5 comments/ 11644 views/ 9 favorites By Night, My Love By: silverangel621 Chapter One note: both mcs are over 18 and this story builds up to them having sex so stay tuned :). "Nice night, huh?" Garret Butler pushed off from the fender of his car and saw a woman sauntering over to him. All he could see of her in the starless night was the muted gleam of the slanted zipper on her leather jacket and wild, wind tossed curls streaming behind her like a blue-black banner. She walked over to him, popped herself over on his fender and grinned at him. He noticed she was carrying a battered and half gone leather bag that looked a size too big for her. "Nice car," she said, rubbing her pale hands on the black metal. He frowned at the twenty-something girl, probably on vacation from college or something. "Get off my car," he growled, turning back to the roiling sea. He was in no mood to deal with anyone tonight. "Ah, grumpy, are we? Hell, you should have said so." He heard some crunching and clattering noises and figured she was going through her bag. A moment later, a silver flask was thrust under his nose. He looked down at it to the girl sitting next to him, a gamine smile still on her face. He took the proffered flask, still keeping eye contact with the girl and took a swig of the drink. Vodka. Straight up, no watered down shit. He swallowed down the whole flask, welcoming the burn down his throat and the sudden roiling of his stomach. This was the first thing in three days that his stomach ad housed. "Whoa, man, that was my whole stash." "Sorry. I'll buy you a bottle," Garret grunted, handing the cheap tin flask back to her. "Thanks. But I meant you must be having a pretty shitty night. I can barely take a sip and that shit burns my throat!" He looked over at her and thought he could see a grimace. The night was too dark to tell. He grunted again and turned back to the sea, seeing nothing. "Sooooooo, whatcha doing here, all alone at night? Thinking to dump a body?" she asked, swinging her legs back and forth like a child. Garret rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a pounding headache come on. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asked, irritated beyond hell. "Sure I do." Damn, she just sounded so chipper. "Well, can I take you there?" he gritted out through his clenched teeth. In this day and age, she really shouldn't be offering a complete stranger a ride nor should he have taken even a sip of her drink. But he seemed to be making a whole shitload of mistake this year, so a few more were nothing compared to the ones that had destroyed his life. at this point, if the girl turned out to be a serial killer, it would actually fix all his problems. "Nah, it would be redundant." She leaned back until she was lying over the car and stacked her hands behind her head, crossing her feet at the ankles. It looked like she was settling in for a long stay. "Why?" he asked before he could stop himself. He had already figured out the girl was playing with him but he somehow found himself willing to play the game. Boredom, maybe? Who the fuck knew? "Well, see there's this brooding guy down by the beach leaning on a really hot Bugatti, looking lost and sad. I'm making it my job to make him feel better." "I never asked you to help," he stared down at the girl ominously but she had closed her eyes. Didn't the girl know better? Here she was chatting up a complete stranger, just as you please. "Who said I was talking about you? Your just the brooding guy down by the beach leaning on a really hot Bugatti, looking lost and sad and murderous. I'm just passing my time with you until the other non-murderous guy comes around. Im afraid if I try to help you, you'll bite my head off." He could just hear the laughter in her voice. He sighed and sat on his car again, too tired to scare her off. It had been the irst time in weeks that he had actually forgotten what had happened. If it was because he was angry at a girl, so be it. "you never answered my question. Im getting a little nervous here, thinking there really is a body in the trunk of your car," she gave a nervous laugh, patting the hood of the car. "if you think im a murderer, why the hell are you talking to me?" the question came out with the bite he had intended for it to have. "Maybe im hopin' to squeeze out a few pennies outta you for blackmail." "I could just kill you, you know. I don't think anyone is really gonna blame me if they knew you," he said sarcastically. He was expecting anoher smart aleck reply but an oppressing silnce filled the void. He looked at her to see her face was averted from him, one of her hands curled into a fist under her breast. "Christ, look, im sorry. I didn't mean that. I've just had a really bad ... week," he finished lamely. That was the understatement of the year. He heard a sniffle and quietly cursed himself. There was a few minutes of silence, and he actually wanted her incessant chatter back to break through the noise of the waves and the ocassional passing car. "I'll forgive you if you tell me what your doing here," a small voise