Reckoning Read Free Page B

Christie where they didn’t have to hide. Where they didn’t have to be scared. Where they could finally be free.

    SHE WANTED TO SLEEP FOREVER, but Tam forced herself to sit on the edge of the bed as she waited for Nate. The bath would take more energy than she had, but more than anything she needed to wash away the remnants that clung to her skin, her hair, and under her nails from what had happened tonight.
    The sound of water filling the tub lulled her even closer to sleep, and she jerked up, almost falling over.
    Nate walked out of the bathroom, his jacket off, his blue chambray shirtsleeves rolled above his elbows. He smiled so warmly, she managed a smile back. She only wished she could stop shaking.
    “It’s ready.”
    She nodded as she stood, then looked back at the bedspread. She expected to see more ash and dirt on the clean white comforter, but it wasn’t too bad. Just a couple of smudges.
    “You okay?”
    He stood right next to her and she leaned against him as she’d done in the car. “I’m so tired.”
    “That’s shock. I’m worried that you’re going to fall asleep in the tub.”
    She yawned, not even covering her mouth. Her mother would have scolded her for that, although not until they were in private. “I probably will.”
    He put his hand on her waist, gripping strongly. “Maybe we should skip it. Or put you in the shower.”
    “No. Just come with me. If I start to drown, pull me up by the hair.”
    He didn’t answer, and his hand tightened further on her waist. She should look at him, see what was going on, but screw it. She had to get clean. As tired as she was, sleeping in her own filth held no appeal. The very idea made her skin crawl. “Come on. Let’s do it.”
    He helped her into the large bathroom, and for a moment she felt disoriented. The white tile, the white towels. Everything was clean and bright. This was the real world. The kind of place she’d dreamed about in her long stay underground.
    He guided her over to the commode and after he put the seat down, he seated her. “We have to get these off,” he said. His voice sounded strange, or maybe it was her ears. She wouldn’t trust anything tonight.
    He lifted her arms and pulled the T-shirt over her head. She felt no embarrassment being in her bra. Or out of it. Being naked was the least of her problems. If it had been anyone else, she probably would have been more concerned, but it was Nate, and his hands were so big and so gentle. He removed her clothes as if she were a child. Lifting one foot, then the other to take off her shoes. He stood her up to get her jeans off. Smart man, he took her panties along with them.
    When he had her in the buff, he walked her over to the tub and held on to her as she got in the hot water. It took a minute for her to adjust to the temperature, but he was patient. Quiet, too. Inch by inch she lay down, letting the warmth seep deep into her bones.
    When she was up to her neck in water, she looked up at Nate. He wasn’t smiling, in fact, his lips were pressed so tightly together they were white. She would have asked him what was wrong, but her head went back and her eyes shut as she tried to let the horrors of the night go…for now.
    She felt him sit on the edge of the tub, and she giggled with the thought that he was the best bath toy ever. Rubber ducks included. She must be losing it.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Okay. Uh, you want me to put some soap on the washcloth for you?”
    “Sure, why not?”
    He reached over her and grabbed the bar of hotel soap and then he dipped the cloth in the water. “I’ll bet you’re a real fun drunk.”
    “I wouldn’t know,” she said. “I’ve never been drunk.”
    “Never? Not even in college?”
    “Nope.”
    “Come on. I’ve met guys from MIT. They partied as hard as anyone.”
    “I was too busy being a nerd,” she said. “I didn’t have a social life.”
    “I can’t picture that,” he said as he leaned toward her.