His to Protect: A Fireside Novel (18 page)

I heard him curse.

Felt him jerk.

And then his arm was gone from my waist and I was falling forward.

My hands smacked the warm cement just as a loud bang went off behind me.

“Trina!”

I heard Declan shout my name as my forehead slammed against the pavement.

When I opened my eyes, I immediately flinched away from the blinding light, cringing and twisting my head to the side.

“You’re awake.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes again and then gasped when I saw Declan sitting in front of me.

My eyes stung and I squeezed them shut.

“Trina,” he said, and reached for my hands. “I’m okay, and you’re okay.”

Shudders racked my body. Opening my eyes again, I licked my lips. “I almost got you shot.”

“No,” he said. “Nothing happened to me.”

I tried to tug my hand from his but he tightened his grip.

“All of this was because of me.” My chin wobbled. I tried to look away, but he reached out with his other hand and pressed it against my cheek.

“This was not your fault, Trina. And Kevin is no longer an issue for you, or for us.”

I struggled not to look away from him.

“Are you really okay?” I asked, trying to sit up in a bed that I didn’t recognize. It was only then I looked around the room and noticed I was in a hospital bed. Curtains were drawn around the left side of the bed and in front of me.

My eyes opened wider and I sat up with a jerk.

“Hey…,” Declan said in a soothing tone that did nothing to calm me.

“Where am I? And why am I here?”

“You’re at Detroit General,” he said. “You passed out in the alley and were brought here for shock. They gave you something to help you sleep. They thought you might have a concussion from how hard you went down, but you don’t.”

I shook my head rapidly. “I don’t…I don’t remember that. Just…oh my God…Boomer.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks and I brushed them away.

“He was taken to a vet, honey. Calm down, okay? Just give yourself some time to wake up and we’ll talk about everything.”

There was no time to talk. I had to get out of here.

I needed to leave…and go…somewhere.

My breath came in small ragged pants, and I began pushing the scratchy sheets off of me.

“Hey.” Declan stopped me, one of his hands on my hip and one on my wrist. “Trina. Calm down for a moment. Nurses will be in here if your heart rate skyrockets any further.”

“Kevin?” I asked, not feeling calm in the least. The last thing I remembered was his gun at my temple.

Declan’s eyes softened minutely. His voice was even gentler than his expression. “He shot himself, sweetheart. As soon as cops jumped out of their cars with their guns aimed at him.”

I squeezed my eyes closed. I hated the man. Hated how I had stayed with him for so long, and tolerated his abuse for longer than I should have. He shot my dog, threatened to kill me and Declan. I despised him with an undying passion, but did I want him dead?

It seemed so…ugly. So final.

I shook my head, unable and unwilling to think about Kevin. In the days to come, I knew I would, but at that moment, I was just grateful to be alive.

“What time is it?”

My eyes flickered around the small space.

I pressed my hand to my chest and felt my heart racing.

Boomer was shot. Declan and Tyson could have been injured. Kevin killed himself.

And all of it was because of me.

How could I calm down?

Declan’s hand smoothed my hair and he cupped the back of my head, pulling me so close to him I could only see his eyes, lips, and mouth.

Which began moving, slowly.

“It’s just after seven, sweetheart. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours. Please, take a deep breath.”

I swallowed, unable to listen to him.

“Breathe, sweetheart.”

That time, I did. I pulled in a breath and let out a sob.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Declan crooned, pulling me closer. “Breathe.”

I did again, and then again. And soon, after listening to his calm, soothing voice, I blew out a shaky breath and my forehead collapsed onto his shoulder.

“I almost got you shot,” I cried out, feeling my shoulders begin to shake.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him until I was on his lap.

“Nothing happened to me.”

“But—”

“No buts, Trina. You’re not to blame here.”

“You could have died!” I cried out louder. “Or Tyson. And Boomer!”

“Shhh.” He pulled me tighter and one of his hands began rubbing large circles on my back, his warm hand pressed against my skin. “Blue’s been talking to the vet hospital. We think Boomer’s going to be just fine. The bullet lodged in his stomach and he’s in surgery.”

