Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
VIVIAN
I wake to the dim room and the steady rhythm of my heart monitor.
“Hey, there, sunshine.” Everett caresses my forehead.
I drink in his gorgeous brown eyes and kind smile. “Hi.”
“How are you feeling?”
I suck in a slow breath, let it out. “Okay. My head’s not pounding anymore.”
Everett slides his big palm beneath mine and brings my fingers to his lips. The burn dressing looks garish on my arm, but at least the injury is superficial. Unlike my bruised ribs and broken ankle. But it could be so much worse.
“Where’s Matty?” I ask.
“Mom and Dad are bringing him in when he wakes up.”
“Okay.” I close my eyes and release another slow breath. I don’t know how I’m going to take care of him right now. But what’s important is that he’s safe.
“The nurse said you’ll be able to go home later today if you continue to feel better,” Everett says.
I nod, but emotion stings my nose. “That’s good. ”
When I look away, he tilts my chin so we’re eye to eye again. “Not to The Meadows, baby. I’m bringing you home with me.”
I suck in a breath. “Everett, no. I’m so done with imposing on you and your family. Matty and I will be fine.”
“It wasn’t a question, sweet girl.” His gaze turns fierce. “I’m taking care of you and Matty, starting now.”
I swat the tears from my cheeks. “What will we tell the boys?”
“Do you really think they’ll object?”
Laughter ignites my ribs with a searing pain, and I wince. “I guess we’ll see.”
“We can call it a trial run, if that makes you feel better.”
It does, though I don’t think he means it. How can he possibly feel so sure about us?
Though isn’t that what my heart is telling me, too?
I close my eyes again. Just to give them a break from the lights.
He strokes my forehead again. “We got the guy who did this to you.”
“Oh,” I say as the memories rush back.
“Does the name Jordy Clarke mean anything to you?”
I shake my head, but it only makes the edges of my vision swim. “Should it?”
“Kent never mentioned him?”
My breath tightens in my chest, sending a hot ache reverberating through me. “That’s what this is about? Kent and this Jordy person are trying to make my life miserable?” I swallow the hard knot in my throat. “How is something like that even possible? Kent’s in L.A.”
“He is,” he says. “Jordy Clarke works for Kent. He and his buddies were convinced you’d divulged their secrets to the FBI.”
Secrets . Tears sting my eyes and I close them. “I didn’t tell anyone.”
His big hand strokes my brow. “So you knew?”
His voice is calm and steady, and so caring. Right now, he’s not a big, tough cop. He’s Everett. My Everett .
I blink my eyes open, and he dries my tears with the edges of his thumbs. I take another slow breath and focus on him and the strength in his gaze. “I never had actual proof, but I suspected. At first, I wasn’t even sure. It started with us having more money all of a sudden. He said it was a raise, but I know what cops make. One time his phone woke me up in the middle of the night. I checked it, thinking it was an emergency, but it was a text thread with two of his close workmates. It was awful. They’d beaten someone up and were going to cover for each other in the report. Little things like that just kept adding up, and I started to get scared.”
Everett closes his eyes and releases a full breath. “Fuck. I’m so sorry.”
“The safest thing was to get away. By then I felt like I barely knew him. He never spent time with Mateo. Hardly paid attention to me. It was like we’d become strangers.”
“When you divorced, it didn’t come out, what you suspected?”
“I never told anyone. I was too scared. You don’t mess with the LAPD. Who would I even trust with something like this? The safest thing was for me to leave. Start over. And not look back.”
“You did the right thing.”
“FBI…do they know?”
“They’ve been watching him. And others in his unit. They’re going to bring charges against them.”
I blink back another wave of hot tears. “That’s why he…came after me. What if Matty had been in the car?”
Everett caresses my forehead again, his touch soothing. “He’s never going to hurt you again. You and Mateo are safe. I’ll make sure of it.”
His words and the sense of shelter they bring washes through me. It’s a feeling better than any drug they could give me right now. “If I had told you, would it have prevented this from happening?”
“I don’t want you thinking like that.” He caresses my cheek. “Would you be willing to share why you didn’t, though?”
I gulp a breath, but it spikes the pain in my ribs. I wait for it to ebb, then force myself to look at him. “I was ashamed, Ev. I was scared people would look down on me. I already felt rotten enough all by myself.”
He takes my hand again. “What happened isn’t your fault, Vivian. If anything, you’ve proven how strong you are. How dedicated and determined.”
“I just wanted to leave it all in the past.”
“I understand.” He strokes down each of my fingers. “But it’s time you let it go.”
