Page 8 of Hot Pursuit
“But it’s going to cost too much,” I blurted out, hating this whole situation. If there was a way for me to fall asleep and forget about the day, I would.Liar,a little voice in my head whispered.
There would be no way I’d do that if it meant forgetting about the officer who had just all but offered to take care of me. I knew he had vowed to protect and serve when he got his badge, but I was pretty sure this was way too above and beyond the call of duty.
“You don’t have to worry about that, baby,” he said softly, and when I turned, he was mere inches from me.
I wasn’t sure how he did it, but Logan had to have some kind of magic powers. He moved from the chair and sat next to me without bumping into anything, making it look seamless. Easy.He was double my size and didn’t bump into anything; the chair hadn’t even made a sound. My bed dipped, and we were so close our legs touched. Suddenly, all my worries melted away, leaving me hyperaware of the big, strong man who my body, and for some reason my heart, wanted to lean on.
“I have to worry about it,” I muttered, but we both knew the fight in me had started to waver.
“I got it,” he persisted. But before I could figure out something to say, the doctor spoke up.
“Actually, the hospital does. I have a ton of samples for all of it. So, don’t worry about that, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded with relief. Suddenly, I was really tired. Almost like I couldn’t keep my body up. Logan’s hand cupped the back of my head, silently instructing me to lean on him, and I did. I didn’t know more than the man’s name and occupation, but I felt like I’d known him forever.
“So, are you willing to be released into Officer Monroe’s care if I discharge you?”
“For three days?” I asked, licking my lips.
“At least.”At least.I didn’t like the sound of that. More time than that, and things could get messy. I glanced up at the man whose shoulder I was resting on. I’d pay him back. Somehow, I would figure out how to do that.
“Okay,” I agreed and felt Logan’s arm wrap behind me and rest over my shoulder.
“Good girl,” Logan whispered low enough for my ears only. And just like that, I melted closer into his body before my eyes fluttered shut.
This was such a bad idea.
I didn’t lean on people. I didn’t ask for help. I’d learned early on that nothing good came from that. This whole thing, with the way my body reacted to Logan’s, had disaster and heartbreak written all over it.
I was the queen of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet knowing that, I had no plans of figuring out somewhere else to stay.
FOUR
LOGAN
I carriedher straight to the master bathroom that was connected to my bedroom.
“This is your bathroom,” she squeaked. I wasn’t sure if she was asking or pointing it out, so I shrugged. “Shouldn’t I use the guest bath, or honestly, I think I’m okay sleeping on the couch?—“
“Shh…” I hushed, dipping my head and kissing the top of hers. I could feel her nervousness building. “This one has the bigger shower,” I pointed out. “And honestly, I’m not sure when I last cleaned the guest bathroom.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem,” she reassured me, making me shake my head.
“It’ll be a quick shower, okay? Just to clean you up, and then we can rebandage your cuts like doc wanted.” She chewed on her bottom lip, absentmindedly nodding while looking around my space.
“This isn’t a bathroom. It’s a spa,” she whispered in awe. I chuckled.
“You’re sweet. I’ll take that as a compliment since I did the work here,” I shared, trying to see the place through her eyes.
“You did?” she gasped. I couldn’t help myself and continued to share since it seemed to get her to relax a little.
“When I bought this place, everyone thought I was crazy.” I shrugged. “I needed a project. Originally, I wanted to flip it. A friend of mine in the fire department and I have flipped a couple of places in the past, but halfway through tearing down the walls, I decided something about it felt like home.”
“It’s beautiful,” she complimented. I winked before leaning into the shower and turning the water on. I’d never been more thankful I’d invested in triple shower heads, the one in the center of the ceiling being a rainfall shower head.
“Wow, that’s like something from an HGTV show.”
“I chose them“—I pointed at the showerheads—“thinking about those long shifts I work. Something to relax my muscles after a long day.”
