Johnny was right when he said the place was stocked. I fix myself a small lunch and then work my way into the enormous living room with windows that edge all the way up to the second story.
Using the laptop I found on the kitchen counter, I Google how to start a fire in a fireplace and get one going in the enormous stone-encased fireplace that takes up one whole wall. Then, I lie down on the sectional sofa, staring at the flames as they burn brighter and brighter. I’m not close enough to the fireplace to feel the heat, but I’m close enough to enjoy the dancing flames and the somehow soothing nature of watching a fire crackle and burn.
Sometime later, car tires crunch on the stone parking area. I peek my head over the top of the couch and watch as a black car parks just short of the porch. For a panic-inducing few moments, I watch the vehicle until a familiar dark head juts out over the top.
I move to a sitting position and gaze at the entry as I wait for him to walk in. He unlocks the door and strides inside, throwing a set of keys on the counter before turning to greet me.
My mouth parts, and I immediately get to my feet at the sight of the crimson streaks and specks that coat him. “What the hell?” I run to him, grasping his hand in mine. “Is that yours?”
Johnny tears his shirt off, breathing heavy as he wipes down his arms and face with his inside out t-shirt. “No.”
I sigh in relief, but it’s only temporary when the gashes on his knuckles jump out to me. I bring his hand to mine. “What’s this from?”
“I had to take care of something,” he says.
I shake my head, biting down on my lower lip. I don’t like the sound of that. As much of an oasis as this place is, the dangerous part of it is I’m out of the loop. I don’t know what Oscar, Magnum, and Brawler are up to, and my phone, as far as I know, is still in the tower.
Johnny grits his teeth and stares at his bloody knuckles. “Turns out the asshole was a lot more talkative today. Didn’t say anything we wanted to hear but decided to explain in detail what he was told to do to you if he’d gotten his hands on you.”
My stomach plummets.
Johnny must see the look on my face because he captures my face between his two palms. “He won’t be able to hurt you, babe. I took care of it.”
A shiver racks my body.
“I need a shower,” Johnny says. “Stay here.”
I listen to his command for about thirty seconds before I follow him up the stairs into the master bedroom. He’s already stripped and in the shower, water sluicing off his chiseled form. His bloodied shirt lies in the middle of the floor, so I kick it aside. I ogle him like a creeper for a few moments before he sees that I’m watching him. Electricity charges between us. While he stares, I lift my borrowed shirt from my body and unclasp my bra. Now topless, I drag my bottoms down and step out of them before moving for the glass door. Despite the water droplets blocking some of my view, Johnny’s arousal is apparent.
Steam coats me as I walk in. He wipes the water away from his eyes. The damaged knuckles catch my attention, so I move to him, grabbing his fingers lightly and forcing them under the spray. A few of his knuckles might need Band-Aids, but unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do when you have an injury in that spot. You still need the movement of your fingers which can cause the skin to crack all over again and bring you back to square one.
“I was enraged,” Johnny says, watching as I do my best to clear the blood and inspect the full damage that he’s done.
“I can imagine,” I tell him. “If anyone said awful things about the people I love, I’d be the same.”
Johnny reaches out to cup the swell of my breast. This isn’t the first time we’ve been naked around one another, and my body reacts the same as the other times.
“You’re so gorgeous,” he breathes.
I let his hands go, then grab his forearms to maneuver him under the hot spray, making sure the tiny dots