Injury

by Tobin, Val

  “But you didn’t tell me you owned that company. You tracked the entire process and celebrated with me when I got the funding, but didn’t tell me it was yours. It made me think you didn’t respect me or trust me, and you wanted to control me. The capper was hearing about it on the news.”

  “Robert, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how else to say it. My intention was to help you—make it up to you for causing you to lose your job. It always comes back to that because it consumed me. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I was afraid.”

  Cope turned his face away from her, and it made her heart jump in fear. He spoke, staring off into nothing. “I abandoned you, and I’m a shit for doing it. I’ve been miserable ever since I walked out on you, leaving you to handle an attempted rape without me. My beauty, I’m the one who needs to ask for forgiveness.”

  The reference to his pet name for her overwhelmed her. “I don’t want to keep going without you, Cope. If I have to, I will, but I don’t want to. I went out with Eric to fill the empty hours and because he’s a nice guy.”

  Dani answered Cope’s unspoken question. “We didn’t sleep together. It would be a long time before I could accept someone else into my bed after what you and I had together.”

  Cope’s fingers played with her hair, and she leaned into him, let him cradle her against his shoulder. The stress eased out of her, and she sighed.

  “Daniella,” he whispered. “I want you. I need you. Can we take this to your bedroom?”

  Chapter 28

  Silently, Dani pressed her lips to Cope’s, and after a long, deep kiss, pulled away. She nodded—just a slight tilt of her head—once, twice. Cope stood, clasped her hand, and helped her off the couch. Suddenly shy, she took reassurance from his warm palm against hers.

  In the bedroom, Dani unbuttoned Cope’s shirt and slid it off his arms. “God, how I’ve missed your beautiful body.”

  One of his fingers traced the outline of her lips, and then, gentle and loving, he bent his head to kiss her again. Cope’s mouth moved from Dani’s lips and glided over her cheek to her throat where it lingered while he nibbled and tasted. Her breath came in gasps, and the room wavered around her. Her hands clasped around his neck, she tingled at his every touch.

  A nip on her ear made her groan. Cope drew down the zipper on the back of her dress. Dani helped by unclasping her arms and wiggling out of the cotton shift, letting it puddle at her feet. Cope nuzzled between her breasts, and when he unhooked her bra, she dropped her arms again and let that slide to the floor as well.

  “I want you on that bed. Now.” Cope’s voice grew hoarse, laced with desire.

  Dani drew away from him, turned back the covers, and climbed onto the bed. Draped across the mattress in just her thong, Dani ran her hands over her body to settle the swelling ache. “Please, Robert. I need you on me.”

  An attempt to speak failed, and Cope let out a growl from deep in his throat. Shoes, pants, socks, and briefs hit the floor next to Dani’s clothes, and then he was on her, pressing his body against her. One hand massaged her breast, then held it still while he took the nipple in his mouth and suckled, nipped, and teased.

  Moans escaped, rising from the depths of her core, and she writhed under him. The sweet agony was so strong Dani thought she might pass out from it. Her hand reached between them, and she yanked her panties off, ignoring the tearing sound that accompanied the motion. The throbbing between her legs intensified. If he didn’t enter her soon, she’d scream from the unbearable need.

  Cope’s hand moved along her body and between her legs, probing and exploring, making her cry out.

  “Please. Please. Please.” Brain fogged, Dani stroked her hands over his biceps and his back. Did he ache as much as she did? The groan spilling from his lips made her believe he did.

  “Daniella.” He kissed her again, tongues tangling, anticipation building. He fiddled with a condom, and she wanted to howl in frustration at the time it took to slide it on.

  “Oh, Robert, now.” Dani guided him to the moist entrance she wanted him to penetrate. Urgency pushed her pelvis into him. So long. She’d been so horribly long without him inside her. Dani arched her back, pressed against him, spreading her thighs wider in welcome.

  His own need obliged, and he thrust into her, hard, their movements growing more frenzied with the contact. Cries mingling, they gave to each other, filling the voids that had opened during their separation. Dani never wanted to be apart from him again, and her whole body gripped him, caressed him, and loved him.

