measure, that’s all. You’ll be coming back to LA alone during the tour so I want to make sure you’re safe.”
Shaking my head I throw in, “I didn’t even think you liked Caleb.”
“I never said I didn’t like him.”
“No, you didn’t say it, but I felt it every time you talked to him.”
“Hmm . . . well, regardless of how I feel about him I know he’s good at what he does and when I called him he said he had time. Oh, and one more thing, Caleb or someone who works for him will be escorting us places.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You mean like bodyguards?”
“Well I wouldn’t call them bodyguards, just additional security.”
“That sounds really awkward.”
“Dahlia, I promise you won’t even know they’re around.”
“I doubt that.” I rest my head against the window and close my eyes. I find the whole amp-up-the– security thing a little absurd, but since it makes him feel better, I won’t protest.
When we get to the hotel, we learn that Caleb had our room changed and he and Xander now occupy the adjoining room next door. I want to tease River—“Yeah, we won’t even know they’re around,” but I don’t.
The doctor gave me some pain pills at the hospital and they’ve made me so tired that I spend the rest of the day in bed, snuggled in River’s arms. I must have fallen into a deep sleep because when I wake, I look at the clock and it’s well after midnight. The first thing I do is reach for him only to find that he isn’t next to me. Looking around the room, I’m a little disoriented at first. But I see River huddled in the corner with Caleb and Xander, discussing something in hushed whispers that I can’t hear. When he sees me try to sit up and move to get off the bed, he hastily rushes over.
“What do you need, baby?” he asks in almost a whisper. His face looks worn, tired, and worried.
“I need to go to the bathroom and get some water.” I try to smile at him, but my mouth tastes like it has a wad of cotton balls in it and my body feels completely detached from my mind. I’m not sure I can actually walk to the bathroom without falling. I also feel light-headed.
“Let me help you,” he says as he moves my legs to the floor and carefully helps me stand up. But when I start to wobble a little, I grab his shoulder for support. I think the pain medication has not only made me light- headed, but also unstable.
He’s already wrapping my arm around him as he picks me up. “Dahlia, let me help you.”
Xander and Caleb look over at me, appearing worried. They stand and both say good night, disappearing through the adjoining door.
Once we reach the bathroom, River gently sets me down and removes my pants. I grip the counter and begin to regain my stability.
“Can you grab me a T-shirt?” I ask him quietly.
“Sure, beautiful girl, whatever you need,” he replies with a smile.
When he leaves the bathroom I push the door slightly closed and frown as I take the first real glimpse of myself in the mirror since I got home. I look much worse than I did earlier this morning. The bruises have turned purple, my wrist is still swollen, the scrapes on my cheek from where my attacker held my face to the ground are crusted over, and my shoulder aches from where he shoved his knee to hold me down.
I carefully pull off my sweater and hastily wrap a towel around me. I consider a shower, but decide against it. It seems like it would require too much energy right now. I do manage to brush my teeth. Once I finish, I look back into the mirror and see that he’s standing behind in the doorway with such sadness in his eyes. He walks over to me as I wipe my mouth with a towel.
“Let’s put this on you,” he says while pulling his long-sleeved 30 Seconds to Mars T-shirt over my head. “It will be easier to get on and off than one of yours and it will keep you warm.”
I let him dress me like I’m a small child. Happy memories of my father getting me ready for school pop into my head. My dad would help me get dressed and drop me off at school when my mother had to leave early for work. I loved those days. I loved every day my parents were alive.
“You alright, Dahlia?” he asks with concern.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
Then smiling, I tell him, “You dressing me now just reminded me of happy times when my dad would let me pick out whatever I wanted to wear to school whether it matched or not. Since my mom wasn’t home to make me change I usually wore his concert T-shirts.”
He smirks, “You mean your mom, the fashion designer, didn’t like it when you wore your dad’s grungy T- shirts to school?”
“How did you guess?”
“Intuition,” he tells me. “Personally, I think you make everything you wear look incredible, but I could see where your mom might have a different opinion.”
I lean into him just to feel his warmth and nuzzle his neck. “I wish you could have met my parents.”
“I may never be able to meet them, but I know them through you.”
Pulling away, I smile at him and press my palms against his chest. “That means everything to me,” is all I can say because it does.
He nods and we stay silent for a few moments.
“I think you should lie back down.” Carrying me back to the bed, he sets me down on the opposite side I woke up on. But I don’t care which side I sleep on as long as he’s next to me. I take his hand and squeeze it. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “I ordered you something to eat while you were in the bathroom.”
“I’m not really hungry. I’m just really thirsty.”
Pulling the covers up over my legs, he sits beside me. “You have to eat something when you take these pills.” He opens the medicine bottle on the night table and pours two oblong, white, horse-sized pills into his palm then sets them down next to the open bottle.
“There’s no way I can swallow those.”
He laughs quickly and then stands up and walks toward the TV. “I ordered you grilled cheese and French fries to eat and a milkshake to swallow the pills with.” He opens the adjoining room door and says, “Hey Xander, just bring the food over here when it comes.”
I’m staring at his backside when he turns his head over his shoulder and catches me. He throws me a wink and I smile back. We don’t exchange words but we both start laughing and I have to say, that is my all-time favorite sound. God, I love it when he laughs, it’s soft but husky and oh so sexy.
I hold my bruised ribs in pain, and he apologizes for making me laugh.
“River, it’s okay. I want to laugh. And, really, I just couldn’t resist the view.”
He stifles more laughter and I ask, “Why did you order food and have it delivered to Xander’s room?” I pause a moment before adding, “And why are we sharing a room with Xander and Caleb anyway?”
His laughter stops and he becomes more serious. “We aren’t sharing a room with them. The door closes between us, silly girl.” As if to prove his point, he opens and closes the door in a swinging motion. Leaving it open, he walks back over to the bed and sits next to me. He cups my unbruised cheek before leaning in to kiss my forehead. “And I ordered food to be delivered to their room in case you fell back asleep. I didn’t want the knocking to disturb you.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Well now that you mentioned my favorite—grilled cheese dipped in a chocolate milkshake—I might be feeling a little hungry.”
“Have I told you how gross I think that is, by the way?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Only a thousand times, and yet every time I order it you manage to steal a bite. And don’t think I haven’t noticed you dip it in your shake first.”
Chuckling, he pinches his thumb and index finger together and says, “Well, I might like it just a tiny little bit.”
I smile at him and lay my head down on the pillow just as Xander brings in the tray of food. River points to the empty spot next to me on the bed. “Thanks, man, just put it down right there.”
“Dahlia, do you want anything else?” Xander asks.