said. "Trying to forget," he said as quietly as possible. He heard more rustling and caught the glint of silver from the corner of his eye. She had wrapped a firefighter blanket around herself, her shaking hands cluching at the fluttering thing. He sighed. The least he could do after she had given hima drink was take her to whatever place she called home. There was no way this little ragamuffin went to school. She was probably homeless and or out of a job, crashing at friend's places for the night. "Get in the car. There's heated seats." He clicked open the car and walked to the driver's side. She didn't need to be told twice; she jumped into the passenger side and cranked up the heater. Garret felt thousands of tiny needles thawing at his face. The mutted golden lights of the car illuminated his unwanted guest and he took the time to see her more cleary. He had to admit he was just a little curious about a girl-woman who felt safe enough to approach a stranger and get into his car. If he had to guess her age, he would have pegged her to be about 21, maybe 22. She had a straight, bold nose and a jutting, stubborn chin with slanted wide eyes and lightly arched brows. It was kept from being too masculine by her slightly rounded face that looked a bit gaunt. The most feminine thing about her was her pouty red lips. He couldn't quite put his finger to it, but she looked ...old. Like she had seen all that the jaded world had to offer but had come out unscathed. "My, my, aren't you that handsome bloke," she said with a winsome smile and a gleam in her eye. Garret ignored her, starting up the car. "Put on your seatbelt. I'm going to take you anywhere you want and you're going to leave me alone." He could just feel her mouth opening in protest but he neatly cut her off. "no negotiations or I'm just going to push you out of my car while its moving." That shut her up. He pulled into the freeway, and gunning his car to over 90, since the freeway was pretty much deserted. It didn't take long until he reached the Ventura highway, where the fastest car was going at 15. "Well, where can I take you?" he repeated himself again, inching along the highway. Why the hell did everyone get out at two in the morning? "You know you owe me a bottle of Vodka right?" she began fiddling with the entertainment console, turning on to a rock station. "I'll give you a hundred bucks," he said, already pulling out his wallet with one hand. "Nope, can't do that. I'm not twenty one yet." It had to be his imagination but she said that with just a bit too much glee. He was a little surprised she was so young, she looked older. He sighed and switched lanes to get out into downtown. "What is a twenty year old girl doing with vodka, anyway?" he groused, looking for a 24 hour liquor store. He was getting into the more grimier parts of Los Angeles. There were bums sleeping outside of graffitied stores and the faraway sounds of sirens. With his luck, he'd pick up a bum and a bullet shot this night, too. "Ha, I bet you were hitting hard alcohol by the time you hit puberty! And, anyway, that wasn't mine. I was holding it for a friend of mine. You can drop me at her place after you get me my drink." "Fine," he said absently still looking for a store. A few blocks, he saw the flicker of a neon sign and pulled up in front. There was a battered open sign and he sighed in relief. He got out, warning her. "Stay in the car." He pushed open the door to the store, cringing at the loud sound of the bell announcing his arrival. The store clerk eyes him with suspicion, his beady eyes following his every movement. Garret laughed quietly to himself. He bet the older man wasn't used to seeing a man dressed like him in this neighborhood. He was wearing a trench coat over his Armani suit and five thousand dollar loafers and he just bet the man was either wondering what he was hiding in his coat of how much her could get for the coat. He headed over to the liquor display, bypassing the food section. He was suddenly reminded of the girl's gaunt cheeks and sighed in defeat. Grabbing a small shopping cart, he began loading it with fattening junk food, cursing himself to hell and back for taking on another basket case Rhea O'Hara fiddled with the radio station, finding nothing that suited her current state of mind. It finally hit on a soft rock station, playing Never Let Me Go by Florence and the Machine. She smiled softly and leaned her head back against the heated, leather seats. She looked down and rubbed the butter soft leather, marveling at the texture. It sure was softer than her jacket. The car smelled expensive and she knew a bit about cars. This probably would hit the two million mark. The car pretty much reflected the aura of the man who owned it. Sleek, elegant, and sexy as all hell get out. He looked a fucking European model, for god's sake. He had wicked green eyes, silky chocolate air, and a pretty damn hot body that the layers of his clothing couldn't hide. She gave a small, soft laugh as she thought about her audaciousness. She had gone up to him, brazen as you please, and intruded