Possessed by a Stranger

by Jeny Stone

  Garret slept restlessly. Hannah barely moved except to shiver then snuggle closer for his warmth. Her body radiated heat. Her feverish condition worried him. He woke early finding her sicker than when he had put her to bed last night. He woke her to force more aspirins and liquids into her. Scorched from the fever, her lips and cheeks glowed scarlet red.

  “How are you feeling? It doesn’t look like your fever broke.”

  She swallowed the pills forcing the water down her swollen throat. “Better, I might live. I don’t want you to catch this. You should go to your parents’ house while I recuperate.”

  “No, you’re stuck here with me as your nurse. The road is covered in ice. Luckily, we haven’t lost power. Do you feel well enough to take a shower? I’ll change the sheets while you’re up.”

  “How much did I sweat? I’m soaked.”

  “A lot, that’s why you need liquids. If your fever doesn’t break soon we’re headed to the emergency room. Does anything hurt?”

  The only way to get her to the hospital was calling nine-one-one which he wasn’t about to tell her. She could discover that detail when the ambulance arrived, if that was even a possibility under the current road conditions. Both their cars sat in a huge chunk of ice frozen to the curb. The heavy downpour hadn’t had time to drain before the temperature dropped below freezing. Luckily today was supposed to warm enough to melt the ice before refreezing again tonight.

  “My throat. It hurts to swallow.” It felt like she was forcing a baseball down her throat.

  “Say ahhhh so I can look.” Garret tilted her head with his finger on her chin. “Yuck, you’ve got blisters all over your tonsils. Why do you still have tonsils? Doesn’t every kid have them yanked out? I was bribed with promises of ice cream for every meal. They forget to mention the ice cream freezes the pain.”

  He scooped her into his arms to carry her to the shower. Her arms loosely circled his neck. Her face against his chest scorched his skin. She was weak, sick, feverish, and scaring the hell out of him. Placing her on the side of the tub he adjusted the water temperature.

  “I want you to sit in the tub. You’re too weak to stand. I’ll change the sheets then come back to help you out.” After lifting his t-shirt over her head he helped her sit in the tub. He handed her a wash cloth and soap.

  Hannah rested against the back of the tub after washing herself. The wash cloth had hurt her skin. The warm water soothed her achy body. Admittedly, she was sick. Garret woke her shutting off the water. She moaned as he lifted her out of tub. In her feverish daze she was useless to help as he toweled her dry then slipped something over her head. He threaded her arms through the arm holes then tucked her back in the freshly changed bed. She had no sooner fell asleep when he woke her again propping her upright on fluffed pillows. Her eyes refused to stay open. Garret’s voice forced her to open her eyes.

  “Hannah honey, you have to take this medicine. Stay awake long enough to get this down and you can go back to sleep.” She just wanted to sleep and would if he stopped waking her every few minutes. He gave her more pills that hurt like hell to swallow.

  After several more episodes of making her swallow pills she woke on her own. Garret was sitting in bed watching a movie. “How long have I been sleeping?” Her voice startled him. The scratchy hoarse sound startled her too. His face lit up with relief. He threw his feet to the floor to walk to her side of the bed.

  He was never happier to see her eyes, now bright and clear of fever. “I’m glad to see you returned to the world of the living. You slept all day yesterday. You scared the hell out of me. It’s time for another dose of pills.” He fidgeted with the lid of her medicine keeping a watchful eye on her.

  “I remember you waking me every few minutes. What am I taking?” He assisted her with the water making sure she swallowed the pills.

  “I woke you every six hours and you weren’t happy about it. You’re taking an antibiotic. I called my doctor and he phoned in a prescription. Then I trudged through the ice to the drugstore. After I talked the pharmacists into opening the drugstore, he filled the order. He wasn’t thrilled about getting out in that mess. As sick as you were, I would have drug his ass out forcibly if I had too. He must have come to that conclusion on his own so he went willingly.”

