Liam blew out a breath before he stepped into the hospital. He’d almost lost the love of his life. He hadn’t spent enough time with her and wanted more days and nights by her side. The last thing he wanted was to be strong, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her feel like she had to worry about him.

He went in and found that she was in the emergency room. It took about ten minutes before they allowed him to go back and see her. When he stepped into the room where she was, his emotions rose to the surface and he couldn’t fight the tears. Rayne was right by her side and moved as he stepped close, burying his head in her hair, trying like hell to cry quietly instead of blubbering like a fool. After a minute, he was able to keep it together enough to look up at her.

“Are you okay?” His voice hitched as he spoke.

She held up her good hand while pointing at her bad one. “I’ve got some broken fingers.”

“I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

She shrugged, then her eyes darted to Rayne. “I’ll survive because that’s what I am, a survivor.”

“God, you’re so strong. I love you so much.” Again, his voice broke as he spoke.

Her eyes grew bright with moisture and she reached for his hand. “I love you too. And I’m going to be fine. Rayne said she wanted to take me to the shooting range once my hand heals.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re ready to fight back.”

She squeezed his hand and rested her head against the pillow. “They gave me something for the pain and it’s making me tired.”

“Get some rest. I’ll be here. I won’t leave your side.”

She drifted off quickly, her hold on his hand dropping after a few seconds. He turned to Rayne, reaching out to shake her hand, instead she pulled him into a hug.

“She’s brave. Said those guys were going to rape her first then kill her. She fought hard.”

Rage filled Liam, but he pushed it down. “God, I can’t…I don’t even know how to deal with this.”

“The guys will help you through it. Get in some hard PT, maybe a few hours at the range, and you’ll feel better.”

Her answer was so simple, but true. It’s what they did. They did range therapy and PT to defeat stress. He drew in a slow breath and let it go.

“You’re right, the guys will help me. And I’ll be strong for Lorelei.”

Rayne’s phone buzzed, and she checked her text messages. “I’m headed back to your place. The cops are still there. He doesn’t want to leave while they’re investigating.” Rayne hugged him again, squeezing him tight before pulling back and leveling her gaze on him.

“She’s a strong woman. She’ll recover fast.”

“Thank you for being here with her. We both appreciate it.”

Rayne stepped back and gave him a quick smile. “Any time.”

Rayne left and Lorelei was still asleep. He was alone with his thoughts and fears. Two minutes later and what would have happened? He would have ripped those men apart if they’d touched her.

Her eyes fluttered open, making his heart squeeze. He pushed away all the bad thoughts. He took her good hand and leaned in, brushing his lips over hers. “Hey.”

“I thought I dreamt you here.”

“I’m here. I won’t leave your side.”

Her lips twitched up and her thumb grazed over the back of his hand. “How do you do it?”

“What?”

“What you do. I’m a mess and really nothing happened.”

He ran his thumb over her cheek. “You were very brave.”

“I didn’t feel brave.”

“I heard you yelling at him, telling him you were going to fight him.”

Her eyes narrowing as she stared at him. “How long were you in the house?”

“Yes, we want to know too.” Liam turned to find a man in a suit. He stuck out his hand and Liam shook it. “Detective Graham. I was at the scene. It looks like the brothers of one of the men who died at the bank wanted revenge. They’re not smart and both are talking, trying to implicate each other.”

“I’m Liam and this is Lorelei.”

“Nice to meet you both. When my guys told me someone had already cuffed both men who’d broken into the house, I doubted him, but seeing you, I understand. I’m guessing you’re military.”

“Yes, sir. Army. Will either of those guys get bond?”

Graham shook his head. “No. We’re going to make sure they’re locked up for a very long time.”

“They were both going to rape me before they killed me.” Lorelei shivered, and Liam reached for her hand. His head pounded with fear as he thought of what could have happened.

“What did you hear, Liam?”

He drew in a slow breath. “I drove home after picking up dinner and saw a strange car. I slowed and saw the front door open. That’s when—” He cleared his throat, trying to stay calm. “I got out, strapped on my thigh holster—”

“You had that out?” Graham lifted his brows as he stared at him.

“Yes, sir. We’d been working with it on base and I was planning on cleaning it tonight.”

“Okay, so then what happened?” Graham asked.

