Coming Home to You (The Rockport Beach Series Book 1) (31 page)

But I can’t smile back at her; I’m still
too heartbroken over what happened.

“And,” Kelsey says, her smile disappearing.
“As for what Jason was doing to me.” She stops and takes a deep breath, the
hand that’s still holding mine, squeezes tighter, stopping me from breathing.
“I know what it looked like, Beck,” she says, her eyes never leaving mine. “But
he didn’t, okay? He tried, but he couldn’t, so…”

But I don’t hear anything else as I tug her
closer so she collapses onto my chest and I press a hard kiss to her mouth,
ignoring the pain that’s radiating through my shoulder.

“Well, well, well, not too injured after
all, huh,” a familiar voice says. “Do you need a minute to take care of your
girl or…?”

Kelsey pulls back and I glance over to see
a smiling Ryan standing in the doorway of my room, Erin beside him and his arm wrapped
around her shoulders.

“We can give you, what, five minutes,” he
says, glancing at his watch. “That’s all you need, right?”

I finally smile, gesturing for them to come
in as I mutter, “Fucker,” loud enough for him to hear.

Ryan and Erin both come in and take a seat
in the chair next to my bed, Ryan pulling Erin onto his lap. Kelsey and I
glance at each other and smile. Kelsey stays sitting on the bed beside me, her
hand still in mine as she watches me fill them in on everything that happened,
jumping in when I can’t quite remember something.

Apparently Jason’s shot hadn’t been far off
the mark, lodging itself in my right shoulder, close enough to my heart to be a
real concern. Mine on the other hand, hadn’t missed at all. And with three
bullets to the chest, the only place Jason was going next, was six feet under
ground. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

After I’d passed out in the ambulance, I’d
gone straight into surgery. It was during that time that Kelsey’s cuts and
bruises were treated. She’d been relatively lucky, if you could call it that,
only requiring a couple of stitches to the cut above her eye. She’ll have a
decent shiner for a while though, but I know it’s still going to be a long time
before I stop seeing the evidence of what he did to her.

“Where’s Finn?” I finally ask, when I
realize my brother isn’t around.

“He was sitting outside when we came in,”
Ryan says, glancing at the door. “Want me to go get him?”

“I think he blames himself,” Kelsey says,
her voice quiet. “He was pretty cut up about what happened to you.”

“What?” I ask, squeezing her hand.

“It was pretty bad, Beck,” she says,
running her fingers through my hair. “For a second there, no one knew if you
were going to make it.”

I exhale hard, not realizing how close it
had been. My own death had never even crossed my mind, not after Kelsey had
been taken. The only thought driving me for the last twenty-four hours was
getting her back in one piece. Getting her back so I could make good on my promise
to never leave her again.

“I’ll talk to him,” I say, looking up at
her. “I’ll sort it out, don’t worry.”

After Ryan and Erin leave, I ask Kels to
get my brother so I can talk to him in private. She smiles and presses a quick
kiss to my mouth. I hold her against me, my good hand sliding to the back of
her neck so I can deepen the kiss, the other hand sliding over her ribs, my
thumb gently stroking the underside of her breast.

“Beckham O’Loughlin,” she says in a flirty
voice. “You’re in no condition to even think about that sort of action.”

I smile against her mouth. “Baby, when it
comes to you, I’m always ready for action.”

Kelsey laughs. “I’ll remember that,” she
says, pressing another kiss to my mouth before leaving the room and sending
Finn in.

“Hey,” he says as he walks in. “You okay?”

I nod, gesturing to the chair by the side
of the bed. Finn walks around but doesn’t sit, so I take a deep breath and say,
“I’m fine, Finn, really. How are you?”

Finn shrugs and finally takes a seat, his
body all but collapsing in the chair. When I look at his face, I can see just
how exhausted he is. It’s as though the last few months have all finally caught
up with him and if he doesn’t take a break and get some proper sleep, he’s
going to collapse in a heap.

“Finn?” I repeat.

“I don’t know, Beck,” he eventually says.
“A lot of shit went down today.”

