Chapter 16
“Wake up for me.” The pleading voice drew Beau back from a place of darkness.
He blinked open his eyes.
“Do I need to call an ambulance?” Ivy’s face slowly came into focus.
“No. Tired.” He was beat. The minute he’d sat down, he’d realized how bad that idea had been. “I can get up.” His first attempt landed him on his backside in the chair. The second attempt was fruitful.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Beau? Be honest with me and yourself.”
He hadn’t meant to cause this much fuss.
“Honestly, I feel like ass, but it’s nothing a shower and a bed can’t fix.”
“You’re sure about that?” Concern lines etched in her forehead.
“I am.” He pulled on the last bit of strength he had to stand upright and take the first couple of steps toward the elevator. Ivy looped his arm over her shoulder, giving him a much-needed boost.
As they walked past the check-in desk, she turned her head to the side and said, “Bull rider.” The lie must have struck gold. She added, “Bull won this time.”
“Sleep should help,” the attendant said with a smile in her voice.
“It always does,” he managed to say without slurring his words.
They made it to the elevators, the second floor, and room 27 in a matter of minutes.
“A shower sounds like heaven right now,” he said, turning toward the bathroom the second he stepped into the room.
“You have a problem, Houston,” she said as he wobbled for the umpteenth time.
“I know.” He paused. “This is a big ask. Feel free to say no. But I’d appreciate your help getting undressed and into the shower. I can handle taking off my boxers on my own, so I’ll spare you seeing my whole naked body.”
“Wouldn’t be a problem for me,” she murmured.
Was he hearing what he wanted to hear, or had she actually spoken those words out loud? Beau was so close to nodding off that he couldn’t be sure if those words were real or imagined.
“Let’s get those clothes off,” she said. That, he heard loud and clear.
Beau planted a hand on the counter to steady himself as Ivy worked the snap and zipper on his jeans. He toed off his boots. Within a few seconds, the jeans were off, and he was stepping out of them. Next came his socks.
She stood up to unbutton his shirt. Standing toe-to-toe with her sent a tsunami of need crashing through him.
Too bad he didn’t have enough energy to act on it.
Then again, blood flew south, reminding him that his body had a mind of its own and a deep well of resources.
Acting on the attraction would invite questions he wasn’t ready to answer yet, like where did they go once this ordeal was over?
Her life was in Austin. As she’d said, this was her neck of the woods.
There’d been a great deal of pride in her voice when she’d spoken about her hometown.
The life he was building was on the ranch with his siblings.
They might have found love and happiness, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards for Beau.
His feelings for Ivy were strong, no doubt about it.
He would never ask her to give up the life she’d built here.
Her stability had been on shaky ground before the move back to Austin.
If she lived here and he lived on the ranch, where would that leave them?
Commuting on the weekends? Making time for each other when they could?
He worked seven days a week on the ranch, just as the others did. Would he always be asking her to be the one to make the sacrifice to come see him? If she did, how much time would he have to give anyway?
Shoving those thoughts down deep, he shrugged out of his unbuttoned shirt. Pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm.
Shit.
There was no hiding that level of pain. He grunted as his face contorted and he sucked in air.
Ivy drew back as she studied him. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. In fact, I don’t know how I would do any of this without you.”
Time stood still as their gazes met and held, almost like a caress. The southern blood flow wasn’t helped by the glitter of need in those beautiful eyes.
“Can you manage the rest on your own?” Ivy asked, her voice shaky for a different reason this time.
His throat dried up, rendering him unable to speak.
It would be the most natural thing to lean forward and claim those beautiful pink lips of hers.
Would it be the smartest move? His heart said yes. Logic said it would only complicate their arrangement. To hell with logic, he leaned just enough to claim those lips. It took less than a second for her to step forward and close the gap between them.
The taste of dark roast coffee still lingered along with the peppermint she’d popped in her mouth in the truck earlier. He’d done the same. The move paid off now.
His pulse raced, making him dizzy as hell. He could’ve stayed this way all day except for the fact he might actually pass out.
He pulled back and tried to catch his breath. After clearing his throat, he said, “I should probably—”
“Yeah, no, definitely shower,” she said, tripping over her words. “Should I?” She motioned toward the spigot.
“That would be great if you don’t mind.” He wasn’t exactly spouting Shakespeare.
The fact they could barely form sentences amused him as much as it caught him off guard. Ivy was a rare beauty with intelligence to match. Those facts weren’t lost on him.
She leaned over and turned on the water, testing it before taking a satisfied step back. “I’ll just be out here if you need anything.” Those words barely left her lips before she was out the door.
His amusement must have shown on his face because she half-smiled when she got a good look at him before making a quick exit. She cracked the door rather than closing it, mumbling something about needing to hear if he fell.
Beau slipped out of his boxers and into the warm water. It was magic on his sore body. He checked out his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped; a small miracle in and of itself. He’d take it.
After a quick shower, he managed to towel off without causing any additional bleeding. Another small miracle. They were adding up.
Ivy had thought to ask the front desk for toothbrushes and toothpaste—manna from heaven. He used the supplies and then wrapped his towel around his waist. No way was he putting dirty clothes back on. He’d rather sleep in the buff anyway.
“Your turn,” he said to Ivy as he walked over to the bed. The bed. One. It was king-size, but he should definitely ask if sleeping naked bothered her.
“I’m in the same boat, Beau. Just stay on your side of the bed.” Her cheeks flamed. Was she embarrassed?
