“Chanel,” Elliott began, taking a step closer.
When Chanel squirmed, inching away from him, I took action, stepping in between an approaching Elliott and Chanel.
“Elliott, Jason. She’s been through a lot tonight, and I know the police will have more questions for her. I think she needs a little private time.”
Elliott gave me an incredulous look, one I was sure as hell not to back down from. This might be his daughter, but she wasmywoman—a woman who obviously didn’t want to see him right now. There was a stare-down, each of us holding our ground, until Elliott silently conceded. He gave one last look over my shoulder at Chanel, who still wasn’t looking at him.
“Pops, let’s go tell Gabby and Marjorie that Chanel’s okay,” Jason spoke up.
Finally turning, Elliott followed Jay out into the hallways and I turned back to Chanel, who continued dabbing at the tears on her cheeks. I grabbed a box of tissues from the little cart on the other side of the bed and handed a few to her.
“Have you spoken to the police yet?”
She blew out a breath, running her hand down the side of her face and pushing her hair behind her ear. I don’t understand why it mesmerized me whenever she did that. Even now, in her fragile state, that move turned me on.
“Y-yeah. At the scene, and then again here at the hospital when I first arrived. B-before they…” Another sheen of tears coating her eyes.
I nodded. “Good. All right, I’m going to talk with your father and brother, and then I’m going to take you home. If the police need you, they can contact you in the morning.”
I didn’t wait for her approval. I went to the door and told Jason my plans. He assured me he’d inform the police of our whereabouts and gave them a card to contact me if they needed to speak with Chanel. Five minutes later, I was wrapping my suit jacket around her shoulders.
“Let’s go home.” I guided her to the door, one arm wrapped possessively around the small of her back. When I opened the door, Gabby leaped up from her chair. On instinct I pulled Chanel back, putting myself in between them. Gabby gave me a look, but I wasn’t letting Chanel go or releasing her to anyone else. She finally took the hint, squeezing Chanel’s hand instead.
“I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” she whispered, giving me another darting look before placing a quick kiss on Chanel’s cheek.
I looked around for Jason and Elliott, who were standing farther down by the nurse’s station, talking with a detective we knew. Marjorie stood next to Elliott, quietly rubbing his arm, consoling. I nodded at Jason when he looked up at me, letting him know we were going out the back entranceway. He nodded and then leaned down, whispering something in his father’s ear. Elliott looked up at me, squinted and then nodded. His eyes turned sad when they lowered to where Chanel was. She remained silent, eyes on the floor.
“Ready?” I asked.
She gave a slight nod, and I turned, walking us in the opposite direction from her family, out the side entrance and around the building to where my car was parked.
****
Chanel
“I thought you said you were taking me home,” I stated, looking up at the house that was practically an estate, and most certainly not my home. On the drive from the hospital, I’d barely looked out the window, too consumed by thoughts, or rather, trying to block out the thoughts of what happened that night.
“I did,” he answered before getting out of the car.
I frowned, confused by that, but feeling so drained I didn’t have the energy to think much more about it. For once, I wouldn’t question being with him at his home, not that night.
He held his hand out to help me out of the car and lead me into the house. I didn’t say a word as he led me up the steps to his bedroom and then to the bathroom that was attached. He sat me on the edge of the bathtub while he turned on the rainfall showerhead before coming back to me. He stood over me, looking down on me with a stark look in his eyes. I felt that look right down to my soul as he leaned down, grabbing the edge of the stained T-shirt I still wore.
He encouraged me to lift my arms up so he could fully remove the shirt. Once that task was completed, he stood me up, unbuttoning and pulling down my jeans, urging me to step out of them. Next came off my undergarments, and even as I stood completely nude in front of the sexiest man I’d ever known, with his heated gaze on me, it was the utter care and concern in his expression that almost undid me.
He helped me into the shower, stepping behind me once he’d removed everything except his boxer briefs. Raising my injured hand, so it didn’t obscure his ability to clean me, he then proceeded to use the washcloth he’d brought into the bathroom with us to wash my entire body.
His touch was so firm, yet gentle at the same time, as he cleansed me from the neck all the way down to my feet. He nudged me under the showerhead to let the water fall over me, washing away the soap suds. I closed my eyes and inhaled when his hands went to my hair, massaging in the fruity smelling shampoo, and then rinsing it out. My eyes remained closed while he put conditioner in, using his hands to fingercomb my wet strands from root to ends before rinsing it out.
By the time the shower ended, my legs felt like jelly, and my vision was too blurry from unshed tears to see more than a few inches in front of me. That’s when two strong arms enveloped me in a towel that felt like a bed of clouds and picked me up, carrying me to his bed. There, he moisturized my entire body before dressing me in one of his T-shirts that was probably twice the size of me. Minutes later, he shifted our bodies so that he was spooning me underneath his comforter, his arm around my waist. Despite no words exchanged between us, I’d never felt so safe in my entire life.
“Sleep. I’ll be here in the morning.”
Those were the last words I had heard before I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chanel
