“No.” Her voice was firmer than I would've thought possible. “Just like the first time we met, you're going to take care of me instead of taking me to the hospital.”
My mind jumped back that the first night, relieved to have a happier memory to replace the image of her bruised and battered face. She might have conned me then, that beautiful girl who'd needed someone to keep an eye on her concussion. She'd seduced me in my own hotel room. Not that I hadn't been more than willing.
“Not this time, sweetheart,” I said. “You need a doctor.”
“No hospital,” she insisted. “Paparazzi, remember?”
My throat constricted as I remembered how the photographers and entertainment anchors had swarmed her any time she was spotted. Even if I got her inside the hospital safely, there was no telling how fast word would get out and what disgusting tactics the paparazzi would use to invade her room, hinder her healing.
“Your grandfather will have to hire a private army,” I said. “This isn't a simple concussion I can just keep an eye on. We need to make sure you don't have any broken bones and you'll probably need stitches on your head.”
“Doc Bellamy,” Leighton said. “Lives close to Grandfather. Does house calls for the family when we don't want the media attention. Has an office in his house too, including an x-ray machine.”
“I'll need your grandfather's okay.” I glanced at her, expecting an argument.
Except she wasn't looking at me. She'd passed out. Panic surged in my chest, but I forced my breath to stay steady as I drove and hit Devlin on speed dial.
“Hey, I'm following a lead, but I need to talk to a doctor for it,” I lied smoothly.
“A doctor? What aren't you telling me?” Devlin's voice was sharp.
“Just give me a doctor you know, a name.” I crossed my fingers that he wouldn't ask for details. I could make up something about thinking Leighton had been drugged and that I needed to talk to a doctor about that, but it'd be better if he just answered my question.
“Dr. Bellamy. He's been my family's doctor for years. Up the hill two miles from the house, a big Spanish revival.” Devlin's voice hardened. “You're not fooling me, Haze, and if you don't want me at the Doc's in ten minutes, then you better tell me what is going on.”
Shit.
I knew that tone.
“I found her,” I said it all fast. “She's fine but I want to get her checked out for legal purposes–”
“Lie all you want, Doc will tell me everything,” Devlin said. “And if you don't bring her directly here afterwards I will–”
“Thank me for saving her?” I muttered.
“Just shut up and get our girl home in one piece,” he said.
I hung up the phone and, less than ten minutes later, wasn't surprised when Dr. Bellamy met me in front of his large Spanish revival mansion. He was already rolling up the sleeves of a crisp white shirt, and I realized for the rest of the world it was lunch time on a Tuesday.
“Sorry to interrupt your lunch break, Doc,” I said as I opened my door. “I'm guessing Devlin called?”
The doctor nodded. “How is she?”
He asked the question even as he opened the door to see her slumped in the seat. He checked her gently for any reason I shouldn't move her, and then signaled for me to carry her into the house. The way the doctor walked next to me as if the span of his open arms could keep her from further injury told me we were in the right place. This man wasn't just the family doctor. He was a friend.
“I need to know whatever you know,” the white-haired doctor said as I laid Leighton down on the exam table in his home office.
“It's not much,” I admitted. “She was kidnapped and beaten. Someone trying to scare her and send a message to her family.”
I wrapped my fingers around hers as the doctor started fiddling with something I quickly recognized as a portable x-ray machine.
Suddenly, Leighton's eyes fluttered open. “One of them hit like a ten year old girl. Too bad he had help.”
I laughed from sheer relief and saw some of the color return to Doc Bellamy's face.
I reached up and brushed some of her curls from her battered face. “I'm sure you could have taken him, babe. Just wasn't a fair fight. We'll get you better and then train you up.” I smiled at her and hoped she couldn't read everything I was feeling. “I'm thinking mixed martial arts."
“I'm thinking bed rest and ice packs,” Doc Bellamy countered. He motioned me away from the table.
