by Mia Jones
She started shivering as he set her on the seat and climbed in after her. He started the truck, turned on the heat, and then wrapped an arm around her and pulled her tightly against his side. He didn’t worry about seatbelts since they were so close to her house, and he was going extra slow.
Within a few minutes, he was pulling up to her house.
Lily looked curiously at her house and then up at Kaden.
“How did you know where I lived?” she mumbled against his chest.
Kaden didn’t want to sound like a stalker and tell her he’d found out quite a bit about her since the first time he saw her, so he changed the subject. When he thought about it, he’d received very little information about her. He’d thought since she’d been in town five months, people would at least know where she came from or where she grew up, but all he’d been told was what she did, who her friends were, and where she lived.
“Do you have your key?” he asked, ignoring her question.
Lilah sat dazed for a moment before his question penetrated her shaky mind. Her hand moved slowly to her jean pocket.
“It’s here,” she said and held it up.
Kaden took it from her and then lifted her from his vehicle. He couldn’t describe the feeling when she curled against him so trustingly. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt, and if he were honest with himself, he’d want to feel it many more times.
It was the wrong time to think about it. He needed to concentrate on taking care of her.
Kaden got them into the house, turned, and locked the door behind them. He set her down gently on the sofa. He flipped the light on next to them and then took his first good look at her.
He had a burning rage; unlike anything he’d ever felt before in his life. A need to kill the man that touched her with violence. So many different emotions, the ups and downs in a short amount of time were agitating him. He knew he needed to push it all aside to take care of her.
He knelt on one knee and tenderly smoothed her hair over her shoulder.
“Tell me where it hurts, sweetheart.”
Lilah looked at him. He was so close to her she could see the little lines around his eyes.
“I…,” her eyes filled with tears which then slid down her face. A sound close to desperation escaped from her.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said and held his arms out. He was a bit shocked when she immediately dove into them. He carefully closed his arms around her, lifted her, and sat down on the sofa with her in his lap.
Chapter Three
He had to grit his teeth as the sobs kept coming, sometimes so hard she couldn’t get a breath.
“Easy, baby. Everything’s going to be okay. I’ve got you.”
After a long while, her tears started to slow, and she breathed in and out in a slow rhythm until she relaxed against his chest.
Kaden wiped the tears he could see with his thumb. His gentleness made her stomach loosen and relax.
“Look at me.”
Lilah shook her head. Oh, God, no. She knew what she looked like after she cried.
“Why?” he asked.
“My face is swollen and blotchy, and I probably have bruises everywhere. I don’t want you to see me like that.”
“Oh, baby. No matter how you look, you’ll always be beautiful to me.”
Her heart tripped in her chest. Lilah tipped her head back and waited for his reaction. She sighed in relief when he looked at her with tenderness and concern, but nothing else.
“Let’s see what we can do to make you feel better.”
Lilah nodded and struggled to sit up. He lifted her and set her next to him.
“I saw him push you against the brick. Where does your head hurt?”
Lilah lifted her hand and touched the back of her head. “Right here.”
Kaden sat back and tenderly moved her hair away from the spot she indicated. There was a small knot, but no broken skin. “We’ll get some ice on this. Do you have a headache?”
“Just a small one, but that could be the stress from the attack.”
Kaden tipped her head back. He grabbed a tissue from the box that sat on a table by the sofa. He dabbed at the remaining tears. He pressed another one to her nose. “Blow.”
Lilah jerked her head back. “You are not going to help me blow my nose.”
“Why?” he asked curiously.
She sat and looked at him, open-mouthed. “Because it’s gross.”
He smirked. “Aren’t you a nurse?”
“Yes. I do it to help other people, but the thought of you helping me…it’s gross.”
Kaden chuckled. “To me, it’s not gross at all. Sushi and snails are gross, but not your boogers.”
Lilah scrunched up her nose and then held a handout. “Give me the tissue, please.”
Kaden rolled his eyes and handed her a few tissues. He watched her delicately blow her nose.
He tipped her head back again. She knew she looked a mess.
Her lip was swelling on one side. She could already imagine a bruise forming on one of her cheeks. Her red nose and swollen eyes were probably from her crying.
Lilah watched as his eyes moved down.
He had to grit his teeth to keep from growling. Her shirt and the shoulder strap on her bra had been torn, leaving the top part of her breast visible.
Lilah looked down and gasped. She tried to tug the bra back in place.
“Stop, baby,” Kaden said and set his hand on hers.
“I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“You mean partial uncovered?” he asked.
“I wanted you to see me naked because you wanted to.”
Kaden closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He very much wanted to see her naked as well, but it was the last thing he should be thinking about at that moment.
Lilah saw the pained look on his face and sighed. The whole situation had to be very uncomfortable for him. He’d told her blatantly he had no desire or attraction for her.
“I think you should go. As you can see, I’m alright. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. I know nothing is going to happen…with us.”
