“Yes.”
“Okay.” She was way too tired to fight him over this. She was exhausted and just wanted to leave, to relax as far away as possible. Getting back on the bike, she was willing to take a chance with this man, where normally, she’d have just slept outside and forgone the shower for the night.
She wondered if her mother and sister even realized how little they considered her feelings. She worked her ass off, paid any bill that came to the trailer, and all she wanted was peace and to be able to come home, shower, and relax without listening to her family fucking.
****
“I can’t believe you have a shower here,” Piper said, coming out of his en-suite. She wore an old robe and dabbed at her hair, drying it.
“Not every room but I like my comforts.”
“And no one comes between you and your comfort?”
“Not if they want to keep their life.”
“Do you have to threaten a lot of people to get what you want?”
“No, I find money tends to get me what I want.”
“It must be nice.”
“It is.”
“There’s only one bed,” she said, changing the subject.
“I can keep to my space.” Colonel got to his feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He left the door to the bathroom partially open and for a few seconds, he watched her, maybe even for a couple of minutes. She sat on the one bed and dried her hair. She made no move to go through his stuff.
Interesting.
He’d met several women on his travels who had no qualms about looking into his shit. He liked that she didn’t seem to care. After undressing, he showered quickly. Piper hadn’t used all the hot water, which again, was nice. She was a nice woman.
Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed his clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist, and then walked into the bedroom.
“Oh, sorry,” Piper said, covering her eyes.
“Don’t be so shy. You’re not dressed either.” She still wore her robe.
“This is your space.”
“And now I’m sharing it with you.” He removed his towel, stepping back for her to see.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m showing you what I have to offer.” He wrapped his fingers around his dick, which was already getting hard.
“I thought you said I was safe here?”
“You are. I’m not going to touch you, but you know what I think?” he asked.
“What do you think?”
“I think you want me to touch you, Piper. You like that I’ve got no interest in your mother or your sister. I bet you’re not used to having all the attention to yourself.”
“You haven’t even given my sister or mother a chance.”
He advanced toward her. “I don’t want to give them a chance. The moment I looked at you, I wanted you.”
“I was being attacked.”
“I saw a fighter. A woman who wanted to hurt him, but you held yourself back, why?”
“He’d cause me trouble with the sheriff and I don’t want that,” she said.
“I could kill Dave for you. I could go around killing this entire town.”
“I don’t want that.”
“What is it you do want?”
She nibbled on her lip.
“Tell me,” he said.
“To get out. To no longer have someone trying to get in my pants because they think it’s their right. It’s not. I’m my own person.”
“You want to travel?”
“I want to experience the world.”
“Tell me, my sweet virgin, how can you experience the world when you won’t even give me a chance to touch you?” He hadn’t put a hand on her.
Pulling away, he turned his back on her. He was still hard as a freaking rock. It seemed Piper had this way about her that drove him to do crazy things, like get completely naked in front of her.
“Wait,” she said.
He glanced over his shoulder at her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
“I hope I didn’t lead you on.”
“Again, not possible.” He faced her, folding his arms in front of his chest. Her gaze traveled down his body and when she got to his dick, she didn’t look away.
“I’m not used to this.”
“What?”
“Having a guy want me for me? You’ve seen me and my sister, and you haven’t gone running for the easy option. Why?”
“You’re beautiful. It’s you I want. I’m not the kind of guy who lies about what he wants or avoids it. I don’t take the easy option. If I did, I’d be in a job right now, probably a wife, kids, and it’s not me. I chose to live on the open road. It’s where I find freedom. Right now, you’re trapped, Piper. You’re being held down by two people who don’t consider you when they make their choices. If you’re not careful, you’re going to spend your entire life hating them, regretting not getting out while you can.”
“Are you offering me the chance to go with you?” she asked.