on his brooding. She had been walking along the beach, wondering where the hell she was going to sleep for the night. It had been her plan to crash at Krysta's but the buses had stopped working before she remembered to get on one. When she had seen a lone figure standing against a black car, very much like a romantic figure in one of her romance novels, except there it would be a pirate or a dissolute duke instead of a jaded, rich boy, she hadn't been able to help herself. As soon as he she opened her mouth, she had been teasing and cajoling him. She was surprised he hadn't left her on the beach and now instead he was buying her alcohol and hopefully some food. Hell, she should have asked him for food; he might seem put off at her but he was also strangely accommodating. There was tapping at her window and she turned with a smile. He probably forgot his keys and she could play a little bit with him. But her eyes widened and her breath hitched somewhere in the vicinity of her chest when she saw the big gun pointed at her from the other side of the window. The hooded man motioned for her to get out and she shook her head frantically. He slammed the butt of the gun against the window, making her jump in her seat. She sent up a prayer when the window glass didn't even crack. He kept banging on the window, getting more violent, even going to jiggle the door handle. He was yelling at her in Spanish, and for once Rhea was glad she had never paid attention to high school Spanish. She saw a figure getting out of the store and she screamed to let him know he was in danger. She saw him drop a paper bag and come at the hooded man just as the man turned and the gun went off. She screamed again and pushed open her door, trying to throw the man off his balance. the hooded man went at her rich boy with the gun but her rich boy knew how to fight. He threw a wickd uppercut, ten when the guy was doubled over, he brought his knees up to the hooded man's groin. But the guy still had his gun, which she saw him point at her rich boy. she kicked out at his hand and the gun went off, but it still hit her rich boy. he grunted, clutching at his upper arm. Rhea jumped from her seat right onto the back the hooded man, putting him in a choke hold. He scratched at her hands and when that didn't work, he reched behind him to grab a hank of her, pulling at the strands cruelly. Rhea bit his ear, almost gagging at the dirt and grim sticky with sweat and spit it out. He reared back, slamming her back against the car, her head hitting hard against the tob as the front mirror jabbed into her spine. She felt something sticky slide down her skull as she slid to the ground, her limbs having gone slack. Her rich boy had recovered enough and now he was holding a white bottle, which he promptly bashed in the hoodie wearing guy. The guy went down without a sound, crumbling to the street and becoming as much of the dirt that littered the rest of the dim street. Her rich boy walked over to her, favoring his left shoulder and helped her up. "You okay?" he asked hoarsely, leaning past her to open her side of the door. For once, his mystery girl could only nod, rendered mute by her would be assailant. From the half hour he knew her, he knew it was a bad sign if she got quiet. She was about to get back in the car when he stopped her by grabbing her arm. He made a quick clinical examination of her, through which she remained stoic. She winced a few times when he passed over some tender spots with his hands, but he didn't think she had any broken bones. He reached up to tilt her face to the yellow streetlights murky glow and saw a trickle of blood on the side of her neck, matting her hair there. He gingerly reached behind her head and found a lump the size of a small fist and a break of the skin. "Can you see me clearly?" he asked, worring she might have a concussion. She shook her head, but then brought up her hands to braket her haed and squeeze her eyes in pain. "No, no, I'm fine. I just need to get away from here and sit down." Garret nodded and gently guided her into her seat. He looked back at the bag of food he had gotten for her and quickly retrieved it, looking both ways down the street. He didn't intend to get mugged on top of all this, too. He rounded on his car and quickly got in, throwing the bag into the back seat. He shot out of the downtown area, searing for the freeway enterance. He was being being overcautious but she might have a serious concussion or hemeraging and bleeding and then he really would have a body to dump in the ocean, he thought with a rare smile. He looked over to his companion, wondering if she was going to ask about his sudden smile after what had happened and share in his humor. Her head was lolled to one side, her breathing shallow. He opened his mouth to call out for her to wake up but he realized he didn't even know her name. he couldn't just call out "hey, girl, yah, you there on my seat, wake up so I know your not gonna die on me,". He drove just a bit faster, grateful to see that the traffic had cleared out a bit. He hit fifty and he