Shane finished by bending his elbows and leaning the rest of the way down, placing his lips gently on hers. It wasn’t a kiss of passion. But one of promise.
“I hate to interrupt this touchin’ scene, but I gotta witness I need to interview,” came a voice from the doorway.
Growling, Shane stood up, recognizing Matt’s voice. “You got shit timing friend.”
“Yeah well, add it to my list of other transgressions.” Matt’s eyes cut over to Leon and Suzanne. “You Leon?” Receiving a nod, he added, “I gotta interview you too, since you were at the crime scene.”
“Crime scene?” Suzanne asked in confusion.
“The clinic,” came the terse answer.
She slid back into Leon’s embrace unnerved to hear the clinic being called a crime scene.
Annie looked up at Detective Dixon, suddenly fearful of reliving the events of last night, while hearing the heart monitor speed up again. Shane caught that look and slid his hand down to hers, holding it tightly.
“It’s gonna be all right, baby. I’m right here,” he said.
Her eyes cut over to his expressive blue ones and she gave a quick nod. Linking her fingers with his, she turned her attention back to the detective.
“Okay, Detective Dixon. I’m ready,” she said, trying to not show that she was shaking.
Matt’s face gentled as he said, “Considerin’ you’re holdin’ my friend’s hand, how about you call me Matt?” Seeing a small smile cross her face, he continued his questions.
She answered everything, giving as detailed a description as she could. Occasionally she saw a glance between Matt and Shane, but didn’t know how to interpret it. Several times she heard her voice waver, met each time with a squeeze to her hand. Shane was willing his strength to her and she gladly accepted it.
“Det…I mean Matt. What happens now? I mean they know me. They know where I work. Where I live.”
Before Matt could answer, Shane swung back around planting himself firmly in her line of vision as he leaned over the bed again. “Baby, that shit does not touch you again.”
“But…”
“No fuckin’ buts. That shit does not touch you.”
Pulling her lips in, she wanted to know more, but Shane didn’t seem to be in a mood to share.
Matt spoke and she looked around Shane’s body so that she could see his face. Realizing that Shane was holding on by a thread he moved to the other side of her bed so that she could see him easier.
“Doc, with your statement and Leon’s, we are already picking those three up. The main man with you last night was higher up than we have gotten and we’ve been after him. I know it doesn’t feel good right now and it wasn’t planned, but you have just helped us close the loop tighter around the top of the chain.”
“But she’s still in danger,” Suzanne bit out from the corner. “You all don’t seem to get that she is now in the middle of this mess!”
Shane swung around, piercing her with his glare. “Suzanne, I get that you’re her friend and you care, but what you don’t get is that I’m sayin’ this shit doesn’t touch her again.” Seeing that Suzanne was about to argue, he cut her off. “I’m out now, back on the force as vice. We got police protection for the clinic and she will have it ‘round the clock. When she’s not with me, then she’s got someone on her.”
At that, Suzanne mouth dropped open, but not before Annie looked up sharply. “What do you mean I’ve got someone on me?”
Shane’s eyes penetrated hers as she heard Matt chuckle in the background. “Baby, you’re with me,” he explained. “I got outta this shit life by takin’ them down. Now I’m livin’ for me, not goin’ back under, and I’m doin’ it with the sunshine that I found. This shit wasn’t supposed to blow back on you. It did and they’re gonna pay for that and pay big. And until that happens, I’m callin’ in all my markers and you got protection when I’m not around and all of me when I am.”
Suddenly exhausted, Annie slid back into the pillows, all the fight gone out of her. Shane’s blue eyes warmed and he pushed her hair back away from her face. “You need to rest, baby, and I’m gonna be right here. You can rest easy, ‘cause I’m not leavin’.”
The nurse walked in, checking her vitals and giving her another dose of pain meds. Eyeing the group, she announced that she thought the patient needed more rest and less visitors, before marching out of the door.
Leon and Suzanne walked over to the side of the bed where Matt had been standing. Suzanne kissed her cheek and whispered, “Be safe, doc.”
Leon followed suit as he kissed her too, but whispered, “You’ve hooked a wild one, doc. But I think he’s all right. If you can hold on to his wild ride and tame him at the same time, you’re gonna find what you been looking for.”
At this, Annie closed her eyes, letting the pain meds place her back on her float on the water in the warm sun.
Chapter 10
The next morning Annie woke groggy, but as she turned the stitches in her side were a stark reminder of what had happened. She lay on her uninjured side, but felt something at her back. It was too hard to be pillows. As she twisted her head around to look, she saw a large arm come around carefully and pull her back into his embrace. Shane?
“Mornin’, Annie baby,” came his sleepy voice. “Do you need some more pain medicine now before they discharge you?”
“Why are you in bed with me?” she asked, a blush firing across her face.
“You kept moving in your sleep and when you did, you would whimper in pain. If I lay here beside you, it would keep you from moving to your injured side.”
Annie warmed, not because of the blush, but because she liked his explanation. A lot. She still had not had time to process everything that he told her yesterday, but she understood his motives.
