Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

K ane was fighting a battle that he didn't know if he wanted to win. Waverly Davenport had snuck up on him and waged war on his heart that she wasn't even aware she was doing. He'd thought she was attractive when he first saw her picture, but he had never acted on any attraction with a client. Mostly because they were either married, too young, or too snobby. They'd been thankful for his rescues, and he'd been offered their bodies more than once, married or not. But he'd never been tempted.

Waverly tempted him. Mainly because he knew she didn't even know she was doing it. It was just her . He found her tendency to ramble about math and science when she was nervous adorable. It gave him a little hope that maybe she felt this attraction, too, based on the number of calculations she'd been doing since waking up. It was refreshing to be free from any kind of games. Instead, they were just getting to know each other in a life-or-death situation. It led to cutting through the bullshit and straight to the heart of one's feelings and thoughts.

The walk across the island had been a deeper discussion than he'd ever had on an actual date. He felt now as if he really knew what made Waverly who she was. She might see herself as a science nerd, but he saw her as a strong woman in a male-dominated field who didn't back down when challenged because, while she might not be secure in her dating life, she was in her professional one. That confidence in her intelligence and career wasn't ego. It was fact, plain and simple. Waverly was a good team leader. She led by example for both her coworkers and her sister. Her inner strength was admirable. So was her ability to take in a situation, analyze it, and act prudently. There were no meltdowns during this rescue and he'd bet there hadn't been when she'd been held hostage.

Then there was the way he felt when he held her in his arms and when he touched her. Holding her for almost two days wasn't even close to enough. He wanted more. He needed more. Kane kept a tight grip on Waverly's hand, even though they were now safe aboard, simply because he didn't want to break that physical connection.

"Here you go," Johnson told them before opening a door. "I'll get the food and send Dr. Robbins. If you need anything, there's a walkie plugged in there. I'm 8-5-9 and Captain Cox is 6-0-6. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you," Kane told him as he held out his hand to shake Johnson's. "We really appreciate it."

Kane hadn't dropped Waverly's hand as they walked into the cabin. Immediately, Kane noticed one key thing and he wasn't even upset about it. There was only one bed. And it was small, probably a double. They'd both fit, but it would be tight. Not that Kane minded cozy. Nope, not at all.

Waverly frowned when she saw it but then nibbled absently on her lip. "Did you know that the amount of weight you can load on a cargo ship is directly related to the buoyancy of the hold? It's physics."

Kane smiled because she hadn't taken her eyes off the bed for so much as a second since they'd entered the cabin. "Why don't you sit down and I'll see if there's any clean spare clothes that we can put on."

Finally, and not without some reluctance, Kane dropped Waverly's hand. She kept her eyes on the bed but went to sit in the chair at the small table in the sitting area instead. Kane headed to the wardrobe bolted into the wall and opened the doors. Inside were blankets, towels, and some extra pillows, but no clothes.

There was a knock on the door and Waverly jumped. Kane moved to the door and cracked it open. An older man with a stethoscope and a medical bag stood there, looking slightly confused.

"Dr. Robbins?" Kane asked.

"Yes, but I'm trying to figure out who you are and why Johnson said I couldn't ask."

Kane opened the door and Doctor Robbins, with his brown hair with gray temples, walked in. His eyes took in Waverly, but it wasn't with romantic interest. It was with a diagnostic eye. "Well, I can tell from here you're dehydrated." He turned to Kane and pinched the skin on his arm. "You too. I'll bring up some IV fluids when I'm done with my exam. Who wants to go first?"

"I'm fine," Kane told him. "She needs your attention. She has a cut that was severely infected. She was unconscious for almost two days." Kane then filled him in on the medicine he'd given her and the course of treatment.

Dr. Robbins was all business as he got to work on Waverly. He asked her questions, did a head-to-toe exam, and peeled back the bandage to examine the wound. "You did a good job. She wouldn't have made it if you didn't get this under control. I'll bring up IV antibiotics and also run a blood panel."

Kane moved to hold Waverly's hand when Dr. Robbins began to clean the wound. Waverly winced and squeezed his hand but remained calm during what looked to be a very painful cleaning. However, even Kane could see how badly this deep clean on the wound was needed, even as blood began to flow from the wound.

"This needs stitches now that it's cleaned out. It'll scar, badly, but we're getting the infection out at least." Doctor Robbins reached into his bag to pull out a syringe and a vial. "Let's numb this. While I wait for it to work, I'll go get everything we need."

Waverly's jaw tightened as the needle slid into her skin in different places. Then Dr. Robbins turned his attention to Kane. "Amuse me," he said, and giving Kane no option, he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm.

