In Too Deep

Chapter 16

I pull into the motel, letting the car roll to a stop so I don’t wake Taylor. No luck. Her eyes blink open, and she looks up at me. I don’t think she’d realized when she drifted off to sleep that her head was resting in my lap. I hadn’t minded at all.

“Sorry.” She sits up and looks around out the windows.

We’re parked beside a cheap one-story motel. The sounds from the highway hum nearby.

“This okay with you?”

She doesn’t speak, but manages a nod.

It’s nothing like the luxury hotel we stayed in last night, but after what happened there, that’s fine with me.

“Wait here.” I get out of the car, locking the doors behind me, and head into the motel’s office, leaving Taylor safely inside the car.

I return a minute later, dangling a room key from my little finger. I open Taylor’s car door, and help her out, using extra care around her ribs. With the way she’s moving, I can tell they’re already bruised from Lars’ kick.

“Can you stand here for a second?”

She nods.

I retrieve our bags from the backseat, slinging them over one shoulder, then help Taylor walk, placing one arm around her waist. I lead her to the door of our room, only a few paces away from the car.

When the door swings open, I notice instantly there is only one bed. But Taylor’s breath catches, and the fact that she’s in pain reminds me we have more pressing issues. I’ll deal with the sleeping arrangements later.

I sit her down on the edge of the bed. Once she’s sitting, I toss our bags on the chair beside the door, then I kneel on the floor in front of her. She watches me untie her shoes laces. I slip her shoes off one at a time, then peel off her socks. She peers down at me with those big blue eyes, her chest still heaving.

I wanted to punish that bastard the second his eyes fell on her. And after he kicked her, I wanted to destroy him, but I couldn’t hang around. I’d had to get her out of there. Out of danger.

Her feet dangle from the edge of the bed, and her toes are painted pink.

“Let me see,” I say softly.

She nods her approval.

I gingerly lift her shirt, and hesitate. “Do you mind?”

She shakes her head.

I pull the shirt over her head, leaving her sitting there in just a lacy pink bra, which I desperately try not to stare at. I trace my fingertips along her side, pressing slightly at the ribs that are already showing signs of bruising.

At my touch, she winces and grips the comforter in her fists.

“Here?” I ask, tracing the spot again, more carefully this time.

She nods.

I don’t allow myself to look at her the way I want to drink her in. But I still notice more than I should. Her skin is incredibly soft, she has three tiny freckles dotting her left shoulder and her belly button is the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen. I refocus on her as though she is a patient. Nothing more. “Doesn’t feel like anything’s cracked. You’re not having trouble breathing, are you?”

She tries a deep breath, her chest raising and falling in the most delicious way. “Seems okay.”

“Your ribs are bruised, but not broken. You’ll be sore for a few days, but you should heal fine.” I continue caressing her sides and stomach, until well after I’m satisfied there’s no real damage. Then I get up and toss her shirt on the bed beside her. “I’ll run you a warm bath. That should help relax your muscles.”

“Colt.” She grabs my hand and squeezes, hard, stopping me in my tracks. “Thank you.”

I nod once, then head into the bathroom.

I need the escape, and the safety of another room – with a locking door – to keep me away from her. It’s my fault she’s sitting out there on that bed in this cheap motel room, beaten and bruised and completely shaken up. What the fuck had I been thinking? What had McAllister been thinking? She wasn’t ready for this. I’d be surprised if she didn’t call her parents and get herself sent home the moment we got back.

I turn on the faucet in the bathtub, not wanting Taylor to wonder what I’m doing when she doesn’t hear the water running. Once the water’s warmed and filling the tub, I lean against the sink and splash cool water on my face, needing to get a hold of myself.