Page 34 of Oklahoma Storms
An ironic, sad chuckle randomly leaves me.
“What?” Jazz kneels, snagging a fresh towel, then grabs my foot.
I yank my leg away. “What the fuck are you doing?”
A wave of anger sets his jaw as he grabs my leg again, this time using his vampire strength. I don’t move. I don’t have the energy to fight him.
“I’m wiping the fucking blood off you the best I can so I can get you to the shower.”
“I can get myself?—”
“Will you shut the fuck up!” he roars at me, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits. He releases his built-up rage, and it hits my chest like a fucking brick wall, slamming me against the back of my chair. “You don’t have to be alone anymore, Oakley. Stop forcing yourself to be alone because you’re afraid of getting close to people. I’m here. You’re like my family. I’m not going to leave you here to struggle, so be quiet, or I swear to god, I will stitch your lips shut with silver.”
His face is flushed, and his shoulders rise and fall, his breath and heart rate quicker than they usually are.
“Respectfully,” he adds, disheveled.
I can’t help it. I laugh, throwing a hand on my stomach.
He does too, wiping away the blood on my feet. “I’m not sorry.”
I wipe the tear under my eye away. “I know you aren’t, and you’re right. Everything you said was right. It’s my biggest issue.”
“You’re your biggest issue. You’d rather die alone than let anyone close to you, so you don’t have to feel the pain of their absence.”
I frown, his words a sword to my heart.
He’s right.
Jazz rolls up the ends of the blood-soaked jeans, so they don’t drag on the floor. “Okay. That ought to do it.” He stands, wrapping an arm around my waist to help me up.
“Fuck,” I hiss when my body protests.
“This is what is going to happen. I’m going to help you to your shower, and I’m going to stay within earshot in case you need me, but you’ll still have your privacy. I’m not going anywhere, so don’t even try to rush me out the door. I’m here. Fucking deal with it.”
I lean my weight on him, grip his side, and nod. “Maybe you can help me get my mate back, then.”
“Back? What the hell are you talking about, Oakley?” Using his vampiric speed and strength, we’re in my bathroom. He unwraps his arm from around me, and I grip the edge of the sink, my head dizzy from how fast he moved.
I knew he was fast, but I’m never riding with him again on an empty stomach.
“You know when I got her number to ask her out?”
Jazz twists the handle of the faucet to turn the shower on. “Yes. I remember. I had secondhand awkwardness. It was terrible. Her brother really hates you.”
“I don’t blame him. I was a real dick when they came on the property.”
He lifts a shoulder. “Yeah, but you can’t blame yourself. Sometimes, we still act human when we aren’t prepared for something the universe likes to throw at us.”
“And we were texting, and everything was going fucking great. A little flirting and I fucking backed out. I was a coward,” I admit to him, unbuttoning my ruined jeans. “I cancelled and she—” I chuckle at the memory of her telling me off. “She told me she isn’t wasting her time with someone who doesn’t know what they want—in a nutshell. I’m paraphrasing.”
Jazz leans against the door, crosses his arms, and snorts. “I’m glad she has a backbone. I don’t blame her. So what are you going to do to win her over?”
“I…” I lift my head and stare at myself in the mirror, then drag my sights to Jazz, meeting his gaze. “I don’t know. Seeing that I look like fucking road kill, I’m not sure I stand a damn chance now.”
“Ah, you just need to get cleaned up a little. Make sure you scrub your face really well.” He points to his chin. “You got some?—”
I tilt my head and pinch my lips together. “No shit.” Blood stains the skin around my mouth. My face has lost its color, and dark circles are more like blue bruises under my eyes.
