Page 20 of Guarded from Danger

Oh.

Thisis why I refused to give up.

The man who reveals his squishy, sentimental side in the most wonderful ways. The man who’ll do anything to protect me. The man I know I’m falling in love with.

I try to sniff softly before I say, “Thank you. And I have to thank Rhiannon and Jade and Sarah. And Niall. And all your friends, really. Without you guys…”

He leans me back in his arms, then brushes his finger at one tear that managed to escape. “You have all of us. For whatever you need.”

A strange expression crosses his face, and he swallows hard. Clearing his throat, he says, “You must want to rest. I know it was a stressful morning, with Cruz stopping by to ask some more questions, and all the nurse and doctor checkups before you left, and then the drive…”

Iamtired, although I’m feeling much stronger than I did when I was rescued from the cabin. And the thought of snuggling in bed with Xavier without all the noise and interruptions of the hospital sounds wonderful. But there’s something I want even more.

“Or do you want to call your parents?” Xavier asks. “I promised we’d check in with them once we got back here, so they know you’re safe. Unless you’re too tired and you’d rather I call them.”

“Maybe I can text them now, and call later.” Touching my hair, I wince inwardly at how rough and greasy it feels. Jade brought dry shampoo to the hospital for me, but I don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I actually washed it. “I’d really like a shower. Sponge baths aren’t the same.”

He frowns, raking his fingers through his dark brown hair. He’s let it get longer since leaving the military, and I love how there’s one piece that always falls onto his forehead, no matter how many times he tries to push it out of the way. “I’m not sure,Lucy. You’re still unsteady when you walk. And the heat of the shower?—”

Widening my eyes hopefully, I say, “You could shower with me. To help?”

A flare of desire heats his eyes, sparking flashes of gold and amber. Then his jaw tightens. “Just to help.”

“Of course.” While I’m still incredibly attracted to Xavier, I’m not feeling anywhere close to ready for sex. Not when my body and mind are still so fragile. But it makes me feel good to see his interest, to know he wants me even when I’m looking far from my best.

“Okay.” He brushes his lips across mine and gazes at me with a tender expression. “We’ll take a shower. Then you can talk to your parents while I find something for you to eat. Dante and Sarah left a ton of stuff in the fridge for you. And then you can take a long nap. How does that sound?”

I stretch up to kiss him again. “It sounds like a good plan. Except…”

“What?”

“Are you going to take a nap with me? Or do you have to get to work?”

“I’ll be with you all day.” He smiles, but his eyes darken with determination. “I’m not leaving B and A until you’re safe.”

CHAPTER SIX

XAVIER

Lucy says she’s doing okay, but I’m not so sure.

Physically, she’s getting better. In the two days she’s been at B and A, she’s regained more of the weight she lost, and there’s color in her cheeks again. The shadows under her eyes have lightened from a deep purple to a more muted blue. And when she walks, she’s steadier, although she still moves more slowly than her usual pace.

Her physical recovery isn’t what I’m worried about. Not with our two medics, Rhiannon and Dante, both checking on her, reassuring me that Lucy’s recovery is right on track. “Just keep doing the same thing you’re doing,” Dante told us this morning with a smile. “Healthy snacks throughout the day, plenty of liquids, lots of rest, and we’ll keep an eye on those cuts, but I think they’re already healing up nicely.”

So that’s a relief, especially when I think about how she looked when I found her in that awful cabin, shaking and pale and so light when I picked her up… To me, Lucy’s small—she’s half a foot shorter than my six-foot-one and close to a hundred pounds lighter than me—but when I picked her up that day, she felt frail. Fragile.

But I’m worried about how she’s doing mentally. Not that I’m expecting her to magically be okay, like she didn’t just undergo the most traumatic experience of her life less than a week ago. I knew she would struggle. After my years in the Army, I know plenty of people who’ve dealt with PTSD.

It’s just… It’s Lucy. My wonderful, generous, sweet Lucy who wants to see the best in everyone. Lucy who loves romance novels with happy endings and has this special ability to make everyone smile no matter what kind of mood they’re in.

She’s like the sun, warming everyone around her. And somehow, after all the dark shit I’ve done in the name of duty, the crap childhood I had, my stubborn resistance to relationships, the most incredible woman I’ve ever met decided to take a chance on me.

Since I met Lucy, I’ve wanted to protect her. To keep her from experiencing just how evil the world could be.

But I failed miserably. And now poor Lucy has to deal with the consequences. Waking up screaming from nightmares that she’s still locked up in that cabin. Or whispered pleas in her sleep, as she begs her captor to please let her go.

There are the panic attacks, like when the light I’ve been leaving on in the bedroom during the night burned out and she woke up in darkness, shivering and gasping in fear until I was finally able to calm her.

---