Indebted (18 page)

Chuckling, I blush a little. “Fuck you, man.”

He smiles and shakes his head. We hurriedly get to work cleaning ourselves up, both of us eager to return to those who are waiting for us.

A
FTER
L
IAM
leaves, I can’t settle.

Between wondering what is going on wherever Lee is and this virtual stranger in my home, I’m going nuts. I struggle to get comfortable on my couch. Turning over with a huff yet again, I hit the pillows more in frustration than a need to soften them.

Clearing his throat, Luke speaks up. “You okay, man? You need me to get you anything?”

Luke has been quietly reading or checking his phone since the guys left. I am a little taken aback by him talking to me.
Just great.
What the fuck should I say to him?
Um, hey, I’m great. How’s your day been?

“No, Luke, I’m um… fine. I can’t get comfortable.”

Suddenly, he laughs. “Dude, I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been in your shoes more times than I’m willing to admit. It fuckin’ sucks. The best advice I can give you is to not lie around too much. Once your body stiffens up, the pain gets worse.”

I hadn’t thought about that. It makes sense, though. Sitting up, I can already tell I’m sorer than I was earlier.
You should have known that. Why didn’t you know that, ex-med student? Good thing you left when you did, or else the poor bastards under your care would’ve been in trouble.
Oh, nice. Now even my brain thinks I shouldn’t have gone to med school.
Shut up—what do you know? You ran out on me at school. Why do you think I flunked out?

Disgusted with myself for arguing with my own brain, I turn my thoughts to something more productive. I need to start something for dinner, since I skipped lunch, and I guess I should make more than usual. I have no idea when Lee will be back, but Luke is here and I’m sure he’s hungry too.

“I’m getting ready to make myself some dinner, Luke. Can I make you anything?”

Smiling, he shakes his head. “Are you trying to get me killed? If Liam finds out I had you cooking a meal for me, he would have my hide. I can throw something together, just show me where everything is.”

He gets up and waits for me to lead the way. I have no clue what to say to his offer. It’s weird having a stranger not only in my home, but tinkering around in my cabinets.
Aaron, let it go. Let him do what he feels is right. You don’t want Lee to get mad at the guy.

Sighing, I make my way to the kitchen. Every move jostles me and hurts as I slowly walk to the room. I point out to him where everything is, and we decide on something simple. Leaving Luke to it, I go back into the living room, turn on the TV, and channel surf until I land on the movie
Liar, Liar
. I lean back and enjoy it. The humor of the movie feels normal, which is what I need.

As it comes to one of my favorite parts, the doorbell rings. I’m starting to get up when Luke hurries in, his hand on his gun. “Don’t you even think of opening that door. I need to check it first, it could be anyone.”

What have you gotten yourself into?
I’ve made my decision, and he’s worth it. No second-guessing anything.

The thought of some stranger wanting to do me more harm fills me with fear. My body starts shaking and my breathing picks up. I wring my hands, at a loss as to what to do as Luke peers through the peephole, then pauses.

Looking at me, he asks, “Do you know a small woman with dark hair?”

Relief floods me. “Oh, thank God. That’s Chloe, my best friend. You can let her in.”

He nods, opening the door, and Chloe steps in, taking a long look at me. Not even paying attention to the strange guy standing next to the entrance, she barrels directly at me.

I can see the inquisition is going to start any second. “Oh my God! Aaron, what happened to you? Who did this to you? Was it that Liam person? I don’t care if he’s a murderer, I’ll kill him! I’ll—”

Jumping into her barrage, I say, “Chloe! Calm down. I’m fine, really. I had a run-in with some gay bashers, it happened yesterday. Liam will never hurt me. Why won’t you listen to me?”

She appears stricken and unsure of what to say. I’m a horrible person for yelling at her. She’s reacting naturally to seeing her best friend looking like he went through a meat grinder.

