Saving Dallas (22 page)

He laughed at my reply and kissed me on my head.  “Well I’ll just have to make it better.”  I wasn’t sure what all that would entail; but the promise gave me a delicious chill
.
  He pulled my legs from around him and stood me under the water.  “Let’s get you clean.  Someone has a big day tomorrow.”  I could see the disappointed look in his eyes, but he kissed my head and gave me a tight smile, and I knew he was trying to be reassuring.  We bathed quickly and Luke found me a t-shirt to sleep in before crawling into bed behind me. 

I was expecting him to wrap me in his arms, but instead he crawled between my legs, and without any warning placed his mouth on my sensitive flesh.  My back came off the bed at the feel of his tongue
, so soft and velvety smooth.  He moved his mouth over me slowly, devouring and worshiping my most intimate parts.  It was only a matter of minutes before I was moaning his name and coming once again.  He kissed up my stomach, stopping to suck my nipples softly before kissing me tenderly, and then slid in beside me.  I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even respond when he whispered in my ear, “Good night my love.” 

The ride to Tupelo, so far, was long and uneventful.  I smiled at myself remembering how wonderful my morning had been.  Luke had surprised me with breakfast in bed consisting of instant oatmeal and orange juice.  He was in a much better mood this morning and I wondered if he was happy to be rid of me for a few days. 

We still had not had a chance to talk about what had happened the other night.  Every time I tried to bring it up he changed the subject or distracted me with his mouth or hands.  I figured whatever was going on was either not that important or so important that he didn’t want to tell me. 

I remembered that Red owed me a favor and since she had been sure to put her number in my phone, I figured it would not hurt to call her.  Using my car’s hands free device, I dialed Red’s number in hopes of getting some answers about just what in the hell was going on.

“Dallas?”
Red answered sounding worried.

“Hey,
Red do you have a minute?”

“Of course, what’s up?”  It sounded like she stopped whatever she was doing and walked to another room.  I thought I was prepared to talk to her, but I wasn’t sure this was the right time.  I started to chicken out and make up some phony excuse as to why I called, but she interjected before I could.  “Dallas, you can talk to me about anything.  That’s what I’m here for.”  Her voice had lowered and I could tell she was being sincere.  I needed her.  I needed a friend and although I had Lindsey, I needed someone on the inside to talk to.

“He won’t tell me anything,” I blurted out.  “I have tried talking to him, but he keeps distracting me.  I haven’t pushed him. I have only asked him a couple of times, but he doesn’t want to tell me anything.  I understand that this may be none of my business, but I can’t help but feel that it is.”  I sucked in a deep breath and waited for her response.  I hadn’t realized it, but my eyes burned and I knew I would cry any minute.
  Damn.  Why did I have to be such an emotional wreck? 

“Yes, it is your business.  You deserve to know the truth about what is going on.  I was hoping Luke would tell you this himself, but since he wants to be an overprotective asshole
, I’ll tell you
.” 
I wiped the tears from my face and sat straight up in the vehicle.  Red had my full attention.  “As you know, Sunday night a man broke into Luke’s house.  We figured he was hoping to catch him alone, but when he saw you he freaked out.”  A chill ran through my body as I thought of how panicked Luke had become when he thought I had been hurt.  I swallowed nervously, willing Red to continue.  “We are not sure if the broken window on the club house was intentional or not.  It may have been a deploy to get Luke’s attention or to see if you would come outside.” 

Oh shit. 
Good thing I was not a light sleeper, because just like in all the scary movies, I would have gotten up to investigate.

“At the bar the other night, the woman Maddie was fighting with is an ol’ lady to a rival club.  They are not allowed in Hattiesburg, but for some reason they have been showing up lately.  We
’re not sure, but we think it has something to do with Luke.”  My mind started to spin as I remembered the red and gray colors the lady at the bar wore.  They matched the ones on the motorcycles that passed my office just yesterday. 
Was that something I needed to share?
 