  “So you’re my hero. Thank you for taking care of me. I need to shower. I feel all grubby.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I was glad I was here. I’ll help you to the bathroom. You’re too weak to do anything on your own. God, I’m so glad you’re better. Don’t ever get sick again.”

  He meant that with all his heart. He hadn’t ever felt that helpless with her seriously ill and the ice storm preventing any assistance from outside help. Luckily, he had his doctor’s personal cell number. It took some persuasive talking to convince him to phone in a prescription after Garret diagnosed Hannah’s illness. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic for Hannah’s sore throat. Then he faced the problem of getting to the drugstore. Walking was his only option and it was only a couple miles. Once there, he found it closed. He knew the pharmacist lived next door. More persuasion was required to coax the man out of his warm home. Everything he endured was well worth the results. The worst part was leaving her alone while he made the slipping and sliding trip to the drugstore. It worried him to think of what would have happened if he wasn’t there. She was out here in the country without any one to depend on to even check on her.

  Her illness awakened her importance in his life. He worried about her, he thought about her all week long. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. He cared about her more than he cared about anyone else in a very long time, if ever. This thing they had was getting serious. That scared him almost as much as living without her.

  SHIT…..

  CHAPTER TEN

  Her hand crept from under the warm covers to smack the heck out of the blaring alarm. Hannah had a busy day ahead of her. Her minute by minute schedule swam around in her head. Get up, get moving, and get going was the first things on her long list.

  Garret stirred, stretched and yawned in her bed on a Monday morning. Hannah rolled over to make sure she wasn’t lost in the land of wonderful dreams. He had stayed an extra night which was the second time in their weekends … whatever they were. Trysts, relationship, sexual encounters, she wasn’t sure. Last week he had taken Monday off to nurse her back to health but he left that evening. She pushed on his chest shaking him.

  “Rise and shine.”

  Garret flopped his arm over his sexy nymph. “I’m awake. I knew I was going to regret this. Four-thirty in the morning is when you tumble into bed or roll off you and sleep for a couple hours… not get out of bed.” He felt her warmth snuggling next to him.

  “It was your idea and thank you. Then you shouldn’t be tired. You rolled off me a couple hours ago. And ha ha ha I don’t regret your poor judgment.”

  She never regretted a night with him, especially an extra night. Okay, so maybe he stayed because the football game he was watching went into overtime. By the time it was over it was stupid for him to leave. The reason wasn’t important as long as he stayed.

  “That’s because you don’t have to get up and drive to the city.” He growled as he stretched again.

  “Yes, I do. Now, get up. I’ll take the downstairs bathroom and start the coffee. I have to meet my drivers at six thirty.” She rolled away from him bouncing the bed to get him moving.

  “I would feel more like getting up if I rolled on you again.” He missed at his attempt to catch her. It was too damn early to be quick. At least he saw her naked body before she slipped into her robe. He watched her grab clothes from her drawers as he swung his feet to the floor.

  “I can’t be late. I’ll make it up to you next weekend.” She hurried out of the room knowing she would jump back in bed if he asked again. Her work day was going to be long and hard. She had to be at her storage buildings on time.

  After his shower Garret felt semi-awake. He smelled the
coffee on his way down the stairs hoping she was wearing her sexy librarian suit complete with fake black rimmed glasses. That strip tease he previously fanaticized would be worth him being late. No, she hadn’t taken it out of her closet. A cup of coffee waited for him on the table. With her hair pulled into a ponytail, wearing ass hugging jeans, pink athletic shoes and loose work shirt, Hannah swiped crème cheese on toasted bagels. When she turned to hand him a bagel he saw the pink tank top underneath the unbuttoned work shirt over her braless breast. When in the hell was that considered work attire?

  “What in the hell are you doing today … digging ditches?” She was dressed more like she was raising dicks than digging ditches.

  They had a lot to learn about each other on a weekday morning. Her work apparel seemed to shock him.

