The liquid heat surrounding her was heavenly and she closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the rim of the tub, paying attention to the level of the water on her skin so she’d know when to turn off the tap.
“You shouldn’t sleep in the tub,” Warren’s voice startled her. “Much less while the water’s on.”
“I wasn’t sleeping.” She blinked up at him.
He shut the water off and looked down at her with one lifted brow as if he didn’t believe her. “You want some help getting washed up?”
“I’d appreciate it. I can manage most of my front, but my back is harder and I’m not sure I can wash my hair at all, and I’m pretty sure there’s blood in it.” A fine shudder went through her as she thought about having blood in her hair for the last two days.
“How about we work our way up, then drain the tub before I do your hair so you can lay back and we won’t drip water on your bandages or get your wound wet.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” She handed him her washcloth and looked up at him, waiting for where he wanted her.
Chapter 45
Warren rinsed the last of the conditioner from her hair, using a large cup to pour water down the length of it and direct the water so it wouldn’t go where he didn’t want it. When he was sure he’d gotten the last of the thick cream out, he wrung the water from the thick main, then grabbed a towel from the counter and wrapped it around her hair and head to prevent it from dripping down her back or on her wounded shoulder. Once that was done, he helped her sit up in the tub, then stand and step out. She stood on the fluffy rug next to the tub and reached for a towel. Warren took it from her and carefully blotted the water from her skin.
“You want to put the same clothes on?”
“No. I planned to wear my robe.” She nodded to where she’d left the thick, soft garment. He picked up the robe and helped her into it, then tied the sash around her middle before pulling her into his arms.
“How do you feel?” Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and pushed away some of the lingering worry that had haunted him since he’d heard it was her and the rookie involved in the shooting. It was pointless now that she was home and safe, if injured. She would heal and go back to work before too long. It occurred to him that once she was back to work she would be at risk of being hurt again, but he would never ask her not to go back. Hayley loved her job as much as he did and asking her to leave it wouldn’t be fair, especially since he had just as much risk as she did and he had no intention of finding another job, so he couldn’t ask her to.
“Exhausted. But I’m tired of being stuck in bed and I’m tired of being there alone.” She wrapped one arm around him and laid her head against his chest and sighed as she relaxed against him.
“How about we have a movie marathon? We can make a little nest on the couch and spend the day curled up in it watching movies. That way you can rest, but you’re not stuck in the bed and you’re not alone.”
“Movies on the couch with you sounds amazing.” She didn’t move, but stayed there, leaning against him. “What do you want to watch?”
“Whatever you want.”
She tilted her head back and scowled up at him. “I’m probably going to end up dozing through half of it, so it’s less important to me. All I ask is nothing about wars. Not that I won’t watch that kind of thing, just not while I’m sleeping. I end up dreaming about being in battle. It’s not restful.”
Warren frowned and resisted the urge to hold her tighter.
“How about we go see what there is?”
“Sounds good.” She pulled away and he reluctantly let her go. She looked down at her robe. “I should get dressed.”
“Why?” He met her gaze. “It’s just the two of us in the house, why not be comfortable?”
She looked down again then back up at him.
“I guess you’re right.” Hayley turned and headed for the bedroom.
“I could get used to hearing that.”
“What?” She stopped at the doorway, turned and looked at him.
“I said I could get used to hearing you say I’m right.”
Hayley stuck her tongue out at him and continued into the bedroom, he hung up the towel he’d dried her with and followed.
Hours later, he half lay on Hayley’s sofa with her curled in his lap. Her soft snore made him smile. They’d spent twenty minutes going over her movie collection before deciding to turn on Netflix and watch her favorite crime drama, NCIS, instead. He’d finally convinced her they didn’t need to watch movies and by going with streaming, no one had to get up to change discs. Warren had begun pointing out all the inaccuracies of the program until somewhere during the second episode Hayley had poked him in the side and told him she knew all the bits that were wrong, she didn’t care about those. She watched because she liked the characters and the way they interacted. After that, he’d paid more attention to the characters and the stories and less to the technical bits about how things actually happen during an investigation, and he’d begun to enjoy the show. Now, after several episodes, he’d begun to see why she enjoyed it so.
Another episode ended and he debated not starting another as Hayley seemed to be sound asleep, at least if her snoring was any indication. He watched her for a few minutes as she rested against his chest and stomach, a heavy blanket thrown across their lower halves.
This was a perfect moment. One he wanted to remember for the rest of his life.
The thought startled him. The rest of his life? He looked down at Hayley in his lap again and realized that it was true. Thinking about how he could have lost her made him want to keep her close, to protect her and never let anything harm her, however unrealistic that might be. At the same time, he knew it would never happen, and as much as he might want to, he’d never even try. Because he loved her just the way she was.
Yes. He loved her.
That little revelation made his mind spin. What now?
Hayley stirred against him.
“What happened to the show?”
“Sorry. I was thinking.”
“’Bout what?” her voice was thick with sleep.
“Nothing important.” He didn’t want to let her know what he’d been thinking, at least not yet. He picked up the remote and started the next episode. Hayley settled back against him and he went back to thinking about where to go from here, not even noticing what was happening on the screen.
Chapter 46
Hayley sat in her recliner again, scowling at Warren as he fed her one bite at a time. He ignored her as he talked to Denni and his sister, Nancy, who’d come by to bring some of Warren’s things and Hayley had invited them to join them for dinner. She hadn’t planned on Warren insisting on feeding her like a baby. It was embarrassing. Not that he seemed to mind, just her.
“How are the kids?” Warren asked Nancy as if they were all sitting around a table and he wasn’t feeding Hayley off the same plate he was taking bites from.
“They’re fine. They’re loving having Jake around. I’m not sure they’ll let you have him back.”
