Page 4 of Break Me, Daddy

She was so engrossed in trying to figure out what she could eat, and how much she could order without Holden fussing over her, she barely noticed the blood-pressure cuff tightening around her arm until Sandra spoke. “Are you feeling okay this morning, Frankie? Nervous? Upset?”

“What?” Tearing her gaze from the menu, she looked over at the machine beside her bed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Blood pressure is a little high, that’s all. Is that normal for you?”

“No. I actually run a little below normal most of the time.”

Flashing her a reassuring smile, Sandra unwrapped the cuff from around Frankie’s arm. “No worries. This happens a lot when someone’s nervous or having big emotions about something.” Her gaze flicked to Holden, and though her smile stayed in place, it tightened around the edges a bit. “Mr. Prescott, would you mind giving us the room?”

“Only if Frankie wants me to leave.”

Seemingly unimpressed by Holden’s firm tone, Sandra just continued to smile. “I just need a few minutes to ask her some questions. You can wait right outside the door.”

Looking up at Holden, Frankie reached over to give his hand a squeeze. “I’m alright. Go grab some coffee or something, you look like hell.”

The look he gave her promised retribution later, and if she hadn’t been laid up in a hospital bed, coming apart at the seams because her life was falling down around her, that look would have had arousal flooding her panties.

“I’ll be right outside if you need me, little siren.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her cheek before striding out the door.

A lump formed in Frankie’s throat when he disappeared from view, but she blinked back the tears and forced another smile for the nurse. “What do you need to ask me?”

Sandra’s smile didn’t falter, but there was a subtle shift in her Frankie couldn’t quite pin down. She seemed… softer somehow, now that Holden was gone. “First of all, I just want to let you know that you’re safe here. Anything you tell me is confidential and even though you’ve consented to have your medical information released to Mr. Prescott, these questions and your answers will never be provided to anyone outside of your medical team. Okay?”

What the hell was she getting at? “Sure. Yeah, okay.”

“I assume Mr. Prescott is a romantic partner?”

“Um, sort of. It’s complicated.”

Pursing her lips in a way that made Frankie feel like she’d just given the wrong answer on a quiz, Sandra made a note on her clipboard before asking the next question. “Do you feel safe in the relationship you do have with him?”

For a moment, Frankie could only blink in surprise. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

Sandra’s expression was serious when she looked up. “When I see someone coming in with this level of malnutrition, coupled with the high blood pressure indicating you’re clearly feeling nervous and possibly scared right now, I have to ask.”

Malnutrition? Fuck. She was worse off than she’d realized. But that was fine. She’d dug herself out of this particular hole before and she could do it again. “I’ve never felt safer with anyone than I do with Holden. And we aren’t really in a relationship. But he’d never hurt me.”

Not unless I consented first.

Because she didn’t think Sandra would appreciate her humor, she kept that last bit to herself. There were a few more questions about her safety, if she ever felt afraid of Holden, during which Frankie tried to remind herself they were just doing their due diligence. And she’d rather be uncomfortable for a few minutes rather than risk someone who actually needed help flying under the radar, so she swallowed her annoyance and answered all Sandra’s questions.

“I think we’re about done here. An aide will be in shortly to take your breakfast order. And if you need me, I’m just a buzzer away.”

There was something about the way she said that last part that made Frankie think she didn’t actually trust Frankie’s answers to her questions. But she didn’t push the issue, and the moment she left the room, Holden stepped back in, his eyes dark with concern as he approached the bed.

“You okay?”

Just having him close settled her system, enough for her to give him a wry smile. “Ready to get the hell out of here. Think you can go bully some nurse into telling you when they’ll be ready to spring me? Maybe not Sandra though.”

Holden’s lips twitched with amusement. “Something tells me you couldn’t bully that woman into giving up her grandmother’s sponge cake recipe. I like her.”

“You haven’t asked about our secret meeting.”

“Should I?”

No pressure. No demands. Just a simple question, leaving it entirely up to her to decide if she wanted to tell him or not, even though she knew it had to be killing him to be left in the dark. “I guess they just have some standard questions about like, feeling safe at home and stuff.”

“Ah. That’s why she wanted me gone. Makes sense.” The amusement faded from his expression as he cupped her face. “And do you? Feel safe with me?”

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