It Just Feels Right Ch. 01

"Put me down please," her teeth were gritted as she half-heartedly struggled to get free. She knew he was right...that arguing and losing her temper wouldn't do any good.

"You promise me you won't go charging back at him?" He stopped and put her feet on the ground. His hands still had a grip on her, so she couldn't move as he stared deep into her eyes. "You cannot go around challenging strange men around here." He tilted her chin up, trying to get her full attention and make her look in his eyes. "Do not speak to him again until the police get here, you understand?" He was serious. And he was right. Shelly knew that as she took a few quick deep breaths and closed her eyes. After counting to nine in her head, she looked back up at him and half-smiled as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

"Fine." She shrugged as she tried to appear un-ruffled. She glared at the driver over Mike's shoulder.

He smiled and hugged her to him. "Good girl." She inhaled his scent and slowly released it...finding a happy place with her cheek against his chest. Mike's phone rang. "Stay put," he ordered. As he went in his pocket & answered it, Shelly took a step back and walked closer to her wrecked baby, disregarding his "order" without even realizing it. It was sitting precariously on its side. Shattered glass crunched beneath her feet as she stooped down to reach through where her windshield once was to grab her purse out of the front seat. She couldn't help but get emotional as she saw the wreckage, remembering all the things her and the 'ol Chevy had been through. This was the car she drove to college...the car she had put in the ditch numerous times on icy winter roads...the car that had kept her safe and unscathed through numerous fender-benders...the car that had moved her and all of her belongings safely to Chicago when she landed her first "grown up" job.

"What are you doing?" Mike's terse tone and hand suddenly gripping her arm jolted her back into the moment. "This thing could topple over any second!"

He pulled her to him and wrapped an arm around her waist once again as he moved them away from the still creaking car.

"I was just getting my purse." Her voice seemed small. She was still shaking and now felt bad, hating his scolding tone. "And your jacket is in there..." When he didn't answer she held her small bag up to him "thank goodness it was zipped, huh?" She tried to smile at him, but her voice cracked and she had to look away. "I know it's just a stupid car..." It was becoming too much all at once. Between the pressures of her move, leaving all of her family and friends, the culture shock, the challenges of a new job, the jerk van driver, her shoes...and now this. All of the fear, loneliness, desperation and pain she had felt for the past few weeks...and had successfully pushed to the back of her mind, felt like it was all coming to the surface. She felt like she was an inch away from cracking. "I'll replace your jacket." Her voice broke then as a sob caught in her throat.

Mike sighed and took her into his arms once again. "Don't worry about that now." She took a deep breath...clutching her purse to her chest as his arms wrapped around her. Mike held her tightly as she struggled to control her emotions. He said something to her, but she couldn't decipher it. Once again, her head was snuggled underneath his chin. All she heard were the vibrations through his chest and his heartbeat...they calmed her more than anything.

"Hey...hey you got your insurance info?" The van driver's voice interrupted her once again from escaping reality.

Mike released his hold on her and looked down to her face. She cast an icy glare at the man before she nodded and told Mike it was in the glove box. She smiled at his hypocrisy as he told her to "stay put" yet again while he went to fetch it. She wiped her eyes and did her best to pull herself together as she watched him deftly reach in and retrieve what he was looking for. She fished her phone out of her purse and left a message for her insurance agent back in Lincoln...hoping he would get it soon.

The police came. As traumatic as the morning has been for her, Shelly surmised that a car accident with no fatalities wasn't high on Chicago PD's priority list. The detective looked bored as he asked her the requisite questions. Mike was there the whole time.

The van driver came up to the police, yelling and cursing once again. "How come they can park their car on the highway and then be surprised when someone hits it, man?"

"You weren't paying attention and you could have killed us all." Mike's stare was ice cold. "The least you could do is take responsibility for it." The two men were sizing each other up as the van driver tried desperately to defend his actions.

"I was just driving man, and then that car was just...there."

Mike scoffed, "Yeah, parked off the shoulder with the hazard lights blinking. A thousand other people drove by it and had no problem not hitting it."

The driver shook his head...realizing he wasn't going to win.

