“Fuck you, Cash. Isn’t it our job to help people in need, isn’t that our fucking mission?” Dalton fumed. “I get that Ryleigh and the baby are important, but what the hell does that mean if we turn our backs on everyone else, just because something might happen? I don’t think any of us can live that way, do you?”
Dalton was barely containing himself. He was so pissed off. Maybe he was the crazy one now, but damn it, he didn’t like Cash questioning Emma the way he was. Before things could get any more heated, he noticed that Ryleigh had walked back into the room. Shit, he felt bad for what he said, but he wouldn’t take the words back.
“I agree,” Ryleigh interceded, “but Emma needs help and I will give her what I can. But guys, she needs a real doctor. I can do the basics and treat her wounds, but we are putting a Band-Aid on possible bigger issues. If that baby is in any distress, I won’t be able to treat her. Dalton, she seems to trust you. You need to convince her to see a doctor.”
Ryleigh hadn’t mentioned the words that Dalton had spoken, but he knew that she heard them. He hoped that she understood and would have to talk to her later. He was aware of how important Ryleigh was to the Alpha Team and NAC and he didn’t want to ever her hurt. Damn it.
“That being said, I know we need to be careful.” Ryleigh continued. “That is why I am not even going to fight you on sound. My gut says that she isn’t capable of harming me or anyone else, but I won’t risk myself or my baby for anyone,” Ryleigh stated, looking straight at Dalton, chastising him with her eyes.
He felt like crap. He knew Ryleigh would help. Did she think that he or any of the rest of them would put her or the baby in danger knowingly? He was the fucking enforcer; it was his job to protect all of them, Ryleigh included.
“Dalton, I told Emma to shower and got her set up in the bathroom. If you could take her this robe to dress in after I would appreciate it,” Ryleigh said, handing the robe to Dalton. “I need to get the exam room ready. I am hoping the bruises and cuts are only on her arms and hands, but I have a feeling they go further. It looks like she hasn’t eaten a healthy meal or slept for quite some time. It’s a good thing that Eli wasn’t entirely hopeless; his exam room is state of the art. I should be able to examine her thoroughly.”
Dalton felt like a child. He knew what he was doing and expected his teammates to respect his decisions. Being summarily dismissed to attend to Emma just pissed him off more. He wanted to help her, was drawn to her like nothing else, but Cash referring and taking Ryleigh’s word over his racked his mind. He decided he needed to get the fuck away from both of them and left them to discuss whatever the fuck they wanted without his input, it didn’t seem they needed it anyways. Trying to gather himself, he stalked down the hallway towards Emma.
Dalton understood the need to be careful but he knew Emma wasn’t a danger to them; he could feel it and so could his bear. Getting the rest of the guys to know that would be the problem. It could be wishful thinking on his part and could blow up in his face if he was wrong. He just didn’t feel he was wrong.
Coming to the bathroom door he knocked lightly. When Emma didn’t answer, he knocked again and that is when he heard her, Emma was crying. Grabbing the doorknob, he was happy that she hadn’t locked it because hearing her distress, he would have broken the fucking thing down just to get to her. He twisted the handle and opened the door.
The room was filled with steam and he couldn’t make out her shape in the glass shower. Dalton called out to her, not wanting to frighten her any further. But when she still didn’t respond, he decided there was only one thing he could do. Placing the robe down on the sink, he walked into the bathroom through the steam and finally to the shower. The sight that met him tore him apart. Emma was curled into the fetal position, with her legs as close to her chest as she could get them beyond her extended belly, at the bottom of the shower. His heart went out to her, and then he noticed the state of her body. She was so thin that he could follow the bumps on her spine, not to mention the bruises her body was cover with. There was one particular injury that caught his eye at the base of her spine; it was a puncture mark. Some of the bruising was yellowed with age, others looked as though they just happened recently. With his limited medical experience, all he could think was, damn, what had happened to her and who would hurt her so badly? His next thought was that he was definitely going to be killing someone very soon.
