Every fiber of his being wanted to be with Kassie. To watch her chest move up and down. To see for himself that she really was all right.
* * *
“Hey, Kass,” Hollywood said softly twenty minutes later. Her parents had come back to the waiting room and had left soon thereafter with Karina and Conor.
He’d thanked everyone who had shown up to show support for Kassie and had followed the nurse up to Kassie’s room. The machines around her beeped as they monitored her breathing, heart rate, and even the oxygen levels in her blood.
But he only had eyes for her. There was a large bruise around her temple, and she had a shiner forming under one eye. She was lying on her back with an IV in her arm and oxygen under her nose. It wasn’t until Hollywood touched her arm that he breathed out a sigh of relief.
Warm. She was warm.
He shifted until he was holding her hand in both of his. His lips twitched. Cold. He chafed her fingers gently as he spoke. “Your sister is fine. You protected her from that asshole hurting her. She got out and ran like hell. You should’ve seen her. I didn’t think Coach was going to be able to catch up with her.”
He paused and pulled his chair as close to the bed as he could get it. He shifted until he was near Kassie’s head. He said the words he knew he’d never say when she was awake and conscious. He hadn’t realized exactly how angry he was with her until right this moment. He’d been too concerned about finding her and then getting her the medical help she needed. But seeing her lying in the hospital bed, hurting, had brought it all to the surface.
“I’ve never been as pissed at anyone in my life when I woke up and realized you’d snuck out. You should’ve woken me up, sweetheart. You wouldn’t be lying here if you had. My team and I are trained in this shit. We could’ve handled this.”
He paused. The moment the words left his mouth, it was as if the anger went with them. “I hate seeing you like this. But you should know, I’m gonna help you through this. I’ll be by your side every step of the way. You’ll bitch at me, get sick of me babying you, and you’ll wanna get back to your routine way before you’re ready. But that’s okay, because I’ll be there to make sure you only do what you can. I love you, Kassie Anderson. I want to marry you. I want to give you as many babies as you can handle, and then a couple more. I don’t want to live one more minute of my life without you in it.”
She didn’t even twitch.
Hollywood smiled. “Sleep, sweetheart. Heal. I’ll be back in the morning and we’ll get started on our life together.”
He carefully tucked her hand next to her side and covered it with the blanket. He did the same to her other arm and hand, making sure not to disturb her IV. When she was tucked in to his satisfaction, Hollywood stood up and put his hand on her cheek. He leaned in and lightly kissed her dry lips. Then he rested his on her forehead and vowed, “Thank God your ex-boyfriend was an ass and blackmailed you into messaging me on that dating website.”
He stood, kissed his fingers, laid them over her lips, then turned and left the room with a big smile on his face.
Chapter 21
Six weeks later
“For God’s sake, Hollywood, go already,” Kassie bitched.
“No. You’re not ready.”
“I’m fine,” Kassie told him. “It’s been a month and a half. My doctor said that I could resume most of my normal activities. I love you, but I don’t need you fused to my hip anymore.” Her voice softened. “You need to get back to doing your job, hon. How are we going to eat if you don’t have a job to earn money to feed us?”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Hollywood admitted.
They were standing in the kitchen in Fletch’s garage apartment. Hollywood had wanted to move Kassie into his, but felt better that Fletch and Emily were only steps away if he needed help with Kassie or she needed anything when he was on the post working.
She’d stayed in the hospital in San Antonio for a week, then had asked to be transferred up to one in Austin. She wanted her parents and sister to get back to their normal routine, and living in Conor Paxton’s house in San Antonio wasn’t normal for them.
She’d spent another week recuperating and having her bandages changed at Austin Memorial. Her parents had wanted her to move in with them while she continued to heal, but Hollywood had convinced her to temporarily move to Temple while she got back to normal.
She was on sick leave from her job, and the thought of continuing to be able to see Hollywood every day was too much to resist. He’d driven down every day to see her while she was in the hospital in Austin, and she’d gotten used to him being there every time she’d woken up.
So she’d let him convince her to stay in the garage apartment, and Hollywood had essentially moved in with her.
They’d had their first fight a month after she’d been hurt when she found out from Rayne that the team was supposed to go on a mission, but Hollywood had flat out refused to leave her. Since he did, the rest of the guys had too. Their commander had not been happy, to say the least; it wasn’t as though they could actually say no to orders. But Hollywood had.
Kassie had yelled, cried, and generally worked herself up, telling him he had to go. That she didn’t want him to be court-martialed or demoted or whatever would happen if he didn’t leave when Uncle Sam told him to go.
But Hollywood refused to budge, saying that she wasn’t well enough to stay home by herself for whatever length of time they’d be gone. Luckily, clearer heads prevailed, and Ghost talked to the guy in charge of the other Delta team they’d worked with down at the refuge and they’d arranged to have them complete the mission.
But now it was two weeks later, and Kassie felt good. She wasn’t one hundred percent, but she was a lot better than even two weeks ago. She could maneuver the steps leading up to the apartment with no problem, as long as she went slowly. She could even put a bra on by herself, which was a huge accomplishment in her eyes.