  “Moving furniture. We’re moving all the pieces into the townhouse I’m redecorating. I had to hire extra men to finish it today, so I can’t be late. I have to start early if I want to get finished sometime before midnight.”

  She had already made plans to crash on a friends couch if her day ran long but she hoped he would extend an invitation to stay with him. He hadn’t taken her to his townhouse or even told her its location. Well, she hadn’t asked either. He had serious privacy issues that came with being a Presley. It would be a huge step in their relationship if he allowed her into his home.

  “You have done background checks on these men, haven’t you?” Strange men she hired would see her dressed like that. An uneasy feeling wafted over him.

  “Of course I have. I’m taking them into a client’s house and my insurance carrier requires background checks. I wouldn’t want them to rob the client blind.” His lack of sleep obviously left him grouchy. Either that or this was his normal Monday morning mood. She would remember this if she ever got lucky enough for him to stay again.

  Her curt answer wasn’t reassuring. “Screw your clients. It’s not them I’m worried about.”

  He was worried about every man that got near her now that he realized she worked with men. She snuggled into his arms.

  Disappointed he hadn’t taken her hint, she comforted herself with his obvious concern for her safety. “I have my regular drivers for protection. It’s nice to know you worry about me but don’t. After you had Ted Jones question them about me, Hank offered to handle the situation for me. They won’t let anyone hurt me.”

  “What did he mean by handle?” What kind of men had she hired? She was still young and maybe she hadn’t realized the dangers lurking behind every corner. Damn, now that was something else he had to worry about.

  “I don’t know and I didn’t ask. There may be some things I don’t need to know about them. They are the best drivers I’ve found and I’m not about to lose them.” She snuggled closer trying to coax him to smile.

  “I might need to meet your drivers. Don’t trust any of these men.” He had an uneasy feeling his warning fell on deaf ears.

  She stood on her tiptoes pulling his head toward her to kiss him goodbye. “I’ve known them longer than I’ve known you. I’m always careful.”

  Garret watched from the window as Hannah drove away. It was one day later than their regular routine with the same results. They separated for the rest of the week to live their other lives. He would worry about her. Mainly because he hadn’t a clue what she actually did during the week. He always imagined her glued to the computer. She had mentioned the townhouse before. He remembered her saying something about two months and kitchen cabinets. So whose townhouse had she been in for the last two months? He hadn’t bothered to ask at the time. Now, he wanted to know who, how long, and what in the hell she did there.

  Halfway into the city it dawned on him what she said about finishing at midnight. Her apparel and her mention of working with men had started his day off with him in a pissed off mood. His brain skipped over her comment and focused on the extra men she hired. Now, he wondered if she was hinting to stay in the city with him. Damn, of course she was and he had missed it. She should have straight out asked. Shit, he was hesitant with an answer even now, after the fact. His townhouse was off limits to women due to his notoriety. Only close friends and family knew where he lived. The same frigging knot formed in his stomach just like it had every time she was out of his sight.

  By late evening his mood had worsened worrying about Hannah driving home late at night. He imagined her stuck on the interstate with a flat tire at the mercy of all the perverts traveling on that stretch of the road. She could fall asleep at the wheel, be forced off the road by a rapist, ran over by a truck or numerous other hazards befalling a woman traveling alone. Anything that happened to her would be his fault. He selfishly placed his privacy over her safety and nothing should be more important than her safety.

  At eight PM he sent her a text asking if she made it home. If she was back at the cottage he wouldn’t have to break his number one rule on women visitors. With no reply at nine PM, he sent another text asking where she was. He was worried but suspected she might be pissed and was trying to teach him a lesson by ignoring his text messages. By ten PM he was beside himself and started leaving voicemails after his numerous calls weren’t answered. He paced the floor with his cell phone in his hand. His head ached from all the horrendous images that flashed in his thoughts. All of which were followed by a rise in his temper as he tried to convince himself she was just messing with him. With sleep no longer an option he dressed to drive to her cottage.

  His hand was on the front door knob when his phone rang. “Where in the hell are you?” He demanded. Relieved of his worry, his anger roamed free.

