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“No, but against my parole stipulations. I have to sleep at the approved address my parole officer has on file. And they can make all the random visits they want. I didn’t think about it on those nights I stayed at your place. I was lost in other things. It was careless, and we’re lucky nothing happened. He says if I don’t come home by my curfew, he’s gonna make some calls.”
“Why would your own brother do this? I thought he was rooting for you. I thought you two were close.”
“He’s not well. Mentally, he’s always been sick. Same for me, but he doesn’t try to get help. He was sober for all of one day when I talked to him about helping me out. He’s got all my tendencies, only he sees me succeeding, and I guess he thinks I’m leaving him behind. He told me I’m acting like I’m better than him.”
“Would he report you?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t wanna take that chance. All this hard work to get sent back because I allowed my desires to cloud my mind.”
Haize tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It all made sense. How could they have been so careless? It was a small town and she’d never live with herself if he got sent back because he stayed over. Because she was selfish and didn’t want him to leave.
“What does this mean for us, Mikey?”
“I don’t give a damn that he knows about us.”
“He’ll run his mouth all over town. People know him.”
“He might.” Michael shrugged and pulled another cigarette from the package. She had never seen him smoke so many back-to-back and figured it was his stress relief. “But he was really drunk tonight. Drunker than I’ve seen him since I’ve gotten back. It could just be that. He might wake up and forget we ever talked. Or think twice about things.”
“I’m sorry this is happening.” Haize reached across the table and took his hand in hers, savoring his sandpaper palms in hers. His skin was oil-stained from working on cars, with small hints of black in the crevices of his skin.
“I’m not gonna stop seeing you, Haize. I’ll just have to make sure I’m home before curfew.”
“What time is curfew?”
“8:30.”
“I could always go to your place. Is there anything in your stipulations about having a woman over?”
There was a hesitation in his response – a slight crinkle in his eyes as he answered. “I don’t want you around Mitch until he’s stable. He has no problem drinking in front of me, and I don’t want you around all those triggers. I don’t want you around him with his crude talk and his views on women. It’s not healthy for you.”
“I figure we’ll be in your room most of the time, anyway.” She forced a smile. “But I get it. I’m kidding. If you don’t want me there, I’ll respect that. I guess we will have to be extra careful. The town is watching us and now your brother is suddenly concerned with you following your parole requirements. How much longer do you have?”
“Eight months.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re worth eight months, Haize. I’m sorry I’m putting you through all this.”
“You’re worth it too, Mikey. Every bit of all this. And I’ll make sure you follow it all to the letter. To stay free and to spite Mitch. I can’t believe he’s acting this way.”
“He’s been like this since I can remember. I’m not a mental health professional, but he seems bipolar.”
“Maybe so.” She ran her hand up his arm. “What time is it?”
Michael glanced at his watch. “7:45.”
“45 minutes. What can we do with those 45 minutes?”
He scooted to her side of the table and snaked his arm around her back and down her side, nuzzling her neck. “The park is real quiet tonight. No one around. I can think of a few things.”
A chill shot down her spine and she giggled as his lips nipped at her ear. “This is very public.”
“Not beyond those trees. Some wildlife might watch, but they need some excitement in their lives.” He pulled her to a standing position and led her into the forest, just on the edge of the park. Pushing her against a tree, he spread her legs with his thigh and kissed her so deeply that she forgot about all their problems. She forgot they were in a forest at night, with cool air nipping at them. She didn’t care, as long as it was with him.
His hand trailed down to the button on her jeans, and he unzipped her enough to slide his hand inside her panties. Looking into her eyes, he smiled. “Sorry. My fingers are cold.”
“I’ll warm them up.” She buried her face in his neck, desperately attempting to not yell out as he slid two fingers in and out of her. Their clothes were still on, but there was something so sensual about it.
Michael turned her around to face the tree and she gasped when he slid her jeans down off her hips, along with her panties. He was hard and ready, tapping his arousal on the small of her back. “You okay with this?” he whispered from behind her, his warm breath tickling her skin.
“Yes.”
