Prologue
Stupid girl.
I should have stayed away.
Now the last few years have all been for nothing. I have achieved absolutely zero by being away, other than a bigger mistrust, and a deeper cavern in my heart made by the fact that I actually had hope, and now it’s been ripped away.
He stands behind me, his index finger gently brushing my tousled hair from my bare back. It makes me shiver. Not a shiver of pleasure like Denham gives me; a shiver of repulsion. A shiver that actually works its way down my whole body and back up my spine, settling in my nape with forboding. I think I’m going to throw up. I clamp my mouth shut tight and will the fear to go away.
I will be strong. He will not break me again.
But I know the power he has over me. The power to turn me to dust.
“Did you really think I was going to let you go?” he says, his voice resonating a dangerous undertone. “Did you?” He moves closer still, but doesn’t touch me. “My stupid, beautiful girl …”
His nose touches my shoulder and he draws it upwards along my neck, inhaling as he goes. My stomach does summersaults and I’m overcome with fear and resignation.
“I can smell another man’s scent, Arianna.” He pauses and I hold my breath, bracing myself for what might come next. That familiar feeling of preparing for a physical onslaught but not knowing in which way it will be delivered this time. “Sex … It reeks.”
It might have been almost two years since I saw him in the flesh, but I can remember the expressions his face holds, and I can picture his curled lip and the wild look in his eyes that always told me he enjoyed to watch my fear. He grabs the hair on the back of my head roughly and I cry out. Every follicle screams as I feel his grip tighten.
“How did you ever think I wouldn’t find you? How did you ever think you would be free?” He almost sings the words, a torturous lullaby, barely a whisper, but loud enough to ring around my head. “Money talks, Arianna. And in your case, the talk was cheap.”
The ringing in my head gets louder. Echoes further. My eyes lose focus. The pain pulling at my head takes over. “Please,” I manage to whimper. I hate how desperate I sound, but I don’t know another way out.
“My. Stupid. Beautiful. Girl.” Every word is punctuated with an exhale of stale breath across my skin.
He wraps an arm around my neck from behind and applies just enough pressure that my intake of breath is affected. My mind reacts out of instinct and I start to panic, but my body stays paralyzed from fear. I search my mind for ways to get out of this, ways to make it stop, when sharp pain hits the top of my leg, followed by a burning sensation. The mixture of his tightening grip and the realization that he just pushed a needle into me sends me into a spin.
Is he going to kill me? God, let it be quick, I plead silently. I pull every ounce of strength that I can from my body and claw at his hand with my nails. He drops his grip, letting me go with a cruel snigger and I run. I run as fast and as far away from him as I can. I make it to the bedroom when the edges of my vision blur and start to tunnel. The adrenaline pushes the substance he has injected me with through my body at top speed. It acts fast and my legs lose strength and buckle underneath me.
The floor seems to rise up toward me, and my head hits the ground with such force that it steals my vision and the world turns black. The last of my senses to leave me is my hearing. Everything echoes like I have my head underwater. I hear him approach, heavy footsteps stopping next to me. An evil laugh comes from deep within him, and I try to fight my body’s reaction. I try to muster up any last piece of consciousness that I can, but it’s futile.
“Still trying to run, Arianna. You’ll never learn.”
My body is jerked to the side and my last conscious breath leaves my body forcefully as his boot hits my ribs. My muscles contort. Old injuries protest. I’m aware that it’s happening, but I don’t feel a thing.
No feeling in my body, just sound eventually fading … fading …
“You’re mine. You’ll always be mine.”
His voice is controlled. Calculated. His words fade with every second that passes.
“You’ll come back to me. I own you. You’ll see.”
“Stupid. Beautiful. Girl …”
Chapter 1
Denham
I don’t need this shit today.
Every day this week there’s been a problem.
Problems with the staff. Problems with the casino. And now, for the third time this week, problems with the CCTV system. You would think for the amount of money I pay Dom and his team, it should be running glitch free, but no.
And, to top it all off, I have to leave my girl to deal with all this shit.
My girl. The girl who left me at the elevator, with just a sheet wrapped around that soft, sexy body. The one who left me with a searing kiss loaded with promise, and a raging hard-on.
So, I could really do without being here, sorting out crap that I pay people damn good money to do.
“Jack!” I bellow from my office, not knowing if he’s within earshot, but so fucking what if he isn’t. I’ll just shout louder. “Jack!”
He pushes open the door, his friendly face a picture of calm and says passively, “Yes, sir?”
Fuck, now I feel like a dick. Jack is one of my longest standing employees, but he feels like a brother to me. In fact, he’s the closest friend I have. He always comes to family dinners and special occasions. And for me, it feels like that’s where he belongs. But I’m sure it’s different for him, I can see that he does it as part of his job.