A sob racked my chest and I pressed myself more firmly into Declan’s embrace.

“And I’m fine, but there’s a silver lining here that you haven’t seen yet.”

I rolled my forehead back and forth against his shoulder. “What?”

He chuckled softly, his breath tickling my collarbone, then he pushed me away from him slightly. With both hands, he framed my cheeks. “You’re free from that asshole, forever. He can never hurt you, never scare you again.”

I let that settle inside me, too afraid to believe it.

“But he’s dead.” I hiccupped, unable to be happy that a man I hated a few hours ago was now dead.

The reality crashed down on me and I pulled away from Declan, wiping tears off my cheeks. “I should go.”

His eyebrows snapped together. “What?”

“Leave. I mean, go somewhere. You don’t need this. You don’t need my baggage or my history or the reminder of what Kevin’s done, what I brought to your doorstep—”

His lips hit mine powerfully and I sucked in a breath. He stole the rest of my words from me when his tongue slid inside my mouth.

His hands clamped around the sides of my neck, pressing me against him.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled, breaking the kiss and leaving me panting for more.

“But—”

“But nothing. You think I’m going to let the woman I love walk away from me after everything that happened today? You’re nuts.”

I blinked rapidly and my lips parted. “What?”

Declan smirked. “You heard me. You think I’m letting the woman I love walk away? No way in fucking hell.”

“Um.”

“I love you, Trina.”

I swallowed and blinked again. This wasn’t happening. I was too stunned to speak. Did he really just say that?

He tilted his head to the side and his smirk turned into a grin. “Anything you want to say back?”

“I—” I had nothing. No words. Nada. Zilch.

“Right.” Declan nodded and leaned forward to push a button on the side of my bed. “Then we’re getting you out of here. I’m taking you home and I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“What happened to giving me time to figure out me?” I asked stupidly.

“That was before you almost got shot, before I saw a gun pressed to your temple, and I faced the idea of losing you. Never gonna happen. You’re not moving into Blue’s pad, you’re moving into mine, and with that asshole out of the picture, we’re free to move on and do our thing, together.”

“This is a lot to process, Declan.”

Not the least of which was that he loved me.

Because I’d already figured out that I was in love with him. I figured it happened the first morning I woke up in his house and he’d let me sleep in, and took care of Boomer. But saying it now wasn’t right.

Not after today. It had to be his adrenaline making him crazy.

“I know it is.” He cupped my neck and pulled me closer to him, sliding his lips across mine before he shifted me off his lap and back to the bed. “But I’ll help you through it, every step of the way. And then I’m going to take you home and make love to you fiercely until you’re screaming out that you love me, too. I already know you do. You told me.”

I did?

I didn’t remember, but as I saw him grin when my lips twisted, I knew I had.

I blinked again. My eyes must have been malfunctioning. Or my brain, because I again opened my mouth and stupidly said, “That’s um…well, that’s a lot of pressure.”

His lips twitched and he laughed softly. “Nothing to worry about. But I plan on reminding you what you mouthed to me on the sidewalk. And I plan on doing that in my bed, with you beneath me. Or maybe I’ll let you do all the work.”

“Declan,” I called out while my orgasm was still rolling through me. Tonight I was learning that Declan was a liar, at least he was when it came to me doing all the work. Because while it may have started with him lying on his back in his bed, he quickly grabbed my hips, pulled me off him, and settled me right on his face. He’d already given me one orgasm, but the second one had my entire body shaking and shivering from his unrelenting touch.

“Say it, Trina,” he taunted, and went back to tasting me.

My palms pressed against the wall above his headboard and my head fell back. “Fine!” I shouted. “I love you!”

His tongue slid through my wetness and his fingers dug into my waist when I tried to move away from him.

His deep laughter rumbled before he began pressing kisses against my inner thighs.

“Knew I’d get it out of you eventually.”