He had helped many women and child in similar states, but Emma felt different to him. Going to his knees, Dalton started talking as quietly and soothing as possible before reaching out to touch her shoulder. But his comforting words didn’t seem to matter because she wasn’t even responding to him at all; it was like he wasn’t even in the room. Needing to comfort her further and appease his wild bear, he couldn’t resist the pull and got into the shower with her. Though fully dressed, he wrapped her in his arms as if to offer her his strength, or anything else that she wanted. His bear needed to be as close to her, and the man was in agreement.
“It's going to be okay honey, I promise,” he said, trying to ease her pain.
He continued to talk to her all the while rubbing soothing circles over her damaged back, at least he hoped they were soothing because Emma wasn’t reacting to him or his touch at all. Fearful that he was causing her more pain, he lightened his touch even further; it would kill him to cause her even an ounce of pain. He wasn’t a man that often lied. He didn’t know what was going on with Emma and he literally didn’t know if everything was going to be okay. He did know that he would do everything in his power to make sure she was okay going forward. After what seemed like an eternity, Emma’s crying changed to slow hiccups and with swollen red eyes, she finally noticed he was there in the shower holding her. He expected her to jump away from him, but she surprised him by cuddling closer and laying her head on his chest. With red and swollen eyes, all she said was “Thank you” and Dalton was the one that wanted to start crying. He wouldn’t, but he could feel his emotion stuck in the back of his throat.
Emma was numb; letting all the emotions that she had been holding in for so long had drained her even further. The weight of her situation wasn’t lost on her and she was afraid that things were going to get a heck of a lot worse before she would see the end.
Dalton knew that he had been missing something in his life and it seemed Emma was just what the doctor ordered. She needed him like no one else ever had and he would be there for her no matter what, regardless of what his team thought. He had spent his life trying to protect the members of Alpha Team, now he had something bigger to protect. Emma had his heart, hook, line, and sinker; she didn’t even know it yet.
Dalton wanted to laugh, even though it was inappropriate sitting on the floor of the shower with a naked and battered woman. But he had to admit, it looked like the legends were true; instant-love truly did exist.
“Come honey, let me help you to stand up and we will get you washed up,” Dalton said, his voice cracking.
Dalton then washed her body and hair with extreme care, as clinically as possible. He didn’t want to scare her and until he knew exactly what had happened, he would keep his feelings to himself. She didn’t need to know that, even with all the scrapes and bruises, Dalton thought she was gorgeous. Her breasts were large, but then again, so were his hands. They would fit perfectly in his palm. He wondered if she would stay the same size after the baby. He hoped she would and if she lost some of that fullness, he wasn’t opposed to bringing home turnovers from Ruby’s every day if necessary. The thought of taking care of his mate, providing what she needed, made his bear happy enough to emit a small growl. Emma didn’t take notice, at least he didn’t think she did, being so deep in thought herself.
He continued his hopefully covert observation. He loved her shape. Yeah, she was way too skinny now, but when she filled out she would be the perfect hour glass shape. If he could convince her to eat as he wanted, he was sure she would rival any pin-up model he had ever seen. He might be a breast m
an, but he also loved a bit of ass as well. And from the looks of it, Emma would have that with several healthy meals. Washing her had gone from clinical to something much more while he was lost in his thoughts. He loved the way his soapy hand glided over her slick body and he longed for the time he could explore her thoroughly. Fuck, this was too much and he was a sick man.
Emma was so worn out that he doubted she noticed the intimacy of the act. He chastised himself for letting his brain even go there. Emma was in no shape for what he wanted to do to her and he didn’t think she would get there anytime soon. Then, there was also the little baby nestled in her womb.
