“And the night before?”
“I slept.”
“A full night’s sleep?”
She couldn’t look at him and lie, so she ducked her head and didn’t answer. “When was the last time you had a full night of sleep?” That English accent demanded a truthful answer.
“It’s been awhile,” she admitted. “Maybe a week.”
“And?”
“And what?” He looked so expectant and she couldn’t understand why, after all, she’d answered him. She watched as he sighed, reached down, and handed her another half slice of toast.
“And, when was the last time you ate?”
Brianna slowly chewed the bite of toast while she thought through the last two days. It couldn’t really be since that morning in Montana, but it was. That was stupid. She had protein bars in her saddle bags. But her stomach had been knotted up at the idea of seeing everyone she just couldn’t stand the idea of food. Even this morning when Chance had made breakfast, there was just too much activity, and her stomach was too churned up to eat. She realized she had really fucked up. The first time she had seen her foster family in two years, and she had bailed and then pulled one of her famous pass outs.
“Brianna.” He’d waited for her to finish the toast, and as expected he just continued to ask. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Yesterday morning in Billings, I had a breakfast sandwich.”
“Then you drove all the way from Montana to the Washington state peninsula, without eating?”
“Rode. I rode my Ducati.” He took the plate off her lap and handed her back the water bottle. His expression wasn’t as serene as she was used to seeing it. Not upset, not angry, just…disturbed. Like when she had thrown the rock in the lake and disturbed the calm surface.
“Why no sleep last night?”
“May I have the soup, please?” She held out the empty water bottle. He gave her the mug of soup in exchange, and then he watched as she took eager sips. She was very aware of his gaze, and closed her eyes as she savored the tomato flavor. She didn’t know why she didn’t want to tell this man about her run-in with the sheriff. Hell, nobody’s opinion mattered, she was who she was. Acting out was exactly what she had planned to do. But as soon as she thought that, she knew it wasn’t true. Her family mattered.
“I got pulled over when I was caught speeding, and the sheriff impounded my motorcycle. He ended up taking me to the Edgewater motel. It was really late, or really early, depending on your definition. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Charlie Meade?” At last, his brow furled just a little. The only time she had seen any sort of negative expression on his face had been when she had brought in the injured dog. The dog!
“How’s the dog? Is she okay? She’s fine, right?” Soup sloshed over the side of the mug, but it hit the napkin.
“Easy Brianna, yes, your dog is fine. I checked on her before I came in here. She’s still sleeping. I expect her to be sleeping for another four hours.” After he put the soup on the nightstand he grabbed her right hand. “You did a remarkable job in surgery. I don’t know if I could have done that without you. You saved her, Angel.”
Brianna tried to jerk her hand away, but he continued to hold it, and somehow managed to do it in such a way so that she felt comforted, not trapped. “I didn’t save her.” The idea of saving anyone, anything, when she couldn’t save herself was beyond her comprehension.
He lifted her right hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss into the middle of her palm.
“You saved her first when you found her and brought her here, then you saved her again when you assisted in surgery. You two have a very powerful connection.” She yanked her hand back.
“It was serendipity. I was at the right place at the right time. Don’t make this out to be more than it is.”
“All right, I won’t. But I am making it a big deal that your motorcycle actually got impounded, why was that?”
It hit her all at once. In less than twenty-four hours she had two men, two men who weren’t her brothers, both poking their noses into her business, concerned about her wellbeing. “Brianna, tell me why your motorcycle was impounded. Charlie wouldn’t have done that for a normal speeding violation.”
“I was going well over the speed limit. I was having trouble staying on the bike.” She meant for her voice to sound more firm, but she was getting tired. Now his expression turned into an actual frown. Brianna watched in fascination as he took in one, then two, and finally three deep breaths, then his expression was once again back to calm and serene. Zac opened his mouth, and his words were laced with a hint of steel.