He pulled me back and I placed my hands next to the sides of his head, on the pillow beneath him.

My heart was racing.

He’d exhausted me to the point where I couldn’t be angry with him, not that I wanted to be.

His weight shifted and he rolled, taking me along with him until I was on my back and he was on top of me.

“Help me inside you, Trina.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I also couldn’t deny this request. I slide my hand between us and wrapped my fingers around him. Just the thought of him inside me had my body warming all over again.

“Declan.” I whispered his name as I placed his tip at my entrance and he slowly pushed in.

“Tell me again.”

I blinked and tried to focus on him but it was difficult. He felt so good inside of me. He stopped moving when I didn’t say anything and my fingers dug into his hips, trying to push him forward.

“Tell me, Trina.”

I dragged my eyes up to his and smirked. “You first.”

He dropped one elbow next to me and his hand pressed against my check, sliding his thumb over my lips. “I love you, Trina.”

“Wow,” I sighed. “You’re good at that.”

I was shocked at how I could tease him. Between the day we had and the overwhelming sensation those words caused, I was still having a hard time thinking clearly.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured, leaning closer to me. I was the one who benefited from this change in the way he leaned his body, because it forced his cock deeper inside me.

“Yes.” My eyes began to roll back and I slid my hands from his hips to his back, holding him to me. “I love you, Declan. So much. Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Always,” he grunted and pushed himself in until he couldn’t go further. “I’ll always take care of you.”

Then he began to move, and after another orgasm, he cleaned us up and climbed into bed with me, pulled me to his chest, held me close, and proved that he was always going to take care of me when he quietly whispered, “Nothing will ever hurt you again, and tomorrow, when we’re rested, we can talk more about what happened today and what’s going to happen next.”

I was so sated from the multiple orgasms, drunk on not only admitting that I was in love with this man, but realizing that he loved me too, that I couldn’t say anything except, “Okay, honey.”

His arms tightened and he kissed the top of my head.

And on a day when I’d witnessed the most horrific things I’d ever seen in my life, I was somehow still able to close my eyes, lean in closer to Declan until I draped myself all over his body, and fall into a restful sleep.

Because I knew that no matter what happened, regardless of my future, I knew that Declan would be there for me.

We’d walk through whatever difficulties life brought our way together. I just hoped that walk grew easier than our beginning had been.

It was after breakfast the next day, after Declan took a call from Tyson and the local police officer working the case, and after he’d made a phone call to Gabriella checking in on the status of Boomer. Declan had told me to sit down, eat, and take a load off, and that he’d take care of everything, which he did, and then he turned to me.

“If you’re full and ready, we need to talk.”

I took a sip of my coffee. “Okay.”

“First, Blue spoke to the vet hospital this morning and Boomer is still sedated, but he’s going to be fine.” A forceful breath left my lips, loosening a tightness in my chest.

“Oh my God,” I gasped, and pressed my hands to my chest. Tears stung my eyes, but I fought them back. “Can I see him?”

Declan nodded. “Later today we can go in, but he’s going to have to stay at the hospital for a few more days so they can keep an eye on him.”

I didn’t hear anything after “later.” My dog was okay. Kevin hadn’t hurt him too badly. I pressed my lips together and swallowed to get rid of my tears.

“First, though, we have to head to the police station so you can give your statement about what happened yesterday.”

I flashed him wide eyes. “I do?”

“They just need to know what happened before we got there, and I’ll be there with you.”

My brow furrowed. “Do you have to give a statement?”

“Told them everything I could while you were sleeping in the hospital.”

He reached out and slid his hand to my neck and squeezed. Immediately, my pulse began to slow. “I still can’t believe this is happening. What did Tyson mean yesterday about the embezzlement charges?”

In all the mayhem, I’d completely forgotten about all that. Not that it was high on my priority list by any means, but I was still curious.

“That was one of the things Tyson told me he’d uncovered, that some men were looking for Kevin. It was all started very quietly, so he didn’t become suspicious, but I suspect that along with the suicide, that this will be public knowledge soon.”

