Chapter Seventeen
Carmen
I was so focused on, well, killing Rune the last time I was in the clubhouse that I hadn’t really taken much of it in.
But as Spike was inspecting me, I was looking around to try to distract myself from the pain.
It was manly, with its dark colors, the giant bar, the pool table, darts, poker table, and various gaming consoles underneath the massive TV mounted to the wall. But everything was spotless and well-organized.
The men were all pretty nice too. Spike, especially.
And I hadn’t missed Rune’s twin brother hanging around either. They were almost identical, though to me, I would always be able to tell them apart. There was something a little harder about Rune, which I preferred. It made that dimpled smile of his all the more brilliant when it appeared.
“Fair warning, the room is windowless,” Rune said as he led me into a hallway full of doors. “And still a work in progress.”
There was no need for the warning. It might have been the nicest bedroom I’d ever seen in my life. I didn’t even notice the lack of windows.
He’d done extensive woodwork accents on the ceiling and the wall—with golden accent light hidden below each strip of wood. And the parts of the room that weren’t done in warm wooden accents were in a soft, flat black.
The bed was central in the space with charcoal bedding, flanked by nightstands in the same wood stain, but different styles.
Across from the bed was a TV above a dresser.
Next to that was an open door to a bathroom.
“Wow. This is really nice.”
“Yeah?” he asked, shooting me a look that was unexpectedly vulnerable. Clearly, the guy had been putting a lot of work into the room.
“Yeah. It’s so… warm and cozy. But also masculine, which is a hard balance.”
“I’m about to ruin it with the big light,” he told me as he closed the door and flicked on the ceiling fan light, blanketing the whole room in harsh white light.
“That’s unfortunate. If your room looks this harsh, I can’t imagine how awful I look.”
“It’ll help me check out your ribs better, though.”
He reached for the hem of my shirt, but paused, giving me a ‘Is this okay?’ look.
I gave him a nod.
The shirt lifted, but he paused, gathering the material just under my breasts so he didn’t expose me completely.
“Bad?” I asked when he hissed.
“Surprised you’re not favoring this side more.” His flat hand pressed lightly to my ribs. It was a barely-there touch, but it made me jolt. “Your breathing is alright?”
“Yeah. I mean, if I take too deep a breath, it hurts. And crying hurt too, but I don’t feel out of breath.”
“That’s a good sign.” He prodded around and there was pain, but nothing that had Rune especially worried. “These bruises will likely get worse before they get better. And any twisting movements would be a bad idea. But some elastic bandages could help that.”
“Okay.”
“If you have any sudden sharp feelings or trouble breathing, you need to tell me right away.”
“I will.”
“Just want to check out your hips too,” he said, tugging my shorts and panties downward a few inches. “Ouch.”
His fingers were soft on my skin, and the barely-there touch had a shiver working down my spine.
“You’re gonna be sore as fuck for a few days,” he warned me, pulling my shorts back into place, then checking out the bruises on my knees. “But, aside from your hand, I think it’s all pretty superficial.”
“Good. I mean the hand is really, really not good. How am I gonna work?”
“Could your girls cover for you? For just a few weeks?”
“Maybe? But one of them is very pregnant, so there’s no one to cover for me and her when she needs to take some time off.”
“Well, we can figure all that out. But that’s not tonight’s problem.”
It was right then that there was a knock at the door.
“Everybody decent?” Spike called.
Rune reached out to pull open the door.
“Found one,” Spike said, waving a black brace in the air.
“I’ll be gentle,” he told me as he undid the velcro then slid the brace up my arm.
“But this part might suck a little,” he warned as he slid my two middlemost fingers into an opening, then tightened the straps around them.
“If you swell, you might want to loosen this. Won’t be doing any good to fix the break and lose your fingers to lack of circulation. ”
“Got it,” I agreed. “This already feels a little better.”
“One of these might help too,” Spike said, producing two bottles from his pockets: one over-the-counter, one prescription. “How about I get you something to take them with? Vodka? Beer? Coffee?”
“Water?”
“Got it.”
When we were alone again, Rune set the pills on the dresser and pulled me toward the edge of the bed, pulling me to sit down beside him.
“You’re staying here until we figure this out.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I was kind of hoping I could,” I admitted. “For a night or two maybe.”
“Until it’s sorted,” he reiterated. “I’m not letting anything happen to you. Besides, you’re gonna need help getting dressed and undressed,” he said, eyes dancing. “I think I’m the right man for that job.”
