complained. "I'm going to need a pint to get comfortably numb."
"The herbs are for pain." She gave him a little smile. "The pills are ibuprofen. The combination should make you comfortable."
"Not nearly enough." He wanted to fill the 'script and find a bar.
"Give it a chance," she urged. "It's a special blend of tea."
Eric chased the pills with the tea. He'd suffered though worse; this was going to have to do.
"Is your boyfriend going to have a monster fit about me being here?"
"No." She blushed, which was cute considering the bold way she'd checked him out.
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"Not for a long time." She opened a jar of green stuff. "Let me put this on the bruises."
"Why not?" he asked while she smeared the salve on his arm.
"Let's just say that my last boyfriend is the reason I bought Tasha." She hid her blue eyes under dark lashes. "He was a biker, too."
Eric twitched away from her.
"Oh, no." Eric crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't deserve that tone of voice. I love my Hayabusa, but that doesn't make me a dirt bag." He shook his head, irritated with the stereotype. "I was active duty for two years in the sandpits of Afghanistan. You can call me a 'weekend warrior' or better yet, a soldier, but I'm not a 'biker.'"
"Sorry." June turned away, her face red. "I didn't know you were in the war."
"There is a lot you don't know." Eric vented his irritation. "Since I came back from 'Stan, I've lost my wife, my home and my job. Everything I cared about is gone." He was playing it too hard, pain screwed with his common sense. Gritting his teeth together, he forced himself to stop the tirade.
"It sounds like you've had a rough time of it." Innocent eyes looked at him with pity, which was worse than the contempt she had for bikers.
None of this was her fault; he shouldn't have snapped at her.
"Cora is all I have left." He lowered his voice, hoping she would understand.
"I am sorry." She lifted her chin, looked him in the eye. "Don't act like he did and I won't lump you in with him."
"Fair enough."
"I'm going to make dinner soon. You can stay if you want."
"You offered me a ride to a motel." This was going to be a rough night. He should get the hell out of here before he did or said something he would regret.
"You slept the day away; may as well stay the night." June shrugged.
"It's a bad idea to let a strange man sleep in your house." Eric wished he felt well enough to take advantage of her offer. But he was in too much pain to flirt, or attempt to sweet-talk her into sleeping with him.
"You're too beat up to be a threat to me." June gave him a sly, sassy once over. "Some other time I might be worried."
"You're destroying my ego." Eric joked, pleased that she flirted with him. "I'm supposed to be a bad-ass."
"Some bad-ass you are." She handed him the TV remote. "I'm going to start supper."
Whatever she gave him eased the pain until he nearly dozed off in the chair. Listening to her move around in the kitchen brought back memories of happier times – before he'd gone overseas – before his marriage had gone to hell.
Before something in him had changed, leaving him lost in the very places he had longed for most.
Ironic how he felt at home, here with a woman he barely knew. The feeling grew on him as the smell of supper cooking threaded the air. He ignored the television, laying back in the recliner, thinking of better times.
They ate in the living room. He slipped part of his dinner to Tasha, drifting through the evening, tired, the pain dull and in the background. She gave him another cup of tea before she walked him upstairs.
As he settled back into bed, he longed to have her with him, to know that he wasn't alone. Instead of June in his arms, Tasha curled up by his feet.
It wasn't the same.
~^~
Chapter Five
October 2, 2005
Rags stood on June's stomach sniffing the air and whining. The noise downstairs told June that Eric was up.
She dressed before she followed the scent
"The herbs are for pain." She gave him a little smile. "The pills are ibuprofen. The combination should make you comfortable."
"Not nearly enough." He wanted to fill the 'script and find a bar.
"Give it a chance," she urged. "It's a special blend of tea."
Eric chased the pills with the tea. He'd suffered though worse; this was going to have to do.
"Is your boyfriend going to have a monster fit about me being here?"
"No." She blushed, which was cute considering the bold way she'd checked him out.
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"Not for a long time." She opened a jar of green stuff. "Let me put this on the bruises."
"Why not?" he asked while she smeared the salve on his arm.
"Let's just say that my last boyfriend is the reason I bought Tasha." She hid her blue eyes under dark lashes. "He was a biker, too."
Eric twitched away from her.
"Oh, no." Eric crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't deserve that tone of voice. I love my Hayabusa, but that doesn't make me a dirt bag." He shook his head, irritated with the stereotype. "I was active duty for two years in the sandpits of Afghanistan. You can call me a 'weekend warrior' or better yet, a soldier, but I'm not a 'biker.'"
"Sorry." June turned away, her face red. "I didn't know you were in the war."
"There is a lot you don't know." Eric vented his irritation. "Since I came back from 'Stan, I've lost my wife, my home and my job. Everything I cared about is gone." He was playing it too hard, pain screwed with his common sense. Gritting his teeth together, he forced himself to stop the tirade.
"It sounds like you've had a rough time of it." Innocent eyes looked at him with pity, which was worse than the contempt she had for bikers.
None of this was her fault; he shouldn't have snapped at her.
"Cora is all I have left." He lowered his voice, hoping she would understand.
"I am sorry." She lifted her chin, looked him in the eye. "Don't act like he did and I won't lump you in with him."
"Fair enough."
"I'm going to make dinner soon. You can stay if you want."
"You offered me a ride to a motel." This was going to be a rough night. He should get the hell out of here before he did or said something he would regret.
"You slept the day away; may as well stay the night." June shrugged.
"It's a bad idea to let a strange man sleep in your house." Eric wished he felt well enough to take advantage of her offer. But he was in too much pain to flirt, or attempt to sweet-talk her into sleeping with him.
"You're too beat up to be a threat to me." June gave him a sly, sassy once over. "Some other time I might be worried."
"You're destroying my ego." Eric joked, pleased that she flirted with him. "I'm supposed to be a bad-ass."
"Some bad-ass you are." She handed him the TV remote. "I'm going to start supper."
Whatever she gave him eased the pain until he nearly dozed off in the chair. Listening to her move around in the kitchen brought back memories of happier times – before he'd gone overseas – before his marriage had gone to hell.
Before something in him had changed, leaving him lost in the very places he had longed for most.
Ironic how he felt at home, here with a woman he barely knew. The feeling grew on him as the smell of supper cooking threaded the air. He ignored the television, laying back in the recliner, thinking of better times.
They ate in the living room. He slipped part of his dinner to Tasha, drifting through the evening, tired, the pain dull and in the background. She gave him another cup of tea before she walked him upstairs.
As he settled back into bed, he longed to have her with him, to know that he wasn't alone. Instead of June in his arms, Tasha curled up by his feet.
It wasn't the same.
~^~
Chapter Five
October 2, 2005
Rags stood on June's stomach sniffing the air and whining. The noise downstairs told June that Eric was up.
She dressed before she followed the scent
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