Safe With Him (36 page)

Bree woke to a ringing phone and an empty bed. After they had finally left the station last night—after what seemed like days instead of just a few hours of her explaining over and over and
over
again what had happened—Draco walked her out to his truck, pulled out a blanket and wrapped her in it. “Your adrenaline rush is gonna come crashin’ down,” he stated blandly as he placed her in the truck, on the driver’s side, then slid her over as he got in beside her. Sure enough, by the time they were pulling into his driveway her whole body began to shake. Draco didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up out of the truck and carried her all the way upstairs. He proceeded to strip her down to her undies, grabbed one of his T-shirts and slipped it over her head, then tucked her in bed and lay down beside her, just holding her tight. Her body eventually calmed, and she drifted off to sleep.

She rolled over and grabbed for her phone, but instead she hit the corner at just that perfect angle, causing it to flip off the nightstand and fall in the small space between the nightstand and the bed. “Great.” She sighed. “If I’d meant to do that on purpose, never in a million years would I have succeeded.” She tried reaching her hand in between the nightstand and bed but even her small hand wouldn’t fit. She got up on her hands and knees to try and reach the receptacle where she had plugged her phone charger into. Just as she was pulling on the cord to ‘fish’ her phone out of its tight little hidey-hole she heard his voice.

“
Buon fottuto mattina alla mi
.” There was a heartbeat of time before she felt herself being flipped over and Draco’s mouth on hers.

“Now you have to translate that.” She giggled as they broke the kiss.

Draco grinned down at her. “Good fuckin’ mornin’ to me,” he whispered just as his lips touched hers again. When he lifted his head and looked down at her, eyes roaming her face, his smile was completely gone. “How you feelin’?”

“I’m feeling fine. Why?”

“Why? Bree, you were screamin’ and cryin’ when I found you.”

“Oh, that—”

“Oh, that! Fuck, Breezie, you were attacked. You were screamin’ so loud I didn’t know what the fuck was happenin’. Felt like fuckin’ years runnin’ through those damn woods until I saw you.”

“I’m sorry. So, so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any more distress. I kind of—”

“Distress? Baby, I was scared out of my fuckin’ mind.”

“I am really sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“What the fuck were you thinkin’?” Draco growled but before she could open her mouth to say anything, he continued, “After I asked you to sit there so I could talk to Lee.”

“Ask?” Her voice screeched as she pushed him off of her. “You didn’t ‘ask’ me anything.” She sat up and poked him in the chest. “Sit! Stay! Are freakin’ commands!” She poked him in the chest to stress each word. “I” poke “Am” poke “Not” poke “A dog” poke. Then, jumping up off the bed, she stomped halfway to the bathroom. “Don’t ever think you can command me like I’m your trained lap dog!” She turned away and stormed the rest of the way to the bathroom and slammed the door.

“Fottuta inferno!” She heard Draco groan through the door.

She jerked the door open. “What the hell did you just say?”

“Fuckin’ hell!”

“Oh.” She slammed the door back closed.

“Gonna fix you breakfast.” She heard his voice boom at her through the door, then he continued to grumble as he stalked out of the room.

Draco stalked out of the room, down the steps, and into the kitchen, continuing to grumble under his breath. What the hell was he thinking talking to Bree like that? He should have known she wouldn’t sit quietly after being…commanded. Yeah, he had commanded her like a trainee.
But she’s not a trainee
. She had never had any military or police training.
You think a woman like Bree is gonna just sit back and take that shit
? “Fuck!” He had some making up to do while not letting on what had caused him to go off like he had. “Shit,” he groaned as he set out to fix a breakfast that his Breezie would love.

Draco went back up the steps to let Bree know when breakfast would be ready, and he was just about at the bedroom door when he heard Bree’s phone ring, then a few seconds later her, “Hello,” a short pause, “Caleb? Hey, honey.”

Draco paused in his steps.
Honey? Honey! Who the fuck is Caleb?

