Chapter 11 Support Arrives

Wren

I woke from a dream where I was lying on my side on the beach, the sun warmed my back, and a big heavy beach towel weighed my hips down.

I slowly opened my eyes and remembered where I was. That's right. The safe house with Magnum who was right there when we went to bed. Where was he now?

Holy crap.

His hand was wrapped around my hip like a beach towel, and his massive body tucked in behind me was hot like the sun.

My breath stuck in my throat as his hand squeezed then roughly dipped into my waist before brushing the side of my breast.

My heart instantly zoomed to one hundred miles an hour, but I didn't dare move.

His hand slid higher, digging into my hair, his fingers clenching and scratching my scalp. "Fuck, baby." The deepest, most gravelly voice I'd ever heard hummed in my ear. Something round and hard pressed gently between my butt cheeks. "You gotta sleep without panties, so I can have my choice between your ass and your pussy."

Oh. My. God.

My stomach plummeted like I was in free fall from a drop tower ride .

He was clearly half asleep because what he said barely made sense. My gosh. Who did he think he was talking to? Did he have a girlfriend he did things like that with?

Like did girls really just wake up offering their ass to this man? I mean he was hot, but who wanted to be split apart by that tree trunk first thing in the morning?

Was he so excellent in bed that women liked that kind of rough treatment from him?

I was so out of my league with Magnum. His language, his life, his attitudes were all completely opposite of mine, yet he was captivating in a car wreck kinda way.

I contemplated attempting to wake him, but his wandering hand was on the move. His fingers tickled my side and then slipped beneath the edge of my underwear. His fingertips teased the skin of my navel, wiggling and crawling downward.

His mouth landed on my neck and started sucking with open lips. Sweet, hot, wet, mushy, strong kisses with tongue. It tickled and my shoulder automatically came up, but that didn't deter him. He licked between my shoulder blades and pressed his hard cock deeper into my backside.

A low growl vibrated against my neck, and in an instant, the shock disappeared and my blood caught fire. The intensity of the onslaught stole my breath and sucked all the oxygen from my lungs with one huge gasp. I reached back and grabbed the back of his head, arching my spine involuntarily. His tongue raised hot, fiery licks of flame on my skin, consuming me and my every thought, burning me alive. His naughty fingers caused a series of tummy flips and a flurry of tingles between my legs .

My God. Was this what it was like? Did people really feel this intense chasm of need for another person? I ached for him to touch me everywhere. It was unbearable and superb at the same time.

But even in my early-morning, lust-filled haze, I knew this was wrong. He was Gavin's brother. I was technically married, and it would be cheating if I let it continue. I wasn't even sure if he was fully awake and knew what he was doing.

"Uh..." I swallowed the huge lump in my throat and struggled to find my voice. "Mag—"

He growled and moved his hand deeper inside my panties. He'd just brushed my clit when a loud rap on the door startled him awake. His lips left my neck and his head tilted as he froze, eyes closed, listening. It only took one second for him to react. He swiped his hands away, and his heat left my back in a flash of movement.

I held my hand to my heaving chest, trying to control my breathing as he left the room. I scampered out of the bed and stumbled to the doorway, struggling to see through my clouded vision. He approached the front door to the house with a gun in one hand. His other hand covered his crotch.

"Fuck," he ground out after checking the security monitor near the front window.

He looked back at me as I held onto the door frame, still panting and shocked by everything that was happening at lightning speed.

"Shit. Fuck," he said with his brows drawn tight, his eyes wide.

I had to laugh at his confused expression. "Who is it?"

"You dressed?" he asked .

I tugged his T-shirt down. "No!"

Another knock rang out against the door. "Mag, we got a key, man."

"Fuck." He set his gun on the shelf by the window and rushed to pull on his jeans. God, his ass was fantastic in deep red boxer briefs. I caught a glimpse of his still-hard cock in there too. I didn't even realize he'd taken his pants off last night.

He was still buttoning his jeans as he opened the door. I was too mesmerized by the whole thing to react in time.

A crowd of people stood out on the porch, eagerly looking past him toward me. He blocked their entrance and started talking to them.

Too late and fully embarrassed, I ran to the bathroom and locked the door. Murmuring voices, both male and female, filed into the house. My heart pounded in my chest, and I struggled not to hyperventilate as I stared at the door lock. It didn't seem strong enough to keep all those people out. He'd said this place was secure, but the bathroom only had one simple knob lock? He didn't have deadbolts up and down the thing?

After a few short taps, Magnum's hushed voice came through the door. "Wren, you wanna meet my team?"

What? Was he crazy? "No!" I scream-whispered back.

"What's going on?" he asked, like he wasn't just there while the whole fiasco unfolded.

I turned to look in the mirror and gasped. My boobs were swinging out of control. "I have no bra! There's blood in my hair. I'm wearing your T-shirt." I wrapped my arms around my waist and tried to control them, but my nipples were obviously hard, and I felt lost without some form of support to restrain them. My hair was a rat's nest. "I'm freaking out. I can't. They'll all look at me." The shirt, while big, only reached the middle of my thighs. "I have no pants. They'll know what we did. I swear. This is my worst nightmare. I don't like meeting new people. I don't want to be the center of attention. Ever!"

He was quiet for a moment then said, "Right," in a deep, dark tone.

I felt his presence leave the door and more murmurs. Mag raised his voice a few times, but they didn't leave.

My privates were still hot and tingling from Mag's touch, and my chest felt like it might explode. A soft knock and a female voice came through the bathroom door. "Wren? My name is Fiona."

Like Princess Fiona in Shrek?

"I'm a therapist. What do you need right now?"