“The system is glitching again. Where the fuck is Dom?” I grate out irritably.
“I’ll have him called, sir.”
“I don’t want one of his fucking monkeys. I want him here in ten minutes. Any longer, he’s fired. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Jack nods and leaves, closing the door calmly behind him. I don’t even get the chance to say thank you and it makes me feel like a jerk. I don’t mean to bellow at Jack. He really does put up with some shit from me, but he knows the score, he knows what’s at stake for me. He’s worked for The Kingdom for years, at least fifteen. He was my dad’s right hand man, and now he’s mine. I make a mental note to stop being such an asshole around him. I have nothing to prove to him, and I know he wouldn’t take advantage of me, like some of the other employees would.
I sometimes wish I had a regular job punching numbers in an office or pouring shots in a club. All of them would be a damn sight easier than this. But it wouldn’t be worth anything, it wouldn’t be this place.
Honor and pride have a lot to answer for.
It’s really early to be dealing with shit, and far too early to have a drink, even if I do feel like reaching for one while I’m waiting for Dom to arrive. So I take my frustration out on my desktop and I smash my fingers down on the keys of the CCTV system, as if it will magically make it work. It doesn’t.
For a minute, I thought the whole system was down. Right now it looks like it’s just the lobby, and the internal elevator and exits, all the way up.
My cell rings just as there is a timid knock at the door, and I flick the cell on silent without even looking at who it is.
“Yes,” I bark.
Dominic gingerly pushes open the door, taking a couple of reluctant steps forward. “You called for me, Mr. King?”
“Yes, Dominic. Come in and sit for a minute.”
I’ve taken a deep breath, restored inner calm for a minute, and thought about my girl. Yes, I would much rather be with her than dealing with this shit. But she’s busy this morning and if I didn’t have something to occupy myself with, I would be whiling the hours away until she came back. So while this isn’t fun, not by a long shot, at least it’s keeping me busy.
Dominic sits in the chair in front of my desk with his legs pressed together and his hands clasped tightly, resting on his knees. He sits with slouched shoulders and there’s just something about him that makes me want to pick him up, shake him and tell him to get his shit together.
“Dominic … do I, or do I not, pay you well?” I ask. It’s not a trick question.
“Yes sir, you pay me very well.”
I stand and walk slowly around the desk. He fidgets nervously as I perch on the edge to his right. “Then please, would you enlighten me as to why the system I pay you, and a team of four others, to run has had nothing but problems every day for the last week?”
“We are working on it around the clock, Mr. King. There seems to be a bug in the system but so far we’ve been unable to trace it.”
“So, would it be easier to buy and install a whole new system?” I ask impatiently.
“Do you have any idea how much that would cost, sir?”
“You’re answering my question with a question,” I grumble impatiently at his avoidance of my question. “Money isn’t the issue here. I want The Kingdom running like clockwork.”
“Sir, I don’t think that’s the solution. We would need to shut the whole system down completely for quite a time before the new one was up and running. Isn’t it better that we have at least some coverage while we figure it out?”
“Fine. Do you need more men?” I ask, surprising myself at the calm way with which I am now dealing with this situation.
“No, sir.”
“Then get your ass out of my office and get on it. You have two days to get it sorted. Or I’ll get another team of experts to take your place, got it?”
“Yes, sir,” he answers but still doesn’t move.
“Well …”
“Uh …”
“Get out of here.”
He scrambles to get out of his seat and scurries out of the door.
Useless fucking idiot.
If he wasn’t the best at what he does, he would have been fired long ago. But the simple fact is, if he can’t fix it, no one can. He just needs a kick in the ass every now and then.
I go back to my desk and check my cell. Two missed calls from Beth.
I connect to her number and wait for her to answer.
“King. Where the fuck are you?” she asks impatiently and I chuckle.
“Good morning, Beth. It’s lovely to hear your voice.” I sit back in my brown leather chair, stretching out with my legs crossed at the ankle.
“Quit it, King. Where is your girl? She was due here a half hour ago, but she’s a no show. Does this have something to do with you? ‘Cause it’s not gonna wash with me if you’re making her late by keeping her in your bedroom …”
I can actually feel the color drain from me as I stand abruptly and start to pace between my desk and the door.
She’s not there? Where could she be? She was so excited about meeting Beth this morning.
“Did you call her cell? Maybe she lost track of time along the strip, you know how easy that is to do …”
“I called. Several times. That’s why I’m calling you. If you find her before I do, can you get her to call me? We have a lot to go over before she starts.”
“Sure. I’ll go check the apartment. Maybe she’s still trying to find something suitable to wear to meet Las Vegas’s best dressed beauty,” I joke, although it doesn’t feel funny. This is why I gave her a cell. So that I, or anyone else for that matter, can get in touch with her whenever.