“Where were their men at?” I asked, silently praying she would say they knew where they were. 

“Who knows?  They are not allowed around these parts.  The only way the girls pulled it off was by bringing their cuts in inside their purse.  After the guys walked out they went to the bathroom to put them on.  That’s when Maddie confronted them.” 

“
Red, I saw those guys,” I said softly
.  I didn’t want to start a war, but this seemed pretty important. 

“What guys?”
Red asked confused.

“The guys that wear red and gray cuts.  They passed by my office yesterday just before Luke got there.” 

“Did you tell Luke?” Red practically shouted at me. 

“
No, I didn’t think about it.  I had no idea who they were.” 

“Dammit Dallas!” Red yelled.  I could hear someone who I thought was Regg in the background asking what was wrong. 

“I’ll call you back.”  The call ended and I was left wondering what crime I had committed this time.  I was getting tired of them expecting me to act like I knew what the hell I was doing.  I was new to all of this.  How in the hell was I suppose
d to know who was allowed and who wasn’t.  My phone rang distracting me and I glanced down to see that it was Luke.  I cringed at the thought of him chewing my ass
.
 

“Hello?”  I tried to sound cheery, but my voice betrayed me.  I sounded like my underwear was stuck in my ass. 

“Hey baby.”  Luke’s smooth silky voice took me by surprise.  I was expecting his wrath, but instead he talked to me like he missed me and was excited to just hear my voice
.
  “Dallas?  You there?” 

“Uhh… Yeah, baby.  I’m here
,” I stuttered. 
I was such a loser.
 

“I just got a call from
Red.  She was freaking out on me.  Is there something you want to talk about?” 
Why was he being so calm?
 

“You’re not mad at me?” I asked cautiously.
Maybe this was the calm before the storm. 

“No, babe.  Why would I be mad at you?”
he asked shocked. 
Wow.  This was a turn of events.

“I just thought since I didn’t tell you about those guys you might be mad.”

“Babe, you had no way of knowing who those men were or what they wanted.  I’m sorry I have been so evasive the past few days, I just didn’t want to worry you.” 
Damn, he was so sweet
.

“I love you
,” I said breathlessly.  He had a way of removing the air from my lungs-even from miles away.  Luke laughed softly.

“I will never tire of hearing you say those words to me.  I love you too, baby, now talk to me.  What’s on your mind?”  Knowing he was not mad at me and that I could speak freely, I spilled my guts.
 

“Yesterday I was standing outside my office when I
heard all these motorcycles.  I thought it was your guys, but they were wearing red and gray.  I thought they might be friends of yours so I waved, but none of them waved back.  There was a guy in the pack. He had a large scar on his face. When we got to Shenanigans, he was there too.”  Luke was eerily quiet on the other end and fearing the silence was a bad sign I quickly continued.  “He was sitting on the pool table when the fight broke out and he grabbed my arm and said something to me.” 

Luke spoke before I could continue and I knew that he was trying to control his anger.  “What did he say to you, Dallas?’ 

I swallowed noisily and spoke so softly he asked me to repeat it.  “He said, ‘Hey there sleeping beauty’.” 

“That mother
fucker!  Where are you staying?” Luke screamed.

“The Abbey.”
Why was he asking?  Was he coming to stay with me? 
I was suddenly excited
.  Why had I not asked him to come in the
first place?
  “I am sending someone up there.”  My heart fell.  Once again he would send someone instead of coming himself. 

“Don’t worry about it.  I’ll be fine.  Stacy will be there.  I will be sure to let him know.”  I said defeated. 

“Who in the hell is Stacy?” Luke asked confused. 

“He is a friend of the family.  He has a black
belt in karate and is trained in martial arts.  I promise I will be fine.”  I knew Stacy would be more than a little excited at the thought of hurting someone.
 

