Harbor, page 5
She could barely see him out of the slit in one eye. The other was swollen entirely shut. He was squatting next to her where she lay on the same filthy mattress the militants had used to rape her. Stu had at least flipped it over, but it still made her shudder.
She reached out with her better hand and grabbed his arm. “Give me your gun. If you won’t put me out of my misery, at least let me do it,” she mumbled.
“Not a chance, Maya. You’re going to live. You’re strong. Fight.”
“It’s not safe to stay here, Stu. What if they come back?”
“They won’t. If they do, I’ll kill them all.”
Maya winced as she rolled her head back to center. “Everything hurts. I probably have internal damage. Let me die,” she pleaded.
“No. I’m going to help you heal, and then you’re going to live a full life.”
She didn’t want to live. Not any life. She wanted to die. She didn’t want to face her injuries, not the external or the internal ones. She couldn’t imagine what she looked like. Every inch of her body was beaten, bloody, and bruised.
She had been marginally aware of Stu finding her and then patching her up. He’d cleaned her wounds, stitched the worst of the cuts, and done his best to make her comfortable.
It was by sheer coincidence he’d found her, and only because this particular cabin was one she’d occasionally used as an outpost. When she hadn’t returned to the compound or checked in, he’d come looking for her at every possible location he’d known she could be. Too bad he hadn’t found her before the militants had done their damage and left her for dead.
“I’m going to get you out of this cabin as soon as it’s possible to move you,” he informed her.
She shook her head, wincing when it hurt. “No. Stu. Listen to me. Leave me. Give me your gun and leave me.”
“Not gonna happen, babe. We need you. You have more work to do. People to save. It’s your life. Don’t let those motherfuckers win. Fight.”
“Stu…”
Chapter 13
Advic was gone when Maya woke up the next time. Not just from the bed but from the room. It surprised her. The bed wasn’t even warm next to her. He’d left a while ago.
She winced as she pushed herself to sit up and then groaned when her arms gave out and she dropped back down on her back. “Shit.” She hated being weak. For the second time in her life, she was completely helpless and at the mercy of others.
Her leg wasn’t throbbing as badly. That was a good sign. But if she didn’t get her strength back, she would be stuck here for much longer than she’d like.
She needed to get back to the compound. People were undoubtedly already looking for her. They wouldn’t know to look here. Hell, Stuart would be one of those people. He was protective of her. They had a bond, a friendship, that ran deeper than any other relationship she’d ever had. They’d never once been lovers, but they were tight.
Yeah, by now, Stu would be scouring every possible outpost she’d ever used. He would be worried and frantic, which also meant he would be away from his newly formed family unit, causing Ariel, Tarin, and Kester to worry too.
Dario stepped into the room. “You’re awake.”
“Where’s Advic?” she asked before she could stop herself. Why did she care?
Dario came to her side. “He needed to leave for a few days.” Dario didn’t meet her gaze. He busied himself checking her pulse, staring at her arm.
“What? Why?” And why do I care?
“We don’t stay underground all the time, sweetheart. Sometimes one of us leaves to run errands.” He shrugged, still not looking at her.
“But that’s not what happened this time, is it?” She grabbed his arm. “Dario, what aren’t you telling me?”
He sighed and finally met her gaze. “You don’t give up, do you?”
“Never.”
“He went to get word to your people.”
She gripped Dario’s arm harder. “Why? That’s dangerous.” And why didn’t he talk to her? Why would he just take off while she was asleep?
“He’ll be fine. Obviously, you have people looking for you. They need to know where you are and that you’re safe.”
“And he suddenly decided that while I was sleeping?” Something wasn’t adding up. “How does he even know where to go?”
“He knows the location of some of your outposts. He’ll go there first. If he doesn’t find anyone, he’ll leave a note so they’ll know you’re safe.” He moved down to her leg and lifted it, flexing her ankle back and forth several times.
The pain was lessening. It was more tolerable than earlier. She was healing.
“Do you need to use the bathroom again? I can carry you in there.”
“You can stop changing the subject and tell me why Advic really left the clinic.” She frowned. Yes, she’d felt his strength when he’d carried her from the bathroom to her room earlier. She knew he was strong, but how street smart was he? Did he have any experience tracking people? He was a medic. He was trained to save people’s lives in a hospital setting. She wasn’t at all sure he was savvy enough to fend for himself wandering around outside.
Dario ignored her and switched to bending her leg at the knee, the stretch making her wince, which helped cover her scowl.
After a few minutes, she spoke again. “Yes. Please take me to the bathroom.” She needed to start getting proactive about her recovery. The only way to do that would be to get out of this bed, stretch more, and start working on her arm strength. She might need crutches for a while, but without upper body strength, she would be exhausted.
Dario didn’t mention the wheelchair, and it was nowhere in sight this time. He simply came to her side, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her to the bathroom.
He didn’t make as much fanfare about it as Advic had, but he did keep his hands on her shoulders to ensure she was steady after setting her on the toilet. He tipped her head back with two fingers under her chin. “Don’t try to stand, sweetheart. You’re not strong enough. I know you’re used to being independent, and I have no doubt you’re fierce, but not today.” He lifted a brow.