“What reason could there have been for you to have been riding your bike that fast, Angel?” She looked at him. He didn’t seem angry, only curious. But that voice didn’t allow for anything other than the truth.
“I was anxious, and over-tired, but mostly not paying attention.”
“Why was that, Brianna?”
“It was the first time I was going to see my family in a couple of years,” she admitted softly. “I’ve got to get up. They must be frantic.” She pushed herself up against the pillows. “I’m supposed to be at a party.”
“Brianna, they know you’re here with me. They wanted to come over, but I convinced them that you would be fine, and you wouldn’t want to interrupt their plans.” What he said made sense, but…
“You couldn’t have known what I would have wanted.” He just looked at her, and she stared back. His eyes were so bronze, staring at her with the same intense concentration he had when looking at the beautiful injured dog.
“I knew you would want to recover in private.” That sentence reverberated through her entire body, and she couldn’t take in any air. “Breathe.” He stroked his lean fingers down her throat.
“How?”
“We’re a lot alike, you and I.” She stared at him, really seeing him, the amber eyes and the hair that looked blue-black in the lamplight and swung around his stubbled jaw. He was gorgeous. How had she missed that? She looked back up at him, and his eyes danced. She was caught. She opened her mouth to say something and instead she yawned, her eyelids getting heavy.
“It’s time for you to sleep again.”
“But the party, I have to go.” Zac watched her as she once again struggled to sit up. He ran his hands up her arms, and pushed against her shoulders so that she was pressed against the pillows.
“Chance and Sam want you to just rest up. Okay?” She gave a tired nod. He cupped the back of her head, and lifted, pulling a pillow from beneath her so that she could lie a little flatter.
She thought she said thank you. She hoped she did. She knew it was important to always say thank you to handsome men before passing out on them.
* * * *
He picked up the tray and turned off the lamp, but left the door open as he left his bedroom. Chaos looked at him, and then decided to stay in the bedroom. He didn’t go to his normal spot at the end of the bed, but instead curled up beside the bed, as if to watch over Brianna. She seemed to have that effect on men.
When he got to the kitchen, he called Sam’s cell phone.
“Hey, Carmichael, how is she doing?” Zac had to smile. He liked a man who knew what was important and focused on it.
“She just ate something, and immediately fell back to sleep.”
“Mama Betty, he actually got her to wake up and eat something.” There was a pause as Sam handed the phone to someone.
“Hello, Zac, this is Betty Hutchins. We’ve met at the community center, I don’t know if you remember me.”
“Yes, I remember. It’s good to talk to you. Your daughter is lovely.”
“Yes she is, Zac. Brianna is lovely inside and out. Now Sam said something about you getting her to eat? What did she eat?”
Zac grinned. That was exactly what his mum would have asked. “Tomato soup and buttered toast, ma’am.”
“That was a good choice. Normally we can’t get her to eat. You did goo
d, Zachary. You call me Betty. Do you have a pen handy, or can you key a phone number while you’re talking on the phone?” Zac pulled the phone away from his ear and finally put it back, picking up a pen. “Give me your number, Betty.”
She gave him her number. Then there was a long pause. “Zac, I just remembered. Whenever she lets herself go like this, she has nightmares. I’m going to come on over.”
“Betty, that’s not necessary. Tell me what I need to do, I can cope with nightmares.”
“They’re pretty bad.” He heard the tremble in the woman’s voice, and realized that there was more to the story than she was letting on.
“Betty, I’ll stay close. There’s a party going on, isn’t there? For Olivia?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what I need to know, and I can help her. I understand about nightmares.” He let the truth come through his voice. He did know about nightmares, but he also knew about visions of angels.
“She screams, and sometimes wakes up not knowing where she is. She needs to know she’s safe. If she has a nightmare it’s imperative she knows where she is. She gets confused. Her childhood was so chaotic and I know she was still having these nightmares in her late teens. The last time she stayed with us, she was twenty-two and she had one.”
