CHAPTER 20
“Seriously, I’m okay,” Mackenzie said into the phone for what felt like the hundredth time, as they pulled into Hunter’s garage. “Muttley’s okay, and the house can be fixed.”
Her relationship with Hunter? That was still up in the air.
He’d swooped in like some kind of superhero for hire, held her until she stopped shaking, bandaged her wounds, then packed her and Muttley safely into his truck and driven them to his place.
He’d been warm and caring and gentle—so incredibly gentle she’d nearly wept. But whenever she’d broached the topic of them, he’d squeezed her hand and said, “We’ll get there.”
Only now they were at his place and they were no closer totherethan they’d been last week at the symphony.
“You sure, darlin’?” Arthur’s concern came over the phone line loud and clear. “You sound like maybe you could use a strong shoulder, some tissues, and maybe some of my chili. Maybe I should come home. My chili always makes you feel better. Plus, there’s going to be contractorsto call, crews to orchestrate, and you’ll need a place to sleep. You can’t sleep with all that racket and chaos going on.”
“Well, there’s nothing to be done tonight, and I’m already staying at a friend’s,” she assured him. For how long she didn’t know, but for tonight she had everything that mattered: her safety, her dog, and her man.
Without warning, the passenger-side door opened, and Hunter leaned in, slipping the phone from her hand.
“Hey, Arthur, this is Hunter. The friend,” he said, and she didn’t miss the humor in his voice. “Mackenzie is a little battered but holding strong. All she needs now is to get warmed up and a good night’s sleep.”
“And where willyoube sleeping?” Arthur asked Hunter, and had Mackenzie not been so tired, she would have laughed at the parental tone.
“That’s up to the lady,” Hunter assured him.
“Don’t say that.” Mackenzie pressed her palm over the mouthpiece. “Now he’ll think that we’re—”
“What did you say, darlin’?” Arthur’s voice was muffled but audible. Which meant he’d heard her.
She uncovered the phone. “That he’s sleeping on the couch.”
“Good girl. Now if you need anything before I get home or something changes and you need a place to stay, you have the spare key.”
The wind howled, and a shiver swept through her body with some pretty serious force.
“Thanks for checking in, Arthur, but we’ve got to go,” Hunter said, sliding the phone from her fingers and ending the call. Then he leaned all the way into the truck, one hand on her knee and the other on her shoulder, until all she could smell was the rain on his skin. “The shower is on the second floor. Do you want to hobble up there all by your lonesome, or can I carry you?”
Her answer was to wrap her arms around his neck.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he mused, then whistled. Muttley jumped out of the back seat, and his claws tapped against the floor as he followed them inside the house and up the stairs.
She knew when they’d reached the living area because the air was warmer, the space cozier. The clanking of Muttley’s tags was muffled, as if the room was filled with furniture and fabrics—things that made up Hunter’s world.
When he finally set her down, it was on a bathroom counter. “I want to double-check your feet for glass shards.”
He disappeared for a moment, and she heard the shower start. Within seconds a cloud of warm steam engulfed her, warming her skin as his thoughtfulness warmed her heart.
Then he was back.
His big hands settled around one ankle as he lifted her foot to inspect it. His fingers moved gently across the sole and around the heel before giving her a gentle squeeze and doing the same to the other foot. When he was satisfied, those nimble fingers settled on the zipper of her jacket and slowly tugged down.
“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.
“Checking the rest of you.” Without further explanation, he slipped the jacket off and then went for the hem of her nightshirt.
Ever so slowly, he slid her shirt up and over her head, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties.
She heard him suck in a breath, but when he touched her, it was to trace the scrapes and scratches on her arms, then her neck, and finally her cheek.
“After you shower, you’ll want to put a Band-Aid on a few of these, but most are pretty shallow.” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “Do you need help?”
