“Where is she?” I roared. My wet clothes clung to me like a second skin. I dripped wetness on the floor. I turned to see Otis at the side of the couch. I rushed to the side, seeing my woman laid on the couch.
Her face was red between contusions and a small mixture of blood coming from somewhere. I couldn’t help the drops of water dripping down to her body. The coolness of it splashed her, giving me a gut-dropping moan.
“Peaches.” I bent down to her level, caressing her other cheek. She stirred awake, nuzzling her head against the pillows, when she tilted to the side, her eyes fluttered.
A soft smile made my heartbeat faster. “River.”
I brushed her hair, some of it matted from something. Or someone. Her neck was darkened with impressions.
Otis took a step back, I turned to him. “What has she told you?”
He shook his head. “Barely anything. She just wanted the couch, water, and some pain meds. I gave her the over-the-counter shit. Figured you would look her over.”
I nodded. I could put money down on what probably happened, and if I was right, it was all my fault. That’s what would truly hurt was that my actions resulted in her punishment.
Amelia leaned into my touch. “I’m safe, right?”
“Yeah, peaches, you’re safe.”
“I heard your voice.” she said softly, her eyes drifting back to sleep, but she mustered the strength to stay awake and alert. Maybe she was delusional, she wasn’t making sense, maybe that’s what my mind tried to reason with instead of the hope.
“When I came through the door?”
She shook her head. “When he was on top of me.”
I heard Otis let out a low growl, feeling the same sentiment. I shushed her. “It’s okay we don’t need to talk about it right now.”
She shook her head. “You should know I didn’t want him to do that. But he wouldn’t let me go.”
“It’s okay. You’re not there anymore. Come on, peaches, let’s get you to a proper bed.” My arms scooped her up, cradling her close. I turned to Otis. “I have a feeling you and I are going to need to talk about a situation.”
“I have a hunch. Come find me when you’re ready.” Otis clasped a hand on my shoulder and walked away, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
Amelia started to shiver, my soaked clothes didn’t help her. “I know. Let’s get you cleaned up and out of those clothes.”
She groaned. “There’s a backpack in my truck.”
“Backpack?”
“My emergency bag. In case I needed to leave. I haven’t been truthful, Shooter,” she admitted. My heart raced at the sentiment. It wasn’t that she wasn’t truthful, it was the fact that she wasn't ready to tell me what I already know. But the sense of guilt came back, knowing that I knew too much and still let this happen to her. I was going to make it up to her. One way or another.
I pushed through the bedroom door, walking to the bed to lay her down in it. As soon as I did, I ran to the truck in the pouring rain. But it wasn’t a backpack, it was a big ass duffel. It was no overnight bag. She planned for a longer stay.
And she chose me for it. I hated the “yo-yo” feeling, but it was just what I needed to be what she needed right now.
I came back to find a snuggling Amelia cuddling one of the pillows. She didn’t see me come in, but I saw her take a deep breath of the fabric, inhaling the scent.
“You can have the real thing,” I teased her, as her eyes widened. A red blush flushed her cheeks.
She sat up slowly; her body was probably sore. I wanted to erase everything that happened. I wanted to take away her pain and give her pleasure. I wanted to consume her like my last breath.
I dropped the duffel, the loud thud hitting the ground. “Pull out what you need, I’ll go get my kit.”
She simply nodded and bent down to pull out what she needed. I hated to see her like that.
I cleaned her up, but what lay underneath the grime and blood was a swollen cheek and a cut right underneath the cheekbone. She stayed quiet through the majority of it and only hissed in pain when I bandaged her cheek. I couldn’t hold back as I pressed a kiss to her temple. My beard scratched her cheek, there was a sigh of relief.
The first time I wanted to see her breasts was not when I asked her to remove her scrub top. She hesitated but complied. Her bra was ready to bust at the seams, I would only imagine it was from him grabbing at it.