Mag brought me a therapist? Did he know I was that messed up even though I'd tried so hard to hide it? "I'm not coming out there."

"That's fine. I understand you're scared. I heard there was a bomb set off at your workplace. That must've been terrifying for you."

Oh yeah, the bomb. I'd almost forgotten with all the activity this morning. "I also have no bra! There's blood in my hair. Magnum is... I'm just overwhelmed." This was too much to process. It would be difficult alone but impossible with a room full of strangers out there. They'd be asking me questions about Magnum I didn't have answers to. I had no idea what was going on with us. I didn't know where Gavin was. I was just a disjointed mess all around.

"Alright, sweetie. I brought some supplies and clothes with me. You think you could open the door first and then we'll take it step by step?"

Clothes? She brought clothes? I almost wept at the idea of having clothes to wear. "Can anyone else see?" I asked her.

"No. I closed the bedroom door. It's just you and me. I promise it's all just between us. I won't tell Magnum or anybody anything that happens."

Her voice was very calm and friendly. I slowly opened the door. A pretty woman, a little older and taller than me, stood there with her hair in two braids on the sides like a cowgirl. Her brown-rimmed glasses made her look smart. "Hi," I muttered, feeling stupid for my freak out. Her outfit was cute. Faded jeans, strappy sandals with a small heel, and a cable-knitted brown sweater. She was just another human being and probably friendly if Magnum allowed her back here to talk to me.

"Wanna let me in?" Her big chestnut eyes gazed at me with patient kindness.

I opened the door farther and kept my head down as she looked at me in my disheveled state. "You're doing great, Wren."

"No, I'm not." I huffed a sigh. It was nice of her to try, but I was not handling this well. I was handling this like a girl who'd never left the safety of her bakery before.

"You were very brave to let me in. Are you hurt?" Her face twisted with concern that seemed genuine even though she'd only just met me .

I touched my head and looked at my reflection over my shoulder. "Mag cleaned it with hydrogen peroxide and put bandages on my arms."

"Yes. He did a good job. What do you need first?"

"I think I need to shower?" I felt crusty and dirty all over.

"Okay. Let me start it for you." She turned on the shower and did some shuffling around in her bag. "I put some body soap and shampoo, but you might not want to scrub the wounds yet. Just let the warm water wash over you and heal you in this moment. I'll be just outside if you need me." She walked to the door and closed it behind her, leaving me alone in the bathroom that was starting to fill with steam.

I peeled off Magnum's shirt, my underwear, and the bandage on my knee. The bruise was darker today, but the scrape was healing. The hot water scalded my arms as I walked into the unfamiliar shower stall, and my hands shook as I adjusted it down.

A million thoughts peppered my brain, but I tried to remember what she'd said about healing and focus on the here and now. Slowly, the water weighed my hair down, and I closed my eyes to let it rinse over my face.

Pop-pop-pop-pop .

I gasped, hearing the phantom shots and feeling the glass striking my back all over again. I reached up and drifted my fingers over my scalp under my hair. Nothing was embedded in my skin anymore even though it felt like they were still there. The crusty blood slowly melted away.

Healing. I am healing. Positive thoughts .

Eventually Kenny would give up his crazy pursuit of me, Magnum was here, and I felt confident in him, Gavin would return soon, hopefully. Oh boy, then what would happen?

I pushed that thought away as I removed the smaller bandages from the backs of my arms. Magnum had taken care of me so gently for such a big guy. He'd massaged my skin and stayed close so I could sleep.

Maybe the team didn't even see me in the T-shirt, and this could be a fresh start with new friends, people that Magnum knew and were most likely friendly like Fiona.

After a few minutes, I did feel calmer and then I felt silly for losing my composure. I turned off the water and used a towel to gently dry my skin. The wounds ached a little but not too bad as I dried my hair. I was healing.

"I think I'm okay now," I said to Fiona through the door.

"Good. Can I come back in?"

"Yes."

She walked in slowly and went to her bag. "Let's see what we have that might fit you."

"I'm mostly worried about a bra."

"Okay."

She pulled out both regular bras and sports bras and lay them out on a towel on the bathroom counter. A gray cotton sports bra looked clean and welcoming. I picked it up and checked the size. "This will work."

"Here's some other clothing options."

She left again while I put on the bra and a pair of black bikini underwear. I threw my white ones in the trash. It felt wasteful, but I didn't have anywhere to store them. I chose a pair of black cotton leggings and a gray T-shirt that said " Knight Security" with a horse logo on the pocket. I felt covered and protected. I added a large pale pink hoodie with a zipper and a cool boho leaf pattern.

I opened the door and smiled at her.

"You look great."

"Pink's my favorite color." Although I never wore it. I usually stuck to black and gray to blend in. Wearing a light spring color made me feel bright and cheerful in the gloomy weather we'd been having.

"Well, good then. I'm glad we brought that one. What's next?"

"Did you bring a toothbrush?"

"I did."

We reentered the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and pulled my hair back in a low ponytail with a hairband.

"There ya go. Feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Alright, do you feel strong enough to meet the team or do you want to talk to me alone first?"

"Wren?" Magnum was back at the door, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm okay. I'll be out in a little bit."

"Let me know if you want them to leave. I can have them out in a second."

It warmed my heart the way that Magnum was trying to comfort me. He would even send his friends away just because I was nervous. "No, no. I want to meet them. I'm almost ready."

"Gotcha."

I felt him leave the room again .

"Good job," Fiona said with a calming smile. "We can talk another time about all that's going on. I'll give you my number. I'm here if you need a friend."

"Thank you for helping me through this." I took a deep breath, another look in the mirror, and took her offered hand as we headed out to face "the team."