The Outskirts Duet Read online

  When we came to a boutique that read BeBe’s on the hanging wooden sign Josh stopped. “Miller,” she said seriously. “Did you know that our new friend here has met Finn?”

  “What?” Miller asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

  “Sawyer, why don’t you go on in,” Josh said, holding open the door for me. “I’ll join you in just a second.”

  “Sure,” I said, heading into the store. The door closed behind me with a chime of the bells overhead. I tried not to stare but out of the corner of my eye, Josh and Miller were very animated, waving their hands around and bickering back and forth, although I couldn’t hear what exactly they were bickering about.

  I walked around and perused the racks of clothes for a few moments. I was the only one in the shop until the bells chimed again and Josh joined me.

  “Sorry about that. As I said, bane of my existence,” Josh said, already pulling items from the rack and shoving them into my arms.

  “Is he your…” I stopped myself before I could finish the question. “Never mind. That was rude of me.”

  “He’s not my anything, but he’s been in my life since we were kids so I can’t get rid of him. He’s like…” she looked to the ceiling while she thought for a moment. “He’s like an extra limb that doesn’t do me any good but doesn’t do me any harm either. Cutting it off would be a whole lot of work for no reason. It’s easier just to keep it there. Uselessly dangling from between my shoulder blades.”

  “So, Miller knows Finn too?” I asked curiously.

  “Sure does,” Josh said, although she didn’t elaborate further.

  A woman with bright red hair and matching lips walked in through the back door wearing a bright yellow halter dress and matching heels.

  “Josh! I was about to call you. I put those earrings on order. They should be here Tuesday.”

  “Sawyer, this is Bebe,” Josh introduced. Bebe looked me up and down, and although she tried to hide the disapproval on her face, her eyebrow was defiantly twitching, giving away her inner thoughts regarding my clothes without having to say a single word.

  “Lovely to meet you, Sawyer. What can I do for you today?”

  “What are you looking for Sawyer?” Josh asked.

  “I’m looking to…not look like this,” I answered, turning to the mirror to face a girl I’d seen every day of my life but didn’t know.

  Bebe rubbed her hands together and bit her lower lip. “This is going to be way too much fun.”

  After a few hours, I had a cute but inexpensive pair of second-hand brown leather boots, a couple pairs of cut off shorts like Josh’s, and some simple fitted tank tops. And for the first time in my life, I even owned a few new bras that weren’t beige or looked matronly and some boy-short style underwear in different colors. All the undergarments were new of course.

  When we left with packages in hand and my old clothes in the trash bin under the register, I’d only spent a fraction of what I’d earned in tips my first week. We stepped out into the wet heat, the sun had started to set spraying rays of varying shades of oranges and pinks through the sky as it dropped lower and lower. For the first time in my life, I was equipped to handle the summer heat. The feeling of the breeze across my skin was downright glorious.

  I felt exposed yet empowered.

  After shedding the heavy skin of my past, I was practically skipping down the street feeling as light as I’d ever felt.

  “You like the new look, don’t you?” Josh nudged me in the arm.

  “More than you could ever imagine,” I sang, spreading my arms out to the side, tipping my face up to the sun and bathing in the sun’s rays that were kissing places it had never kissed before.

  “Sunscreen. I recommend lots and lots of sunscreen,” Josh said, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me into the general store.

  She introduced me to Lucy behind the counter then I roamed the aisles, picking up some necessities including a few more gallons of water and some food that wouldn’t go bad without being refrigerated since the little fridge in the camper didn’t get all that cold.

  “You know, apartments are fairly cheap here. You could probably afford an entire place on your own from what you’re making at Critter’s now. Shit, I have a place of my own. They say the police in big cities don’t get paid well? They should see my lousy check.”

  “An apartment? Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “I don’t know. My mom left me that camper before she died. It isn’t much but I feel, I don’t know, closer to her somehow. I think I’ll stay where I am for now.” We came to the corner where a thick metal pole at least six feet around at the base jutted up into the sky. I craned my neck and followed with my eyes all the way to the top. “Maybe I’ll buy one of those someday.” I pointed to the billboard overhead. It was so high it could be seen from the highway. Which was probably the point. The ad was for park model homes and depicted a happy family of three smiling and waving their new keys in front of a small house with white siding and blue shutters. The edge of the billboard was peeling, revealing another ad underneath for something involving pink tacos.

  “I just thought you might want to get away from Finn,” Josh said, “Although I don’t think he’ll be giving you any more problems.” She smirked.

  “His truck windows,” I suddenly realized. “That was you?”

  “Rule number one. Never admit to your crimes,” Josh said, pointing at me. “ALLEGED crimes,” she amended. “EVER.”

  We laughed and as the night took over the sky from day I felt as if I could take on the world. That was until a loud clap of thunder popped the feeling like a knife being tossed into a balloon.

  During the drive back to my camper I smiled and tried to engage in everything that Josh said. Meanwhile, my thoughts were on the approaching storm.

  The one OVER my head.

  And the one IN my head.

  Chapter 17

  Sawyer

  You’re being irrational, Sawyer. It’s just a little storm. You’re an adult. You can deal with this. You’ve dealt with so much more.

