Whisper My Name Page 5

  He ignored Danielle’s plea.

  “Don’t come near her again. When you see her on the street, walk on the other side. Don’t breathe on her or even look her way. If you do, your ass will be mine. She’ll not be able to save you the next time.” Brody shoved him toward the open door. “Get the hell out of here!” He half pushed half threw him through it.

  Jon stumbled, righting himself before he fell. He looked back at Brody with hatred and fury spitting from his eyes. Bending, he retrieved the car keys that had dropped from his jeans pocket onto the dirt and then walked to his car.

  He opened the door. “Enjoy your time with the frigid bitch, because it won’t last long,” he shouted and got into his car.

  Before he could start the ignition Brody was off the steps and had placed his hands on the open window. “Are you making threats?”

  “Take it any way you want.” The car’s engine came to life. He threw it in gear and backed up, almost knocking Brody to the ground.

  Before pulling away he glared at Danielle and blew her a mocking kiss. Brody cursed and then ran up the steps to Danielle who was standing in the doorway with her arms around her chest. The frightened look in her eyes made him angrier than he had ever been in his life. Hot balls of fire were rolled through his veins. He wanted to rip Jon Hillman apart for putting that fear in her eyes. If she hadn’t pleaded with him to stop, he knew he would have beaten him to the point that he was unrecognizable, or dead. He felt that much rage.

  He took her hand and closed the door behind them. They stood looking at each other for a long time. She ran her hands over her arms and dropped her eyes from his. “I want a shower.”

  “You need to go to the hospital.”

  “No.”

  “He hurt you. Not going isn’t an option.”

  “I don’t need a hospital or a doctor.”

  “I say that you do.” he insisted.

  “If you want to know if he raped me, then the answer is no. But he would’ve if you hadn’t arrived.” She shivered and then let the tears flow.

  He pulled her gently in his arms, caressing her back without words. The silence of the house surrounded them. He didn’t want to let her go, but he knew he had to. She was in shock.

  Brody planted a soft kiss in her hair and pulled her away from him so he could see her eyes.

  Her big eyes were red and puffy. The scratch on her face was angry looking and seeing it made him want to hit something. He swallowed to get his anger under control.

  He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. “Why don’t you take that shower, now? Do you have any antiseptic?”

  “Yes.”

  “You need to clean the wound on the side of your face.”

  She touched the spot with her fingers, cringed and stepped from his arms. She walked away but turned back to him. “You won’t leave, will you?”

  He slipped his hands into his pockets. “No, I’ll be here.”

  “Thank you.”

  He watched as she walked down the hallway before disappearing through a door at the end of the foyer into what he suspected was her bedroom. He heard the hard click of the door when she closed it.

  Chapter Seven

  Danielle stood under the shower and let her tears run while the water cascaded over her body. When she first got in she took a washcloth along with a bar of soap to scrub her body clean. Still feeling Jon’s hands on her, she then grabbed the body wash from the shower shelf squirted a large glob on her body and washed herself again.

  She took a deep breath. No more would she be the victim. Dammit! She’d promised herself when she’d ended her relationship with her former fiancé that she would never let another man get close enough to physically hurt her. She’d let down her guard and look what had happened. Never again! She turned off the shower and stepped out, reached for a towel, but touched a hand instead and gasped. Brody held out the towel.

  “What are you doing in here?” She hid behind the glass as she grabbed the towel from him, wrapping it around her body.

  “You’ve been in the shower for an hour.”

  She moved away from him. “As you can see, I’m fine.”

  He touched her arm and she snatched it away. “There’s no need to be afraid of me, Danielle. I won’t hurt you.”

  She glanced at him before she left the bathroom. She walked into her bedroom. He followed but before she could ask him to leave, he strolled out of the room, closing the door quietly. She released the breath she’d been holding.

  Embarrassed at what happened with Jon, it took her another hour to get up the nerve to face him. She left the bedroom in jeans and a t-shirt and, wandered through the Cape Cod looking for him.

  She found him out on the deck with his booted feet propped on the wooden bench from the small round picnic table. His eyes were closed and his head leaned back against the chair. With his breathing shallow and even, he was asleep. She took the opportunity to observe him unnoticed. She sat on the bench by his feet, facing him.

  He was a very tall man, or rather, he was at least several inches taller than her five foot nine. Devastatingly handsome was the sure way to describe his long jet-black hair and deep tanned skin. When he’d first arrived at her door his hair was in his usual ponytail. Somewhere between her shower and hiding out in the bedroom, he had loosened his hair from its cage. Now the strands flowed like black lava past his shoulders and down his back. His beautiful thick, long lashes lay like curtains over his eyes.

  Lean but powerfully built with masculinity unfolding in his every movement, he was a sight to behold. She remembered his piercing green eyes from earlier, skimming her body, looking for any damage done by Jon. His high carved cheekbones and aggressive jaw made any woman in his presence have difficulty breathing and swallowing. Blatantly male—something that she didn’t need in her life was an accurate description.

