When Roses Collide

Chapter Forty

"Son of a bitch," Travis muttered the breathy curse as he slipped out of her body. Not exactly the words she was longing to hear, she thought as a small shiver trickled down her body as she watched him leave that part of her and tried to catch her breath.

Another round of banging echoed into the bathroom from her bedroom door.

"Is everything alright in there?" Cade's annoyed voice followed close on the heels of the relentless pounding.

Harley sighed, watching Travis tuck himself back into his pants and zip them up. Muttering under his breath something she didn't catch, he wrapped one of them gently around her, careful not to bump her sore shoulder. A grim look set in stone on his handsome features which only a moment before, had been filled with love, need and devotion.

"Everything is fine, Cade," she hollered towards her bedroom door, which, fortunately, must have been still locked. Otherwise, she grimaced slightly, there would be no doubt he would have burst in on what they had been doing only seconds before. A closed door meant nothing when it came to her family.

"His timing sucks," Travis mumbled, giving her a swift kiss before briskly covering her head with the second towel and roughly drying it.

"Okay then," Cade answered. "Bo sent me up here to tell you we've thrown some steaks on the grill and supper."

"Fine," she said, her voice muffled under the towel as Travis continued to dry her hair like a man on a mission. She would be lucky to have any still attached to her scalp when he was done.

"And FYI, these walls are made out of toilet paper...so...yeah...you might keep that in mind. I'm going back outside...traumatized for the rest of my life."

Travis's hands came to a quick stop. The sound was the faint stomp of Cade's boots disappearing down the hallway. A rush of warmth flooded Harley's face and she was grateful she was still hidden under the towel.

"Son of a bitch," Travis repeated his earlier exclamation as his hands fell away from her head.

Taking a peek out from under the towel, she saw him standing there with his chin tucked to his chest and his eyes tightly closed. His lips were drawn into a thin line. The hands that had been busily scrubbing her bald, were clenched into tight fists at his sides.

Her heart went out to him. Dealing with her family wasn't easy, she knew that. They had put Travis through the wringer today and then she made it worse by wrecking her bike and causing him to worry. Any sane mane would probably get good and gone by now after a day like today. And frankly, she wouldn't be able to blame him. There were days she wanted to leave...and they were her family.

An uncomfortable twinge formed in her throat at the thought of him actually walking out of her life. There would be no way she would survive it. The pain would certainly kill her if only the thought of it could make her ache the way she was now. There would be no way she would be able to handle it happening for real.

Reaching up, she ran her hand down the soft scruff of his cheek. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

His blue eyes popped open, blinking at her. The anger dissipating into a warm glow. Capturing her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed the underside of her wrist.

"You don't have anything to apologize for, sunshine."

"Yes, I do." She exhaled a long breath and pulled her hand away from him. "Nothing is going the way I imagined it would." Putting her hands in her lap, she fiddled with the edges of the towel.

"How did you imagine it would go?"

She shrugged a shoulder, not wanting to look at him.

"When I dreamed of finding the right guy, I just thought my family would be happy for me." Throwing her head back, she looked up at the ceiling. "Never once did I think there would be fighting...," she waved a hand around, "any of this." Biting down on her lip to keep it from trembling, she braved a look at him. "I wanted a happily ever after like I've read about in my books. Instead I got a nightmare that would make any man run for the hills."