Safe With You (11 page)

“If I wasn’t fried, burnt, and practically dead, I’d climb him like a jungle gym.” Natasha snuggles into my side. She sucks in a breath and her soft cries cut the air again.

“Hey, you’re okay.” I hug her tighter as she transitions into sobbing. It feels so weird to be on the other end of this situation. I’ve never been the strong one and it’s a little empowering.

Natasha takes slow, deep breaths before lifting her head. “Thank you for coming.”

“I would have walked here if I had to.” Even though Kyle would never have let that happen. I think he would have carried me before letting me come here on my own by bus. The more I realize these things, the more I know Kyle and I aren’t just friends. He was never my friend. We went from strangers to something more, something deeper, faster than either of us could process or stop.

It’s nothing I expected and everything I needed.

“You know, Chip, you could have mentioned Kyle was
Kyle Avery
.” She laughs, shuddering through another tear-filled breath.

“You remember him from half a glance? How?” I do a double take. I know I should have told her, but then she would have gotten all
Natasha
on me about hooking up with him. But I know I’m still trying to hold my own for a while.

Even if we both know I’m being dumb.

“Considering I worked at that sports bar back home for five years, don’t make me answer that.” She nudges my shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

“You guys in one piece?” Cam calls out, walking toward us. He holds out his hands and we each take one. As he pulls us up, he stops and engulfs Natasha in a hug, rocking her back and forth.

Natasha sighs, squeezing her eyes tight, still cemented to Cam’s side. “I’ve been better.”

“You’ll be okay, love.” Cam takes her face and stares into her eyes like he’s telepathically telling her he’ll take her to man-town if she wants to calm down. She zones out and steps closer. Her tears stop almost immediately. I can only stand there and look around to see if I’m dreaming or if this is actually happening. This surely is the beginning to some awful porn where Officer Weeble is going to come back and start dropping handcuffs.

“Okay, Casanova!” I tug Cam back with all my strength. “She’s okay.”

Over the top is an understatement.

Natasha’s eyelids flutter and she stumbles into my side. “I—I … Wow.”

“Kyle and his dad are talking to the processing officer and working their magic. While he does all that, we can go wait in his car.” Cam holds out his elbow like some deranged Southern gentleman.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” I mutter, dragging my feet as we walk outside.

The night air is still and humid and I sigh, shaking my head. Even though I love Cam upping his knight-in-shining-armor game to make Natasha feel better, I hate that Kyle isn’t here. Right as I get into the parking lot, an arm wraps around my shoulders and I scream bloody murder.

Kyle hops in front of me. “Whoa, it’s me.”

“You scared … ” I bend over, breathing hard, “ … the everloving shit out of me.”

He rubs my back and gives me a hug. “I got done quicker than I thought. My dad is going to take care of everything.”

“What do you mean
take care of everything
?” Natasha pipes up, still playing snuggle-bear with Cam. “I don’t even know you. Why are you helping me?”

“He’s a lawyer and knows the sheriff here from way back when. They’re going to fast-track your case.” He shrugs and catches his keys from Cam. I know in his mind he’s saying it’s because she’s my best friend and he’d do anything for me.

“My case?” She swallows, but gazes straight at me, confirming my thoughts. “It was a stupid carjacking.”

“Yeah, your case. So you’ll get the police report and everything else much quicker.” Kyle smiles. “Do you want to come back with us to New Orleans for the weekend? My dad said it probably isn’t a good idea for you to go back to your apartment just yet.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.

“She’d love to. She can stay with me.” I’ll be damned if I let her sleep under her bed with a knife for a few days freaking out about this. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a slumber party—and that’s not an invitation for you to come have a pillow fight, Cameron.”

“Oooh, I like her.” Cam shoves Kyle back a little.

“Me too.” Kyle kisses the side of my head and opens the door to his car.

Natasha shoots me a look like she’s about to melt onto the sidewalk. I know I have the same look on my face.

Okay. I like you, too, Kyle Avery.

***

I can’t escape it, escape him.

My cheekbone explodes with pain as a blow lands. I hit the floor with a jarring thud. The cool tile is startling against my heated back, inflamed from the strikes. Another hit and another. I wait for paralysis to come.

