Page 75 of Fumbled Love

I sighed and hung my head, hoping I could somehow get it to settle down. “I’m so sorry, Kinley. Chad has a point, I’m partially to blame for all this.”

Her eyes softened in understanding. “You have nothing to be sorry for, so please stop blaming yourself.”

I shook my head. “I feel like I failed you, and I promise you, I will never make that mistake again.”

She leaned forward, and I pulled her into my chest. Never in my life had I been so scared. I pressed my lips to her forehead, not trusting the words that threatened to come out of my mouth. I wanted to lock her away and never leave her side.

Taylor cleared her throat. “Why don’t we give you guys some time alone.” She looked at Chad. “Kinley needs her rest. We can check in with her tomorrow.”

Chad didn’t like that idea very much, but he was smart enough not to argue.

After they left, I palmed her face in my hands and studied her. “Let me run you a bath.”

“Wait. Can we talk about what happened and the things that were said the last time you were here?”

I sighed. “I’d rather not. I don’t want to hear you tell me you can’t be with me. I can’t handle that right now. I just want to hold you. But I also want to make something perfectly clear.” I titled her chin up. “I’m hiring you a bodyguard. Between the media hounding you and what happened tonight, I’m not taking any more chances.” I stared into her eyes. “Please don’t fight me on this.”

“I won’t.” She leaned into my chest.

“Thank you.” I pulled her into me and breathed her in, thankful that she was allowing me to hold her and not pushing me away.

“I need you to understand something too,” she said, leaning back, but keeping a firm grip on my shoulders. “I was coming for you when the season was over.” That made me smile. “The second you left; I knew I made a mistake. I should have trusted you. I should have believed in us and I regret giving up so easily.”

I brushed her hair off her shoulder. “Kinley, I’d like to forget that conversation ever took place.” My hands trailed down along her neck, and I settled my palms against her warm skin. “I’d also like to set the record straight on one more thing and then we are done talking about this.”

“Okay?” Her blue eyes captured mine in a way that almost made me lose focus.

My determined gaze held hers. “We are not broken up.”

Her lips lifted into a smile. “So, I’m stuck with you?”

I laughed. “Damn straight.” My lips brushed against her forehead. “Now, let’s get you ready for bed. You’ve had an exciting day and need to rest.”

She wavered a bit when I pulled her from the couch. “What did the doctor say, exactly?” I asked, keeping my hands firmly planted on her hips to steady her in place.

“He said my body is going through a lot of change and the stress and hormones probably triggered the bleeding. They did a thorough exam and confirmed everything was fine. He wants me to rest and take it easy over the next few days.”

“Thank, God.”

When I stepped inside her bathroom, I frowned. Her tub was tiny, not nearly as big as mine. I didn’t have anything against her apartment, just that it wasn’t mine. I wanted her back in Georgia. I wanted her safe and close by. Basically, I never wanted her out of my sight again.

I kicked off my shoes and hung my suit coat on the hook. I was rolling up my shirt sleeves when she came up behind me. “You’re going to ruin your suit,” she said, wrapping her arms around my middle.

I turned in her arms and placed my hands on her shoulders. “That’s the least of my worries.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said, drawing small circles on my chest.

I lifted her chin so she was looking at me. “For what?”

“I know you’re busy and you obviously went to a lot of trouble to get here so quickly.”

My lips were on hers before she could finish. She chuckled against my mouth. “That’s a good way to shut me up.”

I kissed the tip of her nose. “There is nothing more important to me than you. Nothing,” I repeated, hoping the words would finally sink into her stubborn head.

She gave me a tight squeeze before sliding away. She looked exhausted, both mentally and physically.

There was nothing sexual about the way I helped her strip out of her clothes. Once everything was off, she sagged against my chest. Her fingers skimmed up and down my back. Holding her calmed me in ways I couldn’t fully comprehend.

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