Unbridled (32 page)

He leaned down and embraced her as best he could. Although he didn’t smell too fresh, he smelled like Connor, and that was ambrosia to her battered body and soul. She loved him with everything she had, everything she was.

It wasn’t the near-death experience with James that led her to that conclusion. It was seeing him again, knowing she was a wreck and he was marginally better, knowing he loved her and accepted her with all her quirks and failings. She was also fairly certain that not all the tears on her cheeks were hers.

Alex needed to tell him she loved him. She’d promised herself she would as soon as she saw him again. However, when she tried to talk, she found the desertlike conditions in her mouth prevented it.

She tapped his shoulder until he looked at her, his green eyes as teary as hers. Alex cupped his cheek; the rasp of whiskers on her hand told her she was alive and her man was right there with her. If she didn’t tell him soon, she’d simply explode. She opened her mouth and pantomimed drinking.

“Shit, I’m sorry. You need water.” He fiddled with something beside the bed and then held up a rose-colored plastic cup with a straw. His hands trembled so bad, the straw bounced in the cup.

She took the cup in her left hand and managed to bring it close enough to her mouth to suck the cool water in. It was blissful, the sweetest water on the planet. She cleared her throat.

“I know I’m probably the world’s worst cook. I have a temper, which you may not have noticed, but I’m admitting to it.” She ignored his smirk. “I have a lot of unresolved issues with my past. I don’t trust easily and am secretive too. But I am madly, hopelessly in love with you, Connor Matthews.”

His mouth fell open and his face blanched. Her heart dropped to her knees at his reaction. Well, she hadn’t expected to be rejected while in her hospital bed. Hurt roared through her and the fresh tears were nowhere near as joyful as the first batch. He turned away and started walking.

Alex shut her eyes to block out the sight of him. God, how could she have been so stupid? He didn’t love her. It was heat of the moment—a great fuck and most men will tell a woman he loved her. It didn’t mean
anything
.

A trembling touch on her left hand made her eyes pop open. Connor was on his knees beside the bed, his eyes suspiciously wet again, but his entire face was smiling. He gently took her hand in his and, gentleman that he was, he avoided her injured right side.

“I am a good cook, although Bernice might debate me on that. I snore and I tend to leave dirty socks in balls on the floor. I also hog the covers and sing off-key in the shower.” He leaned forward and touched her cheek with one finger. “I love you with every fiber of my being. Alex Katherine Finley, will you marry me?”

This time it was Alex’s turn for her mouth to drop open. The last thing she ever expected in her life was a marriage proposal, or a man to love for that matter. It was so much, a gift worthy of someone with a better soul than she. It was selfish of her, but she grabbed hold of the gift and hung on tight. He was hers. She was his.

“I’ll have to check my social calendar, but pencil me in as a yes.” She managed a shaky smile. “Or better yet, use a pen.”

Connor gently took her into his arms and she couldn’t decide who was shaking more.

“Am I hurting you?”

She chuckled against his shoulder. “I don’t think you could possibly hurt me right now. I must be hopped up on morphine or perhaps it’s a combination of love and drugs.”

He kissed the tender spot between her collarbone and neck. His warm breath fanned out across her skin. It felt wonderful, amazing and, surprisingly, arousing.

Connor set her back onto the bed just as slowly, then stepped back and surreptitiously wiped his eyes. “You up for visitors?”

Alex frowned. “What visitors?” She wasn’t exactly looking her best, considering the stitches, bandages and the swanky hospital gown.

“They’ve been here since they brought you in last night and refuse to go home.” He kissed her forehead. “You inspire people to love you.”

Alex was flummoxed. “I inspire people to love me? Who is waiting for me?”

“You don’t know?” He tsked at her. “Your family.”

She held her breath as he walked to the door and opened it. Connor disappeared for a few seconds; then he held the door open. In walked Claire, Bernice and then Daniel skidded in behind them. Yancy lurked by the door.

“These floors are so shiny. I could ski on my sneakers in here.” Daniel whooped, earning severe frowns from his mother and Bernice. He glanced at Alex and his eyes widened. “Holy smokes, Alex. You look terrible.”