got to the Kaiser hospital in fifteen minutes. He pulled the street and thankfully found parking almost in front of the emergency enterance. He parked and reached out to the girl, shaking her shoulder gently. "Hey, c'mon, wake up. We're here, you need to wake up. Hey," he dipped his head slightly to see her wide eyes flutter open, her unfocused brown eyes coming to rest on him in confusion. She blinked a few more ties until the confusion cleared and she gave him a sleepy smile. "How long was I out?" she asked, stretching and yawning as if she was just waking from a nap. She winced when she must have pulled a bruised muscle. She gingerly reached behind, feeling around for her head wound. When she brought them back in front of her faces, her fingers were dark with blood. "About twenty minutes. I've brought you to my hospital. I'll take you into the emergency room, c'mon," he was already reaching for the door handle when she rached out desperately to hold him back. She winced at the sudden movement but she kept her death grip on him. "No! Please, I can't go in there. Please, I-I just can't. I'm fine, I swear, I just need a place to sleep." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Look, I'll leave you alone, I promise. Just-just take me to my friend Krystas place. She's having a party so she won't mind if I crash at her place. Please. I swear this is the last thing I'll ask of you. Please!" she looked frantic, her eyes wide with fear. He wondered why she didn't want to go into a hospital. It would give him peace of mind to know that she wasn't bleeding more inside but he didn't want to cause her more distress either. He sighed and put his seatbelt back on. "Are you sure? Your head injury could be pretty bad," he warned, starting up his car. She gave a bitter laugh. "Trust me, I know serious head wounds. This is a mere scrath-Oh, my god!" she screamed, turning to him and tugging off his trench coat. "Your, wound. We have to take you to the hospital!" Garret finally allowed himself to laugh, a genuine, amused laugh. "As you said, it was just a scratch. It just grazed the skin. I've had worst." She laughed and he was disturbed to feel a tightening in his stomach. It was low and sultry, something he sould not be associating with her. "You've been shot at so much have you, that you can classify gun wound?" she inquired, not just a little bit curious. He decided to indulge her. "My father is an avid hunter and he first took me out to hunt I was eleven. Needless to say, I was more interested in chasing the turkey than shooting it. A stray shot and I was laid up in bed for a month with a pretty cool cast on my arm," he have her a humorless smile and she smiled uneasily back at him, not knowing whether to share in the amusement of the story to sympathize with his obvious hurt. He drove a few blocks down Sunset until he realized he had no idea where he was taking her. "Give me your friend's address." she quietly took out her phone and showed him an address in Van Nuys. He nodded for her to put the phone away. "You don't need it anymore? Do you know how to get there?" She looked at him curiously. "I have an eidetic memory. I'll find my way, don't worry." He saw her nod from the corner of his eyes. She settled into her seat with a dejected sigh and curled up into a small ball. He frowned, wondering why the hell he was feeling guilty. He turned up the heat just a bit and entered into the freeway again, heading towards her friends house. It took him about forty five minutes to find her friends house. It was a typical suburban house but it was easy to find. The noise pollution could be heard for miles, not to mention the eye sore the kids had turned the place into. People were littered all over the place, crushed cups all over the place. He got out and sniffed the air, catching the faint odor of pot and he wrinkled his face in disgust. He saw some frat boys surrounding a few girls doing a strip dance right on the front lawn. Hell, it looked like all the girls were in skimpy clothing, while the guys wore the minimum amount of clothes that just fell into the line of decency. He looked at the slumberous face of his unwanted guest. It was pale and wan, gaunt with the lack of food. She would not be finding the rest she needed in that place, nor food or care. He got back into his car before he could change his mind. He hit the freeway for what felt like the umpteenth time and got off near Broadway were he stopped before a the Gramercy Hotel. He snapped at the red uniformed valet to grab the groceries that he had gotten while another took the keys of his car from him and gestured for the boy to follow him. He hefted the mystery girl in his arms and swept into the main lobby. By Night, My Love Ch. 02 Please read the previous chapter ***** Rhea ground her head back against the pillows, a low, breathy moan escaping her lips. She caught a glimpse of hooded, green eyes before the man's head dropped to her flushed chest. Hot, molted heat engulfed her nipple and she almost jerked off the bed. Rhea's hands flew to the man's hair; whether to pull him