Gathering her wits about her, she starts in again. “I’m sorry. I think it was the most logical assumption. I see you haven’t changed your mind on the subject of that asshole. Well, we’ll talk about that in a few minutes.”

Luke moves then, catching her eye, and for the first time she realizes we are not alone. As she turns to give him a once-over, I notice her eyes linger a little longer than necessary. He smiles at her and winks.

She blushes and clears her throat before glancing back at me. “Um, Aaron? Who’s your new friend?”

Deciding that keeping it honest is the best way to go, I tell her. “This is Luke. Liam can’t be here right now, so he left his friend to protect me in case those assholes who followed me home last night decide to come back.”

Luke nods to Chloe and heads back into the kitchen. Of all the things to pick up from that statement, Chloe asks, “Liam was here? I thought you weren’t seeing him anymore.”

Oh, that’s great. You’ve done it now. She won’t let that shit go.
I fidget with the hem of my shirt as I hesitantly tell her, “Yes, Liam was here. We decided to see more of each other. I can’t let him go.”

Chloe looks sad. “Aaron, I don’t understand. You know I’m always here for you. I can’t wrap my head around what you’re thinking right now. This man can’t possibly be worth putting yourself in danger for.” She stops for a bit, collecting her thoughts, then huffs and adds, “As I said before, we’ll talk about this later. I need to focus on you right now. Have you seen a doctor or been to the police?”

Crap! She can sure rattle on. Okay, so she’s going to leave the whole Liam thing alone for now. I can deal with that. I’m not a procrastinator usually, but with this subject, I can stand to wait a while.

Now to answer her other questions….
Ugh, I hate lying to her. “Chloe, I’m not going to the police. I didn’t get a good look at them. Besides, they would only get a slap on the wrist anyway. I really don’t want to deal with all the reports and stuff, so I’m not going. As far as a doctor—yes, I’ve seen one. Liam brought a doctor to check me over when he found out I was hurt.”

Smiling, she says, “Well, at least he did something right. I still think you should give more thought to the idea of going to the police. I’m not going to argue with you about it, though. You’re quite stubborn when you want to be.”

I snort and then reply, “And you’re not?”

Chloe pouts. “Aaron Quinn! How dare—”

Interrupting our exchange, Luke walks back in and informs us, “Hey, dinner’s done. Aaron, you need to eat something, it will help you heal faster. There’s enough for your friend if she’d like to join us.” After finishing his statement, he gives Chloe another heated once-over, so heated I think I might need to leave the room.

Chloe giggles, actually giggles, and bats her eyelashes. “Aww, that’s so sweet of you to cook. Thanks for taking care of my friend.”

Oh, isn’t that nice how it’s okay for her to be attracted to him and flirt with a “murderer,” but when I do it, it’s a crime against nature? I’m a little pissed at her double standard.

I decide to interrupt their moment. “Well, I’m hungry! Let’s eat.”

Not waiting for them to say anything, I head to the kitchen to dig in. I really feel like being childish. I’m not going to be, but the urge is there.

Dinner is an exercise in patience. Little flirtations, smiles, and looks are going on between them the whole time. It’s enough to make me want to vomit. I’m happy they’re attracted to each other, but my irritation at Chloe doesn’t let up. Since I can’t address the issue right now, my mind wanders back to its new favorite topic: Liam.

Usually, when I think of him, I’m happy. However, right now my head is full of questions. Has he found Adam? Is he going to get hurt? Is Adam going to be killed? If so, will Adam’s death cost me the chance to even explore my feelings for this enigmatic man?