“I understand that there are a lot of reasons a child ends up in foster care. I promise to stay close. I won’t let her wake up alone, Betty.” Zac heard the older woman’s sigh of relief.
“All right, I’m trusting you with my baby, Zac. Butch and I have both heard good things about you.” Zac grinned. He loved the small town of Fate Harbor and how everyone knew of everyone else. It was the reason he agreed to set up shop with Emily. It reminded him of Frieth, the village he grew up in.
“Betty, I need to get back to Brianna.”
“Thank you, Zachary, you take good care of my girl.” Betty hung up, and Zac took a moment to plug her number into his cell phone, and then grabbed the book he had been reading before heading back into his bedroom.
Chaos looked up at him, but at his signal he rested his head back down. Zac went to a corner chair and turned on the reading light, looking up, and saw that Brianna hadn’t stirred. He got lost in the book. It was one of his favorite authors, and the fourth book in the series. He didn’t know how long he had been reading it, but he was almost done when he heard childlike whimpers coming from the bed. Before he could even get up from his chair, Chaos gave a yip to let him know there was a problem.
He was across the room by the time the first scream echoed through the room. Brianna was scrabbling back against the headboard, her eyes wide and sightless.
“Brianna, it’s okay, you’re safe. You’re in Fate Harbor, Angel. You’re in Fate Harbor with your family. Do you remember?” He reached out slowly with one hand, the same way he would with an abused animal. She shrank back further. She was precariously close to falling off the side of the bed.
“Brianna, you’re going to fall off the side of the bed. I’m Zac, remember me? You brought the injured dog into my clinic.” He could see he still wasn’t getting through. She was still whimpering. He reached further, almost touching, just to save her from falling, and she let out a high-pitched shriek. He quickly pulled back his hand.
“Chaos. Up.” The dog jumped onto the bed. “Settle.” The black dog looked at Zac, and then immediately pressed his muzzle against Brianna, and she grabbed him tight, like a lifeline. Chaos gave a sigh of satisfaction, and Zac could totally understand. Who wouldn’t want to be wrapped up tightly in this woman’s arms? Her back was still pressed tightly against the headboard, but her face was pushed into the ruff of the dog’s neck, and she was finally breathing deeply, not those panicked little breaths. Zac’s inner clock told him it was ten minutes before she peeked up at him from under her tear-spiked red lashes.
“Zac, right?” Her voice was husky.
“Right.”
“Sorry I went c–crazy on you.”
“Hey, Angel, no you’re fine. You had a nightmare. I’ve had nightmares. You didn’t go mad.” Her lashes lifted and he saw green eyes awash with tears, and it about broke his heart. He lifted both of his hands carefully, and both Brianna and Chaos watched him carefully as he softly cupped her shoulders and stroked down her arms. Then she hid her face back down in Chaos’ neck.
“Can you look back up at me, Brianna?” She hugged Chaos tighter for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked up.
“Sometimes when I sleep too deeply I must remember things, and they scare me.” She looked so lost and confused. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“Can you tell me about them?”
“I don’t want to remember.” She sounded so lost, and her voice came out like a child. He ran his hands up her arms, and cupped her cheeks, wiping at the tears.
“Angel, I know you don’t want to remember. Tell me anyway.”
“Not an angel. Demon. I’m a demon,” she whispered. Her eyes wide, she said it with the voice and conviction of a young child.
“No. No, Brianna, you’re not.” Tears spilled so fast, he had no hope of wiping them away. She started trembling again, and Chaos whined.
Zac leaned over the dog to gather her into his arms, and she shuddered so hard, he thought she would break apart. “Please I’ll be good. I promise. I’ll be good. Please don’t hurt me again. I’ll be good this time.” She tried to push backward. He drew back immediately and Chaos pushed closer and gave two yips, which caught her attention. She grabbed him in an even tighter hug and sobbed into his neck. Zac strained to hear what she was saying, and finally he could make it out. Over and over again, she said, “Honest, I’m not a demon.”
