Chapter 96
Hunter
I look at my girl sitting on the edge of the bed, her face still marked with bruises that are slowly fading, and yet every time my eyes land on them the monster inside me claws a little harder at its cage, demanding to be let loose.
Not yet, but soon.
His time is coming.
“I can do it,” she says.
I ignore the protest.
Taking the leggings from the chair, I kneel in front of her and motion for her to lift one leg before easing the fabric into place, then I pull on her socks and finish with the trainers.
When I finally help her to her feet, she sways slightly and my grip tightens as I catch her around the waist while she leans on me for support.
Today they’re finally discharging her.
After spending Christmas and New Year’s inside this bloody hospital, I’m more than ready to take her home.
Not that I’ve ever cared much for either holiday.
I’ve never understood the obsession people have with them.
As far as I can tell, they’re little more than an excuse to stop working, drink too much, and eat too much.
I help her into one of my shirts and have to bite back a satisfied smirk when it practically swallows her whole, the hem falling just below her arse.
The possessive part of me takes immediate notice, especially since she isn’t wearing a bra and the thin fabric does little to hide the outline of her nipples.
My cock takes notice too.
Which couldn’t be worse timing.
We still haven’t properly discussed what happened.
Every time I’ve tried to push the conversation in that direction, she’s found a way around it, and until now I’ve let her.
But now she’s finally coming home with me.
To our home.
And neither of us is avoiding that conversation any longer.
I pull a hoodie over her head and guide her arms through the sleeves, my jaw tightens when she hisses in pain.
I take a step back and look at her.
The leggings are hers. Everything else belongs to me.
Her included.
And all I can think is that she looks cute as fuck.
A phrase that never existed in my vocabulary before Piper Ashthorne bulldozed her way into my life.
Her wild ginger curls are pulled back into a ponytail I put up myself earlier. A few strands have escaped, and I tuck them behind her ears before bending down to press a kiss to her forehead.
I pick the bag up from the bed and then take her hand in mine.
Outside the room, Harry is waiting.
He nods at us, and my woman smiles at him.
I don’t particularly appreciate that.
He catches my eye and immediately straightens.
Smart fucking man.
Then he turns and starts walking, and we follow behind him.
Piper’s slower, and I know she must be in pain, but she flat out refused to leave in a wheelchair, insisting she’s fully recovered and more than capable of walking by herself.
The moment we step outside, she takes in the waiting car and Harry standing beside it with the door held open before meeting my eyes.
“I need to get to the airport.”
I come to an abrupt halt.
“Come again?”
“I said, if it’s not too much trouble, you can drop me at the airport on your way home.”
“I heard that.”
“Then why…”
I release her hand and bring it to the back of her neck before bending down slightly so we’re eye level.
“We’re going home. My home. Our home.”
She shakes her head.
“Hunter—”
But I don’t let her finish.
I tug her closer and press my mouth to hers, pouring everything I can’t quite put into words into that single kiss.
When I finally pull back, I help her into the car.
Harry loads the bag into the boot before taking the driver’s seat.
“Home,” I tell him.
He nods.
A second later, the divider between us and the front of the car rises, leaving Piper and me alone.
She keeps her attention fixed on the view beyond the window, avoiding me.
And I let her.
If she wants a few minutes to sit with her thoughts, she can have them.
But not for long.
She’s mine, and she needs to learn that she doesn’t have to carry everything on her own.
No more hiding.
I’ve let her recover and haven’t pushed the issue. But enough is enough. We’re going home, and we’re going to talk.
Then I will deal with everyone who had a hand in this.
Every last one of them.
Starting with my dear father.