“You’re smooth, King, but I’m not happy,” she grumbles.
“I know.” I sigh. “I’ll sort it.”
She hangs up without saying goodbye, and I mutter under my breath out of frustration. Beth is not one to tolerate lateness, and this would have really pissed her off. Arianna is gonna have to work hard to get over this false start.
I head up to the penthouse, jabbing impatiently at the elevator buttons. I don’t know why it makes me so agitated that she hasn’t turned up for work. Maybe it’s because I know she was so excited about starting, that wild horses wouldn’t have stopped her. She wouldn’t have missed it, would she? Maybe I don’t know her all that well at all, and she’s a serial latecomer, but even that doesn’t explain her not answering her cell. Or, maybe it’s because I’m so goddamn whipped that I can’t bear the thought of not knowing where she is, and hating the fact that she’s not with me, under me, on top of me, every minute of the day.
I barge into the elevator as soon as the door opens and in my haste, I nearly knock someone flying. He has a briefcase that drops to the floor with a thud.
“Shit,” I curse. “Sorry, mate,” I offer, clapping the man on the back. I try to pick up his case but he’s there before me, and he grabs it up fast, clutching it to his chest protectively.
“No harm done,” he replies. He seems twitchy, and his dark eyes dart all around, but this is Las Vegas and you never know who you’re going to bump into. If I wasn’t in such a hurry, I’d have watched him out on the CCTV, just to be sure what he’s up to, but Arianna is the only thing on my mind right now, and the CCTV probably wouldn’t fucking work anyway.
I head up to the penthouse, finding mine empty. When I cross the hall and look a little closer, the door to Arianna’s suite is open just a fraction. I push it open further and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. Something doesn’t feel right.
“Arianna,” I call. “Arianna,” I shout louder but still nothing.
I stride through to the bedroom, and it’s like a wrecking ball hits me in the chest, almost knocking me off my feet.
Images of my father flash through my head, along with feelings of helplessness and confusion.
My girl. My stunning girl.
She’s on the floor. She’s naked. She’s … is she breathing?
I run to her side, drop to the floor to lift her onto my lap, cradling her upper body and pushing the tangled mess of her curls away from her face.
“Arianna? Stunner …” I speak to her softly while I inspect her body, trying to work out what the hell has gone on in the short space of time I’ve been gone. She’s breathing, but it’s shallow, and the thought of losing her paralyzes me. I’ve not had her long enough to lose her.
The lump swells in my throat, but I force it down and pull my cell out of my pocket.
“Jack. I need you up here, now,” I bark. “In her apartment, there’s been …fuck, I don’t know what’s happened but she’s unconscious and …”
“I’ll be right there, sir,” Jack answers, in that reassuring, calm voice of his.
“It’s okay, Stunner … We’re going to take you to the ER, and it’ll all be fine,” I murmur to her, but I’m not sure if she can hear me. Maybe the words are to comfort myself.
She looks so small, so helpless. There’s no resistance in her limbs. No strength in her body. No warm affection coming from her soul.
What the fuck has happened?
“Fuck,” I hiss. There’s no way I’m having Jack see her like this. I don’t want anyone else seeing her body, no matter what the situation is.
I place her gently back on the floor for just a minute before grabbing a pillow off the bed and placing it under her head. I rummage through her drawer and pull out a pair of those little shorts that make her ass look so damn cute, although there’s nothing remotely sexual about this moment. I slide them up her legs just as I hear the elevator arrive. With no time to cover her top half, I whip off my t-shirt and pull it over her head. By the time Jack has entered the room, she’s covered as best as I can manage.
“I need you to drive us to the ER.”
“Yes, sir,” he says calmly, but it’s betrayed by the worry in his eyes.
“Call Spike and tell him he’s in charge this afternoon, and he can get me on my cell.”
Jack nods. “You need a hand to help her up?” he asks.
“No,” I snap. No one is touching her in such a vulnerable state. Not even Jack. “I can do it.”
I stubbornly scoop her into my arms, and Jack follows me out of the apartment and downstairs to the waiting car.
Chapter 2
Arianna
A jackhammer pounds in my head as I try to open my eyes.
They’re heavy. So heavy, and the continual thud makes me want to screw my eyes tight shut and go back to sleep.
Sleep?
Was I asleep?
Where am I?
I flex my fingers. They move slowly, and feel strange. Clumsy.
I turn my head into a soft pillow and deduct that I am in bed. It’s not my bed. It doesn’t smell familiar.
I gingerly crack open my eyes. The light pierces my vision, and I snap them shut immediately, letting out a groan.
A hand touches my forehead softly and I try to lean into the gentle touch.
“Arianna,” a familiar voice murmurs.
I force my eyelids open and allow them to adjust to the soft lighting in the room. It takes a couple of blinks until I can hold them open. My vision is blurry but I can just make out the man sitting next to my bed.