She put her hand on Hollywood’s arm. “I’m okay. I swear.”
He took a huge breath and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his body. “I’ve spent the last forty-plus nights with you. I don’t want to spend even one without you now.”
“I know,” she soothed, running her hands up and down his back as she laid her cheek on his chest. “But you have to.”
“I don’t want to,” he said stubbornly.
“I know,” Kassie repeated. “But you have to.”
She felt him nuzzle the hair by her ear then he whispered, “Yeah.”
“I’ll be fine, Graham,” Kassie told him.
“Yes, you will.” Hollywood then took a step back and said, “I have something to show you.”
“Okay?”
“Go sit on the couch. I’ll be right back,” Hollywood ordered.
She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him. Without a word, she did as he asked. He’d been especially bossy ever since she came home from the hospital, but since most of the time he ordered her to do things she wanted or needed to anyway, Kassie didn’t call him on it.
It was almost as if he knew her body better than she did. He could tell when she’d overdone it and was tired, or hurting, and needed a pain pill. She would’ve been worried he could read her mind, but it honestly didn’t bother her. It felt nice to be so cared for.
She gently eased herself to the cushion on the couch and waited for Hollywood to return.
He came back into the small living room a second later. He’d gone into the bedroom and was now carrying what looked like a letter.
He sat and held it out to her.
“What’s this?”
“Read it and see,” Hollywood told her. He settled into the corner of the couch and pulled her into the circle of his arms.
Kassie shifted until her back was against him. His arms went around her chest and she relaxed farther into them. They’d spent many a night sitting just like this as they watched television together or simply talked.
&nbs
p; It had been uncomfortable for her to lay flat on her back for a long time, and they’d found that this position was the most enjoyable. She could sit up, taking the pressure off her wounds and ribs, but it also allowed her to snuggle, which was more important in her eyes.
The letter had already been opened, so she pulled out the single piece of paper and began to read.
Hollywood,
Hello from beautiful Idaho. It’s so quiet sometimes it’s almost eerie. I hope you and the rest of the team will come visit and help me break in the grill I bought the other day. Friends are hard to come by up here, as the state motto seems to be “leave me alone.” You’d probably hate it because it’s impossible to tell the difference between a simple prepper who’s paranoid the world is gonna end and an actual terrorist who’s planning destruction on a massive scale.
I swear I’ve been feeling like I’ve got eyes on me all the time. Not sure if it’s just because I’m the newcomer, or if it’s something more. Wouldn’t it suck if I moved all the way out here for some peace and quiet and found myself in the middle of some underground ISIS terrorist sleeper cell, huh? But no worries, I’ve got Tex on speed dial and Truck calls me every fucking week to chat like a girl. You know I’ll let you guys know if I need backup.
Anyway, please say hello to everyone for me. Tell Annie that I expect her parents to bring her out here to visit. I’ve got a huge yard and can build the biggest obstacle course she’s ever seen.
I hope Kassie is healing all right. She’s one tough chick and you’re a lucky son of a bitch. I thought the enclosed might speed up the healing process for her. At least a little bit.
~Fish
A newspaper clipping was attached to the short letter with a paperclip. Kassie ran her eyes over it—and gasped in shock. She looked up to Hollywood with wide eyes. “Is this…is it really truly over?”
Hollywood kissed her lightly and nodded. “It’s over.”
Kassie read through the short article. The gist was that there had been a riot at the Leavenworth federal prison, and an inmate and two guards had been killed. The prison was currently on lock down, and no visitors were allowed in until an investigation was completed. The guards killed were suspected to have been bribed by visitors to smuggle items into and out of the prison. Phone calls had mysteriously not been recorded, as was procedure, and the government was “looking into” increased terrorist activities as a result of information that was passed from prisoners to visitors.
“Holy shit,” Kassie said under her breath.
“We don’t know the specifics,” Hollywood told her softly, “but Fish hinted several times that he had connections with the prison. We don’t know who or how, but we suspect this was his doing. He called in a marker or two and took care of it.”
“He had Richard killed?” Kassie asked, wanting clarification.
Hollywood nodded.
“So it’s really done,” Kassie stated.
“It’s really done.”
She dropped the letter and article on the floor, not caring where they landed, and turned to Hollywood. He held her hips steady as she straddled him and said, “You need to get back to your life. I wish we could live here and not have to worry about jobs or anything. But we can’t. We need to eat. I’m going to want to get back to work. I’ve already talked to my boss at home, and he said he didn’t think it would be a problem to transfer me up here. They always need managers, and I’m damn good, if I do say so myself. Stop giving the commander shit and do what you do best.”
“Will you be all right if I’m gone?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kassie told him without hesitation. “I’ll miss you. And I’ll worry about you. But I’ll be fine. Emily and Annie are here. And I’ve seen Rayne and Harley almost every other day. I’ve never had such good friends before. Richard somehow manipulated me into giving up my friends and alienated me from a lot of people who cared about me. It feels really good to have girlfriends again. I’ve got people here who will watch out for me.”