“It did,” I say, nodding in agreement. “But
the main thing is, that fucker is dead and everybody is fine. Me
and
Kelsey,” I say, stressing the point.

Finn nods but doesn’t say anything.

“Bro,” I say, waiting until he looks at me.
“I’m fine, okay. Totally fine.”

Finn exhales, running a hand through his
hair as he glances at my shoulder and then back at me. “Yeah, I know you are,”
he says. “It’s just, for a second there, I didn’t think…” he trails off and
that’s when it hits me.

I might have come back to Rockport to look
after Kelsey and I might be staying in Rockport because I love Kelsey, but she’s
not the only reason. Coming back here has also given me the opportunity to
reconnect with my family. Get to know my brother and Pop all over again, after
shutting them out for ten years.

If something had happened to me today, if I’d
died, Kelsey wouldn’t have been the only one who’d suffered.

I reach out my hand, as if to shake Finn’s.
He stares at me for a few seconds before lifting his hand to mine. I grab it,
squeezing his fingers as I say, “I’m okay, Finn. And I promise you; I’m not
going anywhere. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” I add on, winking at him
now.

Finn finally smiles, his whole body
relaxing as he registers what I’m telling him. Squeezing my hand once, he drops
it and sits back in his chair, smiling as he says, “So, what are you gonna do
next?”

I smile, knowing this is without a doubt,
the right move for me. There’s no way I can even think about going back to
Boston, not with how I feel about Kelsey. And definitely not after I’ve finally
woken up to how much I need her in my life. Walking away from her might have
been the dumbest move I ever made, but staying now, well that’s gotta be my
smartest.

“I’m gonna talk to Pop about finally
retiring and letting me run the pub,” I say.

Finn cocks an eyebrow in surprise. “You
sure about that?” he says. “What about the dream of being a big hot shot
detective?”

I shrug, wincing again as I’m reminded of
the pain. “Yeah, been there, done that, got the scar to prove it,” I say,
smiling at him as I gesture to my shoulder.

Finn looks at me as if he’s trying to work
out what I’m saying. As though maybe he doesn’t really believe me.

I take a deep breath as I continue. “I’m
not gonna lie, Finn,” I say. “Being a cop, a detective, is all I ever wanted to
be. But…” I stop, take another breath as I try to work out how I can say this
and have him believe me. “Coming back here, finally acknowledging how I still feel
about Kelsey, how much I’ve missed her
and
you and Pop,” I say. “Well it’s kinda shown me what’s really important in
life.”

Finn’s nodding at me, as though he approves
of what I’m saying. “So, you’re gonna stick around then, huh?”

I smile. “Yeah, thought I might stick
around permanently actually,” I say, grinning at him. “You know, spend time
with my brother and Pop again. Maybe finally make that woman out there my wife.”

Finn grins at me now as he says, “She know
that yet?”

I smile back at him. “Not yet, but she
will.”

It’s
been two weeks since everything went down with Jason. We found out far more
information from the police in Gloucester than I think I ever needed to know. Jason
had aliases all over the country and was arrested on several counts of stalking
ten years ago in Miami, Florida, which was where he was employed as sheriff in
Miami-Dade County. After the stalking charges stuck, a class E felony in the
state, he was fired and that’s when he basically made his rounds all over the
U.S., changing his name with each move he made. He stalked and harassed
countless women although as of right now, Rachel appears to be his only murder
victim.

They
ended up finding Rachel’s body, weighed down by cinder blocks, at the bottom of
the dock outside the house where Jason held me hostage. The house actually
belonged to her grandparents, who left it to her when they died. She rarely
used it, but the police in Gloucester claimed to have searched it top to bottom
during their investigation of her disappearance, yet they never thought to drag
the inlet just off the property. Her body was found, but badly decomposed and
barely recognizable, and after expedited dental records were returned, it was
confirmed that it was in fact her. I cried when I got that call. A part of me
hoped she was still alive somewhere.

Even
though I never met her, I felt a strange connection to her, like I was somehow
linked to her forever. We shared something and seeing that I survived, I felt
like I found justice for her. Her parents showed up at the hospital to thank
us, and I was floored. I realized I was able to give them what they had been
seeking for a year. Peace.

