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“You were so fucking brave, Vanna,” Chase said, his voice almost like a supportive caress. “And you actually saved yourself. I just finished the bastard off.”
Chase was so full of it. “If you hadn’t been there to knock Jeffrey senseless, I would have been dead.”
“If you weren’t with me, you wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place,” Chase rasped. “Where did you learn to fight back like that?”
“I’ve had some self-defense classes. I used to go to some dangerous places. I thought it would be a good idea,” I told him. “I wasn’t sure what to do. I knew if I could just get that knife away from my neck, I’d have a chance. How’s your hand? What happened to the ice pack they put on it?”
Chase’s knuckles were pretty swollen from boxing without a glove, but they’d X-rayed it, and nothing was broken, thank God.
“I’m good, Vanna,” Chase replied, blowing off my concern. “I’m more worried about you. I don’t think the visions of you with a knife at your neck and about to die are going to leave my brain anytime soon.”
“You felt it, too, didn’t you?” I asked in a shaky voice. “Hewasready to kill me. He wasn’t bluffing.”
Chase stood, kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed beside me. He cradled my body against his before he answered, “I told you I wouldn’t lie to you, so yeah, I felt it. He was a madman, Vanna. I could tell you knew it, too. That’s why I was ready when you made a move.”
A shiver ran through my body.
I didn’t really want to think about how close I’d come to dying.
The thing that had actually saved me was probably the close connection I had with Chase—so close that we could almost hear each other thinking in a dire situation.
“Is it horrible that I really am glad he’s dead?” I wondered aloud in a hesitant voice.
Chase buried a hand in my hair and pulled my head gently to his chest. “Fuck, no. Who knows how much time he would have gotten in the end, and that bastard was dangerous. I’ve seen people who were already past the point of no return. He was there. I’ve had a bad feeling about this situation for a while. It didn’t feel right. I should have never taken you out. It’s ironic that I got you a protection dog and this happened when you couldn’t even have Axel with you.”
I could tell he was really troubled. “I had you. It’s over, Chase. It’s not your fault. You never could have anticipated something like this happening.”
I knew he was feeling guilty about the whole situation, and he had no reason to feel that way.
“I should have anticipated it,” he answered harshly. “Jesus! I nearly got you killed just because you’re my woman, Vanna. You’ve been through enough.”
“I’m not dead, Chase,” I said softly.
“Let’s not talk about this right now,” he said abruptly. “Let’s just focus on you getting well. You sound tired.”
“I feel like my brain is still a little scrambled, and I’m exhausted. I think it’s probably more emotional than physical. I’m a little overwhelmed,” I admitted.
“I’m not surprised,” he said morosely. “You’ve had two near-death experiences in the last six months.”
“True,” I said as I released a big breath.
“Sleep, Vanna,” he said gently. “It’s been an insane day.”
“For both of us,” I added with a yawn.
I was exhausted, and I knew my head would be more together after I slept.
I burrowed into his body, trying to get comfortable, still feeling like something wasn’t quite right with Chase.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked him.
“I’ll feel better when I can get you home,” he confessed. “I hate hospitals.”
My heart fell as I thought about how much time he’d spent in the hospital after the attack in the military. “I wasn’t even thinking about how much you must dislike being in one. I’m sorry.”
“Relax, baby. You haven’t had the best experiences with hospitals yourself,” he said huskily. “It’s not going to kill me to stay here tonight. I’ll just be more relaxed when you’re back in a normal environment with Axel.”
My eyes fluttered closed.
