Chapter eleven
Openinghereyes,Sapphireblinked at the darkness of the room. She was nestled deep under the covers with the heavy feeling of the quilt pressing her into the mattress. When she had first climbed into the bed last night, she expected worse. Knowing that the room had been previously inhabited by some unknown man left her seriously worried about the condition of the linen she found in a box. But to her surprise, nothing smelled or felt dirty. The pillows actually smelled rather nice, to be honest. There was a woodsy, spicy scent to the pillows like a man's cologne long forgotten. She couldn't help but take a deep breath, luxuriating in the manly smell.
Sitting up, she squinted at the heavily curtained windows. Along the edges of the thick curtains, there were little beams of golden light clawing their way through.
Standing up, Sapphire went to the curtains and pulled them back, bathing herself and the room in the fresh morning light. From this height, she could see over the tops of the trees and far across the field that stretched behind the buildings. Looking down, she could see the perimeter of the fence that lined the back of the building, giving it a private back yard unlike any of the other buildings.
Was that an above-ground pool? Sapphire smirked at the round pool covered in a tight tarp at the back of the yard while directly below her windows and near the building sat two gleaming bikes.
She had heard those bikes earlier that morning. Laying stock still, she had listened to the surprisingly light footsteps of the men come up the stairs. Quiet, muffled male voices from downstairs echoed gently up the stairs causing her to still even more.
She had strained to listen to their movements over the thudding of her heart. Her imagination couldn't help but ignite as she lay in bed, listening to their actions. Would they turn out like other men and try to come up and mess with her? She had locked the door and moved a few boxes in front of the door, giving her a pitiful if not noisy barrier between the door and herself. But she knew it would be useless against two men like Hayden and Joel. Powerful strength radiated off the bikers. They would make short work of any barricade between them and what they wanted.
But they didn’t want her.
She had listened as their muffled talking died down and their doors opened and closed. The soothing hum of water loudly thrumming throughout the building's pipes as they each took turns in the bathroom, and soon there was nothing, just peaceful silence. Profound relief had acted as a drug in her system, pulling her back into a deep sleep.
Checking her phone, Sapphire glanced at the time. She needed to be at work in a couple of hours. Looking down at her rumpled clothes, her mouth twisted in disgust. She needed a shower and a change of clean clothes.
Carefully and quietly, she moved the boxes from her door and tiptoed to the bathroom. The bathroom had been another surprise for her. She had expected it to be filthy or in disrepair in a house full of bachelors, but far from it. Besides the missing shower curtain, the bathroom was perfectly clean. Using the bathroom and splashing some water on her face, she pulled her flagging ponytail down from its constraints and ran a hand through her wavy curls.
It was incredibly odd being in a house with strangers. Halfway down the stairs, she froze when the wood creaked beneath her shoe. Instantly her imagination took off as she imagined Hayden's grumpy face twisting in anger as he woke up from his sleep like an irate bear. But the seconds ticked by, and she heard nothing. A little more confident, she quickly descended the rest of the stairs making only one or two smaller creaking sounds as she passed.
Sapphire let out a breath as she stood in the open kitchen area. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday evening. Looking around the utilitarian kitchen with its plain cabinetry and metal counters and industrial-grade sink, she highly doubted she was going to find anything to eat here, and even if she did, she would rather not face Hayden's surly face if she accidentally ate something of his. Joel would most likely not care. The easy-going man didn't seem to let a lot of things affect him.
Memories of his face from last night suddenly popped into her mind, and Sapphire paused. His usual devil-may-care smirk wasn't there last night, not when he faced that man. She could still picture his lethal expression as he confronted the other biker. It was more devil than human, and this devil cared.
Opening the cabinets until she found one with dishes, Sapphire quietly grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the sink. She leaned her hip against the counter and took a drink. That's what it was, she realized. The care. That's what felt so odd.
Last night they appeared from the darkness and saved not only her but Herman as well. They had pulled her into their world without permission or discussion, forcing her into their protection.
Looking down at her plastic cup, she absently read the letterings of some sort of restaurant. No one had ever saved her before. No one had even offered. Normally, everything she had ever achieved or obtained had been under her own power. Last night her mind raced as she stood by Blanche's window. Hundreds of scenarios had played out in her mind as she stared fearfully below at the threatening men. Just how was she going to get out of this situation if the police didn't arrive on time? What was she going to do long-term? Would they keep coming back to harass her? But as quickly as the frightening questions came up, they vanished at the arrival of the two men. It was like a ridiculous fairy tale, she thought with a snort. Just at the sight of them, the bad guys ran, and they whisked her from the tower back to their castle.
"Ridiculous," she muttered to herself, despite the frantic beating of her heart.
Pushing away the odd feeling, Sapphire looked around until she spotted what she was looking for. Grabbing an envelope on the cluttered dining room table, she found a pen and began to jot down a quick note.
"You planning on leaving a note and running away?" The deep voice behind her spoke.
Sapphire let out a small sound of surprise and whirled around.
Standing there looking sleepy but amused was Joel. Wearing a rumpled looking long-sleeved green shirt and a pair of jeans, he let out a wide yawn as he ran a hand through his tousled blond hair.
She scowled at him. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. "No, I planned on going to get my stuff at the motel. I didn't have anything to take a shower with last night, and I feel grimy," she confessed. "Besides, I’ll need my things," she paused before adding hesitantly, "if I'm to stay here…"
She wasn't sure if the offer was still on the table or not. Last night she had rehearsed for an hour just how she was going to turn down their offer. She couldn't stay here in a house with two men she didn't know. But now, here she was saying the exact opposite.
"Yep, you are." Joel gave her a look that told her not to argue. "Hold on," he yawned again. "Let me get the keys."
The sound of another door opening interrupted them both, and she watched in mute captivation as Hayden stepped out of his room, pulling a dark t-shirt over his head. Sapphire forced herself to look away from the sight. She prayed the coolness of the open living room would cool the flare of heat to her face and maybe even repel the image of his very naked yet very sculpted chest covered in tattoos.
Jingling a set of keys in his hand, Hayden brought her attention back to his face. "Okay, let's go," he grunted, his morning voice somehow deeper than his usually gruff voice.
Sapphire fought to gain control over the situation. "You two don't have to come," she said, holding up a hand. "I know you only had a few hours of sleep. Besides, it's not like you can help carry my stuff while riding your bikes," she pointed out.
The deadpan look on Hayden's face made her pause and Joel laugh. Raising his keys with another purposeful jingle, Hayden gave her a pointed look. "We have a truck."
Never in her life would she have imagined herself in this scenario. It had only been three minutes, but it felt like fifteen. Sitting in the truck wedged between both of them, Sapphire didn't allow herself to move an inch to her left or her right. The cursed potholes in this podunk town did that for her. With no choice, she felt herself swaying between the two of them. With one jostling bump, she felt Hayden's thick bicep brush against her as he maneuvered the vehicle. Another turn sent her sliding into the side of Joel to her right, who sat with his left arm slung atop the bench seat behind her.