  “My phone is almost dead. I just finished and saw your text messages. I’m safe, fine and crashing with a friend. I didn’t bring my charger but I’ll call you tomorrow evening when I get home.” She rambled hurriedly through her excuse.

  “I was worried about you. Who are you staying with?”

  “I’m staying with ….” The call ended.

  Fuck, with one worry gone it was replaced with another one. Where was she? Even if she told him which friend, he still wouldn’t know where, or for that matter, put a face to the name. He hadn’t met any of her friends but he was aware some of them were male. Surely, she wouldn’t stay with some guy. That damn bartender was a friend of hers. Garret vividly remembered the look in his eyes and it wasn’t that of just a friend. Then, there was the man that turned to look at her ass in the video. She was inexperienced with dealing with men after being stuck with her ex all those years. He couldn’t really complain about that prick since he had saved her for him. He poured a glass of scotch to relax and calm his nerves. He leaned on his pillows sipping the soothing scotch hoping for sleep.

  She sounded exhausted but why wouldn’t she. She was up at four thirty this morning and had just finished at eleven thirty at night. That was a ridiculously long day and he would put a stop to any further marathons. She could relapse after less than a week since her illness. When she called they would have a serious conversation.

  Garret found himself checking his cell phone regularly throughout the day. The ringer’s volume was on high and the missed call log was blank every time he looked which increased his aggravation. It was after five and he was in the town car almost home when his phone rang.

  “Does this call mean you made it home alive?” He barked not waiting on a hello.

  Every bone and muscle in her body ached after an exhausting completion of a major project. Hannah, drug herself out of her car to run in a convenience store to purchase a car charger for her phone. She discovered she left her charger at home just in time for it to go dead. After contacting Garret, she had said the hell with stopping last night and crashed on Sharon’s couch for about four hours. Then, she was right back at the townhouse going over the finishing touches before the final inspection at noon.

  Her phone had charged enough to turn on so she dialed her voicemails first. The voicemail she expected from one of the contractors wasn’t there. Instead, she listen
ed to four voicemails from Garret. They progressed from concern to frantic to royally pissed. Her emotions progressed from “ahh” to “what?” to “what the hell?” In his last voicemail he accused her of playing childish games. He griped about his townhouse and how it was her fault she wasn’t staying there. After hearing the irritation in his voice she wished she had waited until she arrived home and text him instead.

  “I’m getting off my exit now. I stopped and bought a car charger before I headed home. My phone finally charged enough to turn back on and I just checked my voicemails. Would you care to explain why I’m childish?”

  After he worried all night and most of the day she had the nerve to question him. He snapped his answer. “I was worried and pissed. If you wanted to stay at my townhouse you should have asked instead of hinting. Your hint didn’t sink in until later in the evening.”

  Her nerves were stretched to their limits. The undeserved anger in his voice sparked her temper. “I had already made arrangements and I don’t go where I’m not wanted …” She paused for a second. “I’m sorry. That sounded bitchy as hell. I’m tired and irritable and your voicemails didn’t help my mood. Maybe, we shouldn’t talk about this right now.”

  “You should have just asked.” He was determined to drive his point home.

  “After three months … I shouldn’t have to ask.” She stopped before her mouth over ran her good sense. She inhaled a deep breath. “Listen, I’ve just pulled in front of the cottage. I’m in desperate need of a shower, food and some rest. Let’s talk about this later.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. Later …” He disconnected the call. He stewed over every word the remainder of his trip home.

  Inside his townhouse he had a liquid dinner of scotch. He wasn’t certain his stomach would hold down anything solid. All the aggravation he suffered was preventable. A phone charger or a simple question could have saved him a night and day of pure hell. It was her fault and instead of taking responsibility she was pissed at him, the victim in this entire cluster fucking mess. He showered then plopped on his bed to finish his second soothing drink. His tension eased. With the exhaustion of a sleepless night and a stress filled day he drifted into sleep.