I thanked the manager and left the office without telling him I was checking out.
If that blonde woman came around, I didn’t want him telling her I’d left town.
I walked through the parking lot, not bothering to shield myself from the rain. I was already soaked through.
I knocked on the door. “Jack! Open up!” No answer. “Jack!” I knocked harder.
Was he even in there?
I was about to turn back for the office to request a key, when the door creaked open. The fine hairs on my already goosebump-covered skin pricked up.
“Jack?” I pushed on the door. The room was empty, but the shower was running.
I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. Maybe the door had been ajar, and my knocking jiggled it open? Not like people can open doors with their thoughts—
Fuck. Never mind. Maybe it was possible.
I went to the closet to grab dry clothes and start packing up. I’d get my stuff from the bathroom after he was done with his shower.
Weird. He could’ve just said he needed to get clean. Instead, he sent me on an errand. Also, they only had cold water right now. Management wouldn’t turn on the generator until later.
“Jack! I’m back!” I called out.
I heard nothing in response.
“Jack?” I knocked on the partially open bathroom door, keeping my eyes averted. “Are you okay?”
Again, he didn’t respond.
Sonofabitch. I pushed the door open all the way. I couldn’t see past the curtain, but there was no sign of movement or a person behind it.
I stepped forward and yanked back the shower curtain. Jack lay twisted on his side, naked. His face was submerged in about five inches of water.
“Jack!” I kneeled down and turned him over. “Jack. Jack!” I slapped his wet cheek.
He wasn’t responding.
“Fuck. Fuck. What do I do?” I grabbed his wrist and tried to find a pulse.
Nothing. Not a bump or thump.
I shut off the water and darted into the bedroom, looking for my purse with my cell.
“Where are you! Where?” The car.
I ran outside, the cold rain giving me a fresh shock. I grabbed my purse and found my cell. I hit 9-1-1, but nothing happened.
“Sonofabitch!” I threw the thing back in my purse and ran to the office, but when I turned the knob, the door was locked. A sign in the window said they were closed for lunch.
It’s two in the afternoon, you fuckers! I ran back to the room, thinking my only option was to try to drag Jack from the tub and attempt CPR. All the people on my crew had training. First aid, too.
I reached my room and bolted for the bathroom, but just as I was about to push on the door, it flew open.
Jack stood there naked, and I didn’t know which was more shocking, his insanely beautiful body or the fact he wasn’t dead. I blinked, trying not to fixate on the hard planes of his torso and the deep ridges of his stomach muscles. I tried not to stare at his long thick cock hanging low between his thighs.
Jack arched a dark wet brow and folded his arms over his chest, making his firm pectorals more pronounced.
“Surely you have seen a naked man before, Jeni.” He sounded amused.
Ohgod. I turned my back to him. “What happened to you?”
“I do not know what you mean.”
“You were lying in the tub, dead. I was about to start CPR.”
“I do not know what you mean.”
I frowned and glanced over my shoulder at his face. “I didn’t imagine it.”
He grabbed a towel and began drying himself.
I turned my head away again.
“Look all you like, Jeni. I do not mind. I’ll even fuck you if you ask nicely. But remember, everything comes with a price.”
I turned and locked my eyes on his wickedly handsome face. “You think this is a joke? Do you? My fucking life has been turned upside down, and you’re dying in the goddamned bathtub and popping back to life, making jokes.”
I wanted to throw up, not get fucked!
He wrapped the towel around his waist and closed the gap between us. “I was not joking. I suspect I haven’t had a good fuck in a long time, and clearly neither have you.” He slid past me, leaving me staring into the empty bathroom. My mind involuntarily offered images of him taking that big cock and sliding it between my legs.
Sonofa… I knew he saw that, and it probably pleased him that he’d gotten inside my head. But I did not want to have sex with him, kiss him, eat with him, or breathe with him. The only thing I inexplicably wanted was to help him find out who he was so he could move on and I could go my separate way.
“The rain is letting up. Time to hit the road.” He slid on his jeans and flannel shirt. I didn’t bother to ask where he’d gotten them originally. Not from Randall.
“We should be able to get enough gas to get to the next gas station,” I said, with an unfriendly tone, feeling overwhelmed and disturbed by what just happened. “The Red Cross down the road might have some food, if you’re hungry.”
“I can wait until we get to your father’s house.” Then why did he make me ask about all that? Clearly, he’d wanted me out of the room for a few minutes. But why? So he could die in the tub and come back to life? Fucking hell, this was weird.
“Wait. You never said anything about going anywhere near my father.”
“How do you think I will ensure he is protected?” Jack shook his head, slid on his boots, and headed for the door. “See you outside. You have three minutes.”
“I need ten. And stop telling me what to do,” I yelled at the back of his head. I was getting fed up with him, but I doubted that would change anything. The strange feelings inside me were growing stronger.
Soon, I’d have to face them.
CHAPTER NINE
We arrived at my dad’s house just west of Tallahassee. Normally, the drive would take about four hours from Tampa, but with the road closures and detours, we clocked seven hours and twenty-two minutes. I’d already called my dad to let him know we were coming, but he wasn’t answering.
“You stay here,” I said as Jack pulled up in the driveway, parking over the oil stains where my dad used to leave his old blue truck. Ironic how he drove a semi for decades without so much as a ticket, and then one day, boom. He ran a red light right in front of Target and changed everything. Honestly, I don’t think my dad even understood what happened. He swore up and down that the light had been green, but video footage showed otherwise. It was the reason the insurance company refused to pay more. His fault. Different coverage.
Jack nodded at my request for him to stay put, and I hopped out, feeling more than a little thankful that the porch lights were off. Our house was dark green with crooked white shutters and overgrown weeds. It was a stark contrast to all the other homes on the block with their neatly mowed lawns and porch swings. We didn’t have the money for upkeep, and I didn’t have the time to do it myself. Or maybe the house was a reflection of how I felt about it. We’d moved here after my mother died to be closer to my grandparents, who also left this world a few years after that. But this house never felt like home. It was a place we lived. Nothing more.
I used my key to enter. The lights were off inside, too, which wasn’t normal. My dad liked to stay up late reading or watching the news.