Dealing with the uncomfortable feeling of a full bladder, she tried to move herself to a sitting position, but found herself pinned down.
“Baby, you need to keep resting.”
“Um, I um…need…,” the blush came back as she tried to figure out how to get to the bathroom without telling him she needed to go to the bathroom.
Before she could decide how to get him to leave, she felt him leave the bed and walk around to her side of the bed. Leaning down he scooped her gently and set her feet on the floor, steadying her until he was sure she could stand, and then started walking with her toward the bathroom.
Looking up sharply, she asked, “How did you know what I needed?”
Smiling, Shane answered, “Baby, you’ve been hooked up to an IV since yesterday, and they took the catheter out last night, so it only figures you gotta go.” By the time he finished, they were at the door. “You need help?”
“No. But thanks,” she said softly as she let go of his arm, and hobbled into the bathroom.
A couple of minutes later, Shane knocked on the door. “Annie? The nurse is bringing in your discharge papers so I’ve got your clothes here for you. I’m gonna just set them inside,” he said as he barely opened the door and laid her clothes on the sink. Shutting the door quickly, he hovered in case she needed something.
After a moment, she cracked open the door and peered out. “Shane?”
“Right here, baby.”
“I…need…”
“Annie baby, let me in,” he said gently as he carefully pushed her back and slid into the bathroom. She was holding onto the sink for balance and had managed to get the hospital gown off, but was clutching it in front of her, blushing furiously once again. Bruises covered her arms.
Shane stepped up to her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. One hand cupped the back of her head as he pressed her into his chest. The other wrapped around her body, holding her protectively. They stood this way for a moment, Shane offering comfort. Annie taking it.
She finally pulled back slightly and looked up to say, “I can’t get my clothes on.”
He peered into her tear filled eyes. “I’ll take care of you, baby. In al
l ways. Promise.”
Sucking air in through her nose to still the threatening tears, she nodded. She stepped back, still clutching the hospital gown to her front. “I can’t twist my body to even get my bra on and I can’t bend to get my pants on.”
Nodding, Shane reached over and snagged her bra off the counter, then turned her so that her back was to him. He held the bra out in front of her as she dropped the gown to slide her arms in so that he could pull the back pieces and hook them in place. It was not lost on her that he did all of this while preserving her modesty at the same time.
Grateful, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing his blue eyes full of concern. “I’m okay. Really.”
Growling, he replied, “No, you’re fuckin’ not okay. You’re strong. You’ll survive. You’ll get through this. But baby, what you aren’t, is fuckin’ okay.”
Pulling her lips in as she saw anger in his intense look, she just nodded and said nothing.
Shane took her scrub bottoms and helped her slide them on as well. Holding up her scrub top, he just shook his head. The material was shredded and bloodied. Tossing it in the trash, he left the bathroom and shortly returned with a white t-shirt. Seeing her questioning gaze, he explained, “Had Matt bring over a change of shirts for me early this morning. It’ll be big, but you’ll be covered.”
Nodding her gratitude, she allowed him to slip it over her head and work her arms through it, being careful of the stitches in her side.
“Thank you Shane. I don’t know what I would have done…” her voice trailed off as her eyes slid to the side and her mind wandered.
Shane, not wanting to lose the connection, placed his large hand on her face, pulling it gently back to his. “Don’t be thanking me baby. I brought this shit to your door and I’m fuckin’ pissed at myself about that.” Shaking his head as he looked down toward his feet, “I was fuckin’ stupid to bring Sarge to you. I just…”
Annie reached up and mimicked his actions by cupping his strong jaw in her hand, pulling his face back up to hers. “I would have never wanted anything to have happened to Sarge. Or you.” At that, she saw Shane’s face gentle as he looked deeply into her eyes.
Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Let’s get you home, baby.”
* * *
After helping her up the stairs to her apartment, he looked around carefully to see what work had been done.
“Shane, what is this?” Annie was looking at a box next to her front door.
“Security system, baby.”
“Since when do I have a security system?”
“Since this shit-storm hit you and your clinic. Now, I’m workin’ to keep that from blowin’ back on you again.”
Her eyes cut over to a similar box on the wall next to the kitchen…door? “What happened to my kitchen door?”
“Baby. The one you had was old, coulda been kicked in easily, and was half glass. Seriously? A shit door, baby.”
“But, it had a window. I could look out.”
“Baby, what the fuck? Yeah, you could look out, but then anyone could look in.” Shane saw the irritated look on her face and rubbed his hand through his hair. Not used to explaining himself to anyone, he realized that he needed to get her on board with the new security changes.
Walking over to where she stood, he held her in his arms, feeling the tension radiating from her. Sighing, he began again. “Annie baby. The door you had was an old wooden door with a full window at the top. Yes, it let in some light, but it also offered no privacy or protection. This is a steel door, with a peep-hole at the exact height that you are so that you can easily see who is on the other side. It even has one-eighty degree viewing so that you can see if there is someone on the steps.”