away or to push him closer she didn't know. She gripped his hair in a tight fistful just as his sharp teeth nipped at her distended flesh. The small bite of pain sent a shocking jolt right from the tip of her breast straight to her throbbing core. Panting, she tried to close her thighs and create some kind of friction but her lover was between her thighs. He insinuated a thick and muscled thigh up to core, rubbing that hot, quivering flesh. "You want me, baby?" her lover growled in her ear, darting his tongue out in a quick lick to her ear lobe. "Yessssss..." Rhea hissed as his teeth worried that sensitive bit of flesh. Her lover chuckled and rewarded her with a quick little kiss. Trailing his calloused finger tips down the slope of her breast and over her stomach tot eh dip of her pelvis, he finger her honeyed core. The soft tissues there pulsed around his fingers, almost as if pulling him in. Oh god, did Rhea want him inside her. Her hips undulated with the shallow thrusts of his fingers. "You want me here? In you? Taking you? Making you mine?" With each question, he trust his fingers roughly and quickly into her pussy. "Yes, yes, yes," Rhea chanted in a mindless litany of pleasure and desire and want. Wanting him so bad, her whole body was quivering. Smiling down at her, he reared up over her on his knees and took his hard cock in his hands. Mesmerized, she watched in abject fascination as he pumped the angry looking flesh. Breathless she wondered how that thick girth would fit into her small, little hole. He murmured some soothing words before placing the tip of his head at her opening. Circling his hips, he rubbed his shaft through the wetness gathering between her two swollen lips. Biting her lips, she gazed wide eyed up at him. "Say my name," he ordered her without breaking his stride. More than happy to comply, Rhea opened her mouth. And with that, Rhea woke up with a jerk. Great, she was having one of the hottest wet dreams in ages and she didn't even know what to call him. She'd probably never see him again and the least she could have done was get him name. Now she had no name for her dream lover, dammit. Growling in frustration, Rhea swung her legs around and sat up on the bed. That's when she noticed she wasn't passed out on Krysta's couch. In fact she sat on a very sumptuous canopy bed with gauzy curtains tied back to the bed posts. She gazed around in awe as she took in the most beautiful room she had ever been in. Maybe that concussion had caused some kind of hemorrhage and now she was heaven. Not that she had done a great many deeds that would get her through the pearly gates. "You're awake." Rhea jerked her head around to see the object of her lusts standing at her door with her his arms crossed. She gulped. He looked even more handsome and brooding in the morning light. His sulky lips were pulled into a displeased frown as he looked at her. Self-consciously, Rhea ran her fingers through what she was sure were a tangled mess of bed hair. "Um, it would appear so." Her voice came out in a hoarse croak. Her heart was still pounding from her illicit dream and the spot between her thighs was embarrassingly wet. Knowing it was stupid, she never the less flipped eth corner of the dark gold comforter over her lap as if that would hide her lust from him. As if her jeans and undies weren't enough. "I ordered breakfast. Why don't you take a shower then you can eat." Before Rhea could open her mouth to thank him or even ask how she got into this sumptuous bedroom, he closed the door behind him and left her alone with her endless questions. Frowning at the door, she childishly stuck her tongue out her host. He was infuriating, more so now after he'd almost gotten her off in her dreams. Bloody tease. Rhea sighed and began to strip off her clothes. Her mother had always called her impulsive and whenever she did in front of Rhea, she had tended to stick up her nose in affront and promptly done something impulsive. Picking up a strange man in the middle of her melancholy in the middle of the night probably topped the list. She knew absolutely nothing about him and yet here she was sharing a lavish hotel room with him. Following his orders, albeit grudging she got in the spacious shower. The shower head was stationed straight above her head so she was feeling like she was under a gentle spring rain. A few buttons caught her attention and she soon found out there were more shower heads on the side of the walls that gently massaged the stiff muscles on her back. The past year hadn't allowed her the time to luxuriate in a bath like this. Washing her hair in some expensive smelling shampoo, she also took the time to condition her hair. She'd found people were less prone to be rude to someone who looked pretty. Also, her vanity wouldn't allow her host and dream lover to see her as the rag tag runaway she have seemed like last night and especially this morning. She found her bag sitting in a rich, brocade chair by the room's single window and took out one of her nicer t-shirts. By nice, she meant that it didn't have any holes and