She rolled her eyes.
He leaned closer, so close she could smell his scent. The soap he’d used to shower. His toothpaste. Did he have aftershave?
She held her breath while he held her gaze. For a moment she thought he might kiss her, which was absurd. He even let his gaze wander to her lips.
When she licked them, he inhaled slowly and then released her. “I’ll be right outside.”
She watched him exit. He was built. He was also six feet tall. Keanu was a few inches taller, but not as broad. Advic was a few inches shorter but still taller than Maya.
Why was she comparing them? Fuck.
She was shaking, and not from exertion. This time she was trembling from her reaction to Dario. The man wasn’t just in charge of this clinic and obviously the oldest of the three, he was a more dominant personality.
Dario’s smile lit up a room, but his no-holds-barred, furrowed brow could stop people in their tracks. She had no doubt he would read her the riot act if she dared try to stand.
She wouldn’t because at the moment she didn’t have a death wish. She’d certainly had days when she’d wished for death over the alternative, one of which had occurred a week ago, but not today. This was a minor setback. Her leg was going to heal. She would walk and run and climb again because she wouldn’t accept anything less than a full recovery.
After finishing her business, she took a deep breath and considered defying Dario, mostly just to get a rise out of him. She eyed the tub, wanting a bath more than anything. Her long blond hair was tumbling all around her, unbound after Advic washed it and combed it out. It had dried in long ringlets.
Normally, she never wore her hair down. It got in the way. The only reason she kept it this long was because it was easier to braid it out of her face than try to manage shorter hair.
“Maya…” Dario dragged her name out in a warning tone.
“Yeah. I’m done.”
He opened the door and stepped back inside.
She pointed at the tub. “May I?”
He set his hands on his hips. “Advic warned me you would try to talk me into letting you soak in the tub.”
She lifted a brow, detesting her reliance on these men. “Did the three of you have a meeting to decide if I’d be permitted to bathe?”
He chuckled. “You wish.”
That response was unexpected.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall several inches from her. Also unexpected.
Her arms were trembling, and by now so were her legs, infuriating her.
“The huddle we had was to draw straws to decide who would get the pleasure of helping you bathe.” He smirked.
She froze. That was unexpected. Not so much that they’d had that discussion, nor that they’d thought about helping her, but that Dario had verbalized it. The man was full of surprises today. “Who won?”
He laughed. “Doesn’t matter. I’m the one here now.”
“Maybe you could just fill the tub, help me get closer to it, and leave me to manage.” She didn’t word that as a question.
“Maybe you could stop trying to assert your independence and accept help when you need it.”
Her gaze roamed up and down his frame, soaking him in more than she’d previously been able to. He was more muscular than she’d originally assessed. His biceps were bulging. His white T-shirt was almost too tight, stretched across his pecs. He wasn’t dressed like a doctor today. He had on jeans that hugged his package well enough she could easily tell he was hard.
“You done?” he asked when her gaze wandered back up to his face.
“This entire scenario is unfair,” she pointed out.
“How so?”
“You’ve all undoubtedly seen me completely naked for one.”
He frowned. “Trust me, sweetheart, none of us has ever been less than professional when it came to you, especially while you were unconscious. We aren’t into somnophilia.”
“What the hell is somnophilia?”
“The desire to have sex with unconscious people.”
She groaned. “Fine. But I’m not sleeping now, and you’re interested, so it makes me uncomfortable having you watch me bathe.”
“Watching you? Maya, I’m going to help you.”
She groaned louder.
“You want me to wear a blindfold?” he joked.
“It’s not a bad idea.”
He chuckled, his chest rising and falling. “Not a chance. It’s up to you. If you want to take a bath, one of us needs to be here to help. Or you can wait a few days.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. The bath was so very tempting. She also knew he was right. She might slip if she tried to do it herself. She glanced at him again. “At least take your shirt off so I can ogle your naked chest while you’re seeing mine.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Deal.” He leaned over to turn on the water, feeling it to make sure it was the right temperature before putting the stopper in. When he stood back, he reached over his head and tugged his T-shirt over his body in one fluid motion.
She held her breath while she stared at his fucking amazing chest, her hands fisted on her thighs. Jesus. She rarely paid attention to men’s chests. Not even a double-take. Her sexual reaction to men had been dormant for so long she’d assumed it was permanently damaged. But now… Lordy.
He approached her slowly and then reached behind her head to untie the bow holding her entire gown up. He slid it down her arms and draped it over the sink behind him without looking.
She shivered under his gaze as he lifted her off the toilet and carried her over to the tub. “Keep your leg in the air while I lower you. I don’t want the bandage getting wet yet.”
She bit her lip while he eased her down into the warm water. It felt amazing, but she hadn’t considered the logistics of keeping her leg dry.
Dario draped her bum leg over the edge of the tub, which forced her thighs to part wide and caused her to panic. She sat upright, using one hand to cover her private parts as she shook her head. “Never mind. I can’t do this.”
