“In America?”
“Yup. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She used to work as a maid. She got called in on her usual day off because some rich movie producer or someone’d had a party and it was too much for one maid to handle. So, she and another maid went to the house, happened to arrive while the place was being robbed, and both she and the other women were shot dead. Cops found out she was illegal, then found out I was, too. We managed to get my sister and brother to safety, but I got deported.”
“Honey.”
She’d never called him that before. Damn, but he liked that. “Got to bury her, say my goodbyes, but that was it. Then I was back in Mexico.”
He now remembered the same dusty road in Mexico, this time it was littered with trash and men with guns walked casually through the streets. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Mexico and I love America, but neither was my home anymore. They sent me back to my hometown, which was nothing like when we’d left it. The last time I was there, I was a kid, and since then everything had gotten worse. My family who’d stayed, the few who were left, regretted it. Cartel was bigger and more powerful, and they’d made everyone’s lives even worse. Plus, now I was a man, and they needed more men for their business.”
Quiet tears were falling down Amelia’s cheeks. She turned her head away, as if to hide them. He reached over with his free hand, turned her face back, and brushed them away. She was crying for him, for his ma who she’d never meet. He didn’t want her crying but, this time at least, it made him feel good inside to see it. “Don’t hide from me, babe, not ever. The way you’re crying for me, my family…maybe it’s twisted, but I feel like you’ve honored me, baby.”
She blinked.
“Yeah. That you can feel that much for people you’ve never met…tells me I was right about you.”
“Right about what?” she whispered.
“That you’re fucking amazing.”
She sat back, and his hand fell from her face. She tried to pull her hand free from his, but he used their connection to tug her back. “You are. And don’t fucking argue with me, babe.”
She pouted—so fucking cute—but he had to finish the story. Now that he’d started it, he needed to finish. “You want to know how I ended up in Valleria? Or do you want to just sit there being all cute, and me watching you being all cute?”
She snapped. “I’m not cute.”
He grinned. “You’re fucking adorable.”
“Hmmph.”
His voice went low and gravelly. “You’re also fucking sexy, too. But right now, baby, you’re being all kinds of cute.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“So don’t.” He kissed her hand again. “Just listen.”
She rubbed her lips together for a moment, then nodded, so he continued.
“I knew I couldn’t stay in Mexico. I visited our family graveyard, visited my pa and uncles, and wished I could have buried my ma there. That way, at least she and my pa would have been together.”
He knew it was just his mother’s body in that American cemetery, that her soul had probably gone to someplace better, and hopefully his pa was in that someplace, too. Still, though, he wished he could have buried them side-by-side. He hated to think of her body alone and forgotten in a cemetery somewhere he’d never be able to visit, bare of the flowers she deserved. Sometimes he wondered if his brother or sister had ever gone back to visit the grave.
He’d lost touch with both of his siblings and, though he’d tried to find them for years, the most he’d learned was that they were safe and alive in a new city in America. He’d left feelers out so if they wanted to find him, they could, but they hadn’t yet. Maybe they never would.
He squeezed her hand, needing the connection and comfort she provided. “I said goodbye to my family in Mexico again, this time knowing I’d likely never see them again. I came to Valleria.”
“But why Valleria?”
“The Vallerian Army was running a new recruitment campaign. They needed soldiers with technical skills: computer scientists, engineers, things like that. I never had any formal training—I never got around to college because I was deported—but I’d always had a knack for problem-solving, figuring things out, figuring out how equipment worked and fixing it when it broke. Applied to come here, which included some online aptitude tests. I didn’t think I’d get in, but I did.”
He still remembered the moment he learned he’d been accepted, the sheer joy and happiness, followed by the sadness that neither his ma nor his siblings were there to share the joy.
He took another drink. “Never thought I’d stay here forever. Racism still exists, here and everywhere, whether people choose to accept it or not. But as an army vet, there’s a level of respect here, too. When I lost my legs, I stayed because I had to, because all my medical bills were being taken care of by the army. Now, I also stay because I want to. Because I have friends, like Low, who were there for me when I couldn’t even be there for myself. And because they helped me through, now I’ve got a business and more friends. Plus…”
He tugged her closer. “That business brings me closer to you. Which I like. A fuck of a lot.”
“Hector.” Fuck. That time she said his name all breathy, and he felt it in his cock.
He shifted slightly in his seat. “Told you I was into you, baby. I guess I’ll keep saying it until it sticks.”
Her face turned away, and this time he didn’t turn it back.
“Do you want any more soup, baby?”
She shook her head. “It was really good, but I’m full. Does it keep?”
“Yup. We can have some for lunch tomorrow. You want your pain pill?”
She nodded.
“All right, baby. I’ll get it. Just leave the dishes. I’ll clean up after you’re settled in.”
“Okay.”
“One last thing.”
Her eyes met his. Still wary.
