It was weak and she knew it. Allowing the lonely solitude of her lifestyle to overshadow reason and sensibility.
She barely knew Preacher, yet she found herself liking him more than she liked being alone. She trusted him, too. How could she not? He’d proven himself half a dozen times already. It was she who’d been untrustworthy.
Conflicted, Debbie reached across the bed and plucked a cigarette from the pack on the nightstand. As she smoked, she resumed watching Preacher sleep. He continued to snore, the heavy rumbles in perfect sync with the rise and fall of his chest. Her gaze drifted to where his unbuttoned jeans sat low on his waist, exposing the tapered cut of his abdominal muscles and the trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the denim.
Recalling their kiss, the demanding way Preacher’s tongue had swept through her mouth, warmth began to spread through her. Curling low in her stomach, it unfurled up and down her body, heating every inch it touched. Breathing in deeply through her nose, Debbie’s bottom lip disappeared beneath her teeth.
Chock full of feelings she didn’t know what to do with and jittery with unspent energy, Debbie rolled out of bed. Leaving her cigarette burning in the ashtray, she rifled through her backpack. Notebook and pencil in hand, she settled back onto the bed and flipped to a clean page.
She drew Angel and Rocky first, using her imagination to fill in what the night sky had kept hidden. When she was satisfied with her sketch, she turned the page. Head tilted, pencil poised, Debbie began to draw all those hard lines and smooth planes she’d been ogling for the last two hours.
Eyes flicking from Preacher to her notebook, she drew him as he was—half naked and sleeping. She smoked cigarette after cigarette while she sketched, her pencil strokes as quick and precise as her breathing had become.
Lost in concentration, Debbie didn’t notice when Preacher stopped snoring.
It was only when his leg twitched that she cast a glance to his face and found him wide awake and watching her.
Heat exploded in her cheeks and she quickly slapped her notebook closed, covering it with her hand. “Hi,” she said lamely, hoping she didn’t look as embarrassed as she felt.
“What’s that?” Preacher gestured to her notebook.
She shrugged. “I draw sometimes.”
“You any good?”
Another shrug.
“Can I see?”
“No.” Debbie tightened her grip on the notebook.
“No?” Preacher quirked an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Because I just sketched you half naked and sleeping.
“Because.”
“Because? That’s it? That’s all I’m gonna get?” His eyes were light; a teasing smile tugged on his lips. “After all we’ve been through together?”
Debbie started to smile—a smile she quickly squelched as Preacher sat up and swung his legs out of bed, a maneuver that dragged his jeans further down his hips. He reached for his cigarettes while Debbie struggled to keep her gaze above his waist, away from the evident bulge in his pants that hadn’t been there earlier.
“Did you smoke all my cigarettes?” Frowning, Preacher shook the empty pack.
“Shit,” she muttered, scrambling out of bed to hand him the half-smoked cigarette in her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Goddamn, Wheels, you are an expensive date.” He flashed her a wry look. “Least I still got my wallet.”
Debbie looked down at her lap, her bottom lip disappearing beneath her teeth. She deserved the jab, yet it still stung.
“Jesus,” Preacher groaned. “’Bout to lose another day of riding.”
Debbie’s gaze shot to Preacher and found him scowling at the table clock. Angrily he stubbed his cigarette into the ashtray.
Realizing he would be leaving soon, the candy bar she’d eaten earlier turned to stone in her gut. There would be no more motel rooms, no more hot showers. She would be alone again with nothing but the road to keep her company.
Weak, weak, weak, she thought bitterly. After all she’d been through, all she’d survived? She shouldn’t be this weak anymore.
But she could already sense all those unwanted feelings rising to the surface. And even as she attempted to steel her emotions, ready to battle them back down to where they belonged, she knew it was pointless.
She’d only spent a few strange moments with Preacher, but those moments had been enough. He’d given her beautiful glimpses of things she’d long gone without: protection, companionship, and conversation.
It was Sunshine all over again—a stranger unexpectedly dropping into her life, filling all those secret holes inside of her, the ones that had been carved from loneliness and starved for companionship… only to end up leaving her.
Preacher climbed out of bed and Debbie’s gaze lifted. Arm muscles shifted and rolled as he stretched, reaching for the water-stained ceiling. The movement caused his jeans to slide another half inch down his hips. Visually tracing the long lines of his body, Debbie’s mouth went dry
The urge to touch him, to run her hands over his suntanned skin, to tug his jeans down just a little farther, was so palpable that her fingers began to twitch.
“You still headed to the city?”
Debbie jerked her eyes away from Preacher’s gaping waistband and hurried to school her expression, hoping he couldn’t read her and wouldn’t know what she’d been thinking about.
Her hope died a quick death when she found him staring at her, his features tight, his eyes burning. Her breathing hitched. Her grip on her notebook turned crushing. A hundred butterflies fluttered inside her.
It took her several seconds to recall he’d asked her a question, and several more to answer as she made a concerted effort to keep her gaze away from his sagging jeans.
Swallowing, she nodded through the fog that had taken up residence in her brain. “Yes,” she said quietly.
Despite Preacher’s warnings, her plans hadn’t changed. If not New York City, then where would she go? She couldn’t live like this forever—moving from truck stop to truck stop, living out of her backpack and off the kindness of strangers.
This wasn’t a life. At least not a fulfilling one. And Debbie wanted more.
Preacher cleared his throat. “You want a ride?”
Debbie blinked up at him, her eyes widening.
“But I’m gonna need to make a pit stop upstate before showin’ my face in the city,” he hurried to say. “If you’re cool with that, you got yourself a ride.”
Was she cool with spending more time with Preacher? Debbie pressed her lips together—an attempt to prevent the burst of excitement inside her from making a noisy escape. Her stomach somersaulting, she nodded happily.
The corners of Preacher’s mouth lifted, his lips twisting into a small smirk. Idly scratching at his beard, he started across the room.
Pausing just outside the bathroom, he tossed her a glance over his shoulder. “Hey, so, you gonna tell me your real name?”
She floundered for a moment. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to be honest with him, genuine. But at the same time, she never wanted to hear that name again, be that girl again. She wanted that girl to disappear forever.
“I like Wheels,” she finally said.
She truly liked the nickname. Maybe because Preacher had given it to her, and therefore it wasn’t a lie. It was real, genuine—the latter being something she was not.
A slow smile split Preacher’s lips. “Fair enough, Wheels.” He knocked his fist lightly on the wall. “Lots of people where we’re going. Lots of wallets to steal. You’ll love it.” With a wink, he disappeared inside the bathroom.
Staring at the empty space he’d just vacated, Debbie bit down on her bottom lip, barely breathing. She remained that way until she heard the shower turn on, and then she propelled herself face-first onto a pillow… and grinned.
Chapter 14
Present Day
“So you took her to Four Points?” I asked.
“‘Course I did,” Preacher mumbled, yawning. “I guess I felt…responsible for what happened to her.
“Hell,” he continued, “it ain’t like I had anything better to be doin’ anyway.” He yawned again.