wasn't as threadbare as the others. Wanting to show off her freshly shaven legs, she also put on a pair of booty hugging short. The grumbling of her stomach convinced her to forgo blow drying her hair so she towel dried as best as she could and skipped form the bedroom with a happy little bounce. The next room had large space devoted to a sitting area and television with a small table set for two to the side overlooking a large floor to ceiling window. Her host was already sitting at the table, a newspaper hiding his face and a cup of coffee in his hands. Taking the opposite seat, she looked down at the platters of food set out before her. There were waffles, crepes, and pancakes with an assortment of berries and whipped cream on top. There were also some scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns and more breakfast foods that she couldn't name. A large platter had an assortment of fruits with chocolate and whipped cream. There was even a small carafe of an assortment of coffee drinks accompanied by another tray of sweets. The only thing she could identify on that platter was a crystal dish of Jordan almonds. Hungry, she piled on as much as she could on her plate and began stuffing her face just like the runaway vagrant she was. Speaking around her large mouthful, she asked him with a gesture of her fork. "Couldn't make up your mind?" Her dream lover didn't look up from his paper. Watching him, she swore he flushed a bit. "I didn't really know what you liked so I got a bit of everything." Actually, it had been her gaunt cheeks that had motivated him to order a feat fit for a king, or in this case a very enchanting imp of a girl. "Mmmmm, this is good," she said around a mouthful of sausage, eggs, and sweet bread. "So who am I to thank for all of this?" "Excuse me?" Garret finally looked up from his paper. "To whom should I express my thanks for this bounteous meal?" she said with a teasing smile, enunciating each word slowly as if to a child. Garret cleared his throat and went back to his coffee. "No need, I already tipped the man who delivered this." Rhea rolled her eyes. "That was my subtle way of asking your name but apparently I was too subtle. So I'll ask again, what's your name." "I'm sure we don't need to exchange names. I'll be happy to give you a ride to wherever you need to be today," he said curtly, finishing off his coffee. She pursed her lips at his stuffiness and narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, I'm going to ignore your less than welcome introduction and introduce myself. Rhea O'Hara, at your dubious service." Rhea thrust her hand under his nose, forcing him to acknowledge her. Keeping to his aloof image, he ignored her. "Aren't you stuffy this morning? What happened to the guy who gave a total stranger a ride, hmm?" "Since you didn't want me to take you to the emergency room, can I take you anywhere else?" Garret asked, completely ignoring her prodding. The man was just too formal this morning, not that he had been all talky-mac-talkerson last night either. But this man in front of her was cold and hard, and she saw none of the pain that had drawn her to him in the first place; only a biting bitterness that she feared would cling to him always. Smirking, she said "I don't accept rides from men I don't know the names off." "Garret Butler," he said on a long-suffering sigh. "Oh, if only your mother named you Gerard instead and you had the sexy Scottish accent, you'd be perfect," Rhea teased. A small smile curled his before he quickly covered it with the guise of taking a sip of his coffee. What little she had seen of his half formed smile made her heart trip. Who knew what a full blown smile would do her. Probably give her a heart attack. "You know, Garret, there's really not a place I have to go. Krysta only offered me a place to stay for one night before her brother comes home." She watched in confusion as he got up and went to get something. When she saw what she came back with, she glared at him and put her hand up to stop him. "There is no way I'm taking your money. Forget it. I already owe you for more than I could ever pay back. I didn't tell you to get your pity, it's just a fact." Rhea was no charity case. She earned every penny she got and she wouldn't stoop to accept some pity money now. Garret held up his hands in supplication. "It's not pity. Consider it a loan." Rhea snorted. "Oh yeah, like I'm ever going to see you again after you abandon me. It'd be easy to just throw some money at me and wash your hands of me wouldn't it?" Rhea didn't know why she was getting so angry at a man she barely knew. But this man had cared more for her than anyone since her mother. It shouldn't hurt that he wanted to be done with her. She was just a hindrance to him. Hell, he had only met her last night and she's practically forced herself on his self-imposed solitude. "I-" "I'm sorry I snapped at you," Rhea interrupted him. "I'll get out of your hair. You've done so much for me and I'll being a bitch. Just-just drop me off at a bus station, okay?" Rhea whirled around and went back to