  “Are you finished scanning my body?” he asked, without opening his eyes.

  Her face warmed with embarrassment at having been caught. “I wasn’t.” She lied. “I thought you were asleep.”

  “I was.” He sat up and leaned his arms on his thighs. His eyes stared long into hers.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “You didn’t.”

  The silence stretched between them while he continued to stare.

  She rubbed the palms of her hands against her jeans. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Stare at me without saying anything.”

  “I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

  She tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment. “I believe you do. You are aware of everything you do and what’s around you.” She extended her hand. “I want to thank you again for showing up.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit me. I’m fine.”

  “Let me be the judge of that.” He stood and stretched. “I’m hungry. While you were getting dressed, I called for take out.” At that moment, the doorbell rang and he left her to answer it.

  She walked back into the house and found him closing the front door after paying the delivery person.

  She frowned. “You bought two pizzas?”

  “Yeah.” He moved past her and headed to the kitchen.

  He’d become familiar and comfortable in her house. That fact made her uneasy. It wasn’t from fear but something else she didn’t want to identify.

  In the kitchen, he opened a cabinet filled with glasses and retrieved two before reaching into the pantry and grabbing two paper plates.

  “I do have real plates you know.”

  “Humor me. We’ll use paper plates. It’s homey.”

  She shook her head at the nonsense and reached for the napkins. She peered in both pizza boxes, finding one with pepperoni and the other one with cheese on one side and hot peppers and mushrooms on the other. She grabbed a slice of the pepperoni and put it on her plate.

  “What do
you want to drink? I have red wine, ice tea and bottled water.”

  “Beer?” he asked hopefully.

  “Nope.”

  “Ice tea.”

  She retrieved the pitcher from the fridge, filled the glasses, and then she took a seat at the table. He followed suit and slid into the chair across from her.

  She bit off a small piece of pizza, took her time chewing, savoring the sweetness of the sauce and the gooey hot cheese. “This is good.” He didn’t say anything but she noticed he’d started on his third slice before she’d even finished her first.

  They ate in comfortable silence, which was disturbing by the way he kept staring at her. She tried to ignore it but found herself losing her appetite. She drained the last of the tea in her glass and got up from the table, throwing her empty paper plate into the trash. Afterwards, she ran her hands under warm water and gave them a thorough washing. Pulling a paper towel from the rack she dried her hands. She turned back to face him as he finished off another slice of pizza,

  “I’m tired. I think I’m going to go to bed early.”

  “Go ahead.” He stood and leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest.

  “Uh…I’ll walk you out.” She moved to leave the kitchen and then looked over her shoulder at him. “Again, I want to thank you for showing up and helping me.”

  “I told you I wasn’t leaving. I meant it.”

  She stopped. “What do you mean you’re not leaving?”

  He levered away from the counter, strolling toward her. “I’m spending the night. I see you have three bedrooms. I’ll take one of them or I can sleep on the sofa, it doesn’t matter.”

  “I’m fine. I don’t need you to stay.”

  He glared at her. “You’re not fine but you will be. You were assaulted and you’re pretending it didn’t happen. Besides, Hillman made some threats. I’ll be here if he decides to act on them.”

  Fear hit her. “Threats? You think he’ll be back?”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  She wrapped her arms around her waist, shaking her head. “I just want him to leave me alone. I don’t want to be afraid.”

  “What set him off, Danielle?”

  She looked up at him. “I told him I didn’t want us to date any longer. I suggest it would be best if we were just friends.”

  “I see.”

  “I don’t think you do. He thought I was seeing someone else and I’m not. I had a bad relationship that took me awhile to get over. I didn’t want—”

  “To sleep with him, right?”

  She bristled at his abrupt tone. “He wanted more than I was willing to give.”

  “How long did you date him, a couple of months?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t expect him to want to sleep with you?”

  “I’ve known him for years. We were always good friends. I didn’t expect him to want more than friendship.”

  “Are you kidding me? He’s a full-blooded man and you’re a beautiful woman. Of course, he was expecting more.”

  “Are you saying this is my fault?”

  “No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. No man, no matter the situation, has the right to ever force himself on a woman. But you need to be more aware…cautious.”

  “I agree that I did let down my guard. But I never thought he would hurt me.”

  “You should’ve called the police like he asked.”

  “He wanted the police to arrest you. He’s a celebrity and probably wouldn’t have been charged.”

  “He would’ve gone to jail. I would’ve made sure of it.”

  “I didn’t want the publicity.”

  “Is that all?”

  She sighed and took a deep breath. “Your family is infamous in Texas. For you to get mixed up in this would be horrible. I didn’t want you to get in trouble on my behalf.”

  “I can take care of myself, Danielle. I didn’t need you to run interference for me. Jon Hillman is a very dangerous man. But, he’s met his match. I don’t appreciate any man putting his hands on a woman.” He pulled her into his arms. She stiffened at the contact but he held her loosely, giving her space. She leaned her head into his chest and sighed with relief, releasing the pain and fear that had consumed her when Jon started his abuse.