Damned if it didn’t make her even more beautiful. Then again, it would take more than a red blush to take away from her looks. Physically, she was a ten. Her intelligence put her over the top. Did he deserve to be with someone like her?
The answer came faster than a 100-mile-per-hour pitch. No. He didn’t.
She gave him a wide berth as she made her way to the bathroom.
He, on the other hand, faceplanted on the bed.
At some point, he must have slipped underneath the covers and the sheet.
He’d intended to sleep on top all night to remove any temptation to scoot over to her side of the bed while he was unconscious.
By the time he opened his eyes the next day, he was naked skin to naked skin with her. Their limbs were in a tangle; their bodies pressed together.
If blood flew south last night while she’d undressed him, it hopped on a rocket ship this time.
An ache like he’d never known filled his chest. His stomach growled, but an earthquake couldn’t peel him away from her.
Her steady, even breathing said she was deep in sleep.
He wanted to stay like this for as long as humanly possible, breathe in her scent, and memorize her every curve before the day got away from them.
She stirred, rolling over onto her side. Then, nestled her back against his chest, where a bomb detonated.
Since she was doing all of this in her sleep, he extracted himself. If she were awake, that would be one thing. He didn’t go where he wasn’t invited. Since she was unconscious, she couldn’t exactly give consent even if she’d been the one to scoot over toward him.
Beau exhaled a slow breath as he located his towel and wrapped it around his midsection. Coffee. He moved toward the small coffee machine as he stretched sore arms. His shoulder reminded him not to get too enthusiastic about movement.
After filling the machine with water, he fixed his first cup. There were several packets of caffeinated coffee. Good. He’d need more than one cup if he were to clear the cobwebs out of his mind.
He checked his phone. The battery was dangerously low. He had a charger in the truck.
Several messages in the group chat documented Chloe’s journey, from being released from the hospital to being taken back to the ranch.
She was safe. The baby was fine. The announcement on their group chat of the pregnancy shocked no one.
Turned out that everyone had eyes, used them, and had noticed the changes in her.
A few had hoped that meant she was pregnant, but hadn’t wanted to jinx it.
Even Beau knew announcing a pregnancy before the end of the first trimester was considered bad luck.
Since many of them were superstitious, no one wanted to speak up or ask questions that might be unwelcome.
Good for Chloe and Travis. They both deserved all the happiness in the world. He hit the like button on the message and set his phone down. He glanced around the mostly dark room in search of his clothes, but didn’t see them.
They were probably still in the bathroom, in a pile on the floor. He wasn’t looking forward to putting those back on, even if it would only be for a short time.
His cell buzzed. He checked the screen, but didn’t recognize the number.
The message read: It’s me…go home.
Ivy stretched her arms and yawned. Her stomach growled as the smell of food filled her nostrils.
“I found our clothes outside the door, folded and in a bag,” Beau said.
“Right.” She sat up, blinked against the sunlight streaming through the windows. “I ran them down to the front desk last night after my shower. You were asleep.”
Beau held up his cell. “I got a text from my mom.”
“Holy shit.” Ivy wrapped herself in the comforter and joined him at the desk. “What does it say?”
“She told me to go home.”
“Which means?”
“It’s the first apartment we lived in here in Austin,” he said. “She used to drive me past it for years after we moved. Said she always wanted to remember where we came from.”
“Let’s go right—”
“Eat something first, or you’ll pass out. I got a carafe of coffee, too.” He motioned toward the machine on the counter. “That wasn’t going to be enough for both of us.” Next, he nodded toward the bathroom. “Your clothes are hanging up in there on the towel hook.”
“All right. I’ll be right back.”
Ivy gripped the comforter around her and made her way to the bathroom. She dropped it in the hallway and made quick work of dressing and brushing her teeth after using the facilities. She returned to a plate of eggs, bacon, and hash browns, along with Texas toast and fruit.
Beau handed over a cup of coffee, which she immediately took a sip of.
“I almost feel human again,” she said to him as he moved the chair closer to her so she could sit down and eat.
It took a matter of minutes to clear the food.
“I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said.
“It was a while since either of us had a meal.” He topped off her coffee.
“We can use the to-go cups so we can get out of here and find your mom.” Did she dare wish her father would be with her? Or had they been separated? Maybe a better question would be, had they ever been together at all? The fake pic of Beau’s mother hadn’t included her father.
Had they hurt him or worse? Had they dumped his body somewhere?
The mental image sent her pulse racing.
“What’s wrong?” Beau asked, studying her.
“I was just imagining the worst-case scenario with my father,” she said.
He reached his hand and covered hers. His touch offered more reassurance than it should, but she didn’t have the strength or desire to fight it any longer.
“I’d tell you to think positive if I thought it would help.
Since I know how you’re feeling right now, I won’t go Pollyanna on you.
This sucks. If you can wipe the image from your mind and replace it with something else, go for it. I couldn’t.”
“It does suck,” she agreed.
“You’ve lost the people closest to you.” His compassion was a balm soothing her soul. “It’s only human to fear the worst with your dad.”
She nodded.
“I’m here if you want to talk about it, or anything else.”
Right now, all she could think about was getting her father home safely. Then, she wanted to have a conversation about a possible future with Beau. Was he thinking along the same lines?
Something had shifted between them last night when she’d helped him undress. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on and didn’t have time to analyze at present. She made a mental note to circle back.
“Let’s pour a couple of cups of coffee and get out of here,” she said.
Could her father be with Beau’s mother?