her room to pack, the food she'd eaten feeling like lead in eth pit of her stomach. What did she expect? That he'd be irresistibly drawn to her from just one night of acquaintance? She'd been alone from most of her life and she could handle more years of loneliness. One brooding man with green eyes shouldn't have made her realize how deprived she'd been in one night. ---- Garret had to physically shake his head to clear the image of Rhea's behind held snugly in a pair of hip hugging denim. He'd stayed up the entire night, thinking about what to do with the girl. He shouldn't feel guilty about leaving her but it felt like he was kicking a puppy when eh even thought about abandoning her. He didn't understand her; even less he understood the need to protect her. The need to kiss her - now that he understood. He'd watched like a lust-crazed teen as she chewed on her food, her tongue slipping out to lick away a drop of syrup. Feeling jealous of that tongue was a foreign emotion to him. Her every movement was sensual, enticing him to wonder how she would move in bed. Maybe his obsession was just lust driven. While he'd never been one to fall in instant lust, it seemed that the past 24 hours were chock full of first. Fist time giving a stranger a ride, first time smiling since the death of his loved ones, first time feeling this strange longing for a girl he hardly knew. He was jerked out of his musings when his phone began to ring. It was his friend from hospital he used to work at in New York. Flipping it open, he greeted Harlan. "Harlan, everything okay over there?" "Garret man, you've been gone longer than a week. Marias been hounding me to call you and make sure you aren't holed up with a blonde beach girl," Harlan chuckled. Garret grimaced; he'd dated Maria for a short while until he'd discovered how clingy and smothering she could be. "Will that get her off my back?" "Hell, even if you suddenly declared you were gay that wouldn't stop her. I told you not to go there." "So how are Michelle and the kids?" Harlan went on excitedly about his new wife and his two month old twins. Garret listened to his the happy man, trying not some semblance of happiness for the man. But that was quite hard when his family was so ripped apart, with one daughter's blood still drying on his hands and the other daughter not even talking to him. "So when is your flight? You want me to pick you up?" "Uh, actually no. I'm bringing back my father's car. I'll be driving it cross country." "Ha, you on a road trip? Get ready for weeks of jerky and burgers. Actually, that sounds like heaven. Michelle's one this fish phase where everything I eat is some kind of fish variation. Have you ever eaten fish bread?" Garret laughed at the gagging noise Harlan made. "Maybe I should tell her to save you some." "You do that and I'll tell her all about New Orleans." That shut Harlan up. "You're an evil man. I respect that." They talked for a few more minutes then hung up. Garret had intended to stay one more night while finished up business then leave in eth morning tomorrow. He really didn't need to drive the car himself, but he didn't want to go back to New York so soon. Neither did he want to stay in Los Angeles. Seeing his parents again and the family pictures they kept up was painful. His mother would hug him every chance he got and his father would give these long winding speeches about forgiveness and moving on. Like hell he was moving on from that. ----- Rhea read over the text once again, her hands shaking so bad the words were blurred. They'd found her again. Krysta had just texted her, telling her two guys had come to her house asking about her. Rhea knew who they were. Furious, she grabbed the nearest thing - a through pillow- and flung at the wall. She had to restrain herself from grabbing at something that would cause a more satisfying crash. She's need to run again. This couldn't be happening. She made sure to use cash and avoided the authorities. Her uncle's numerous goons shouldn't have found her so soon. Rushing around the room, she stuffed a few things from the bathroom and bedroom. Soap, a small welcome basket of crackers, cheese and dried packaged food all went into her backpack. Pride had nothing to do with self-preservation. Obviously Garret could afford to pay for these things. When she went to open the door, she heard him speaking on the phone. One bit of information popped out at her. He was driving cross country to New York. She had a friend in New Jersey, one that her Uncle knew nothing about. She also had no money so she'd traveled as far as could on hitch hiking and walking. But is she could get out of the state and go that far, her uncle would never think to search for her there. Now all she had to do was convince Garret to take her. Yah, easier said than done. She's just promised to leave him alone and now she's be foisting herself on him for an even longer period. But desperation chased her pride to the back of her head. "Will you take me?" Rhea blurted out as soon as he was finished with his conversation. He whirled around to look at