Page 61 of Second Chance

With the mention of the Lodge, Denton opens his door and nearly tumbles out. I reach for him but miss and scramble to remove myself through the driver’s side. By the time I’ve circled the truck, he’s walking up the path to my front door. I need to double my steps to reach him, and I scoot around him to hop up on the stoop. Two hands come up to stop him. With me on the step, we stand equal in height. My heart races as my hands feel the cotton of his shirt, warmth emanating from him inside his open leather jacket. His own heart beats under my palm. His eyes search my face, but I consider he’s having trouble focusing.

“Take me inside.” His rustic, throaty voice drips over me like chocolate sauce on a sundae. Damn it.

“Nothing will happen tonight.” I don’t know if I’m saying it for his protection, as he’s drunk, or mine, because I’m drunk on him, and don’t trust myself. He scrubs a hand down his face before his eyes shift to the side.

“Take care of me, Mati,” he restates, and something in the ache of his request breaks me. For a moment, I’m a young girl again facing a battered boy, and all I want to do is hold him tight to me, take away his demons, and promise to love him. Instead, I nod and turn to unlock my door.

Denton leads the way to my living room, and I’m relieved. He lowers with a heavy plop onto my couch and tips his head back, closing his eyes. Thinking he’ll pass out, I continue toward my kitchen, fill a glass with water, and find some painkillers for the headache he’ll eventually have. Returning to the living room, I place the items on the coffee table before I straighten and lean over Denton, brushing at his silver and ink hair. His hand shoots up and circles my wrist. He tugs my arm until his lips find my palm and lingers. His eyes flip open to catch mine. He slips my finger into his mouth and sucks hard a moment. Then he gives a gentle pull on my wrist, and I practically fall on top of him.

I right myself to sit next to him, our thighs pressed together, our shoulders touching. We remain silent for a few minutes, his warm fingers still wrapped around my wrist, but his head rests on the cushions again, and his eyes close.

“Rough day with your mom?”

“Rough life,” he mutters. I stare at him, knowing what he means, yet also realizing his so-called life became much easier once he left Blue Ridge. He became a rockstar with money, fame, and females galore.

“What happened today?” I ask because I know something had to trigger his current condition. “Are you upset about your mother?”

“Upset?” He laughs without humor. “I’d have to care to be upset.”

“That’s cold.”

“I’m cold, Mati. So cold.” His eyes remain closed, his face to my ceiling.

“Is this about your father?” I absolutely understand his hatred of the man, but I also think with his father’s death and Denton’s physical absence it’s something he should be able to let go of thirty years later. Then again, it wasn’t me being insulted and beat.

“Yes.” He sighs. “No.”

I continue to stare at him.

“I don’t think Kip was my father.” Denton speaks so quietly I’m not certain I hear him incorrectly.

“What?” I shift to face him, and my knee lands on his thigh. His hand falls to my inner leg, but it’s only resting there as if it’s not actually touching me. I ignore the tingling of my skin under my jeans, as I wait out an explanation.

“Caroline keeps calling me Calvin. I thought she was just mixing up my name. When I asked Dolores and Magnolia what the name meant, who he might be, they were both surprisingly tight-lipped about him. Dolores did mention Kip had a brother named Calvin, though. I had an uncle I don’t even remember.”

My brows raise in surprise. I don’t recall ever hearing about Kip’s family. He rode into town one day, courted Caroline Duncan, married her, and melded into the history of Blue Ridge. That’s the extent of my knowledge.

“Do you think he’s your father?”

“I went to Charlie—”

“How would Charlie know?” His head rolls on the cushion, and he glares at me. I clamp my lips shut, allowing him to finish.

“Charlie said Calvin was Kip’s brother. He was murdered in the woods near Magnolia’s home. His case is unsolved.”

I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”

“I saw a picture of them. Of us, as a family. Calvin was looking at my mother.”

A look proves nothing. I sigh, noting his hand has begun to massage my inner thigh. The pressure feels nice, a little risky, and too thrilling for this conversation. He isn’t making any sense, and I’m starting to assume he’s drunker than I thought.

“How was he looking at your mother?”

Denton’s dark eyes harden, turning midnight instead of soft coal. “He was looking at her like I look at you.”

Heat breaks across my cheeks. Denton’s palm creeps higher inside my thigh. My voice lowers as I speak. “I don’t know what you mean.” How does he think he looks at me?

“With longing.” The words surprise me, and for a moment I’m lost in his eyes, the richness, the sincerity, the yearning. Has he wanted me like I wanted him? I’m not unschooled in modern dating practices. I know the other night meant nothing more than him making a statement—he set out to prove something with his dominance. I’m not complaining, just being realistic. Unfortunately, each touch from Denton reminds me how lonely I’ve been and how much I crave more.