  Brody planted a feathery kiss against her hair and rubbed her back in soothing circular motions. She stood limp, feeling calmness and peace settling over her. He kissed her temple. She lifted her head and looked up at him. He stared into her eyes and she wondered what he was searching for or rather, what he saw. He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and then drew back a little, allowing space between them. She gasped at the tenderness of the contact.

  “Go to bed, Danielle. I’ll lock up.”

  She stood in his arms a bit longer, not wanting to leave the warm comfort they offered. He released her and she walked out of the kitchen, not looking back because if she had, she knew she would’ve ended up back in his arms and that was a dangerous place.

  ###

  Danielle struggled to move. Long fingers were wrapped around her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs. She fought hard to breathe. But the more she tried, the harder the fingers tightened. A silent scream rose in her throat but no sound emerged. Her arms flayed. She punched at the hands but they stopped her progress. Fear of death assailed her and she struggled for air. Danielle gasped. Her eyes popped opened. Inhaling, large gulps of air, her breathing labored.

  It had been a bad dream. The harsh sunlight coming through the window made her blink at its brightness. Rolling over to escape the light, Danielle came in contact with a hard body. A short scream escaped as she shot to the edge of the bed almost falling off.

  Brody was bare-chested, but had on his jeans and nothing else. He was lying still, sleeping, and not making a sound. Who does that? Everyone snores, at least a little. He was sleek like a panther—too gorgeous for words.

  What the hell was he doing in her bed? She leaned over and nudged his shoulder. He didn’t move. She poked his side.

  “What?” he said without opening his eyes.

  “Why are you in my bed?”

  He yawned, opened his eyes slightly and turned his head toward her. “You had a couple of bad dreams during the night. The first time I heard the screaming, I came running. I didn’t know what was going on. The second time, I decided to sleep on the bed so I could at least get some sleep and be here if you woke with another nightmare.”

  She swiped her eyes with her hands. “I don’t remember.”

  He sat up. “You just had another one but you didn’t scream this time.”

  “I fought through it.”

  “Good.”

  Her throat constricted. “Thank you…for being here.”

  He now stood by the side of the bed. “Get dressed. We’re going to breakfast.”

  “I don’t need—”

  “You can use the master bath. I’ll wash up in the other bathroom. We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes.” He walked out without waiting for a response.

  ###

  He pulled the Durango into the parking lot of a local breakfast eatery and cut the engine. “You need to eat more than you did last night.” He escorted her into the sparsely occupied restaurant and they were seated at a small table with a window overlooking the street. Once they finished looking at the menu and gave their orders, he leaned back in his chair and studied her across the table with quiet interest.

  “I’m fine,” she said after a minute.

  “You didn’t get much sleep.” He stared. “You look tired.”

  She leaned forward with her chin on her hands. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t have a photo shoot this morning. The photographer would be pissed.”

  “Why do you do it?”

  “What?”

  “Let people gawk at you and have your face splattered in magazines?”

  “No one has ever asked me that. At first, I was hono
red. I never considered myself pretty and for someone to say I was, made me take a second look. I’ve always been awkward and self-conscious about my height. Modeling gave me confidence. It was hard but I got used to it.” She shrugged. “What about you?”

  He frowned. “What about me?”

  “To hear Sally tell it, you’re a recluse. You would rather be around horses than people. You live deep inside yourself. Is that why you spend all your free time in Montana?”

  His jaw tautened and something dangerous flashed in his eyes.

  Danielle noticed the change in him. “It seems I’ve hit a nerve.”

  “It’s true, I do like my company.”

  “But you’re friends with Ashton.” She smiled and sipped her coffee.

  Brody tilted his head, spearing her with his green gaze. “Yes. We’ve been friends since we were kids. We understand each other.”

  “I see.” Danielle chuckled. “You guys have the sort of relationship that Nicole, Sally and I have.”

  Brody frowned. “No we don’t. You ladies talk too much.”

  “Funny,” she said.

  The waitress brought a stack of pancakes and sausage and placed it in front of him, but not before she gave Brody a thorough examination. The woman was mesmerized. Danielle cleared her throat. Blushing, she gave Danielle the fruit and eggs, and left the table. They ate in silence until everything was consumed.

  “Tell me about yourself.” Brody said.

  She tilted her head. “Do you really want to know or just making conversation?”

  He snorted. “I don’t chit-chat nor do I make conversation for the fun of it.”

  Danielle didn’t say anything for a long moment. She sighed. “Well, I never knew my father. It was always just me and my mother. She died when I was ten.”

  “At least you have memories.” His tone was hard.

  “I do. A lot of them.” She paused. “I know you were also adopted.”

  “We’re not talking about me, but you.”

  “Well, my memories kept me sane when I became an orphan and entered the foster care system.”

  Brody frowned. “You didn’t have any other relatives?”