“
How did you know I have a baby with me?
”
She asked as her face moved into the moonlight, and for a moment I felt like something hit me hard straight in the chest.
She was beautiful. Completely and utterly beautiful. Almost angelic.
Long dark brown, almost black hair messily stuffed underneath her hoodie that was now soggily plastered around her head; huge what looked to be dark surprised doe eyes staring back at me. My eyes travelled down to her mouth and my body warmed instantly. Full, lush lips almost too big for her face...almost. For a moment I lost the ability to speak. Her dark eyes were slightly frightened behind her bravado and I could only imagine that I looked like some crazy predator.
“
I saw the car seat,
”
I pointed at the car, rolling my eyes, feeling exasperated by my reaction to her. Instantly, I took in how her shoulders slumped almost in relief. I wondered if she was in some sort of trouble.
Don’t go there, Johnny Boy.
“
Oh, okay. Look, I
’
m sorry I
’
m on your property. I
’
ll be gone as soon as I can get this changed,
”
her voice softened slightly.
“
No offense, but I
’
m already soaked and running late thanks to you. Let me change the tire. You can get in your car, turn the heater on, and try to warm up,
”
I told her as I walked to the car.
The closer I got, the more I couldn’t help but take in how beautiful she was. Flawless porcelain skin that was flushed slightly pink, probably from the cold and rain; her eyes were bright but slightly scared. The fear in her eyes didn’t sit well in my stomach, but I shook my head, trying not to think too much about it. I tried to ignore the feeling in my chest, tried to ignore feeling anything at all. I
’
d done it before. I could do it again.
“
Look, it's really nice of you to offer, but you should go,
”
she said defensively, standing a little straighter but wincing slightly, one of her hands going to her side, probably from the cold.
“
It's freezing out here and all you have on is a hoodie. I can't leave you in the middle of a deserted road with a baby,
”
I told her as I folded the sleeves of my now wet shirt up my forearms. When I reached her, I put my hand out and she looked at me. Our eyes met head-on, and I felt like I’d been hit by lightning with one fucking look. Not that I was going to let it distract me.
She sighed and handed me the wrench without touching me; I wanted to smile and roll my eyes at the same time. But this close, I caught her scent; it was almost as debilitating as when I looked at her. She smelled clean, slightly sweet. An urge to nuzzle my face in her neck hit me hard so I scowled and shook my head, hoping the effect of her would fade away.
Anne Carter
I watched as he started to change the flat tire. For someone as big and tall as he was, he was extremely graceful. I stood by the passenger door instead of climbing inside the car like he
’
d ordered me to do. Peeking into the car, I saw that my baby girl was thankfully still asleep.
“
It
’
s cold. You should get in and try to warm up,
”
he scolded again and I rolled my eyes.
Not that my Good Samaritan wasn’t right or that I wasn’t appreciative of him trying to be nice. I was. I just couldn’t afford to run the car, not when the gas tank was near empty. That was why my girl had so many baby blankets over her.
Breathing in deeply, the cold hit me harder. The chill was burning at the center of my bones. I was freezing and in so much pain I wasn’t sure how the heck I was still standing. I
’
d hoped that I could hide in the hills overnight after fixing the flat, giving myself some time to process everything that had happened tonight and hopefully shake off this damn cold I’d caught. I hadn't realized that it was private property though, much less expected the owner to see me. My heart was beyond heavy with the few options I had left, making me sick to my stomach at how
He
had found me. He
’
d almost found out about her.
“
Thanks, but I
’
ll wait here.
”
I sounded rude, but I just couldn’t help it. I tried to bite away the pain at my side.
He
’
d found me. After over a year on the run, he’d found me and I
’
d barely escaped. My silver lining was that he hadn
’
t seen Zoey. I tried not to wince as I held my side tightly; trying to ignore how much it hurt to breathe. Adrenaline still rushed through my mind. I had no clue how I
’
d escaped. If it hadn
’
t been for my elderly neighbor, Mr. Campbell, I
’
d be dead. Or worse!
At the thought of what
worse
could be, and everything it entailed, my heart galloped violently in my chest as the fear I
’
d tried to keep at bay for the last year and a half threatened to break free. My vision blurred and it had nothing to do with the rain pouring down. Unshed tears and a headache to end all headaches overwhelmed me. I had to breathe. I had to breathe and figure this out.
I looked down at my growling Samaritan who was staring back at me. His dark eyes were slightly irritated, and he had a frown on his face.
“
You okay?
”
He asked.
“
Yeah,
”
I lied. I was so far from okay it wasn’t even funny. But he didn
’
t need to know that.
“
I
’
m John, by the way.
”
John. His name suited him.
He was a bit gruff yet had a classic attractive way about him. Tall, dark, and handsome somehow fit his description to a T. He had a body that even below the stuffy business clothes, I could tell he’d worked on. Something about his forearms drew my attention. Dark hair covered the sinewy muscles that were stretching and flexing as he worked to change the tire, and it enthralled me. He was definitely sexy. Too bad I wasn’t interested, or would never take that chance again. I
’
d learned my lesson, got the tee shirt as a souvenir on the way out. I was off men. Not that a man like him would give me a second glance.
“
Nice to meet you, John, I
’
m Anne,
”
I answered without thinking.
For the first time since I
’
d left the nightmare that my life had become, I gave someone my real name. My heart raced at the idea of someone coming to question him, but the soft look he gave me made me happy I told the truth.
John
I couldn’t wait to finish changing this tire so she could be on her way. Tomorrow, I
’
d talk to a contractor about erecting a gate to close off the road. I liked my privacy, and the idea of someone breaking down on such an empty road didn’t sit well with me. Especially a single woman with a baby in the car.
