Fall Gently (Red Light: Silver Girls series) (24 page)

The sky opened up, and rain pelted his head. He stared straight ahead, unmindful of the wetness seeping into his clothes. The walkers sought shelter in the many shops lining the way.

The sidewalk emptied until he was the only fool outside battling the weather.

Behind him, safe, warm, dry, Roni packed her suitcase in his apartment and with her belongings, his heart.

R
oni carried the broken picture frame into the kitchen, opened the cabinet under the sink, and tossed the whole thing in the trash. She should never have asked him to point out the men he called friends or questioned his ramblings when he started talking.

If she'd stayed quiet and accepted everything Dawson told her at face value from the beginning, she'd have him home and wouldn't be wondering where he was at or if he was going to return. He wouldn't have felt like he had to protect her.

She could go through twenty different ways to deal with what he'd disclosed to her if she had time. But, she ran out of time when he told her he wanted her gone.

Like a complete fool, she'd stared at him in horror at the shocking truth that he murdered Vince Pladonta. Her reaction wasn't over the news that Vince was dead. She already knew that and was glad.

No, she couldn't believe that Dawson would have to live the rest of his life with the memory of what he'd done. She wanted to wash his crime away, and he wanted to hold on out of guilt.

Well, he'd gotten the response from her that he'd wanted. His outburst came out fast and loud, and he pushed her away.

But Dawson never lived with Vince. He had no idea what happened inside that house or what his sister experienced.

The front door opened. She held onto the kitchen counter and watched the entrance to the main room. A shiver went through her and her arms broke out in goosebumps. She braced for the scene to come, because she'd gone against his request and refused to listen to him when he told her to leave and go to a hotel.

Her suitcases remained empty under the bed.

Her clothes remained hung in the closet.

Her stash of Lifesavers sat in the nightstand drawer in Dawson's room.

She wasn't going anywhere until he listened to her. When she was done and if he still wanted her gone after she gave her all to their relationship, she'd leave on her own. Because she wouldn't need his help if he couldn't love her enough to change his mind.

That thought. That wonderful empowering thought came from somewhere deep inside of her that she had no idea even existed.

She was tired of doing what others told her to do. In twenty-six years of life, she found something, someone, to fight for.

Dawson stepped into the kitchen. His clothes soaked from the rain and his eyes calm. Too calm.

He looked straight at her, and the indifference in his eyes only strengthened her tenacity to fight for him.

"Ready?" he asked.

"No." She stepped toward him, grabbed his wet coat in her hands, and not giving him the chance to walk away from her or turn his back, she continued. "You acted out of love. I'm not condoning what you did and even though I thought about killing Vince, Jacqueline thought about killing him, probably everyone who ever was on the wrong side of his hand thought about killing him, you were the only man strong enough to do the job. None of us, not me, not even Jacqueline, possessed the one emotion you had that drove you forward to take him out of our lives."

Dawson stared down at her. Every second that passed without him acknowledging her opinion had him slipping away from her.

"I've only had myself to rely on all my life. The love I had for my mother, my grandparents was short lived as they all died and left me alone in a world that was too ugly to care about. Jacqueline never spoke about you, because she loved you. It was her way to separate the circumstances from the brother she loved with all her heart." She gave his coat a shake wanting to jolt a reaction out of him, to force him to listen, to see some emotion in his eyes that he was hearing her.

"Dawson, you acted on the love for your sister. Not out of some sick need for revenge the way Vince had his whole life. Don't you see that?" She softened her voice. "You might've been too late to save Jacqueline, but you saved me. Vince would've caught up to me soon after I left. Every day I lived in fear of him walking through the door until it was you who found me. It's because of
you
that I'm standing here in front of you, loving you until it hurts inside because I'm afraid of losing you."

"I killed him," he said, his voice raspy. "I'd do it again if I ever thought you were in danger."

"I know, and that's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with you," she whispered.

