Safe With Him (9 page)

“Hang on, baby, we’re almost there,” Draco whispered against her temple.

She must have said ‘home’ out loud, and Draco thought she was asking him to take her home. That was fine, better than him thinking he smelled like home to her, which even to her made no sense. While growing up,
home
wasn’t a nice place to be and the only smells there were ones of stale beer, liquor, vomit, and other things she didn’t want to think about.

So why was it that when she breathed him in, all she could think about was,
‘home,’
and not the kind she was used to? It was the kind that she and Storm had been trying to build for themselves since she was sixteen years old and on the run.
And he’s a cop!
Why was it getting harder and harder for her to remember that?

She was so deep into her thoughts, she didn’t even realize they were in her apartment and Draco was sitting on her sofa with her in his lap, trying to remove her coat. “What are you doing?” She moved to look at him.

“I need to get your coat off to see to your injuries,” he spoke softly to her.

He had already started to unzip her coat when she remembered what she had on. “No!” she screeched and grabbed both sides of her coat that he had already unzipped and held them together. She knew he had already seen her at work in her ‘work clothes,’ but that was at work. And the last time he had seen her dressed like she was now…
things didn’t go very well,
and she didn’t want a repeat of that. She jumped up quickly, a little too quickly, and flinched at the pain in her back. Trying to ignore the pain, she moved toward her bedroom, saying over her shoulder, “I’ll be right back.” She hurried down the hall and into her bedroom, needing a few minutes so she could catch her breath.

Then she started to slowly change her clothes. As she took off her coat, she could see the bruises already forming on her arm and after catching her reflection in the mirror above the dresser, she saw the one on her face. “That’s going to look real good tomorrow.” She touched her face lightly.

Knowing all too well the stages of a bruise, she knew she would be sporting this one for a good three days.
Some things you just never forget
, she thought, as she eased out of her top, turned to see her back and heard, “Fuck!” hissed in a low and deep voice.

Draco stood in the doorway of her bedroom, staring at Bree’s back, at the bruise that ran across her back. He saw the bruises on her arm made by a hand, and yeah, in his line of work he had seen quite a few of those types of bruises.

“Do you mind?” He heard her say and only then did he move his eyes to her face to see yet another bruise and yeah, he recognized that type too. A hand to the face, or more like, the back of a hand to the face.

She was standing with her back to him, but had turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. He stepped into her room, walked up to her, and without saying a word reached out and ran the side of his hand along the side of her face, outlining the bruising without touching the bruise itself. “Gonna kill that son of a bitch,” he growled low in his throat, not even aware he had spoken aloud. He moved his eyes to hers and spoke softly, “Where’s your T-shirt, baby?”

“I’ll get it,” she whispered, and he watched her move to the dresser, keeping her back to him.

“Sweats?” he asked.

“There.” She pointed to a drawer down from the one she had just opened.

He moved to it, pulled out a pair of light blue sweats, then looked up at her in the mirror. He could see her breasts covered in very little lace, but also the way she moved slowly and awkwardly. He caught her eyes filled with pain as she tried to pull the shirt over her head and for a minute her breasts were forgotten as he moved to help her.

When her shirt was on he turned her to the bed. “Sit,” he spoke softly, “let me help you with your shoes.” He continued to speak softly as she eased down on the edge of the bed, and he knelt down and removed first one, then the other shoe, taking each foot in hand and rubbing them before he looked up at her. “Stockings?” he said, or asked. He wasn’t sure which he was doing, he just knew she was hurting and he wanted to help her. But, damn it, he was no saint and if she had on a pair of those thigh-highs with those belt things, he was going to lose it.

She smiled that cute as hell sideways smile at him. “I think I can get this.”

She started to stand back up, but he was quicker. He jumped up, then held out his hand so he could helped her up. When she was standing he leaned toward her and lightly kissed her cheek just above the bruise. “Yell if you need any help.”

