CHAPTER TWO
Nathaniel
Hot, sticky air greeted my nostrils as I reclined in the back of the cop car. The leather seat stung my exposed arms, hotter than a danged stove. The Savannah heat had a way of boiling everything to a crisp, even a guy as lit as I was.
Ugh, why had I gotten drunk again?
A tattered picture hung between my fingers. I ran my thumb along the crusted edges, the photograph worn from being held so many times during too many drunken nights. Well, technically, it was day time. But who was keeping track?
Not me. I didn’t seem to care about anything that wasn’t myself. And I liked to keep it that way.
Except for Dine. She rolled up in her blue Chevy, the paint peeling off the sides. That was my chariot that would take me home as long as this butt-head of a cop would allow it.
That was the nicest thing I had thought about him, since he’d hauled me out of the gas station bathroom.
“Hi,” Geraldine greeted him with a bright smile. “I’m his cousin, Geraldine. Here, I have a copy of my license here. Can I take him home?”
The cop grunted and studied her license. Without making eye contact, he cleared snot from his throat and spat it on the pavement. “Got him for drunk and disorderly, Ma’am. In public. Need to take him in.”
“Could you let it slide? He’s just…” she lowered her voice, her face darkening dramatically. “Well, he’s such an embarrassment to us, you know? We’re the Thorntons. We have that estate just off the highway, you know the one?”
His eyes widened as he adjusted his wide-brimmed hat. “Geeze Louise, Miss. I had no idea you were a Thornton.” He gestured to the car, widening the door. “Please, take him home. Tell Seth Officer Sparks said hello. And please mention my name, ma’am. He’ll know who I am.”
Geraldine smiled triumphantly, offering him a flirtatious glance. “We appreciate it so much, Officer Sparks. I’m so grateful a man of your…” She eye-balled him, making the look obvious before she met his eyes. “ . . . stature is out here, protecting us.”
“Awful mighty nice of you to say, Ma’am.”
I rolled my eyes.
The flustered cop removed his hat, tipping his head to Geraldine as she leaned over to haul me out of the car. I tucked the photograph away before she could see it.
When her hands circled my waist, I nuzzled into her neck, inhaling the scent of her. An explosion of cherry blossoms greeted my nostrils. I closed my eyes as I allowed her scent to wash over me.
Seconds later, I was in the passenger seat of her car. All the windows were rolled up, but the cab was cool, almost icy. She started the engine and turned up the air.
I leaned toward the vent with a loud grunt. “Dine…”
“Don’t call me that.”
I cringed at her snappy tone. Was she mad at me?
I snorted and leaned back in my seat, allowing her to strap me in like a goddamned toddler. I’d disappointed her—again. Of course, she was mad at me.
“Let’s get you home.”
I grabbed her hand. “Not yet. I don’t want to go home like this.”
“Very well.”
Without argument, she drove me away from the gas station.
We rode in silence, and the cab was freezing by the time we arrived at her apartment. I knew she didn’t have a lot. That’s why she lived in a studio.
I knew a lot of things about Geraldine. I wasn’t sure if she was aware that I knew, but I kept a close eye on her. Someone had to, now that my sister was gone.
And someone had to watch me, too, I suppose.
I struggled to get out of the car on my own, my legs buckling beneath me before I could take a step. Geraldine was at my side in a flash, hauling me to the stairs. God, I was a mess.
Why did I have to be such a mess?
Memories whirled in my brain as she helped me ascend the stairs and turned left, opening the first door in the hallway. A patch of sunlight bleached my vision and I cringed, trying to hide from the light.
I probably looked awful. I hadn’t shaved in weeks and I had showered maybe once during that time. I couldn’t imagine she was enjoying how I smelled right now.
And why did I care so much about that? This binge wasn’t about her. It was about me. Everything was always about me.
Dad wanted me to marry the first dragon woman in sight, since Briana had taken off.
Someone has to bring our family name some dignity, he had snorted. And, unfortunately, that has to be you. We need children.
I shook my head at the idea of ever reproducing again. Why would I want to do that? Why would I ever put a child at risk in my home when I was like . . . this?
Geraldine propped me up on a stool. She went to the bathroom, where I heard the faucet run briefly, and then she returned with a bowl of water and a rag. She set the items on the counter and hauled me to the couch.
So much hauling around. I hoped I wasn’t too heavy.
My eyes followed her every movement. She removed my boots, my jeans, my t-shirt. She took the clothes out of sight. The sound of a washer floated through the studio. It wasn’t much in here, but it was hers, and I knew that meant a lot to her.
Again, I just knew things about her. I couldn’t explain why. My heart shriveled up in my chest. And she knows plenty about me.
Except for one thing, Geraldine knew me in and out. She had watched me grow up with Briana, ever vigilant over my baby sister. And now? I was the one who needed to be watched.
How pathetic was that?
I sat in my underwear on her couch. I didn’t want to think about how badly I’d offended. I just wanted to go home. But then again, I hadn’t wanted to go home smelling to high heaven of . . . what had I consumed again? Everything was blurring together.
“How long have you been awake?”
I followed her voice, my eyes struggling to remain open. “I don’t know.”
“Go to sleep, Nathaniel. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go home.”
Sleep… That wasn’t a bad idea.
* * *