“Denham?” My mouth is dry, my tongue feels difficult to move and I start to panic. My body is not responding as it should and I’m scared.
“Ssshhhh, just relax, rest.”
I take his advice and give in to the overwhelming weight that is pulling my lids shut.
I drift in and out of consciousness for an undeterminable amount of time. Each time I wake, I figure out a little more of my surroundings. I am not in my penthouse. I don’t know where I am, and I’m not lucid enough to figure it out. The curtains are open and the sun streams in. The man that has been there every time I wake up is still here but now with his head resting on the edge of my bed.
I feel like I have just enough energy to want to move. I push up, but feel a sharp pain in the back of my hand and let myself rest back on the bed. A hospital bed. Why am I in a hospital? Machines and monitors bleep and whirr all around me. I tentatively lift my hand and rest it on Denham’s head while he sleeps, stroking his hair with my fingertips.
He stirs and lifts his head to face me. “Arianna … you’re awake?” he asks. Worry mars his handsome features as he pushes himself up on his elbow and strokes a strand of hair from my face.
“Yes, I’m awake … I think.”
I’m confused, I feel strange. I don’t understand why I’m lying in a hospital bed, and I can’t figure out what time of day it is.
“Are you okay? How do you feel?”
“I … I don’t know. I don’t …” My tongue catches on the roof of my mouth and I’m in desperate need of a drink. “Water …” I say hoarsely, unable to get any more words out.
He hops up and grabs a glass of water from the nightstand.
“Here,” he says, holding it to my mouth. I try and take the glass from him but I have little coordination. I sip enough to wet my mouth and as much as I don’t want to, I cry. The emotion is overwhelming and deep sobs catch in my chest.
“What happened, what’s wrong with me?” Everything is a jumble and no matter how hard I try, I can’t piece it all together.
“Shhhhh.” Denham places the glass back on the nightstand and pulls me into his arms. “You fell, Ari, you must have slipped and knocked yourself out, or blacked out …”
“I … I don’t remember anything,” I sob. I hate this. It’s a frightening feeling. I feel helpless and scared.
What if he hadn’t found me? Of course he would have found me. I’m not alone now. He cares.
“We couldn’t wake you so we brought you straight here. Do you remember anything at all?”
I try. I try to remember any little detail that would start to set me straight.
“No, I …” I calm my racing head and take a deep breath, trying to let things come back. “I … don’t remember a thing.”
Blank, totally blank. I remember Spike interrupting us. I remember Denham leaving with him. Then … nothing.
“I can’t remember … I’m sorry,” I say
“It’s okay, Stunner. It’s not important. What’s important is that you’re okay,” he soothes. “I need to call the nurse; she’ll want to know you’re awake.”
He stands and presses the call bell above the bed, pulling me back into his arms and cradling my head in his hands.
“Ouch,” I wince, “My head.”
“My god, Ari, you have an egg sized lump on your head, you must have really hit the ground with a thud.”
I nod into his chest “My ribs hurt too … everything hurts,” I whisper sorrowfully. “Can we go home, please. I hate hospitals. I hate needles.”
He chuckles lightly, “Let’s just get you well enough to move around first, shall we?”
“How long have I been here? What time is it?” I ask, still confused.
“It’s mid-afternoon, just after two. We came late this morning. Beth called me to say she couldn’t get ahold of you and you hadn’t arrived there.”
“Beth?”
“Yes, do you remember she messaged you this morning?”
I vaguely remember something along those lines but nothing definite.
The door opens and I pull my head out of Denham’s chest to see who it is. It’s the nurse, and that sudden movement makes me feel dizzy. My vision spins a little and Denham leans me back so my head is resting on the pillow.
“So, how are we doing in here?” She’s a large lady with a big voice, which reverberates through me, but she has a friendly smile and a demeanor to match.
Denham answers before I have time to think. “She’s in pain, is there something you can give her?” he asks anxiously.
“I’m sure she is,” she replies to Denham and then speaks directly to me. “You had quite a fall, young lady. Anything coming back to you?” She picks up the clipboard that is hooked on the bottom of the bed and studies it.
“No, nothing,” I answer sadly.
“Well, you’re badly concussed and we want to keep an eye on you for a little while longer, run some tests and just make sure you’re doing okay.”
“How long will the tests take? I want to go home. Can I please go home?”
She pats my hand. “As soon as we think you’re well enough, you can go. But right now it hurts you just to move that pretty head of yours, doesn’t it?”
“No, my head’s fine, honestly … I can even get out of—” I sit up and try to swing my legs over the side of the bed. It hurts, every part of my body screams at me to lay still, but I want to do it so that I can leave this cold, sterile place. Denham’s hand on my thigh stops me.
