He swallowed heavily.
“We’ll come by tomorrow morning at ten,” Ryans said.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Stanson added before leaving.
Asshole.
Chapter Nine
Cady woke with a groan. God, she hurt. It felt like every inch of her body had been beaten. She blinked rapidly, trying to look around without moving her head which was pounding.
What happened? Did she get drunk last night and fall down the stairs?
No, she remembered Gray driving her home and she’d walked up the stairs to her apartment and then… ah fuck. So she was still alive.
Her body just wished that it wasn’t.
How the hell had she gotten here, though? She looked around her, groaning as she recognized Hunter’s bedroom from when she’d stayed over before. How had he known she was hurt? When had he brought her here? The last thing she really remembered was the nurse giving her some painkillers.
There were some flashes of memory. Hunter’s furious blue eyes. Another man and woman talking to him, something about vibrators. Why the hell would they be talking about vibrators?
Cady sighed. As much as she longed to hide in bed for the next week or two she had to get up. She was not lying around in Hunter’s bed any longer than she had to. Although it was a really comfy bed.
Biting her lip to hold in her whimpers of pain, she sat and swung her legs out. She held her side as her ribs protested the movement. God, that asshole had really done a job on her. She glanced down at herself. She was wearing one of Hunter’s t-shirts. It smelled like him. And…yep, she was naked underneath.
Great, so he’d brought her home, undressed her, put her to bed and she couldn’t remember any of it. She pushed herself up. Beads of sweat broke out along her brow as she shuffled into the living room. Boxes were strewn throughout the room. Was he moving? He hadn’t told her.
But why would he? They weren’t anything to each other.
So why did he bring me here?
Probably felt sorry for her. Poor little girl with no one to look after her. Well, she didn’t need anyone’s pity, least of all his.
Cady glanced into one box. Huh, it was filled with books and not the type she would have picked for him.
“What are you doing?”
She swung her head around, wincing as she moved too quickly.
“Do you have to sneak up on me?” she snapped. “I woke up, so I decided to get out of bed. Since when did you have a thing for romance novels?” She held up a paperback. The cover had a half-naked woman kneeling at the feet of a bare-chested, muscular male.
“They’re my sister’s,” he replied.
“These were Angie’s? I thought all of her stuff was destroyed in the fire?”
“So did I. Turns out she had a storage unit I knew nothing about until I got a phone call last week. This is what was in it.” He ran his hand around the room. “I’ve been going through everything.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that’s what you’ve been busy doing?”
“Because I’m an idiot and because that’s not the whole story. Not even close. Look, I owe you an explanation and an apology, but the police will be here in about forty minutes and I want you to be dressed in something other than just my t-shirt.”
“The cops? Right, I suppose they want to talk to me about last night. How did I end up here, anyway?”
“Your landlord called me. I came to the hospital, you were pretty out of it on pain meds so I brought you home with me.”
She nodded carefully, wincing a little as her throbbing head and cheekbone protested. So he’d brought her back here because she was too wasted to be by herself.
Not because he’d wanted to look after her.
“Well, I’ll get dressed, and after I’ve spoken to the police, I’ll get out of your way.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not going anywhere. You’re not in any condition to be left alone, plus, we need to talk. I’ll see if I can find you something to wear, your other clothes are ripped. I threw them out.”
“I need a shower.”
“All right, I’ll put a stool in the stall so you can sit.”
Before she could protest, he was moving into action. She had to admit, she was feeling kind of shaky and standing in a hot shower probably wouldn’t be the best idea right now.
After her shower, she stared at herself in the mirror. Crap, she looked like shit. There was a huge bruise covering her cheekbone, more bruising over her ribs and stomach and a nasty bruise on her thigh. Her hand ached, although it was only slightly swollen.
With a sigh, she reached for the soft clothing Hunter had found. A pair of woman’s pants and a sweatshirt. She felt a surge of jealousy. Where had these come from?
“Cady?” he called out. “The police are here. Did you get the clothes? They were Angie’s. She was taller than you but they should fit.”
Feeling stupid over her burst of jealousy, Cady got dressed and moved through the bedroom into the living area. Two people stood up as she walked in. One was an attractive, blond-haired male and the other a rather plain-looking woman with her dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail.
“Cady.” Hunter moved to her side, putting a hand on the small of her back. His touch filled her with instant warmth and need, which is why she forced herself to step away from him. She was not going to start relying on him.
“This is Detective Ryans,” the woman nodded, “and Detective Stanson.”
“You have some questions for me?” she asked as she sat on the couch. Hunter sat beside her, his thigh brushing hers.
“We do,” Stanson replied, looking down at his notepad. “I understand you used to be a police officer, Ms. Franklin.”
She stiffened. “I fail to see what that has to do with anything.”
“Well, obviously you still have the instinct to jump in and help someone, but you’re not a cop anymore, you’re a civilian. Next time, leave it to the professionals.”
“You seriously expected me to just sit next door and listen while he abused her? Just sit and wait until you guys got there? Should I have made some popcorn as well, made a real night of it?”
