Secret Passions (7 page)

Setting the food down on the dining room table, he walked over and muted the game, then bent over and gathered her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to her room.

When he started to lay her on the bed she moaned and tried to keep her arms around his shoulders. “Mitch?”

“Shh, you’re okay. I’m just putting you to bed.”

“Stay with me for a while? I don’t want to be alone.”

He looked into her sleepy eyes and nodded. Laying her down gently, he walked to the end of the bed and removed her shoes one by one. Then he toed off his own and crawled into the bed beside her. Making sure the blanket was firmly covering her, he pulled her into his arms. He relaxed as she sighed and snuggled closer.

“Thank you, Mitch.”

He kissed the top of her head and wondered if there would ever be a time when her thanking him wouldn’t sting so much.

S
andi woke alone, sore, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower. She didn’t know how long she had slept, but she did feel a little refreshed. When she moved to the end of the bed, her hip screamed with pain. Using the night table to help her stand, she tested her strength slowly. When she finally got fully upright, she realized the pain wasn’t as bad as she had thought it would be. Three steps later, she realized she’d been wrong. When she walked her hip joint felt like it was grinding. By the time she made it into the bathroom, her pain level had tripled.

“Okay, so I’ll be staying off my feet for a while,” she told her reflection as she noticed that she looked a mess. She was still wearing Mitchell’s jacket and when she removed it and hung it on the hook on the back of the door, she cringed at the shape her new shirt was in. The whole back seam was torn. Her new jeans were torn on each knee, as well.

Slowly removing each item, she tossed her shirt in the small waste bin. When she started to remove her jeans she gasped at the large bruise running down her left side. She assumed that her hip had taken the brunt of the weight when she’d landed. Her side was covered in a nasty, dark purple bruise. When she finally pulled her jeans off, she tossed them in the bin as well.

Turning to get a better look at her left side, she realized it wasn’t just her front that was bruised. Her entire left butt cheek was purple. She’d never had a bruise so big before. After looking at it for a few minutes, she walked over and started to run a bath, thinking that it might be easier on her to sit rather than stand to clean up. She moved the shampoo and soaps down to the bottom shelf so she could easily reach them. Then she climbed into the hot water and almost cried with relief when the heat hit her hip.

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the hot bath, but she felt her head getting dull and so she finally climbed out. What she needed now was a clean set of clothes and a large cup of coffee.

When she made it to the landing, Mitch walked out of his room.

“So, how are you feeling?” he asked as he approached her on the landing. She noticed he wasn’t wearing a suit and wondered if he was going to go into work that day since it must be past nine already.

“A little sore. I have a large bruise across my hip.”

He frowned at that and she realized when he did so, a small crease formed between his eyebrows.

“We should have iced it last night. I bet you’re hungry.”

She nodded her head. “I could use a quart of coffee at this point, too.” He chuckled.

“Do you think you can maneuver the stairs yourself? Or do you want me to carry you again?”

She blushed, remembering how she had sighed and laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her upstairs last night. It had been the stuff of dreams, being held by his strong arms, her head resting against his chest. She desperately wanted it to happen again, but she was too afraid he’d realize her thoughts.

Shaking her head, she started walking towards the stairs, holding onto the wood railing tightly. By the time she made it to the bottom, she was breathing hard and a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. He was beside her the entire trip down, his hands out just in case she started to topple.

“You’re staying on that couch all day.” He was frowning at her when she looked up, and she could see the worry in his eyes.

She nodded in agreement and started walking towards the living area. He scooped her up and carried her the ten feet to the couch. When he set her down gently, she wished the room was larger so he’d have to hold onto her longer.

“I’ll get you that coffee and an ice pack.” He turned and walked out of the room. Reaching over, she grabbed the remote and turned on the television and was shocked to see her face on the set again.

“…apparently was involved in an altercation yesterday. Police aren’t saying where the young woman is now, just that she is uninjured and under protection.”

The end of the report was all she needed. She flipped off the set and tossed the remote down.

If her cousin or father asked enough questions, they would be able to find her connection to Mitchell and her safe haven would be exposed. She needed to move on. Her mind worked frantically as she heard Mitch making her coffee in the kitchen. She knew he wouldn’t let her go on her own, so she started making plans on how she would sneak away and where she would go.

Maybe back at the shelter was the best place for her at this time? Regardless, she needed to make a choice on what she was going to do and act on it soon. She doubted she had a week before her cousin and father would find the connection.

“What are you scheming?” Mitch walked in balancing a tray holding a cup of coffee, a bowl of fruit, and some toast on a plate. He set the tray on the coffee table and sat across from her.

“What?” She tried to look innocent. Apparently it wasn’t working.

“You have something on your mind. You might as well spill it. I’m known for getting my way.” The smile he gave her almost stopped her heart.