A little laugh escaped me at that as I nudged him with my shoulder. “Do you have a spare pillow and blanket?”
“Got everything you need right here.” He waved back at the bed. “I’ll grab a bed in the prospect room. There’s always space.”
“I’m not going to put you out of your room.”
“It’s done.”
Spike knocked, then opened the door.
“Brought water. And some snacks in case you wake up hungry at three in the morning. Maybe that’s just me, though.”
“Thanks for everything, Spike. Really.”
“Didn’t do shit,” Spike said, shrugging. “Get some rest. I won’t lie and say it’s so you’ll feel better in the morning, because that would be a lie. But when you’re unconscious, you don’t feel all the pain. So there’s that.”
“I appreciate a realistic pep talk,” I told him.
“Goodnight, Carmen, was it?”
“Yes.”
“Goodnight, Carmen.”
“Goodnight.”
Alone, we sat awkwardly for a moment before Rune got to his feet. “I’m just gonna set out a new toothbrush for you. And towels. But don’t try to force taking the brace or clothes off. I can help.”
“Okay,” I agreed, watching him disappear into the bathroom.
“The prospect room is the one at the far end of the hall,” he called to me. “If you need anything, you can find me in there. Feel free to move around the clubhouse, though, if you need more to eat or drink. Or just go stir-crazy in here. Do you need me to grab anything out of the car?”
“I think I’m good until the morning. Thanks.”
“Get some sleep, okay?” he said, stopping in front of me to gently place a hand to the side of my face. “And take some of the pain meds, if you need them.”
With that, he was gone, turning off the big light as he went.
Alone, I made my way into the bathroom, impressed with how clean it was, then finally looking at myself in the mirror.
It was worse than the guys let on. And they were right, it was only going to get worse with time. Half of my face was bruised, swollen in parts as well. Lifting up my shirt, the bruises only looked worse.
On a sigh, I dropped my shirt, brushed my teeth, and made my way toward the bed.
The sounds of the clubhouse were foreign—male voices, the faraway hum of televisions, and the never-ending fan of the air conditioning that must have been set to Antarctic.
I buried under the comforter, loving how the pillow smelled like Rune.
But no matter how comfortable the bed was, how soft the bedding, how safe I knew I was, sleep was elusive.
I climbed out of bed and made my way to the door.
Just this once, I didn’t overthink it. I just followed the urge to see Rune again. Reaching the door at the end of the hall, I hesitated, listening for a moment. But I heard nothing inside.
Turning the doorknob, I tiptoed inside.
The room was massive and built almost like a school gymnasium—with white cinderblock walls with small rectangular windows way up high near the ceiling. A whole wall was lined with storage cabinets. Toward one side were doorways into bathrooms. And on the final wall were several sets of bunkbeds.
I inched forward, glad that someone left the light on in the bathroom so I didn’t approach the wrong bed.
It was easy to spot Spike and the guy I heard someone else call Cain, as well as a few much younger guys. But I didn’t want to approach the wrong twin if Croft was in the room too.
Rune was closest to the cabinets with one arm over his head and one hanging off the side of the bed.
I made my way in that direction, careful not to run into anything. Reaching out, I grabbed Rune’s hand.
He jerked awake with a gasp, eyes unseeing for a second.
“Baby?” he asked, voice sleep-rough.
I tightened my hand on his, then pulled.
Rune didn’t hesitate.
He threw off the blankets, stood, and followed me as I pulled him out of the room, down the hall, then into his room.
“Are you okay?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“You hurting too much?”
“Can you just… stay with me?”
“Of course,” he agreed, making his way toward the bed. “Come on. You slept like the dead with me last time.”
He climbed on the bed and patted his chest in invitation.
“I’m only using you like a lizard with a hot rock,” I warned him as I scooted closer and rested my head on his chest. “You guys keep this place so cold.”
“In everyone’s defense, there is usually a lot of alcohol involved around here. Makes everyone hot. I’ll half-close the vent tomorrow if it’s too much.”
“It’s not so bad right now.”
He was like a fireplace, actually. Warm, comforting, begging you to stay close.
His arm looped around my hips and the other gently slid up and down my spine, sifted through my hair, gently rubbed my scalp.
Within five minutes, my eyes were too heavy to keep open.
“Tired now?” Rune asked, voice whisper-soft.
“Mmhmm.”
His fingers circled a little more slowly on my scalp as I listened to the steady thump of his heart below my ear, and he leaned down to press a little kiss to the top of my head.
I drifted off to sleep, soothed by his nearness, knowing that nothing would happen to me when I was with him.