“Okay,” she whispered hoarsely.

He forced himself to turn away and walk back out of her bedroom and down the hall to the living room.

Bree watched Draco walk out of the room. Taking a breath, she sat back down on the edge of the bed. She just needed a minute, she told herself. Just one minute to wrap her head around…Draco.

How could he be so sweet, so gentle, so kind to her and yet be a…a…
cop
? Could what Storm said be true? Was there even such a thing as a ‘good cop?’ In her experience those two words, ‘good’ and ‘cop,’ never fit together, but Draco was different. He was—no, she corrected herself—
is
like no other cop or like no other man she had ever met.

She took another breath, stood up and started changing her clothes, all the while still trying to figure this all out in her head. She would admit, only to herself right now, that she was attracted to him. Hell, what woman wouldn’t be? But was it more? Did she feel more for him than just simply a physical attraction? Was that even possible in that short amount of time?

Okay, so maybe it’s not so simple. At least when he had kissed her, she felt a lot of things—things she had never felt before—but not one of those things she was thinking could be considered
simple
.

Maybe she should talk to Storm. Not about Draco and how she felt about him, but about him being a cop and why Storm thought that he was a good guy, even if he was a cop.

After she changed her clothes, she walked back down the hall and into the living room. She saw Draco in her kitchen standing in front of the sink, but there was no sign of her brother. “Where’s Storm?” she asked.

“He said he had somethin’ to take care of at his place.” Draco did a chin lift toward Storm’s apartment. “Said to tell you he’d be right back.” He turned to face the sink before he looked back at her over his shoulder. “Go lay down.” He did another chin jerk toward her sofa, then turned once again to whatever he was doing at her sink.

“What are you doing?” she asked and instead of going to the sofa she walked toward the kitchen.

“Ice packs,” he answered shortly. “For your bruises. Lay on your stomach.” He turned toward her and held out sandwich bags filled with ice.

“I need to wash my face first.” She headed down the hall and into the bathroom. She was reaching for the face wash while trying to ignore the pain in her back. “Dang it,” she hissed. If she had changed at work she wouldn’t have had on those stupid heels, and her back wouldn’t have hit the car right across her shoulder blades, and every time she moved her freakin’ arm it wouldn’t hurt so dang much.

Then Draco was there, turning her to face him. “I’ll help you.” He carefully picked her up and sat her on the counter beside the small sink. Taking the face wash out of her hands, he squeezed some into his hand and started rubbing his hands together.

“Works better if you add water.” She teased, smiling at him.

He looked at her with that cocky small smile and a hint of a blush before turning the water on. “Do you freeze or burn when washing your face?” He teased back.

She smiled bigger. “Just warm works fine.” She watched him as he tested the water and wet his hands before he started rubbing her face, being extra gentle over the bruising.

When her face was covered in suds, “Lean over the sink, baby,” he spoke softly as he lightly pushed her so the bruised side of her face was over the sink. He picked up a washcloth, got it wet, and letting the water run off of it and onto her face, rinsed the suds away.

After, he sat her back up and used the washcloth to wipe away the remains of the face wash. “There she is,” he murmured softly as she watched his eyes roam her face.

“Who?” she whispered.

“The gorgeous Bree I first met,” he said, then when his eyes hit hers he winked.

She smiled at him, not quite knowing how to respond. “I should have done this after work, I mean before I left.”

“Is that what you usually do?”

“Yeah, I wash my face and change clothes before I leave most nights.”

“So how come tonight you didn’t? Did somethin’ happen at work?” he asked, and she could hear the concern in his voice.

Did something happen?
Was he serious
? Did he not remember being there, kissing her like, like…she sighed at the thought of kissing him and his ‘later.’ She jerked her eyes to his to see…something, something she had seen there before but not able to figure out what it was. “I…uh…was in a hurry to get home…to uh…Storm. I knew he would be worried.” She stumbled over her words.