It was over an hour before she fell back asleep.
Chapter 6
Brianna woke up in a strange bed, feeling like she had been run over by a truck. Looking around, she had no idea of where she was. It was probably Chance and Sam’s house. Stretching her neck, she clutched the pillow, inhaling a unique scent. She tried to place it. Then she heard a soft shuffle, and two paws and a head peeked over the side of the bed.
Everything came crashing back. The speeding ticket. Meeting Chance and Sam’s wife and baby. The dog. The vet. The surgery. Zac. She looked down. She was still in her clothes. She vaguely remembered soup. Damn it, a nightmare. She definitely remembered a nightmare.
“Fuck!” The dog hopped up on the bed and burrowed against her. Oh, she remembered this, she remembered this dog. She grabbed on, and he seemed to melt into her arms. She must have hugged too tightly because he let out a bark.
“You’re awake.” Looking up, she saw Zac leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom. He looked better than any man had a right to look. She released her grip on the dog, but he stayed right where he was, snuggled against her. She smiled down at him.
“You’ve made a conquest, Angel.”
She ignored the endearment. “How’s the dog?”
“Your dog is doing well. She’s had her breakfast. Now it’s time for ours. I’ll show you where you can take a shower and get a change of clothing.” That sounded wonderful. It wasn’t the first time she’d slept in her clothes, still it wasn’t her favorite thing to do.
She followed him down the hall, with the dog padding behind them.
“This is Emily’s room. She’s my partner. She has to sometimes spend the night when she has a problem patient. I know she keeps clothes here, and she won’t mind if you help yourself. You’re taller than her, but there should be something that works. When you’re done, Chaos will lead you to the kitchen.”
Brianna looked down at the intelligent brown eyes of the lab collie mix. Then she looked back up at Zac. “He seems almost human.”
“I often think that animals are smarter than humans, definitely emotionally smarter than most humans. He’ll take care of you, Brianna.”
She really liked his smile. His teeth shone whitely against his dark skin. As he walked out of the bedroom she couldn’t help but admire his ass
. He had a great ass. When she turned to the dresser to pull out some clothes, she caught Chaos looking at her, and she could have sworn he was grinning. She hoped that he wasn’t so emotionally smart that he was a mind reader.
She didn’t really need Chaos to lead her to the kitchen. The smell of food would have been guide enough.
“I must say, you’re looking much better than you did when you passed out last night.”
“Sorry to have done that. I usually try to save that for family.” She grinned. Brianna noted that Zac was giving her bigger helpings of food and she was happy to see it. She was famished.
“So you’re British, right?” she asked, scooping up more eggs with her toast.
“Yes. How did you know? Most Americans guess me to be Australian.” Brianna had to force herself to focus on his question. His English accent was yummy. Everything about him was. He was totally built. If she had to guess, he was of Indian heritage. Today the white T-shirt he was wearing showed off his arms and shoulders, and she had a thing for arms and shoulders. She loved the tattoo he had around his right bicep. It looked almost Celtic in design. His last name was Carmichael. Was that Celtic in origin? Did it matter? The whole package was bitable, and she wanted to sink her teeth into him. She took a large bite of bacon and Zac smiled, almost as if he could read the direction of her thoughts.
“Brianna, how did you know I wasn’t Australian?”
“Hmmm?” He’d asked something. She replayed it. “Oh, I had an Aussie friend, Fiona. Her accent was very distinctive, not at all like yours.”
“That’s impressive.”
Even though he seemed honest in his praise, she went to a bad place. She felt herself hunching over her plate, and then forced herself to straighten up. She was no longer a child, she was a woman. She was in charge of her life, and she had nothing to apologize for. If she was good at something, it didn’t mean she was bad! She hated it when she had one of those dreams. It was as if she had a layer of slime that took days to wash off, but in the meantime all the old tapes of her childhood were precariously close to the surface.
Cherishing Brianna [Fate Harbor 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5