Kele Moon: Crossing the line

She brushed the wet hair off her forehead as her giggle turned into a pained moan. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Wyatt’s big, calloused hand slipped around to the back of her calf, his thumb rubbing over it soothingly as he blotted the wound dry. “Your secret’s safe.”

“And they’re not children’s books. They’re more YA. Young adult.”

“I know what YA is. I was just distracting you. I’ve been following your career for the past ten years. I know what you write.”

The warmth started to turn to something else besides the fiery burn of embarrassment. It tore away the last remnants of the strong, almost impenetrable walls Tabitha had built up around herself to help her survive a lonely existence she had never wanted.

Without thinking about it, she reached out and stroked Wyatt’s hair away from his forehead. “I’ve followed your career too.” She wasn’t talking about his career as sheriff, though she heard things about that too. The Wyatt she’d left behind had been heavily involved in mixed-martial-arts fighting, and he’d gone nearly all the way in the sport he was so passionate about in his youth. “I was sorry you had to retire. I know you loved it.”

Wyatt shrugged. “It’s just fighting. Ain’t worth crying over, and I’m still participating in it. I’m in the cage, just not professionally.”

Tabitha took another bite of her bar. “Do you miss the circuit now that Clay’s retired?”

“We got some other fighters at the Cellar. Damn good ones. Chuito won a title last year and is set to grab himself another one soon. My brother-in-law by default’s looking pretty good too. He keeps fighting like he does, and he’ll get himself a UFC contract by next year.”

“Your brother-in-law by default?”

Wyatt snorted. “Tino is Jules’s brother-in-law, but seeing how I’m always tripping over him, it sorta feels like I inherited him too.”

“I saw on the news about Jules getting married to Romeo Wellings.” Tabitha tilted her head, watching as Wyatt worked at meticulously taping up the wound with tiny strips of clear medical tape that he was cutting from the roll with a pair of scissors from the kit. “That was something.”

“Yeah, well, it’s Jules. We ain’t all that surprised she had to go and do things over-the-top when she did decide to fall in love. She’s pregnant now, you know? It’s twins. As if that wasn’t predictable. She never does anything half-assed.”

“I didn’t know.” Tabitha raised her eyebrows, trying to imagine Wyatt’s very driven, very intimidating twin sister now married and having babies. “Are you happy about it?”

“Yeah, I suppose. I could’ve done without the mafia in-laws, the shootouts, and Jules’s life-threatening injuries. Not to mention all the media drama afterward, but Romeo and Tino got away from all that. She’s happy now, so I guess I am too. I’m excited to be an uncle.”

“I bet.” Tabitha laughed again, finding the image of Wyatt as an uncle a lot easier to accept than Jules as Betty Homemaker. “I heard Clay got a girl too. Y’all have been on the news a lot lately. I saw the footage of him and that Romeo Wellings fella taking down her ex-husband.”

“Don’t remind me.” Wyatt pulled a face of distaste. “Clay and Melody got that trial coming up here in August, and they surely aren’t looking forward to it. I personally think they ought to keep her ex-husband behind bulletproof glass ’cause Clay is likely to try for a second chance to kill him if he says something dumb, and you know he will. He doesn’t strike me as the smartest Cracker Jack in the box.”

“Seemed strange that Romeo was willing to help him right after their big fight, but I suppose if Jules was dating him—”

“She wasn’t dating him then.” Wyatt finished with the last of tape, pulling the cut closed tightly so it wouldn’t scar. “It’s complicated. It’d take all night to explain it, but let’s just say it’s been an exciting year in Garnet.”

She finished the bar and leaned over to set the wrapper on the nightstand. She sat back up and admired his handy work after he used the last little piece of tape on her leg. “You’re pretty good at this. Who needs a doctor?”

“I have taped up my fair share of cuts over the years.” Wyatt gave her a wide smile that made him so handsome it nearly stole Tabitha’s breath.

“I guess you have.” Tabitha knew Wyatt had spent his life fighting in and outside the cage and yet wasn’t really any worse for the wear for it. “And here I was worrying about a scar. Like I need another one.”

“Nah, you’ll be fine.” Wyatt caressed her leg once more, making her shiver against her will. “Let it heal. Put some vitamin E oil on it for a few months, and it’ll be good as new.”

Before Tabitha could respond, he stood and sat back down on the bed with the kit in hand, this time behind her. He ran his finger over her bare shoulder, gently touching the tender spot that hit the cinderblock. Underneath that frisson of desire from the gentle caress was the novelty of being touched by a man. It was something simple, something most women probably took for granted, but it was something Tabitha thought she’d never have again.

“It’s more bruising than anything. I’m going to just put some ointment on it and a bandage. No sense doing the peroxide thing again.”

Tabitha took a shuddering breath. “Much appreciated.”

She let Wyatt doctor her shoulder, savoring the feel of his touch that was tender despite his large size and dangerous fists. Her nerves had settled considerably, and for just that moment she focused all her energy on trying to remember everything about being with him again. Like the combined smell of Wyatt’s soap and expensive aftershave. The cool feel of the ointment on tender skin. The sound of the bandage being opened. The general hum of powerful energy that seemed to vibrate off men like Wyatt. Assured, successful, handsome, and charming, he’d always had such a strong sense of self. The path Wyatt was supposed to take in life had been crystal clear for him from a very young age. Knowing the right route to take had made him extremely self-confident, and that’d forever be appealing to Tabitha.

“All better,” Wyatt announced as he closed the first-aid kit. “Unless you’d like me to kiss it to speed up the healing process.”

She laughed. “I’m sure that’s the last thing you want to do.”

“I wouldn’t be that sure.”

Tabitha’s heart did a little flip when she heard the catch in his voice that sounded like the cross between a promise and a threat. She craned her neck curiously, looking at him in surprise. “Wy—”

“I’m gonna take off and let you rest.” Wyatt made a move to leave, but Tabitha grabbed his hand on instinct and squeezed like her life depended on it. Something about that desperation must have translated, because Wyatt closed his eyes as if looking for strength he didn’t have. “Tab, you should lemme go. I ain’t so sure I can be the fella you remember. I’ve been lonely for too long. That can make a man go feral after the first decade.”

Tabitha heard the warning that she was holding on to something akin to a caged tiger—one who was angry, lonely, and neglected by the very person who’d sworn in front of a justice of the peace to love him. The confession held terrible implications. It was something she’d never even considered, that Wyatt had been as sexually isolated as she was, with only the memories of something long lost to sustain her. She hadn’t wanted that for him, not once in all the years they’d been separated. The pain welled up between them as he stood there stoically. She squeezed his hand tighter, willing all the loss to disappear, if even for one day.