Blood Kiss (Savage Security Series Book 1) (23 page)

Mike helped Alisha into his condo. The time at the hospital had been emotional. He knew she had a rough road ahead of her, but he’d help her through it. He knew of several counselors and therapists who specialized in PTSD. He’d make sure she found the right match.

She wanted to get the antiseptic smell of the hospital off of her. She wanted to get Pacey off of her. “Can I take a bath?” she asked. She looked up at him, standing so tall and strong, yet an aura of pain emanated from him. She’d done that to him. Made him suffer again.
Why hadn’t she listened to him?

Her voice sounded so tired, so weak. Mike wanted to gather her in his arms and protect her, comfort her. “Of course,” he said. He gently pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her to the master bathroom.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a bath in here. It may have been when he moved in. He leaned over, closed the tub plug and turned on the water. “How hot do you like it?” He craned his head to look over his shoulder at Alisha as he kept his hand under the water. She stood frozen, unblinking, like she was a million miles away from him. It scared him.

He stepped closer and took her hand in his. “Hey,” he stroked her cheek. “You okay?”

He
really
needed her to be okay. Not great or even good, but he needed her to be okay. He needed her to put one foot in front of the other. Hell, he could carry her out of this darkness as long as she had the will to take air in and out of her lungs.

“Yeah,” she squeaked out. She stared at the water as it flowed into the tub, as if transfixed by the swirling liquid. She leaned over and put a hand into the stream and adjusted the knob. “I want it hot.”

Mike didn’t want to leave her alone, yet he wasn’t going to invite himself into her bath. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what she needed from him. “I’ll just be in the bedroom.” He tilted his head in the direction of his room. He hated this. He felt so fucking useless.

She looked down at the t-shirt that hung way too big on her, grabbed the hem and slipped it over her head. Her shoulders ached with the movement.
Would she always remember the pain?
“We should wash this stuff before you give them back to Cole,” she stated matter-of-factly, handing Cole’s t-shirt to Mike.

She stood there braless, still looking into the tub. She’d thrown her bra away, along with the shirt, jeans, and underwear that she’d worn that day. She didn’t want any reminder of Pacey. She didn’t want to see those articles of clothing hanging in her closet and waste one thought on him. She was going to eradicate him from her mind with the power of a mental nuclear weapon. Any and all trace of him would be totally obliterated. It would be as if he never existed.

She undid the knot keeping the sweatpants up and loosened the waistband. They easily fell to her ankles. “I’m glad Cole had these clothes in his SUV,” she said, her voice void of emotion.

Mike hated the way she spoke. Almost as if she were a robot spouting programmed words. “Me too,” Mike said. She was clearly in shock. That was to be expected. She’d been through a harrowing experience.

Perhaps he was in shock too, only he wasn’t dealing with denial or overwhelming emotions. He felt one emotion. Anger.

No. Maybe two emotions. Rage.

No. He needed to be honest, there were possibly three emotions roiling through him. He needed to add guilt to the list.

Alisha stepped into the water. She inhaled sharply as the hot water stung the raw skin around her ankles.

“You okay?” Mike asked when she winced. He held out his hand to steady her. She placed her hand in his.

“Yes.” She nodded and relished the strength she received from him. Then she sat down in the soothing heat and let out a heavy sigh. “Do you have a rubber band?” Her hair was going to get all wet if she didn’t put it up.

“In my office.” Mike rushed to his office. Opened his desk drawer and grabbed a few rubber bands. He wasn’t sure what size she’d want. He also ran to the kitchen to grab a glass and the medication the hospital had prescribed for her.

He usually did well under pressure, but right now he felt helpless. This was how he felt when his sister died. His parents had been numb. They either walked around the house like zombies, or their emotions poured from them in overwhelming, mournful cries. He knew that was coming, the tears. But Alisha was clearly a fighter, a survivor, and he’d help her recognize that in herself.

He held his palm out in front of her, offering her the rubber band and the pill.

“Thanks,” she said. She popped the pill in her mouth and took a swig of water. Then she handed him the glass and took the rubber band. She put her hair up in a messy bun and lay back. The hot water embraced her, soothed her.

Mike turned to leave, but he was staying close. He’d sit on his bed and watch her. He didn’t want her to fall asleep in the tub. The medication was sure to wipe her out.

“Stay,” she said. She draped one hand over the edge of the tub. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m here for you, babe,” Mike soothed. He sat beside the tub, crossing his legs like he did as a kid. He cradled her hand as it draped over the edge of the tub.

They sat in silence for a while, his hand stroking hers. She stared into the shiny porcelain of the tub as if she were reading a mesmerizing book. Mike wanted to ask her what she was thinking, what was going on inside her head, but he knew she was processing the night.

Alisha had to say it. She had to get the words out. Make them real. She hadn’t known if she’d be able to do it, but she had. She was a different person now.

She took a deep breath and a tear trickled down her cheek. She stared into Mike’s eyes and said, “I killed him.” Here it was. The moment she admitted it, said the words. She was a killer.

“You did what you had to do,” Mike replied. “You saved that woman. You saved yourself.”

She broke down. Tears flowed and she pulled her legs to her chest and sobbed. Within seconds he was naked and sitting behind her. He pulled her to his chest, slid his legs along the edge of the tub and wrapped his arms around her. She lay cradled in his arms and cried.

He felt her sobs as he held her against him. He let her cry. She was cleansing her soul of the bastard.

Mike realized something that perhaps she didn’t. She wasn’t crying because of the death of Pacey. She was crying for the loss of her innocence. The bastard had robbed her of the joy of naiveté.

