“I lost it. My father wasn’t used to us fighting back, so I managed to get him off of Lenna. It was the only time in my life my mother called the police. She knew he would kill me for fighting him.
“The police came and arrested him. He lost his job, and the courts wouldn’t let him back in our home.” Train shook his head at the turmoil that erupted because of that night. “My mother wouldn’t take him back after that happened. Me and my sisters wanted to move back to the reservation, but my mother wouldn’t. She was determined we would have a better life.” Another button was undone.
“She scrimped and saved, and we moved into an apartment in a good neighborhood that had the best school in the state. I would go with her to clean businesses at night, and go to school in the morning, grabbing a few hours’ sleep as she would finish the few jobs she didn’t need my help with. By my senior year high school, she built up her business so that she could hire other workers. That was when I decided to go into the military. I didn’t think she needed me anymore.”
Train paused before flicking the next button undone. “I was in my second year in the military when I found out from my sister that our mother was seeing our father again. I made my sister put my mother on the phone, and we talked a long time. She swore to me that she wasn’t taking him back, that she was seeing him because she felt sorry for him. She said he was living on the streets. She swore to me that she would never let him come near my sisters. She lied.
“A week later, I was staring down at my mother and sisters’ graves. Lenna, Ela, and my mother had all lied to me. My mother had let my father move back in before Lenna had even told me that she was seeing him.” Train spread the silky blouse away from her, staring down at her rose-tipped breasts. He gently pressed a kiss on the flesh between them.
“That’s why you covered up your tattoo?”
“Yes, and that’s why I would never lie to you, and I don’t want you to lie to me. Lies affect everyone around you.” Raising his head, he pulled the two parts of her top back together. “And since I have no intention of making you a liar, I’m going home.” He turned to leave.
“Train?”
He stopped, but he didn’t turn around. His self-control had limits, and seeing her hazel eyes look defenseless was more than he could take.
“I told them I wouldn’t fuck you until I was sure you wouldn’t fuck around on me.”
Train turned. “I already told you I won’t.”
“I believe you.”
“I want to be upfront, Rae. Neither us knows how this will work out, but I will be honest.”
“I will, too.”
When he started to leave again, she reached out, looping the wallet chain that was clipped onto his jeans around her finger.
“How do you say ‘fuck me’ in French?”
His eyes narrowed on her sultry expression. One minute, she could have a man cringing in fear, and the next … she was a modern day Delilah.
She shrugged her blouse off then moved closer to brush her breasts against his T-shirt. Train unsnapped her jeans, speaking softly in French as he started tugging them down. She then brought her hands to his biceps so she could maintain her balance as her boots prevented the jeans from dropping to the floor. Train tangled his foot with hers as he gave Killyama a small push backward.
She stared up at him without comprehension, asking, “What did you say?”
“I said, ‘fuck me’ in Apache. I also asked if you’re wet?”
“If I wasn’t before, I am now. That’s hot. Say some more.”
Train took off his T-shirt. “How about I show you instead?”
She leaned forward, unlacing her boots then taking them off and slinging them to the floor.
They kissed as they finished undressing each other. Train was so excited about having her willing and submissive under him that he ignored the pain coming from his ankle. When it became a trail of fire, he broke free from the kiss to see a cat staring up at him with beady eyes.
“What the hell?”
Killyama reached down to pick up the hissing cat that was doing his damnedest to scratch him again. “This is Gollum.”
“It’s a cat?” He was looking at Gollum as if he had never seen a cat before. “That doesn’t look like a cat. Cats are cute, fluffy fur balls. What you’re holding needs an exorcist.”
Killyama laughed. “He’s not that bad.”
Train saw the whatever-it-was swat Killyama, leaving a thin scratch on her forearm.
She hugged the cat to her, soothing his ruffled fur. “He was Fat Louise’s sister’s cat first. When she wanted to kill him, Fat Louise took him. Then, when she married Cade, Crazy Bitch took him. When Crazy Bitch threatened to kill him, I took him and renamed him Gollum. It used to be Manson.”
“Manson suits him better.” Train jerked his wrist back when the cat tried to scratch him again.
“I’m not giving my cat away.”
Train had never seen hurt in Killyama’s eyes in the years he had known her. She was showing it now.