Chapter 32
Revea
Drip… drip…
I scrunch my eyes tighter, hoping to fall back asleep. But the dripping gets louder.
Did I leave the tap on? Is there a leak?
Ugh, I don’t want to move. My body’s too heavy. The bed’s so comfy and warm. I stretch out my arms and legs, the covers like cool silk against my hot skin...
Wait.
I do a quick snow-angel, frowning. They really do feel like silk.
I slowly open one eye. The room is dark except for a soft glow emitting from somewhere on my left. I turn to it and spot a thin, clear wire trailing up from my arm, up and up, into an IV bag. The source of the dripping.
Am I… in the hospital?
What the fuck.
I sit up in a panic, wincing at the ache in my muscles.
“Hey, you’re okay. Easy. Despacio… eso es.” Warm hands slide to my waist, guiding me back against the pile of pillows.
My vision slowly adjusts until I’m struck by deep hazel eyes.
“Val?” I croak, throat dry and scratchy.
He holds out a carton with a straw, and I drink without question. The cool liquid is heavenly.
“Not too much, carino.” He gently takes it away and places it on the bedside table.
“You’re... You’re a doctor?”
“You shocked by that, trouble?” He smiles, voice a light tease.
Damn. I’m glad there’s no heart monitor attached to me.
“Not a doctor. Just an army medic.”
“Still a doctor in my eyes.”
His smile twitches. “How’re you feeling?”
“Better. Less hot.”
He presses the back of his hand to my head and hums, and that sound zips right through me.
“What do you remember last?”
I wet my dry lips. “I’m in your house, right?” He nods. “Kaiden brought me here, and I showed him...” I swallow. “…the email.”
The memories come rushing back. The feeling of bone-deep dread and panic. The words. The threat. Money or ruin.
“How long have I been asleep?” I search the room for a clock. There isn’t one.
“A while. It’s the next day.”
That’s it, then.
I didn’t send the money.
I’m going to prison.
I’ll lose everything.
Val murmurs something in Spanish, his voice keeping the same low tone as he continues in English. “It’s okay, carino. You don’t need to worry.”
I rub my eyes. “Did Kaiden tell you? About the email?”
He nods. “And you don’t need to worry about it. We’ll explain more when you’re better. But it’s done. Over.”
What does he mean it’s over?
“Have the police been in touch? Are they coming?”
“No, Revea. You’re not going anywhere. We’ve dealt with it.”
I frown. “What does that mean? What… You didn’t send them money, did you?”
“No. But now I need you to listen to me.” His hands cup my face, forcing our eyes level. “We’ve dealt with it. It’s over. You’re safe.”
It’s… over?
I can’t quite believe it.
My eyes search his for… something. But there’s nothing. Just stern certainty as his thumb brushes my cheek.
God, I didn’t realise how much I missed him until now.
“But… how?” I slump back against the pillows, new tears forming from the utter relief.
“We have our ways.”
What the hell does that mean?
A cold thought hits me. “You didn’t... You didn’t do anything crazy, right? Like… hire a hitman from the dark web?”
“No.” But he doesn’t laugh or smile at the crazy suggestion, which tells me it isn’t that crazy.
“Val...”
“I’m joking.” Then he gives me a small smile, shrugging as he adds, “Kinda.”
My eyes widen.
“Anyway, don’t worry about that. You’re safe, they’re not.” Then he levels his gaze with mine again, making sure I hear him. “And they’ll regret what they did for the rest of the miserable life they have left. Okay?”
Hands still cupping my face, I slowly nod.
I’m not quite sure what emotions are brewing inside me. Relief, concern… and something dangerously hot at the thought of these men making these people suffer for hurting me.
“Are you hungry, preciosa?” His touch gently falls away. “We can make you something.”
“I’m okay. Thanks.” I shift against the pillows, grimacing at the feel of my t-shirt clinging to my skin. “I’d like to have a shower, though.”
“Then you’ll eat.” But it isn’t a suggestion. He stares straight at me until I relent with a small nod, which he returns.
Val takes his time removing the wire in my arm; he’s so gentle that I almost cry again. But with a speed my foggy brain can’t quite handle, he sweeps me up into his arms.
I try to fight back the tingle shooting through me, but it only worsens when I realise I’m only wearing underwear and my t-shirt.
When he places my feet down on the cold tiles, it takes me a few seconds to find my balance. I’m still a bit out of it, a little hot, but not filled with the burning aches I remember.
“I’ll wait here for you. I’ll go get your things.”
“Thanks.” I smile, and for a moment, he just stands there, staring at me, like I’m not the grossest thing right now.
He brings my suitcase from across the room and places it on the bathroom counter. He reminds me he’ll be right outside before leaving and shutting the door behind him.
Thank god the shower is simple.
I remember all the protocols Kaiden had to perform just to get past the gates and into the house. Kinda thought the shower would be voice-activated.
It’s so large, it’s even got a seat. A whole seat the size of my torso carved from white marble.
I sink onto it, letting the hot water run over my shoulders.
Yesterday, I was hiding in a hotel room, convinced my life was about to implode. Now I’m taking my first-ever sit-down shower in a luxury bathroom after Val said it’s over.
Just like that.
Even after pushing them away with that text.
Even when they thought I didn’t want them… they still came.
And fixed it.
My chest tightens a little at the thought.
I take my time in the shower, indulging my hair with a shampoo that is definitely a man’s. Definitely expensive.
When I step out into the fog, I sigh at the sight of my wet hair in the mirror. I don’t want to dry it, I doubt anyone with long hair ever does, but especially not while my body’s riddled with aches. But when the water drenches the back of my clean t-shirt, I decide to try.
God, I’m weak. My travel dryer feels so much heavier, and when I try for the third time to lift it high enough to dry my roots, it slips from my hand and cracks against the marble floor.
“Shit,” I hiss.
“Everything okay?” Val’s voice slips under the door.
I groan as I stretch down to grab the plastic handle. “Could you come in here, please?”
I quickly glance at my reflection, checking I’m decent, which is absurd when this man has seen me naked.
The door opens, and Val’s gaze locks onto mine in the large, misty mirror. It darts all over, dropping to the dip in my shirt where some buttons aren’t fastened, to the wet spots caused by my hair.
I hold the dryer up. “Do you think you could dry my hair? It’s okay if...”
My words trail off because he’s already moving, taking it from my hand and turning it back on.
The hot air is so soothing now that I’m not fighting my muscles that I find myself sighing, and when the teeth of a brush follow, I can’t stop the groan.
“You’ve done this before, Dr Valentin,” I murmur, leaning back into his careful brushing.
“Not with hair this long.” Another long sweep through. “Sorry if I’m not doing it right—”
“Shhh, you’re perfect.” I haven’t opened my eyes, so I can’t really comment on his technique, but it feels right.
He keeps going, lowering the setting to a quieter mode, then scooping sections of hair onto a round brush, drying it, before moving on to the next. I could fall asleep in his hands if I weren’t having to stay upright.
“I used to dry my mamá’s hair,” he says suddenly, voice gentle even with the hum of the hairdryer.
“She got sick when Luc and I were just kids—cancer. Our dad was always a waste of space, but when she got sicker, he left. We moved in with our abuela, our grandma, and the three of us took care of her.”
My eyes open. “How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
A hard lump lodges in my throat. My mouth presses into a thin line.
“We got pretty good at doing her hair, styling it. Luc can do decent makeup.” He laughs, and the deep rumble is as soothing as his fingers running through my hair.
“It was then I realised I liked looking after people. So when I trained in the army, I went down the medic route.” There’s a gentle clink as he sets the brush down.
“My mamá died just before we joined. One of the reasons we went.”
I blink away the sting that suddenly burns behind my eyes. Val isn’t looking in the mirror; he’s staring down at my hair, his fingers rhythmically threading through it.
“It was just the three of you?”
“As I said, Dad was a waste of space, so was his family. We had our abuela, but…” His lips pull to the side in the mirror. “I think she held on for us, for our mamá. She passed away not long after our training days.”
I reach up slowly, holding his hand and bringing it over my shoulder. His hazel eyes sweep up to meet mine again.
“I’m so sorry, Val,” I murmur, my thumb grazing over his calloused knuckles. “Thank you for telling me.” I smile softly. “And thank you for drying my hair. If you ever need some extra cash, I could use you at the salon.”
He smiles back, biting his tongue as he does, and something warm flutters deep in my belly.
“Oh yeah, a one-to-one position?” His fingers find the back of my neck, grazing the skin before squeezing gently.
A gasp slips out from the sensation, then he’s lowering his face, mouth beside my ear.
“Because I can also straighten hair.”
I groan, the sound pulled from me by both his skilled massage and his ridiculous whisper.
“What about a curling iron?” I murmur like it’s something dirty.
“Hmm, not yet, but I’m a very quick learner.” His lips brush my temple as his fingers squeeze again. “With the right teacher.”
I turn, hoping to catch his lips with mine—
Instead, I’m swept up into Val’s arms as he peers down at me. “But you’re not well enough to be teaching anyone anything right now.”
As we enter the bedroom, our eyes stay locked, his fingers tucking my freshly-dried hair behind my ear.
His gaze seems to soften in the low light, moving over every feature of my face. “We were so worried, Revea.”
“I’m sorry.” I look away, noting the bedsheets have been changed. “I… I really thought I’d ruined everything.”
He opens his mouth, but I don’t let him rebuke.
“I thought I was going to prison. I locked myself into a random hotel room and just… spiralled. I do that sometimes.”
His hand tightens around my waist. “Revea—”
“I kinda overlooked the crimes they’d committed. That they’d been inside my flat, taken pictures of me asleep. I mean, who knows what else—”
“Baby, please stop.” His eyes are tightly shut, so I do.
“Sorry,” I say, “but if I had just told someone. If I hadn’t been so goddamn stubborn… I wouldn’t have gotten into the state that I did.”
“It’s over now,” he murmurs, lowering me back onto the bed.
“I need you to rest a little longer, then I’ll get the guys, and we’ll explain everything.
But believe me, you’re not going anywhere, Revea.
Your business is safe. Everyone is fine, and when you’re better we’ll.
.. Hey, hey, Revea, what’s wrong? Baby—”
I use all my strength to launch my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I mumble against his shoulder. “Thank you for helping me. For coming for me.”
His strong arms slip around my waist, pulling me closer as I lean back just enough to kiss him.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips, once, twice, then, “I missed you.”
He pushes me back against the bed with a groan, hovering over me, his large body barely touching mine.
“I missed you so much,” he murmurs before his mouth presses to mine in a soft confession. He practically melts into me, his tongue sweeping against mine in slow, careful touches.
I want more.
My fingers grip his hair, wishing it were a little longer to tug as he successfully breaks our kiss.
I snarl softly, but he just laughs.
“So much trouble,” he murmurs, brushing his lips over mine, using one careful hand to keep me pinned to the mattress by my waist. “When you’re well, I’ll give you anything you want. I’ll show you just how much I missed you.”
Oh, I like that. My omega creates a soft purr that seeps out in agreement.
He lets out a pained sound. “Revea,” he whispers, lips grazing mine as he does. “You don’t play fair, carino.”
Just when I hope he’ll relent, a bone-shuddering purr releases from his chest.
I sink back into the mattress, eyes fighting to stay open.
The bastard.
He chuckles. I think I said that out loud, but then his purr deepens.
With his heavenly scent wrapped around me, all warm and clean from the shower, the last thing I remember is something pressed to my forehead and words murmured in a language I don’t understand.