“Public knowledge,” I muttered and once again my heart began racing. “Public? As in media?”

“Relax, sweetheart. Nothing will harm you. I won’t let them.”

“But the media. Senator Morgenson. Oh my God. Are there reporters here?”

I’d seen what happened when someone connected with a public official caused a scandal. That Kevin died would make all of this so much worse.

Declan’s lip twisted and he cursed. “His father has been notified and, last I heard, he’s on his way here.”

My hand flew to my chest. “No.”

“We can keep you from them as long as possible.”

I chewed on my bottom lip. “I can’t see them.”

“We’ll hold that off for as long as possible.”

Several moments passed with us staring at each other, me freaking out slightly, Declan calmly taking my pulse and measuring my reaction.

“Is that it?” I asked once I calmed down and decided to trust him. If Declan said he’d protect me from Senator Morgenson, I believed him.

He smiled. “Vet visits, police-station visits, reporters and in-laws heading into town?”

“Well when you put it like that…”

He stood up and dropped his hand from my neck. I felt the loss as my skin cooled. “No.”

My eyes jumped open. “No?”

He grinned. “My mom called. She and my dad are on their way here, too. They’re flying in later and should be here by dinner.”

I jumped out of my chair. “Your parents?”

“Their son was almost shot yesterday, sweetheart. You didn’t think they’d come see me? Plus, they want to meet you.”

His grin was larger. He looked so damn sexy dressed in his typical faded jeans and simple white shirt. With one hand holding a mug of coffee, he looked delicious, too good to be true. And too amused.

“You think this is funny?” I shrieked. Yes, shrieked. I pointed my finger at my chest. “I could have gotten you shot and now they’re coming here? And I’m going to meet them? They’re going to hate me!”

My hands flailed out at my sides before slapping against my thighs. “This is horrible.”

He laughed and I glared at him. “This isn’t funny.”

Setting his coffee cup down, he failed to wipe the smile off his face as he stepped toward me and pulled me into his arms. “What I think is funny is that after everything else I just told you, you freak out the most about meeting my parents.”

“They’re going to hate me.” And it was important they didn’t. I already knew they didn’t like Mara.

“They’ll love you because I do, and they’ll see that. Talked to them this morning before you woke up and it’s all good, Trina, swear to you. Trust me.”

“I do.”

“Then go get ready, we’ve got a full day ahead of us.”

Right.

Police station. Vet hospital.

Just a typical Sunday.

“Okay,” I muttered, and dropped my forehead to his chest before stepping out of his arms.

He didn’t let me go, though. “You forgetting something?” he asked.

I was probably forgetting a lot of things. Like my sanity, which had somehow been misplaced. “Um.”

“Kiss me.”

I was given no time to comply before his hands slid up my back to my shoulders and then wrapped around the sides of my throat. Declan’s lips hit mine and his tongue slid right in. I succumbed and kissed him back, pressing my chest against his, and holding on for dear life.

When I ended the kiss, Declan’s eyes were soft as he looked at me. “Love you, sweetheart.”

“You too, honey,” I replied, feeling slightly dazzled.

His eyes softened further before his hands dropped from my neck and he dipped his chin in the direction of the doorway. “Go shower before I have to call the police station and tell them why we’re going to be delayed.”

I flashed him wide eyes and watched his lips curl into a seductive grin.

“I’m going.” I held up my hands and took two steps back before I turned and ran out of the kitchen.

Behind me, all I heard was Declan’s laughter.

And I couldn’t stop a smile from spreading on my cheeks.

Only Declan would give me something like this. In the face of something horrific, something horribly scary, he not only made me safe…he made me
feel
safe. He was taking care of me and making things easy for me, and I knew he didn’t mind, because he wanted to do it.

And while I was in the shower, trying not to think about everything that was going to happen later, I decided that as long as he was willing to take care of me, I was willing to let him.

