He scowled. “I don’t need anyone who acts like that.” