15. Kassie
KASSIE
Istared out the window, the late-afternoon sun turning the fields brilliant gold and green with new crops.
Flowers dotted the horizon, their bright colors standing out.
In town, Oliver drove slower, his silence screaming.
He was worked up. Already mad. Determined.
I knew the signs. They hadn’t changed since we were kids.
He’d get quiet. Deadly quiet. His hands would clench and unclench. Grip on to the nearest item so hard, often it would break or tear. A cushion. A piece of bric-a-brac. His jeans. Whatever he clutched was destroyed.
His eyes became blue ice. Intense, penetrating. He watched you like a hawk, analyzing your words, movements—ready to catch you in a lie. To pounce.
And his jaw ticked. It was constant and something he had no knowledge of.
Right now, there was a steady rhythm happening on his firm jawline. Even the heavier scruff he sported for the role couldn’t hide it.
I took a deep breath. “Oliver, I think I need—”
He cut me off. “I will bring you whatever you need, Kassie. You aren’t getting out of this.”
“Maybe I don’t want to talk.”
“Too fucking bad.” He slammed the door of the car so hard, it shook. Before I could blink, he was on my side of the vehicle, opening the door and extending his hand in silence.
In contrast to his tension-filled aura, his touch was gentle as he helped me from the car. I tried not to moan as another spasm tore through my back. I needed some medication and heat.
“I have to lie down.”
“Fine. Give me your keys.”
I handed them to him, and he walked beside me, his arm around my waist. He unlocked the door, allowing me to go first. I went directly to my en suite and found my medication, shaking two pills from the bottle and swallowing them with a mouthful of water.
“Heating pad?” he asked.
“I usually soak in the tub.” I sighed and ran a hand over my head. “Give me a couple of hours, Oliver. I promise we’ll talk.”
“Okay. Into the tub.”
“I will once you’re gone.”
“Do you think I’m crazy? That I’ll let you take mediation and get into a hot tub? Alone? I don’t fucking think so. I will be staying and watching over you.”
I blinked at his forceful tone and words.
“Well, no need to get all alpha on me,” I muttered.
He glared at me. “Kassie,” he growled. “I’m walking a thin line here. I’ll go so fucking alpha it’ll make headlines.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine.”
I grabbed a simple one-piece suit and went into the closet to change, shutting the door behind myself. It was a bit of a struggle to get on since it hurt to move, but I managed. Oliver was waiting when I came out.
“I took the cover off.”
“Okay.”
Outside, he helped me into the tub, and I couldn’t stop the groan of pleasure as the heat hit my skin and the jets soothed the ragged nerves in my back. I shut my eyes, letting the warmth soak in, startled when Oliver suddenly slipped in beside me.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Watching over you. And I brought you a cold drink.” He handed me a bottle of water, and I took a long sip before setting it on the edge of the tub.
“You could watch over me from the chair,” I pointed out dryly.
“I could. But not as pleasant. This is a great tub. Perfect for two.” He laid his head back on the headrest, shutting his eyes.
I watched him for a moment. The hot tub was designed for two people lying opposite each other.
My feet were by his head, and his beside mine.
It was the first time I had ever had someone in the tub with me.
“That’s how it was made,” I agreed and shut my eyes, letting the water do its job.
Oliver’s hand found mine in the water, and he laced our fingers together.
It was an intimate, loving gesture, and I didn’t fight him on it.
He stroked his thumb over my skin in easy circles.
I peeked at him, surprised to see how relaxed he was.
Until he opened one eye and saw me looking at him. His voice was rough when he spoke.
“I saw the scar on your back. I’m not leaving until I find out how it got there.”
I’d known he would see it once he refused to leave. It was inevitable that we had this conversation. And as much as I dreaded it, it was necessary.
I shut my eyes again and leaned back against the headrest. I only hoped he would control his temper.
“If I get angry, it won’t be at you, lovely. I would never do anything to physically hurt you. You know that.”
I didn’t know I had spoken my worries out loud.
“I know.”
“I don’t want to hurt you in any way,” he added.
“Okay.”
“Now, relax,” he murmured. “Let your meds and the heat work.”
I didn’t reply but squeezed his hand. Somehow it felt right having him beside me. Watching over me.
He squeezed my fingers back.
I think he liked it too.
Oliver
I fought down my anger, refusing to upset Kassie even more.
I had always hated seeing her in physical pain.