Mike's hands were balled into fists at his side. He felt his anger resurface as the man stuttered and tried to shift the blame. It took a lot of restraint for him not to knock the idiot out, especially when he glanced back and saw how much Shelly was hurting...and not only physically.

Eventually, the driver ended up begrudgingly admitting that he might have been momentarily distracted. Mike sighed in relief as he felt Shelly step up to stand by his side. She had a look of determination on her face as her angry eyes bored into the driver.

"Is that your car, Miss?" The uniformed policeman pointed to the wrecked Chevy.

Her eyes didn't move from the fidgeting driver. "It was."

"I'm sorry, ok?" The driver held his hands up in the sign of universal surrender. "Shit happens." He ran his tongue across his lips and winked at Shelly as he looked her up and down. "I'd be happy to give you a ride if you need one, chika."

Shelly's stomach turned as she rolled her eyes, trying to ignore him.

"I'd give you all kinds of rides."

Mike heard her gasp as her eyes whipped back around to the man. He inserted himself in front of her, stopping Shelly from once again lunging at the man. "Shut your mouth." He snarled. "She's got a ride." They were nearly nose to nose as Mike felt his blood boil. "Now fuck off."

The driver slowly turned and walked back to his van...sauntering and muttering to himself the whole way.

Shelly was seething with rage and desperately wanted to slap something...preferably that man's face.

Mike stepped back and clamped an arm around her as she closed her eyes and tried to settle herself. She heard the conversation he was having with the policeman...and nodded when she needed to.

As she stood there, Shelly suddenly realized Mike's arm around her. Funny how it felt so normal...how nice it felt to be held next to him. She shifted her weight and leaned against him just a bit more, which sent a jolt of pain up her side. Her hip was suddenly on fire as she gasped and tried to remain quiet. She went through the checklist in her head of the things that needed to be addressed. She shook her head as she realized that Mike had already dealt with the police, the van driver, and had gotten the information from the tow truck operator. He asked her for her wallet and she handed it over without even thinking about it. Mike gave the appropriate people her info and...much to her surprise and relief...had everything under control. While she was very used to taking care of things herself...she consciously noted how nice it was to have someone else be in charge for once.

She stood beside Mike, pretending he was with her...pretending that she could count on him to hold things together for now. She had always had an over-active imagination...so she just made herself believe, albeit for only a few moments, that she was with this gorgeous man. That he was there for her...that she could relax and let herself be in his capable hands. One part of her mind was relieved. The other was screaming at her to stand back up...take care of her business. She just didn't have the energy.

As she waged this mental war with herself, her phone rang. It was Jerry, her insurance agent. He was old friends with her dad, so she was relieved to hear a familiar voice...even if it was laced with concern. After relaying what happened and getting instructions on what to do, she hung up...making a mental note to call her father before long.

Once the paramedics arrived, they insisted on looking everyone over. Shelly had a scrape on her knee and an ugly bruise forming on her hip. She was told that if it got worse she should seek medical attention. She interpreted that as "fine." Mike had hit the back of his head on the pavement but refused to be transported in the ambulance. Shelly was genuinely concerned for him as she tried to convince him. "You should go! What if you have a concussion?"

"Do you have any idea how many concussions I have had in my lifetime? Probably a hundred. Now, ask me how many of them I have gone to the hospital for? Zero. All they're going to tell me is to put ice on it and make sure I don't slip into a coma." He shrugged as he held the cool-pac to the back of his head. "I can do that myself."

The frustrated EMT chimed in. "If you're not going to the hospital, I must insist that you have someone with you for at least with you for at least the next 24 to 48 hours, just in case it turns serious." When Mike looked away she narrowed her gaze on him once again. "Do you have someone to be with you for the next day or so?"

"That really isn't necessary. I'll be fine." Mike was getting irritated.

"I can do it!" She didn't even realize she had said it until it was out there. At Mike's somewhat surprised look, she stammered, "You've been so great this morning...it's the least I can do to make sure you don't have brain damage."

He chuckled as he looked into her eyes. There was genuine concern there. "That's not necessary, Miss

Kourting. I'm sure I'll be fine. Besides..." his eyes looked her up and down. "You're hurt yourself."

