His Hart's Command (Nothing Special 6)

“The bed…the bedroom! Ivan, what is going on in here? Did Cashel Godfrey talk you into this? You always do anything he tells you to.” Teresa placed her dish on the stove and actually set the oven to warm.

“Teresa! If you don’t leave right now I’m gonna call McCoy. You work for the police department, you can’t go around trespassing and putting your hands on people. If you come to my house again without permission, unannounced, and enter uninvited, I’ll be speaking to your supervisor.”

Teresa whirled around, moisture building quickly in her light brown eyes. She tucked a bunch of her shiny, red locks behind her ear, staring incredulously at Free as he inched past her and hurried down the hall. He assumed the double doors led to Hart’s bedroom and walked inside, keeping the door open a crack so he could watch. He knew Hart’s ex was abusive, but this was insane. He wasn’t taking his eyes off them. Hart walked out of the kitchen, giving Free a wide view. He was still naked from the chest up as he took determined steps through the living room.

“Give me the spare key. I won’t leave it out again.” Hart held his hand out, but his ex didn’t move. Instead, she inched closer, venom spewing from her mouth. Her Texan drawl was more noticeable than Hart’s, and a lot less attractive. She sounded stuck-up.

“I’ll tell everyone what I saw here. You and that boy— he’s probably half your age—you should be sick to your stomach, Ivan. This isn’t befitting of a captain. This is why my babies didn’t survive? You wanted a man, not me. I wasted all those years trying to have kids with you.”

Free’s mouth hung open and his heart sank at Hart’s devastated expression..

“That’s harsh as hell, Reese. Why would you say that?” Hart’s voice was a mere whisper but Free heard it.

Goddamn that kitchen-witch.

“You’re sick.” Teresa looked Hart up and down, and with an annoyed gesture she waved at his torso. “For heaven’s sake. Cover yourself. Have some pride.”

That does it! That. Does. It! Free saw Hart’s robe hanging on the back of his bedroom door. He quickly yanked it off the hook and came back out of the room. Hart glanced up at him, then at the soft, cotton robe in his hands. Free ignored Teresa’s murmured, “Great, you’re back,” careful to keep his eyes on the only person who mattered.

The woman was nothing more but a speck of irrelevancy.

Free gave Hart a warm smile when he was in front of him and opened his robe. He didn’t let Hart take it from him, instead he slid one sleeve up Hart’s thick bicep and slowly walked around his body to help him with the other arm. Hart’s expression was almost comical, he was so stunned. Free came to his front and wrapped both sides together, covering Hart’s chest, and cinching the tie at his middle. Hart stared down at him. His eyes saying ‘thank you’.

Free gave Hart’s ex his back while he tried to infuse as much admiration into his voice as he could, “I would never want to cover you. I’m only doing it now because she can’t appreciate how beautiful you are, so she has no right to look.”

“Excuse me?” she huffed. “I didn’t slap you hard enough, tramp.”

Free had been called a lot of things in his life but never that. He actually thought it kind of funny. He hadn’t been with a man in over a year. It’d been even longer since he’d been with a man he was attracted to and wasn’t afraid of. He knew what he was and what he wasn’t, so he didn’t react to her insult. He focused on Hart. He felt sorry that he’d had to endure her abuse for so long. They were both escapees. So many people thought men weren’t susceptible to physical abuse, but they were and it left a scar, an impact, just like it did for anyone else.

Free ached to give Hart what he deserved. And it didn’t include being forced to listen to this woman’s garbage. She was so mean and full of poison. How the hell did she just come from a bible study group and then come and spout hatred ten minutes later? What the hell kind of bible did they use? The misandry version?

“I’ll only be a minute, Len,” Hart managed, then turned his icy eyes on his ex. “Last warning. You come here again like this and my next call will be to your superior, then to a judge for a restraining order. Trespassing is illegal and so is aggravated assault.”

Free let his smile spread across his face as he slowly walked back toward the bedroom. He liked the sound of Hart standing up to her. He hoped he had a little something to do with that. Free still wanted to watch her, just in case she tried to get handsy again, Hart would need a witness. Instead of putting up more of a fight, she threw out a few more, ‘you ruined my life, Ivans’, then slammed the door. Did she think they were gonna get back together? Was that why she still came around? Free didn’t know, and he couldn’t say he was much up for competition. Although for Hart, he’d fight—and it’d be worth it.