Page 143 of For the Birds

“Because I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

James stopped in front of Jed with me still in his arms. “Jed . . . I’m sorry.”

Jed nodded. “We’re good. We’ll talk tomorrow. Take care ofRose.”

James nodded. Then he bounded up the stairs, still carrying me, and headed straight into his bathroom. He set me down on the side of the tub as he walked into the shower and turned on the water. After stripping off his own bloody clothes, he sat down beside me and approached me like I might break apart if he touched me. “I’m gonna take off your dress, okay?”

I nodded, tears tracking down my cheeks again. In the mirror, I could see I was drenched in Merv’s blood as well as my bruised and battered face. I reached up to help James take off my dress, but now that his body heat wasn’t next to me, I was shivering uncontrollably again. He must have decided this wasn’t the time for gentleness, because he grabbed the neckline of my dress and ripped it down the middle, tugging it down. The dress fell to the floor, and he carried me into the shower, still wearing my bra and panties and the gun holster around my thigh.

After setting me on the tiled bench, he angled the steaming water on me. “Is that toohot?”

I shook myhead.

“Do you want it warmer?”

“Yeah.”

He adjusted the temperature and then took off my underwear and the holster, tossing them out of the shower and onto the floor. The contrast from last night to now was startling, yet the demanding passion and tender devotion were both part ofhim.

He washed me with shower gel, his hands gentle, and when he was done, he pulled me to my feet and pressed me to his chest as the water pelted my back. “You’ve stopped shivering. Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly, but then I decided he deserved the truth. Even if it scared him. “Sort of. I still don’t feel quite right.”

“What do youneed?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe I need sleep.”

He grabbed a towel and brought it into the shower before he turned off the water. As soon as he had me dry, he got out and grabbed another towel out of a cabinet. I tried to get out too, but he wrapped the fresh towel around me and scooped me up instead. He carried me into his room, tossing down the covers and gently laying me on the sheets. By the time he’d covered me up, I was shivering again.

He sat next to me and studied me with fear in his eyes. “I’m going to make you some hot tea. Maybe you need to be warmed up from the inside.”

“Okay.”

The tea helped, but it wasn’t enough. James climbed into bed with me, pressing his naked front to my back and covering my arms and legs with his own. Within a minute or so, my shivering stopped.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

We were honest when we were naked. “I’m scared to go to sleep.” Every time I closed my eyes, that horrible darkness filled myhead.

“You’re safe, Rose. I swear it. No one’s gettin’ inhere.”

I laced my fingers with his. “Iknow.”

“I didn’t protect you tonight,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not your responsibility.”

“But I want you to be.” He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on my temple. “Go to sleep. Let me take care of you. Let me do this so I don’t feel so helpless.”

“Okay.”

He began to lightly stroke my arm, and soon I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. I’d face reality tomorrow.

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