“This is Detective Onyx Inwood, badge number 6890 with the NYPD, I need an ambulance directed to my location ASAP.” I’m running into Grace’s building without thinking that she said she fell down the stairs and head straight for the elevator.
Just as the doors are about to close, I see the sign for the stairs and stick my hand out, so I’m not carried up to her floor. “Fuck,” I mutter as I make my way over.
Gazing through the small window, I see her lying on the floor by the wall and slowly open it. “Gracie, baby.” My words are quiet, understanding she was in pain before and seeing the blood on the back of her scalp mixing with her blonde hair, I can see why. “Oh, baby, what did you do?”
Pushing the door open fully, I crouch down beside her, gliding one hand up and down her side as she groans and rolls over to her back. “Onyx?” Her voice is pained as she hisses the single word out.
“I’m here, princess.” Anger consumes me with nowhere to direct it as I see the bruises along her arms and legs. I remain quiet, holding her while we wait on the paramedics to arrive and contain any questions I have for her until she’s been seen by a doctor.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she sobs against my thigh where her head is resting as I smooth back the hair from her face with an easy hand.
“Nothing wrong with you, Gracie. Accidents happen.” Her body shakes as she cries and tries to make sense of this.
“Always to me, though.” Her eyes close just as the paramedics burst through the lobby doors, and I wave them over.
“What happened?” the older of the two men asks, and I see his name tag says Jack.
“She fell down the stairs,” I reply when she doesn’t respond, just watching them with tired eyes.
Her hiss of pain makes me tense as the younger man starts poking around the back of her head while Jack checks her vitals, pulse, and her pupils. “This is gonna need some stitches.” I look at the younger guy who is commenting and see his name tag—Drake.
“She’s going to need to go to the hospital. Ma’am, did you lose consciousness?” Jack asks.
“I think so?” Her words still sound slurred.
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asks again.
I watch as she searches her mind for an answer. When she finally remembers, a tear rolls down her cheek, and she looks up to me. “I just wanted to do something special for you.” A hiccup lets loose in her distress. “I wanted to show you…”
“Show me what, Gracie?”
Her breathing becomes shallow as panic seizes her small frame. “Let’s get her loaded in the bus and on to the hospital. You can talk more there,” Jack instructs, and as the tears continue to flow, I have to agree.
My girl is hurting, and more than physically. But I have no fucking clue why.
Everything happens in a blur after that. I jump into the ambulance with Grace for the quick ride to the hospital. After a text to Marty asking him to have a uniform pick up my cruiser and bring it to me, we’ve arrived, and Grace is being taken back to an exam room that they won’t allow me into.
After pacing the waiting room for hours, I’ve had enough and demand to see her. The nurse must not want to deal with my grumpy ass because she shows me to Grace’s room immediately.
Pulling the curtain back, I set my eyes on her, and my world centers itself again. Pale, bruised, and bloody, she’s never been more beautiful to me.
Staying quiet, I pull the chair from off to the side closer to her bed and sit. The nurse leaves as I take hold of Grace’s hand, bring it up to my mouth, and I kiss her gently and say a prayer of thanks that she wasn’t hurt more seriously.
“Onyx?” Her head turns to the side to stare at me. Her eyes are unfocused as she smiles.
“I’m here, baby.” Kissing her hand again, I return her grin.
“I have a concussion,” she mutters sleepily. That isn’t surprising with the way she was acting on the phone and then when I found her.
With the number of times she’s been tripping over things, I want to wrap her in bubble wrap and never let her out of my sight. But it’s unrealistic so I might have to settle with moving her in with me.
I’m a cop, on a cop’s salary, and while money isn’t piling in by the millions, I have a nice little nest egg from the life insurance of my grandparents when they passed away and from living frugally the last ten years. I know she’s got her money, but I intend on taking care of her. Giving her everything she wants or needs and more.
“Rest, princess.” I smooth the hair back from her face as her eyes drift close.
“I love you,” she whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear it, and my heart fucking sings.
Leaning closer, I murmur in her ear, “Love you too, Gracie.”
I don’t think she hears me as her body goes limp with exhaustion. After the doctor shows up to tell me what I already know and gives instructions for her home care, he informs me that we can leave in the morning. She needs to stay the night for observation.