As I worked, I tried to ignore the way her fucking scent surrounded me. Even with the rain pouring down, carrying the earthy smell of dirt into the air, her scent engulfed me. Holding me captive by the fucking balls. I ground my teeth, trying to mentally focus on all the shit I had to accomplish tomorrow. Trying to ignore why a woman as beautiful as this had fear in her eyes.
I tried not to look at her, tried to focus on the tire in front of me, but failed miserably. It was as if my eyes had a mind of their own, wanting to soak up the vision that was her. Even drenched like a kitten after a bath she was beautiful. More than beautiful; she was magnificent. I finished with the damn tire, not that the spare was in much better shape, and stood to put the flat in her trunk. When I glanced at her, I noticed she
’
d sat down and was holding her side, breathing in deeply. Physically, she might have been right next to me, but that glazed look in her eyes said she was a million miles away, and wherever she was, was not good headspace.
Lightning hit the dark sky and I thought I saw bruising on the side of her neck, slightly above where the hoodie had slid down. When she’d glanced towards the baby in the car, I’d noticed how stiff and straight she was holding herself and the way she winced as she moved or took a breath.
When have I ever noticed so many details about a complete stranger?
No.
I wouldn't let my mind go there. My past had too many demons locked up tight and today I couldn't go there.
Not tonight.
Not any night that I couldn't drown myself in a bottle of scotch.
I shook my head as I tried to fit the flat tire into the trunk and realized she had quite a few belongings. Then I remembered I
’
d gone to the store with Sabrina once about three months ago, surprised her trunk was filled with so much baby shit it looked like a fucking Target had exploded inside. Trying to act like I didn't care, I finished loading the tire and looked at her as I closed the trunk.
“
All changed,
”
I announced, trying not to look at her but I couldn't resist. Her eyes were so big and so filled with
…
Don
’
t go there, Johnny Boy.
I was not going to give a shit why her eyes were filled with tears. I was NOT that guy. I was not a knight in shining armor. I was the furthest thing from that. I was the guy who, if he needed companionship, he paid one of Belle
’
s girls: high-class escorts he could have an understanding with. I wasn't made for relationships and love and all the damn drama that came along with it.
“
Thanks,
”
she said softly, then, for what felt like a moment where time stood still, my heart froze when her eyes met mine. They were endless pools in the darkness, rich and decadent chocolate I could imagine myself drowning in, and fuck if I cared about coming up for air. My mouth went slightly dry at the beauty standing in front of me. My skin tightened and my body grew warmer; something about her made my body feel
…
Shake it off man,
my mind whispered.
“
You
’
re welcome. Now if you'll excuse me. I have to get going. I
’
m sure you know how to get out of here?
”
My voice came off cold and uncaring.
God, I can be an asshole.
“
Yeah, sorry about the trouble,
”
she said, sounding sincere and a little lost, as if she were not really talking to me. Watching her, I rolled my shoulders and willed myself to head back to my warm car.
For some reason, as I drove to the top of my hill, uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach.
Not my problem, shake it off
.
Anne
I watched as he drove off. My hands shook slightly so I tried to take a deep breath to ease the pain. It didn’t help, my insides still burned and my headache seemed to be getting worse. Now what? I couldn't head back to my apartment. I had a small amount of money set aside, and thankfully it was in one of the few bags I
’
d been able to grab and throw into the car. A motel would work, but it was too expensive and I wasn’t going to be able to return to the small diner off of Figueroa where Mrs. Garcia, my manager, had let me have a playpen for my angel to rest in while I worked.
Panic hit, overwhelming me completely. I tried to breathe again, tried to tell myself that I could do this, that we’d be able to get through this and anything else that life threw at us, but it was impossible to believe.
I turned and reached for the passenger door to check on Zoey, but my head spun suddenly and everything went black.
John
"Mike, I know. I'm sorry. Okay. Next week then. Sure, drop them off at my house, that
’
ll work better. Okay. Tell Sabrina I'm sorry again, okay? I just had to help that girl with the flat tire," I told him.
Great, now I had four kids coming to my place next week.
Thankfully, Sabrina's parents were visiting and when they’d heard I was running late, they happily volunteered to take over babysitting duties for the night. I mentally noted to send a token of gratitude to them tomorrow. My stomach was growling, and having no energy to cook, I decided to head out to buy take-out. Maybe stop at Shine for some company. It
’
d been a week. Getting laid would help.
As I drove back down the hill, I frowned.
Her car was still there.
Sighing, I parked, leaving my car running. Glancing into the small beat up car, I saw the front seat was empty. Then I looked to the back: the baby seat was still in place, but the canopy was blocking any visibility of the baby. I noticed the amount of blankets around the child. Then I realized the car wasn't running. It hadn't been running while I’d changed the tire either. Not that it was completely freezing, but it was too cold for a baby to be out in the elements.
"Anne?" I called out, looking around, yet there was no answer and everything around us was quiet, even the drip-dropping of the rain had stopped. An eerie feeling started to work its way up my spine, and I went to the passenger side of the car.
Her fragile body was on the ground and she was completely unconscious.
"Shit," I cursed as I went to her and, without a second thought, lifted her into my arms.
My stomach roiled as I realized how light she was. I sat on the cold wet ground, my hands going to her neck, feeling a faint pulse, and a wave of relief washed over me. She stirred, her eyes opening slowly, and when her eyes processed me, she stiffened.
“
Please
,
let me go
.
I
’
ll pay you. Just don't call him
,”
she blurted out, trying to stand and get away, but for some reason I held on to her, worried that she
’
d fall down. She was gravely pale and her body was burning up.