Detective Stanson sighed. “Next time you could end up hurt worse, maybe dead. Wanting to help people is fine. Putting yourself in danger by running into a situation you knew nothing about was reckless. I would think you of all people, would know that rushing in without assessing the situation first can end up in tragedy.”
He was talking about Rusty’s death, blaming her.
“That’s enough,” Hunter said harshly, surprising her. She’d figured he’d back the detective. “Ask your questions or get out.”
Detective Ryans spoke quickly. “Could you just take us through what happened last night?” She sent her partner a firm look when he looked like he was going to protest. He sat back and Cady let out a sigh of relief.
She went through everything that had happened last night, right up to the point where she’d passed out then woke up at the hospital.
Ryans took notes, asking a few questions every so often. Beside her, Stanson remained surprisingly quiet. So did Hunter. She glanced up at him, to find his face was cold, unmovable.
He wasn’t happy, well tough, he hadn’t been there. She’d bet he wouldn’t have hesitated to do exactly the same thing.
“Okay, I think that’s all we need for the moment. We’ve gotten the victim’s statement and her story corroborates yours. We’ll need a more formal statement and have you sign it, but that can probably wait until Monday. Come on, Stanson.”
Hunter stood to walk them out.
“You need to get her under control or she’s going to get hurt,” Stanson said to Hunter.
“Fuck off and mind your own business, Stanson,” Hunter growled before slamming the door behind him.
“You don’t like him much, do you?”
“Stanson? The guy can be a smartass but he’s a good cop.”
“Unlike me,�
� she muttered.
“What?”
“He doesn’t believe I was a very good cop. He was right about that.”
“No, he wasn’t. But he was right about one thing, you’re impulsive and you often act without assessing things first. You could have been badly injured, maybe even killed.”
“I couldn’t just sit by and let her get beaten up.”
“No, I know.” Hunter sat down across from her, looking tired. “But you should have waited for back-up. You should have called me.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d answer.”
“That’s fair enough. I’ve been acting like an idiot and I’m sorry. My only excuse is that I’ve been trying to protect you. That backfired on me. Instead of being here when you needed me I was miles away. If I’d been there you wouldn’t have been hurt. This is my fault.”
“I never said that,” she replied sharply, knowing she couldn’t let him take all the blame. “You and that idiot detective are right. I hear someone in trouble and I jump in feet first, I know that.”
“We need to work on that impulsiveness,” he told her.
“Do we? I thought we were over.”
“Christ, that’s the last thing I want, but I can understand why you might think that. I’ve pulled away from you in the last week because I didn’t want to drag you into my shit.”
“What shit?” She sat forward. “Are you in trouble?”
“Why don’t I make us something to eat and we can talk about it.”
***
Hunter made some breakfast, giving himself time to think. His guilt over not being there with Cady last night had kept him awake most of the night, just watching her sleep. Each whimper she’d let out, every time she’d moaned in her sleep had felt like a knife digging into his heart.
He’d been wrong to pull back, and he knew he’d hurt her. He’d promised not to leave her, and although he hadn’t seen it that way at the time, that was exactly what he’d done.
“Food’s ready, babe,” he called out, placing the food on his small dining table.
Cady shuffled in from the other room. “You know, this book isn’t half bad,” she said, placing one of Angie’s books on the table as she took a seat. “I hope you don’t mind me reading it.”
“Not at all, help yourself. I think I’m going to donate them, anyway.”
“I wonder why she had all these boxes in a storage unit,” Cady mused as she picked up a fork.
“Probably didn’t have enough room in her small apartment.” He ate in silence for a long moment.
“So, you were going to explain why you’ve been acting like a jerk this week. You know, if you wanted to call things off you could have just told me. I’m a big girl, I can take it.”
He stared at her, his gaze narrowing as he took in the tension around her mouth.
“I do not want to call things off,” he growled. “Look, I was an idiot, I admit it. You know that my sister died.”
“Yes.”
“Well, what I never told you is that I believe she was murdered. Angie worked for Stephan Worthington. She quit after eighteen months of working for him and moved back here. I knew something was wrong, but I just never got around to asking her. Then one night I missed a phone call from her saying she was in trouble, that she needed my help. By the time I listened to my messages, she was dead.”
“Worthington killed her?”
“Yes. But I couldn’t prove it.”
“Good thing that bastard is dead,” she said, putting her fork down. She leaned back with a grimace, placing her hand over her ribs.
“You’re in pain, I’ll get your pills.”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t want them. Pain medication tends to make me loopy.”
“You don’t say.” He held back his smile as she looked at him suspiciously.
“I can’t remember much of what happened in the hospital, so I guess whatever they gave me put me out of it.”
“The doctor prescribed a lighter pain med for you. It shouldn’t make you loopy. I’m going to get it for you, you can wait until after we’ve talked to take it, but you will be taking it.” He spoke in a low, deep voice, knowing how beautifully she responded when he used his Dom voice.
