Thrasher (18 page)

Tripp’s voice whispered to Duke. “She okay?” he asked in a gruff tone.

“I think so, still in shock. I didn’t want to pry. She needs to rest.” They exchanged a few more words, but exhaustion took over, and I was quickly drifting to sleep, knowing I was safely tucked into the arms of the one man who would spend the rest of his life protecting me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The memory of Blake on top of me woke me up out of a sound sleep, and I sat straight up, breathing heavily.

Duke sat up with me. “Brie, you’re okay. It’s just me.”

I jumped from his touch, and my body trembled until I was able to process my surroundings, realizing that I was safe with Duke. I inhaled deeply, lay back down, and rested against his chest. “How long was I out?” I asked.

“Three hours. Not bad for your first time trying to sleep after what happened to you.”

I shuddered at the thought of last night’s events. “What time is it?” I asked, wanting to know how much longer I’d be cooped up in the hospital.

“Seven thirty. The doctors have already been in this morning. They told me as soon as you wake up to let them know, and they’ll check you out one last time before releasing you.”

I patted his leg. “Well, hop to, buddy. I’m ready to get home. This bed isn’t big enough for the two of us.” Duke pulled me in closer to him, and I inhaled, remembering the scent of his cologne that I’d missed for so long.

“You sure? I think we tend to get along better when you’re in the hospital.”

A light laugh floated from my lips. “Not funny.”

He climbed out of bed and kissed my forehead. “You’re the only one laughing.” Duke winked at me and made his way out the door toward the nurses’ station.

After a final checkup with the doctors, I made a follow-up appointment to remove the stitches from my lip and was finally able to head home. Duke drove the entire way to my house in silence. When he pulled in, I realized this was the very first time he’d been to my new place.

“So this is it. You’re going to come in, right?” I asked, unsure of how things were going to proceed now that I was safe.

Duke didn’t say anything; he just hopped out of the truck, came around to my door, helped me out, and led the way toward the house. He took my keys, unlocked the door, and allowed me in first.

I stopped in the entryway, turned, and looked at him, still standing on the front porch. “Are you coming in?” I asked.

He stepped over the threshold and looked around. “John could have done better with security. We’ll need to get the guys in here for some adjustments.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to take a shower. Will you be here when I finish?”

Duke stepped closer to me and rested his hands gently on my shoulders before kissing my forehead. “I’m not going anywhere.”

My feet trudged up the stairs and into my bedroom where I disrobed the clothes Tripp had delivered to the hospital for me. I stood there completely naked as I looked myself over in the mirror, running my fingers over each bruise, finally finishing on the gash on my lip. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, and I tried to force them back down, but it was too late. I hastily rushed into the bathroom and turned the water on, trying to drown out the sound of my cries, but Duke must have been close by, because there was a knock on my bathroom door.

“You okay in there?” he asked, concern in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, trying to hide the tears, but apparently he could hear the shakiness of my voice, and before I could argue, the bathroom door opened and Duke was standing there as I tried to mask the bruises on my naked body.

Never taking his eyes off mine, he turned my body so I was facing the mirror and began kissing each tender spot of my body. “Don’t ever let what happened to you make you feel any less beautiful than you are.” He continued kissing my naked skin as I stood there, silent, watching in the mirror, our eyes never leaving each other.

Duke reached for the shower door and tugged it open before slipping his hand in to feel the temperature of the water. “Do you need any help?” he asked sincerely.

I nodded my head and closed my eyes as the tears flooded down my cheeks.

I stepped into the shower while Duke quickly removed his clothes and got in behind me, keeping enough distance, but also close enough to comfort me. I hated when he wasn’t holding me; it just made me feel so much more safe to have his arms wrapped around my body. I stepped back and came into contact with him, his hands still as could be at his sides. Needing his touch, I leaned back into him, reached for his hands, and wrapped them around me as the hot water poured over the two of us.

We stood there, still, just like that, until the water began to chill.

“You want me to get out so you can finish washing up?” he asked, placing a tender kiss on my neck.

“Yes, but please don’t leave me. Will you stay in here until I’m finished?” I begged.

“Of course. I’ll stay right here.”

Duke stepped out of the shower, pulled a towel around his hips, and began to dry off as I made a quick attempt to wash my hair and body before the water really turned cold.

When I stepped out of the shower, he held up a towel and wrapped me in it, helping me dry off. I used a smaller towel to dry my hair and then made my way into my room to put on clean clothes. I leaned down and rummaged through my pajama drawer and pulled out a pair of sleeping pants and a matching cami. “I’ve got some of your things if you want fresh clothes.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” he said softly.

I reached back into the drawer and pulled out a pair of gym shorts and a Dri-FIT long-sleeve. “It may be too hot for the shirt, but at least it’s clean.”

Duke took the clothes from me and put on the shorts, opting not to wear the shirt.

Tired, I walked over to the bed and started taking the decorative pillows off. I tossed them on the chair next to the bed. “I’m going to try to get some sleep. Do you mind lying down with me?” I pulled the covers down and climbed into bed while Duke crossed the room and turned the light out and then made his way back toward the bed.

He climbed in behind me and pulled my body up against his, inhaling the smell of my hair, he whispered, “Damn, I’ve missed this.”

I made myself comfortable, snuggling in closer to him. “So have I.” Finally allowing my exhaustion to take over, I drifted off into a deep sleep, snuggled up at home, right where I needed to be, in Duke’s arms.

Hours later, another nightmare woke me, and I shivered under his embrace.

“It’s just me,” he whispered, and I was instantly at ease.

