Read Online In the Air Tonight by Stephanie Tyler - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephanie Tyler
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told him over her shoulder.
“You’re a nurse, not a stuntwoman.” He dropped her T-shirt and she pulled it down completely and turned to face him.
“Sometimes the ER is rough.”
“So nonchalant.” He stroked her jaw with a single finger and she jutted it stubbornly despite the warm feeling in her belly.
This time, it had nothing to do with the brandy. “Shit happens.”
“Who did this to you?”
“A patient’s husband.”
“If he touches you again …” Mace didn’t finish the sentence but she knew how he would. The fire in his eyes was lit in a way she’d never seen and for some reason, it made her just as angry as he was.
“Now you’re going to protect me? If I’d known showing you a few bruises would make you listen to me …”
She trailed off because he’d moved on to her neck, running two fingers lightly over the circle of bruises there, the ones masked last night by her hair and sweater, and the darkness. “You should get these checked out.”
“I did. They’re fine, they’ll heal.”
He grunted something, as his fingers trailed her throat and the necklace of bruises fading there. He stared at them and then into her eyes and it took everything she had not to do the same to his scar.
She kept her eyes steadily on his but he knew, somehow, tilted his lips into a smile as if to say,
Touché
.
Hers would fade into oblivion. His would be a constant reminder.
“Hey.” Caleb’s voice cut through the tension as though he was oblivious to it and she wasn’t sure if she was upset or grateful. It pulled Mace’s eyes from her and she turned to face the big man as well. “I got the generator running.”
He turned on the light switch next to him to prove his point, and sure enough, it worked. “The boiler should kick on soon too.”
“Thanks. I’ve been meaning to get the generator hooked up for years,” Mace said roughly.
“Yeah, you can put together an M14 blindfolded but you couldn’t handle hooking up the gas pipe and some simple electrical wiring,” Caleb said with a laugh. “I’m headed out to plow the roads around us—be back in a couple of hours.”
He didn’t wait for a response before he left, which was good, since Mace had frozen at Cael’s words, was still staring where the man had been standing, although Caleb was already long gone. She heard the heavy thump of Cael’s boots descending the stairs, said to Mace, “You don’t want him to remember.”
Mace leveled his eyes to hers, his face hard again, the way it had been last night when he’d first recognized her, and his words came out as a growl. “You don’t know me. Don’t tell me what I want and don’t want.”
He pushed past her, his feet as silent on the stairs as Caleb’s had been loud, and yes, she’d hit a nerve for sure.
M ace needed to keep busy—goddamned, mind-numbingly busy—contemplated going for a ride on the ATV, until the liquor truck came skidding up the road, toward the bar.
Cael was busy plowing, so Mace and the driver unloaded cartloads of boxes into the storeroom and Mace gratefully took on the task of unpacking the bottles and sorting through the inventory. It was a time-consuming, boring-as-shit task he normally detested, but for now it was just the kind of distraction he needed.
He blasted music in the hopes of drowning out histhoughts and began to rip open boxes. Every time he paused for longer than a few seconds, he saw Paige’s bruises dancing in front of his eyes. Christ, between her and Caleb, when the hell had he started running a home for wayward souls? When had things spun so far out of control?
You’re a wayward soul yourself
, Gray would tell him with that lopsided smile that always drew the females to him easily, that and his
shucks, ma’am
shrug. His friend had always been more willing to bullshit than Mace was and had always been much better at it too.
“Mace?” Paige’s voice, hesitant but not wavering. She was in the room with him and he cursed
“You’re a nurse, not a stuntwoman.” He dropped her T-shirt and she pulled it down completely and turned to face him.
“Sometimes the ER is rough.”
“So nonchalant.” He stroked her jaw with a single finger and she jutted it stubbornly despite the warm feeling in her belly.
This time, it had nothing to do with the brandy. “Shit happens.”
“Who did this to you?”
“A patient’s husband.”
“If he touches you again …” Mace didn’t finish the sentence but she knew how he would. The fire in his eyes was lit in a way she’d never seen and for some reason, it made her just as angry as he was.
“Now you’re going to protect me? If I’d known showing you a few bruises would make you listen to me …”
She trailed off because he’d moved on to her neck, running two fingers lightly over the circle of bruises there, the ones masked last night by her hair and sweater, and the darkness. “You should get these checked out.”
“I did. They’re fine, they’ll heal.”
He grunted something, as his fingers trailed her throat and the necklace of bruises fading there. He stared at them and then into her eyes and it took everything she had not to do the same to his scar.
She kept her eyes steadily on his but he knew, somehow, tilted his lips into a smile as if to say,
Touché
.
Hers would fade into oblivion. His would be a constant reminder.
“Hey.” Caleb’s voice cut through the tension as though he was oblivious to it and she wasn’t sure if she was upset or grateful. It pulled Mace’s eyes from her and she turned to face the big man as well. “I got the generator running.”
He turned on the light switch next to him to prove his point, and sure enough, it worked. “The boiler should kick on soon too.”
“Thanks. I’ve been meaning to get the generator hooked up for years,” Mace said roughly.
“Yeah, you can put together an M14 blindfolded but you couldn’t handle hooking up the gas pipe and some simple electrical wiring,” Caleb said with a laugh. “I’m headed out to plow the roads around us—be back in a couple of hours.”
He didn’t wait for a response before he left, which was good, since Mace had frozen at Cael’s words, was still staring where the man had been standing, although Caleb was already long gone. She heard the heavy thump of Cael’s boots descending the stairs, said to Mace, “You don’t want him to remember.”
Mace leveled his eyes to hers, his face hard again, the way it had been last night when he’d first recognized her, and his words came out as a growl. “You don’t know me. Don’t tell me what I want and don’t want.”
He pushed past her, his feet as silent on the stairs as Caleb’s had been loud, and yes, she’d hit a nerve for sure.
M ace needed to keep busy—goddamned, mind-numbingly busy—contemplated going for a ride on the ATV, until the liquor truck came skidding up the road, toward the bar.
Cael was busy plowing, so Mace and the driver unloaded cartloads of boxes into the storeroom and Mace gratefully took on the task of unpacking the bottles and sorting through the inventory. It was a time-consuming, boring-as-shit task he normally detested, but for now it was just the kind of distraction he needed.
He blasted music in the hopes of drowning out histhoughts and began to rip open boxes. Every time he paused for longer than a few seconds, he saw Paige’s bruises dancing in front of his eyes. Christ, between her and Caleb, when the hell had he started running a home for wayward souls? When had things spun so far out of control?
You’re a wayward soul yourself
, Gray would tell him with that lopsided smile that always drew the females to him easily, that and his
shucks, ma’am
shrug. His friend had always been more willing to bullshit than Mace was and had always been much better at it too.
“Mace?” Paige’s voice, hesitant but not wavering. She was in the room with him and he cursed
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