“Go sit on the sofa where it’s more comfortable. I’ll clean up in here.”
She had to be in more pain that she was letting on, because she moved without protest.
Hunter quickly tidied up, got her bottle of pills which he’d run out to fill while she was asleep and grabbed a glass of water. He walked in to living room to find her sitting back on the sofa, her eyes closed.
“You need to go back to bed,” he said quietly, with concern.
Her eyes shot open and she shook her head, wincing. “I’m okay, my head’s just a bit sore.”
He placed the pills and water down on the coffee table before sitting beside her. “Lay back, rest your head on my lap.”
“No.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“And don’t bother giving me that look or trying to order me around. I’ve been as patient as I can. Explain yourself or I’m going home. I’ve had enough of being shut out, Hunter. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
Hunter nodded. She’d been far more patient than he’d have managed, if the tables had been turned.
“Ever since she died, I’ve been trying to tie Angie’s death to Worthington. I knew there was something suspicious about her car accident. Her blood alcohol level was really high. Only thing is Angie never drank. Then there was the phone call and the fact that her apartment was torched, it was all too much of a coincidence. Only, I kept coming up against dead ends.”
He ran his hand over the back of his head. “Then last week I got this call to say that the storage unit she’d prepaid for was overdue for the next payment. I never knew she had one.”
“Wait, was that the phone call you got while you were with me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Hunter let out a sigh. “The reason I missed the call from Angie is because I was in bed with a woman. I let it go to voicemail because I was busy having a good time. I swore on Angie’s grave that I would find out the truth. I felt guilty for not living up to my promise.”
“So you pushed me away because you made a promise to your sister and I was a distraction, I was in your way.”
“No, well, maybe when I first got that phone call. But I would have come to my senses right away if it hadn’t been for what I found in the locker.”
“What? These books?”
“No, a key to a safe deposit box.” He explained about finding the thumb drive and photos.
“So you were staking that place out when you got the call from my landlord to say I’d been hurt, how did he know to call you anyway?” she asked.
“I bribed him to call me if you were ever in any trouble.” No way was he going to apologize for that.
“It’s my fault you were hurt,” he said. “I didn’t think any of this through. I was concentrating on figuring out what these photos meant and I didn’t want any of this to touch you, so I put distance between us, not even thinking how that might hurt you. I don’t deserve it, but do you think you can forgive me?”
“So you’ve been keeping away to protect me, not because you’re sick of me or because you decided you didn’t want anything more than a few good fucks.”
“Hey, a few amazing fucks thank you very much. And no, I did this because I stupidly thought that it was what was best for you. If this was related to Angie’s death then I didn’t want to drag you into it. I forgot that without me around to watch over you, you tend to get yourself into trouble.”
She snorted. “Arrogant asshole.” She was silent for a long moment.
“Cady? What are you thinking?”
“That you really hurt me.” She glanced up at him and he was struck by the sadness in her gaze. “I was starting to trust you and you pushed me away without an explanation. I
thought I wasn’t good enough for you. I thought you rejected me. I don’t need you to protect me, I need you to keep your promises. I need you to talk to me.”
He knelt down at her feet, moving her legs apart gently to he rested between her thighs. “You’re right. I fucked up, majorly. Gray’s been giving me grief all week. I’m overprotective. Sometimes I can be overbearing. But I failed to save Angie, I didn’t want to fail you.”
“I know it doesn’t seem like it but I can look after myself.”
Yeah, but she was a tiny little thing. It wouldn’t take much for a grown man to take her down, no matter how good her skills. Just look at what had happened to her last night. He ran his hands up her thighs.
“I know I can be an idiot and there will be times you’ll have to tell me to pull my head out of my ass, but do you think you can give me another chance? I promise that from now on I’ll talk to you. I’ve missed you so much, I know this distance between us has been my own fault, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t missed you like crazy.”
“You pull this sort of shit again and I don’t care what reason you have, we’re over, understand?”
He nodded.
“All right,” she replied. “I guess I can understand why you did it. But from now on, you talk to me. I know I’m not the best communicator, either, so I guess it’s something we both have to work on.”
“Thank you, baby.” He rose up and leaning over, kissed her gently, aware of the bruise on her face. Sitting next to her, he drew her against his side, kissing the top of her head.
She moved closer and he heard her hiss of pain. “Time for your pain pills.”
Cady grabbed his arm as he reached for the pills. “Tell me about the rest of your family, you never talk about your parents.”
He hesitated, but then grabbed the pills and glass of water. “After you take the pills and lie down. Then I’ll tell you.”
Sending him a disgruntled look, she nevertheless took the pill he gave her then he helped her lie down with her head on his lap, looking up at him. Hunter gently massaged her temples. Cady closed her eyes with a sigh.
“I was eight when my mother died. Angie was just two. Life wasn’t perfect up until then, but no matter how bad things were mom always had a way of making things seem better. She was one of those people who just lit up a room when she walked into it. She even managed to make our dad relax and laugh.”
Forever Yours, Sir (Doms of Decadence) Page 14
