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Julie woke with a start. Hopping up in the
bed, she clutched Trucker’s hand, pressing it against her cheek. He
kneeled down beside her amazed by the devotion in her face. His
green-eyed angel.

“How did you get in?”

“Your mom let me in. She told me I could come
up and wake you.” He wiped a stray tear falling down her face.

“Do you ever plan on telling me?”

Sitting down beside her, he pulled her firmly
in his lap. He noticed the veins in her neck pulsating as her heart
rate quickened. “Yeah, I don’t think I have a choice.”

She nestled her head against his chest. An
indescribable burn raced along his skin where she laid. He held her
closer. The pain was nothing compared to losing her. She was
helpless in his arms and she trusted him.

“My sweet Angel, you make me feel things I
shouldn’t feel. Someone like me isn’t supposed to have this.”
Trucker stopped and kissed her forehead. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Why?” Julie asked and sucked her bottom lip
between her teeth.

He wished she knew how that caused him to
come unhinged. He wouldn’t stop her. Whatever she needed to relieve
her nerves, especially as he tried to explain what he was and not
lose her. Who was he kidding? He squeezed her close to him. Sure,
he would never be able to touch her again.

“Kids, come down. I’ve got a surprise for
you,” Ellen screamed up the staircases.

“Later then,” Trucker said and sighed.

******

Julie couldn’t fathom what he was hiding. How
a poisonous snakebite caused no ill side effects. How a man jumped
nearly twenty feet and landed like a graceful dancer. How? She
couldn’t bring herself to ask. She wanted him and that was all that
mattered to her.

Sliding on her flip-flops, Julie noticed
Trucker pulling at a corner of one of her handmade throw pillows.
“It’s all they can afford and . . .”She gestured to her bedroom
with a wave of her hand. “My parents, they work really hard to
afford this.”

“Uh,” Trucker questioned her.

“I know you hate my room, our house. It might
not be much, but it’s all we’ve got.”

“Baby, I don’t hate your room. I couldn’t
hate this place.” He linked his fingers with hers. “It’s where you
are.”

She smiled as he brought their hands up to
his mouth and kissed each of her fingers softly, one by one.

“I don’t care what you do or don’t have. I
just want you,” Trucker said and flashed his crooked smile.

“Thank you.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Trucker
ruffled her hair. “Most of all, I won’t hurt you.”

“You say that a lot.”

“I’m hoping you truly believe me.”

She felt herself being tongue tied, suddenly
for some inexplicable reason the atmosphere between them changed,
charged with an unknown anticipation. It was so palpable, they
could almost taste it. It pulsed between them, drawing her closer
to him. The fervent look on Trucker’s face, the way his fingers
lightly grazed the length of her arms, proved to Julie that he felt
it too. A sudden rush of foreboding came over her. She heard a
whisper in her ear.
“You’re not ready.”
She swatted at her
ear.
Julie, you’re going crazy.

“Julie, are you okay?”

“Did you feel that?” She bit down on her
lip.

“I feel us, I always feel that.” He kissed
her cheek softly. “Come on, momma Ellen is waiting.” His face held
a strange unfamiliar expression of fear.

“Any day now,” Ellen screamed back up the
stairs. Trucker cocked his head toward the staircase and pulled
Julie along.

Julie stumbled down the stairs, mulling over
everything in her head. All of the sudden, Trucker squashed her
hand. She winced in immediate pain. Trucker seemed unaware as rage
darted from his eyes. Julie followed Trucker’s glare and landed on
him. He was as beautiful if not more so than Trucker. His hair was
black with a slight graying around the edges. His eyes were black
with an unnatural haunting glow. Julie could see under his designer
suit was a tight, firm body. He simply took her breath away.
Trucker’s arm went defensively around the front of Julie’s body,
quickly shoving her behind him. Trucker’s face was taut, his body
went hard. His whole demeanor went from happy and lively to
brooding and protective. Julie looked across her quaint living room
and saw the man gracefully moving to them. Julie often thought that
Trucker had a cocky walk. Well, this man’s walk oozed of arrogance.
She took in his face and could see the same sinister look in his
eyes that she saw in Emily’s.

“What the . . . Dad,” Trucker spat his name
out as if it burnt his throat. That stunning man was his dad, the
infamous Mr. Larry Castleman.

