SEAL's RESOLVE - Rebecca Deel Page 0,106

I’ll sleep anyway.” Another slight smile. “Heavy pain medicine. Rest, sweetheart.” Stewart roused enough to stare at Rafe. “Protect her.”

“With my life.”

“I love you, Dad,” Kristi said, her voice thick.

“Love you, honey.” Stewart’s eyes closed again.

“We should go,” Rafe murmured. He didn’t know if Kristi would agree to leave the hospital. If not, he’d find a blanket and pillow for her.

Jackson stood as they entered the waiting room. “Was he awake?”

“For a few minutes,” Kristi said. “He wants Rafe to take me home.”

“Your father’s in good hands, Kristi. The best thing you can do for him is take care of yourself.” Jackson laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll stay with him.”

“You’ll call if he asks for me or if there’s a change?”

“Count on it.” He glanced at Rafe. “Cal brought your SUV. He’ll drive you to Kristi’s and have the watch until you’re ready to take over.”

“Eli and Jon?”

“Still at the cabin and will be for a while. Maddox is on watch with me.” He handed both of them a bottle of water. “Drink those on the way home.”

With a nod of thanks, Rafe wrapped his arm around Kristi. “Stay or go?”

She leaned against his side. “I want to stay, but Dad won’t know if I’m here or not.” She looked into his eyes. “You need to rest, and you won’t do that here.”

Thank God. Although he wouldn’t admit the truth aloud, Rafe wasn’t sure how much longer he could remain alert. “We’ll return later in the morning.” He escorted her to the elevator, holding her close as the car descended to the lobby.

Cal straightened from the wall as Rafe and Kristi exited the elevator. “The SUV is parked close to the entrance.”

Good thing Rafe didn’t have to walk far. In less than a minute, he and Kristi were fastening their seat belts, sitting side by side in the backseat. “We need a smooth ride, my friend.”

Cal glanced into the rearview mirror. “Take a nap, Torres. I’ll wake you if I run into trouble.”

After consuming the water as ordered by Jackson, Rafe tucked Kristi close and drifted off.

He woke when Cal parked the SUV in Kristi’s driveway. Although he hated to wake her, Rafe couldn’t carry her inside without ripping out stitches. “Kristi.”

She stirred. “Problem?” she asked sleepily.

“We arrived at your house.”

“I can’t wait to stretch out on a bed. My ribs hurt.”

“Mine, too.”

“Come on, you two,” Cal said. “Let’s get you inside.” He took the keys from Kristi and unlocked the door. Cal checked the house quickly and returned. “Everything is secure. Sleep, Rafe. No one will get past me.”

“Thanks, Cal.” Rafe escorted Kristi to her bedroom. He brushed a gentle kiss over her swollen mouth. “I’ll be across the hall if you need me.”

Once Kristi was in her room, Rafe took a change of clothes into the bathroom, and stripped. He cleaned up, grimacing at the deep bruise forming on his chest, then dragged on fresh clothes.

Stumbling to the bed, he stretched out and dropped into sleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Kristi woke to the scent of cinnamon and sugar. She made the mistake of breathing deep and wished she hadn’t when a sharp pain reminded her of the night’s events and her cracked ribs. She hoped Hugh felt worse than she did today.

A glance at the clock told her she needed to get up. She had to juggle her work schedule for the day to free up time to spend with her father.

She swung her feet to the floor and made her way to the bathroom. Man, she felt a million years old at the moment. Hopefully, a hot shower would loosen her muscles.

Thirty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom and peeked into Rafe’s room. Empty. Kristi suspected he was responsible for the mouth-watering scent.

She went to the kitchen where Rafe stood in front of the oven. “What smells so good?”

The drop-dead gorgeous chef in black glanced over his shoulder with a smile. “Cinnamon rolls.”

“How long have you been awake?” Cinnamon rolls made from scratch took several hours.

“Long enough to send Cal to the grocery store for the ingredients. I made the quick version with crescent rolls instead of making dough from scratch.” He inclined his head to the platters of mini cinnamon rolls drizzled with icing lined up across the breakfast bar.

“These look wonderful. You made a bunch, though.”

“We weren’t here last night to make snacks for your clients.”

Kristi kissed him. “Thank you, Rafe. My clients will love this treat. You’ll have to teach me how to make