wanted to ask if his mother was still alive, but she stopped herself. Why did she care?
"Dy, I'm going to make a cup of coffee. I'm a little light headed. You want one?"
Ever since she'd been with the bikers, they kept all the booze to themselves. She was feeling the few ounces she'd had tonight. "It’s been a while, but sure, if it's okay, I mean."
"I've got to boil some water. It'll take a few minutes."
She looked around more carefully. There were no strange pictures on the walls, no knives or other weapons lying around. No handcuffs. The place looked kind of run down, but it was neat with everything in its place. She relaxed and felt she was probably safe here with him. Certainly safer than if she'd been back with Ax.
"Mister, while you're doing that, can I take a shower? I haven't had one in a few days."
He looked quickly in the bathroom and then at her. "There's a clean towel on the hanger. Go ahead. It's small though."
She pulled off her boots and wiggled her toes. When she rose, her balance wavered for a second. The buzz from the liquor felt good.
There was barely room from her to get undressed in the little bathroom. She guessed he did it before he entered. She turned on the water and first washed her skirt and top. They were filthy.
She put them on the rack to dry and then entered the little glass enclosed shower stall. The water felt cool and good. She used his soap - he didn't seem like he'd mind. There was a bottle of Old Spice shampoo on the ledge. She used it on her hair.
She got done quickly so as not to waste his water and wrapped the towel around her. It wasn't quite big enough, but she didn't care. She was clean and well fed and had a little buzz on. She felt better than she had in a long time. She stepped out of the bathroom.
***
Fallon felt his breath catch when he saw her. For the first time, he realized just how skinny she was. He wondered if she was just naturally that way, or if she was malnourished.
She held the towel so that it covered her breasts and hung down from there. He saw a large bruise on her side. She saw him looking at it. "Ax did that. Hit me with a stick. It's about healed now."
He passed her and went to open the sliding drawer below the back couch. He took out a long sleeved green shirt and handed it to her. "Put this on," he said.
She nodded and took the shirt. With no hesitation or warning, she dropped the towel and started to put it on. Her nakedness almost startled him. Her hip bones were prominent, her crotch not shaved for some time, but her breasts were full and round. Her nipples protruded. She was the first naked woman who had ever been in the Airstream with him.
"For God's sake, Dy, don't just parade around in the nude."
"I don't mind, Mister," she said.
"Well, I mind. It's just not right." Patti had always promised "to show him the goods" and to "screw his balls off" in the back room of the dollar store, but that was just talk. The few women he knew would never show themselves to strangers like this; he knew they would feel degraded.
"You're not gay or anything are you?" she asked as she buttoned a couple of the shirt’s buttons.
So, if you tried to help someone without fucking them, you were gay . His voice was icy, "No, I'm not. You're at least half drunk; I'm not sure you know what you are doing."
She must have sensed that he didn't appreciate that comment. They sat side by side on the couch with their coffee. "I'm sorry, Mister," she said quietly.
They drank in silence until their cups were empty. Fallon took them to the kitchen and washed them. When he returned, she was sitting cross legged on the couch.
"I need to get some sleep. If you're going with me, you do too." He set the wake up time on his phone. Even cheap phones had an alarm clock.
Normally, he would pull both couches together so they made a regular full sized bed, but tonight he