How could she hide anything from him? She tried to start talking about what had happened yesterday, but he stopped her.

“Sandi, I know there is something else on your mind. You get a small crease here.” He reached up and touched her forehead. Almost the same place she’d noticed his earlier. “Don’t tell me you are just thinking about what happened to Mrs. Bernstein. You know she’s safe at her son's.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. “I was thinking of leaving.”

“Where do you think you could go that you’d be safer than here? Or is it just me you are trying to get away from?” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

Her eyes flew open. “No!” She was shocked that he would think that about her. “Of course not. It’s just that you’ve done so much for me. You’ve helped me more than I could ever repay.”

“Helped you?” He looked disgusted. “I’ve done nothing but put you in the direct path of danger since the night I first talked to you. I wish I would have never gotten involved. You’d be better off, living a life without all this fear.”

She stood up, shocked. “How can you say that? Do you even remember why I called you, begging for your help?”

He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes focused on her feet. “I just assumed it was to get out of an arranged marriage.”

“You helped me escape mutilation at the hands of my fiancé’s family. They were going to perform the mādā janānga vikrti.”

Upon his blank look she closed her eyes and blurted out. “Also known as female genital mutilation. My future husband’s family wanted to make sure I was pure and that I would stay that way. They were concerned that my art was westernizing me, that I’d become too uncontrollable. My family could do nothing but bend to their wishes. Especially since they had paid bride's wages for me when I was only seven-year-old, which my family squandered selfishly on large houses, fast cars, and god knows what else.” She walked to the window, ignoring the pain in her hip, instead focusing on the pain in her heart. She looked out the window at the crowds of people, wishing she could disappear among them and never be seen or heard from again.

She jumped a little when his arms came around her, holding her back to his chest. His lips brushed her hair.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He pulled her until she turned and then he wrapped his arms around her. She did the same, holding onto him, and for the first time in her life, she felt completely safe and knew that no matter what happened, he would protect her.

She pulled back and looked into his face. Taking a chance at what she wanted, she pulled his head down to meet hers in a light kiss that would show him how much she appreciated everything he’d done. How much she cared about him. His hands felt wonderful as they rubbed up and down her back and arms. She wondered what they would feel like on her bare skin, what he would feel like as she ran her fingers over his heated skin.

She’d seen him in just a towel the first night and wanted to see him like that again. She’d dreamed about it, about being with him. Pouring everything she had into the kiss, she leaned up and wrapped her hands in his hair.

His hands continued to run over her, causing small fires on her skin under her clothes. Then she felt him slowly lift her shirt and touch her skin, just near her waist. On a moan, she leaned into his hands as his mouth took her to a level she’d never known
was possible.

“Please,” she moaned against his mouth. “Mitch, please. Touch me.”

He leaned back, hovering just a breath from her mouth, and looked into her eyes. His emerald eyes sparkled and she could see his desire for her plainly. Pulling back a little, he shook his head. “Sandi, I don’t think it would be fair. Here, sit. We need to talk.”

He helped her back to the couch where she took a deep drink of the lukewarm coffee to help settle herself. When he sat across from her again, she felt a little part of her break.

“Don’t look at me like that. Like I’ve just killed your puppy. Sandi, you don’t know me.” He held up his hand as she started to deny it. “You don’t. You came in here the other night, and I hadn’t thought about you once since five years ago. Back then…” He ran his hands through his hair, causing parts of it to stand up a little. “Back when you arrived, I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t the best person I could be. I didn’t have my life in order. I drank a lot.”

She looked down at his hands as he gripped them together. “I know.”

“No, you don’t. I was an alcoholic by twenty. I can’t even begin to compare my family problems to yours, but let’s just say my childhood wasn’t all rainbows. So when I was a teen, I picked up a bottle, and I didn’t put it down again until I almost killed a person that someone close to me cared about.” He hung his head for a moment. She silently sat there, watching him, waiting. “Sandi,” he looked back up at her. “You deserve someone...better.”

“Mitchell, I think I know what I deserve. Especially coming from what and where I have. Going through everything I have. I knew what you were five years ago. I did stay here for a few nights, remember?” He shook his head, no. “Well, I was there to pick you up off the floor the second night I was here. I helped you back into bed. I knew you were in a bad spot. But underneath it all, I could see what kind of man you were, what kind you would become. Walking in here the other night only confirmed it. You took me in again, no questions. No demands. No thoughts to your own safety.”

He looked at her for a while. She could tell he was trying to figure her out. Then he shook his head and smiled. “Eat your food. If you want more, I’ll make something bigger. I have a few errands to run today, but I’ll be back later.” He stood and she could tell the conversation was over.

“Would you bring me the new sketch pad and the box of chalk and pens? I’m stuck on the couch for the day, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do something I enjoy.”

“Sure, is there anything else?”

She held up her cup. “More coffee?”