Five minutes later, Kane had the all-clear, except for the need of fluids, Dr. Robbins left the room to head back to the onboard medical area. Kane took a moment to explore the cabin. He opened a door and smiled. "A bathroom, including a shower."

Waverly groaned, and holy crap, it went straight to his dick. It was the sound of pleasure and it was addictive. He'd do anything to get Waverly to make that sound again.

"I bet after our treatment, we can take a shower and get cleaned up."

There was another knock on the door and Kane moved to open it just a sliver to lookout. It was Johnson holding a tray loaded with food. Kane opened the door and Waverly groaned again at the smell of the hot food. Kane snagged the tray from Johnson. He was the only one who should make Waverly groan in pleasure.

Jealousy and lust raged within him, but Kane pushed the feelings down. Waverly wasn't his to do all the things he was imagining. He had to keep it professional.

"Johnson, is there any way we could get some clean clothes?" Kane asked Johnson as he was walking out.

"Sure. I'll be right back."

Waverly was already digging into her food, moaning, and causing him to picture her naked and underneath him as she made those same noises. Then she looked up at him with big eyes. "Aren't you going to eat?"

What Kane wanted to eat wasn't on the menu. But he smiled and took a seat across from her to enjoy the first real meal they'd had in days.

Kane and Waverly had just finished eating when there was another knock on the door. This time when Kane opened it, he found both Johnson and Dr. Robbins. Johnson reached out and handed a stack of clothes to him as the doctor walked into the room and began hooking up Waverly's IV. He next turned to Kane and motioned for him to sit.

"It'll take about an hour for the fluids to drain from the bag," Dr. Robbins told them as he inserted the needle into Kane's arm before turning back to Waverly and beginning to stitch up her wound.

"Can we shower when we're done?" Waverly asked, eyeing the shower longingly.

"Yes. I'll put another waterproof covering on your wound. Just don't submerge it. Now, I'll be back in an hour to unhook you both and will have the blood test results."

Dr. Robbins left and Waverly closed her eyes. "I can't believe this is real. This has been one big nightmare I haven't fully woken up from."

"It'll all be okay and this nightmare will be just a memory in a couple of months," Kane told her.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "You're the only good thing to have come from this. Thank you for rescuing me. I'm just so overwhelmed. What do we do next? Will I ever get my life back? Will I ever be safe?"

Kane reached out and took her hand in his. Instantly, he felt centered, like his world suddenly made sense. "You will. I guarantee it."

Waverly held her breath. She hoped Kane would never move his hand from hers. She felt incredibly safe and free when she was with him. Sexy, strong, and virile, Kane Townsend somehow made her feel more herself than anyone she'd ever met. He didn't make her feel as if she needed to downplay her intelligence. His self-confidence bolstered her own and made her want to tell him more and more about herself and things that were important to her. She wanted to discuss science, math, and all those things that got her mind racing because she knew he'd listen and that was a massive turn-on. She felt that he accepted all her social awkwardness. He was so confident in himself that it made her feel confident. When he said she'd be safe, she believed it.

They spent the hour talking about their time in college, funny stories from their jobs, and embarrassing moments they'd both had. It was as if the more they talked the more her soul was filled.

"How about that shower?" Kane asked once they'd been detached from the IVs and after Dr. Robbins told them he'd be back tomorrow for another dose of fluids and antibiotics. Her blood panel showed the infection was under control now but still too high not to treat. He wanted to hit it hard with the IV meds. By the time they arrived in Charleston, she'd be one hundred percent.

"A shower sounds heavenly." Waverly let Kane help her up and he handed her a towel and some clean clothes.

"I found a brush and some personal kits in the bathroom. I set them out. I've never been so excited as when I saw a toothbrush," Kane said with a laugh as he held the bathroom door open for her.

Waverly turned to Kane. He smiled at her and she wished it was for the same reason she was smiling at him. "Thank you, Kane. For everything."

The shower was transcendent. Waverly came out of the bathroom feeling more like herself than she had since she'd been taken. Kane was lying on the bed and Waverly instantly stumbled. There wasn't much room left on that bed. Just enough for her to squeeze in next to Kane.

"Feel better?" Kane asked.

Waverly could only nod since when Kane sat up to talk to her, he reached down and stripped off his shirt. Yeah, what was she thinking? A man like that would not be interested in a lab geek like her.

"Much. I feel human again."

"Good. My turn."

Kane strode off as Waverly wished for something she could never have. It was time to focus on who was after her and how they were going to bring her back to life. Waverly crawled into bed and sighed blissfully. She'd never take a bed for granted again.

She placed her head on the pillow and her analytical mind was no match for exhaustion and finally feeling safe. Just before she drifted off, she felt the bed dip and then a warm body was pressed against her.

"Sleep. I've got you."

Waverly smiled into the pillow and gave into the pull of sleep.