“Is that the only reason?” He pried as he laid the wash cloth down and leaned into her.

“I…uh…we…uh,” she stuttered, then stopped when his lips touched hers lightly, and she felt his tongue run across her bottom lip.

“Bree, I want—” Draco started.

“Ree!” She heard Storm call from the living room.

Draco touched his lips to hers. “Later,” he breathed against her lips, then stepped back and helped her down.

“She’s in here.” His voice rose for Storm.

Draco stepped out of the bathroom and into the hall to watch Storm walking toward him while at the same time he felt Bree move behind him, then to his side. He saw Storm again narrow his eyes at him, but he didn’t say anything, only moved his eyes to Bree. “How you feelin’?” Storm asked her softly, and Draco could hear the concern in his voice.

“I’m okay.” Bree moved past him and walked up to Storm and kissed his cheek. “Really, I’ll be fine,” she added, then walked back down the hall to the living room.

Storm turned his eyes to Draco one last time before he turned and followed Bree back down the hall. “Shit,” Draco grunted at the look Storm just gave him. He knew Storm had something to say, but didn’t want to say whatever it was in front of Bree. The only thing Draco didn’t know was if it was about what happened to Bree, or was it to warn him off Bree, or both.

*  *  *

Bree sat carefully down on the sofa, then watched Storm sit in the only chair next to it. She knew when Draco entered the living room, but instead of him sitting down he walked straight into the kitchen.

“Lay down.” She heard Draco say and turned to look at him. He was walking back into the living room with the ice packs he had made.

She didn’t bother to argue. She really didn’t have it in her right now to do so. So, she lay down on her stomach and a few seconds later she felt the ice pack touch her back and she hissed at the coldness. “Does that hurt?” Draco asked, concern evident in his voice.

“No, just cold.”

He moved around her, carefully moving her arm to add ice packs around it, then he laid one on her face, those she noticed was wrapped in dish towels so the plastic was not touching her skin.

“Tell me what happened.” She heard Storm demand.

From where she was lying, she couldn’t see him. “Move the chair, over this way,” she told Storm as she tried to move her arm to point to an area where she would be able to see him as she talked.

The ice pack that Draco had placed on her arm slipped. “You need to be still, so they’ll stay in place.” He scolded her, then moved into her line of sight to set the ice pack back in place. She watched him as he sat on the floor right there beside the sofa, placing his hand on the side of the ice pack, to hold it in place? She felt his thumb rubbing the skin on her arm just below the bruising. She closed her eyes to absorb the feel of it.

“Ree?” Storm called for her attention, and she opened her eyes to see him now sitting in the chair he had moved across from her. “What happened? Did you know that guy?”

“Yes, well, no. He was the same guy who was here a few nights ago, when I called you.” She stared at Storm, knowing he remembered. “He said I lied to him. Said he saw me with Draco. Said now he would have something that he’ll want back, or maybe not, after he got done. Then you came out, yelled, and he ran off.”

“And that was it?” Storm asked, but in a way that told her he didn’t think that was ‘it.’

“Basically, yeah,” she said.

“Serious as shit, Ree, those bruises you got covered in fuckin’ ice packs, don’t say that was it,” Storm snapped.

Bree took a breath, moved to sit up and heard Draco growl low. She looked over at him. “Damn it, woman. You need to keep still,” Draco rumbled with just a hint of frustration in his voice, as he was gathering up the fallen ice packs.

“I’m fine.” She tried to tell him, but she lay back down. As Draco placed the ice packs back where he had them, she again spoke to Storm. “He yanked me out of the car by my arm, then backhanded me while still holding on to me. Shook me a few times and when I tried to get free, he tightened his grip. Then you yelled, and he pushed me back, and I hit the car. That’s it. That’s all that he did while he was saying what he said,” she informed him, but Storm just sat there looking at her, not saying a word. “They’re just bruises, they’ll be gone in a few days. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve had worse,” Bree added dismissively.