Page 52 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
I held her hand the entire time.
Brushed every tear that slipped free.
Because my girl? She was strong. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t break, too.
After a lengthy visit from Brynne and finishing the breakfast she’d brought us, then spending what felt like hours checking out of the hospital, McKenna was wheeled out to my truck. She’d tried to refuse it, but the nurse had insisted that, due to legalities, she had no choice. Even I thought wheeling her out was a little overdramatic—I’d just carry her again if she needed it. But her refusal wasn’t because she was trying to prove that she was well enough to walk. No, it was because they’d mentioned a bill being sent to her insurance, to which she’d told them she had none, so it would be sent directly to her. After that, I assumed she thought they’d charge her for the wheelchair.
She’d been stiff and quiet since that discussion, even after my telling her that I’d be paying the bill. She’d refused, of course, but like always, I did what I wanted.
“Pull in there,” McKenna said, finally breaking her silence to point toward a gas station on our drive back to her house.
“What do you need at a gas station?” I asked.
“Gum.” When I didn’t acknowledge her, she looked over at me with big, beautiful eyes. Ones that threatened to kill me on sight if I didn’t give in to whatever it was she wanted. I was beginning to realize I’d always give in to her demands—no matter how outrageous they were, like a bubblegum pit stop after she’d just been in a car accident. “All of my belongings are still in my car. Austin, please.”
It wasn’t that I refused to turn into the parking lot—I was already heading that way—it was that doing something as simple as running to the store to grab her a pack of gum to ease her nerves made my heart swell. The feeling was foreign. I used to take pride in being an uncaring, flirtatious asshole. Now? I took pride in McKenna giving me the honor of being in her presence, as reluctant as she was to it at times.
“Okay.” I flicked on the blinker seconds before turning into the rundown parking lot. Potholes littered the pavement, trash blowing every which way along the ground. As I parked, she went to remove her seat belt, but I covered her hand with mine, sending her a glare. “You’re staying in the truck.” I removed my own seat belt, opened the door, and clicked the locks so when I closed it, it’d be locked. “Only unlock it for me. No one else.”
I could practically see her retort sitting on the tip of her tongue, but she held it back. “Strawberry,” she reminded me. “I hate the other flavors.”
“I know, baby.” I knew her favorite gum down to the brand, not only from seeing her pull out a strip now and then, but because I’d gone through her things solely to be sure I had the right type on hand at the ranch in case she ever needed some.
Closing the door, I went as fast as I could in the small store. I quickly grabbed a water from the fridge and a few packs of her gum at the register before ringing up and heading back to the truck. As soon as I appeared in the window, she clicked the button to disengage the locks.
Maybe my hope of her listening to me wasn’t completely futile, then.
After getting in, I unwrapped the thin plastic seal on one of the packs and slid out a piece for her. I unfolded the edges, discarding the trash in the cupholder and holding the sweet-smelling slice of gum out to her. But rather than her taking it from my hand, she leaned forward and held out her tongue. Slowly—because I loved the sight of her mouth open for me—I lay the slice of gum on her tongue, watching with rapt attention as she closed her lips around the end and pulled it the rest of the way in. Her jaw worked, cheeks moving, as she chewed.
And now my dick was hard.
How the fuck was I supposed to refrain from fucking the lights out of her while she was off of work for the next week? God knew I wouldn’t be leaving her side for the foreseeable future.
I was fucked.
Chapter 21
McKenna
It’s been four days of Austin coddling me. Four days of homemade meals, heating pads, ice cold water, so many packs of gum I could swim in a pool of them. Four nights of steaming baths in his arms, foot rubs with CBD lotion, gentle callused fingers applying ointment to cuts. Four sleeps with a strong, warm chest pressed against my back, whispered reassurances when I’d inevitably relive the crash in my sleep.
My four days with Austin made me dream of a lifetime with him, and the thoughts were…unsettling. I was falling into a routine that wasn’t permanent, and thinking that far ahead wasn’t logical. He was here to take care of me, to ensure I was safe until this stalker was caught. There was nothing more to it, and yet every time he looked at me, I saw it in his eyes too. Saw the desire for permanence in the comfortable environment we’d unknowingly created for each other.
I shook my head at the BLT sandwich on my plate. This was probably only us bonding over shared trauma.
“Sandwich say something mean to you?” Austin teased, putting away the last of the glasses from the dishwasher.
“If it did, are you going to stab it to death?” I raised a skeptical brow in his direction.
He leaned his forearms on the counter across from me, veins protruding through his tan skin.Ugh. “If that would make you happy.”
“I’m happy regardless of the amount of sandwich-stabbing you partake in.”
It was his turn to arch a brow. “Now I know you’re lying. You’re never happy.”
I frowned. “Does the stabbing offer pertain to you as well? Because that’d make meextremelyhappy.”
He pulled a long blade from the sheath on his belt and set it between us. Why he needed to carry that inside my house was beyond me. “I know you’re dying for the honor of doing that yourself.”