“Don’t get nervous, babe. We just need to talk about us. I’m not going to do that tonight. You’re tired and you need rest, so you get a free pass.”
“Thanks.”
“Tomorrow, though, is a different story.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Hector.”
He grinned. “Fucking cute.”
“Now why am I cute?”
“Because you’re irritated with me.”
“I’m more than that.”
He leaned forward. “Good, baby. I want everything you can give me. I’ll take it and give back more.”
“Hector.” Breathy again. Shit.
“I’ll get your meds. Stay here.” He kissed her hand and finally let go.
“I have a question.”
He got the pills and walked back to the table. This time he was wary. “Okay.”
“The prince doesn’t mind if you call him ‘Lo’? I know he’s not fussy about titles, but I was just curious.”
Oh. An easy question. He handed her the pill, and she swallowed it. “No, he doesn’t mind. He got the nickname Low—that’s L-O-W—in the army. Partly to hide his true identity, but also as a joke, since he’s pretty low in the ascension list for the throne.”
She chuckled. “He must have a good sense of humor then.”
“The best.”
He carried her back into the bedroom. “You need anything, baby?”
“No.”
“Just let me know if you do. I’m going to grab some stuff and I’ll be out of your way.” He did his thing in the bathroom, then grabbed things he needed for his stumps and slid them into his pockets.
When he stepped out of the bathroom, his heart stuttered. She was sitting on the bed, her gorgeous, gleaming black curls all around her.
He stopped at the bed again and sat down so their hips touched. He fingered one of her curls. “I’m sorry I don’t have a hair dryer. You probably shouldn’t sleep on wet hair.”
“I did earlier. I’ll be okay.”
“Still. Do you need help brushing it?”
Her mouth fell open. “You…you want to brush my hair?”
“Since it’s fucking gorgeous, yes.”
“Um.”
“If you want to do it yourself, have it at. I just thought it might be difficult.” His eyes went to her cast and her hidden ribs.
“Well, if you don’t mind? Can you do a braid? I don’t like sleeping with it loose.”
“Why?”
“It gets really tangled up. It’s so hard to manage that I’ve actually been thinking of chopping a lot off—”
“Babe, you cut off this beauty, I’ll be disappointed.”
She sucked in a breath. “Hector, it’s my hair…”
She was his—even if she didn’t know it yet—which made her body and her hair his, too. He didn’t mention that just then.
“…and I can do whatever I want to it, or to my body.”
His face went hard, not in anger towards her but towards the assholes who took her choices away for too long. When he spoke, the steely edge was there but it was shrouded in velvet. “You’re fucking right you can do what you want to your body. But you’re beautiful, baby, and so is your hair. I’d miss it if it was gone, but I’d be happy to have you, however you came to me.”
Her mouth curved into a frown. She did that a lot around him and he decided it must be a good thing. Maybe she was finally sorting out her head. “Where’s your comb?”
“There’s a brush in the bathroom.”
He returned with it a few moments later. “Turn around, babe.”
“Um, you’ll need to be gentle. My head…”
“I know, baby. Turn around.”
She sat there biting her lower lip.
He leaned towards her. She tensed but didn’t move away. “Trust me, babe.”
She looked at him another moment, then turned and gave him her back.
Progress.
When he finally got his hands on her hair, he had to fight his dick getting hard. He ran his fingers through some damp, but not wet, strands. It wasn’t too tangled—perhaps Beth had done a good job earlier—but he’d need to take it slow. He started at the top and ever-so-gently moved the brush through her hair. When he reached a tangle, he lifted the hair up and brushed quickly through it.
They sat quietly while he brushed. His mind wandered, taking a swirling path through his memories. He wondered if his ma would have liked Amelia, then decided she would because he did. He thought about his family, his time in the army, his injuries…all those experiences led to him meeting Amelia. He’d never been one to believe in fate. When shit happened, it happened. Yet, with her, he might just believe it all happened for a reason.
Five minutes of gentle brushing and her head drooped, then shot up. After she did this twice more, he leaned forward until his lips were at her ear. “Lie down, baby.”
“I, uh, don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Trust me, babe. You’re safe here. With me, you’re safe. In this apartment, you’re safe. Do you believe me?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Are you okay to lay on your stomach?”
“Um, I’m better on my back or side.”
“Roll to your side, then, baby.”
She curled up on her left side, and he situated himself behind her. She kept her body stiff at first, then slowly relaxed as the minutes went on, and the only sounds were their breathing and the brush going through her hair. Eventually, her body went heavy in the bed. He continued to brush until her hair was nearly dry and tangle-free. He didn’t know how to braid—something he’d now decided to learn—so instead he left it as it was.
He wanted to curl up next to her, but he pushed aside his longing and slid off the bed. He rounded it and stopped by her side. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Sleep good, babe. I’m right here if you need me.”
She shifted a little but otherwise didn’t move.
He pulled his lucky seashell out of his pants pocket and put it on the bedside table. He liked to keep it close, but he was leaving it for her, hoping its luck would help her sleep.