"You've got to know that I can kill. It's inside of me, sweetheart. It drums inside me as plain as the beat in my heart. That's what you don't get. I don't regret killing him. I'm glad he's dead."

"I know you are, honey. So, am I." She reached up and stroked his jaw. "That's another reason why I love
you
. I've never had someone to protect me, love me, save me. I've only been responsible for myself and the choices I made have never been the right ones."

"Bullshit," he muttered. "You ran from your stepdad. That was smart.  You ran from Vince, and that saved your life. You trusted me, came to Seattle, and stood in front of me and fought for us when I was afraid of hurting you with the truth."

"You were still protecting me," she said, holding on to him tighter. "Please, don't throw me away and give up on what we have together."

He hooked her neck and brought her forward. Once again, she was sheltered in his arms, snug and secure.

"I need you," he whispered. "Fucking help me, because I can't walk away."

She tilted her head. "I'm not letting you go anywhere."

"I want you on the bed."

"I can do that," she whispered, kissing his lips.

He led her into the bedroom. She removed her clothes watching him remove his in silence. The ups and downs for both of them left her balancing precociously, and all she wanted was him to steady her.

To love her unconditionally.

To have him inside her. Every day. For the rest of their lives.

The sight of him hard, ready, and beautiful gave her an enjoyable thrill that pushed away the whirlwind of emotions of the last twenty-four hours. She held out a hand, and Dawson took her to the bed and laid her down.

He rolled a condom on, settling between her legs, and braced his weight on his arms.

Skin against skin. Nothing between them.

One broad male.

One smaller female.

Hard.

Soft.

Opposites in life. Perfect together.

He brushed against the front of her. She moved under him, widening her legs and made room for his hips to settle down on her. From head to toe, her body conformed to his until they were locked together, melting into each other.

The trail of his lips painted her with a low, sweet caress, moving along her neck and lower as he ignited her body. She held on to his strong arms when he sucked her to a near frenzy. His hand wandered over her stomach, over her mound, and found the wet heat of her pussy. Soft moans escaped her, and the most delightful form of contentment filled her.

He stroked, teased and promised, but held her back from finding release. She arched up against his fingers, silently begging him for more. Her legs clamped around his hand, rocking against him, trying to reach for the pleasure she knew would come.

Finally, he shifted into position between her legs and thrust into her. Pleasure shot through her, confining her as he plunged, withdrew, and set the rhythm. Helpless to do anything but hold on and let the feelings overwhelm her.

With a cry, she unraveled, and a few seconds later, Dawson followed her with a deep groan of his own satisfaction. Her body trembled underneath him as the aftershocks of her climax hit her. She clung tightly to Dawson, realizing the decision they'd made to stay together bonded them tighter than she could ever imagine.

What he'd done hadn't soaked in yet, but when he finally accepted his part, he'd realize he saved her life.

Dawson rolled off her, taking her with him. She snuggled closer, pressing her cheek against his chest over his heart. His hand cradled the back of her neck, keeping her near.

"Thank you," he whispered against her hair.

She smiled against his skin. "I should thank you. That was...incredible."

"Not talking about the sex, sweetheart." He inhaled deeply. "Thank you for being strong enough to see what I couldn't see and for talking to me until I'd listen."

She moved her head and gazed at him. "Deep down, you knew what you wanted. I only helped you see everything clearer."

"You know what this means?" He smoothed back her bangs on her forehead.

She smiled. "That we're committed and love each other, no matter what?"

"That, too." His gaze softened. "You hold my freedom in your hands, Roni. You, Scott, and I are the only ones who know what I've done. Vince's murder is an open case."

"I won't say anything," she said, sitting up.

He shook his head. "I'm not worried about that. You need to know that what I've done will always hang over my head. If they find out, I will be going back to prison."

"They'll never find out."

He skimmed the back of his hand against her chin. "I'll do everything in my power to keep it that way."

She snuggled down on the bed with him. Her whole life she'd lived one day at a time. Being committed to Dawson was no different. Except, she would be grateful for every day she had with him.