“I saw the door open and realized something was wrong. I looked in the windows and made my way inside undetected. I took out the first guy in about twenty seconds. After securing him, I moved into the main room where the guy was terrorizing Lorelei. She wasn’t taking his crap and basically told him to go to hell. I yanked him away from her and dropped him to the ground. I knocked him out, secured his hands, and that’s around the time your guys showed up.”

“The gun on the table, was that yours?” Graham asked.

“Yes, sir, it was. I didn’t want your guys to think I was a threat.”

Graham made a low humming sound and his lips screwed up a little. “Yeah, well, you’re pretty big. You just look like a threat. Glad you’re on our side.”

Liam squeezed Lorelei’s hand. Detective Graham was writing down the information he’d given and looked up after a short moment.

“Okay, well, um, Lorelei, do we need to have the doctors do a rape kit?”

She shook her head. “He didn’t get that far. I fought him off as much as I could before Liam took him out.”

“Good…good. Okay, well, do you have anything to add?” Graham asked.

Her eyes glassed over a little. “He said I killed his brother. That he wanted to kill me because of that. They were both going to rape me, assault me in terrible ways.”

“The more details you give, the easier it will be for us to break these two.”

Liam was having a hard time listening to everything Lorelei told the officer. He wanted to kill both of those men. Anger churned in his belly and if he didn’t feel the need to stay with Lorelei, he would be out on the PT course, beating himself up, wearing himself out so he could stop feeling the terrible things.

Graham wrote every word she said. Cops were supposed to be unflinching, but the man gritted his teeth and bunched up his nose at one point. When Lorelei finished talking, he gave a quick nod.

“You two get some rest. I’ll be by your place tomorrow and we’ll exchange numbers. Right now, you’re safe. We’ll delay the bond hearing for a while. If for some insane reason the judge grants them bail, we’ll make sure you have protection. I’m certain they won’t be granted bail. They tried to kill you because you testified in a trial. Judges frown upon that.”

“Okay. I’m not sure when I’ll get out of here,” Lorelei said.

Graham shrugged. “I’ll call the hospital to check on you before I head to your house.”

“Thank you, detective,” Lorelei yawned and closed her eyes.

Liam stepped outside the room with the detective and spoke low enough Lorelei couldn’t hear them.

“So those guys, do you think they’ll stay in jail?”

“I do,” Graham said.

“What about others?”

“There isn’t anyone else. I was the detective on the bank robbery. I think she’s safe. But I’d install a few protections. An alarm for sure, and the garage, does the garage door work?”

Liam shook his head. “I don’t think so. It’s her house. I moved in recently. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

“I hate to think what would have happened if you weren’t living with her. Keep her safe. She seems like a good woman.”

“She is. No question, she’s the best.”

Liam shook Graham’s hand then headed in to sit beside Lorelei’s bed. The nurse came in a few times, then a doctor stepped in and gave them good news. She was being released. He gave her a card for scheduling an appointment with a hand surgeon in two days. Liam sent Ghost a text, giving him a rundown of their progress.

When they made it to her house, he was prepared to spend hours cleaning, but the police hadn’t left a mess, or maybe this was Rayne’s handiwork. He saw tracks on the floor from the vacuum and decided it had to be Rayne and Ghost. He’d need to send them a thank you note.

He settled Lorelei on the couch and headed into the kitchen to grab them both some food. There was a pizza in the freezer and he heated it for them. While the pizza cooked he checked every lock on the windows and doors, making sure the place was secure. Back in the kitchen he leaned his head against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. He’d almost lost the most important person in his life tonight. It was a fluke, not like what people in other nations had to deal with, but still bad.

He heard a noise in the other room and raced out to find Lorelei trying to stand. “Wait, I’ll help you.”

“I’ve got to learn how to get around.”

“Sure, but not tonight or tomorrow. I’m taking a few days off and I can help you.”

“I can do it. I’m not an invalid.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

He suppressed a chuckle. He wanted her to keep up her spirits and her giving him hell made him think she was probably going to be okay. “Just for two days.”

“Fine, you can help me today. But I’m not going to be able to stand it for too long.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

She'd sprained her ankle, and the doctor had wrapped it, but she would be sore for a while. He carried her to the bathroom and waited outside the door until she said she was done. She wanted to sit at the table to eat and he carried her over. The pizza wasn’t as good as the food he’d picked up, but that was ruined since it had been sitting in the truck for a while. The food really didn’t matter. Just being able to spend time with Lorelei made him happy.