“Dallas, I can send someone it’s not a problem
,” Luke stated. 
No shit it wasn’t a problem.  There were people lined up to be at his beck and call.  Too bad it wasn’t him who wanted to be here to ensure my safety. 

“No I will be fine, really.” 
Why did I let this bother me so much?
 
He had enough shit to deal with.  He couldn’t drop everything just to drive two hundred and fifty miles to be with me
.  I got it, but it still hurt
.
  “I better go.  I’ll call you tonight,” I said and abruptly ended the call.  I didn’t want any more apologies, excuses or possible solutions.  I only wanted to get through the next few days and then back home.  Maybe then Luke would take me to the beach and fuck me senseless.  That would surely fix this melancholy mood I had slipped into. 

Chapter 17

I pulled up to The Abbey and it was even more beautiful than I remembered.  The large, three story Victorian house had served as a bed and breakfast for over one hundred years and was located just off of the Natchez Trace.  The home was sentimental to me.  It was the first property I purchased when I decided to expand my business north.  The old cobblestone driveway was worn and the familiar rumble of the stones beneath my tires made me feel like I had stepped into another century.  The large white porch wrapped all the way around the house and opened into a garden at the back.  White wicker rockers littered the front porch.  Ferns and flower baskets hung from the ceiling along with a large wooden swing that looked as if it could seat at least five people.  I climbed out of my car and was met by Stacy at the end of the stairs. 

“My favorite girl!”
he exclaimed smiling at me.  I walked into his arms allowing him to engulf me into a hug.  “You look more and more like your mama every day,” he said, holding me at arm’s length and looking me over. 

It had been a long time since I had a conversation with someone that knew my parents.  My dad had taken Stacy under his wing when he was younger and he had been like a
n uncle to me for years.  Stacy moved to Mississippi shortly after I did and he had been the only one to attend my college graduation and my Masters Award ceremony.  I had not seen him in over a year, but he still looked exactly the same.  His salt and pepper hair was unruly on his head and his age was apparent around his eyes and mouth, but he was still very attractive.  He was only a few inches taller than me and his lean muscular figure could still be recognized under his jeans and t-shirt.  At forty-two years old, Stacy was still smoking hot. 

He was the reason I came to Tupelo
.  When I found this place it was him I hired to do the renovations.  He now lived here and kept the maintenance up to date on the house.  “Well, let’s get you settled and then we can catch up.”  I nodded in agreement, knowing that Stacy was going to be mighty surprised with everything I had to tell him.

When I walked into the house I couldn’t help the smile that stretched across my face.  This place was amazing.  The large wooden door opened into a sitting room that was covered in antiques.  The aged furniture along with the huge stair case made you feel as if you had just stepped into a plantation home from the eighteen hundreds.  To the left, a swinging door led into a massive kitchen and on the other side of that was a dining room that had enough private tables to accommodate everyone in the house.  T
o the right of the sitting room was a smoking parlor and a library.  I was hoping to spend a little time in there before I left. 

I climbed the long staircase to the second floor, and then a narrower one to the third floor and walked into what would be my home for the next few days.  I sat my things down on the settee
, exhausted and very glad I had an elevator installed after I purchased this place.  I knew if I had a tough time climbing all those stairs, it would be impossible for someone in their sixties or seventies to do it, and considering they were my best customers, it was the best money I had put into this house. 

I was glad only a few people were staying here this week.  It wasn’t often that this room was available and by far, it was the best in the house.  The room was large and spacious with twelve foot ceilings, plush burgundy carpet and a king sized canopy bed that was raised off the floor and had steps surro
unding it.  An old vanity table, complete with a wash bowl and water pitcher, sat on one side of the double doors that led to the bathroom, and a dark wooden chifferobe sat on the other.  The bathroom housed an oversized claw foot tub and a double sink with lights that looked like old lanterns.  But, the best part of the room was the balcony that overlooked the garden below.  I could spend hours out here and do nothing more than look out over the garden and day dream.