Because while I didn’t make him safe, the way he did for me, I knew that I gave him other things he needed, and that was the true measure of a healthy relationship: knowing what your partner needed and breaking your back to give it to them; knowing that they were breaking their back to give you what you needed, so you both ended up fulfilled and satisfied.

I might not have had a lot of healthy relationships in my life, but I was determined to make this relationship with Declan the best one that either of us had. And I hoped like hell we’d learned from our mistakes in the past, so we could make our relationship better and stronger.

“He’ll be okay, though? You promise?”

Dr. Klaus tugged at the ends of his stethoscope and gave me a reassuring smile. “He’ll be just fine. Like I said, keeping him here for the next few days is just a cautionary measure. We’re fortunate that when the bullet struck him, it didn’t hit any major arteries.”

I sunk into Declan’s side and closed my eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“When he gets home, though,” Dr. Klaus said, “don’t forget that he won’t be able to jump on furniture for a few weeks until his stitches are removed. We’ll go over further instructions when he’s ready to go home, but if there’s anything you need to do to make his life easier for the next six weeks, I like to give owners time to do that.”

I nodded frantically. “We will.”

He headed for the door and gave me another smile. “Take all the time you want with him, just try to keep him calm. He’s still coming out of sedation and shouldn’t get overly excited.”

I was the one who was in danger of becoming overly excited. In one of their recovery rooms for dogs, something that looked like a miniature hotel room in a four-foot-by-six-foot kennel, complete with doggy bed and pillow, Boomer was lounging lazily, his tail barely wagging.

Even his jowls seemed more droopy than normal.

Declan gave me another squeeze and shoved me gently in Boomer’s direction. “Go sit with him and hug him. You know you want to.”

I smiled because he was right, but Declan didn’t see it, because I was already moving, getting down on my knees in the short doorway in front of Boomer. He had a large gauze bandage on his chest. Dr. Klaus had told me there was another bandage on his stomach, but I couldn’t see it. He had a total of ten stitches in two locations, the entry wound and the incision necessary for the surgery.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered hoarsely as my hand rested on top of his head. Boomer’s tail tapped against the bed twice before settling down. “I’m so sorry I got you shot, buddy. But I swear to you, you get home and get better and I’ll be the best doggy mommy anyone’s ever seen.”

His cold, black nose nudged the palm of my hand and he licked it once before setting his face back down on the pillow.

I stayed with him for several minutes, gently running my hand from his head to his tail until his eyes closed and I knew he’d fallen back asleep. Leaning forward, I kissed the top of his head. “I’ll be back to see you tomorrow, I promise.”

Pushing back up to my feet, I headed out of the kennel to see Declan’s soft eyes on mine. He held out his hand and took mine, and pulled me to him. He kissed the top of my head and I smiled, because it was so similar to how I’d just kissed Boomer’s.

“You’re already a great doggy mom,” he whispered. “And he’s going to be just fine, too.”

“I know.” My chin wobbled but I held my emotion in. Between the vet and the police station I was too exhausted to shed any more tears today.

“Ready to head to the airport?”

No. No, I wasn’t.

I’d already spent an hour at the police station giving Officer Mars my statement, telling him everything I could remember from yesterday. He had been kind and patient with me, but I still left there feeling ragged and drained. The entire time, all I could think of was getting to Boomer.

Now that I had seen him and been assured he was going to be just fine, I wanted a nap. A really long one. Possibly another bubble bath.

The look on my face must have expressed my thoughts for me.

A low rumble sounded in my chest and Declan snickered. “They’ll like you, I promise. And if they don’t, I don’t care.”

“I want them to like me.”

He pushed me back from him, his hands framing my face. “And they will, because they’ll see how happy you make me and how incredible you are. Swear it.”

“Okay,” I muttered, somewhat petulantly. This only made Declan laugh a little bit harder as he guided me out of the recovery area of the veterinary hospital.

I wanted to believe him.

But I could only imagine what his parents must be thinking and feeling right now. If I was ever in their shoes, I would certainly not be excited to meet a woman whose husband showed up outside their son’s place of business and aimed a gun at their son before killing himself.