I looked over toward the window and noticed the sun had gone down. “Did I sleep all day?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Duke replied. “Are you hungry? Tripp called a bit ago. He’s had to practically lock Megan in her closet to keep her from coming over here to see you. She’s really upset and wants to make sure that you are okay. He said they’d bring pizza. Megan told him you couldn’t resist pizza.”

I smiled. “Pizza sounds good. Will you let them know I’m up for visitors? I’ve got to pee.” I climbed over Duke as he dialed Tripp. I placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, trying not to hurt my stitches. “Thank you for everything,” I whispered as I got off the bed and made my way into the bathroom.

When I was finished, I emerged and climbed back into bed with Duke. “Can I ask you a question?”

He replied automatically, no hesitation. “Anything.”

“How’d you know where I was and who I was with?”

I felt his body tense up as soon as I asked, but he quickly caught himself and relaxed. “John called me, told me he’d had his eye on you at the bar, and that you’d left with some random guy. Let me know that you’d fired him, and he didn’t feel comfortable confronting you, especially with another man, so he called me.”

I sighed. “I don’t think you all should hate him as much as you do. He’s really good at his job. Obviously, had it not been for him, you’d have never found me, and who knows how things would have ended.”

Duke leapt from the bed and raised his voice. “He’s no good at his job. If he was half the man he claims to be, you’d have never left with that son of a bitch, and you certainly wouldn’t have ended up in the situation that you were in.”

I could see the anger pulsing through Duke’s body, so I slowly got onto my knees, made my way toward the edge of the bed and reached for his hands. He placed his fingers into mine, and I pulled him closer. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I was just curious. I know if you aren’t a fan of someone, you have legitimate reasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that John was good to me when I needed him to be. He was there for me when I felt like I didn’t have anyone else.”

I could see the pain in Duke’s eyes, but I knew he needed to know the truth. He’d broken my heart, and John had been there to help mend it. Sure, I wasn’t in love with John like I was Duke, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d been there for me — emotionally and physically — during one of the hardest times in my life.

I tugged him in closer and slipped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his forehead. “I really want to kiss you right now,” I whispered in what I hoped was a tempting tone.

Duke tightened his grip on me and whispered back. “If you kiss me right now, I’m liable to rip those damned stitches out of your lip, so I’d be careful if I were you.”

I placed a light kiss on his cheek. “I’m just glad I’m not the only one who is fighting back the urge.”

Our breathing heightened, and I was actually a bit worried that at any moment we’d throw caution to the wind and just go in for the kill, leaving the stitches to be dealt with after we’d finished, but just as it was about to happen, the doorbell rang.

“Perfect timing,” Duke mocked, pulling me off the bed and down the stairs toward the door.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Duke got to the door before me and flung it open just as Megan came barreling in around him.

“Get out of my way. I need to see her.”

Our eyes met, and she rushed over and practically knocked me down with her boisterous embrace. Her arms were tight around me, and I squeezed her back, just as tight, pushing the slight twinge of pain as far away as I could get it. We must have stood there hugging for what seemed like forever before Tripp pulled us out of our best-friend moment.

“Hey, what about me?” His deep voice sounded from behind Megan.

I released Megan and looked up at Tripp, who was staring down at me, grinning from ear to ear. My arms flung around his neck, and I pulled him down toward me and hugged him as tight as I possibly could. “Thank you for everything, Tripp. You have no idea how much it meant for me to see you last night.”

Tripp shrugged his big ol’ shoulders and kissed my cheek. “I’m glad we made it in time.”

Taking in a deep breath, I let out a sigh of relief. “So am I.”

Just then, the doorbell rang and Megan yelled, “Pizza!”

Duke opened the door, and Tripp grabbed the boxes from the delivery man and signed the receipt.

“I’m starving. How does eating out by the pool sound?”

Everyone agreed, and I led the way, grabbing drinks as I walked through the kitchen. Of course, I sat next to Megan as she and I had a lot to catch up on since we’d last seen each other.

“So, have you talked to your mom and dad at all since last night, or are you avoiding them like the plague?” she asked, although I was sure she knew the answer.

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head. “I haven’t said anything to anyone yet. I’ve mostly just been trying to catch up on my sleep. I’m sure Duke will inform my father when they meet up for their weekly brief, or whatever it is they do.”

Megan reached over and squeezed my hand, holding it tightly. “Brie, I am so sorry I wasn’t there with you at the bar. None of this would have ever happened had we not gotten into that stupid fight. I am so sorry. I swear, I will never let something like this happen to you ever again. I’m going to be glued to your ass at all times, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

I smiled, leaned over, and hugged my best friend. “It’s not your fault. It was poor judgment on my part. I should have never left with him. Let’s just be glad the guys were there to save the day.”

I glanced over at Duke, and he and Tripp were deep in conversation, which I assumed was probably work-related. I couldn’t help but gaze at this perfect man as he sat across from me. He was back where I needed him most. Home, with me.

He must have felt me openly gawking at him and pulled away from his conversation with Tripp, glancing over to me with a grin on his face. “You okay?” he asked, reaching for another slice of pizza and placing it on my plate.

I nodded, and he reached for my hand, pulled it up to his lips, and kissed it several times.

“Eat. You need to get some food into your system.”

Not needing him to tell me twice, I picked up my third slice of pizza and began to devour it, just as I had done to the previous two.

Megan and I continued our conversation, mostly discussing what our summer plans were and where we were headed. She and Tripp were going to take a few weeks and go up to the mountains to visit his parents’ lake house, and they wanted Duke and me to come along.