“Daniel!” Claire admonished. “That’s really not polite.”

“She looks like she’s been wrestling a cougar, but your mama’s right. It ain’t polite to say so.” Bernice always had her own way of putting things. She was never going to change.

Claire came over and took Alex’s hand. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am this happened. I should have been looking out for you.” Her brown eyes grew moist, and Alex’s throat tightened up. “I am so glad you’re all right.”

At first Alex had trouble finding her voice. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I made the decision to speak to him. You had no responsibility for my welfare.”

“Yes, I did. Whether or not you like it, we are your family and it’s our job to protect you, to watch out for you, and to be there when you need us.”

Alex was completely overwhelmed. Not only had she just had a marriage proposal, but her new family was accepting her with all her faults. It was nearly too much.

Daniel came up beside his mother. “Oh, wow, you put another dent in your butt chin. Too bad about that, but your butt was always bigger than mine.”

Everyone laughed. Thank God for Daniel. He broke the tension as only a smart-ass kid could.

“Daniel, what am I going to do with you?” Claire grabbed him in a hug and laid a noogie on his head. “You crazy child.”

Connor slid up on her right and put his arm above her on the pillow, as if he needed to be near her. Alex looked around her at her family, at the people who loved her and whom she loved. It was a moment she would remember for a lifetime. Truly a defining, shining second that she could tuck away into her heart and bring out to embrace now and again.

 

 

“Oh God, I look like a battering ram who lost.” Alex peered at her face in the mirror and stuck out her tongue. “Geez, the last bruises haven’t even completely faded yet. Now I really look like shit.”

Connor came up behind her in the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I think you look delicious. Good enough to eat.” She smelled good, even tasted good as he lapped at her neck. Her breath caught and he felt her heart thudding beneath his arms.

“I’m going to hold you to that promise.” Her voice was a bit husky and it skittered across his skin, raising goose bumps.

“Good, because I intend to keep it.” He glanced around the hospital bathroom. “Are you ready to go?”

“After two days of lying on my ass in this skimpy cotton gown with my butt hanging out? What would make you think that?”

“Let’s get going, then. Your reflection isn’t going to change the longer you look at it.” He ushered her out of the bathroom, then picked up the plastic bag marked BELONGINGS and they walked to the door.

Alex had been more than lucky. She had avoided any lasting injuries, walking away with a hairline fracture in her right wrist, three dozen stitches, more bruises than he could count, and a very sore head. There must have been an angel on her shoulder because James Howard had taken the brunt of the accident when the car rolled.

Although Connor hadn’t seen his body, Yancy had been forthcoming in the extent of the man’s fatal injuries. He’d even had a bullet in his knee, which he had yet to ask Alex about. She said James tried to kill her, but flat-out refused to talk about what happened inside the car before the accident. Alex asked him to be patient until she was ready.

He respected her request, but it concerned him that she wasn’t being forthcoming about it, though perhaps in time she would be able to tell him. Now he’d never know if James had been responsible for Grant’s death, but it didn’t matter, or at least that was what he told himself. Both of them were dead so there was no one to blame. That didn’t meant Connor didn’t want to know, but because he couldn’t know, he tried his best to not think about it.

After arguing for what seemed like an hour with the nurse about using a wheelchair, Alex walked slowly out of the hospital. Connor should have insisted on the wheelchair, but she was as stubborn as a mule. It had taken all his wheedling to get her to stay in the hospital an extra day so they could run a battery of tests to be sure there were no hidden injuries.

They made it to the front door of the hospital and she smiled up at him. He was afraid she would exhaust herself, but she looked as healthy as she could be given the circumstances.

“Wait here, please. I’m going to get the truck.”

She started to protest, but he took off running before she could get a word out. He returned with the truck in only minutes, embarrassed to see his hands shaking. Connor had come so close to losing her, to spending the rest of his life missing her. The urge to protect her would be stronger than he would ever tell her.