“But no shaved head, right?” Leighton asked.
“I promise,” he said with a smile.
“You said that last time,” she said.
He grinned. “Hold still. I want to take a couple x-rays, and then we'll get you something for that pain before I start patching you up.”
“What happened last time?” I asked, partly to distract her, but also because I was curious.
“When I was seven, Ian and I were at Grandfather's and Ian pushed me out of a tree.”
“He said you fell,” Dr. Bellamy countered.
“Little punk pushed me.” Leighton's eyes sparked.
I chuckled, relief finally taking over the anxiety.
“Anyway,” she continued the story as the doctor took the x-rays. He motioned for me to stand behind a protective screen. “I bashed the back of my head bad enough to need stitches. Doc here shaved my head to do it.”
“See the gratitude I get?” Doc teased as he pushed the machine aside and reached for a pill bottle. He shook out a couple pills and handed them to Leighton before filling a small cup and giving her that as well. “Take them.”
Her eyes sought mine and I stepped back to her side. “Take them, sweetheart. I'll be here the whole time. Not going anywhere.”
She swallowed the pills as the doctor fussed behind me, I assumed, getting things together for whatever he needed to bandage her up. I didn't look though. Instead, I took her hand, rubbing my thumb across her knuckles. My chest tightened as emotions swelled inside me.
The pain pill started to take effect after just a few minutes, and Leighton's eyelids started to droop. Dr. Bellamy took photographs of her injuries, then set aside his phone, his expression tight as he started to work.
“Ribs are cracked,” he said softly as he pulled up her shirt. The bruises on her side were clear.
“Bastards kicked her.” My free hand made a fist.
Dr. Bellamy nodded as he wrapped her ribs. Neither of us said anything as he moved around the two of us, cleaning her wounds before applying ointment and bandages. I couldn't watch as he pulled out a needle and thread. I wasn't a squeamish person, but it was Leighton's flesh being pierced, being stitched back together.
When he was done, he had me pick her back up and carry her down the hall to what was clearly a guest room. I laid her on the bed, carefully tucking her in. When I turned around, Doc was leaning against the doorframe.
“Devlin said her bodyguard was bringing her to me,” he said as he crossed his arms. “You're not just her bodyguard though, are you?”
Before I had to figure out what in the world to say to that, the hand in mine twitched and I looked down to see Leighton's eyes fluttering open.
“I was blindfolded,” she said. Her words were thick, but understandable.
“Hey, baby, welcome back.”
“Baby,” she giggled.
She was buzzed. This was going to be fun.
“You didn't see who did this to you?” I asked gently. I didn't know what those men had done to her, but I didn't want her to relive it.
“Nope.” She started to shake her head, then winced. Her voice was a bit clearer when she started talking again. “I was blindfolded when the 'boss' came in. He talked with some kind of speaker that altered his voice. If it was a him. Don't know. The other guy wore a ski mask.”
“Don't worry. He's taken care of.”
“Is that how you got the bruise?” The doctor pointed to my chin.
I'd forgotten all about that u
ntil he mentioned it. My jaw gave a throb. “Yeah, he clipped me.”
“You should see the other guy?” Leighton asked, giggling, raising her fingers to brush over the spot where I'd been hit.
I brushed my lips across the back of her hand in a light kiss. “You won't ever have to see him again.”
“What about when I report all of this to the police?” she asked, growing more serious. The expression on her face clearly said she was putting up a brave front. “Won't there be a line-up or whatever?” Her body tensed. “And how am I supposed to identify either of them? I was blindfolded and it was dark and...”
Dr. Bellamy put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “No use getting worked up about it. I've documented all your injuries and I’m required by law to report an assault. Let's just start there. You concentrate on resting and getting better.”
She tugged at my hands. “Are you going to take me to the police department after this? Do I have to go right away?”