He took a bite of pizza and watched as she struggled since her hand was damaged. She was very independent, but she needed help. Maybe he should have chosen a different meal. Next time, he’d make something she could eat on her own. He took her piece of pizza and lifted it, letting her take a bite.

“Thank you,” she said after she finished chewing.

“You know, it will only be a short while before you’re healed.”

She tried to look happy but he saw the fear and doubt in her eyes.

“I know, I just don’t like being totally dependent on someone else.”

He understood exactly what she meant. “I get that. When my mom died I tried to stay strong and never ask for help. It didn’t work out. I can help you.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

He shrugged as pain from that time slid through him. “I’m fine now, but it changed me. You might have noticed I don’t talk much.”

“Maybe.” Her lips quirked up.

“Because of my family situation and being moved from one family member to another, I had to take on more than I should have. I had to do everything by myself. Maybe I could have asked for help, I don’t know. Maybe I’ve lost track of what I was saying. It’s just that I get that you want to do it all on your own, really, I do. One thing the guys showed me is sometimes you need to lean on others. It doesn’t make you weaker, it makes you stronger. So please, let me help you, because I know there will be times I need you to help me.”

Her eyes stayed on him as she gave a short nod. He lifted the pizza so she could take another bite. When they finished eating, he helped her wash with a rag before he carried her to bed. Before he joined her, he checked the doors again. When he slipped into the bedroom, he didn’t like the look in her eyes, but he wasn’t sure how to help her.

He settled in bed and pulled the covers up. She rolled to him and rested her head on his chest. Her injured hand was across his stomach. His heart was close to shattering by how sad she seemed. He’d joined up in the Army so things like this didn’t happen where he lived, but he couldn’t stop stupid. People were jerks. They did dumb things and hurt people. The idiots who’d robbed the bank weren’t like most people here. He just had to remember that.

Lorelei let loose a sob and he wrapped his arms tighter and kissed the top of her head. He held her until her crying quieted.

“I’ll make sure you’re safe,” he whispered.

She pulled away a little. “You can’t be with me all the time.”

“No, I guess I can’t, but I can make sure this house is safe.”

She sniffled and settled on his chest again. “It’s so old.”

“We can get different doors. We should also get the garage door fixed.”

She sniffled again. “It hasn’t worked in years.”

“I’ll figure something out. I don’t want you to fear coming home.”

Lorelei yawned and stretched. “I swear Rayne said something about taking me to the shooting range.”

He chuckled. “She’s feisty. Yeah, she’s going to take you to the range. And then she’ll probably get you to enroll into a self-defense class.”

“After today, I’m ready to take anything that could help me.”

He kissed her forehead, and they both settled. It took a long time for him to fall asleep. There was no chance anyone would break in again, but every sound made him jump. He’d made sure their alarms were off before he drifted off so they both woke in the morning after the sun was up.

Lorelei rolled over and groaned. He helped her up and into the bathroom. She looked like hell. The pain had to be high this morning. After she finished in the bathroom, he carried her to the couch and went in search of pain pills for her. She didn’t want to take one, and he understood her hesitancy, but she needed something. He cut the pill in half and she agreed to take another half if the pain didn’t ease.

After he made sure Lorelei had everything she needed, he headed out to the garage to see what could be done. First, he’d have to clean out the space, then he’d need to fix the roll up door and the rails. He looked through a few of the boxes and determined they were items Lorelei would have to go through. He should rent space at a short-term storage facility and then empty the garage. Once she felt better, she could go through the items.

He checked on her again, finding her asleep. He called around for prices on storage, finding a place not too far away. After talking to the woman who owned the storage company, he put down a security deposit on a unit. Then he started researching garage doors and tracks for them. He made a decision on a high-tech opener that alerted her each time the garage door was active. He also bought a security system that would operate with an application on her phone.

If she was angry about him doing all this, he would figure out a way to make her happy, but he couldn’t allow her to live here without some safety measures in place. She may not like all the alarms and new locks, but he would ease her into the idea if that’s what it took.