  I thought once I’d gotten inside I’d feel better, but as the sky darkened and I felt the rumbling of thunder beneath my feet, I found myself rocking back and forth on my bed.

  It didn’t matter how many times I assured myself that it was just a little storm. That it couldn’t hurt me.

  It made no difference.

  I’d run away from a life I hated and stupidly thought that because I’d been so brave in that aspect that a little thunder wouldn’t have the same effect on me it once did.

  However, with each clap of thunder or bolt of lightning, I was learning how ridiculous and how wrong I’d been.

  I curled myself into a smaller and smaller ball, hoping I would just disappear until the storm passed.

  My mom used to come to my room and sing to me during a storm to ease me back to sleep. But that was only after he’d disciplined her for one reason or another. Each roll of thunder was a flying angry fist.

  I tried to imagine her words. Her arms around me. To find comfort in her even though she wasn’t there.

  It was no use.

  Heavy rain pounded against the thin walls of my little refuge. High winds angrily pelted mud and debris against the window, shaking it loose. I found myself counting the seconds under my breath until I was sure the window would eventually break.

  I pulled my worn knit blanket over my head, willing away the weather that had my heart beating like an airplane propeller getting ready for takeoff and my breathing reduced to quick shallow pants. I felt dizzy. Stars danced in front of my eyes. A strong clap of thunder rolled through, slowly at first, shaking the ground like a warning of things to come. A roar of wind slammed into the camper so hard I felt like I was turning.

  It wasn’t just me.

  It was the entire camper turning.

  Slowly at first and then faster.

  My heart raced faster and faster under the sound of crunching met
al.

  I held onto the wall and screamed just as the wall fell and met the ground.

  Then everything went black.

  Finn

  I used to find the rain comforting.

  What wasn’t comforting was watching Sawyer run through it as it started to pour down from the sky.

  Not just because she looked like she was about to melt as the first drop hit her head or because she was running like she was escaping a pack of zombies, but because she’d left dressed in an uglier than hell long skirt and straight plain shirt and came back wearing something completely different.

  Something that showed off every single bit of what she’d been hiding under all that fabric. A tight black wife-beater style tank top showed off her spectacular perky and rounded tits—the ones that I’d been shocked to see were bigger than I’d guessed when I saw her in the shower—bouncing with each of her hurried steps. Short dark denim shorts revealed surprisingly toned calves and strong thighs leading up to a high and round ass that most women would get on their knees and pray every night to possess. To top it all off?

  Sexy as sin boots to the middle of her calf.

  Yeah, I was uncomfortable all right. Probably because I kept imagining those boots around my shoulders while I worshipped her pussy with my tongue and fingers.

  Fuck. I needed a damned drink.

  I’d just grabbed the neck of the bottle when I heard a noise in the distance.

  I thought I was imagining things or that it was the wind howling. I stilled my own breathing long enough so I could hear it again.

  There it was again and this time there was no mistaking it for the screaming wind.

  It was an actual scream.

  I ran to the door and ripped it open. A bolt of lightning hit a palm tree nearby, splitting the top of it down the middle like a broccoli spear. A gust of wind lifted the camper a few inches from the ground and tossed it onto its side.

  The screaming stopped.

  I pushed my way through the wall of pounding rain and wind, ducking under flying mud and debris. The window of the camper was underneath it now and the door on top. I climbed up using the water tank as footing. “Sawyer!” I yelled.

  No answer.

  “Fuck,” I cursed at the locked door.

  I shuffled back a little and with one forceful kick, I managed to break the window of the door free from its frame. I made myself as small as I could and lowered myself down inside. Sawyer was nowhere to be seen. Debris was tossed all around the inside since the floor was now a wall. The mattress from the bed was leaning against the wall.

  I stepped over the cabinets and flipped the mattress up. Sure enough, there she was, unconscious. A trickle of blood staining her hairline on the right side of her forehead. I knew I shouldn’t move her but if another gust of wind came through she could be tossed around again and risk even further injury. The only problem was I couldn’t lift her out of the camper. The window was too small for us to both fit through at the same time. The wind whistled outside and reminded me that I had to try.

  I bent over and lifted her as gently as I could. Her limbs were limp, flapping over my arms. I did my best to support her neck as I climbed over the cabinets, adjusting her so I could unlock and push open the camper door above us. The rain soaked us through in seconds. I climbed out on my ass and swung my legs over to the side, dropping us down. I fell to my knees in order to take the severity of the impact, suddenly grateful for the soft wet mud.

  It felt like a fucking eternity to get her into the house but once inside I jogged to my bedroom and set her down on my bed as gingerly as I could. “Sawyer,” I said roughly, leaning above her. “Sawyer!”

  Sawyer moaned softly and stirred, but didn’t regain consciousness. Streams of pink tinted water dripped down her face. “Shit,” I cursed, trying to remember where the fuck I’d put my phone. I ran to the kitchen and opened drawer after drawer, emptying them of the contents and tossing them to the floor until I found my phone in the very last one. I powered it on and thankfully the screen came to life.