“She’ll rest, nurse, I’ll make sure of it,” Denham answers. I snap my head around to him and it takes a second for my eyes to catch up to the direction my head is pointing in. Once I’ve refocused, I scowl at him.
“Good. Now, I don’t want you exerting yourself, okay? The more you rest, the quicker you’ll heal.” The nurse clicks a few buttons on the monitor that I’m wired up to and scribbles something down on her chart before hooking it back on the bottom of the bed. “I’ll send one of the nurses in with some pain meds, then if you’d like a hot drink, just ask.”
“Thank you, nurse,” Denham calls as she leaves the room. “Did you hear that? You’re to do as you’re told and rest.”
“Thanks for nothing,” I grumble. “I hate these places, I want a bigger bed, and a view over the strip and …”
“You’re turning into a diva,” he chuckles. “We are not leaving here until you’re well enough, if you do as you’re told it won’t be long.”
I groan at his answer. Regardless that I know he’s right, I still don’t want to be here. So, I try a different approach.
“You know it’s not very private here …” I say with as much sass as I can while giving him my best ‘come to bed with me’ eyes. Which is probably not working considering how I feel right now. “I want to get naked in your bed and have—”
“Ari, no,” Denham interrupts, shaking his head at me. “That’s not going to work.”
I pout like a petulant child. It doesn’t look like I have a chance of getting my own way, so I decide to take his advice, keep my mouth shut and hope that I recover quick enough to get out of here soon. If I’m honest, as much as I don’t want to be here, I really do feel terrible.
“Don’t sulk, Stunner. I want you out of here as much as you want to be out. But I don’t want to take any chances.” He drops his head and talks into his lap. “You scared me. Seeing you like that … it was …”
“I’m sorry. I’ll behave. It’s just … I don’t want to be here. The last time I was in a hospital it was for a very different reason and it doesn’t hold very good memories.”
“Your ex? He put you in the hospital?” he asks softly, although the lines around his eyes harden and I can see it’s almost harder for him to hear than it is for me to recall. Years of detachment have left me feeling next to nothing when I replay events in my head.
“Yes. I was there for ten days.”
“Ten days?” he asks in disbelief, his voice rising with anger. “What the hell did he do to you, Ari?”
I take a deep breath before continuing. I’ve never told anyone all the details. “He lost it,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders, and even that small movement has my muscles protesting. “He beat me nearly unconscious. I had a lot of broken bones and a punctured lung. He wanted to keep me there until the bruising had faded, so no one would know.” It is actually easier to talk about than I thought it would be. I don’t know if it’s because I’m telling someone who actually cares about me, or if the scars in my heart are finally starting to fade. Thinking about Jonny still makes me feel nervous, but only because of the fear he instilled in me for so many years. I’m not sure he could hurt me now. I feel stronger. Having someone genuinely willing to fight in my corner makes me feel like I can move on from that time in my life.
“No one can find him, Arianna. My contacts have turned over every stone and there’s no one to be found with that name. He’s more than likely moved on and started somewhere new. You’re safe, I’ll keep you safe.”
My whole body relaxes and it makes me realize how tense I’d been just recalling that last time I had seen him. It has affected me deeply. It’s always going to be there at the back of my mind, nagging, holding on to a little part of me. But instead of letting it ruin my life, I need to remember it, learn from it and move on. I’ve been blocking things out for too long. Trying to detach from anything or anyone that might make me feel, that I’ve stopped living. I had stopped seeing the good and tried to ignore the bad. Which left me in no man’s land, a gray world. It wasn’t until Aaron hit me, that I realized how miserable I was in a life that wasn’t mine. Who knows how long it would have taken me to see this clearly? If I hadn’t met Denham, I might have still been living in a black and white world, thinking I had a grip on reality but really I was just running from the truth.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
“Ari, why are you sorry?” he asks, confused.
I shrug. “Because that must have been hard for you to hear.”
“Goodness, Arianna, will you just think of you for once? Say what you need to say. Do what you need to do. If you want someone to listen to you, I’m here.”
“I know, but—”
“No buts, okay?” he says, raising his brows at me and taking my hand gently between both of his. “It makes me want to break bones and torture him to hear you say things like that, but I want you to be able to talk to me … about anything.”
“Thank you for listening”
“No need to thank me.”
“Okay, then thank you for being so lovely to me.”
“Stunner …”
“Look, I know I come with a lot of baggage and a ton of crazy. You didn’t have to—”
“I’m gonna stop you right there,” he says, standing and placing his hands gently on either side of my face, the look in his eyes so gentle and sincere. “It is what it is,” he says simply before placing a gentle lingering kiss on my parched lips. The fact that my skin is so dry really makes me aware of just how soft and perfect his mouth feels. I close my eyes, and his kiss travels through the whole of my body. When he pulls away, I keep my eyes closed, mesmerized by the warm sensations firing off in all directions.