  “Deeper. Please, I need you, all of you.” Unaware she’d said that aloud, the rolling wave of passion consumed her, brought her to the edge, and flung her over. Uncontrolled moans and sighs ripped from her throat, and Cope’s thrusts became fiercer as his own climax followed hers. Dani tightened her internal muscles, drawing a moan of pleasure from him.

  “Oh, God, Dani, you’re killing me.”

  She sighed, contented, and hugged him tight when he collapsed on top of her. “I could stay this way forever.”

  Cope let out an exhausted breath. “You’re wonderful. That was amazing.” He groaned. “I need to move though. Are you okay?”

  Dani nodded, and he rolled onto his back, pulling her into the shelter of his arm as he did. Head on his shoulder, she stroked his soft skin with one hand, a slow, lazy gesture that reflected the sultry ambience of the room. Kisses—lots of kisses—covered his face, shoulders, and chest.

  One of Cope’s hands reached out to brush hair off Dani’s face. He turned to her, gazed into her eyes, and smiled. “I love you.”

  Dani returned the smile. “I love you, too.”

  Afraid that anything said after that would ruin the moment, she snuggled against him and allowed herself to drift into a contented sleep.

  ***

  Voices. Loud, argumentative. A man and a woman. Father. Mother. Dani listened from her bedroom. The memories returned in a lightning bolt flash. In the darkness of her apartment bedroom, Dani’s mind turned back to the room she’d had as a five-year-old child. Back to that night. It burst into her consciousness when she awoke, Cope’s warm body anchoring her, making her feel safe and protected.

  At last, she knew what had happened, understood what she’d seen. The horror of it made her wrench up in the bed, pulling the sheet with her. Dani paused and gently tucked it back over Cope’s chest.

  For a moment, she listened to his light snoring, loving the manliness of the sound. If history were any indicator, there’d be times when it wouldn’t sound so appealing, and he’d get a poke and a request to roll over. In the dim glow of the clock radio, Dani watched Cope sleep, letting the sight of his innocent, beautiful face ground her and squeeze out the terror.

  She’d have to call Detective Vega. A glance at the clock showed that while it was early here, in Toronto, the morning was well underway. It would be okay to call him now. Dani slipped out of bed, threw on her robe, and went to put on the coffee.

  Once the coffee was brewing, she walked into the living room and retrieved her purse from the floor. It astounded her that so little time had passed since she’d dropped it there. So much had happened since Cope had greeted her downstairs after her date with Eric.

  Eric. She’d promised him she’d go out with him again. Heat from a flush crept up her face though no one was around to judge her except herself. Dani shook her head. Can’t think about Eric now. Have to call Vega. She’d call Eric after and tell him she and Cope were back together before he read it in the news.

  Cell phone now in hand, she speed-dialed the detective and waited while the call transferred. He picked up on the second ring.

  “Detective Vega? Daniella Grayson.”

  “Dani? How are you? What can I do for you?” His voice was warm, friendly. It had been a while since they’d last spoken, but he always seemed happy to hear from her whenever she called.

  “I’m fine. Great, in fact. I remembered, Detective—the whole night.” Voice low, but excited, Dani w
anted to pour her story out though the recollections were disturbing.

  “I’ll record this, okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Give me a moment.”

  She waited while Vega set up the recording device, and stated the date, time, his name, and had Dani give her name.

  “Okay, Dani. Start from the earliest memory of that evening and tell me everything.”

  Dani curled up on the couch and spoke. “My father put me to bed and left my room to go watch TV. Lilli immediately nattered at him, telling him he needed to find work. Daddy replied he was doing his best, but she said that wasn’t good enough. Lilli must have stood in front of the television, blocking his view, because Daddy told her to move out of the way.”

  She paused. “My father rarely raised his voice or got angry, but even he had a breaking point. After days of being home with Lilli picking at him, he snapped.”

  When she paused again, Vega interjected. “What were you doing?”

  “Cowering in my bed. I knew it’d get worse—maybe bad enough for Lilli to hit him. People think spousal abuse victimizes women, but men can be abused too. My mother belittled Daddy. She cursed him out, threw things at him, and even hit him. Daddy put up with it because he didn’t want to leave. Anytime he’d threatened to walk out and take me along, she taunted him, calling him a loser. No judge would award him custody, she said, and he had no one to take care of me when he went to work.”

  Tears welled up. Hearing a sound behind her, Dani turned toward it. Cope walked around the couch to her side.

  “One moment, Detective.” Dani pulled the phone away from her ear. “I remember, Robert.”

  “Shall I leave the room while you talk?”

  She shook her head. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  While Cope settled next to her, Dani returned her attention to Vega. “Sorry, Detective. That night, the fighting escalated, and before long, it turned to accusations of cheating.”

  “Who accused whom, Dani?”

  “Both of them. Lilli told Daddy she thought he was cheating on her. Daddy said that was the pot calling the kettle black if he ever saw it. Lilli laughed at him and said that she didn’t care if he knew she was, she was … ” It was difficult to say the words.

  Cope took her free hand and held it in both of his.

  Dani gulped in air, swallowed her tears, and continued. “She admitted to cheating on him. I didn’t understand what it meant, but I knew it involved Daddy’s friend. Then Daddy told her he hadn’t slept with anyone else, but he was leaving, and taking me with him. Lilli said, ‘The hell you will. Try to take my baby from this house, I’ll kill you.’”

  A squeeze on Dani’s hand made her glance up at Cope. Dani searched his eyes and saw compassion. Vega waited on the other end, silent.

  “Thank you, Detective.”

  “For what?”

  “For being so patient with me.”

  “Dani, I know how hard this must be for you. Continue whenever you feel able.”

  Steadied, she spoke again. “I was relieved that Daddy wanted to take me away from the shouting and the hitting. The stress of trying not to make Lilli mad day after day and failing was unbearable. When Daddy mentioned leaving, I got out of bed and tiptoed from the bedroom. If they saw me, they’d be angry, so I tried to be quiet. I got as far as the living room entrance. Lilli chose that moment to come charging out into the hallway, and she caught me. I peed myself when she rounded the corner and walked into me.”

  A glance at Cope again reassured her, and she stared off into space, letting the story flow out of her. “Lilli grabbed me by the ear.” The memory gave Dani an echo of pain on her left ear, making her flinch. “She screamed at me, which wasn’t unexpected, and she hit me, which was also not unexpected. Lilli called me a little pig and told me I had to clean up my filthy mess. I cried, so afraid of her I couldn’t move. Daddy came into the hallway and told Lilli to leave me alone. He said, ‘she’s just a child, Lilli. I’ll clean it up.’ He told me to go change into a dry nightgown and everything would be okay because we were leaving.”

  “That was the last time I saw Daddy.” Voice breaking, Dani wished for a shot of vodka. Another glance at Cope helped the urge to pass. “I went to my room, Lilli right behind me. I changed into another nightgown, and when I tried to get into bed, she grabbed me and … ”

  Cope pulled Dani into his arms, held her while she sobbed.

  Vega’s voice spoke in her ear. “It’s okay, Dani. It’s all right. Continue when you’re ready.”

  Still sobbing, Dani choked out more of the story. “Lilli locked me in the closet. It was dark, and I was so scared. She didn’t say a word—just grabbed me and threw me in there and locked the door. Oh, God, I was just a scared little kid. I thought she was mad because I’d wet myself, and this was my punishment, but I think she was already thinking about killing him.”

  “Lilli left me in that closet the entire night. I slept there—tried to, anyway. In the morning, she got me to school. When I came home from kindergarten, she told me Daddy had left. She said he didn’t want to take me with him. It broke my heart. I always wondered what I’d done that made him leave me behind, that maybe he didn’t want me because I’d peed myself. But she’d lied.” In a quiet voice, she said, “Daddy didn’t leave me behind.” Dani finished with a loud sigh, relieved at getting the story out.