He grabbed a small hand towel from the rack behind him and lowered it into the water, covering her pussy.
She was panting as he met her gaze, one hand on her back, one on her cheek. “Take a breath.”
She hadn’t noticed she’d been holding her breath, but she couldn’t do it. Her eyes were wide and she glanced back at the space between her legs. She was totally covered now. Sure, he could see her breasts bobbing in the water, but at least her most private area was no longer exposed, spread open.
She finally drew in a breath. Maybe she could do this. Bathe at least. But her panic told her a lot about her state of mind. All three of these men might be drop-dead gorgeous and attractive, but she was too damaged to let things go further with them.
Maya never should have even entertained the idea of flirting with these men. What had she been thinking? She wasn’t capable of any kind of relationship. Not even one night or one fuck or one make-out session.
It was foolish of her to think she could indulge in anything of the sort. Continuing to flirt with them would be cruel to all of them.
The tips of her hair were dragging in the water. That was the first thing she needed to deal with, and it would give her something to do to break this weird interaction. “Do you have a hairband?”
“I can probably make something work.”
She shook her head. “Get one out of my bag. The outside pocket.”
He slowly released her. “You won’t slide under the water and hurt yourself while I’m gone?”
“Nope. I’m good.” She grabbed the sides of the tub, white-knuckling the porcelain. Her arms were shaking but she would manage for a few minutes.
Dario hesitated and then rose to his feet and exited the bathroom.
“Dario?” The voice questioning him was Keanu’s, and seconds later he was standing in the bathroom door. “Oh.” He swallowed. “I didn’t realize you were having a bath.” He didn’t turn away or even remove his gaze. In fact, his fingers turned as white as hers when he gripped the doorframe.
“Found one.” Dario held a hair band up over Keanu’s shoulder. “Excuse me,” he said, trying to get Keanu to release the doorframe so he could pass.
Keanu slowly shifted his gaze from Maya to Dario and then snapped out of his trance and stood to one side. “Did she splash you or something?” he joked as he glanced down at Dario’s naked chest.
Dario came to her side, leaned over, and gathered her hair until he was holding it high on her head. He expertly twisted the band around until he had a perfect messy bun that would keep her locks out of the water.
“It’s my rule,” Maya told Keanu, trying not to panic by keeping things light and playful. This wasn’t her but it covered her internal turmoil. “If you intend to continue standing there watching, you have to take off your shirt too.”
Keanu chuckled, but he didn’t leave. The man removed his shirt in the same graceful fashion as Dario had, tossing it absently behind him. Now she had yet another sexy male chest to ogle. This one was dark-skinned. He was just as muscular, but not as broad. Keanu was slender.
“Happy?” he asked.
“I’m not sad,” she responded, not hiding her satisfaction.
Dario folded up another towel and set it behind her on the edge of the tub. “Lean back, sweetheart. This will go under your neck.”
“Maybe you could just hand me the soap, and I could wash quickly and get back out.”
“I don’t think quick is in your vocabulary this week, Maya,” Keanu pointed out. “Nor is sitting for any length of time. Lean back,” he demanded.
She sighed, her arms nearly losing their grip as she lowered her body backward.
Dario helped her. She hated that she was panting by the time her neck was against the folded towel. Most of the panting was from exertion. Some of it was from unwanted sexual arousal.
Dario dropped another towel onto the floor next to her and kneeled on it before he grabbed a washcloth, wet it, and rubbed it with soap. He gently took her arm and started washing her.
She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the two of them staring at her boobs while Dario bathed her. So many emotions were running through her head. She was conflicted.
She had a nice body, and she knew it, so she felt good about the appreciative stares. On the other hand, she wasn’t fond of people looking at her for any reason. Under most circumstances, she would put them in their place either with a glare or by punching them in the nose.
There was something different about these men, something that made her soften to them. She wanted to be pissed, but she couldn’t muster the will. They weren’t random assholes who wanted to get in her pants. They were kind and gentle and loving. They liked her.
It felt nice to be appreciated. It also felt strange, and she needed to make it clear she wasn’t available because she wasn’t available to anyone and never would be. Her reaction to being exposed to them when Dario spread her legs open was proof to remind her she’d never be able to spread her legs for any man. Never again.
Most of the time, she could put what happened to her in the back of her mind and ignore it. She had a running pep talk with herself that she pulled out whenever she was feeling down. She would remind herself she was a fucking badass. People counted on her. She rescued people and saved lives.
Her mission in life was so important she didn’t have the right to check out just because some motherfuckers took something from her that didn’t belong to them. Or they tried.
They almost succeeded, too. If Stuart would have let her kill herself that day, she wouldn’t have hesitated. But he’d forced her to live, and he’d been her rock, keeping her sane during the darkest days of her life.
There had been times when she’d asked herself why she wasn’t sexually attracted to him. He was a gorgeous man. Kind and generous too. But she’d never felt that way about him.
She’d never felt that way about anyone since.
