7. Haylee

As she sat on the toilet to pee after Kane left the bathroom, Haylee's mind wandered to his words.

Why don't you go potty before we leave…

A shiver went down her spine. The way he talked to her at times, like she was just a little girl, made her insides feel gooey, and she had to clench her thighs together as the lower region of her body also reacted. She had never been spoken to like that, and for some reason, it made her feel safe. Something she hadn't felt for a very long time.

As soon as she finished, she stood and pulled up the loose leggings. She had been shocked when she answered the door that morning to see Kane. When she had seen the picture that Ally had sent her of him, she didn't know what to think. He looked stern, and she could tell he had handsome features, but it was only a headshot. What she hadn't expected was the towering bear of a man who stood in the doorway when she opened it. Everyone was tall compared to her, but he was huge. His enormously broad shoulders and ripped arms made him seem mammoth-sized.

His dark brown eyes and sharp jawline had caught her attention immediately. He looked like he might wrestle alligators for a living, but when she really looked at his eyes, all she saw was warmth and concern. Except when she mentioned Tim—then his expression had turned so hard and cold, it made her shiver. His jaw had clenched, causing the vein in his neck to throb, and his eyes turned so dark they almost looked black. Yeah… alligators didn't have a chance with him.

She hated that she was initially afraid of him. She didn't feel like she needed to be, but between his size and how callous he sometimes seemed, she felt uneasy around him. She didn't know if that uneasiness was actually him or the reaction he was causing between her legs. Either way, she saw his reaction when she stepped back from him, and she felt awful. He'd almost looked as though she had hurt his feelings, and that made her feel like shit. He was just trying to help her.

When he stood over her in the bathroom, looking at her wound, she felt so small in comparison to him. Then again, he was a very large, muscular man. She could only imagine what he would look like without a shirt on.

Don't think about him without clothes on, dummy. He is just helping you because he is a friend of Ally's. He probably has a girlfriend or wife.

"Haylee? Are you okay in there, sweetheart?"

Shit. How long had she been in the bathroom daydreaming?

"Uh… yah. Sorry. I just… I'm coming."

When she walked out, Kane sat in one of the chairs with a look of concern on his face, but as soon as he saw her, the concern disappeared, and then his mouth formed into a smile that probably made women's panties drop.

"I'm ready. Sorry. I'm just moving a bit slow."

The worry in his eyes returned.

"I haven't checked any of your other owies… do you think you have any broken bones? How are your ribs?"

Owies? What was she, two? But the way he spoke to her and said all those cute words made her body react in a way that had her squeezing her thighs together again.

"I don't think I have any broken bones."

His eyes narrowed, "How are your ribs?"

She couldn't help but lower her eyes to the floor to avoid his.

"Come here, Haylee."

She snapped her eyes back to his face. He waited patiently in the chair with his finger pointing to a spot between his legs.

Shit.

"They are fine. I think I'm just sore," she answered hesitantly.

"Come here, please," he said softly, keeping his finger pointed to the spot in front of him.

She slowly walked forward, holding her breath when she stood only inches from him. He reached out for her hand and gently pulled her forward toward him until she was standing between his legs. It was the closest she had been to him except when they were in the bathroom, but this time, instead of having her back to him, they were face-to-face. The scent of woods and citrus filled her nose. Unlike Tim, who wore the most expensive pretty-boy colognes that gave her a splitting headache at times, Kane smelled masculine and fresh.

"I want to make sure you don't have any broken ribs. I'm going to lift up your shirt so I can look at them, unless you want me to take you to the emergency room before we leave to get them checked out?"

His words hovered like a black cloud. She hated hospitals. The thought of going to an emergency room made her feel ill. But the thought of him lifting her shirt made her feel antsy.

"I'm fine. I promise," she whispered.

His expression changed from soft to stern in the blink of an eye, his hands reaching out to hers again, squeezing them gently.

"That was not one of the options, Haylee. You have the choice of going to the hospital or letting me look. What's your choice?"

He isn't here to hurt you. He just wants to make sure you're okay.

"I don't want to go to the hospital."

Kane studied her, still holding both of her hands in his, and he squeezed again and nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to lift your shirt and look. I promise I will be gentle. I will never hurt you, Haylee."

She wished it could be that easy to believe his words. She had trusted Tim, and now she was having to be rescued by Kane, who could probably kill someone just by looking at them.

"Okay."

His large hands slowly moved away from hers and lifted the hem of her shirt. She suspected he was moving slowly so he didn't scare her, but as a result, her breath hitched as his warm hand brushed against her skin. The slowness of him pulling up her shirt was not helping to eliminate the warmth between her thighs. He lifted the shirt only as high as the bottom of her bra line, and his face became dark as he studied her midsection.

"You have a lot of dark bruising around your ribs on the right side. Did he kick you?"

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she shrugged. "I don't know. It was such a blur, and I was trying to shield myself from the blows."

Kane scowled, cursing heavily under his breath.

"Baby girl, you need to go to the hospital. I am afraid to touch anywhere to see if anything might be broken."

Stepping back quickly, she yanked her shirt from his grasp and shook her head. "No! I don't want to go to the hospital! No, no, no! You said one or the other! I don't want to go."

She knew she sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but she didn't care. She stood scowling in front of him as he stayed seated in the chair, looking almost amused. When she didn't say anything more, he finally spoke.

"Are we done with our little tantrum, sweetheart? Did you want to stomp your foot while you're at it?"

Okay, so she really did sound like a child throwing a tantrum. Shit. Why did he sound so amused? She couldn't help shifting from one foot to the other nervously.

"I don't like hospitals. They scare me. I promise I'm okay. I bruise really easily, and I really don't think I have any broken bones. Please don't make me go."

Kane softened, sighing deeply, "Okay, baby girl, calm down. I won't make you go. But when we get back to Pinebrook, I'm going to have a doctor come to my house and check all your wounds. Deal?"

Whatever it took so she didn't have to go to the sterile and terrifying emergency room.

"Yes."

He nodded and stood from the chair, reaching his hand out to tip her head back so she was looking at him. His chocolate-brown eyes studied her face as though he was deciding what to say next.

"In the future, little girl, tantrums will get you in trouble."

"Wha… what?"

"I will never ever hurt you or abuse you, but I also won't allow you to get away with being a naughty little girl, so you better behave."

If his hand hadn't been holding her chin, she was pretty sure her mouth would be hanging open. In trouble? Behave? Naughty little girl? Oh fuck. Why did he talk like that? It should scare her. It should freak her out and make her want to get away from him. But yet, instead of any of those things, all she did was stare up at him and stick her bottom lip out in a slight pout.