Hair rips from my scalp, and I scream as his alcohol-laced spit hits my cheek. The monster, hovering millimeters from my face, rattles off everything he thinks I’m doing behind his back. My teeth dig into my lip, breaking the skin, as I try to keep myself as composed as possible. Jagged nails pinch my wrist as I try to back away.

More pain. My vision blurry.

A soothing hand combs through my hair and the nightmare subsides.

“Olivia,” Kyle beckons me. “C’mon, darlin’, wake up, please. You’re all right.”

I jolt awake and sit upright so quick my head spins. My throat is burning and a cold sweat coats me from head to toe.

This is not my bed. This is not my apartment.

Kyle holds my face in his palm, wiping away the remnants of my tears. The immaculate view of his shirtless body negates the nightmare, but it still lingers as I take a deep breath. The sunlight peeks into the room, highlighting the clean lines of dark wood and white, crisp fabrics. I sink further into a mattress that conforms to my body and smile, letting him know I’m okay.

“His name is Braden.” Kyle’s statement, not question, makes my blood freeze. I hate that he knows his name. I hate my subconscious for letting my fears come to the surface. So many tears have been shed over the asshole who ruled my life for years, and I don’t have anything left in me at this point.

I can’t let him do it anymore.

“Yes,” I whisper, lying back on his bed and surrendering my fears. My hair falls over my eyes and he doesn’t miss a beat tucking it behind my ear. Kyle covers my shoulders with the cozy navy blanket and leans in closer.

Before I can stop myself, I kiss him. Our lips glide together and when his tongue grazes mine, I shiver. The connection between us could power all of New Orleans. I can’t get enough of him. His hands rove my lower back, and they feel like scorching stones on my skin when they dip under my shirt. Emotion bursts through me as he returns the kiss with such urgency it makes me breathless.

“I didn’t want to go through your stuff to find your keys, and you sleep like a boulder.” Kyle’s voice glides across my skin, giving me another peck. “Natasha is in the guest room and Cam took up the entire couch and half the floor in the living room.”

I vaguely remember leaving his car and walking inside. I must have been half-comatose from emotional exhaustion. My eyes squeeze shut because I don’t have the courage to look at him yet. I know I told him I wanted to go home, but I’m not really sure where that is anymore. “You could have put me in the room with her. You didn’t have to give me yours.”

“I know, but Cam wouldn’t let me. He wanted to make sure she was okay.” He laughs, his voice still heavy with need as he nuzzles my neck. “In my defense, I did put the Great Wall of New Orleans between us, but somehow one of us scaled it.”

“Of course you did.” I can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips. Even though we are definitely so not friends, I’m glad he didn’t assume I wanted to sleep tangled up with him.

Even though I totally do.

All of a sudden he jerks away from me, gasping for air. His face is bright red. “Fuck!”

“Kyle!” I jump upright as he buries his face in the pillow, holding his leg.

He contorts in agony and I roll him onto his back. Tears creep out the corners of his eyes and he grits a deep sigh, his face paling more by the second. “Hurts so bad … my calf.”

“Hold on.” I grab his toes, pulling them toward his shin, and hold the back of his leg, wincing as the muscle dances a fucked up choreography beneath his skin. The scars and slight disfigurement from the accident pulse under my fingers. “Kyle, breathe through it. It’ll subside. It’s just a charley horse.”

This is the first time I’ve seen the scars up close. It makes my heart clench. But I dismiss it, still gripping his calf muscle. His face screams torture as it kaleidoscopes in reds and purples. I’ve been good about being mindful when I see him wincing or limping. I’m trying hard to subtly keep tabs on him. But this? I don’t know how to fix this. I prop a pillow under his knee and kiss one of his scars as his breathing slows.

“I’ll be right back. Keep your toes stretched up.” I smile as he nods, his arm resting on his forehead.

