She pressed the gas with her hand then sliding back in the seat, she reached underneath and lifted the adjustment bar. With a hard yank, she pulled the seat forward and his knees slammed into the glovebox. Her eyes wide she turned to him.
Onyx bit his lips to tamp down the hot poker of pain shooting up his left thigh to his hip. Setting off nerves that constricted the muscles in his back as he slammed his head into the headrest and stared at the roof of the cab, not wanting to complain.
“Here you drive,” she said adjusting the bench seat all the way to the back and jumping out.
An ash snowfall still falling from the sky softened his rage as she made her way to the passenger side and he slid across the seat. The glow of the headlights creating an almost fairylike scene in front of him.
Meekly, she got in the cab of the truck and turned to him. “I could have drove,” she said. “But you clearly have had enough stimulus as a sub today.”
“That mean you’re gonna do my after care,” he replied, putting the truck in drive and turning it around, so it was on the grass path like road leading away from the place.
In the rearview, the smoldering cabin was already showing signs of going out when the clouds opened up and rain fell as if God himself had tipped over a bucket. Flipping on the wipers, Onyx made his way to a dirt road and prayed he’d made the right choice when turning left.
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 howl kneel 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
