Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jake

Did I say bad? I meant fucking awful.

Torrents of rain begin to fall within fifteen minutes of us retreating into the safety of the house.

The thing about the desert is that it goes so long without water, the dirt gets so hard-packed, it can't soak in any of the water.

The house is fine.

It was made for these kinds of rains, a waterproof membrane making it tight and a pump pushing the water away from the foundation and into a storage system for the house.

I watch from the windows, knowing that the cisterns we've put in place will be full after a storm like this, giving Nia and I all the water we'll need for weeks.

We'll also get some rare desert flowers. Maybe Nia and I can even take a short walk tomorrow. I know she'd like some more time outside and maybe it will be a chance for me to tell her some of the truth.

I can't keep it from her much longer. She's too beautifully imperfect and though I know I'm never going to be the long-term guy, there is this part of me that's starting to want... But, I'm no one's Prince Charming.

I think I could be her dark knight. The one that slays her dragons and hides her in my castle until the danger has passed.

I can save her.

My thoughts swirl as I watch the rain pelt the windows, the storm mirroring my own tumultuous thoughts.

And that's when the power goes out.

Nia is sitting behind me, draped over a chair, legs dangling over one side in the most tempting way possible when it goes, the pop and then the silence making her give a little cry. "What was that?"

I step closer to the window, squinting out into the rain. And that's when I see it.

The solar array's connection to the junction box has pulled free. We won't have power back until it's fixed.

I hesitate for a moment.

Without the burning sun, we can go without the air conditioning.

But the pump system…

Letting out a curse, I stomp toward the door.

"You're not going out there?" Nia cries, standing too. "It's pouring and the wind is just awful."

"I'll be fine," I answer, turning back to look at her. Her long legs are on full display, her body a temptation that never fails to make me pause. But her eyes, filled with worry, are what really capture me now.

In two quick strides, I cross back to her, and pull her against my body, bending down to steal a kiss.

I shouldn't.

We haven't touched in two days, but I can't help it now. Her worry for me breaks some final straw. I can't stay away.

Her lips are soft, and so achingly sweet that I groan into her mouth. The kiss lingers, are bodies pressed tightly together as her hands reach up and wrap around my neck. "Don't go out there."

I kiss her again, pressing my forehead to hers. "You need light to read. "

"I could sing instead."

"I definitely want to hear you sing," I answer with a smile. "But the house could flood."

She gives a tentative nod as I slowly back away. "Have a towel ready, would you?"

Nia nods, and disappears down the hall, as I turn toward the door. The piece is basically a plug. I knew I should have hardwired it in.

Opening the door, I stomp through the ground water, crossing the twenty-five feet to the edge of the panels where a small shed holds all the batteries that store the energy.

Yanking the cord, I bend down, fitting it back through the opening in the shed and inserting it into the box.

I hear the batteries fire back up, the air conditioning unit a moment later. Standing, I give the cord a triumphant grin a moment before I turn back toward the house.

But another giant gust of wind blows just as I turn.

I hear the sound of ripping metal a moment before something whacks me in the back of the head.

Pain explodes in my skull as I fall to my hands and knees.

But the only thought I have echoes in my head.

Nia.