“Dan,” Larry said, slapping Dan across the
shoulder. “And the charming Mrs. Ellen have been trying to get me
to come for dinner for quite some time.”

Trucker caught Larry by the arm, twirled
around, never letting Julie go. Trucker’s back was against hers.
Trucker and Larry whispered, but Julie picked up the gist of the
conversation. Larry fumed about her coming to the house that
morning. Trucker tried explaining.

“You promised me you would leave her alone,”
Trucker pleaded.

“You promised me you would live up to your
responsibilities.”

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Control her,” Larry said, loud enough and
clear enough it was plain he wanted Julie to hear. Trucker cringed,
turned, pressing his chest to Julie’s back, and held her
tightly.

“Time to eat,” Larry said. He smiled over to
Ellen and clapped his hands together, loudly.

Julie felt a smooth, soft growl vibrate from
Trucker’s chest. Trucker hesitated, his head dropped as he followed
Larry to the kitchen table with quite a bit of reluctance.

“So Larry, what draws you to our little
town?” Ellen asked. Larry’s full attention was focused on Julie and
her mom wanted some.

“To raise my children in a safe place. The
big city streets were too mean for us,” Larry responded, pulling
out Ellen’s chair, his hard stare never shifted from Julie.

Trucker snorted at his dad’s comment. Julie
didn’t take two bites the whole meal. The pit of her stomach
burned. Her parents were enthralled with Larry. Dan’s relaxed and
normally calm disposition changed. He became professional and
practical. Ellen was awestruck. She hung on Larry’s every movement
and word. Julie was use to her mom demanding the attention, not
drooling over someone. Trucker’s eyes bored into his dad. He never
eased up the whole meal. Running her hand down his arm to calm him,
Julie felt the tendons from his hard muscles standing out under
blazing hot skin. His hand placed on her knee was clenched into a
tight fist.

Julie, relieved the meal was over, threw her
napkin in her plate. She knocked her chair over as she went to
stand. Larry was suddenly at her back. Julie now knew where Trucker
got his speed. He tenderly grasped her hand as she spun around.
Trucker snapped Larry’s hand away with such force that it shocked
even Julie. His dad glowered making Trucker moan. He was defeated,
the lost little boy look swept over his face.

“Sweetie, we’re having a small party at our
home in Nashville Saturday. I would love for you to join us?” Larry
asked and placed a soft kiss on Julie’s forehead.

Julie automatically jerked backwards when a
shot of rage flowed from him. It wasn’t the heat that poured off
Larry’s skin that startled her; it was the instant feeling of hate
and despair. Hearing an unsettling groan come from Trucker, she
shifted her eyes back to his depressed face, breaking her heart.
She turned to her mom who was mumbling ‘awe,' over and over. She
shook her head unable to process what was going on around here.

“No, Dad, she can’t make it.” Trucker
defiantly stood between them. Julie held onto his arm.

“Don’t be silly Trucker, she would love to
come,” Ellen added, as she gave Trucker a slight slap on the
shoulder. Trucker twisted his head around and gave Ellen a stare
that sliced right through Julie’s heart.

“Great, our family is looking forward to
meeting you.” His dad sounded pleased. He turned to Trucker. “You
better not disappoint us and not bring this lovely girl.”

Julie could see the warning behind Larry’s
stare as Trucker’s arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close
to his side. Her parents stood there with this look of dorky
exhilaration radiating from their faces. She wondered why she was
the only one who felt the tension in the air, saw the evil pouring
out of Larry’s beautiful eyes. Dan walked Larry to the door talking
over his newest assignment. Trucker fell back on the couch taking
Julie with him. Her back was flush against his chest.

“Tell him to leave and he is no longer
welcome here,” Trucker whispered in Julie’s ear.

Julie shook her head. She couldn’t fathom why
he would ask her to do that. Her dad worked for Larry, and Dan
would have been boiling mad if she had said such a thing. Trucker
groaned and drew her against him. Ellen and Dan cleaned the kitchen
and talked about what a phenomenal man Larry was. The more they
carried on about Larry, the more Trucker cringed. His body slowly
became a furnace of heat. Julie kissed his cheek and buried her
head in the hollow of his neck.

“I can’t take this.” Trucker kissed the top
of Julie’s hair. “Will you walk me to my car, sweet angel?”