Turning his body to face the front door, with her still tucked in his embrace, he continued. “You got a security system on both doors. You arm them when you leave, even if you are goin’ down to the clinic, and then you arm them again when you come back in.”
Annie shifted in his embrace, wincing slightly, a movement that did not go unnoticed by him. Looking up, she said, “I appreciate all that you have done. Really. But, I can’t afford this. The clinic is doing well, but once all the clinic expenses are paid and my student loan payment is sent off, there isn’t a lot left over right now.”
Looking down, he felt lost in her green eyes. Cooper hair fell in waves framing her face. Shiny. Clean. Sunshine. “What I said in the hospital is true, Annie. What happened with us was real. We’re gonna ride that as far as we can and see where it takes us. Things go the way I think they will, you and I will be movin’ out and you’ll get that clinic in the country, and we’ll leave this shit behind. Something happens and we decide we’re not an us, then you still got a security system that’ll give me peace of mind. One way or the other, I want you safe.”
Confusion wrinkled her brow as she murmured in his chest. “You think we’re an us?”
She felt his chuckle rumble against her cheek.
“Hell yeah, baby. I know we’re an us. Told you, I never played you. We were an us from the moment you let me in to take care of Sarge. We continued to be an us when we first kissed. And we were solidly an us when my dick was inside of you.”
Gasping, she looked back up into his face ready to give a pissed off retort then she looked into his eyes. Blue eyes that no longer hid his thoughts. Blue eyes that she could now read. Blue eyes that were twinkling. I didn’t know they could twinkle. Deciding that she liked that look, she gave in.
“Okay, the security system stays.”
“Thank fuck,” he replied, “cause I sure as hell wasn’t callin’ my friends back in to remove it.” He moved her over to the sofa where he sat and gently settled her down on his lap, carefully avoiding her injured side.
“Friends?” she asked.
“Yeah, baby. I got friends. I’m enjoyin’ spending some time with them since I’ve been under and off the radar for two years. Got some friends workin’ in security systems and they jumped at the chance to help me make you safe.”
“Why would they do that?” she wondered out loud. “They don’t know me.”
“No, but they know me. Know I haven’t had a woman I cared about in years. Know I’ve been drownin’ in shit for two years and am just now comin’ up for air. Know I’ve got a woman that needs protection and one call was all it took. They were over here yesterday makin’ sure my woman was safe.”
“You keep saying your woman. I’ve never said I was your woman. In fact, I don’t recall you asking.”
“I told you, baby. You became my woman, the first time my dick was in you.”
She looked up and pierced him with a glare. “So you’re saying that any woman you have slept with has been ‘your woman’?”
His expressive eyes changed from amused to something else she couldn’t read, but was very visible nonetheless.
“Baby, part of us seein’ where this goes is hammering out things from the past. But that is not a conversation we want to be havin’ right now.” Seeing her eyes narrow he continued,
“At some point, we’ll share about our pasts. Gonna let you know right now, mine is not pretty, but you already know a lot of that. I’m no saint when it comes to past women, but again, that is not a conversation we want to have now. But you were different from the moment I laid eyes on you. Never felt that before. Never cared about watching a woman come before. So yeah, since our first time, you’ve been my woman.” He paused, spearing her with his sharp gaze. “Now can you honestly say you don’t want that?”
Sighing loudly, she agreed. “You’re right. I’m too tired to have a conversation that will undoubtedly piss me off. She lowered her head, studying her shoes for a moment.
“What’s goin’ on in that pretty head of yours, baby?” he asked gently.
She lifted her eyes back to his, feeling as though she could really see him now that she had expressive blue eyes to peer into. “Shane, I’ve never done any of this. I barely date much less
have the craziness that we have had. Leon told me that I should be more spontaneous and have some fun. Look where that got me? Questioned by the police, men breaking into my clinic trying to kill me, me needing a security system…” Shaking her head again, she sighed. “It just seems so backwards. We should have met. Been honest. Got to know each other. Then and only then, if we were sure there was a connection, have sex.”
“In a perfect world, baby, that’s exactly what I would have wanted to do with you.” He leaned closer until they were almost touching, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.
“Shane, how do I know that I’m not just the first girl that gave in to you that wasn’t in that other world? I mean, this could all seem bigger to you because you’re not undercover anymore.”
He could see self-doubt cloud her expression as he lifted his hands to cup her face. “Annie, I haven’t been undercover my whole life. Hell yeah, the last two years sucked. But before that, I dated, and never met anyone that made me want to know them the way that I want to know you. I can’t give you promises right now, but I can honestly say I want to explore what we have.”
Peering up into his eyes, she nodded and whispered, “I’d like to see where this goes too. But I want to back up, Shane. I need us to do this slower.”
Smiling, he pulled her in for a kiss. One that started out slow. Gentle. Then with a touch of her tongue, went wild. Untamed. Wet. Unrestrained. Just like him.
Chapter 11
That evening, Shane ordered Chinese and he and Annie sat at her little table eating. He noticed that she was quiet. Almost uncomfortable.
“What’s up baby?”
Love's Taming (The Love's Series) Page 9