My heart squeezed. Even cleaned up, the damage she sustained was enough to make me want to commit a felony or two. Her lip was split and swollen, the entire side of her face puffy and already starting to turn black and blue. She'd been dragged through a nightmare, and battered along the way.
And it was my fault.
“I knew you were being threatened,” I said, my voice thick with guilt. “I shouldn't have left.”
Her fingers loosened around mine and I let her go even though it physically hurt to do it.
Her voice was brittle as she spoke, “You should have told me. I'm not so empty-headed that I wouldn't have taken care of myself. I'm not some spoiled child...”
Dr. Bellamy tipped Leighton's chin towards him. “You know your grandfather was just trying to keep you safe. You're tougher than you look, but that doesn't mean the people who love you will stop protecting you.”
“And making decisions for me?” she asked.
“"That's what families do,” he said gently. “My older brother still insists on driving when we go out to lunch, as if I'm some twitchy teenager with a driver's permit and no license. Even if it's my own car.”
Leighton's smile slipped as she nodded and drifted off again. I pulled my gaze away from her and looked at the doctor. “Speaking of cars, let me bring mine around and get her home.”
“I'll make the assault report to the police,” Dr. Bellamy said. “I'll make sure they know she's recovering tonight, but they'll expect to hear from her first thing in the morning.”
I didn't say anything to that. The cops would have to go through Devlin to get to Leighton, and I fully intended to leave it to him. If I had my way, I wouldn't be leaving her side at any time in the near future.
She didn't wake until I pulled to a stop in front of the massive gates blocking the driveway. She looked over at me, pleading in her bright blue eyes.
“Not his office.”
I nodded even though she'd closed her eyes again. Devlin would expect us to report directly to his office, especially since he hadn't seen her yet. I knew his interrogation, though born from care and worry, would be more exhaustive than police questioning, so there was no way I would subject Leighton to that yet. I knew it might mean my job, but I still drove past the entrance to the main house, pulling around to the side drive that led to the guest house I currently called home.
“Thank you,” Leighton murmured as she looked out the window.
I'd have to talk to Devlin at some point, but I would wait until I got her settled. Still, I took a moment after stopping the car to pull out my phone and send a quick message to Devlin, letting him know that his granddaughter was safe and okay. If he wanted details on her exact injuries, he could call Doc Bellamy. He wouldn't like it, I knew, but Leighton was my primary concern, not him. He could fire me if he wanted to, but it wouldn't stop me from protecting her.
With the message sent, I helped her inside. I didn't even hesitate to take her straight to my bedroom, but sex was the last thing on my mind at the moment.
“Shower or bath?” I asked.
“Shower, please.”
I wasn't sure that was the best choice since I had no idea how she was even managing to stand. But, she did manage to keep herself upright when I finally let her go, so that was something.
“I'll get things set up out there and then head downstairs so you can rest.”
“Please stay.” Leighton's voice stopped me before I left the bedroom. “I just – I just don't want to be alone.”
Her eyes were wide, her skin pale.
I never stood a chance.
“I'll be right out there.”
She nodded and turned on the water. I watched her for a moment before leaving her in the bathroom. Back in the bedroom, I stripped the bed and put on fresh white sheets and pillowcases. I laid out a lightweight henley shirt for her to wear, and then quickly darted across the hall to the bathroom to clean myself up and change into clean clothes. I didn't need to give her a reminder of what happened. She was still in the shower, so I took a seat in the overstuffed armchair by the window and let myself doze while I waited, knowing I could trust my instincts to wake me if she called out.
I wasn't sure how much time passed, only that I heard the door open and I pulled myself out of my light sleep.
She emerged from the bathroom with a puff of steam. Her curls were wet as they hung around her face and shoulders. Angry bruises marred her creamy skin, but I still felt myself stir at the sight of her. Then she dropped the towel and let me have a long look at the tight curves and gorgeous lines of her body.