  I pushed the emergency button and within seconds a familiar voice answered the phone. “Outskirts 911,” Miller said. “What’s your emergency.”

  “Miller, it’s Finn.” I could feel his surprise on the other end of the line.

  “Finn, what are you…what the fuck is going on?”

  I walked back over to Sawyer who hadn’t so much as budged. I knelt down next to her and had no choice but to say my least favorite words in the English language. I tugged at my hair and lowered my voice. “I need your help.”

  Chapter 18

  Sawyer

  The line between consciousness and unconsciousness was still a blur when I heard voices floating around above me.

  “Wait, where are you going?” Finn asked.

  “The roads are flooded in and out of town. I’ve got to set up some barricades,” Josh answered.

  Josh is in Finn’s house?

  “What do I do?” Finn sounded frantic. Panicked even.

  “Just get her out of those wet clothes and keep her awake until Miller gets here.”

  Everything was still fuzzy around the edges until a hand grabbed me by my ankle. My eyes shot open to find Finn crouched beside me. His hair was wet, some of it had fallen forward and was matted against his temple and cheek.

  “I have to get you out of these wet clothes,” he said, reaching for the waistband of my shorts.

  “No!” I shouted, scrambling up the bed but not getting far.

  Finn climbed over my lap and caged me in with his muscular thighs. He stretched his arms, resting his hands on the wall above the headboard.

  “You don’t have a choice. You hit your head. Your clothes are soaked. They’re coming off.” Finn pinned me to the mattress with his determined glare.

  “No,” I repeated, trying to wiggle out from his grip. All I managed to do was sway an inch or two from side to side. The motion made my head swim. I closed my eyes tightly and suddenly felt the need to sleep.

  “Hey,” Finn shouted, snapping me back to the present. “You need to stay awake.”

  “I can do that,” I started. “I can also take my own clothes off,” I said.

  Finn considered me for a moment before easing up off me, giving me room to sit up slowly.

  “You have to leave the room,” I said, reaching for the hem of my shirt. The room started to spin around me, faster and faster until Finn’s arms were around me, holding me upright.

  “Not a chance,” he growled.

  He sat me up and reached for the hem of my shirt.

  “Don’t look,” I managed to say. The cold material of my shirt clung to my skin, my teeth chattered as I spoke. Finn was right. My clothes needed to come off.

  “I can’t promise you that,” Finn said, slowly lifting my shirt to my shoulders. He pulled my elbows through the sleeves once it was around my neck. “I wish I could promise you that, but I can’t.” He lifted it over my head and it landed with a smack against the floor.

  He’d seen me naked before, but somehow standing in a shower and lying in a bed might as well have been two different planets because the embarrassment and uncertainty and rush of dizziness I was feeling couldn’t all have been from hitting my head.

  I covered my breasts with my arms and shut my eyes tightly as if I couldn’t see him looking at my naked body then it wasn’t happening.

  “Are you covering up because you’re embarrassed or because you don’t think I’ll like what I see?” Finn asked. He wasn’t teasing. He wasn’t mocking. And when I opened my eyes to meet his, all I saw was sincerity and concern etched on his face.

  “Both,” I admitted, feeling my entire body turn red.

  Finn gently pushed against my shoulders so I’d lay back down against the pillow. It smelled like him. Clean and woodsy.

  He unbuttoned my shorts and hooked his fingers in the elastic of my panties. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said, which had the opposite effect, making me squirm insi
de my skin. “Because you’re beautiful.” He wriggled the material over my hips and butt and tossed the wet garments on top of my shirt. “All of you is beautiful.” I glanced up at him to find Finn’s gaze was between my legs. “And I can assure you that I like what I see. Very much.” He cleared his throat. “Too much.”

  Finn’s words seemed to help me feel slightly more at ease. Well, his words and the blanket he covered me with. I turned to my side and he was quiet. So quiet I’d thought he’d left the room until the mattress dipped and cool air hit my backside from the blanket being lifted.

  “What are you doing?” I croaked, feeling panicked yet again. I glanced over to find Finn tossing his wet shorts to the floor.

  “Making sure you don’t fall asleep.”

  “You can’t do that from the other side of the room?” I asked, scooting as far over to the edge of the bed as I could. “With clothes on?”

  “Of course, I can,” Finn said; reaching out and grabbing me by the waist he dragged me backward across the bed until I was flush against his hard body. I don’t know if it was because it felt so good and I’d been so cold, or because of my head injury, but I found myself closing my eyes and momentarily enjoying the feeling of his warm skin. “But isn’t this better?”

  His hard body against my softer one.

  Yes, yes it was.

  Finn snaked his hand around my hips, resting it on my lower stomach. A thought flashed through my muddled brain. My eyes sprang open.

  “You’re not…” I started.

  “Calm yourself. Unwilling girls aren’t really my thing,” Finn said, sounding offended.

  “It’s not like I would know that you weren’t trying to…” I stopped, not sure which word to use or even if I wanted to use one at all.

  “FUCK you,” he finished for me. “It’s not like you would know that I wasn’t trying to FUCK you.”

  “Yes. THAT.”

  “You wouldn’t have a single doubt in your mind if I really was trying to fuck you tonight.”