R
oni paused outside the door of the garage on Fifth Avenue and Sycamore Street. Dawson turned, lifted Roni's hand clutched in his, and kissed her fingers. On her own, she suggested going to "Carver's Customs" before he planned to open for business on Monday. She wanted to see the garage and meet the men who would be working there.

"What's going through your head, sweetheart?" he asked.

Her lips pursed as she sucked harder on the Lifesaver in her mouth. She'd eaten three of them during the four block walk.

"I'm okay." She bit down on the mint and gave him a smile.

A pathetic smile, but he'd take it. The last four days had shown both of them how much strength Roni had gained. Not only in her willingness to step out of her comfort zone and trust him after he'd told her the truth about his past, but in the way she confidently pushed herself forward with little help from him.

"Once I introduce you to the others, I'll take you into the office and show you around." He stepped toward the door, squeezed her hand, and led her inside the open bay.

Scott turned around from hanging the tools on the side wall. "Yo, what's up?"

"I brought Roni in to show her the place and where she'll be working." He looked over at the air tools and found Luchek and Jerald. "Hey, you two, come over for a second."

He put his arm around Roni's shoulders and tucked her against his side. Her hand went to the back of his jeans, and she held on to his belt. She held her slight tremors from the others, and he held her a little closer because he could feel her shaking.

"Roni, this is Scott." Dawson pointed at the man who'd helped him get in the house to kill Vince.

"Hey, Roni," said Scott, nodding his chin.

She leaned her head against Dawson. "Hi."

Dawson swung his arm to the right side of him. "Luchek is the one with the beard. You'll probably meet Karen, his wife, soon. She works across the street at the deli. They've got two kids."

"A boy and a girl. Four and six." Luchek dipped his chin. "Karen will like having another female around. She gets an hour off for lunch and will probably hang around here. I already told her you'd be here, so she has another woman to talk to."

"I'd like that, too." Roni smiled and then caught her lip between her teeth.

Dawson turned her slightly. "This is Jerald."

Jerald weighed at least three-hundred pounds and stood close to six and a half feet tall. Dawson lowered his arm and put his hand on Roni's lower back to support her.

"It's nice to meet you, Jerald," said Roni softly.

"Right back at you, Roni." Jerald grinned at Roni and looked over at Dawson. "Mickey's bringing his Vette in on Monday. We've got our first job."

"Nice." Dawson held out his hand and shook with Jerald. "Good job pulling him in. Let's treat him good and keep him coming back. He's got a garage full of cars waiting to be customized."

Scott thumped Luchek on the back. "We need to get our asses back to straightening up the place. We still have one more load of tools to bring over from storage."

"Yeah, I need to show Roni around." Dawson moved her out of the way. "I'll come in tomorrow for a few hours and make sure everything is set."

The men nodded at Roni. She smiled, glanced at Dawson, and ducked her head. Dawson led her to the side of the room and through the office door. Once inside the room, he flipped on the light.

"The blinds can go up and down, so you can watch through the window if you want while you're working. That way you'll know exactly where all of us are while you're here." Dawson pulled out the chair at the desk. "Sit."

She sat and scooted the chair closer to the desk. "You've already got a computer?"

"It was Jacqueline's. I don't know how to use it, so I hope you do. If not, Jerald said he could teach you." Dawson put his ass on the edge of the desk and braced his elbow on his knee. "The blue book is what we've all had experience using. While things are slow here, you can enter all the appointments in there. Billing goes in the green book. You should pick it up in no time. It's pretty straight forward. Since we're customizing, we don't have to deal with insurances."

"Okay." Roni blew out her breath and laughed. "Blue is for appointments. Green for billing. Got it. I know how to use Excel, or I did when I went to high school. It shouldn't be too hard to refresh myself with the program."

"You'll have a lot of hours where you'll be doing nothing." Dawson leaned over and kissed her upturned lips. "You can play around with it, and when you're comfortable, you can put the information in there."