She grabbed his forearm as she stared back at him. "Mike, you saved my life today. Please let me do this for you." She looked deep into his eyes...silently pleading with him. "Please."

"Don't you have a new job to get to?" He smiled back at her. "Besides, 24 hours means you'd have to stay the night with me."

"I think they would understand me needing the day off...and tomorrow is Saturday anyway." Not thinking about the implications, Shelly grabbed her phone and dialed her supervisor's number. After a quick conversation about her eventful morning, she hung up. "See? All taken care of." She could tell he was about to object again, so she stopped him by gently touching his handsome cheek. "Please, Mike. Let me do this for you." She felt like she was getting back a little bit of control over her life as she willed him to accept her offer.

He sighed deeply...not wanting to give in but finding himself unable to resist her & her beautiful eyes.

"Ok. But only because you asked so nicely."

Shelly smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much...for everything."

He turned his face and caught her lips with his quickly before whispering in her ear "You can thank me later." He landed a playful swat on her backside, making her yelp in surprise.

Shelly felt her face turn crimson as the EMT shot her an amused look before turning away. She couldn't completely stifle the giggle that escaped her as Mike grabbed her hand and began walking towards his car. Thankfully the careening van had missed his BMW. "Do you want me to drive?"

Her question was answered as Mike escorted her to the passenger side and opened the door for her. "I got it."

She climbed into the luxury car and noticed how well it blocked out the noise of the busy city once he closed the door. Ignoring the pain in her hip, she sat back in the leather bucket seat and reached for her seatbelt as Mike climbed in behind the wheel. He closed his door and started the engine. It revved to life as he clicked his belt as well. "So...where to?

"I'm pretty sure you would be more comfortable at your place than mine," she chuckled.

"Fair enough." He smiled crookedly at her as he brushed a stray piece of hair away from her eyes.

"Well...I suppose you need to get some things?"

She bit her lip as she looked at him. Now that they were in such a small space, her attraction to him seemed to grow infinitely. "Uh...yes...I guess so."

Mike placed a hand on her thigh. "Where to, then?"

She blushed...feeling his hand burning an imprint onto her leg. "Fif—" she cleared her throat, "Fiftieth and Blondo, please. Southside." She was both relieved and disappointed when his hand went to the stick-shift.

His grin only grew as he put the car into gear and merged into traffic. Mike noted her reaction to his touch. It could still be adrenaline...but he doubted it. Once they reached a steady speed, his hand returned to her thigh and she sighed as she felt a chill go through her body. The fog was starting to burn off as the sun climbed higher in the sky. They made small talk on their way to her apartment. She found out that he was 38, a Taurus, and had lived in Chicago for nearly ten years. No wife, no kids...no steady girlfriend. He owned his own company and was fond of drag racing.

He was shocked to find out that she was 33...as she looked much younger than that. While she was still nervous about living in a big city, she was enjoying learning more about it...and was an avid college football fan. Of course, the Huskers were her favorite team. When he asked her if she was a Bears fan, she scoffed and launched into a tirade about the downfalls of the NFL.

"Really? You don't watch pro ball?"

"Nope." She shook her head as she watched the city fly by. "Something about it just turns me off."

"Well.... we can't have that." Mike teased. They both chuckled as he maneuvered the powerful car through downtown. Their conversation was nice. Him with his sarcastic sense of humor, and she being able to match him quip for quip. Mike's phone rang and he answered it with a quick "This is Mike." She tried not to eavesdrop, but Shelly couldn't help herself. "No...I won't be in until next week. Ehh...had a bit of an incident on the way in this morning. No, I'm fine. It will keep until Tuesday. Well, that's what I have you for. Thanks, Elle. Bye." She assumed it was work he was talking to and made a note to ask him about it later.

"I'm not usually like that." She had been contemplating bringing this up...and finally decided that he needed to know that she wasn't really the emotional train wreck he had witnessed earlier.

Mike looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Like what?"

She sighed. "All of that crying and 'damsel in distress' stuff. I'm not usually like that."

