Page 72 of Protected
He smiled at her. It was a tender-hearted smile, and it made Darci want to curl up in his arms.
“Come on,” he said, rising from the barstool and taking her hand. “You look like you could use a bath and a good night’s sleep. I’ll fill the tub.”
26
BRADLEY walked into the bathroom and filled the tub for Darci, making sure it was nice and warm. There was a bottle of lavender bath oil on the shelf, so he grabbed some and poured it in. Recounting the nightmare of her past had taken its toll on Darci, and e wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and love away the pain he saw in her eyes.
It wasn’t fair that someone so good and kind had had to endure so much tragedy. It made him angry. He wanted to hunt the bastard down and kill him. Reaching forward, he brushed a wayward curl behind Darci’s ear. She sighed as his fingers grazed her cheek and some of his anger faded into arousal.
“Don’t do that,” he whispered.
“Do what?” she asked with a puzzled expression.
“Sigh like that. Otherwise, I’ll have to take you here on the bathroom floor, and you really need rest.”
Her blush made him smile. After he reached around her and turned the faucet off, he pulled her into his arms. As usual, she smelled incredible. He let himself get lost in their embrace for a moment before pulling away and tenderly undressing her. It was difficult not to make good on his threat to make love to her right here and now. His pants were getting uncomfortably tight, but he forced himself to focus on taking care of her.
Holding her hand, he helped her step into the tub. As she sank into the hot water, she groaned. Leaning down he kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be back to dry you off in a little while, baby. I need to make a couple of calls.” She nodded and sank deeper into the water, closing her eyes as she did.
Once in his office, the rage came back full force. Before he realized what he was doing, he picked up an empty coffee mug from his desk and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, and he winced. Darci was sure to have heard it. He made his way to the kitchen and got a broom and dustpan. After he cleaned up his mess, he sat at the desk willing himself to calm down. She was strong, she had survived so much. His anger over something that had happened in her past wasn’t something she needed. It wasn’t helpful, he told himself.
Now someone else was after her. It seemed cruel. He vowed again to do whatever he had to, to keep her safe.
When he was calmer, he made the work calls he needed to make, then he dialed Michael Silas’ number.
“Hey Michael, thanks for the heads up about Darci.”
“No problem, I’m glad you’re with her. She can be stubborn about letting people take care of her.”
“Lucky for us, I’m just as stubborn as she is.”
“I bet you guys will have epic fights someday.”
He chatted with Michael for a few more minutes and then asked, “Have you got any new leads on this guy taunting her?”
“Not yet. I’ve looked closer at the names she gave me but so far I’m coming up empty. I hate to say it, but we may have to wait until he strikes again. If he is after Darci and he can’t get to her because of the security we have around her, my gut is telling me he will get angry and strike someone else. The thing is if he’s mad, he may make mistakes. I don’t want anyone else to die, but we’ve got to catch this bastard.
Bradley hated the idea of the killer striking again, but he was determined to make sure Darci stayed safe. He finished up his phone call and went to check on Darci. She looked relaxed in the water. Her eyes were still closed, so he leaned against the door frame and watched her for a while. “You’re so beautiful,” he said. Her eyes opened halfway, and she smiled.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Sir. Especially with your sleeves rolled up and your top button undone like that.”
Chuckling, he crossed the spacious bathroom to the garden tub and sank to the floor next to her. They didn’t speak for a while, but he picked up the hand she had rested on the edge of the tub and grazed his thumb across her fingers. He periodically brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Finally, he said, “Thanks for trusting me enough to share with me tonight, baby. I know it’s difficult to talk about.”
“You’re easy to talk to. Even about the hard stuff. Besides, if we’re going to be in any kind of long-term relationship, it’s something you needed to know.”
She shifted in the bathtub and changed the subject. “Now that I’m more relaxed, I wanted to run something by you.”
“What is it, baby?”
“I miss Exposure. I was supposed to volunteer last weekend but I went to New York instead. Would you want to come with me sometime? Maybe we can go with Peter and Carrie.”
A frown formed as he considered her request. The danger she was in seemed to stem from her involvement in the kink scene, so he hesitated to take her to the club. On the other hand, the thought of taking Darci there for some fun was appealing.
“I’m concerned about how safe it is for us to go because of whoever is after you. I know security can’t come with us, but we can make it work, especially with Peter there. And I know Gage is good security too. Let me make sure my schedule will let me get away tomorrow night.” The smile she flashed him made it worth it.
They continued to talk quietly until she shivered.