He grabbed his wheelchair then shut the door behind him. After cleaning up their dinner, he grabbed a blanket from the closet and tossed it on the couch. He undressed just as he did every night, this time leaving on his boxers. His stumps were red and raw; all his activity last night and today without a break didn’t help things any, but they could have been much worse.
On his back on the couch, one hand under his head, he used the other to pull the blanket over him. It wasn’t big enough to cover his whole body, but it would cover most of him. People were always startled the first time they saw both of his stumps. Though Amelia had seen one before, he wasn’t sure she’d seen them both at the hospital. Seeing two sometimes made a difference, and he didn’t want her to feel awkward if she woke before him and saw them.
He perked up just thinking about the awkward, mildly inappropriate things she might say and he went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Chapter Fourteen
“No. No, no, no!” Millie thrashed around the bed, her eyes wild as they opened in the dark. “No.”
A door opened, and she scrambled back on the bed, pain piercing her ribs. “No.”
“It’s Hector, baby. You’re safe.”
She brushed her hair back from her face and paused.
“It’s me, baby. You’re safe. You’re at my place. It was just a bad dream.”
Hector.
Safe.
Baby.
She sagged against the headboard. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”
His hand tentatively reached for hers and she grabbed it, holding on for dear life.
“You’re safe, baby.”
“Okay.” Her voice suddenly sounded like a child’s.
“I’m here.”
“Okay.” She reached for her glasses and put them on with her cast-covered hand. She had to pull herself together. Had to keep going, keep moving. That’s what she did every time something bad happened to her: she just kept going.
“Do you want to talk about your dream, baby?”
She shook her head, her hair falling around her face. She didn’t move it; she liked hiding behind her hair. Seeing it, however, all she could think about was the gentle way he’d brushed it last night. She’d barely felt it.
“Amelia.”
She gripped his hand tighter. For some reason, she couldn’t let go.
“Look at me, baby.”
She finally met his eyes. God, they were gorgeous. Dark and deep, and they’d gone all melty again.
For her.
The tears were coming. She could feel it. They always started with a tightening in her chest, then a burning in her throat. When her breath staggered, her eyes began to fill. She blinked as much away as she could.
He moved closer. “Babe, I want you to listen to me.”
She gasped when he brushed her hair away, revealing her to him. It was just her face, but it felt like she was baring everything about her.
“I understand what you’re going through. I had nightmares for a long time after what happened to me. Sometimes, I still have them.”
“Y-you do?”
“Yeah.”
“When was your…when did you lose your legs?”
“Over six years ago.”
Oh God. Did that mean she’d have nightmares for that long?
“I don’t know.”
She blinked.
“I can tell what you’re thinking, baby. I don’t know if your nightmares will last that long. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Mine lasted that long because I didn’t start therapy until years later. That’s what helped me get through.”
She tried to picture him baring his soul to a therapist, then pictured herself doing it, and her stomach clenched. She wasn’t sure if she could do it. “You saw a therapist?”
He squeezed her hand. “Still do sometimes. I wouldn�
�t be anywhere without her. I don’t know if she’d be the right fit for what you went through. But if you want to talk to someone, I can get a recommendation from her.”
“You think I need therapy?”
His face softened even more than it already was. “Babe, everyone can use therapy for something. There’s no shame in it. True, it took me a long fucking time to realize that. You’re smarter than me, though, so I know you’ll figure out sooner than I did if you want to talk to someone.”
Her eyes got wide. “You think I’m smarter than you?”
He lifted her hand and kissed the back. “I know you are.”
Wow. He thought she was stronger and smarter than him?
“Do you want me to get a recommendation for you?”
“I…maybe. Yeah. Just in case. I don’t know—”
He kissed her hand again. “Whenever you’re ready. It doesn’t have to be today, or even tomorrow. But sooner is better, yeah? If I have a regret, it’s all the time I wasted avoiding getting better.”
“Thanks, Hector.”
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome.”
He pulled her gently into his arms. One of his hands was on her hand, the other wrapped tight around her back. “You’re safe with me.”
You’re safe with me. She hadn’t felt safe for a very long time.
She curled into him, loving his warmth, loving the feel of him surrounding her and soothing her. She wasn’t sure how long they held each other, but eventually he kissed her temple and pulled slightly back.
“What do you need, baby?”
She wasn’t sure, but she liked his arms a lot. Since she couldn’t say that, she just said, “Nothing.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You deserve everything I’ve got to give, and I’m going to try my damnedest to give it.”
She snuggled closer against him because she really liked that. No one had ever wanted to try so hard to make her happy before.
“Now, how about some water?”
She nodded.
“Be back in a minute, baby.” He looked into her eyes, then at her lips, then back to her eyes again. Keeping his eyes on hers, he lowered his head and brushed his mouth against hers, just the lightest pressure.
Rush_Hector & Millie Page 23