I glance at where our hands are joined and release a steadying breath.
It’s just one little word. Why does it feel so big?
I can do this. With him. “Okay.”
“You don’t have to do this alone anymore,” he says, lifting my fingers to his lips. “I’m here.”
I stroke the side of his face and pull him to me, needing his lips on mine. The heady, rich scent of him and his warmth invades my senses, making my heartbeat skip and my core twist with an urgent hunger.
To be near him, to hold him, kiss him. To have his strong arms around me and his sensual promises in my ear. To care for him, be there for him.
To let him in.
I wake to the boys laughing in the bathroom down the hall. They’ve gotten into the habit of brushing their teeth together before school.
“Naw, dude, like this,” Logan says, his voice muffled.
“Zis?” Matty asks followed by a burst of more laughter.
Everett’s voice booms from downstairs. “Let’s go, you hyenas.”
Matty cackles. “Hyenas?”
The water turns off and Matty peeks into the room. When he sees me awake, his grin lights up his face. His new front tooth is almost grown in, and though I miss the jack-o-lantern smile, his new smile is full of confidence.
I open my arm and he rushes at me, throwing both arms around my neck. “Love you, Mom.”
“Have a great day.” I kiss him on the head.
“I will,” he replies, then grips both sides of my face so we’re eye to eye. “You keep feeling better, okay?”
I give him a serious nod. “Okay.”
He dashes from the room, and moments later the front door shuts.
When I open my eyes again, Everett has placed a mug of my favorite tea on the bedside table. Is this what woke me? I scoot up in bed, wincing at my still-sore ribs, and cradle the mug. Just the scent of it sends a pulse of warmth rolling all the way down to my toes. I take a sip, and groan. Everett has already perfected the combination of honey and cream.
A current of heat flashes under my skin. Since he brought me home, he’s perfected a few other things too.
“Hey,” Everett says, peeking into the room.
“Morning.” I smile up at him. “Thank you for this.”
He leans down and kisses my forehead, then sits on the edge of the bed. “How’s my girl?”
The endearment filters down to my heart. I’ve never wanted to be someone’s girl before, but I want to be Everett’s.
“Feeling pretty good.” I take another long sip of my tea. “Thanks for taking care of Matty. Getting him to school.”
“It was mostly Logan,” Everett says with a chuckle. “Those two get along like a house on fire.”
“Guess you’ll have to get used to a noisy house.” I say with a shrug.
“Noisy’s kinda growing on me.” He cocks an eyebrow.
I laugh, then bite my lip. “So, you’re staying home again today?”
“It’s my job to take care of you, remember? ”
How has he so completely turned my heart upside down? “Would you um, help me take a shower?”
“Definitely.” He peels back the covers and scoops me up.
The jostling of my bruised body makes me hiss in pain.
“Sorry,” he says, his eyes filling with concern.
“I’m okay.” I stroke his cheek and draw his mouth to mine. Our lips embrace in a tender kiss that quickly turns heated. He sighs, pausing in the middle of his bedroom to kiss me, the flick of his tongue making my spine tingle.
I comb through his hair and grab the back of his neck. I don’t care how much it hurts. I’m not holding anything back.
His bathroom has cream-colored tile and pale blue walls, with twin pedestal sinks, a low shelf full of folded towels, a toilet behind a half wall, and a walk-in shower. He turns sideways to get me through the door, then sets me gently on my good foot where I can use the sink for balance. My left ankle is in a cast, but Everett got me a set of waterproof sleeves that seal at the top. He whips one out of the packaging and squats down to slide it on.
“Feel okay?” he asks when it’s in place.
I rotate my leg to show it off. “Not exactly sexy, is it?”
“If anyone can make a zip-locked ankle sexy, it’s you.” He grins, making my pulse leap into my throat.
He stands and cups my face, then kisses me again. His tongue parts my lips, and I let him inside. I caress his stubbled jaw to the back of his neck. A quiver of heat dances down my thighs.
With one smooth tug, he pulls off his t-shirt, then comes back to kiss me while he unbuckles his belt. I caress down his bare chest, trying to go slow, to savor the firm planes of his body and the warmth of his skin. But I’m craving so much more of him.
I tug at the waistband of his jeans as he unzips, and they drop to his shins. My breaths are coming faster, my desire like a growing flame inside me. He steps from his jeans and reaches for the hem of my nightgown. My skin tingles with the brush of his fingertips at my thighs. He moves closer, the hard ridge of his erection beneath his briefs like a tease as he caresses up the back of my thighs. Those thick callouses add the most delicious friction on my bare backside, sending a buzz of electricity over every nerve ending. He grips my ass and rocks me closer, groaning as our lips crash together. Every point of contact between us sends a hot, desperate need straight to my core.
