Chenoa rubbed her arms, then twisted and untwisted her hair while she paced around the small room. “What the hell do you know about it? You told me you never used.” She scowled at Breanna.
“I’ve been going through detoxes most of my life. It started with my mother, and I’m still doing it with my brother,” she answered softly. “Addiction affectseveryone, not just the user.” She patted the chair’s cushion. “Why don’t you sit down?”
She shook her head. “I gotta keep moving. It feels like a million insects are crawling all over my skin. I’m done with feeling like I have the flu. Now it’s just this restlessness.”
“That’s the addiction, the psychological part. And you have to take it day by day.”
“I need something to make me feel happy again. I’m so depressed.” She hung her head as she kept circling the room.
Breanna caught her and pressed her close, her arms curling around the petite girl. “It’s going to be okay,” she soothed as she stroked her hair.
Chenoa’s breath hitched, and then her small shoulders began moving. Wetness dampened Breanna’s neck as she held the sobbing girl, running her hands up and down her back. For several minutes they stood in the middle of the room, Breanna giving comfort and Chenoa desperate for it. The teenager was in the dark abyss of addiction, and it would be a lifelong challenge to climb out of it and never go back.
Pulling away slightly, Chenoa wiped her nose with her hand. “Thanks. Sorry for the meltdown.” She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose.
“You don’t ever have to thank me for helping you out. Believe me, I know how hard this is for you. I want to help you. You can’t do this alone.”
“Yeah, well… I wanted to tell you thanks for everything.” She looked down at the floor and shifted from one foot to another.
“Your mom tells me that when you get out of here, she’s taking you on a major shopping spree. I know how you love clothes and makeup. I took your advice and invested a bit of money, bought a beautiful mauve lipstick from Lancôme. It was expensive, but what a difference.”
The mention of makeup made Chenoa smile and she happily engaged in conversation, telling Breanna about the different cosmetic lines. Breanna exhaled slowly, content that she had momentarily distracted Chenoa from the pull of heroin. Chenoa sank down in the chair and Breanna sat down in the one facing her, her back to the door.
As they chatted, the scent of the desert and the wind wisped around her, and she knewhe’dcome in. She held her breath; she’d been wanting to see him since their last encounter at his mother’s house.
“I seem to run into you a lot. You must really like my family.” His deep voice caressed her like black velvet as he walked past her and went over to Chenoa, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. He ruffled her hair. “How’s my sunshine doing?”
She shrugged. “Okay. I just can’t wait to go home. Breanna and I were talking about makeup. She said Mom was gonna take me on a huge shopping trip when I get home. I bet we’re gonna go to Colorado Springs, or even Denver.”
“Is that right?” He glanced at Breanna. She caught his gaze, her insides jumping when she saw desire lacing them. “Sounds like you gotta hurry and get better.” His eyes still held Breanna’s as his lips twitched into a half smile.
She couldn’t turn away; she felt magnetically drawn toward him. He mesmerized her, pulling her in even though she wanted to break away and leave. She needed to get far away from him. He made her think of ecstasy-filled nights with his full lips exploring every inch of her body while his fingers trailed to the aching place between her legs, parting them open and teasingly sliding—
“You okay, Breanna? Your face is really flushed.” Chenoa’s voice broke in on her musings.
“I… uh….” She stopped as his eyes slowly traveled up her body. She sat immobile, biting the inside of her cheek when his gaze landed on her chest. His stare was hotter than the summer sun.
“I think Ms. Quine may be having a hot flash.” He raised his brows as a smirk played across his lips.
She pushed up from the chair. “I’m fine, Chenoa.” She purposely avoided looking at him, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching her. His green eyes burned with desire and danger. The pulse between her legs made her clench them together, and he chuckled. Angry at her body for reacting to him so strongly, she threw her shoulders back and raised her chin. “I should let you and your dad have some time together. I have to get going. I’ll try and come by over the weekend. You have my number if you need anything.” She grasped the strap on her shoulder bag and walked toward the door. “Bye, Chenoa.”
“You’re not gonna say goodbye to me? Where are your manners,Ms. Quine?” His tone mocked her, and she wanted to slap him hard against his face.
“Goodbye, Mr. McVickers.”
“It’s always a treat to see how nervous I can make you.”
She whirled around, anger burning her gut. “You don’t make me nervous. I rarely let myself get flustered. Maybe you likethinkingthat your badass demeanor scares people. I don’t know. I’m a social worker, not a psychologist.”
He laughed and leaned against the wall, his finely toned body apparent beneath his tight black jeans, white muscle shirt that molded over his torso, and his drool-worthy biceps. “I don’t think shit, lady. Iknow.Men avoid me and women clamor to me. They like the danger element. It makes them check me out and get all flushed. Kind of like you just were.”
“Dad!” Chenoa reached out and grabbed his wrist.
If Breanna could look in a mirror, she knew her face would resemble a tomato. Steel winked at her, then turned to his daughter. “I’m just teasing your caseworker, sunshine. She knows it. We’re just having a little fun, aren’t we, Ms. Quine?”
Breanna looked at Chenoa’s puzzled face and smiled. “Yes. You take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon.” She spun around and walked out the door, the intensity of Steel’s stare boring into her.
When she went outside, she gulped in the warm air like she was starving.I have to get a grip. I acted like a schoolgirl back there. He makes me so fucking mad! He’s despicable. And so damn sexy.She groaned. She’d have to figure out a way to limit her contact with him. Next time she saw his mother she’d find out his schedule and plan her drop-ins to Chenoa and his mother when he was at work.
He’s so damn cocky. Thinks every woman’s waiting for him. Yeah, right.She’d show him she wasn’teverywoman. Now if only her body behaved, she’d be as good as gold.
She slid into the driver’s seat and switched on the ignition. As she drove out of the parking lot, she spotted a wicked-looking Harley, the fading rays of the sun bouncing off the chrome, and she just knew it was his. An image of her arms wrapped around his hard, tapered waist, her breasts pressed against his back as he rode fast and furious, made her tingle.I wonder if he screws as hard as he rides.Her legs clenched again; it seemed like that was becoming their response when she saw or thought of him. There was no way her body was going to behave around him. The best course of action was to avoid him altogether.
She drove out of the parking lot, cranked up the music, and ignored the way her body quivered.
