Chapter 18

"What the actual fuck, Forrest? I told you that truck was going to get you in trouble!"

Lani Cooper didn't wait for Forrest to answer. Nero saw Forrest's wince as his sister used her crutch to hobble-stomp across the turf to where Nero, Forrest, and the owner of the property they'd crashed onto, the man who'd also called 9-1-1, were standing. Even if Nero hadn't known she and Forrest were related, the red hair and the similar facial features would have made it obvious. They were both attractive, Nero had to admit, but Forrest was the sibling Nero found himself drawn to.

Why was his brain thinking about stuff like that when they'd both nearly died? Maybe it was from shock, focusing on the not-dying part.

"Believe it or not, the truck isn't sentient, Lani. It didn't try and kill me."

"Was it reckless driving? Because that's what it looks like from here. Christ, look at the gouges!"

Nero's head throbbed and so did other inexplicable parts of his body, like his right elbow. Regardless, Nero was enjoying the exchange between the older brother and younger sister. Lani was obviously not impressed by Forrest trying to dismiss what had happened.

"Reckless driving?" Forrest repeated, his voice rising. "Are you kidding me?"

Nero was fairly sure the conversation would have continued and ramped up into serious fireworks if the as-yet-unknown-to-him guy hadn't stepped in.

"Lani, it wasn't Forrest's fault," the guy said.

She turned on him. "Are you sure about that, Levi?" Okay, one question solved. The guy's name was Levi. "Because that would be a first."

It was also amusing that Forrest didn't seem to realize he should be introducing people. But also they'd just nearly died.

"Yes, I'm sure. Forrest, do you want to explain?"

"I would've explained already if Lani would let me get a word in edgewise."

"Forrest Cooper, quit being a damn asshole." Officer Cooper's nostrils flared.

"Maybe if you didn't always jump to the wrong conclusion!"

"Conclusion?" She swept her crutch out to encompass the ravaged field and reshaped ditch. "What I see here is ‘lucky again that Forrest didn't die'! How's that for a conclusion?"

"I didn't die! Jesus Christ! Why are you being so dramatic?"

Nero winced at Forrest's statement. Even he knew those were dangerous words. Lani snapped her lips shut, watching her brother with a very dangerous glint in her eyes. Her gaze flicked to Nero, who suddenly wished he had the power of invisibility.

"Furthermore, what is he doing here?" Lani pointed a crutch at Nero. Who, not being invisible, wished there was a handy rock or tree to hide behind.

For a second, Forrest appeared confused. His gaze shot over to Nero and then his expression shifted to—Nero couldn't quite catalogue it, but Forrest's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"He is Nero Vik, as you full well know."

"And what is Nero Vik doing here? Exactly."

Lani wasn't backing down. Whatever was causing this reaction, Forrest was the only one who could resolve it.

Forrest hesitated, seemingly unsure how to answer her question. He glanced at Nero again.

Lani waited.

Nero opened his mouth to fill the silence, but Forrest beat him to it.

"I decided to talk to him. He came over to the house this morning."

"Huh. Keep talking. It isn't morning anymore."

It had to be almost five by now, Nero figured. The sun was heading toward the horizon. He pulled his phone from his pocket to confirm the time and was greeted with the text he'd ignored from Austin.

I miss you.

Nero sucked a breath through his nose. After months of separation, Austin missed him? He had a hard time believing that. It was more likely that he missed Nero paying half the utilities. He shoved the phone back where it belonged without replying.

"You were right," Forrest said with an eye roll, followed by a wince. "He's not a?—"

"‘Gossip monger'? Out to spread lies and take advantage of vulnerable people?"

Lai Cooper's tone was deceptively smooth. Nero suppressed a smile and decided not to be offended. He thought he understood now why Forrest was wary of him. Plus, this whole exchange was entertaining.

Forrest's cheeks reddened. Levi coughed into his hand. Lani smirked.

Forrest threw up his hands. "Fine. You were right and I was wrong. Happy now?"

"Yes." She closed the distance between them, dropped the crutch and threw her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly. "What the hell happened here?" she whispered.

"The brakes failed. But before you go after Silas, I don't think it was his fault."

"Whose then?" she asked, stepping back and using her good foot to lift the crutch so she could stick it under her arm again. "Did that jackass, Toby Prosser, take pictures?"

Now it was Forrest's turn to smirk. "Ah, yes, Toby the Tool took plenty of pictures. I should have said hi to him for you."

"No, you should not have." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't, did you?"

Forrest shook his head, almost regretfully. "It didn't occur to me who he was until they'd already left. Next time. What took you so long to get here, and can you give me and Nero a ride to my place?"

"I can give you a ride," Levi interjected.

As he spoke, there was a roll of thunder followed by the crack of lightning. Almost immediately, big, fat, extra wet raindrops began to fall. Nero sighed. On top of everything, his hair was going to explode. He knew he should have worn his knit cap.

"I'll take them, Levi, but thanks for the offer."

"Yeah, sure. See ya later, then."

They all watched Levi head toward his house at the back of the property. Nero wanted to ask what was up with the dejected-looking man but decided he still didn't want to be considered a "gossip monger" at the moment.

The rain that had been threatening began to fall in earnest.

"We're going to be soaked," Lani said. "Let's go."

"This will be fun. I've never ridden in the front seat of a cop car before," Forrest said.