He turned and shot his sister an unhappy look that made her laugh and Hayley smile. She liked Jake. He was a sweet dog and she would have been happy to have him here, but Nancy had been right to take him, it would have been too easy for him to inadvertently hurt her. Hayley had no doubt he wouldn’t hurt her on purpose, but like a young child, he had a tendency to get excited and forget not to jump. No, it was best that he wasn’t here. At least until Hayley healed enough she could feed herself.
“You’re not done yet.” Warren scowled at her distraction. She shot him another frown but opened her mouth so he could give her another bite. She really should have insisted they eat in the kitchen where she could have fed herself. Glancing over at Denni, she found her sister watching with amusement dancing in her eyes, as if she knew how badly letting Warren feed her chafed Hayley’s pride.
The more she ate, the more tired Hayley became. Warren had given her another
pain pill before dinner and when she’d not swallowed it right away he’d stood silently, arms folded across his chest as if warning her that if she didn’t take it he would poke it down her throat. She’d met his gaze for a moment, tempted to refuse. To see if he actually would but the memory of how badly she’d hurt the night before prevailed and she’d given in and taken the pill, even though she was sick to death of sleeping twenty hours a day and feeling as if she was watching the world through a water bubble the rest of the time.
Finally, Warren decided she’d had enough and finished the rest of the mountain of food he’d put on the plate himself. Hayley dozed in the chair, her favorite denim quilt over her lap, while she listened to her sister, Nancy and Warren talk. She tried to follow the conversation, but the haze of the pain medication made it difficult. Instead she found herself thinking about how glad she was Warren was here to help her. If it had been Denni, Hayley would have felt guilty about pulling her away from a job she could barely afford to take time away from. Plus, while she and Denni got along fine as long as they didn’t live together, put them in the same household and before long they were fighting like cats and dogs. No, it was better that it wasn’t Denni.
The sound of the front door closing roused Hayley. She opened her eyes to find Warren coming back into the room.
“You want to go lay in bed or you want to watch another episode or two?”
She blinked while it took her foggy brain a moment to process what he meant.
“Not bed.”
“All right. You want me to start it now or wait until I get done in the kitchen and join you?”
“With you.”
“Give me five minutes. I’ll be right back.” She watched him go, unable to keep from admiring the way his ass flexed in his jeans as he moved, closing her eyes only once he was out of sight.
“Baby, you want to move to the couch or stay there? Or we could go to bed if you want.” Warren’s voice woke her. She really hated how sleepy the stupid pain medication made her and couldn’t wait until she could stop taking it.
“Couch with you.” She struggled to sit up then fought with the chair to get the foot rest down, after what seemed like an hour, but was probably no more than a minute or two, Warren came to her rescue. He put the footrest down, lifted the quilt off her lap and helped her to her feet.
“Sure you don’t want to go to bed?” He watched, concern apparent on his face.
“I hate being in bed, at least sick in bed. I’d rather be out here with you.”
“I’ll come to bed with you.” He seemed to think she needed to stay in the other room, as if she was an invalid, not just injured. It was starting to grate on her nerves.
“Not yet. I’m not ready to stare at the walls in there.” He didn’t say anything, just went to the sofa and sat down, waiting for her to join him. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was trying. She had to give him that. And he knew better than to lead her or try to carry her the few steps, because in her current mood, she might have lost her temper and blown up all over him.
Once she was seated, he flipped the quilt back over her lap and waited for her to settle against him.
“I know this isn’t the best timing or the most romantic way to do this, but I’ve waited as long as I can stand.” Warren’s voice rumbled in his chest, the vibrations moving through her too as she lay against him. His arms came up to surround her and it took her a moment to realize he held a small box in one hand. “I know it’s fast, but being terrified I’d lost you, then watching you in that hospital bed made me realize I’ve wasted enough time. We’ve not been seeing each other very long, but I’ve come to love you. I don’t want to spend another day without you. Will you please marry me?” He opened the box to reveal an old-fashioned engagement ring, gold filigree with a small solitaire diamond in the middle.
Emotion filled her. All at once moments rushed back to her. As she lay bleeding on the ground and all she could think about was seeing Warren one more time. The immense wave of relief when he’d burst through the crowd of watchers and officers and joined her in the ambulance. The sleepless, haggard look on his face when she’d woken after surgery to find him at her bedside. The tender way he’d bathed her and the loving ways he’d been caring for her since she’d gotten home.
She wondered for a moment how she would feel in his place, if he had been hurt and she had to wonder about him. The intense wave of pain and fear that washed through her was her answer.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath and watched as he pulled the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. It fit as if it had been made for her. “I don’t know why things have gone so quickly. Whether it’s because of us or what we’ve been through, but I seem to have fallen head over heels for you too.” She turned her head enough for him to place a soft, gentle kiss on her lips, one chaste enough she was sure it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Once he pulled away, she looked down at the ring on her hand. “Where’d you get it? How’d you get it so fast?”
“It was my grandmother’s. I’ve had it for a couple years, just waiting for the right person.” His voice was soft as he laid his cheek against the top of her head. “I asked Nancy to bring it to me.”
“Oh? What did she say about your plans?”
“She told me it’s about time and to seize happiness while I can. Life’s too short to waste time and we never know how long we’ll have.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “After the last few days, I can’t argue.”
“Me either.” She turned back up to look at him. “It’s perfect. I love it.” Stretching up, she kissed him again, knowing she’d taken a chance when she’d cuffed him to the bed that morning not all that long ago. She’d wanted to make sure he didn’t slip away, because he was hers and she was his.
Thank you for reading Waking Up Cuffed, the first book in the new Highland County Heroes series.
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Waking Up Cuffed Page 18