“Hey now princess, I’m not going anywhere. There's no need for those tears. I can just have Cam bring my keys up to me, that way I don’t have to go anywhere. How does that sound?” His sweet words are almost my undoing. I nod shakily, unable to speak. He sends a quick text and a few seconds later his pho
ne buzzes. Looking down at his message he says “Suzy, do you mind getting the keys from Cam? He is at the nurse’s station, that way I can stay with my girl.”
“Umm yea, ah okay. T you sure you don’t just want me to stay?” I swear to God, Marc actually growls.
“No, I am sure, I love you and all but I really want Marc to stay. We can talk tomorrow, ok?”
“Okay T, you know I just worry. I’ll go grab those keys.”
When she leaves, I start to sob. Those ugly tears only my mom has seen. “I really don’t want you to leave me, I feel so safe with you. I don’t understand what is happening to me.”
Leaning his forehead against mine he nuzzles the side of my face. “Hush those tears. I don’t plan on going anywhere and I’m damn sure not ever letting you go. I’ll always keep you safe, I promise you that.”
Next thing I know his lips are on mine, in a soft, reassuring kiss. My first kiss. He’s letting me know that everything will be okay with just the simplest of touches. After a few minutes, Suzy comes back in with a wheelchair, Marc’s keys, and my discharge papers.
She hands my papers to Marc, ultimately giving over responsibility to someone she doesn’t know or trust. I can see this is bugging the shit out of her, but I need her to just trust me on this. She gives me a hug “Okay T, you’re all set to go.” Pulling away, she looks at Marc and stands to her full 5’4 frame.
“You listen here buddy, I don’t know who the fuck you are, but because Teagan trusts you I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Have no doubts though, I will kill you if you hurt her in anyway. Do I make myself clear?”
I’m trying so hard not to laugh at the look she has put on Marc’s face. I would bet everything I own he has never been spoken to like that, let alone by someone a good foot shorter than him.
Clearing his throat, he says “Yes ma’am. I promise I’ll take real good care of her. Tell ya’ what, how about I give you my number, so you can call to check on her?”
Seeming content with that answer and his number stored in her phone, she begins to help me off the bed and into the wheelchair.
“Let me.” Marc says, as he comes to the side of the bed.
“Come on Princess, let’s get you to your castle.”
Suzy moves out of the way and Marc gently picks me up with one arm around my back and the other under my knees, placing me on the chair. Kissing my forehead, he stands up and moves to the side to let Suzy take me outside.
Once we are in his huge red F150 and he has me buckled in, he hops in the driver’s seat and we start to make our way towards where ever he lives. He puts his big hand on my thigh and gives it a soft squeeze. I am so tired that I start to doze off as I put my hand on his and he interlaces our fingers. My last thought before sleep claims me is that it feels like we’ve done this a thousand times before.
???
The aroma of steak hits my nose, and my stomach rumbles loudly. Fuck, my head hurts. I feel like I have the world’s worst hangover but that can’t be right because I don’t drink, and I am supposed to be making Thanksgiving dinner for everyone.
With a start, I realize that I am not in my bed. In fact, I am not one hundred percent sure where I am. I smell all man. That’s when the events of this morning come rushing back. Oh, my fucking God I burnt my parents’ house down and met the man of my dreams at one time. I am so warm in these flannel sheets and a thick down comforter that smells just like him, but I want to see Marc.
Opening my eyes, I notice that it’s dark out and I briefly wonder how long I slept. I try to throw off the comforter, and that’s when I realize that I’m tangled in the sheets. I am in the middle of trying to get myself unraveled from this death trap when Marc walks in with a hot pink cup. It’s the kind of cup that keeps things hot or cold for hours and some pills. I am still stuck, but that cup is taunting me.
Chuckling, he walks over to the bed and puts down the cup before he says, “Hey Princess, need some help?”
I stick my bottom lip out in a pout. “Yes, I can’t get out of your stupid sheets.” Laughing, he grabs the sheets and easily pulls them off my legs. I realize that I am just in a man’s shirt and my white panties. Gasping out loud, I blush from head to toe. It takes everything in me not to reach for the sheets again. I have never been this naked in front of a man before. He doesn’t seem to notice, and I hate that.
“There you go, you’re all set.” He sits me on the side of the bed and puts the pills into my hand. I toss them into my mouth and take a small sip from the offending cup. I look down as I set the cup back on the nightstand. Shit, how tall is this bed? My feet don’t even touch the floor. It looks like refurbished oak. I knew the home improvement shows my dad made me watch would come in handy one day. He stands in front of me and pushes my hair behind my ear as he caresses my cheek. I can’t help but lean into his touch.
“I was worried about you. How are you feeling?”
God, he is so sweet. “I’m okay, my head kind of hurts and I really have to pee.” I blurt out quickly slapping my hand over my mouth. I cannot believe I just said that out loud. Laughing, he helps me off the huge bed. He seems reluctant to let me go, and truth be told I would have loved to stay in his arms, but I really do have to pee. Clearing his throat, he quickly says “Ahh right, okay. The bathroom is right over there.” I give him an apologetic smile and quickly make my way to the bathroom.
“Come down to the kitchen when you’re finished. It’s down the stairs to the right. I made dinner for us.” He says as he grabs the cup and heads out the door. As soon as he’s gone, I rush to the bathroom to relieve myself. I wash my hands and look at myself in the mirror. When I see my reflection, I have to bite my lip to keep me from scream out. Holy fuck! I look like a hot mess. My hair is all over the place. I think I still have a small amount of soot in it, or is that dry blood? Fuck, I can’t think about it. Just the thought of blood makes me want to pass out.
Leaning forward I take a closer look at my forehead and sigh, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Just a minor cut and some bruising on my forehead. I have huge dark circles under my eyes. It looks like I am going to have to do some snooping to find a washcloth. My face looks rough as fuck. No wonder I don't see the fire in his eyes when he looked at me minutes ago.
I go through all his cabinets and cubby holes which gives me a chance to see how amazing his bathroom is. There is a huge jetted bathtub that will cover my knees and tits at the same time. There is a glass shower with a built-in bench seat. Other than that, the bathroom is bare. There are a few bottles of men’s shampoo and body wash and two towels and two washcloths. Turning on the water I quickly wash and dry my face. I try to tame my hair, but it’s just not working. Sighing, I give up on it and head downstairs.
Chapter Four