26. Only If
TWENTY-SIX
Only If
MELISSA
Melissa woke up in a cold sweat. Blood-drenched tulips flitted through her mind, the tangled threads of dreams she didn’t want to remember.
For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. Darkness filled the room, and she bolted upright only to gasp against a sharp pain cutting through her side.
Memories returned in a flash of agony. The tornado. CJ. The hospital. Surgery. And finally, her home and a field of tulips stained by death. She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked in bed, crying in the darkness.
Scott was out there. When he found her, would he kill her? Or, did he have other plans for his wife?
There was no sound in the room except her quiet sobs. It looked like CJ left her to sleep. She was grateful for that small courtesy. Privacy seemed to be something she could not guarantee around that man.
For a stranger, he certainly inserted himself into her life. Was he still out there, or had he left? Her gut seized with fear. She didn’t want to be alone. If Scott discovered where she was, she’d be in no condition to fight.
A rustling came from the other room, and she tensed.
“Melissa?”
CJ’s deep voice resonated deep within her core, striking at something buried deep and long forgotten. A sigh of relief whispered past her lips. He hadn’t abandoned her. The longer CJ stayed around, the more of herself she lost in his charms. Such the perfect gentleman.
Stupid. Gallant. Hero.
She hated him for being so perfect.
Careful not to pull her tortured muscles, she twisted and gave the pillow a long hard stare. As welcoming as the soft down appeared, she wanted nothing to do with the dreams it promised. A glance at the clock showed her it was two in the morning. She should be asleep. Her body needed rest to heal. That damn dream, like Scott, had spoiled everything.
The darkness clawed at her, reminding her of evil things lurking in the world. She turned on the light next to the bed.
The door hinges squeaked.
“You awake?”
“Yes.”
“Can’t you sleep?”
“No.”
CJ stepped into the soft illumination spilling from the doorway; his features silhouetted until he moved into the cone of light beside her bed. Her breath hitched in her throat, rendering her speechless as she gazed into the soul of an angel.
He sat on the corner of the bed, tugging at the edges of a white robe. She wanted to touch him. Instead, she kept her arms wrapped around her waist, giving herself a lonely hug.
“You should try to get some rest,” he encouraged, moving closer.
She shrugged. “I had a bad dream.”
He brushed the hair off her forehead. “What was your dream about?”
“A nightmare.” She scooted back. “I feel better now. Thank you for…”
An awkward pause hung between them.
His presence electrified her. When he wasn’t beside her, she could convince herself she could resist him, that his magnetic pull wasn’t that strong. But when he was close, all her defenses crumbled. This undeniable need surged strong and powerful within her body, and perhaps even her heart. Scott had never had this effect on her.
How did CJ make her feel so alive? Or was she that desperate for affection?
“You don’t look better.” A grin spread across his face, softening the strength of his jawline.
“Your compliments need work,” she teased, forcing a smile of her own, but she wasn’t ready to join him in laughter.
“Sorry, but why didn’t you tell me you were in that much pain?”
She shrugged. “What was I going to say? I hate hospitals. They keep the lights on all night, and the staff talks the whole time. All I wanted was to go home and get some rest where I could heal.”
The smile on his face faded. “I can only imagine if you had taken that cab. You would’ve been alone.”
“Do you think he was at the house?”
His pause made her heart skip a beat.
“Did you see him?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t.”
“Did Mac or Jenny?”
CJ scooted until he was sitting beside her. He took her hand in his. “Mac thought he might have seen movement at the edge of the property, but we can’t know for sure. Your ex took a huge risk going there.”
“Because of the manhunt?” She sat a little straighter. “Wouldn’t my house have been under surveillance? How did no one see anything?”
“All the damage from the storm has complicated things. Electricity is still out in some parts of town. Most of the police have been diverted to assist in recovery. No one was watching your house, and I’m pretty certain he was waiting for you.”
Her heart did one of those free-fall things where the bottom dropped out and sent her on a plunge into oblivion. She hunched over as a wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm her.
Scott had been waiting. He was patient and jealous as hell. What if he saw her with CJ?
CJ enveloped her in warmth with one of his healing hugs, a promise that he would protect her from the world.
She blinked back hot tears, unwilling to show another moment of weakness in front of this man who had shown so much kindness. His fingers tangled in her hair, straightening out the mess. His soft lips pressed against her forehead, and she wished his tender kiss could make all the evil in the world disappear, but that would be hoping for too much.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done. I really do.” An errant tear trickled down her cheek. She brushed at it with irritation. “I don’t know how to thank you, but tomorrow I’ll figure out how to pay for a security detail. I know you’re busy.”
She watched him, hoping he would take this way out and extricate himself from the mess that was her life. Instead, he cupped her chin. His baby blues stared at her with such intensity that they burned her from the inside out.
He leaned close, his gaze never once leaving hers. “I didn’t come to the hospital because of a stupid phone. I came to see you.”
Her breath hitched as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. Heat seared her mouth and burned deep to her core. When he deepened the kiss, she couldn’t think of anything except to kiss him back.
He paused, pulled away, and broke the spell. They stared at each other, the air crackling with promise, but filled with the weight of her ex-husband’s presence.
“I’m here because I want to be.” He pressed his finger to her lips when she tried to speak. “You need rest, and in the morning, you and I need to discuss a few things.”
He exited the room, leaving the door open a crack.
Her fingers brushed her lips. She tasted him, rich and sultry. Had the kiss been a dream? Or more of a promise?