Kaden shook his head and cupped her face between his hands. “For one thing, I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re okay.”
“But I…”
His sharp look stopped her from going on. “Secondly, I’m not embarrassed. I am afraid you’d be scared if you knew what you did to me.”
Lilah’s eyes widened, and she took in a deep breath. “How?”
Kaden groaned. “This is not the time to talk about it. Right now, I just need to know you’re okay.”
Lilah sighed in disappointment.
Kaden tore his gaze away from her. His hands held onto her arm as he looked over a few abrasions. So far, he couldn’t find anything that needed medical attention.
He noticed her jeans had been ripped at the top and were lying open. “Can you stand?”
Lilah took his hand and let him help her stand. His fingers skim over the little scratches and bruises the man had left behind.
“Is there anywhere else on your body you hurt?”
Lilah thought about it. It felt like her whole body ached, but not anything sharp in any one area.
She shook her head. “No, I just want to take a shower and then lie down.”
Kaden stood and held onto her upper arms to steady her. “Do you need any help?”
Lilah felt how tense he was. She shook her head and hid a grimace when a spike of pain felt like it pierced her skull. She didn’t want him to feel obligated to stay. She was a nurse. She knew her injuries weren’t serious. As much as she wanted to say yes to him staying, she’d already made him feel uncomfortable.
“No, I’ll be fine. Why don’t you head home? You’ve done plenty. I will never be able to thank you enough for your assistance. I…,” she murmured and bowed her head. “Just thank you.”
Kaden looked at the top of her head. He felt a spear of anger hit him when she tried
to get rid of him, but then he thought about it and knew it wasn’t because she wanted him to leave. She thought he did.
“I’m not leaving.”
Lilah gazed up at him. “But I don’t want…”
He swept her hair from her face. “Too bad. You’re stuck with me.” Her shiver of relief was extremely evident to him and made his desire for her intensify.
“Come on. I want you to shower, and then I want to look you over again.”
Lilah nodded and let him walk her down the hallway toward her bathroom. She watched him turn on the shower and then start helping her get the shirt off. “I can do this.”
Kaden looked down at her and caressed her cheek with a thumb. “Are you sure you’re steady enough?”
Lilah nodded.
Kaden nodded. “Okay, good enough. I’ll be right outside the door, call if you need me.”
Lilah nodded again and then waited until the door closed before she pulled off the rest of her clothes. One by one, the damage that man had done was more extensive then she’d first thought. There were bruises on her hip bone and a few on her legs and arms.
Her breath shuddered, and tears stung her eyes when she caught sight of the little finger size bruises showing up on her breast.
She stepped into the shower and washed and conditioned her hair, being careful of the spot in the back that was tender. She grabbed her sponge and washed herself quickly, trying not to look too closely at any one area.
Lilah barely registered that her tears were mixing with the water. She tried to think of something other than her predicament, or she felt like she’d fly apart.
She turned the shower off and wrung as much water out of her hair as she could before covering it and twisting it up with a towel.
She slathered lotion all over her body before putting on her silky robe. She took the towel off her head and sprayed in more conditioner and then finger combed it until it lay in a heavy curtain down the middle of her back.
Lilah grabbed the door handle, took a breath, and then opened it. The first vision she saw was him on her bed, leaning against her velvety gray-colored headboard. One of his feet on the floor and his other leg was on the mattress and was bent at the knee, so his boot wasn’t touching the comforter.
He was so big he made her queen size bed look like it belonged to a toddler.
Lilah walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of panties. She turned her back and pulled them on quickly. She reached for a bra next.
“You won’t need a bra, sweetheart.”
“Why?” she asked over her shoulder.
Kaden stayed with his back against the headboard, and his eyes centered on her.
“Because after we take care of your injuries, you’ll be in bed.”
Lilah closed the dresser drawer, tightened the belt to her robe, and turned to face him.
She couldn’t believe the dash of heat that hit her at the sight of him as he lay on her white lacy comforter. He should have looked ridiculous; instead, it just made him look more manly.
Her breath caught when he curled a finger at her.
“Come here.”
Lilah bit down on her lip. She’d imagined him in her bed so many times that she had to remind herself, he wasn’t there for her. Not really.
Kaden sat up. He didn’t scowl or growl, but his whole persona seemed to change, and it made her fearful and, at the same time, need him more.
“Lilah, now.”
Lilah was beside him, facing him, before she thought about his demand.
“That’s a good girl,” he said and grasped her hips and pulled her in between his legs.
Lilah gripped her robe together at the top.
Kaden ignored her and placed his hands on the back of her head and gently prodded the small knot she’d received from her assailant.
“We need to get ice on this.”
Lilah stood still.
Kaden reached for the belt and started to untie it.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Lilah grabbed his hands.
“I’m going to look you over.”
Lilah tightened her hand on her robe.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve looked at myself. I’ll have bruises, but otherwise okay.”
