Chapter 56

Devolin

Early the next morning, I was released to go home.

Mom had argued that I should be with her, but all I wanted to do was curl up in Dalton’s arms and sleep for a century. In his bed.

Truth be told, I doubt I’d be able to walk into my apartment any time soon.

To appease my mother’s hurt feelings about not staying with her, my man offered up his spare bedroom. That way we’d all be close to one another. She refused, but I could tell she appreciated the offer, citing that if it was okay, she’d go home, get some sleep, then pop by for a visit around lunchtime.

I was glad of that.

Not that I didn’t want my mother around, but Dalton and I had some things we needed to discuss. Even if we didn’t talk about everything today, we needed time to ourselves. Time to just be us. Something I’d realized that we never really had since that day at Theo and Morgan’s.

Dalton handed me one of his t-shirts.

“I could use help with changing the bandage,” I said.

His eyes bored into mine as he gave me a gruff, “Okay.”

He escorted me to the bathroom, taking the bag of medical supplies and prescriptions we’d filled on our way home with us. Setting everything on the vanity, he turned to me, his potent gaze asking for permission as his hands reached for the hem of my shirt.

I nodded.

Slowly lifting up, he peeled my shirt over my head, chucking it onto the floor.

“Fuck me.” The torture in his voice had me watching him take in the bandage on my side, as he sat on the toilet seat, and pulled me to stand between his legs before his forehead met my stomach. “I’m so fucking sorry this happened,” he whispered.

My hands sifted through his hair, his hands gripping my hips. “Kip…”

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He peered up at me. “You still have some blood on you. And then you’re going straight to bed.”

Giving him room, he went to the linen closet and pulled out a facecloth and ran the water to soak it.

As physically and emotionally exhausted as I felt, I could feel the familiar tingling my body made whenever Dalton touched me. It was an intimate moment. One so far from sexy, and nowhere near geared to anything sexual in intent, but it was candid. It was a moment just for us, filled with the ‘what-ifs’ of life, regret, gratitude, and hope.

Chucking the cloth into the garbage can when he was done, he proceeded to spread some ointment on my stitches and redressed my bullet wound. By then, I could barely stand on my feet.

Leading me to his bed, Dalton sat me down on its edge.

“Bra on or off?” he asked.

“Off.”

Not once did he look away from my eyes as he unhooked, then slid the garment from my body. Grabbing the shirt he’d taken out for me earlier, he set to put it on me.

“Let’s get you to bed.” Kissing me on the forehead, he pulled back the sheets. Settling in, he pressed his lips to mine and lingered. “Let me go lock up, and I’ll be back.”

Dalton didn’t come back.

After an hour of trying to fall asleep, I got up.

I found him nursing a glass of whiskey, if the bottle on the coffee table was anything to go by.

The floor creaked beneath my feet, giving my presence away.

“Hey,” I whispered, stopping at the edge of the couch.

“Hey.”

I studied him. “You okay?”

He snorted into his glass as he took another sip. “Better than you,” he rasped.

“You’re not okay,” I surmised out loud and let my feet take me directly to him.

Taking his glass, I gave it a quick sniff before taking a sip for myself, then setting it down next to the half-empty bottle. I didn’t care that it hurt like a bitch when I lowered myself to sit astride his lap.

Wrapping my hands on either side of his face, I tried to meet his eyes, but he didn’t seem to be able to hold my gaze. “Baby, talk to me.”

“I should have told you about Hewitt.”

Okay, so we were going to have this conversation now.

“Kip…”

“If I’d told you everything from the get-go, then we’d have been able to catch him and turn his ass in together,” he explained.

“True, but what about Suzanna? It’s not like we would have known what she’d planned.”

“You’re right,” he sighed. “But it doesn’t make me feel better knowing that my ex nearly took you away from me. Dad asked me if I’d looked her up to see what she’d been up to since we broke up five years ago, but I didn’t. I could have stopped any of that from happening. It’s on me.”

“No! I think she was more about taking me away from Gordon, even though you were mentioned,” I told him. “It doesn’t matter anymore, Dalton. It’s over.”

“Yeah.”

“Come to bed with me, Kip,” I whispered over his lips. “Hold me. Make me feel safe. I’m home when I’m in your arms.”

The haunted look in his eyes evaporated. “Okay.”

Minutes later, Dalton was wrapped around me, my back to his front, under the cloak of sheets and darkness.

“You’re my home too, sweetheart,” he whispered against my ear, before depositing a kiss to the back of my shoulder. “You’ll always be my home.”

For the first time in nearly a week, I felt at peace.