Page 45 of Rescuing Baylee

“Are you okay?” he asked as he took her into his arms.

She knew what he was asking. “I’m perfect,” she said, and it was true.

There had been no flashbacks or even thoughts of what had happened to her eleven years ago, and she was so appreciative of that. “For a long time,” she whispered, “everything I did reminded me of the rape. Colors, scents, a hint of an accent. It took a lot of intensive therapy for me to even talk about it. And it took me years to even enter into a relationship where I could think about sex. With you, though, there was no hesitation. I thank you for taking the time with me, though.”

He shook his head, his eyes narrowed with tiredness. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for me. Your body pleases me immensely, and as soon as I get some sleep, I’ll show you again.”

He gave her a rakish grin and pulled her tight. It was a little warm under the sheet, but Baylee didn’t care. Closing her eyes, she let herself appreciate being held so close.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Landon was in trouble.

They’d made love twice last night, and it hadn’t even begun to satisfy him. Baylee was… like no other woman he’d ever met. She was giving and warm, spicy, and so damn smart. There had to be something off, or something she did wrong, some quirk he hadn’t seen yet. She couldn’t be as perfect as he thought. Right?

Man, she had literally rocked his world last night. He’d tried to be careful of her, and he was glad he’d taken the time, because she seemed to be okay today. He’d never been with a woman who had been assaulted before, so he didn’t know about her triggers. He’d gone to bed with her, knowing that at some point he might have to stop what he was doing immediately, if she freaked. And he was totally okay with that. The night had been more special than he could have imagined, though, and he was getting excited just thinking about it.

This was not the place to do that. They were at the graveside service for Dr. William Grant, former head of the emergency department of Dell-Seton hospital. And even though they’d gotten the strange promise on the dead body that they weren’t coming after Baylee anymore, Landon wasn’t going to trust the gang bangers. He would stand back and survey and watch outfor everyone here. Morgan was stationed at the front of the cemetery with a couple of marked cars, and Cass was circulating through the huge crowd.

Dr. Grant had been a vital part of the hospital, and it looked like about two hundred people had shown up to honor him. It was standing room only. There were about thirty chairs positioned at the front of the service for close family and friends. Everyone else had to stand. Before he’d joined the staff at Dell-Seton, Grant had been in the Navy, so the military contingent was here as well. His coffin was in still in the hearse, though. Obviously, the funeral staff were waiting for the crowd to sort out.

Landon surveyed the area. It was a beautiful day in Austin, and a breeze had moved in to ease some of the heat. Which was good, because with that many people crowded around the gravesite, both sitting and standing, it would have been a lot.

For a while, it was hard to see Baylee. She stood with several other women, nurses, he assumed, before a younger man in a suit escorted her toward the front of the service and into a chair. The family must have requested she be closer, or something. He wasn’t sure how services like this worked. He could tell by Baylee’s expression, and the heightened color in her cheeks, that she didn’t like the special attention.

Landon moved around the crowd. There was a bit of a slope to the area, so it was easy enough for him to take a little higher elevation so that he could monitor Baylee. She’d been positioned at the end of an aisle, near an older man in a dark suit, and they seemed to be chatting.

The service was about to start, and he glanced around the crowd, watching for trouble.

Baylee didn’t like being singledout, so, when the attendant came to get her, she almost didn’t go. She wasn’t sure why the family wanted her seated near them, because she certainly hadn’t done Dr. Grant any good. Maybe if she’d acted sooner…

Whatever the reason, she wasn’t going to argue or put up a fuss, so she followed the man across the fake green grass carpet to the third aisle from the front. Smiling, the attendant removed the ‘reserved’ sign and motioned for her to sit. Baylee sat down, brushing against the older man beside her. “Sorry,” she said, smoothing down her dark skirt and crossing her legs.

“It is no problem,” the man said, his voice deep and tinged with an accent. He shifted a little to give her more room. “I don’t think they knew how many people would show up to pay their respects.”

“Yes, I don’t think so either,” she said, and leaned against the back of the chair. She looked for Landon and spotted him on the far rise. He wore a dark suit, sunglasses, and his hands were folded in front of himself. He’d gelled his dark hair today, making it look wet, and she wanted to run her fingers through it.

Last night had been amazing, and her body felt the effects of being loved so thoroughly. She was a little achy, down low, but certainly not enough that she wouldn’t make love with him again today, if they got the chance. Her breasts tingled as she thought about the way he had cared for her last night. They hadn’t made any promises to each other, or voiced anything about the future, but that was okay for now.

This morning he’d gone home to shower and change, and it had been so quiet in the apartment after he’d left. She’d taken her own shower and gotten ready for the eleven-a.m. service. Even though she’d known he was coming to pick her up, it still startled her when he knocked on the door at ten o’clock. It took about thirty minutes to get to the cemetery, so they needed to leave soon.

When he entered the apartment, though, he’d very naturally leaned down and dropped a kiss to her lips. Then he’d paused and spent a little more time kissing her. Neither one of them cared that the door was standing wide open, and anyone could have seen them. They were too lost in each other to even realize.

As she looked at him, he gave her a lopsided smile. It was enough to make her tummy flip, and she grinned back at him. Then she remembered where they were, and she sobered.

“He’s a handsome man,” the older Hispanic gentleman murmured beside her, drawing her attention. He nodded his chin up the hill, toward Landon.

“Yes, he is,” she sighed, glancing back at Landon.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Baylee cocked her head. Was he? “It’s complicated,” she said eventually.

The man made a forward motion with his hand. “Did you know Dr. Grant,” he asked softly.

Baylee glanced around. The service was about to start, but there were still people getting settled and talking. “Not exactly. He was just an acquaintance.”

The older man twisted in his chair a little, looking at her. His gaze settled on her scar, tracing it from end to end, and something softened in his expression. “My grandmother’s grandmother was asoldadera. She fought in the Mexican Revolution, and stories of her heroism have been passed down through my family for generations. You have the look of asoldadera,with your fierce eyes and scar.”