When her tears slowed, she pressed his hand tight against her belly. “I killed him.”

Mike stroked her hair, trying to bring her comfort. Her bun had been annoying his chin for a while, but he didn’t know how to deal with it. She was so comfortable lying against him, and he relished the feel of her, so he just dealt with the annoying hair slipping between his lips occasionally.

“You saved Mary’s life. You saved your own life,” Mike said, pushing the annoying bun to the side. He was thankful the bastard was dead. She would eventually come to terms with that and then move on. If the bastard had lived, she’d have to deal with a trial and then court hearings. He’d come up for early release from prison, and she’d have to deal with that. Now she could close the book on him. Pacey was done. Finished. She’d figure that out with time. Pacey’s death was the best solution to this problem.

“Hmmm,” she murmured.

“You saw the bathroom. The man was a monster. He’d planned the whole thing. You did the only thing you could do.”

Alisha eased forward and turned to look at Mike. “What makes someone do that? Kidnap someone and try to kill another?”

Mike could list all the reasons he could come up with, but none would truly make sense to someone like Alisha because her heart was too good. “He was a delusional, selfish bastard who only cared about himself.”

“Hmm,” Alisha nodded. “I’d have to agree with you.” She looked at the raw skin around her wrists, hoping the marks wouldn’t scar. “The water’s getting cold. Can we get in bed?”

“Of course.” Mike stood, and the water trailed down his body. He stepped onto the bath mat and grabbed two towels. He handed one to her. She wrapped herself up and stepped onto the bath mat with him.

“I left my pajamas in the other room,” she said.

“I’ll get them for you.”

She pulled out the rubber band and shook her head. Her hair spilled down around her shoulders. “Don’t bother.” She left the bathroom and walked into his room. She pulled down the bed covers and slipped between the sheets.

He was fine with sleeping in the nude. He slid in beside her and pulled up the covers. She pressed herself against him. He draped his arm over her waist and listened to her breathe. Between the soothing bath and the medication, she was asleep within minutes.

Alisha awoke the next morning with Mike’s body pressing against her. She smiled to herself, thankful that she had him. She stroked his arm that lay protectively over her waist and nestled a little closer. Her body was sore from being stretched out, but she was willing to let him work out some of the kinks.

Right now she wanted to feel him. She wanted to feel alive. She wanted him to erase all of the horrors from her mind. She reached her hand back and caressed his ass, allowing her nails to slowly drag over his skin, and his reaction was immediate. A low growl rumbled in her ear as he pressed himself against her more tightly.

“Good morning,” he moaned as his hand found her breast. Her nipple hardened as his fingers played with the bud.

“Morning,” she replied, rolling onto her back. She gazed up at him, taking his length into her hand. She enjoyed the feel of his soft skin as a bead of precum seeped from him.

He took in her shape, lying naked in his bed, and every ounce of him wanted every ounce of her. She lay there, so trusting and open with him, that he couldn’t help but fall harder for her.

“Make love to me,” she said, rubbing him and letting her nails graze his balls.

Yeah, he could do that. He was definitely up for that.

Two Months Later

Mike entered the restaurant and saw her sitting at the bistro table. Her eyes were glued to her phone. Every once in a while a smile lit her face. She was either on a social site or reading a ridiculous romance novel. Sometimes she read parts of them aloud to him. He wasn’t sure whether to be amused or terrified by the graphic, unrealistic, corny scenes, but she loved them, so it worked out well for him in the end.

His life changed the day she walked into the gun store. Her positive energy and light added a warm glow to his life that had been missing for a long time. He hoped that he added something to her life. He wanted to keep her around, and he was seriously thinking about forever.

Alisha looked up from her phone when the chair across from her moved. “Hey, handsome,” she said as Mike sat down. She loved him. Yes, the word ‘love’ flit through her mind whenever she thought of him.

She loved him. He was her rock. He’d held her through the storm and carried her through the oppressive darkness that nearly drowned her. But now when she saw him, all she saw was love.

She knew he loved her. She saw it in his eyes. In the way he let her snuggle into him while he worked on his computer at night and she watched television. She knew it in the way he took care of the little things around her house. He seemed to anticipate her needs and worked to fulfill them before she could even request his help. 

“Thanks for meeting me here,” she said. “I love this place.” The restaurant was always decorated nicely, but it was especially nice with the Christmas decorations. Twinkle lights and large scarlet poinsettias brightened the space.

“You getting cake for dessert?” Mike asked, already knowing the answer. She never ate at this restaurant without getting a piece to go.

She smiled. “You know me too well.”

“How was your appointment?” Mike almost didn’t want to bring it up, but she’d just come from her therapy session. He didn’t want to ignore it either.

“It went well,” she smiled. She hated the way the town labeled her a hero for saving Mary. That was not how she saw herself. She’d survived a psycho’s obsession with her, and that was it. She did what anyone else would do. Fight for their life. Now she was thankful that as new headlines filtered through the news stations, her return to anonymity grew. Just a little more time and no one would recognize her or even remember her name. That would be wonderful.

“But I don’t want to talk about that,” Alisha said, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. Her lip twitched a little as she gave him a nervous smile. “Maybe this isn’t the place for this talk, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “You sleep at my place every night.” She leaned a little closer and whispered, “How would you feel about moving in with me?”

Mike wasn’t sure what she was asking. He wanted clarification. He leaned forward, squeezed her hand and said, “I’ve essentially moved in already. What do you want to change?”

She withdrew her hand from his and took a sip of her sweet tea. “Well,” she said, not too sure how to proceed. Maybe it was too early for this level of commitment. “I thought it would be nice if you moved in… permanently.”