her. "Take you where?" "With you. To New York. I promise not to bother you. I'll be quiet and you won't even notice me, I promise," Rhea pleaded, getting close to dropping to her knees and begging. He smiled wryly. "I doubt you'd be easy to ignore." Rhea raised a brow. "You did a fine job this morning." "Not for long, I didn't. Look Rhea, I can't take you cross country. You don't even know me. How could you trust me not to harm you?" The fact that Garret wasn't saying anything about her imposing on him told she's been correct to trust him. He was more concerned about her safety. "Because you could have left me last night. You could have raped me last night while I lay in bed." Garret winced at that and opened his mouth but Rhea continued on. "I trust you," she emphasized each word. "You said you'd take me anywhere. I-I have an aunt in New Jersey. I don't have any money and I'd have to hitch hike with strangers who might not be as nice as you." Rhea knew she was it on a bit thick but she was desperate. The few times a man had given her a ride and tried to get frisky with her, she'd pulled out her .48 magnum and smiled very sweetly as she's expertly pressed it against their crotches. She wasn't some helpless damsel but even she knew her limits. "Shit!" Rhea was hard pressed not to smile in triumph. The man was easy to manipulate. "God, I don't even know why I'm going to say yes." Garret glared at her. "So I can come?" Rhea was almost jumping on her toes. "Yes," he gritted out. Rhea whooped and jumped at him, hugging him around the neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I swear you won't regret it." "Yah, then why do I already regret it?" Rhea pulled back but still kept her arms looped around his neck. "You're confusing you excitement at being stuck with me for regret." Impulsively, Rhea leaned up and placed a quick kiss to his cheek. When she tried to pull back, she found herself immobile when his hands tightened on his hips. She breathed against his cheek, waiting for him to do something, anything. She felt a growing pressure against her stomach and before she could even thrill at the action, Garret abruptly pushed her away and took back a few steps. This time, there was a definite blush on his cheeks. "Uh, I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I have a few errands to run today. You can stay in the room and do whatever." With that, the flushed man quickly reached for his coat and keys and stomped out of the room. Smirking after the closed door, Rhea was defiantly looking forward to the road trip. By Night, My Love "We there?" she mumbled, snuggling deeper into his arms, turning her face to press her slack lips to to the open collar to his throat. He swalled hard, ignoring a tingling in the area of his groin. "We're there," he whispered back. She sighed in discontent, too tired to open her eyes. "Well, I hope when you leave me, you can never get me out of your mind and I hope I haunt you forever," she muttered petulantly, snaking her arms around his neck and sliding back into her dreams. Garret smiled into her curls, afraid that she was speaking the truth. Hell, here he was getting her a hotel room. "May I help you, sir?" the hotel clerk named Stacy asked him from behind her desk, eyeing the bundle in his arms in speculation. "Yes, I'm here to check in. It's under Butler." "Credit card and I.D., please." He handed over the nessecary cards, fumbling ta first to get them one handed from his left pocket. The clerk glaced over them, then put into the computer and smiled at him after the transaction. She beamed at him as she handed him a room card. "Here's your key sir. Your room in on the twenty sevent floor. I'll have Jack here take up your things to the room. Is she alright?" she asked, gesturing to the passed out woman in his arms. With a shake of his head, Garret took the keycard and went to the elevator, Jack close behind. He tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly made its way up tot eh 27th floor. Thankfully, it didn't make any stops and he quickly had Rhea in the suite's one bed. The bedroom was nicely done in mutted colors of red, gold, and purple. The bed was a huge monstrosily with gold chiffon curtains. Garret took her jacket and shoes off, then tucked her under the covers, turngn off the lights before he went back to the waiting valet at his door. "Thanks, uh, Jack, right?" Garret took the paper bag from the young, pimply boy and tipped him a twently. The boy gave hima toothy smile, revealing braces. "Thank you sir. You need anything, just ask for Jack." He smiled again before shutting the door behind him and leaving Garret alone with his mystery girl once again. Garret moved over to the black couch, clumping down on it and wondered how the hell he got himself in these messes in the first place. He had taken off his trench coat earlier and now was down to his shirt and trousers. He settled back, grabbing at the remote control, needing the mindless drone of tv to take is mind off of everything that had happened that night and the other nights that had continuously plagued him.