by Welsh, Hope
Why had it taken him this long to remember that Amanda couldn’t lie worth a damn? At least not to him. He’d always known when she’d tried. He remembered the day he’d come home from work. His partner had teased him, telling him that she’d been stopped by one of the street cops. Speeding. Amanda had always liked to speed.
When he’d gotten home that night, she’d acted all innocent. He’d asked if anything had happened, and he’d seen the lie instantly when she had said no. He’d laughed at her and said she was a terrible liar. It had been the first time they’d played with spanking. She’d liked it as much as he had.
Though he now knew that she’d felt she had a good reason for what she’d done, he still couldn’t get over the fact that she hadn’t trusted him enough to come to him.
He closed his eyes, suddenly exhausted.
They’d spent hours in the ER, and it had gotten dark hours ago. He glanced at his watch and realized it was past midnight. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. No way in hell was he leaving Mandy alone even for one minute. If they were truly in danger, he’d have to be on guard, but he could at least close his eyes and rest for a while. He hadn’t slept worth shit the night before—too worried she’d try and escape.
A scream awakened him. He was fully alert and automatically reached for the gun on his hip that was, of course, no longer there. “Mandy!” he said sharply.
He looked at her and she was thrashing wildly about the bed, her eyes tightly closed. She was obviously having a nightmare, he realized. One that had her terrified.
“Stop! Please, stop!” she cried.
Brandon shook her awake—or tried to. She seemed to be locked in the nightmare. “Amanda! Wake up!”
A nurse came running into the room, obviously alarmed. “What’s going on in here?”
“She’s having a nightmare, and can’t wake up,” he growled. “Get someone!”
Before the nurse could leave, he noticed her eyes open, though they were wide with fear.
“Shh, baby, it’s okay. I’m here and you’re safe,” he said softly. He brushed the damp hair off her face. “Come on back, Mandy. You’re safe.”
Wide eyes looked over at him. “It’ll never be safe,” she muttered.
“Sir? Should I get the doctor?”
“Yes,” he snapped. “Please.”
The monitor they’d hooked her up to showed her heart rate was over a hundred. She was obviously terrified. “What was it?” he asked.
She looked at him, but simply shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t remember.”
The lie was plain on her face, but he didn’t press her. Not just then. First, he needed her to calm the hell down. “Okay, just try to relax. Do you want something to drink?”
It was almost four in the morning; which meant that he’d slept longer than he’d thought he had. “You must be thirsty.”
When she nodded, he started to hold the glass up to her, but she snatched it from his hand and took a long gulp, then handed it back. “Thank you,” she muttered.
“Anytime. Better, now?”
“I’m fine. It was just a dream.”
He shook his head. “No, that wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare. Tell me about it.” He glanced at her monitor, and noticed her pulse jumped up again. Yeah, just a dream my ass!
“I don’t remember.”
“Bullshit, Mandy. I know when you’re lying, remember?”
“Then how about it is none of your business.”
“Amanda, enough of this, okay? If you were forced to frame me, I need to know whatever you know. It’s the only way I can help. If you’d come to me, we wouldn’t be here right now,” he said, letting the resentment trickle into his voice.
“Yes, we’ve established I’m a cold bitch. Leave it at that.”
Before he could reply, the doctor walked into the room. Before he spoke, he glanced up at the monitor. “Ms. Wilson. I understand that something upset you?”
“I’m fine. I just had a dream. No big deal. I’m sorry they bothered you.”
“Well, I don’t like how fast your heart rate is. I’m going to order something to relax you,” he said firmly. “It’s not good for you to let yourself get excited, Ms. Wilson. You need rest.” He turned to Brandon. “Perhaps you should go and let her rest. It’s very late.”
Brandon shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. But, I’ll certainly sit here quietly so she can sleep.”
The doctor’s lips thinned in disapproval, but he nodded. “The nurse should be in soon.”
“Thanks,” Brandon said.
After the doctor finished checking Amanda over, he left them alone once more.
“Do you think you can sleep a bit longer?” he asked.
“I don’t want to sleep. I just want to get out of here,” Amanda said. “I hate hospitals. You know that.”
Hell, he’d almost forgotten. When her parents had been killed, she’d spent days at the hospital with her mother in a coma. Her father had been killed in the accident instantly, but her mother had not. It had been a grueling time for Amanda. “Yes, I know,” he said quietly. “But I could hardly sew up a nicked artery on my own. You’re damn lucky there was no tendon damage.”
“Gee, I wonder why I tried to get away? You kidnapped me, remember?” She glared at him, her lips set in a mutinous line.
“Yes, I did. Damn, but you are determined to get yourself spanked, aren’t you?” he said conversationally.
Mandy narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Brandon’s eyes crinkled with humor. “Oh, wouldn’t I? Are you quite sure of that?”
Mandy flushed, and if Brandon hadn’t known better, he’d have thought the idea actually turned her on. He’d wonder more about that later. For now, he was enjoying teasing her. If nothing else, it would get her mind off the nightmare.
“You are not a nice man.”
Brandon shrugged. “Not always. But then, you know that already.”