He lifts my nightgown past my waist, drawing back, his dark gaze fixed on this slow reveal of my body. I balance for him, lifting my arms. The cool air on my bare skin sends gooseflesh rippling across my shoulders and down my thighs, making my breasts ache for his touch. His fingertips brush past my elbows, taking the fabric of my nightgown with it, until his eyes find mine.
“You’re so incredibly beautiful,” he says, his gaze raking up my body. He strokes from my waist upwards, cradling both of my breasts. When his thumbs stroke over my peaks, I draw a shaky breath, my thighs tensing together, needing him.
His fierce gaze stays locked on mine for a moment longer as he touches me, and then he kisses me again, that sexy scruff against my lips twisting my cravings tighter inside me. I rock closer, the hollow between my thighs throbbing for more contact, more pressure, more.
His tongue glides past my lips, demanding and sensual. I tug at the waistband of his briefs, and he helps me slide them down, giving me the freedom to touch him.
He hisses a tight breath, his lips embracing mine for a fraction of a second, like he’s savoring the two sensations at once. He caresses down my arms and cups my ass, lifting me, and though the movement hurts, the contact of his cock where I’m throbbing makes me whimper.
Inside the shower, he sets me down and swivels my hips, so I’m facing the corner, then turns on the water. He moves my hands to the tile and kisses the back of my neck. With one swift tug, he releases the tie at the end of my braid, the tension against my scalp making me groan. He combs the strands loose, then sweeps my hair over my left shoulder. He directs the spray, warm now, toward us, then comes up behind me. His body is wet from the water, making me shiver. With my hands braced off the wall, he nips the back of my ear and caresses down my sides, the water cascading down, making everything slippery.
He maps the back of my neck with his wet, soft lips while his scruff sends a needy buzz down my spine. He strokes my nipples, drawing my cravings to a hard knot inside me. My quickening breaths add an edge of discomfort that seems to only heighten the pleasure of his touch. He strokes down, his wet fingers gliding against where I’m practically on fire.
I gasp and press back into him, needing his strong, solid body against mine. It hurts but so would stopping.
“You’re so fucking soft, baby,” he says, his teeth grazing my earlobe.
He circles my clit and strokes, his rough fingers where I’m so sensitive funneling all of my awareness to the building climax spiraling so tight and so fast inside me.
Being the sole focus of his attention, to be wrapped in such tenderness while my desire turns my heart inside out makes me feel treasured, cherished. Safe.
“I’m coming, Ev,” I say on a gasp that makes my ribs burn.
“Give it to me,” he says, his voice a low purr in my ear.
The pleasure unravels so quickly, burning up through me like sweet fire. I cry out as he strokes and teases, surrendering to the emotions twisting inside me. He wraps his arm around my chest and presses his lips to my jaw, holding me to him while he draws every last drop of my release from my body. Panting, I hang on his arm and rest against his frame.
We stand together under the warm spray, our breaths echoing in the tight space. Little aftershocks jolt down my thighs, adding a hit of friction where his cock is trapped between us. I reach back and caress his thigh, slipping my hand between our bodies to touch him.
“I need to be inside you,” he says in my ear. “Do you think you can?—”
I wrap my hand around him. “Yes. ”
He gives another low groan. “First, though,” he says, and pumps some soap into his hands. “You asked for help.”
I smile and turn to kiss him. His wet beard feels silky against my face and his lips are plush and so soft. He washes my body, swirling his soapy fingers around my breasts and down my thighs, rekindling my desire. He scrubs my neck and shoulders, being so gentle, then washes my hair, his strong fingers like magic, while making sure to be tender around my wounds. When we’re rinsed, he shuts off the water and squeezes out my hair, then brings in a big, fluffy towel to dry me off. We kiss and touch, my body already aching for him.
When he carries me back to the bed and lays me down, the relief to be off my feet is as powerful as the look in his eyes.
Everett makes slow, sweet love to me, his reverent touch everywhere and his whispered praises making my heart feel so full and tight inside my chest, When I come undone, my emotions crack loose with my climax, making me feel more vulnerable than I’ve allowed myself to be in so long. It should scare me, but it’s the opposite. How could I be feeling this much, so soon? How could I be so willing to trust after being so broken?
“It’s okay,” Everett says, kissing my tears away. “Let me have everything.”