After he finished purchasing the security items, he checked on her again. She was still asleep. She slept for another thirty minutes, and when she stirred, he was there beside her. She looked so out of it when she woke his heart squeezed.

“What time is it?” Lorelei asked as she rubbed her eyes.

She was too cute, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. He clicked the button on the side of his phone to check the time. “It’s almost noon.”

“Ugh, no more of those pain pills.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “How about a pit stop and then I can fix you something to eat?”

“Sure. I guess I need something to eat.”

She was trying to keep her spirits up, but she’d been through a traumatic experience. He felt for her. Being attacked and injured was hard on the psyche. The first time he’d been in close-contact combat it had left him shaking. What she went through was so much more devastating because it had happened at her home.

After she washed her hands, he set her on the bathroom counter and pushed her hair behind her ears. She spread her knees, and he moved into her space, loving her warmth. He cupped the back of her head and buried his hand in her hair. He moved in close and slid his lips over hers. She moaned as her fingers flitted over his chest to his waist, sending electricity along his nerves.

Lorelei ended the kiss and leaned back a little. “Thank you for helping me so much.”

Being this close was intoxicating, but she was injured so he pushed away thoughts of sex. “I’m happy to help.”

“It’s nice having you here.”

He needed to tell her about the things he’d done. “While you were asleep, I did some stuff.”

She lifted her brows and her eyes went wide. “Stuff? Like what stuff?”

He prayed she wouldn’t be mad. “I bought an alarm for your house, arranged to have the things in your garage put into storage, and I started pricing out garage doors and openers. I haven’t made a decision on that—well, I have, but I wanted to talk to you about it.”

Her eyes got a faraway look. Worry filled him, and he was about to say something when she lifted her hand, silencing him.

“I’ve been meaning to go through the boxes in the garage. And the door out there, how can we fix it?”

He’d noticed the 'we' on fixing the garage door. She wouldn’t be able to help with much for a while, but he liked that she wanted to help him.

Her eyelids narrowed, and her frown deepened. “Why are you smiling, do I have drool?”

“No, I’m just glad you want to do stuff with me, it’s like we’re a team.”

A smile lit her face. “A team, I like that. I like being a part of a team.”

“So you’re okay with everything I’ve done?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, this is your house and—”

She placed her fingers on his lips, stopping his words. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone care for me.”

“I like caring for you,” he said as her fingers dropped to his chest where she toyed with the collar of his shirt.

“I’ve been on my own, and I know I’m strong and can do it myself, but I like having you with me. I like you being on my team. What you said earlier, it’s true. I’ve been independent for so long, but you being in my life is good.” Her eyes brightened as she spoke, and he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers in a slow kiss that left him wanting more.

“You know, later, we could snuggle in bed,” Lorelei whispered.

Her suggestion made him immediately hard. She chuckled and reached down, her hand sliding over his length. A shiver ripped through him as she stroked him. He took a step back.

“You’re injured.”

She reached for the front of his shirt and drew him close. “You can do all the work, and I can just lie there.”

Her proposal was tempting. “How about after lunch, if you want?”

She sighed. “I need this now. I need to feel something other than the fear. I want to feel life again.”

The words sunk in, twisting around his heart and his head, making him desperate to help her get over the bad those two guys had created.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

She shook her head. “I’ll tell you if it hurts. Even if it’s you jerking off beside me while I watch, I need it. I need some image in my head that isn’t that guy standing over me as he explained how he would rape me.”

Anger for Lorelei filled him, and he wanted her to have peace too. He scooped her up off the counter and carried her to the bed. After setting her on the mattress, he helped her undress, making sure not to hurt her.

Every inch of skin revealed ramped his desire even higher. He tugged off his clothes, shoving his pants to the floor. Her good hand reached for him and he stretched out beside her. He didn’t think this would work with her on her back, so he helped her to her side, making sure she was comfortable and that her injured hand was resting on a pillow. He moved behind her, thinking he was the luckiest man in the world. When his dick brushed over her flesh, he shivered. Being with this woman was better than any relationship he’d ever had.

The desire to protect her grew. He wanted her safe, and he wanted her happy. He hoped he could bring some order to the chaos she’d experienced. Mostly, he wanted to be a guy she loved, because she was the only woman for him. His heart filled with emotions so strong he shook. Lorelei was too good for him, and he would do everything he could to make her know she was cherished.