I’ve probably only been awake for a maximum of ten minutes and already I feel like I’ve been up for endless days. I know I need more rest and regardless of the fact that I don’t want to be here in this hospital, I’m here with Denham and that makes everything feel okay.
“Please rest, Ari,” Denham says quietly, noticing my weariness.
“I’ll rest if you will …”
“Fine, you first.”
“No.”
“Arianna …” he warns with an arched brow.
“I want you in my bed.” I hold up a finger quickly before he interrupts. “Just climb on and cuddle with me, please?”
He looks at me half confused, half exasperated.
“I won’t try anything, I promise,” I insist, holding up my hands in surrender. “I just want you close. I’ll rest better with you next to me”
“You’re impossible,” he grumbles, but I know he’s not grumpy about it.
I shrug. “I know.”
He shakes his head at me, all the while trying to suppress a grin. He pulls back the cotton sheet that’s covering me and it’s the first time that I’ve noticed that I’m wearing only a pair of boy shorts and one of Denham’s tees. I really wish I could remember what happened but perhaps it’ll all come back to me with time.
Denham lowers the backrest down and lies on his side. He cradles my head in the crook of his arm and strokes my hair gently with the tips of his fingers.
“Rest, Ari,” he whispers against my hair. I let my heavy eyes close and feel content at the familiar smell of his aftershave and the sound of his steady heartbeat.
I do sleep. Denham sleeps, too. I don’t know how long for but we are both woken with a jump at the sound of his phone echoing around the room. He fumbles to reach it on the nightstand and pulls it to his ear.
“King,” he announces before listening to the person on the end of the line. I can hear someone talking but can’t make out who it is and what they are saying. “Yes, I call you back. Give me five.” He hangs up abruptly.
“Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Yes, just something I need to sort out. I’m sorry it woke you.” He looks down at me with furrowed brows. “How do you feel?”
“I actually feel pretty good … considering.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“I really need to pee …”
“Okay, let me help you.”
“No!” I squeak, mortified at the thought of Denham seeing me in the bathroom. “I don’t need help I just need to get unhooked from these damn machines.”
“Your drip is on wheels, Ari.” Denham says, laughing under his breath. “I’ll take you to the bathroom.”
“I don’t want you to,” I say insistently.
“Arianna, don’t be such a baby. I’ve seen you in all your magnificent naked glory.” He strokes my cheek and whispers, “I even know how you taste …” His breath fans across my skin and provokes my senses. That one little sentence has me all kinds of flustered. I can hardly remember what we were talking about.
Oh yes, I want to pee. But, I most certainly do not want him to take me. There are things a girl needs to do by herself and this is one of them. I mean, what happens if I don’t just need to pee? What do I do then?
“Just help me off the bed, I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“No, Arianna,” he insists. “Stop being so damn stubborn, will you? You haven’t stood upright for a little over six hours. I am not letting you go to the bathroom on your own. What happens if you lose your balance or black out again?”
I hadn’t even thought about that … but I still do not want him to see me in the bathroom like that.
“Fine,” I grumble. “Please call me a nurse … and before you try to insist that you’ll take me, I don’t want you to … Just…” I sigh. “…please.” I don’t know why I’m so insistent. It’s heartwarming that he wants to help do the most basic things. But this is all so new to us, we are so new. I want to keep that spark there, that allure. This situation is already way beyond what a new couple should be experiencing.
“Fine,” he concedes. “But just so you know, nothing could make me want you any less.”
My heart tightens, gripping those strands of genuinity that he so generously keeps giving me in abundance. “There are just some things a girl has to do … in private,” I say quietly.
“I get it.” He shrugs, kisses my forehead and presses the call bell, then his cell blares through the room, again. He glances at the screen and shakes his head. “I’m gonna have to take this, Stunner. Do not get out of bed until the nurse comes,” he orders, looking at me pointedly before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind him.
Not knowing how long the nurse could take to get here, and thinking it would be even more mortifying if Denham came back to me having peed right here, I manage to wriggle my way to the edge of the bed and dangle my feet while I wait for the nurse. The urge to go increases. Should I just go on my own? I can’t wait. The more I think about it the more I need to pee. Denham could be a while after all. He said I’d been here for six hours already. Is that right? He has a business to run and he’s spent the day by my side while I was unconscious. It’s no wonder there are people calling him. He probably has endless calls to return and he wouldn’t even know if I just slipped out and slipped back in again. My feet swing faster as the thoughts run through my head and I mentally explore my options. The longer I deliberate, the closer it gets to him coming back so I slide off the side of the hospital bed very carefully, transferring the weight onto my feet gently and testing my ability to stand. There, that isn’t too bad … I just have to make it over to the other side of the room and into the bathroom and I can sit down again. God, I want to sit down again, my head is starting to pound. Maybe this was a bad idea. My legs are shaking like a newborn lamb and I’m not sure how much longer they are gonna hold out. I make it three tentative steps before the drip is tugging at my hand and I remember that I’m attached.