He managed to calm his racing heart, barely, before he jumped out to help her into the truck. She made a face at him but praise be, she actually let him assist.

“You know, if you hadn’t already done this for me, I’d think you were doing it because you think I’m too weak.” She reached for the seat belt.

Connor breathed a sigh of relief. “You are a stubborn wench.”

“Thank you. I pride myself on that.” She grinned and he knew everything was going to be all right.

They drove away from the hospital in a comfortable silence. The sun shined brightly as they made their way back to the ranch. The snow had left nary a clue it had been there, although Connor was painfully aware of how much destruction it had caused them. He’d personally made sure Yancy destroyed the Lexus, making it into a cube of twisted metal in the junkyard.

Connor had been so very lucky in his life, despite the rough beginnings. If he hadn’t found Grant, he would not have become a part of Finley’s. If he hadn’t been a part of Finley’s, he would have never met Alex. If he hadn’t met Alex, he wouldn’t feel the way he did. It was unique to him to feel so close to another human being. He’d been protecting himself for a very long time. Alex blew those barriers to pieces.

He glanced at her and noticed her eyes were closed. Perhaps the walk to the truck was more than she anticipated. Connor slowed down to avoid jostling her too much.

“Now, that shit ain’t gonna fly, Matthews.” She didn’t move an inch. “I’m simply keeping my eyes closed because I don’t have sunglasses and the sun is too damn bright. Speed up and get me home.”

Home. He smiled at the thought she had called Finley’s “home” again. It was exactly what Grant would have wanted.

“Yes, ma’am. Anything else I can do for you?”

“Bring me to the cabin and make love to me.”

Connor’s entire body stood at attention, a heat only Alex could bring to him. He never expected her to want to be intimate so soon after being released from the hospital. On a deeper level, he understood her need. She could have died in that car in more ways than one. Alex was a fighter, a survivor who faced death and kicked its ass.

The specters of their pasts, the struggles and pain, needed to be washed away, cleansed from their lives for good. To move on with being together, being a part of a partnership, that was what they needed.

As they turned down the driveway to Finley’s, a peace settled over Connor, spiced by a slow burn to be alone with her. He had a feeling if they parked in the employee lot, they would garner too much attention. Selfishly, he wanted to keep her to himself. So he passed the parking lot and drove across the grass and parked behind the barn.

“What are you doing?”

“Exactly what you wanted. Now, stay there until I come around to get you.”

“Hm, bossy, aren’t you?” She stayed put even if her tartness couldn’t.

Connor hopped out and went into the shed to get a four-wheeler. It wasn’t that far to the cabin but he didn’t want her to walk, and besides, they could get there faster. When he came out of the shed, he saw her smile widen through the windshield of the truck.

He parked the four-wheeler and opened the passenger-side door of the truck. “Your chariot, m’lady.”

“My redneck chariot.”

Connor scooped her into his arms and bumped the door closed. He felt her warmth through his jacket, the sweet beating of her heart against his. They settled onto the four-wheeler and set off for the VIP cabin. The ride was silent, but their bodies were already preparing for what was to come.

She sat in front of him, cradled in the vee of his legs, her soft ass pressed up against his dick. Each bump on the trail was deliciously stimulating as they rubbed against each other. He heard her breathing change, becoming shorter and choppier, as was his. Connor didn’t dare drive any faster because of the terrain and the fact she was recovering from a car accident.

It seemed like it took hours to reach the gate to the cabin, but he knew it was only ten minutes. As he punched the numbers in to open it, she slid off the four-wheeler and stood beside him, waiting.

He turned and met her gaze. “Ready?”

“More than you can imagine.”

Connor scooped her up again and this time she didn’t protest. He pushed the gate closed and walked up the steps, anxious and excited. When they got to the door, he didn’t want to put her down to unlock it, but he couldn’t reach the keys unless he did.

“Allow me.”

She reached into his pocket, her slender fingers brushing his already half-erect dick. He sucked in a breath as she slid one digit up its length, almost as if she were making it longer by magic. Of course, it really was a certain kind of magic.