I swipe his bottle of anti-inflammatories from the counter, along with a bottle of water and a gel icepack from the freezer. I shove the pack in a nylon case and grab a towel. Before I go back into Kyle’s room, I close my eyes and level myself. I’m still reeling from the best kiss of my life. It shocks me how natural it felt, even now. I don’t have to apologize to Kyle about how reluctant I’ve been since we met; he knows I’m still trying to figure myself out. Trying to figure life out. The timing now is right. I need to take this slow, and I know he’ll respect that.

As I turn around, Cam walks out of the guest room only wearing a pair of gym shorts and I almost pass out. No one should be this attractive. Colorful tattoos cover half his ridiculously chiseled body and I hope Natasha is behaving herself.

At least until she knows him more than a few hours.

We are completely different people. I think that’s why we’re best friends. She needs someone twenty-four-seven, and she falls hard and fast. As much as I like Cam, I don’t want it to become awkward if she and Cam implode before Kyle and I reach second base.

“Hey, I’m sorry if I scared the shit out of you when I tugged you out of the car.” He smiles a grin that would make a Disney prince jealous.

“No worries. I know you were trying to cheer me up, even if I did almost pee myself.” I laugh, handing him the bottle of water I grabbed for Kyle. As I’m plucking another one out of the fridge, Cam sighs.

“Liv, I fight for a living, and it’s my job to see these things in others. You were fucking terrified.” He sits on the stool and drops his head. “I know you barely know me, but what Kyle said is a thousand percent true. Whoever scared you that much doesn’t deserve to be breathing. If you want—”

“No. No, it’s okay, Cam. Really.” I smile, squeezing his hand. “I appreciate that. But everything is fine.”

He’s such a contradiction of everything I expected. Which is also the exact description Kyle gave me, and I trust his opinion on his best friend. Cam is protective and more loyal than anyone I’ve ever met. From far away, I’d expect the bro-iest of bros. But he isn’t. Not to the people he cares about, anyway.

“Well, get my number tomorrow just in case.” He smiles and gets up, giving me a hug. I almost suffocate in his warm frame. He definitely is the world’s biggest reject teddy bear. I already know he’s going to be ten times the big brother Tyler ever was.

“Hey, Cam?” I smile as he lets me go. “Take care of her. She needs it more than me.”

Never once, aside from our initial encounter, have I felt unease around Cam. He might be even more protective than Kyle on some levels. I pad back into Kyle’s room, hands full. He sits up as I shut the door. I pour two pills into his palm and hand him the water. “Here, take these.”

“Thank you,” he grits out, the color returned to his face. “It gets so bad sometimes, I just want to chop off my leg. It usually spasms for at least a half hour.”

I sit next to him, running my fingers through his hair. “Is it from the surgeries?”

He nods, swallowing a breath. “I had some atrophy in my calf from the traction. It just gets shitty sometimes.”

“Relax, it’ll be okay. I’m here.” I sigh and cuddle next to him. His arm tightens around me. The comfort explodes tenfold, as does my pulse. The pull to him is the same as it always is: it tells me to trust him. My heart is already there, but my brain hasn’t been on speaking terms with her for a long time.

Chapter Ten

Legatron

Kyle

I don’t know if Olivia fully trusts me yet, or if she’s clinging to me to help her get through what happened with Natasha. We need to talk about this. About us. There’s a part of me that knows we shouldn’t be going this fast. I know nothing about what her ex-boyfriend did, but the screams in her sleep are enough to make me want to commit murder.

Olivia would never hurt a fly. I know she’s lost and trying to find some kind of constant in her fucked up life. I hope I can be that for her. I hope all of us can. I know Natasha can, and I’m glad she has that comfort for now.

Olivia looks up from my laptop from the chair in my room, sipping a cup of coffee. My old UNC sweatshirt dwarfs her whole body as she pulls her knee into her chest. “Where are you going? It’s so early.”

“I’m going running with Cam, then we’re going to the store. He wants to make us breakfast.” I lean over, brushing my lips against hers. “Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“I always get up really early.” She smiles. “Playing Mr. Mom, huh?”

“You have no idea. He loves cooking a little too much, it’s kind of weird.” I throw a shirt over my head. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She smiles and, for a moment I pause, appreciating the way the early morning sunlight peeks through my windows and radiates around her like a halo.