Here Without You (Red Hook 4)

She looked at him with surprise. She had been so mean to him lately. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Gerald will not get past me, and you can rest in your own bed.”

“Okay. I admit I am terrified right now.” She hated sounding weak in front of such strong men, but she was terrified. She was sure her hands were still shaking.

Adam kissed the top of her head. He gave her a sympathetic look. “Faith will be by in the morning.”

They all left, and she was left alone with Matt. He stood up and picked her up as if she weighed nothing, then carried her to her room and gently laid her on the bed.

“Will you sleep with me, please?” she asked, swallowing her pride. She wanted to appear brave and tough, but she felt like jelly. She was scared to close her eyes. She was scared to fall back asleep.

“I am going to make sure all the windows and doors are locked.” He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly.

Holly snuggled under the covers and waited for Matt to come back. She heard him moving around the house. It was comforting, and not the usual quietness and loneliness she usually experienced late at night. He came back into her room and sat on the edge of the bed. She wished she could tell what he was thinking. His face was so unreadable.

“I put the pizza away. Is the pain going away with the pills Liam gave you?”

She nodded. “I feel numb.”

She scooted over and heard his boots hit the floor. He lay down with his clothes on and pulled her close to him. She laid her head over his heart and was comforted by the beating sound. “Thanks for staying with me Matt, especially since I haven’t been very nice to you.”

He squeezed her lightly. “As my brother likes to remind me, I deserve it. I had a hard time with the knowledge that I hurt you.”

“You talk to your brother about me?” She smiled at the thought. So he thought of her, too?

“Mmm,” he said. “He is quite the conversationalist, too. He grunts and tells me I am an ass.”

Holly giggled. “We played pool with him. He was kind of intimidating, but Alicia ignored all his moodiness and treated him like her best friend. I swear his lips moved upward like he wanted to smile.”

“Muscle spasm,” Matt assured her. He caressed her hair and she yawned. “Go to sleep, Holly. I am here with you.”

“Finally,” she whispered, and fell to sleep wrapped in the arms of the man she loved. Maybe someday he would feel the same.

Chapter 9

Holly had taken a week off of work until some of the swelling went down. Now she found herself restless and bored. She was not used to having so much free time.

Jasmine and Alicia were busy with their jobs and Faith insisted on working part-time at her coffee shop, so Holly decided to hang out with her sister. There had been no sign of Gerald in any of his usual handout places. His mom claimed she no longer had anything to do with him or Pete. They found Gerald’s rented house, but he had not been in there in days. They did find a lot of drugs. It worried Holly, but she was doing her best to put on a brave front.

She was in Faith’s office doing some of the paperwork. She had worked for her sister while she had been going to nursing school, and she had bartended on the weekends to make extra money for school. She loved her job as a nurse and missed it, and she couldn’t wait to go back. For now, this would keep her busy.

Faith popped her head in the door. “There is a certain sexy deputy wanting to have a word with you.”

Holly’s pulse sped up and she was sure she blushed. She hadn’t seen him since the morning they woke up together two days ago. She had been snuggled against him and had slept like a log. He had kissed her good morning, and not lightly, either, but a deep kiss that left her wanting more of him. That rat. Why couldn’t she learn to be as cool as a winter breeze instead of all excited, like some school girl?

She stood up and smoothed down her blue sleeveless dress. Her hair was loose, but her face was swollen and bruised. Maybe she should say she was busy. She was sure she looked like a scary sight.

“Sis, get your butt out there now and quit worrying about your bruises,” Faith said firmly.

Holly smiled. “Yes, ma’am. You’re becoming bossier by the day, you know that, right?”

Faith laughed. “It’s called mommy mode. Now, scoot.”

Holly spotted Matt sitting at a table by the window. She poured two glasses of iced tea and got a moment to observe him. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, and he looked sexy and rugged. She hoped she didn’t drop the glasses and embarrass herself. She set one down in front of him, and he smiled at her as she sat across from him.

He looked her over with a frown. The swelling had gone down, but the bruises were dark. “Are you in pain, doll?”

She shook her head no. “Liam had Dr. Campbell prescribe pain pills. I just feel weird when people stare at me. I was hiding in Faith’s office, doing paperwork.”