Page 267 of Duty and Desire
She stilled. What the heck? Oh, crap. She’d just had the best sex of her life, and then he’d passed out. How bad was his concussion? She had to get him to a hospital. He was still inside her, for Pete’s sake. Lifting up with her knees on the bench, she levered up to release him. She scrambled to the side, and he slid off the bench and landed on the wet tiles with a loud thud.
Damn it. She rushed for the faucet handle and twisted it off. He fell to the side, his head thunking against a wall tile. She yelped and ducked to grab his head and guide him all the way down before he hurt himself more.
He opened his eyes. “Abs?”
“You’re okay. Let’s get you to a doctor.” Thank God. He was awake. A hysterical laugh nearly escaped her. “Your head isworse than we thought.” Ducking her shoulder, she tried to lift him. “I need your help.”
He grabbed the bench and lurched to his feet. “I’m fine. Just need sleep.”
“No—”
He threw one bruised arm over her shoulders and limped out of the shower and propelled her straight into the bedroom and to the bed. “A couple of hours, Abby. That’s all.” He slid beneath the covers and pulled her with him, spooning her and wrapping both arms around her. A second later, he was snoring in her ear.
She blinked. She couldn’t move. Her body felt all sorts of aches and pains, and her neck really hurt. Had he actually bitten her? His warmth drew her under, and her eyelids slowly closed. Maybe just a few minutes of sleep wouldn’t hurt. If he stopped snoring, then she’d call an ambulance.
Wait a minute. Why did her hip and butt burn like she’d been branded? With that one odd thought, she fell into a light sleep.
CHAPTER 10
A muted knock on the outside door awoke Abby. She blinked and turned to see Noah sprawled on his stomach, taking up most of the bed, his head turned away from her. His back only held a couple of bruises, light ones, so at least that part of his body had been spared. She slid from the bed and drew on her clothes that she’d gathered last night in one place. Not caring if she was keeping somebody waiting, she quickly used the bathroom and found a new toothbrush to use. She washed makeup off her face and smoothed back her hair the best she could. Then she walked out into the chilly living room and looked through the peephole.
A second later, she opened the door. “Coffee,” she mumbled, staring at the holder with three coffees.
“Here,” Tabitha said, quickly handing one over. She frowned, scrutinizing Abby. Then she lifted her nose and... sniffed? “Oh my. You okay?”
“Hmmm.” Abby took a big drink of the coffee and backed up, not caring in the slightest that she probably looked a mess. She took another drink. “Are you here to see Noah?” Jealousy reared up hard and fast along with the caffeine hit. Of course other women would be interested in the hard-bodied badass.
“No. I came here for you,” Tabitha said, looking way too put together in her gray skirt, pink shirt, and matching jacket. “I called Mariana, who gave me Raine’s number, who told me you were probably here. It’s Monday morning, and I need you to get to work.”
Work. She’d forgotten all about her new job. She glanced back at the bedroom. “Noah was hurt yesterday, and I’m not quite sure how, to be honest, and he’s still sleeping.” Her body, on the other hand, felt pretty damn good. Relaxed and somehow lighter. No more aches or pains. She rubbed her neck, which still felt a little odd. Bite marks ran along her fingers. He had bitten her! How odd. Sexy, but odd.
“Um, okay.” Tabi backed away. “So. You’re with Noah. That’s great. I mean, wonderful. Did he, ah, explain about his, well, family?”
“No.” Abby frowned, sipping more coffee. “Why? Does that matter?”
The stunning blonde just stared for a couple of moments. “Yes. That matters,” she breathed. She looked at Abby’s neck. “He bit you. Did he say anything about that?”
“No.” Abby rubbed her neck again. So there was a mark. “That’s odd, right? But he was concussed and drunk, and I guess he lost control a little bit.” It felt weird to be talking about such intimate moments with a stranger, but it wasn’t like she had friends in town.
“Oh. Okay. Well, how about we start tomorrow? You and Noah should probably talk, and then we can, you know, start working?” Tabi’s eyes widened, and her face paled.
Abby sipped her coffee. “What’s wrong with you?” She looked back toward the bedroom and then to the small woman. “I mean, we’re both consenting adults.”
Tabi snorted. Actually snorted. “Right. Well. Hmmm.”
What the heck did that mean? “Are you judging me?” Irritation rose along with Abby’s awareness.
“No.” Tabi wetted her pink lips. “Not at all. Don’t care, in fact. But I wanted to make sure I wasn’t interrupting an important discussion, you know?” She kept backing away until she was outside and on the sidewalk, looking like she was about to bolt. Fast.
“I know.” Abby followed her, taking control for the first time in way too long and shutting the door behind herself. “I could use some space, and he needs more sleep. How about you take me to my place, I shower, and then we can get to work.” She paused, her chest filling. “I really do appreciate the job, Tabi. I’ll do a good job. I promise.”
Tabi hesitated, looking at the now closed door.
“Come on.” Abby linked her arm through her new boss’s, and led her toward a brand new and sparkling white BMW waiting by the curb. It had to be Tabi’s car. “I need a little time to think before seeing him again. Surely you understand that.”
“Well. I’ll take you to your place for a shower in a bit. First we have a quick stop to make.” Tabi sounded unsure, but she unlocked her car and strode around to the driver’s side. Once they were both safely inside, she looked over at Abby. “How are you feeling, anyway?”
Wasn’t that sweet? Maybe they could be friends. “Pretty good.” Abby finished her coffee. “Oh, shoot. I should’ve left him a note.”
