Chapter 643 Chapter 643
Asher stood there and let the hot water spray over him. It had been a long drive to get this far, so he was going to enjoy the hot shower until the hot water ran out. Journee had fallen asleep in front of the tv. After bouncing through all the channels, she hadn’t decided on one thing to watch. He got it though, everything was different now, and she was soaking up as much as she could. Dinner had also been interesting. When she couldn’t decide what to order, he’d gotten a few things for her to try. He wiped the water out of his eyes and turned his back to the spray. She was probably in a food coma after trying almost everything he ordered.
When he was done, he needed to go over the maps some more and plan out the next leg of the trip. He was used to the long drives but didn’t usually cross this many borders when he did. He wanted to message Jesse and see how they made out with the next round of ops, but on the chance that he was grabbing some z’s, he’d wait until morning to do that.
The water temperature dropped, and he sighed and turned around to shut it off. It had been nice while it lasted. Shoving the curtain open, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. Wiping the mirror off, he looked at his reflection. He realized he should have brought in his other bag; he was getting a bit on the scruffy side with thick growth on his face. Grabbing another towel, he rubbed his hair and then paused to check the sides of his head; they could use a trim too.
Tossing the towel on the counter, he paused and listened. Cocking his head to the side, he went over and cracked the door, had Journee woken and turned the tv back on? His cat tensed. It wasn’t the television at all. Grabbing the gun—thank you, Tripp, for the sound advice of always having it within reach—he opened the door.
Going out, he saw that she was struggling in her sleep, gasping and kicking her legs while flailing her arms all around her. He rushed over and caught one of her arms just before it hit him in the face. “Journee.” He knelt on the bed. “Wake up. It’s just a dream.”
She jerked upright and gasped like she’d been underwater and needed air. She was panting, trying to breathe, when she looked at him. It took a second for recognition. She started coughing, and she took a few moments to get it under control. “Sorry.” Her voice was hoarse, and she was shaking.
He sat down, and she lunged forward and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay?” He leaned to the side so he could see her face.
She nodded, but the fear in her eyes told him that she was far from okay. “I was drowning.” She whispered it, like if she said it any louder, it would be real.
“Can I get you—” He almost said water, but thought if he had dreamt of drowning, that would be the last thing he’d want. “—anything?”
She shook her head and hugged her waist. “I’ll be fine.”
Getting up, he grabbed the cover from his bed, wrapped it around her shoulders, and then sat down and pulled it together in the front. “You almost did, didn’t you?”
She looked at him but didn’t comment.
“Drown. Getting off that island.”
When she nodded, the fear in her eyes hit him in the gut like a punch would.
“Maybe when we find it, you should go,” he frowned. He couldn’t say home because she didn’t have one anymore. He shrugged. “Back to the factory, or-or somewhere else.”
Again, she just shook her head.
His cat was not impressed that she was this unsettled, and Asher wasn’t doing anything to fix it. If he knew what to do, he’d do it. He glanced around the room. There was nothing here to offer her other than water and leftover dinner. “Is there anything I can get you?” He frowned. “There’s, uh, a convenience store around the corner.”
This time she didn’t shake her head; instead, she sat there and looked at him, holding his eyes with her own. “I miss hot chocolate.” She looked down at the bed, “still after this long.”
“You haven’t had hot chocolate since you were back?”
She shook her head and then frowned. “I did. From a machine thing.” She adjusted the blanket around her shoulders. “A family that gave me a ride stopped at a place that had vending machines, and I got a hot chocolate.” She crinkled up her nose, “it wasn’t very good.”
Asher grimaced. “Vending machine hot drinks are mostly water with a dash of flavor.”
She smiled briefly. “My mom—” With a shaking hand, she brushed the hair back from her face. “After we did things together, we always had hot chocolate.” She sighed. “I don’t know if it’s the taste I miss or the meaning behind it.”
Asher felt like a knife was stabbed into his chest. He got it. Those little things his mom used to do after outings or during them. They could never be duplicated. He didn’t want to tell her she was chasing a memory, though, not after watching her drown in her sleep. He needed to do something. “What food did you miss the most?” Anything to change the direction of the conversation.
She bit her lip for a moment, her eyes flashing with excitement. She leaned closer. “Cheezies.” She grinned. “I know they’re not food, but I missed them so much.”
Asher nodded. “I get it. I would be lost without my Doritos.” He grinned.
She smiled back at him, and he felt a bit of the tension his cat was feeling relax. “Thank you, Asher.” She trapped her bottom lip between her teeth again, and it didn’t matter how hard he tried; he couldn’t help looking at her doing that. “You make me feel better about some of the things I feel bad about even thinking.”
“What do you feel bad about?” It made him angry that she felt bad about anything. After what she’d been through, she should feel proud that she held on and made it back.
“Wanting things,” she looked down, “when my family can’t…”
“Hey.” He put his hand under her chin and lifted it, so she was looking at him. “You can’t feel guilt for surviving.” He should know. “None of what happened is your fault. You get me?”
She held his look for a moment and then moved her head like she agreed.
He should have left it like that. He should have released her face and got up. He wanted to, but he didn’t. Somehow, he went from a few feet away from her to there only being inches between them. His other hand was touching her hair, gently moving it away from her face. He couldn’t believe that strange little girl that always had sticks or something stuck in her hair was this beautiful woman in front of him. Her eyes when she was a kid looked too big for her head, but now – now they were mesmerizing. He looked at her mouth, those full pouty lips that she constantly tortured with her teeth. He was telling himself to move away from her inside his head, but he did the opposite. Leaning, he kissed her mouth softly, barely enough to taste it.
When he lifted his head, he felt imprisoned by her eyes. She touched her mouth and then moved her hand away and touched his. Despite meaning to back away, he licked her finger and then gently trapped it between his teeth. Taking hold of her hand, he lowered it but continued to hold it. “You tempt me like I’ve never been before.” He squeezed her hand and leaned back from her. The only way he was going to move any further was if he closed his eyes and couldn’t see her. So, he did. He didn’t open them again until he was standing beside the bed. Releasing her hand, he offered what he hoped was a smile.
“I’m going to go get you cheezies and hot chocolate.” He glanced around the room. He’d somehow figure out how to make it for her without a stove. Nodding, he went over to his bag, pulled out a sweatshirt and put it on. She just sat there looking at him, and if she continued to, he wasn’t going to make it out of the room. Grabbing his wallet, he checked that he had enough cash in it, picked up the room key, and went over to his boots.
“Asher?”
“Yeah?” He turned back and looked at her.
She cocked her head to the side. “Aren’t you going to wear pants?”
He looked down to see he was still in the towel. So much for a quick exit. “I probably should.” He grinned and went to the bathroom for his jeans. There was no worry that she thought he was a smart man, not after that.