"Who says you're riding in front today? Vik, front or back?"

"I'm happy in the back." Picking up his backpack, Nero followed the siblings to the waiting cruiser.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Vik. Please call me Lani," Lani said, her gaze catching his in the rearview mirror.

"Call me Nero. It's a pleasure, I'm sure," Nero responded.

* * *

"Check in later."Nero heard Lani Cooper order her brother. "I'm on shift for another few hours, so I can't stick around here. But if you forget to call me, I'm coming back out here, and you will regret it."

"Fine, yes, I will call you. Bye, Sis." Forrest emphatically shut the passenger door and limped to where Nero was waiting. "Damn, I hurt all over."

"Me too," Nero admitted. "I think I'm going to have bruises everywhere. We were damn lucky."

"Fuck yeah." Forrest let them in the house. "I've got ibuprofen," he said.

"Yes, please and thank you."

"I'll be right back."

Forrest slowly disappeared down a hall off the living room while Nero gently lowered himself onto the couch. Probably, he should have headed back to Cabin Five, but he didn't want to yet. He and Forrest had nearly died, and Nero didn't feel like being alone with his thoughts. Didn't want to dwell on how his life of nothing much had flashed before his eyes.

"Here." Forrest was back and holding his fist out. Nero opened his hand and two ibuprofens dropped onto his palm.

"Thanks." Nero tossed them back without water.

"Ew." Forrest made a face. "How can you do that?"

"Dunno. Habit, I guess."

Forrest stood in front of Nero for a second, staring at him as if he'd just now realized the depths of his depravity.

"I promised food, didn't I?"

"You did, but with everything that's happened, I can just head back to town."

"No!" Forrest said loudly. "I mean, stay and I'll cook something. I need something to do or, as Lani says, I'll do something really stupid."

"Would it be okay if I took a shower?" Nero didn't have any clean clothes with him but he still wanted to scrub the smell of fear and near death off his skin.

Forrest looked down at his own jeans covered with grass stains and mud. "Not a bad idea. You go first. There're fresh towels under the sink. Feel free to use the shower gel or shampoo too."

Whimpering, Nero rose slowly from the couch, and he wasn't sure moving was worth the effort but the idea of the hot water hitting his aching body kept him moving toward the bathroom.

There were indeed fresh towels under the sink. Reaching into the tub surround, he turned on the water and waited for it to warm up. This was luxury compared to the tiny shower at his cabin. Stripping his clothes off and folding them on top of the toilet seat, he stepped under the spray.

It felt fucking incredible, and there was even a massage setting on the showerhead. He could've stayed in for much longer, but it probably wasn't good form to use all of your host's hot water. On the other hand, he had almost died today, so the few extra minutes were deserved.

As he rubbed lavender-scented shampoo into his hair, Nero let the unexpected day replay in his head. Even though they'd had sex already, Nero would never have predicted that they'd spend an actual day together—and nearly die at the end of it—and to wrap it up, the man would offer to cook Nero dinner. He was a dream come true.

When he stepped out onto the bath mat a few minutes later, Nero found that Forrest had taken his grimy clothes away and replaced them with a pair of soft sweatpants, a plain white t-shirt, and a hoodie. He'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard the door open. The sweats were a bit long on him and the t-shirt's limits were tested by his broader chest, but the clothing was clean and it was a thoughtful gesture. The sexy, confounding man continued to surprise him.

He hung his damp towel up on a wall hook after generally wiping down the shower, not wanting to leave the bathroom a mess. No one ever said Lili Vik didn't raise a well-mannered boy. Then he opened the door and made his way back to the kitchen, where he found Forrest busy concocting something for them to eat. His stomach rumbled.

Forrest looked up from the cutting board. "Are you allergic to anything?" he asked.

"Uh, no," Nero replied.

Forrest stared at him. Or rather, they stared at each other. It was unnerving, but not in a bad way. Nero was unable to—didn't want to—break their connection. Parts that weren't banged up from a thrill ride down a hill and across a field were abruptly very aware of Forrest Cooper.

The man had changed into a clean pair of worn Levi's and a black t-shirt with Don't Make This Ginger Snap across the chest. Nero let his gaze fall downward to Forrest's narrow bare feet and then travel back up. The attraction he'd tamped down earlier flared, and Nero knew it showed in his expression. But he couldn't stop himself.

One scruffy red eyebrow rose upward. "Like my shirt?"

"Um," Nero said, his mouth suddenly dry. And wow, another brilliant statement on his part. Maybe he should give up podcasting altogether.

A wicked smile shaped Forrest's lips. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"The shirt's okay," Nero finally managed. "I like the person wearing it more." He did, he admitted to himself. He liked Forrest Cooper quite a bit.

Forrest closed the distance between them so that they were only a few inches apart. Even though he hadn't showered yet, the scent of him was heady. Nero breathed deep, taking as much in as he could. As if he could memorize a smell.

"I'm about to kiss you. As you can tell, I'm not very good at asking for permission."

Nero had read about kisses that consumed a person like wildfire. Kisses that lit a person up from the inside. Kisses that were addicting. But he'd never experienced one before. From the first brush of Forrest's lips, he knew he was in trouble. This was somehow different from the other night, but maybe it was the near-death experience. Maybe it was just—Forrest Cooper.