Fuck it all. I wanted her.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she slipped the henley over her head, but not before locking her eyes on mine. I could see the stubborn set to her jaw, and it eased some of the tension in my body. Unfortunately, a completely different sort of tension had taken its place.
“It's not as bad as it looks,” she said. She gave me a teasing smile. “You can have a closer look, if you want.”
She was going to be the death of me.
“You need rest and quiet, doctor's orders, remember.” I stood, needing to move as much as anything. I took a step toward the light switch. “And we need to re-wrap your ribs.”
She shook her head. “The wrap was too tight and I'm too wired to sleep.” She eyed my body's obvious reaction to her. “And it looks like you're having the same problem.”
I knew some of it was adrenaline from what happened, but more of it was just her. Still, I wasn't about to take advantage of her. I allowed myself to give her a small smile.
“I'll be right here while you sleep. You're safe.”
For a moment, I thought she'd be angry, but instead, she simply nodded and climbed into bed. As she pulled the covers tight around her, I watched her face, but there was nothing but exhaustion there. Within a minute, she started shivering and shaking, the effects of the adrenaline leaving her body.
Even though I knew why, it was impossible to watch her shiver and not help. I slipped into bed and wrapped my arms around her.
“I dreamt about you,” she said as she snuggled back against me, her ass pressing against my cock. “It made me not so afraid.”
I smoothed her curls away from her face. “Tell me about it.”
She was quiet for a moment. When she started talking, her voice was almost shy. “We were alone in a Kansas field at night. I mean, I've never been to Kansas, but I knew that's where we were.” The chattering of her teeth eased as she warmed. “You caught me and we kissed. One of those kisses you can taste days later.”
I closed my eyes, trying to fight my body's response. What came next didn't help.
“Then we were naked, and you laid me down on the ground. I didn't care that we were outside. I just wanted you to touch me so badly I ached, and when you slipped a finger inside me, I came almost right away."
She wriggled against me and I had to bite back a curse. When she took my hand and pulled it over her breast, I tried to resist, to think of why this w
as a bad idea. Then she was curving my hand over the soft flesh and I could feel her nipple harden against my palm.
“Please, Haze, I need you to make me feel safe.”
When Leighton rolled onto her back to look up at me, I knew I was lost. I had no willpower when she looked at me like that. I needed her, wanted her. More than that, I couldn't deny her, not when she needed me.
I kissed her then, long and deep, but careful of her split lip. My hand slipped from her breast, down her belly and then up under the henley. She moaned as I slid a finger inside, and I found her slick and hot. I stroked her slowly, pressing soft kisses along the side of her neck as I coaxed the most delicious sounds from her. My thumb stroked over her clit as I slipped a second finger inside.
“Haze,” she gasped my name, her body tightening as she came.
I kept my fingers moving, easing her back down. As hard as I was, I fully intended to stop now, to let her sleep.
But then her hand wrapped around me and I sucked in a breath.
“Inside me.”
She stroked me through my sweatpants and my hips involuntarily pushed against her hand.
“Please, Haze.” There was that pleading tone again.
I took her wrist in my hand, moving it off me. Her expression tightened and I knew she thought I planned to refuse her. And I probably should have.
Instead, I moved over her, yanking my shirt over my head, keeping my weight off her battered body. A smile broke across Leighton's face, sending a new burst of warmth through me. Her hands were on my waist as I settled between her legs. I pushed the shirt up even as she worked my sweats down below my hips.
I could feel her desperation and it matched my own. I'd been willing to give up my own release, but now that I knew she wanted it too, the need had grown inside me until it was nearly painful.
When I slipped inside her, we both moaned, our bodies automatically arching toward each other, needing to be closer, needing to erase everything that just happened. We stayed there for a moment, before I pulled back, then rocked forward. I kept my strokes slow and easy, the soft movements stoking the fire inside us surprisingly fast.
“Come again for me, sweetheart.” I brushed curls from her forehead. “I'm almost there.”