The case I had been called into when she phoned had just been passed on to narcotics because there were no signs of a homicide, and Marty and I were trying to determine why we had been called in to begin with. Sure, there was shooting and a lot of blood, but it was a drug deal gone wrong, no one was dead.
For once, Marty was on the paperwork as I raced to be at Grace’s side. I’ve gotten a few texts from him to see how she is. Marty may be a playboy, but he’s got a good heart when he wants to.
A soft knock on the wall reveals the man in question bearing food. “Didn’t think you’d leave her side. Even for sustenance.” He laughs lightly, knowing it’s true.
“Thanks, man, I appreciate this.” I stand, grabbing the food and shaking his hand.
“She gonna be alright?” He takes one of the burgers I hand him and sits in the other free chair.
“Yeah, a slight concussion, stitches in the head, and lots of bruising. She came away lucky.” Given how her stepmother died, that’s putting it lightly.
“Good. She’s a good kid. Doesn’t need no more hardship in her life.” We eat in silence after that because he’s right. Grace was dealt a raw hand over and over, and I’m hoping to be the one to change that for her.
“Got a favor, Marty.” He looks up to me. “Need to put a ring on her.”
“You mean you haven’t already?” He chuckles, knowing I’m like a dog with a bone when I find something I want. And there’s nothing I want more than for Grace to be mine.
“Didn’t want to scare her.” I shrug. “My grandmother’s ring is in the safe in my closet. Will you go get it?” Playboy or not, Marty is the closest thing to a best friend I’ve got, and he knows the codes to both of my safes. I trust the man with my life.
“You don’t want to wait until she’s home?” He’s laughing but stands to do as I ask.
Fixing my stare on Grace, the answer is easy. “Nope. If it’s on her finger, then she can’t say no.” Shaking his head, Marty doesn’t argue with my logic, just leaves.
The rest of the night passes in a blur of bright lights, nurses poking and prodding my girl, and finally, Marty arriving back with the ring. He comes and goes without a word.
The sun has long gone down, and the room is bathed in moonlight as I slip the one-carat rose gold band on her left ring finger. It’s simple and elegant, just like my princess.
I kiss all along her face, knowing another round of nurses are about to come in and wake her up again. Pretty standard procedure for a concussion, to make sure she hasn’t forgotten who or where she is, but annoying and disturbing as fuck.
“Gracie girl, wake up for me.” Her lids flutter, but she doesn’t open them. Placing my lips reverently on hers, I lick across the seam, and she parts them for me. “Hi, baby,” I murmur.
“Hi,” she whispers back, her breath brushing my lips. “Is it time already?” She yawns wide and groans, stretching as I help her sit up.
I don’t say anything else as she situates herself and reaches for the ice water I’ve kept fresh on the table beside her. When she grabs the cup, she freezes, and I know she’s noticed what I did.
“Onyx?” My name on her lips never fails to harden my cock. Hurt or not, my body is always going to want to fuck this woman senseless.
“Gracie,” I mimic her.
“What is this?” She squints as she holds her hand away from her body, and I can see she wants to be excited. Grace wants to jump up and down, but she barely moves…breathes. She’s frozen in a moment of time waiting for confirmation.
“I love you, Grace Hawthorne. I love every quirk, every dream, every inch of you. I know this is lightning quick for us, but I think it is us. You were meant to be mine, Gracie, and I intend to make you my wife.” I won’t ask her, less chance of her saying no if I do.
She opens her mouth then closes it and frowns. “You didn’t ask.” I can see the laughter in her eyes as she points it out.
“I don’t intend to. The ring is on, baby. This is only a formality, so you know my intentions.” I smirk when her jaw drops at my claim.
“Well.” She clears her throat, looks at me then the ring and back to me. “I’m going to say yes, anyways.” I smile so big my whole face hurts. Fuck, do I love this woman.
As I lean forward, I hear the curtain being drawn back, but I don’t care, I kiss her. Grace Hawthorne threw me for a loop the first time I saw her, and ever since, I’ve known that I was going to put her on lockdown. I just didn’t realize how quickly she’d own me, too.