Julie followed Trucker to his car. He pushed
her against the hood, his hip restraining her. He ran his fingers
around the nap of her neck and slowly twirled her ponytail around
his hand. He gently jerked it, compelling her to look up at him.
His lip descended on hers. His kiss was so hard, she felt like he
was telling her goodbye. He pulled back and rubbed his thumb across
her lower lip as his eyes soften.

“I’m sorry, but you have to go Saturday
night.” He started playing with the few curls that had escaped her
ponytail. His eyes were so passionate that she saw only a trace of
the evil she saw in his dad’s eyes.

“It’s okay, as long as I’m with you.” She
sensed the danger to come, but relaxed in his arms because she knew
he would protect her.

“I’ll never leave your side.” He promised,
but she heard the hopelessness behind that promise.

“I know.”

She halfheartedly smiled at him, her hands
automatically reached for the button on his shirt. She toyed with
them almost absently.

“You’re my world.” He hugged her into a
strangling embrace that pinned her to his heaving chest. His skin
was scorching. For the longest, he just held her. She listened to
his ragged breathing as it slowed and returned to normal.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” she asked, her
cheek shoved into his chest as he squeezed her body to his.

“I never want to spend a day without you.” He
held her back and rubbed her face with the back of his hand. “Would
you like to meet my mom and sister?”

“I would love too,” she responded, standing
on her tiptoes for one quick peck on the cheek.

“I’ll pick you up at noon. Be ready.” He
pressed his lips to her forehead and took a long deep breath as he
caressed his hands up and down her arms. He turned to open the car
door and paused. Slightly turning his body back to her. “Angel.” He
held out his blazing hot hand and tickled his fingers down her
arm.

“Do you have any idea what you mean to me?”
He turned instantly on his heel, not giving her time to answer.
Jumping in his car, he quietly revved his engine.

She bypassed her parents and headed to the
safety and solitude of her bedroom. They were still talking about
how lucky she was about getting involved with Trucker and about his
exceptional family. She wondered why they did not see what she did.
Maybe they were under a spell and if they were she wished she
could’ve been under it too. Her hand rubbed over her swollen lip, a
reminder of how hard his kiss was. She collapsed on the bed
unwilling to accept what was right in front of her eyes. She knew
that his body heat went hand and hand with his temper. Grabbing her
journal to write, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing at
that very moment.

Dear Diary

I know the world I live in is crazy and
unpredictable, but I also believe there is no true evil. I don’t
know what is going on around me. Who he is or even who I am. I do
know I need to make sense of my life, of him. Most of all I know, I
don’t want to live without him

Julie

That night she not only dreamed of Trucker
Castleman, she accepted what he was.

Chapter 9

Aware in some deep area of her conscience
that she was dreaming, Julie clamped her eyes shut. It was easier
to be blind, than to let the light shine in the corners and expose
the darkness. Holding her head back, the wind whipped lightly
around her face. The soft crackling of leaves caused her eyes to
pop open. She found herself in an unfamiliar, but breathtaking
place. The flowering wisteria dangled from the trees tickling her
face. She had a sudden unnerving nagging in the pit of her stomach
that someone was watching her. As she walked along a bank of trees,
she let her hands trail along the bark to steady her. The full moon
had an extra sparkle and seemed to be smiling upon her. Its
glimmering light danced gently through the treetops. She turned a
corner and smiled as she came up on a clearing and their pond. It
was surrounded by tall ornamental grasses and wildflowers that
swayed in the wind. She walked slowly through the soft grass,
overwhelmed by its beauty. Unexpectedly, an unknown intense but
solemn emotion started whirling around her. She felt a presence
behind her and warm breath on her face. "I won’t hurt you,"
Trucker’s husky, lyrical voice whispered as he nudged his nose
along her neck. She whipped around, but he wasn’t there. She turned
to walk away, but a hand lightly caressed her hair. “I won’t hurt
you . . . but they will.” She turned faster and stumbled against a
tree trunk. Trucker was there, and his eyes not only flashed black;
they were a hard, unforgiving black. He smiled, exposing teeth that
perfectly mimicked the Doberman pincher she had as a small child.
He was emotionless as he motioned for her to come closer. She took
a step toward him . . . the grass withered under her feet. The moon
vanished, cloaking her in darkness. Flanked instantly by Larry and
Emily, he laughed a bone-chilling laugh. The feeling of a cold
death drowned her.