“You have a doctor’s appointment coming up. Will you let one of the girls take you?”
“Yes. If it would make you feel better.”
“It would,” he said immediately.
“Then yes. Hollywood,” Kassie said firmly, “I was hurt. It sucked. But you saved me, and then nursed me back to health. I want a relationship between us to work, but in order for that to happen, we need to get back to the way we were before.”
“I don’t want that,” Hollywood told her. He brought a hand up and palmed the side of her face. “I want the new us. The us that lives together. Who eat dinner together. The us who hang out with our friends and laugh until we want to puke.”
“Me too,” Kassie said, tilting her head, giving him her weight.
“I’m glad the other team took the previous mission, but I’ll tell the commander I’m in this time,” Hollywood said.
“Good. And you should know, I’m going to ask the doctor about his thoughts on when he thinks I’ll be able to have sex.”
“You’re not ready,” Hollywood protested.
“I knew you were going to say that,” Kassie said with a laugh. “And I’m not. Not today. But I will be. Soon. I love you, Hollywood. I wasn’t even able to think about being intimate with you until recently. But I want it. I want you. I want all of you.”
Hollywood’s fingers tightened on Kassie’s hips, but he immediately gentled his hold. “I love you so much, Kass,” he said softly. “I didn’t know I could care about anything or anyone as much as I do you. Yes, I want to make love to you, but I’m more terrified of hurting you.”
“I won’t let you.”
“You better not,” he growled. Then he sighed and said, “We leave tomorrow afternoon.”
Kassie flinched, but quickly controlled it. “Good. We can snuggle tonight, then tomorrow you can go and kick some ass.”
He smiled, but Kassie could tell it was forced.
“You gotta get back on the horse, Hollywood,” she chided. “I probably won’t even know you’re gone.”
They both knew she was lying, but he let it go. “I’m proud of you, Kass. You’ve been through hell, but you don’t let on how much it’s taken out of you. I’ve watched you talk to your sister for hours, then call your mom to let her know what’s up with her other daughter so she can keep an eye out. Then immediately welcome Annie up here and listen to her chatter on for hours about nothing. Please…take care of yourself while I’m gone. I won’t be here to send Annie home. Or tell you to take a pain pill. Or cut you off when you want to talk to your mom for hours.”
“I will. I promise. Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”
Hollywood scrunched up his nose and shook his head. “It could be a day, or it could be weeks. It all depends.”
“Well, don’t you get yourself hurt. The last thing we need is both of us injured. It would suck to get the all clear to finally be able to have sex, only to have you benched.”
Hollywood laughed. “I won’t.”
“Love you,” Kassie told him, folding herself down onto his chest.
He immediately wrapped his arms around her and said, “Love you too, Kass.”
She closed her eyes and soaked up the love she could feel emanating from the man under her.
Two weeks later
Hollywood opened the door to the garage apartment and slipped inside. He’d been gone a hell of a lot longer than he thought he would be, but their missions were sometimes like that. It wasn’t as though a terrorist would jump up and say “Here I am!” when they were trying to elude the good guys.
The apartment was quiet as he put his duffle bag down, and Hollywood headed for the bedroom. He needed to hold Kassie in his arms and see for himself that she was all right.
He opened the door to the single bedroom and stared in disbelief. The bed was empty. It was made as if no one had slept there for days.
Just as he began to panic, his phone softly dinged with a text.
Fletch: Sh
e’s over here
Sighing in relief, Hollywood spun and headed back to the front door. He had no idea why Kassie was over in the big house, but it didn’t matter. Maybe she was lonely. Maybe she was worried about him and Emily was giving her moral support. Maybe Emily was worried and Kass was giving her moral support. Whatever. He didn’t care. If she was happy and healthy, it didn’t matter what bed she slept in, as long as he could be there with her.
Fletch was waiting for him at the front door as he quickly strode across the lawn. As soon as he was inside, Fletch closed it and reset the alarm. He pointed down the hall toward one of the guest rooms. Hollywood gave his friend a chin lift and headed that way.
He cracked open the door and the light from the hall illuminated Kassie, sound asleep in the queen-size bed. Hollywood shut the door silently and took off his T-shirt and jeans. Wearing nothing but his boxers, he slipped under the covers behind Kassie and snuggled up against her. He threw an arm over her waist and gently kissed her shoulder before lying his head down on the pillow next to her.
She didn’t wake up, but did shift until her ass was pressed more firmly against him. Hollywood felt his cock stir, but was too tired to get a true hard-on. For the first time in two weeks, he relaxed completely. All was right in his world again.
One month later
Kassie stood before Hollywood completely naked. Over the last two weeks, they’d slowly begun to introduce intimacy back into their relationship. They’d started with making out on the couch. Then they’d rounded the bases, second, then third. Two days ago they’d showered together, and Hollywood had held her in his arms while he’d used the portable showerhead to make her come harder than she ever had before in her life. Then she’d gone to her knees and showed him her appreciation.
Rescuing Kassie: Delta Force Heroes, Book 5 Page 25