I yawn again, unable to control it. Too tired to care about the pain in my face.
“Go to sleep.” He kisses my knuckles again, and I relax into the chair with my body sideways facing him. I close my eyes, trying to clear the racing thoughts from today. I may not have been sure who my enemy was and who my allies were, but one thing I know is Kane would never hurt me physically. Spanking aside.
A small smile quirks my lip. I pull it back in before I stretch the cut again. Memories of that night with the belt pop into my head. I think that was more of a lesson for him than for me. I’ve no doubt he felt guilty afterwards.
My vibrator is most likely fried to a crisp, too. Although, who needs a vibrator when I have the real thing? I open my eyes to take one last look at him before I let sleep take me. He’s still the hottest man I know, even with the tiredness of the day marring his features. I love him and wouldn’t have him any other way.
* * *
I wakeup in Kane’s arms as he lifts me out of the truck. “We’re here.”
My head turns, taking in the old house on one side and a lake on the other. A wooden pier juts out over the water and the grass surrounding the property is overgrown and wild. “I can walk.”
He lowers me down. My feet hit the step at the front of the house. He pushes a key into the old wooden door, then creaks it open.
“It’s like something from an old horror movie.”
Kane chuckles and it’s the first time I’ve heard him laugh in a long time. “It’s an old rickety house, but I fell in love with the place. It has a lot of potential. Plus, it came with a boat.” He points to a boat tethered to the pier, looking even worse than the house.
“I’d sooner take my chances on a raft than sail in that.”
“Come on.” He flicks a light switch on, then walks back to the truck to get Belle.
I wander through the stark kitchen. Oak units line one wall, but the work surface is missing as if he’s halfway through renovations. It’s very minimal. Nothing like the rustic, homely farmhouse. This is all Kane. No frills kind of minimalism. Very much like his bedroom at the farmhouse.
The living room is much the same; minimal, with nothing on the walls. A large open fire looks like it was original to the house. I run my hands over my arms. The inside is just as cold as the outside.
“I’ll get a fire going in a minute. The central heating may take a while to warm the house. I’ve not been here since last summer.”
“Did you live here?”
“I was living here until Dad became sick. It made sense to move back in with him. I wanted to sell the farmhouse after he passed away, but there were no buyers. Ended up living there, trying to do the place up, but there was always something that needed fixing. I’d do one thing, then something else would break, like a leaky roof or the electrics.” Kane throws some logs on the fire and lights it. “Gareth has probably done me a favour. That place is worth more on the insurance than it was in bricks and mortar.”
He grabs a blanket from a wooden box in the room and wraps it around my shoulders. Belle lifts her head from an old sofa where Kane set her down.
I stroke her fur. “Will she be all right?”
“Lilly said she’ll be fine. But I’ll take her to the vets as soon as they open and get her checked out.” He disappears and comes back with a bowl of water, holding it for her while she laps it up.
Kane sits next to Belle on the sofa. He reaches for my hand and tugs, gesturing for me to sit on his knee. I sit sideways, leaning my head in the crook of his neck. He holds me close, as if he’s cradling a child.
His lips gently press against my forehead. “I’ll never let them hurt you again, baby girl.” His palm strokes up and down my back.
I close my eyes in Kane’s arms, feeling safe and secure despite everything that’s happened.
46
VIOLET
Kane’s been busy this last week making sure I’m comfortable; working day and night to fix the place up to make it liveable. He doesn’t realise I don’t care if the house is a mess, with only half a kitchen and one working toilet. As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters to me.
Belle barks outside, running around his feet and back to being her usual self. Kane took her to the vets last week. They gave her a steroid injection to help with her cough.
I stare out the living room window at him sawing some timber. His dark hair hangs damp with sweat in front of his forehead and he brushes it back with his tattooed arm. Our eyes lock, making him smile when he realises I’m watching him. Despite all our upheaval, he still has a smile for me.
The firemen weren’t able to salvage much of the house. But the workshop and garage are still standing. Kane’s been going back and forth, bringing things here bit by bit. Including my mini after he fitted a new alternator.
I continue clearing out the rubbish from the house, building rubble mainly. Kane wants to decorate and get a proper wooden floor down over the floorboards next week.