“What’s wrong?” He heard Bree ask, then a pause. “Caleb, honey, where’s your mom?”

Mom? What the hell?

Just as Draco stepped into the room he heard Bree. “Skylar?” Then her eyes shot to him. “Hang on,” she said into the phone, then laid it on the bed and went to him. “I think something is wrong with Skylar. Can you give me a minute, please?”

He stared into her eyes as she looked up at him, and he could see the worry in her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her lips lightly. “Take your time, baby, I’ll take my time finishin’ breakfast.” With one more light kiss he left her to talk to her friend.

Bree went back to the bed and grabbed up her phone. “Skylar, what’s wrong? Caleb sounded upset and said you were mad. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, Bree,” Skylar cried into the phone. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Apparently someone from Caleb’s school was at Stripped one night last week and saw me perform. It somehow got back to some of the kids and they have been teasing Caleb all week. I knew something was wrong, because he started coming home more upset than normal. But every time I asked him, he answered with his grumpy ‘nothing’ and stomped off to his room. Then today I got a phone call from his school informing me that they would rather not have that kind of exposure in their school. I guess it’s okay for whoever to watch that ‘kind of exposure’ and to run their dang mouths about it, but not for someone who needs the job.”

“Skylar, I’m so sorry. Want me to go with you to raise a little hell at those snotty-ass-thinkin’-they’re-so-much-better-snots?”

Bree heard Skylar laugh a little. “No. At this point it really doesn’t matter since they have already pulled Caleb out of his class.”

“Well, look at it this way, Caleb didn’t really like that school anyways, so maybe him changing schools will be a good thing.”

“Yeah.” Skylar sighed. “I’m just not sure here is the best place. All the schools are so closely connected, private and public.” She sighed again loudly, sounding defeated. “Maybe I should just move.”

“Move?” Bree sighed wearily. She didn’t want to lose a friend, not as close as they had become, and she would miss both her and sweet little Caleb. Then a thought hit her. “Move? Yes! Yes, you should!”

“Well, dang, don’t sound so happy to be rid of me—”

“Noooo. I mean, yes. I mean, you should move here with me!”

“What?”

“Yeah, just listen for a minute. You and Caleb can come stay with me until another apartment comes available. Caleb can go to school right here in Mt. Eve. He’ll be close to home and me and you, we could even ride to work together.”

“Bree, I could never ask that of you.”

“You’re not asking, I’m asking you. Besides, you don’t like the apartment you live in now, and Caleb doesn’t like his school.”
And when I go back home at least it won’t be so empty,
she thought. After being at Draco’s she knew how lonely her apartment was going to be. Bree spent the next twenty minutes trying to convince Skylar that moving in with her would be great for all of them.

***

Draco went back up the steps. It had been over thirty minutes, how long did it take for one woman to tell another her problems? And he didn’t want Bree’s breakfast to get cold. As he reached the door, he could hear Bree’s voice.
Apparently it took longer than thirty minutes
. He started to turn back around not wanting to interrupt, when he caught part of what she was saying. “Marcus has been caught.” There was a short pause. “Yes, last night. I’ll tell you all about it later, but my point is, with Marcus locked up, I don’t have to be locked up anymore, and I’m sure Draco will be happy to have me gone so he can finally have his home back.”

Draco took a stumbling step back, turned and leaned against the wall beside the bedroom door.
Have her gone?
His home back?
Home?
Bree’s words squeezed his lungs so tight he could barely breathe. Was that what she thought? He would be happy...happy she was gone?
Home?
Fuck, his house hadn’t felt like a home until…until…her! She made his house a home. The thought of his Breezie not in his house, in his bed, in his arms, just…gone, stole what little breath he had left. Didn’t she know how he felt? Didn’t she know how damn much he loved her and she just…
How the fuck would she know if I never told her?
He pushed himself off the wall and went back down the steps. As soon as she got off the phone, they were going to have a nice long talk, starting with him telling her how much he loved her and that he never wanted her to leave.