“Yes, I do. Look, it’s obvious I can’t go anywhere. Why don’t you just go back to your cabin or whatever? I’d really like to be alone,” Mandy said softly. “I promise, I won’t say anything about you kidnapping me.”
Brandon believed she wouldn’t say anything—but he wasn’t about to leave her here where she could be at risk.
He hadn’t been careful as he’d been tracking her down. He hadn’t thought there was a need to. He had no way of being sure that no one knew they were here.
Before he could respond to her request, though, a blond nurse came in with a little cup of pills. She was dressed in bright yellow scrubs with flowers all over them. Her smile was bright and just a bit too perky, and Brandon wondered if she was even twenty-one.
“Dr. Hendricks ordered these for you, Ms. Wilson. They are a mild sedative. They won’t make you sleep, but they should relax you. He wants you to keep calm and quiet,” she said briskly as she held out the cup to Amanda.
“I don’t want any sedatives,” Mandy insisted.
The nurse’s smile faltered, as if she wasn’t used to someone refusing to take offered medication. “But, the doctor ordered them.”
“I don’t care, I don’t want them.”
Brandon decided to intervene. The young nurse looked like she was about to burst out in tears. “Amanda?”
“What?” she snapped.
“Do you remember what we were talking about just a moment ago?”
She flushed. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I promise you, I would.” And this time he actually meant it. He knew she’d been through a lot, but then, so had he. He had had enough.
Angrily, she held out her hand for the pills.
The nurse looked between the two of them, but didn’t say anything. She was apparently just happy that her patient had acquiesced. “Those should kick in—oh in twenty minutes or less. I’ll come back when your breakfast arrives.”
“Thank you,” Brandon said with a pointed look at Amanda.
“Thank you,” Aman
da said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so difficult. I really just don’t like medication.”
“I understand,” she said brightly. “You feel better and I’ll see you later.”
“God, she’s just way too…perky,” Amanda muttered.
Brandon chuckled. “Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing. I thought she was going to cry.”
Amanda smiled, then sighed. “I have told you that you were mean, right?”
He nodded somberly, though his eyes crinkled. “Yeah, I think you might have mentioned it a time or two.”
“Good,” she said with a small yawn.
Brandon handed her the cup of water again. “Take your pills like a good girl, and get some rest. I’ll be here if you need me.”
Brandon didn’t miss the small smile on her lips just before she took the pills with a sip of water.
“I’m not sleepy,” she said with another yawn.
“Of course you’re not,” he said dryly.
“Oh, I don’t like you,” she said with a pout.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said even as she closed her eyes.
She was asleep within minutes.
Chapter Ten
When Amanda woke again, the nurse was setting a tray on the bedside table. Her stomach grumbled when she smelled the bacon.
She was hungrier than she’d been in days. “God, I’m starving,” she said.
“That’s good! Hospital food isn’t the best, but it’s healthy. You look like you could stand to put on a pound or two,” the young nurse said brightly.
“Uh huh,” Amanda agreed non-commitedly. She knew she could stand to gain a few pounds. She hadn’t had much of an appetite in ages.
“Sir, if you’d like, I could bring you a tray. I kind of ordered a spare, just in case.”
“Thanks! I’d appreciate it. Hope there’s coffee.”
“Oh, for you, there is. Ms. Wilson, the doctor ordered you a caffeine-free diet. He was afraid of nausea.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. She wasn’t at all nauseated. She did need coffee, though. Even if she had been nauseated, she needed coffee first thing in the morning or the headache wasn’t livable. “I’d still like a cup of coffee,” she said sweetly. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” She gave Brandon a sidelong look and noticed the mirth in his eyes. He knew she needed her morning coffee.
“She’ll get a migraine without the coffee,” he said helpfully.
“Well, if you’re sure you stomach isn’t upset? Those pills can make some people a bit sick to their stomach.”
“I promise, I’m fine,” Mandy said with a smile.
The perky nurse nodded and left to get Brandon’s tray and, hopefully, a cup of coffee for her. Mandy took the lid off the plate of food and almost groaned.
The eggs were all watery, but the bacon smelled heavenly. She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, savoring the flavor. It was only lukewarm, but she didn’t care. She was starving!
“Not at all hungry, huh?” Brandon teased.
“Nope, not at all,” she said after a mouth full.
The nurse brought Brandon in a tray and a cup of coffee for her. Mandy took a sip and smiled. “Just what the doctor should have ordered.”
Brandon smiled. “I’m glad to see you enjoying your breakfast.”
“Yeah, I guess I was hungry.”
Brandon nodded. “Yeah, I guess you were. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, Brandon. I really want out of here.”
He nodded. “We’ll see what the doctor has to say,” he said firmly.
Mandy frowned. When had he gotten so bossy? She didn’t remember him being like this before. “It doesn’t matter what he says. I’m leaving.” God, she didn’t need his damn permission. She was an adult!
“Oh, are you?” It was a challenge, and he was more than up for the challenge.
“Yes,” she said, slamming her fork down. “I am.”
“We’ll fight later, Mandy. Eat.”
