled me down beside him. Leaning on an arm, he draped his leg over mine. "Honey, you are. You're so much more. You changed my life," his fingers slid over the side of my face. "I was so bottled up inside, I didn't think I'd ever be able to love anyone. You made me realize I could ... I told you, you're my angel."

I held back tears. "Jimmy. Don't ever feel you have to keep anything from me. I want us to be open ... honest with each other. That's the most important part of a relationship."

He shook his head slowly. "Talking doesn't solve every problem, Jewel. Sometimes people have to work things out for themselves."

"Especially guys." I pulled his hand to my lips. "I'm not sure I like that answer ... or the look in your eyes."

He smiled and ran his thumb along my jaw line. "You're sunrise remember? Turn that frown upside down. Let me do the worrying."

"But I don't want you to worr ..."

He pinched my lips closed. "Do you always have to get the last word?"

"Bsh."

He laughed and dropped down beside me, bringing my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers. "I love you, Jewel." He let out a sigh.

I rolled onto my side, dropping kisses all over his face. "Not as much as I love you."

"Want to make a bet?" Gripping the back of my hair, he brought my lips to his.

"Sure." My words were muffled. "Loser takes the bottom for a week." I chewed his bottom lip and pulled.

"You're on. Can I have my lip back?" He chuckled softly. "It's not easy talking with half of my mouth occupied."

"Then I'll take it all."

He slapped his hand over his mouth. I giggled and pulled it away, sucking on his mouth until our lips made a popping sound.

He brought a hand to his face. "Do I still have lips?"

"The most beautiful lips."  I sighed and cuddled beneath his arm. "This place is really something. You can barely see the sky through the trees."

"You sound poetic."

"When I'm with you, I feel poetic."

I'd just gotten the words out when the rustle startled me. "Did you hear that?" If I were a dog my ears would have spiked, along with the hair on the back of my neck.

"I did." Indigo sat up beside me.

"If that's Derek, I'm gonna strangle him."

"I'll do more than strangle him." Indigo's voice was unnervingly cold.

A bit more rustling, and a smoky gray snout poked through the underbrush. The wolf's eyes were amber, and they were intense. His jaw was tight, then it slackened and he began to pant.

"Oh my God," I said as both Indigo and I scrambled to our feet.

"Don't make any sudden moves," he whispered, "just back out nice and easy." He put me behind him. My hands were on his shoulders. His palms were on my butt. As I peeked around him, my pulse sped up, my stomach dipped.

"Stay calm. He's not gonna hurt us as long as we don't hurt him."

Relying on his movements, I closed my eyes, remembering my childhood fears. "He's gonna eat us." Through one eye, I squinted.

"He's not going to eat us," Indigo sounded so calm I wanted to slug him. "We used to roll around on the ground with these guys in Cub Scouts."

"Really?"

"No." He chuckled and kept edging us backward until we reached the clearing. When I fully opened my eyes the wolf was gone.

"That was close," I breathed, "I never thought to bring my pepper spray with me."

"It looked like a pup. Mom could've been nearby." He raised his brows. "You know what they say."

"What?"

"Don't get within ten feet of mama and her babies." He tweaked my nose. "We're lucky she wasn't around, or she might have eaten both of us."

I jabbed his ribs, then turned serious. "Jimmy ... maybe the reason he was panting ... I hope he wasn't running from a hunter." Anger surged through me.

"Not sure if this is the season, but I doubt hunting would be permitted here, regardless."

"Maybe
we
scared him. This is his turf, not ours, you know?"

"I know, honey. Whoever said let's have a restful weekend in the country obviously hasn't been around these parts. I'm thinking about hitting the road." He patted my head as if I were a child. "What do you think, tamale?"

"I think I'm ready for Fifth Avenue. I feel the need to hit some sale racks."

He laughed."I feel the need for another makeup session."

"Makeup?" Confused, I stared up at him, then it hit me. "I'm great at starting fights, if that's what you're in the mood for."

"You're a little mind reader."

We reached the lake, gathered everyone together, and after comparing notes, agreed the woodlands belonged to the creatures who lived there. Pete's inheritance included hundreds of acres he'd never let anyone develop or build upon. The A-frame would remain the only house on the road, and the surrounding forestland would be a sanctuary.

We made a unanimous decision; we'd pack our stuff and head for home at dawn.

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, bikes hitched, cars loaded, we left nature and the A-frame on the dusty road behind us.