Page 24 of Trust in Me
My voice came out in a whisper. “You’re—you’re not wrong. I can’t walk away from you, either.”
Brax finally smiled, his dimples appearing, like the sun peeking out from the clouds. He stood from the couch with his hand outstretched. “Thank you for trusting me. I’ll do my best to take care of you the way you deserve. But for now, it’s been a long day for both of us and I think it’s time for bed, darlin’. Do you have to work tomorrow?”
I nodded. My first shift in Pediatric Intensive Care—also known the PICU— was tomorrow. I was anxious about the rotation. More than anxious, actually. Terrified. “I have to be there at 7.”
Brax led me up the few stairs from the living room to the kitchen. This room suited him well, too, all clean and tidy and perfectly organized. He kept going through the kitchen to a second set of stairs.
Brax pointed out the rooms as we reached the second story. “Both bedrooms are up here. You’ll be in this one. There’s an attached bathroom, and there should be shampoo, soap, everything in that shower. There should be a new toothbrush and toothpaste in one of the drawers. If you’d like to borrow one of my shirts to sleep in, I’ll grab one for you.”
I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed that he was giving me the guest room, but I needed something to wear to bed. “Um, yes, please. A t-shirt would be great.”
Brax disappeared through one of the doors. I assumed that was his bedroom. While I waited, I took in the guest room. There were only a few pieces of furniture— full size bed with a navy duvet, a bedside table, and a small dresser. The windows had blinds—already closed— but no curtains. It was definitely a guest room, and I guessed that it was infrequently used.
Brax returned, a royal blue shirt in his hands. “Do you need clothes for tomorrow, Avery?”
I shook my head. The beauty of working on the inpatient side was that we could just grab scrubs from the locker room. “No, I can get scrubs at work. I, um…I keep extra socks and underwear in my bag, too. Just in case. I should go grab my purse. I need my phone, and that’s in there, too.”
Brax turned toward the stairs. “I’ll grab them. You relax and get ready for bed, darlin’. Be right back.”
19
Avery
Iwashedmyfaceand pulled on Brax’s large t-shirt. It was a college tee, its orange letters spelling out UT ARLINGTON. It was soft, likely the result of dozens of trips through the washer. My heart melted a bit. It must be one of his favorites, and he’d given it to me to wear. I ran my hands over the soft cotton.
Brax’s steps came up the stairs toward the bedroom. He appeared in the doorway, holding my purse as I turned toward him. There a folded piece of paper in his hand. He held it up. “What’s this, Avery?”
My heart stopped. The note I’d found on my windshield. I’d forgotten all about it. Seeing it again, in Brax’s hand, the same rush of fear went through me. Something else, too. Guilt, maybe, that I hadn’t told him sooner. “Um, it was on my car one day. But I think I know who left it, and he’s harmless. And I think maybe it wasn’t even meant for me.” I was rambling, and my explanations didn’t make sense even to me.
“Is this the only one?”
I swallowed hard. He looked pissed. I rolled my lower lip over my teeth. “Well, no. I found one on my door, too.”
Brax was silent for a long moment, his frown deepening. A pit formed in my stomach while he pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, to clarify, you have been receiving threatening notes on your car and your apartment door, and you didn’t think to notify the police? Or me?”
“Well…no. It’s not like anything happened, just some weird notes. They wouldn’t take me seriously.”
Brax shook his head. “Avery, there was a fire at your apartment tonight. There’s a chance these could be connected. The investigators need to do their jobs, but we need to bring this note to the police and file a report.”
My mouth went dry. This was all my fault, wasn’t it? People had gotten hurt because I hadn’t taken the notes seriously. “Oh my god. Oh my god. What if he—this is all my fault, Brax. Was anyone hurt?”
Brax shook his head. “No fatalities, at least as far as I know. They brought a few people to the hospital. I can find out more for you tomorrow when I go to the station.”
“This is all my fault. It’s all my fault. I should have told someone. Should have told you. I’m so sorry.” The rock of guilt in my stomach grew larger. A wave of nausea rolled through me.
“You should have, but it’s in the past now, darlin’. Let it go and get some rest.”
I looked up at Brax as a tear escaped my eye. “I can’t just forget it. I feel so…” I trailed off, looking at the ground.
Brax took a step closer to me. My breath caught as he tipped my chin upward. “What do you need, Avery?”
I needed to go back to when I’d found the note and tell him about it. I needed to make things better. I needed to find a way to get rid of this regret, this pit in my stomach. Another tear made its way down my cheek as I stared into his eyes. There was disappointment there, but not anger. The disappointment was worse.
He’d been disappointed in me before, I realized. And I’d felt better after he…
I took a deep breath. “Brax—Sir—I think I need you to spank me. I want to feel better. Lighter. To let the bad feelings go. Like I did that first time you spanked me. Is that…can I…” I wasn’t even sure what I was asking.
Brax’s eyes softened. He stretched his arms around me, pulling me in close to his solid chest. His voice rumbled through me as he held me there. “Good girl. Thank you for telling me what you need. If it’s what you need, I will spank you. But this one will be hard, darlin’. You failed to trust me, and you put yourself and a lot of other people in danger. A spanking for that is on the bare, and with my belt.” He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “Is that what you need, baby?”
