Page 11 of Rescuing Macie

Colt did his best to control his anger. He was pissed way the hell off. When he got his hands on this Teddy person, he was going to wish that he’d simply walked away from Macie. Seeing her hunched over in the chair and worried that Truck was going to leave and not talk to her again made him want to punch something.

He didn’t know her parents, but he hated them all the same.

He knew he had to get a handle on his emotions or he was going to worry Macie even more than she already was. He’d talked to his aunt about his cousin’s anxiety issues. There was a lot he didn’t understand, but he did know that this wasn’t something Macie could control. She’d constantly worry about any and everything.

But he had no problem reassuring her when she needed it. Being anxious wasn’t a deal breaker for him. From what little he knew about her, she was an amazing person. He’d looked at some of the websites she’d designed and was highly impressed. She was creative and generous, and he would do what he could to protect her from anything that might cause her distress in the future.

When he’d started thinking long term, Colt didn’t know, but he also wasn’t stressed out about it either. He’d connected with Macie when she’d been at his house after Truck and Mary’s wedding. He’d thought he’d have time to feed her breakfast and get her number so they could continue to get to know each other. At some point, he was going to have to ask why she’d left the way she had…but right now wasn’t the time.

He sat Macie gently on the counter in her bathroom. He leaned close and placed his hands on the cool tiles next to her hips and waited for her to open her eyes. It took several moments, but when she finally brought her beautiful brown eyes up to his, he wasn’t prepared for the jolt of electricity he felt.

Bringing one hand to her cheek, he was encouraged when she tilted her head and rested it on his palm. “You okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded and said, “No.”

He smiled at the contradiction. But he had a feeling she was being completely honest. “Where is your first-aid stuff?”

She lifted her head and gestured to a cabinet behind him.

Colt got to work getting the Band-Aids and hydrogen peroxide ready. When he turned around again, he had to take a deep breath. He’d purposely kept his mind off the fact that she was wearing only a tank top and a pair of short-shorts. But she’d dropped the blanket, and he couldn’t stop his eyes from tracking from her feet up her long legs to her curvy thighs. Her belly wasn’t flat, but she wasn’t overweight either. And her tits were lush and full. Even as he stared at her, he saw her nipples tighten under the cotton.

He finally looked up and saw she was examining him just as openly. Waiting until her gaze had traveled the length of his body, he finally said, “Let’s get you cleaned up so we can get out of here.”

She blushed when she looked up at him, but nodded.

Turning his thoughts away from how sexy he found her—but loving that she seemed to be just as interested in checking him out as he was her—Colt concentrated on cleaning the scrapes on her body. He put the bottle down on the counter and picked up one of her hands. The palm was scraped and red, and he hated knowing it was because she’d leapt out her fucking window into a tree. He hated every single bruise and mark on her smooth skin. Throughout his ministrations, she didn’t cry and didn’t make a sound. He knew he had to be hurting her, but she was stoic and calm as he tended to her wounds.

When he was finally satisfied that he’d cleaned the worst of her scratches, he helped her stand and wrapped the blanket back around her shoulders. “You need help packing?”

She considered his offer for a second, then shook her head. “How long will I be staying with you?”

Forever was on the tip of his tongue, but he held back the word, knowing it would stress her out…and that it was crazy. “At least a couple days. We need to give the detective time to find Teddy and find out what this is all about. The police department will increase patrols of the area, but they can’t be here every minute. Those assholes who were here tonight will probably come back, and I don’t want you anywhere near here when they do.”

“Okay,” she said a bit hollowly.

Colt wasn’t too concerned about her tone; he had a feeling the pill she’d taken earlier was finally kicking in. She walked to the doorway of the bathroom, then turned back.

“Um…while I’m changing and packing some clothes, will you do me a favor?”

“Anything,” Colt said immediately.

That got a smile out of her. “What if I asked for something crazy?” she retorted, with a tilt of her head.

“I’d do what I could to do whatever you needed,” Colt told her.

She shook her head and a small smile curved her lips. He loved that he could make her smile after everything she’d been through.

“What do you need, hon?”

“In my safe room is a box. Will you get it for me? I’d like to take it with me…if that’s okay.”

“Of course it is. Can I ask what’s in it?” He was planning on checking out this safe room of hers anyway. He knew the cops had checked it for anything Teddy might’ve left, but he wanted to look at it himself as well.

“It’s nothing expensive or illegal,” she said. “It’s just a shoebox of keepsakes. Stuff from when I was younger and from college and stuff.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, but I’d rather it not get destroyed if those guys come back.”

Colt was curious as to what keepsakes she had that meant so much to her, but he didn’t want to push. “Anything else?”

“Can I bring my computer? And my work files? Oh, and there’s a box of CDs and my headphones in the other room that I’d love to bring with me, if possible.”