His hardened dick would just have to wait. Pulling his pelvis back, he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea. But in her physical and emotional state, he didn’t think she could have raised her hand, let alone protested anything he did, and that pissed him off. He mused; it had to be pheromones or something that was causing his reaction to her and his dick to throb at this highly inappropriate time. Nothing else explained it because no way should he be having this reaction. He knew she was sweet and with a few healthy meals she would be attractive, but damn, this was just fucked up. She didn’t need some sex crazed guy coming on to her at what he assumed had to be one of her lowest points.
Chapter 12
Emma was anything but numb now. The feel of Dalton’s hands on her naked body was unlike anything she had felt before and she loved it. He seemed so lost in thought and she was thankful because had he noticed that the wetness dripping on her thighs wasn’t because of the shower, she would have been mortified. Even on her best day she would have been embarrassed. Things like this just did not happen to Emma. Sure, she was an ordinary woman; she found men attractive. She had dated a little before everything happened, but she was modest, shy even, and now she was standing in a shower naked with a man as he touched her everywhere. Why was she letting this man she didn’t even know wash her body with his strong loving hands? She should certainly put a stop to it, but it felt so good that she never wanted him to stop.
While he was washing her arms, he noticed the needle marks, and for a split second he thought maybe she was just a junkie but quickly dismissed that. The marks were at least a couple of weeks old, already turning a sickly green color. Just to be sure, he used his enhanced ability to scent her and he couldn’t find the definite smell that drugs or sickness gave off. He did find something though; the distinct scent of arousal was wafting up to him, making his mouth water. Deciding it was time to put an end to their little shower scene, he decided to take just one more hearty sniff; he wanted to cement the smell of her arousal into his body so it would imprint itself there. Her sweet jasmine aroma instantly calmed his bear. It was the first time he was able to scent her without the overwhelming scent of fear. It was incredible; her arousal was intoxicating. She might be too out of it at the moment to realize what was going on between the two of them, but her body knew. He would just have to be patient for the rest of her to catch up. The scent was uniquely Emma and he loved it. With a house, full of Shifters, they tended to keep their toiletries unscented because heavy scents could irritate one of their animals. Jacks even had to tell Ryleigh not to wear perfume anymore because Bas was having a hard time with it.
Getting her out of the shower, he wrapped her lovingly in a towel that had been warming on the towel bar. Emma was grateful for the warmth, but nothing compared to being in Dalton’s arm. Emma sighed in contentment and that small sound made Dalton feel like he was a king. He would slay a thousand dragons and fight as many people as he needed to just to hear that sound again, including his own team. That thought made him take a step back; he had never put anyone above his team before, in actions or thoughts.
“Honey, let’s get some of those tangles out of your hair okay,” Dalton suggested.
Emma was so out of her depth. She didn’t even know what to say to Dalton. Well, at least her notification fixed one of her problems; she was no longer aroused by any means. She figured he was just a good man; helping someone that needed him, nothing more. It was her mind that was going all wonky. He was showing her so much care and kindness with every action and touch that she wanted to cry some more, but the tears wouldn’t come. She needed to be stronger and pull herself together, but she would do that in a couple more minutes. Right now, she needed Dalton; she needed to feel safe.
Emma had her head slumped forward and never responded to Dalton when he said that he was going to get the tangles out of her hair. She didn’t even grimace when he tackled a particularly bad one, and his concern grew even more. He hoped that Emma wasn’t shutting down on him. She had been so brave. He just hoped that she could hold out a little longer. Before he had come into the bathroom he stopped and put in his com unit in, so he knew that Cash was aware of what had been going on in the bathroom. He hoped his Second would bring him some dry clothes.
Feeling closer to Emma now, Dalton said, “Okay baby, up you go. Let's get this robe on you so Ryleigh can check you and the little one out.”
Fuck now he was calling her ‘baby’. He needed to take a step back. Emma wasn’t ready for any of this shit, but damn-it, the words just felt right.
Emma liked Dalton calling her ‘baby’. No one had ever used that endearment for her, but she didn’t like how he was acting all of a sudden. For the first-time, Emma shied away from Dalton, gripping the towel that was held at her breasts. Why she was feeling vulnerable all of sudden? She could only guess. Maybe it was because could feel Dalton pulling away.
Dalton grabbed her hands and holding them tightly but not hurting her, he said, “Baby, don’t ever try to hide from me. I think you are beautiful.”
With shaking hands, Emma let Dalton pull away the towel and dress her in the robe. He might not know it, but that was a huge step for Emma. Wanting to repay him in some small way, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, “It’s a girl.”
“That is great honey. I am sure she will be just as beautiful as her mama,” Dalton said with a smile.
He could picture a little girl with strawberry blond hair running around the lodge. He hoped that he could convince Emma to stay long enough for him to see that; longer if Emma could return the feelings he was having. He also hoped that she would stay long enough so he could convince her to explore the connection they had further. All he needed was time; at least that was what he was trying to convince himself of.
Feeling so warm and vulnerable from Dalton’s attention, Emma wasn’t prepared for the sight of Cash waiting outside the door. She froze in her tracks and started shaking. The calm that she felt from her time with Dalton all but vanished in an instant.
Cash backed up, “It’s okay, Emma. I just thought I would bring Dalton some clothes before he ruined the floors.”
And that was the first-time Emma noticed that Dalton was soaking wet, all the way down to his shoes. This wonderful man had bathed her and even brushed her hair while completely dressed, and he was soaked to the bone. She was embarrassed; she should have noticed. She had never been a woman that needed someone else to care for her; she had always done it on her own.
“Oh, Dalton,” Ryleigh said, “I am so sorry. Why don’t you go back to the bathroom and change?
“Honey, I think I am the one that needs to apologize. After all, I never formally introduced you to this big lug. Emma, I would like to you meet Cash Warren.”
Emma was still a bit leery of the big man but decided to just go with it. She needed to talk with Ryleigh and get the heck out of this place. Her feelings were all over the place she didn’t know who she should or could trust and she felt drawn to Dalton in a way that was unhealthy.
Cash held out his hand, “It's nice to meet you Emma.”
The sentiment didn’t reach his eye, but Emma didn’t want to cause Dalton any discomfort so she took his hand.
Cash had heard everything that had gone on in the bathroom between Dalton and Emma. He didn’t think he would ever forget the heart-wrenching sobs Emma had b
een emitting, but he had a job to do and he wouldn’t lose sight of that for anyone, even one of his best friends. Cash knew something was going on between Dalton and Emma and he was pretty sure it was the mating instinct. If it turned out that Emma was Dalton’s fated one, he would apologize to her himself. But she would still have to prove to him and the rest of the guys she was not a threat to them in any way. The situation sucked, but it was what it was.
“Thank you, Cash,” Emma said. “Dalton, please change and Cash can take me to Ryleigh.
“Are you sure, honey? I can take you. It's not the first time that I have been wet, and the floors will be okay, no matter what Cash says.”
“No, please. I’m sorry that I didn’t notice sooner,” she choked. “I’m just not myself right now. Please, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. He can take me.”
Pulling up every bit of courage she had left, Emma took Cash’s hand and looked back to Dalton, trying as hard as she could to make him believe she was alright with going with him. How long could the hall be anyways, right?
Dalton didn’t want to leave her but she needed to get used to Cash. Shit, if he had his way, she needed to get used to a few other Alpha males being around because didn’t want her scared all the time. It was important to him that she learned to love his family as much as he did. And with that thought he wanted to punch himself in the face. Here was this woman that had been abused and he was already making her a part of his family; counting on her being around to see the little girl she was carrying. He needed to know Emma’s story. He would help her but he needed some distance, then maybe he could convince Cash to sit with her for a bit. If he shifted, then he might be able to get a hold of all the fucking things he was feeling.
“Okay, I will just be a minute,” Dalton reassured her. “The exam room is only a couple doors down. I will wait outside for you until you and Rye are done, okay.”
Dalton: NAC & The Holly Group (Alpha Team Book 2) Page 8
