Looking unconvinced, he still gave her a nod. “I’ll wait here for you. If you need anything, just call out, okay, princess?”
She nodded back, then ducked her head and shuffled into the bathroom as fast as her aching body would allow. After taking care of the most pressing issue, she washed her hands and drew some deep breaths as she contemplated her dilemma. She was alone in an apartment with a man she barely knew but felt totally safe with, even though she’d seen the violent side of him when he swooped in like an avenging warrior to save her. She knew she should report to the police what those men had done to her, but she was worried about Silas. He had hurt them; the crack of breaking bones and thuds of flesh meetingflesh had been hard to miss. If she reported it, would he be in trouble? She couldn’t allow him to go to jail because of her.
Pulling open the door, she almost ran nose-first into Silas’s chest. A solid, firm chest. Wow, he really had waitedright there. That was a bit disconcerting. And comforting, she allowed herself to admit. Not to mention very, very... sexy, she thought as she eyed his bare chest. Sure, she’d dated boys in high school, but those had beenboysand Silas was all man. Once her father became sick, the little time she’d had for dating had evaporated and she hadn’t had the time or energy to focus on guys. Now, even battered and a little broken, she found she was focusing just fine. She nearly sighed. Timing had never been one of her strong points for sure.
Once again, without asking, he scooped her up and deposited her back into bed. After ensuring her comfort, he took a step back, his sharp gaze looking for any sign of pain.
“I’ll get you some breakfast and your medication. I gave you another shot during the night because you looked like you were in pain, but that should be wearing off. Do you want another shot now or would you like to try oral?”
Hayley felt the heat climb up her chest at the wordoral, and she couldn’t form a word to save her life.
“Hayley? Are you okay?” He bent closer to her and she could count the thick lashes around his deep green eyes. “If you don’t feel up to swallowing a pill yet, I can give you another injection of pain meds.”
In an attempt to rid herself of completely inappropriate thoughts, she forced herself to meet his gaze. “A pill will be fine, I think. And there’s no need to trouble yourself with breakfast. I can go home and fix something.”
An uncompromising look settled over his face. “No, you won’t. Stay there and I’ll be back soon with your food and meds. Don’t move.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away. Hayley watchedthose thick, sexy thighs carry him out of the room and wondered if she’d lost her mind overnight.
***
Silas sat on the edge of the bed and watched closely as Hayley slowly ate the bowl of oatmeal and tried to figure out her odd behavior from earlier. If he didn’t know better he’d swear that was desire he’d seen in her eyes as he brought her back to bed. But he did know better. An innocent woman like Hayley would want nothing to do with a man like him. She was too smart for that. What he’d glimpsed was likely gratitude and perhaps a little embarrassment, though there was no reason for her to feel either. Not with him. Not ever with him. If he’d listened to his gut and gotten to her sooner, she wouldn’t be in this position.
As soon as she set the mostly empty bowl aside, he held out the pills the doctor had prescribed. Dutifully, she swallowed them down with the remainder of her orange juice. An awkward silence fell as Silas watched her, trying to decide what he should do next, since taking her in his arms and holding her now that she was conscious was out of the question, and she stared back, probably wondering how soon she could get away from him. Thankfully, his buzzer sounded and Silas excused himself.
After telling his manager to bring up the delivery, he quickly flipped through all his locks and waited impatiently for him to arrive. Hayley had put on such a brave face today, but he could see shadows lingering in her eyes. He hoped that this delivery would lift at least some of them.
Mr. Carver looked surprised to see him at the door and rushed forward, holding the package as carefully as he would a newborn baby. Silas took it from him and strode back inside, going through the ritual of setting his locks. Once that was finished, he made his way to the bedroom, hoping he’d made the correct choice.
Hayley was still sitting where he’d left her, though she looked morerelaxed. Silas suspected the medication was starting to kick in and was grateful to see it. She appeared lost in thought, so he cleared his throat to let her know she was no longer alone. She blinked and aimed a sweet smile in his direction before noticing the case in his hand.
“What is that?” she asked in confusion.
He crossed to the opposite side of the bed, set the case on the bed and opened it. “I know it’s not the one your father gave you, and I’m sorrier than I can say about that, but I will not allow your dreams to go unfulfilled.” He extended the violin to Hayley, taking extreme care in his handling of it.
Hayley stared at him in shock, then slowly lifted the violin from its case and placed it on her lap. “Silas, I-I don’t know...” She ran her delicate fingers reverently over the wood. “It’s beautiful, but I can’t...” As her words choked off, she raised her face and Silas could see the tears shimmering in her eyes. “I can’t take this.”
His brow wrinkled with confusion. Had he gotten it all wrong? Damn it, he shouldn’t have even attempted to make it a surprise. He should have allowed her to choose which instrument she wanted instead of him being so presumptive.
“Why can’t you accept it, princess? Did I get the wrong one? I’ll get you whatever you want. Just tell me what to get.”
“It’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever touched in my life,” she said softly, still gently tracing the sides.
“Then why can’t you take it?” he persisted.
“Silas, it’s too expensive. I can’t even imagine how much it cost.” Earnestness shone in her eyes.
The feeling he refused to acknowledge as disappointment loosened in his chest. She wasn’t refusing his gift, nor had he fucked it up.
He gently put his hand to her bruised and swollen jaw, cupping it while making certain he didn’t hurt her.
“My gift to you isn’t entirely selfless. I can’t describe the peace youbring to me when I hear you play. You need to share that with the world. And some punk-ass thugs will not take that away from you,” he said tenderly.
He saw her sudden indecision and shamelessly used her sweet and giving heart against her. “Please don’t take that from me. Giving this to you would makemeso very happy, sweet girl.”
The tears that had gathered in her eyes slid down her cheeks as she carefully set the violin back in its case and closed it. When she raised her face, a smile of pure joy beamed from her bruised face just before she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her lips brushing his neck with every word. As she tightened her arms around him, her breasts pressed against his chest and Silas felt his dick start to harden.