I turn and make it back to the bed, resting my hands on the edge and trying to support my weight as best I can as I know I don’t have the strength to climb back in.
It was a stupid idea to try this on my own, but despite everything I still hate to be dependent on anyone, even if I know I can’t do it on my own. But this time I am defeated.
The door clicks open and one of the male nurses comes in.
“And where do you think you’re going?” he asks.
“I need to pee, but I …” My voice wavers at the fact that I can’t do a simple thing such as take myself to the bathroom.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t realize how much your body would protest, I know. Here, let me help you.”
He comes to my side and I hold on to his hand as he supports me around the waist with his other arm. He guides me towards the chair that Denham has spent the whole time sitting beside me in, when he hasn’t been snuggled up next to me, but before I can make it to sitting, my eyes start to feel fuzzy around the edges and I lose my balance. I fall into the nurse, clutching for anything in front of me that I can grab but finding nothing and relying on the nurse to catch me. Luckily, he does or I could have been sporting another lump on my head and a double concussion.
“What the hell?” Denham’s voice reverberates around the room and he rushes to me. “Get your hands off her,” he orders sharply.
“Mr. King, she needs to get back into the bed, now if you’ll let me do my job,” the nurse says firmly but politely.
“No, if you think I’m going to let you touch my girl, especially when she’s wearing next to nothing, then you’ve got another think coming. I’ll do it,” he growls. “Come here, Trouble,” he says softly to me. He shifts me out of the grip of the male nurse, who turns to leave, shaking his head as he goes and then Denham scoops me up in his arms before placing me back on the bed and covering me up to my neck with the sheet. His possessiveness makes me feel safe. Jonny was always possessive for his own personal reasoning, but Denham’s way with me is totally different. He’s actually protecting me.
I let my head roll back onto the pillow and close my eyes to soothe the throbbing feeling pushing its way around my head. After a couple of minutes, the dizziness slows and I open my eyes a fraction.
“I’m ‘Trouble’ now?” I ask sadly.
Denham’s soft laugh makes me feel warm, “Yes, it seemed appropriate.” He brushes my hair from my forehead and kisses me softly.
“You haven’t called me that for a while,” I say sadly. I warned him at the very beginning that I was trouble, and look what has happened. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be crazy, Arianna, you’re still my stunner. It just seemed like a ‘Trouble’ moment. I told you to stay put, you ignored me.”
“I needed to pee.”
“Do you still need to pee?”
“Yes … No,” I say indecisively. “I’m so tired. I need to sleep.”
“Okay. Sleep, Stunner. I’ll be right here,” he murmurs softly. He encases my hand in his, and tenderly kisses the tips of each of my fingers.
I sleep. In fact, I think I pretty much sleep like the dead, and when I wake, it is dark outside. Denham is still by my side. He’s asleep with head is resting on the edge of the bed again. His hand rests on my thigh, a subconscious act to make sure I don’t try to escape. I run my fingers gently through his hair, and rest my hand on the back of his head. He looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping.
“You know it’s weird to watch people when they sleep?” he mumbles, and I laugh softly.
“You watch me.”
“I do not!” His brow furrows but I see his lips twitch in amusement.
“Do to!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he says, lifting his head from the bed and smiling warmly at me. “I do watch you. You’re just as beautiful when you’re asleep as when you’re awake … I guess that makes us both weirdos, huh? A perfect match.”
He stands up, shaking out his legs and stretching his arms above his head. His tee rises just enough to let me see a little of that delicious ‘V’ that I love and I can’t help but look.
“Not until you’re better,” he says.
“What?”
“You’re looking at me like you want to eat me, Arianna. And you’re not physically capable right now, so think about something else,” he orders.
“You’re bossy,” I grumble, fidgeting in the bed and rearranging the covers.
“Yes, I know … How are you feeling?” he asks.
I think about it for a second. “Actually, I feel great in comparison to earlier. My head doesn’t throb nearly as much and my body doesn’t feel as numb.”
“Good, if you keep feeling better, then I can take you home tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I want to go now …”
“Stop being a diva … Tomorrow.”
I let out a dramatic huff, which has Denham smirking to himself while he writes something on the chart at the bottom of my bed.
“What are you doing?” I question. “I’m sure that’s only for the doctors and nurses to use.”
“Never you mind,” he says tapping the end of his nose with his finger. “Don’t worry, I’m not messing with the meds or anything,” he chuckles.