My friends used to laugh at me when I would decline going out when she was ill or having her period.
I would rub her back, feed her ice cream or whatever she wanted, and watch endless TV shows with her until she felt better.
I rubbed her swollen feet and made sure the heating pad was close on her bad days.
Unlike most of my friends, I had no problem going to the store for pads or Midol.
If it made her feel better, I was all in.
They jeered and called me pussy-whipped.
I told them I was more a man than they ever would be.
And often reminded them at least I was getting some pussy.
That shut them up.
Today, I’d been upset, thinking I had somehow hurt her. Been too rough in the stable. When she assured me spasms happened often and confirmed my suspicion it hadn’t been an accident, I was incensed. Seeing her scar drove it home.
Someone had intentionally hurt her. I wanted to know who. When. Why.
And how to find them.
But for now, I forced myself to lie beside her in the hot water without any demands.
Her closeness eased some of my anger, and I kept watching her through narrowed eyes while she let her medication and the heat soothe her pain.
I could tell when it began to ease. The furrow on her brow smoothed out.
Her mouth was no longer tense, and her shoulders dropped a little.
A quiet sigh of relief slipped from her lips.
But her grip on my hand never lessened. She appeared to slumber, her face turned slightly, resting against the padded support.
I watched her carefully, wondering if she knew how dangerous it could be to take her meds and get into the tub.
As if knowing my thoughts, she opened her eyes and met my concerned gaze. “I don’t usually do the meds and the tub at the same time. If I have to take the pills, I lie down with the heating pad. Today was bad, though.”
“You could fall asleep and drown.”
“I would set a timer for every ten minutes to make sure I stayed awake.”
“I see.” I sat up, releasing her hand, and leaned forward. “What happened that set it off today? Was it me? Lifting you?”
“No. That was simply when the spasms started. I did too much. Lifting, walking on uneven surfaces, constantly on my feet without a break. Then sitting at a picnic table with no back support. That’s the worst thing.
Plus, I forgot my back brace.” She shrugged.
“Sort of an entire recipe for disaster.”
“Me manhandling you didn’t help, I suppose.”
“It would have happened, regardless. I had been feeling twinges, but it was so crazy and busy, I ignored it.”
“Does it happen often?”
“No, but on occasion if I forget to stretch or move right.”
I took a deep breath. “What was your injury, exactly? That scar was surgical.”
She nodded, looking away before she responded. “A fractured vertebra and some nerve and muscle damage.”
“Car accident?” I asked through tight lips.
“No.”
“How, Kassie?” I asked, focusing my gaze on her face. I’d know if she lied. She was a terrible liar and had been her whole life. Her eyes became unfocused, and the right one twitched a little when she tried to fib. Her ears went bright pink every time.
She shifted in the water, then sighed. “I was pushed and fell backward. I caught the edge of a cement block that held a statue and fractured my spine. It did a lot of damage that they were able to repair surgically, but some of the nerves and muscles never healed properly, and I get these spasms at times.”
I was horrified. “Someone pushed you? On purpose?”
“It depends who you ask. They maintained it was an accident.”
I stood, the water pouring off me. Steam rose around me, reflecting the fury tearing through my body. “I want to know the whole story. Are you ready to get out?”
“Yes.”
I kept my touch gentle as I helped her out.
I was pleased to see she didn’t grimace.
I grabbed a towel from the stack by the tub and wrapped it around her.
I stepped back and looked at the scar closer, surprised when she allowed me to do so without protest. It was neat and clean, hiding what I was certain was an incredibly painful injury and recovery.
That I hadn’t been around for or known about.
All at once, my anger bubbled over, this time not only directed to the faceless person who was the cause of this, but myself and the circumstances that had kept me from her. But I didn’t want to take out my anger on her. She didn’t deserve that.
“Get dressed,” I said calmly. “I’ll go grab some fresh clothing and be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay.”
I pressed a kiss to her head. “Okay.”
She was in a loose hoodie and leggings when I returned. Her hair was gathered up on her head, and she looked tired. I cursed myself, knowing I should just let her rest, but I wanted answers. Answers only she could give me. But I forced myself to ask the question.
“Are you up for this?”
She nodded, sitting on the sofa, lifting her feet, and pulling a blanket over her legs. I sat beside her, folding my hands over hers that gripped her knees. “Tell me, lovely. Tell me what happened.”