Page 71 of Knight's Desire

She shook her head and buried her face in his neck. “No. I’m not letting you go. I’ll be fine now that you’re here.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” He spoke into her hair before dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

“I love you,” she mumbled. “I know that probably freaks you out, and it’s probably too soon. You probably think I’m only saying it because we were thrown together, and once life is back to normal — oh, God, please say I can have a normal life now. Please say you got him because I can’t keep living my life wondering if David is after me. He’s crazy.”

Brick’s hand moved up and down her back in calming strokes. “Slow down. We got him. Jay’s taking him out of here. You’ll never have to worry about him anymore. Let me look at you. Did he hurt you?”

She didn’t want to face him. What if he was repulsed by what David did and how he touched her? She couldn’t bear to see Brick turn against her, not after enduring David’s abuse, but she couldn’t put off the inevitable. As much as she wanted to forget what happened, she had to share the story. She loosened her hold but didn’t release him. Pulling back just enough, she gazed into his face, memorizing every handsome plane and angle.

Brick’s hand came up to cradle her swollen cheek. “Did he do this?”

“Yes. He hit me. He touched me. He made me…take off my clothes in front of him. He…fondled me while he helped me into the dress. He planned to perform a wedding ceremony for us, and then we would have a h-honeymoon. He believed it too. He got ordained online, and he said he’d taken care of a marriage license and everything. H-he wanted to break me. He actually said that.”

“He could never break you. You’re one of the strongest women I know. It’s one of the reasons why I love you too.”

Hope melted, fresh tears starting to fall. “Really? You’re not just saying that to make me feel better? Because I appreciate the sentiment, but it would be a jerky move since I was kidnapped.”

He touched his forehead to hers, his thumbs wiping away her tears. “I wouldn’t do that. I love you, and I’m glad I found you. I wish I had gotten here before he could touch you or abuse you. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you like a promised.”

“It’s not your fault. He fooled us all, but I knew you’d find me. I knew you’d come. I love you too. I never thought about how it amazing it would be to tell you or how wonderful it would be to hear you say it. All I could think of was stalling him long enough for you to get here because I knew you’d come for me. I knew it.”

“You did good.”

She leaned her head into his touch. “I don’t know how you found me. I don’t even know where I am.”

“I’ll tell you that story later. It doesn’t matter now. What matters is getting you to the hospital.” He somehow managed to rise to his knees, lift one leg to place his boot on the floor, and stand while cradling her in his arms. She should have insisted he put her down, so they could stand on their own. But she meant it when she said she wasn’t about to let him go. Not unless he pushed her away.

“I don’t need a hospital. I don’t want to leave you.”

“I won’t leave your side, but I’ll feel better if a doctor checks you out. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

She nodded, unable to refuse him, not when he risked his life to come for her. He walked through the maze of rooms, and she barely paid attention to her surroundings until they made it outside. The lights from the Sheriff’s cruisers had her looking around.

“Wait. Brick, please.”

He stopped and moved like he was going to set her down, but she shook her head. “No, I just want to see. Just so I know.”

Brick shifted around. She saw a deputy place a hand on top of David’s head and push him to bend down into the back seat of the patrol car, his hands handcuffed behind his back. Gone was the slick psychopath who leered at her. This time, he was the one who looked afraid, and she hoped he encountered plenty in prison to keep him afraid.

“I’m ready to go now.”

They turned away from her stalker. Brick didn’t set her down until he could place her in the front seat of an SUV. As they sped away from the warehouse, Hope felt she was leaving behind all the terror and stress that had plagued her.

Chapter Thirty

Several hours after Hope was reunited with Brick, she was checked out thoroughly at the hospital. Armed with a prescription for sleep aids and the business card to a trauma therapist, she was finally able to return to her home. Just being in her comfortable house was a tonic to her traumatized psyche, but then Brick decided to pamper her and made it even better.

She soaked in a hot tub until her skin was wrinkly. Then he combed out her hair, the steady movements relaxing her into near slumber. Then he carried her to her bed, placed her securely under the covers before climbing in next to her. She draped a leg and arm over him as she snuggled deep into his embrace. He ran a hand up and down her back, and Hope believed she’d found heaven on earth in his arms.

“I love you,” she murmured softly, the emotion behind the words flooding her body.

“I love you, too. Get some rest, Hope. You’re safe now.”

“I am resting, but I don’t want to sleep. Not yet. I want you to tell me how you found me.”

Since he’d carried her out of the warehouse, Hope had asked him to share how he’d found her. He’d told her he didn’t want to relive that night until she was ready, but she understood that he struggled with talking about what happened.

Hope raised her head enough to study his profile. “Look, you need to tell me sooner or later, and it might as well be now. You get it out of your system, and then we’ll forget all about it. Please, Brick. I want to know. It couldn’t have been easy. I never knew about the tunnel that led into the dressing room. The door blended so well into the wall I don’t know that I ever would have found it.”

---