Mike smiled kindly as he fished his sunglasses out of his console. "I'm sure you're not. You don't strike me as the 'helpless' type."

Shelly smiled over at him. "Good...because I'm not. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. It's just...between the car and the job and the move..." she bit her lip as she looked out the window...willing herself to finish. "It's just been a lot. Sorry you had to witness my little break-down." She tried to chuckle, wanting to lighten the mood...and change the subject.

He already knew that. Most other girls would have called a tow truck straight away instead of trying to change a flat by themselves. Hell, most girls he knew wouldn't even know what a jack looked like. "Understood. You can take care of yourself." He paused for a beat. "Except for when out of control vehicles come careening towards you."

Shelly let a laugh escape her. "Yes...only then."

His hand reappeared on her thigh, sending a lovely tingly feeling all over her body. "Everybody deserves a little help from time to time. This wasn't a morning anyone should have had to face alone."

She reached down and squeezed his hand. "I can't thank you enough for all you did. You literally saved my life. And to stay and take care of all of the other stuff...I'd still probably be there trying to fight the van driver if it weren't for you."

He smirked as captured her hand in his and held it, replaying her charging at the man in his mind. "It was my pleasure maim. I'm glad I was there."

"Me too," she said softly, squeezing his hand.

"Pretty sure the van driver is glad I was too...you looked like you were going to beat the crap out of him."

Shelly laughed and blushed a deep red as he squeezed her hand again. "So did you!"

"Well...sometimes people need to get the sense knocked back into them." He shrugged, bristling at the creepy way the man had looked at her. "I haven't scrapped in a while...I was kind of hoping he'd put up a fight."

She laughed. "At least he was smart enough to walk away." She admired his profile as he turned onto her block. "I wouldn't want to take you on."

"Oh yeah?" He smirked and looked at her over the top of his sunglasses. "You sure?"

Shelly grinned nervously...not sure how to respond...and very grateful that they were finally in front of her apartment complex, giving her an out.

Mike pulled his silver car up in front of her building. "You live here?" He looked over at her building. It was old, dirty and worn down. There were bars on all the windows and a few residents loitering around the main entrance. The place looked dangerous. He couldn't hide the distaste in his voice as he asked her again. "Seriously...you live here?"

Shelly laughed at his incredulous tone. "I do...only temporarily of course, until I can get a better place. It's really kind of cute on the inside...and my neighbors are nice." She un-clicked her seat belt and smirked at him. "As long as you mind your own business, have a good deadbolt, and don't go outside after dark, it's relatively safe."

"Really?" He grumbled. "Is that all?"

She opened the door. "I'll be right back."

He tried to answer her that he wanted to come with her, but she had already shut the door and was trotting up to the entrance to the hovel she called home. Mike sat there, contemplating the situation he was in. He knew he liked her...he liked her a lot. But was this really a good idea? He imagined her walking up the stairs, avoiding eye contact and unlocking the fifteen deadbolts on the door to her 'nice on the inside' apartment. He already felt protective of her...and he knew what that meant.

He hadn't had initial feelings this strong for someone in such a long time that they momentarily frightened him. Mike knew that if this woman got back in his car, he would be hooked...and it wouldn't be an easy ride. He resigned himself to the fact that he would just have to wait and see how things go. He had a feeling about her, and his gut rarely led him down the wrong path. If he hadn't had those feelings, he would have rejected her offer of help...he wouldn't have stayed with her...he wouldn't still be waiting for her to come back through the door to him. So, he decided. He would give her little 'tests' to see if his instincts were right. Hopefully, they would be.

He strummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he awaited her return...visions of what they could be together already running through his mind. He could feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins again as he thought of how it could be. COULD be. He shook his head and exhaled slowly. 'Slow down, Harding. For all you know, she's just feeling guilty. This could be pity.' Even as he said the words to himself, he knew that wasn't what it was. He had to be right about her. He knew he was. Mike watched the young men hanging out by the entrance door. Each of them had whistled and tried to get Shelly's attention as she went inside. He grumbled as he wondered how many men he would have to fight off of her today.