Kaden slowly shook his head. “I need to see.”
“But—”
“Or we can go to the emergency room and have them do it. Your choice.”
“You know I’m a nurse, right?”
Kaden nodded. “I do, but you’d be foolish to try to treat yourself as you well know, especially with what you just went through.”
She felt her heart thump painfully under her breastbone at the thought of him seeing her naked. It was something she’d thought about so many times, but never like this.
Chapter Four
Kaden sat up and let his eyes roam over her. Jesus, she was beautiful. She was also the most feminine woman he’d ever seen. From her long soft hair, and her pink-tipped fingers and toenails.
The robe she wore was a shiny material and draped her body to perfection. It was long-sleeved, and it skimmed over her breasts and hips and fell to the floor. Her hair was longer and darker than its natural light brown hair because it was wet.
She wore no makeup, and that made the bruises look darker and the contusions stand out against her pale skin.
Kaden held out a hand. “Come here.” He waited a few seconds for her. “Lilah, now.”
Lilah twisted the robe belt in her hands as she took the few steps to stand in front of him.
He watched her steadily walk to him. Kaden clutched her hips and brought her closer and between his widespread legs. He tilted her head one way and then the other.
“We need to get ice on your cheek and the back of your head.”
Lilah nodded. “I…I’ve got bags of peas in the freezer.”
Kaden took one of her forearms and turned it one way and then the other. Every once in a while, he skimmed his fingertips over one of the more severe injuries to see if the area was swollen. But he was so incredibly gentle with her. The last thing he wanted was to spook or scare her.
Lilah gasped, shivered and tightened her grip on the robe when he reached for it.
“Sweetheart, everything is going to be fine. All I’m going to do is take care of you. Can you trust me to do that?”
Lilah paused for a brief moment, nodded, and dropped her arms to her side.
“Good girl,” Kaden said and reached for the belt again. He gritted his teeth as each bruise was discovered. He traced the ones on her shoulder, down to her breasts with a gentle finger. He kept glancing at her to determine her state of mind, but she stood docile before him.
Under different circumstances, he would have loved the shivers that racked her body because he could tell by that and her tightened nipples that what she felt was desire and not fear. His lips twitched when she turned a deep red when he continued his exploration.
“Your legs are only going to have a few bruises. So far, most of the damage is on your upper torso.”
“Mmmm,” Lilah agreed with her eyes closed.
He felt her tense when he started to pull one of the robes sleeves off so he could look at her arms. He gritted his teeth. Her arms were riddled with bruises.
He put that side back on and did the same to her other arm.
“Turn around, sweetheart.”
Lilah used the one side of her robe to cover her front and did what he asked.
“Fuck,” he growled.
Lilah looked at him over her shoulder. “What?”
“How many times did he push you against the wall?”
Lilah shivered. “I don’t know.”
He used his finger to probe around her ribs. “Does this hurt at all?”
Lilah nodded. “Yes, but it’s not bad.”
He knew she’d feel it tomorrow. He predicted she’d feel achy for several days.
He helped her slip the robe back on and tie it.
“Let’s get the peas. I don’t
want your swelling to increase, and we need to get some Advil in you to help with the ache.”
Kaden maneuvered her into the living room.
“Sit down, sweetheart, before you fall.”
Lilah gratefully took a seat. Her limbs had started shaking, and it gradually got worse. She knew it was from the adrenaline crash but had tried to hold it off as long as possible.
“Dammit,” Kaden said as he sat on the sofa, laid the bags aside, and lifted her onto his lap. He grabbed the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her, and then tucked her against his chest.
It took several minutes for her tremors to lessen.
He waited until she had calmed a bit before placing one of the bags on the side of her face.
“Hold this, sweetheart.”
Lilah held onto it while Kaden put the other on the back of her head and kept it in place.
They sat quietly for several minutes.
“It’s numb,” Lilah said and set her bag on the sofa beside them.
Kaden did the same and then tightened his hold on the little woman.
He wanted to hold onto her for a long time but knew, in the end, it wouldn’t be in her best interest. He was dark, where she was the light. Everything about him from his looks to his attitude to his persona was rough. The scar on his face just added to his somber existence and made the majority of women move away from him.
She was the first one, only one, to ever come to him. The last few relationships had been short because they didn’t like how much he worked and how dominant he was both in bed and out.
The woman in his arms could be dubbed an angel. She was very petite, the top of her head only coming to his shoulder blades. Her hair was brown but had a shimmer to it that, in particular, glowed in the light. Her skin was very pale, and he had yet to see any blemish on her whole body besides the ones she received that night.
She talked softly, and her mannerisms were very feminine. He would sit in his seat at the bar and just watch her as she spoke to other people.
Even her occupation was virtuous. He’d been told she was a damn good pediatric nurse at the hospital. How many people would be able to handle that kind of job and still be sweet and cheerful?