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9
Topaz didn’t know dirt roads could go so long without finding a paved one. Growing up in a small farming community, she knew no matter what if you’re lost you could find a main road eventually. Montana wasn’t like Arkansas in that way. Rural yes, but not spread out a hundred miles rural.
Relieved they got out of there in one piece, Topaz rested her head on the glass, but the worry about Onyx crept over her. Clearly, he was hurt because he kept holding his side with his hand. “Where are you hurt?”
“My ribs might be cracked a bit, but I’m doing okay.”
“Are you sure. Do you want me to drive?”
The moment the words left her lips his hand went to his knee. The poor man had been beaten and brutalized and she had to go slam his knee into the glovebox. Serves him right for being a damn mutant, making it hard on all the normal sized folks. Onyx had fought his way out of there. If it hadn’t been for him, they would never have escaped. Guilt washed over her, if it hadn’t been for her stupid insecurities around him, they wouldn’t have been out back, alone, fighting. All because she wanted him so badly and feared the feeling at the same time.
“You sure know how to fight Topaz,” Onyx said breaking her free from her thoughts as he grinned.
“Yeah, I learned how to fight after I joined the Steels. A little too late.”
“There’s no such thing,” he said instantly cutting her off and not allowing her to go down the path of blame and shame. “Trust me, all things come when they are supposed to.”
“That how you got here?” she asked and he pulled in on his dry lips. It had to have been a day at least since he’d drank anything. How much longer could he go… No food, no water? They needed to find a town or at least a wayside store. But the darkness outside told her even if they did, it wouldn’t be open.
“You don’t know my story do you?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she admitted her truths to him. “I was too scared to know. I was having enough of a problem keeping myself away from you, the last thing I needed was to hear some heroic story.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyebrow raising from her confession.
“What can I say, a man in uniform who rescues kitties,” she swooned a bit. “Only thing worse would have been you bringing me a baby goat in pajamas.”
“Superman pajamas with a cape and everything.” He chuckled.
She faked swooned in the seat next to him. “Did you really howlkneel before Zod?”
“Can I pretend I blacked out?” he asked leaning down a bit as if that would somehow clear the rain and let him see better. “Damn, this is like I got onto the road to nowhere.”
“You need water,” she said snagging the beer can from the floor.
“Even with a concussion I know that’s empty.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” she said then put her hand over his on the wheel. “Pull over, this down pour can easily rinse this and fill it a few times.”
The truck slowed as the wipers cleared the sheets of rain from the windshield.
“This is the most country ass shit—”
“Not all water comes from a bottle LA,” she cut him off. “Come on, you can’t get filtered better than straight from a cloud.” Bracing herself, she opened the door and stepped into the downpour. Icy cold, the night air mixed with rain to drop the temperature more than she expected.
Onyx opened his door and leaned his head out. Letting the water fall into his open mouth, he only paused to swallow.
Topaz let the water do its thing to clean the can and fill it up. “You’ll probably prefer this,” she said passing him the empty can.
“I do prefer my water with a hint of hops and barley,” he said.
His naturally deep bass hit all sorts of wet and cold parts of her body.
He chugged the can then held it out himself for a few minutes before getting behind the wheel again.
Topaz had found another can and filled it for him, but he shook it off. “I wasn’t the only one who barely got a sip in that cabin.”
“But—”