“Stop telling me what to do!” she said stiffly.
“Stop acting like a brat,” he said yet again.
“Brandon, I am an adult. I don’t need your permission. Unless you plan on tying me down?”
He raised his brows. “That has some interesting possibilities.”
Mandy felt her face heat and she wanted to hide her face before he noticed, but she knew it was too late by the look he got on his face. “Stop it!”
“Nope,” he said easily. “I am enjoying teasing you.”
“You always did,” she muttered, remembering. And even when it had sometimes irritated her, she’d loved it.
“That’s true. But even so, it does have interesting possibilities,” he insisted.
Mandy shook her head, confused. For a moment, she’d almost forgotten. “Why are you being nice, Brandon? I know you hate me.”
“I don’t,” he said, as if surprised. “I thought I did, but I don’t. Hell, I don’t think I ever could,” he finished, almost to himself.
Mandy gave him a quizzical look. “How could you not?” She’d been sure he’d hate her. She’d accepted that. It was what she deserved, and she knew it.
“Amanda, don’t. There is a lot we need to talk about, but there will be time for that later. For now, let’s just try not to fight, okay?”
“I don’t want to fight, either. I’m just confused,” she said, her breakfast forgotten.
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
Well, what was she supposed to say to that? She sighed. They did need to talk. She had to convince him to go away. But now wasn’t the time. They would have to talk once she was out of this stupid hospital. God, she hated hospitals! “Brandon, please. Back me up when the doctor comes in. I really can’t be here anymore.”
“Yeah, okay, Mandy. As long as it’s safe for you to leave, that’s fine with me.”
“Thank you.”
He shrugged. “I’m not real fond of seeing you here, either, Amanda. The last time, if you’ll recall, wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.
Mandy sighed. And there it was again. She’d known it was some kind of an act. “And he’s back.”
“I wasn’t trying to get a dig in,” he said tiredly. “Hell, I was just remembering the last time I saw you in one of these places.”
“It’s okay. Just please, don’t pretend to be nice to me. I can take anything but that.”
Brandon sighed, but said nothing.
“Really, I understand. I don’t expect you to ever forgive me.”
Brandon didn’t reply for a long moment. That was the crux of the matter. While he’d finally admitted to himself that he didn’t hate her, and never could, it didn’t mean that he’d forgiven her. That was something he wasn’t sure he could ever do.
He knew it hurt her. It was apparent by the resigned look on her face; but he couldn’t help that. Until they talked and he understood exactly what had happened, he honestly didn’t know what to think about a damn thing.
“Amanda, I honestly don’t know what to say to you. We need to talk. And we really can’t do that here. So, for now, just try to eat your breakfast, and get some more rest. Remember, you lost a lot of blood and you look like you haven’t slept well in a month.”
“I’m not really sleepy anymore. I wish the doctor would come back so we could go. I’m going to try to get him back in here.” She pressed the nurse call light.
“Mandy, he’ll release you when he thinks you’re ready. It’s barely seven. I’m sure he’s going to want to get blood work to be sure your blood levels are okay.”
“I don’t want my blood drawn. I don’t like needles.”
“Please, don’t start that again. You’ll do what you’re damn well told. Enough!” he snapped.
The nurse poked her head inside the room. “How may I help you?”
“Can you please see if the doctor will release me?” Mandy asked before Brandon could say anything.
“Oh, I’m sure he will be in a bit later. He’s doing
his morning rounds. There is an order for you to have blood drawn. Have they been in yet?”
“No,” she said, resigned. “They haven’t.”
“Oh, well he won’t release you until then, I’m sure. I’ll go see why they haven’t come.” She turned and walked away.
“Told you so,” Brandon said with a grin.
“You’re irritating,” Mandy said with a pout.
“And you’re cute when you’re a brat,” he retorted.
Before she could stop him, he leaned over and gave her a hard kiss. He pulled away after a moment, and studied her shocked face. Before she could protest, he leaned in again and kissed her gently, then deeper. He groaned when she opened her lips. He didn’t ignore the invitation, and deepened the kiss hungrily. It had been so long since he’d tasted her.
When he finally pulled away, his breathing was ragged. “God, I’d almost forgotten,” he said huskily.
Mandy’s eyes were wide. “Why did you do that?”
“I wanted to. And what’s more, you wanted me to.” His grin was cocky. He knew that look on her face. Beneath the shock, there was desire. He felt himself harden. Damned if he didn’t wish they were back at the cabin. “You’re right. We need to get you out of here. I’m going to go see what the nurse found out.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she put her fingers to her slightly swollen lips.
Brandon was grinning as he walked quickly from the room.
What the hell had happened? She wondered if he was just playing with her, but the desire she’d felt was real. He’d really seemed like he wanted her.
Was she willing to even take a chance? If he made love to her, she’d never be able to walk away. Not again. It was past time to end this nightmare.
She was tired of running and tired of being afraid. It was time to take the game back to them. Maybe if she could make him understand, it would be safe for them to go back and try to find out exactly who was responsible for the nightmare they had both lived with for far too long.