Knowing
Jason was dead gave us all peace of mind, but finally being able to lay their
daughter to rest was a huge relief. I was glad that something came out of this
mess and that I was able to help a family heal.

Beck and
I have been home for a week now, but it hasn’t been without its problems. I
struggle to sleep at night, with dreams ranging anywhere from Jason actually raping
me, to Beck dying, and everything in between.

I began
seeing a therapist immediately upon returning home and each day gets a little
easier. Even though I know Jason is dead, it still doesn’t make it all go away.

Beck
stayed in the hospital for a week and as much I wanted to be with him every
second, the hospital wouldn’t allow me to stay after that first night.
Devastated and admittedly scared shitless to go home by myself, Finn stayed
every single night with me until Beck was able to come home.

I know
Finn feels guilty for what happened, blames himself, and harbors far too much
self-hatred for one person. During the week he was with me, we talked in great
detail about what happened and how I can’t thank him enough for everything he
did and still does for me. Without Finn, I’m not sure I would have survived
Beck leaving, and when he rescued me; there was no one else I trusted more at
that moment than him. We’re all working through our issues and I hope that one
day Finn will realize what an amazing support system he was for me.

I’ve
never been more grateful for anything in my life than to finally have Beck home
and resting. We haven’t talked about what will happen when Beck is released to
return to work and I’m not entirely sure I want to broach the subject. Right
now, I need to focus on him getting better and helping myself recover.

I roll
over and stare up at the ceiling, waking for the first time in two weeks to
light shining through the windows. I smile when I realize I didn’t dream last
night —not a single nightmare, no night terrors or cold sweats.

“What’s that
smile for?” Beck asks. His voice is groggy with sleep, but I can hear the
happiness in it.

“I didn’t
have a nightmare last night,” I say, looking over at him and I can feel myself
beaming.

“Oh,
baby, that’s great news. Things are getting better.”

I nod my
head in hopes that he’s right. I feel Beck slip his arm under my neck and I
lean into his chest; his smell being the one thing that can still calm me to
this day. I inhale as he runs his fingers down my back and kisses the top of my
head.

“I love
you,” he whispers.

“I love
you too.”

It never
gets old.

I’ve
woken up every morning for the last week with Beck in my bed and the whisper of
those words on his lips. It somehow corrects everything that is wrong in my
world.

Beck
begins to kiss his way along my neck, his nose nuzzling against me and then his
hand slips between my legs, but when he shifts his body to get closer to me, he
winces in pain.

“The
doctor said no sex for six weeks,” I remind him and he groans out loud with a
mix of frustration and desire.

Beck
takes my hand in his and places it over his already hard cock. “But, baby,” he
complains, “I’m dying here. I can’t even rub one out in the shower because of
this fucking shoulder.”

“You
better not be trying to rub one out,” I say, quoting his famous line back to
him and it makes me giggle.

“What do
you expect me to do with you home all day, pretending to be my nurse and
parading around in tiny shorts and a tank top? And now, you’re in bed next to
me naked and wet. You’re fucking hot and it’s brutal.”

“Oh, you
poor thing,” I say, laying on the sympathy as I rub my hand over his throbbing
cock. “But don’t worry, baby. The doctor said you couldn’t have sex, but he
didn’t say anything about me.”

I wink
at him as I continue to rub my hand up and down on him. Placing my legs on
either side of him, I position myself so he’s at my entrance. Sliding down ever
so gently, I coat his cock with my wetness before sliding back off him and
taking in the look on his face.

‘What
the fuck?” he asks, and I smile at him.

“A few
conditions,” I say, eyeing him with a firm look. “This arm,” I stop and run my
fingers from his bandaged shoulder to his wrist, “is to stay right here on the
bed. And no rough sex, nice and slow; I don’t want you exerting yourself.” I
bend down and run the tip of my tongue over his nipple and he gasps out loud.
“And I do all the work,” I say, my lips whispering into his ear. I’m already
breathless at the thought of finally getting to fuck him.