Legally Hot by Leigh, Lora (smart ebook reader TXT) 📗

vet is right.” Keri smiled. “He wouldn’t take it easy at all.” Then she added, “Thank you. For being there last night. For everything you did for me and for Fred.”

“I’m just glad I was there.” His voice was low, serious. “And very glad Fred was, too.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Ready for dinner?”

“Dinner?” Keri looked at him in surprise. “What time is it?”

“Six.” He moved the chair away from the side of the bed. “Would you rather have me bring dinner up or would you prefer to eat downstairs?”

“I can’t believe it’s so late.” Keri pushed down the covers. “I’ll eat downstairs. No reason at all to serve me in bed.”

She swung her legs over the side. “But I do need to check on my parents. I usually call them every day and I obviously haven’t called yet.”

“You can use my phone.” Adam helped her out of bed and she held her arm to her chest in its sling. She realized she was only in her panties and one of his T-shirts and it was bunched around her waist. She had forgotten that he had helped her out of her dirty and bloody T-shirt and jeans last night. Her face burned as she tugged the shirt down from her waist and it fell to her thighs.

When they’d arrived at his house early this morning, she had cleaned up the best she could with a washcloth, warm water, and soap, but she really needed a shower. Or rather a bath, since she couldn’t get her bandages wet.

“I’ll pick up some clothes from your house in the morning,” he said. “After dinner you can take a bath in the hall bathroom if you’d like.”

The man was a mind reader.

She nodded and let him guide her out of the room. The moment she stepped onto the landing she took a deep breath of delicious smells coming from below. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t had anything to eat for almost twenty-four hours.

“Something smells wonnnnnderful,” she said as Adam helped her down the steep stairs that led to a small but very cozy kitchen.

“Tacos.” He pulled out a chair and she took the seat, being careful not to bump her arm. “Along with salad and a nice cabernet I’ve been saving for the right time.”

Keri’s stomach growled again and she grinned. “I love tacos.”

Well, her stomach certainly was fine. She had always had a good appetite and she worked out hard enough every day that she could pretty much eat what she wanted without worrying about her weight.

When she was seated, Adam handed her his phone and she dialed her parents while he brought dinner to the table. Her mother was in bed early, but her father talked with her for a few minutes until he said he was going to get some sleep.

After she disconnected the call she said, “I need to check in on them tomorrow.”

Adam nodded. “I’ll give you a hand with anything you need help with.”

While they ate they talked about everything from the weather, the Yankees and Mets—he was born a Mets fan and she had been a lifetime Yankees fan—to current politics and the hottest Broadway play. Adam’s interest in cultural events delighted her and she found she enjoyed talking with him.

*   *   *

  Adam started gathering the dishes from the table and motioned for her to remain in her seat. “You. Sit,” he said as he took the dishes to the sink and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher.

As he sat back down at the table, he looked serious. “Do you mind if I ask you about how you ended up getting injured? I read the file about it, but tell me yourself.”

The memories came over her, harsh and unwanted. “I think Edward got to the point where he felt he had enough control over me that he didn’t have to worry about me seeing something I shouldn’t.”

She shook her head as she went on. “I started seeing him fly into rages with his employees, rages that were almost frightening. But then he would turn to me and be sweet and attentive. I started to become confused.

“Then I found out what Edward really did for a living—that he was a big time drug dealer—and I told him it was over between us.”

Keri tried not to flinch from the memory but it was hard. “He was furious—so full of the same incredible rage I’d seen in him at other times. He said I belonged to him and he threatened to make my life miserable if I tried to leave or if I went to the police.”

She went on, “It was then that I realized how blinded I’d been. I hadn’t realized how controlling and possessive, how obsessed he was. It became really obvious from that point on.”

Adam studied her with a police officer’s patience, but also with the understanding of a man who cared for her and her welfare. Really cared.

A sick sensation that she hadn’t felt in a long time filled her belly as she went on. “One night he became enraged at me for nothing—for looking at another man wrong. He was so jealous, he would not quit. He actually hit me and I just lost it emotionally.

“I started screaming,” she continued, “that I was going to go to the police with the information I had written out and documented. I told him I had what I needed to ruin him. It was so foolish to say, but I had lost it.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “He went crazy on me. Just insane. He had a metal bar and swung it at my knee and completely blew it out. Said it was only my knee then. It would be my life if I talked about what I had seen or