*  *  *

Bree finished talking to Skyler and made her way down the steps with her heart feeling as if it were in two pieces. She was happy she had finally convinced Skylar to move in with her. And just hearing Caleb’s whoops and hollers of glee when Skylar told him that not only were they moving in with ‘Auntie’ Bree, but he would be changing schools. No matter how heartbroken she felt about having to leave Draco, Caleb’s “I love you, Auntie Bree!” excited yell over the phone, she couldn’t stop the smile that grew across her face just picturing Caleb jumping around like…like a happy seven-year-old should be. If nothing else, Bree knew that would be the clincher that would seal the deal for Skylar. That she was happy about. She wouldn’t be going back home to an empty place. Skylar, she thought, wouldn’t have to live in that rundown apartment where the owner never fixed anything, and Caleb, sweet little Caleb, would get out of a school he hated and be around kids more his…social standing? “Well, he wouldn’t be in a school full of rich snot nose brats, that’s for sure.” And Skylar would save a whole lot of money by not having to pay that ridiculous high amount of tuition. Now if she could just survive telling Draco goodbye.

When she was halfway across the living room she saw Draco in the kitchen, pacing and mumbling too low for her to understand what he was saying but his tone sounded…pissed?

Before she made it all the way into the kitchen he paused, turned to her, and just stared at her for a beat.

“Dra?” He looked as if he was in pain? Was he hurting? Why? When he said nothing, only continued to stare, she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Dra, is there something wrong?”

“Bree,” he breathed shakily. “Baby, I want…” He looked around, almost like he didn’t know where he was. “This house, without…” He looked back at her. His face had gone completely soft, and he started walking toward her. “Breezie, il mio cuore, ti amo.”

“What does that mean?” She wished she knew Italian, especially when he spoke it so softly to her.

“Breezie…baby, I lo—”

His words and his moving toward her were cut off by the ringing of her phone that she had slipped into her back pocket. She pulled it out intending to cut it off when she noticed the caller’s ID. “SEC.” Storm had programmed that number into her phone and told her to only use it in extreme emergencies, hence the ‘Storm’s Emergency Contact,’ he had programmed it under without using the words. Thank goodness she never had to use it. But never before had Storm used it either. She glanced up at Draco with a frown, then back to the phone, before she hit a button and put it to her ear, as her eyes went back to Draco’s face.

“Hello?”

“Yes, may I speak to Bree Winters?”

“And you are?” she questioned as her eyes drifted away from Draco.

“This is Captain Wells of the Virginia State Police, Special Units Mt. Eve Division. I need to speak to a Miss Breezie Winters.”

“The police?” She gasped as her eyes shot back to Draco, who stared back at her in confusion.

“Yes, ma’am, are you Bree Winters?”

“Uh…yes, yes, I’m Bree.” Her eyes again drifted, as she tried to concentrate on the call.

“Miss Winters, I understand you’ve been under police protection for the past few weeks.”
Past few weeks?
No, he had to be mistaken about that, she thought, but didn’t get the chance to voice those thoughts aloud. “And one of my men has been overseeing that protection at his place of residence, where you currently are now. Am I correct, Miss Winters?”

“You mean Draco? Yes, I’ve been staying at Draco’s for a few
days
.” She made sure to stress that it had been days and not weeks.

“Yes, ma’am, and he is there with you now?”

“Uh…Draco? Yes, he’s right here. Would you like to speak with him?” She took a step toward the now completely still Draco, intending to hand him the phone, when his next words stopped her.

“No, ma’am. This is…well, this is not normally the procedure, but seeing as we are at the moment shorthanded and you are with a fellow officer at the moment…” His words started to drift in and out as Bree tried to figure out why in the world the police was calling her about Draco, who happened to be standing right in front of her, but yet they didn’t want to talk to him. Then some part of her brain registered that Draco was watching her closely; too closely. But yet, he didn’t move toward her. His face was tight, his body tense, as he looked right at her, then the policeman’s voice on the phone broke through her confusion when he said Storm’s name.