  Vega thanked her for calling and told her he’d have to fly out to LA to interview her again. “I’ll need to video record it, Dani, for the trial. It’s great you got it all out while it was fresh in your mind, but I need an in-depth interview.”

  She agreed and told him she’d have her assistant set it up. They said their goodbyes and disconnected.

  Dani turned to Cope. “Thank you for being here. I don’t know how I’d have gotten through it by myself.”

  “I love you, Dani, and I’ll always be here for you.” He kissed the top of her head. “So sorry you had to experience that. It must have been terrible to believe your father abandoned you and endure such abuse from your mother.” Cope’s arms tightened around her, making her feel safe and secure.

  This sense of stability had allowed the memories to come flooding back as Doctor Hadley had told Dani they would. Relieved she didn’t have to go to work early, Dani suggested they have breakfast before Cope had to leave. With the grand opening of his business looming, he was working long hours every day of the week.

  Cope headed to the shower, muttering about a meeting he had, while Dani went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Déjà vu hit her when she pulled ingredients out of the fridge to make a veggie omelet. The last time she’d wanted to make a meal for Cope, it had ended in disaster. Well, she’d leave the television off. If the news had anything to say regarding her or Cope, it could wait.

  But when the phone rang, she answered it.

  Chapter 29

  Dani picked up the phone.

  Liz cut off her hello. “Are you watching the news?”

  Dani’s heart sank. “No.” Too afraid to ask what this was about, she waited for Liz to continue.

  “He’s out on bail.”

  “Greg?” Dani folded onto the couch.

  “Yes. Turn on the TV. It’s all over the news. There was a problem, or they’d have released him the day after his arrest. He has to stay with his parents until the case goes to court and the verdict comes back. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  Dani glanced toward the hallway, but saw no sign of Cope. “I’m fine. Cope’s here. We’re back together.” Dani’s voice rose with excitement when she said the words.

  “Oh, I’m so happy for you guys. You’re so great together. Cope needs to hear about this. I feel better knowing he’s with you.”

  “Greg won’t come near me now. He’s not crazy.”

  “No, but if he’s drinking, he’s dangerous. Let Cope know. Promise?”

  “Yes, I’ll tell Cope.”

  “Tell me what?” Cope appeared, hair damp and dressed
in his clothes from the previous night.

  Dani thanked Liz for the information, ended the call, went to Cope, and hugged him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Greg’s out on bail.” Dani told him everything.

  Cope cursed and pressed her tight against his chest. “You go nowhere without Ryan.”

  Not surprised he led with telling her to use the bodyguard, Dani nevertheless resented the delivery. “Is that an order?”

  Cope pulled back and stared into her eyes. “If it keeps you safe, take it however you like. That bastard is out on the streets, and I doubt the short incarceration cured his alcohol problem. Ryan’s driving you to the studio this morning, right?”

  “It’s a location shoot today, but yes, he should be here soon.” Dani remembered the omelets warming in the oven. “Let’s eat. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Ryan’s around when you’re not, Sir Knight.” She smiled and pulled him to the kitchen table.

  Two hours later, in the on-location trailer that would be her dressing room for the next two weeks, Dani put on a robe, preparing for makeup. She still hadn’t listened to the news, afraid to risk upsetting herself by seeing Greg’s picture splashed all over the screen. Paparazzi had camped outside her apartment again. When she’d left for work, Cope’s presence turned their goodbye kiss into a photo frenzy. She wanted to avoid seeing those images too.

  At least she’d be spending most of the day in this secluded mountain area. Preoccupied with the shoot, she’d be able to let the outside world stay outside. Dani looked over the outfit wardrobe had left for her: a business suit, and she’d be climbing rocks and running through brush in it. The stunt double would handle the risky stuff, but Dani would still get dirty, and scenes like this always contained an element of danger.

  A knock on the door brought her out of thoughts of scaling cliffs and climbing trees. Dani let in the makeup artist, sat on the stool in front of the vanity, and started her work day.