I hope Liam will come back after he does whatever it is he plans to do. Of course, I don’t have a clue how long it will take. Since it was earlier in the day when he left, there is still a good chance I will see him before I fall asleep tonight. I’m not sure I will be able to hold out too late with all the pain straining my energy. I’m already flagging. The only thing that sounds better than sleep right now is seeing Liam healthy and in one piece. He has been trained well to protect himself, but there’s still a chance of someone surprising him or getting the upper hand. The thought of him being hurt or worse is making my chest tight. I’m almost overwhelmed with worry at this point. I don’t know what to do. Should I wait, or should I try to call him? I don’t even have his work number. The last thing I want to do is make him look weak in front of his men. I’m hoping he’s okay, but I need to relax and try to focus on other things. However, the only other thing to focus on is Chloe, and she is annoying the shit out of me.

Going back into the kitchen where she and Luke are huddled together and talking quietly, I realize this is going to be a “fun” evening. All I can hope is Liam will return soon. Luke receives a message from him saying he is all in one piece and will be here shortly, which makes me so excited I’m practically jumping out of my skin. Even though the text says he’s okay, I still want to see him for myself, and maybe do a slow inspection of his whole body just to be sure.

After what seems like hours of humdrum conversation, a rattle at my door and the sound of it opening startles me. I’m so thrilled, I rush toward the living room, but Luke stops me. It’s his job to protect me, but I can hardly wait. It has to be Liam and I want to go in there and find out for myself.

“Hold on there, lover boy. If you open that and it is Liam, he’ll have my ass, and we both understand by now that’s not my thing. Better let me do it.”

As Luke heads to the entrance, Chloe pipes up. “Is this your new asshole boyfriend? I want to speak to him if it is. I have a few bones to pick with him.”

I roll my eyes at her, but before I get a chance to tell her to stop being such a bitch, Liam comes through, followed by Tristan. Every other thought leaves my mind as my eyes lock onto the sexy man before me. Scanning over every inch of him to see what injuries he might have, I freeze. His handsome face is bruised and swollen. He appears almost as bad as I do right now, and I’m torn between staying put so as not to hurt him or running and throwing my arms around him. My body makes the decision for me, and I’m in front of him before I even realize it.

He gives me a big, dimpled smile, and then worry clouds his eyes. “How are you feeling? I, um, stopped and picked up your prescriptions on the way over. Has Luke been taking care of you?”

“I told you I’m a big boy. I’m fine. Thank you for getting my pills for me. It’s so thoughtful of you.” When I say that, I glance meaningfully over at Chloe. She crosses her arms over her chest and my message is obviously being ignored. Focusing on the more important person in the room, I continue. “I see you found Adam, if the bruises on your face are any indication. Have you been checked out? They still need to be bandaged. You didn’t see the doctor, did you?”

I’m close to tapping my foot with disapproval, and Liam groans. “I was in too much of a hurry to see you. I’ve been worried about you and couldn’t wait to see how you were doing. I’m fine, I don’t need the doc. From my experience with injuries, I know whether something is serious or not.”

Shaking my head at him, I say, “Smooth, Liam. I’m going to have to watch out for you in the future or I’m going to be putty in your hands.”

He gets a slightly heated look on his face and his voice thickens a little. “Would that be such a bad thing?”

He winks, and I’m about to jump him right there, wounded or not. The only thing that breaks my lust is Tristan clearing his throat loudly.

“Um, guys? I’m not up for a show, and I don’t think the rest of the people standing in the same room with you are either.”

I should be embarrassed, but all I can think of is getting my hands on my man.
Wow, that’s going to take some getting used to.
“Is it alright if I hug you? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Would you stop being silly and come here already? I’ve been waiting for this all evening.”

Gratefully, I wrap my arms around him, maybe a little too enthusiastically, because he grunts in what can only be pain. I quickly try to pull away, but he holds on tighter. Letting him make his own decisions on what kind of hurt he can take, I relax into the gentle hug and enjoy his arms around me.

He has obviously been home and showered, since the scent of his spicy soap envelopes me and his hair is still slightly damp. My mind starts racing as I think about his reasons for bathing. I guess he could have gotten muddy in a scuffle. Surely blood isn’t the only reason to need to clean yourself after a fight? Yes, that has to be it. No reason to jump to any conclusions.