Back In The Bedroom (The Wrong Bed #29)(18)

“Before I could get out of the house, one of them grabbed me and locked me in a room so he could finish what he’d started, which was stealing from Eddie.”

Carolyn wrapped her arms around Tessa. “He grabbed you?”

“Luckily, all he wanted was me out of his way. Eddie’s son had also been shoved into this room, so I wasn’t alone.”

“Eddie has a son? Is he okay?”

“He’s not a little kid, he’s…all grown up.” Really grown up.

“So the two of you were together, locked in a room? All night long?”

She tried not to squirm because Carolyn could read a squirm at thirty miles. “Yes.”

“Tell me he’s a nice guy, Tessa.”

Her sister looked so distraught, so worried, she managed a smile. And though “nice” wasn’t quite the word she would have used to describe Reilly Ledger, she said, “He’s a very nice guy.”

Her sister studied her for a long moment. “You must have been terrified.”

How to explain that with Reilly her terror had taken a back seat to other things, such as a lust she was embarrassed about now.

“How did you get out?”

Good. A question she could answer. “We waited for dawn, then crawled up through an attic access. Eddie’s son beat the crap out of the bad guys and called the cops.”

Carolyn’s eyes were huge. “Does Eddie’s son have a name?”

“Reilly.”

“And he was good to you.”

“Very,” she said simply.

“Well, then.” Carolyn squeezed Tessa again. “I want to hug him, too.”

“He’s not really the huggable type.” She hugged her sister back because, now that it was over, things other than fear were beginning to make themselves known. Embarrassment, exhaustion, hunger… “You know what I really want?”

“What, baby?” said Carolyn, stroking her hair. “Anything. You want me to go burn something for you?”

Tessa let out a little laugh and burrowed in closer. “Yes. But while you do that, I want a long, hot shower. I’m going to go wash it all out of my system.” She pulled free and headed toward her bedroom. “Lots of butter on the toast, okay? And can you try to scramble an egg? I have cheese you could add to it—”

“I’ll get it.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, a little too close to tears. All her life she’d fought her two siblings for her independence, for liberation from “baby” status, but at the moment, she felt just shaky enough to be grateful for the way they loved to smother her.

As she stripped and stepped into the steam and hot water, nearly whimpering in gratitude at how it felt on her bruised, tired body, she wondered what Reilly was doing right now.

The man had a serious back-off attitude. She sincerely doubted he’d ever let anyone baby and comfort him… So where was he now? All alone? Shaken? Needing to be consoled and reassured?

Lonely?

Then she laughed at herself. She had a feeling that the man enjoyed being alone, very much. He wouldn’t ever be weak enough to need someone to comfort him.

And he sure as hell didn’t seem the type to need to be reassured about anything.

A knock came on the bathroom door, just before it opened. “I brought you some hot tea,” Carolyn said.

“Thanks.” Hot tea. She should want that and her bed. But she didn’t think she’d be able to sleep with her mind whirling around in circles the way it was.

“I’ll just leave it here on the counter,” her sister said over the rush of the water. “You doing okay?”

“Sure.”

“Are you almost done?”

Tessa sighed and stuck her head out of the shower curtain. “You called him, didn’t you.”

Carolyn held out Tessa’s portable phone.

Tessa turned off the water and put the phone in the crook of her neck. “Hey, big brother.”

“Tell me you’re really okay.”

At the sound of Rafe’s voice, low and rough with concern, her throat went tight. “I’m really okay.”

But her voice cracked and he swore softly. “Tessa, listen. I’m in Paris on a photo shoot but I’ll get on the next plane—”

“No.” She both laughed and sobbed and wiped her nose. “I’m fine, I promise.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“It’s your voice. That’s all,” she said. “I heard you and…I miss you. But I’m not hurt, I’m just tired and hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.”

“Yes, so you know I must be okay, right?”

Rafe sighed. “Promise me. Promise me you’re not lying just so I won’t come home early.”

“I promise.”

“I’m going to call you tonight.”

“And probably every day until you come home,” Tessa teased, somehow feeling better just for talking to the brother who’d spent a lifetime making her feel better.

“You know it,” he said. “And Tessa? You also know Carolyn’s going to be hovering.”

“Doesn’t she always?” They both laughed over that for a moment, then Rafe got serious. “Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon. And when I do, I want to meet this guy who helped you.”