I shake my head at him and laugh. When I look around the room, I notice the flowers. Two huge bouquets, one white, lilies and orchids, and one pink with a rose and other pretty flowers dotted through it. “Who sent flowers? I haven’t even been in here a day …”
“Beth sent the white bouquet, there’s a card there too. I’m guessing the other one is from your mom.”
“My mom? She knows I’m here?” Oh god, that must have been awful for her to find out I was in the hospital. “Did you speak with her?”
“Yes, I thought I had better call her to let her know what had happened. Her and Brent are out of town for a few days, she wanted to drop everything and come back but I insisted you’re fine and that I’m right here to take care of you, so she said she’d send some flowers and she wants to speak with you as soon as you’re up to taking calls.”
“Thank you,” I say appreciatively. Not only does he look after me, but he made sure my mom was confident that I was in good hands too. Is he for real?
“Of course, Ari.” he says, frowning as if I’m crazy for thinking he wouldn’t do all of those things. “Lottie has been calling me off the hook to find out how you are, so as soon as you’re up to it you need to call her too.”
“Okay,” I say, lost in thought of the people nearest and dearest to me having to worry about me yet again.
“Hey.” Denham’s soft gravelly voice soothes me. “It’s okay, you’re going to be fine and you’ll be home in no time.” He pulls me gently into his chest and runs his thumb back and forth across my shoulder.
“Denham,” I say.
“Yes, Stunner?”
“Now I do really need to pee.”
He laughs before pressing the call bell without even arguing with me.
The female nurse from earlier comes and helps me to the bathroom, and then I get back into bed. It exhausts me, but I feel much better, and the sharp stabbing pain through my head is now a bearable dull ache. The reduced pain might be due to the painkillers they have given me, but it’s doing the job so I don’t care. Denham spends the time that I’m in the bathroom, making calls and sorting out The Kingdom and although I feel bad that I’m taking up his time like this, I can’t help but feel pleased that he doesn’t want to leave my side. I’ve never had someone be so protective over me, not in a possessive way, just because he wants to make sure I’m okay.
We eat, watch TV, and Denham lies on the bed with me, curling me into his warm, protective chest, and we spend the night cuddled up together. We haven’t spent a night apart since Sunday, and I know I’m being spoiled by having him to myself. There will come an evening when I will have to be on my own, but I don’t think I want to. That thought in itself is unusual for me, but I really enjoy having him near and the short time we have known each other seems irrelevant.
When the morning comes, I feel so much better than I did yesterday, I’m not nearly as shaky on my legs and when I insist on visiting the bathroom without the aid of a nurse, Denham gives in on the condition that I allow him to walk me to the bathroom door. He holds my hands like a father teaching his child to walk, and reluctantly lets me close the door, insisting that I do not lock it. When I get done in the bathroom after freshening up and brushing my teeth, I open the door to Denham giving me a look of relief. He kisses my cheek before letting me link my arm in his for stability and leading me back to the bed. I stop at the bottom of the bed to look at the chart. I’ve always been curious about what they write on these things, and although I’m sure I won’t understand the medical lingo, it’s information about me so I want to see. On the front page are my basic details. Name, age, height, weight etc. I didn’t realize I had lost so much weight and make a note to myself to rectify that in the coming weeks. When I flip over to the next piece of paper I gasp.
“You did this!” I say, half laughing, half shocked.
Denham looks at me sheepishly and lets out a small shrug before opening his mouth to speak then closing it again, not knowing what to say.
“I …”
In big bold red letters are the words NO MALE NURSES.
“Denham,” I scold. “You do know you can’t do that …”
“Who says?” he says petulantly with a shrug.
I can’t pretend to be mad at him. It makes me laugh to think he can choose who delivers my medical care. I’m pretty sure you can’t pick and choose what doctors you have.
“You’re so cute,” I say, laughing.
“Am not.” He pretends to sulk and I hold out my arm for him to help me.
“Come here,” I say.
He steps into me and he crouches so he can nuzzle into the crook of my neck.
“I’m not having another man put his hands on you when you’re vulnerable, unless you’re in danger and I’m not here.”
“But you weren’t here when the male nurse stopped me from falling.”
He frowns and looks troubled. “No, I wasn’t. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry.”
“Ari, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me. I promised you I would be, and I’m going to make damn sure it won’t happen again.”
“Denham, I was kidding. You can’t be with me all the time. As much as I want you to, it’s just not possible.”
He stays silent for a minute, hugging me as tightly as my bruised ribs will allow.
“Can we call the nurse and see if I’m allowed to leave today? Please?”
Denham levels my eyes with his and searches for something, a deep concentrated look that speaks to my heart. He moves closer to me, very slowly, and presses a meaningful kiss on my lips so tenderly, it makes me sigh.
“Let’s see if we can get you home,” he says when he breaks away.
“Sounds good to me.”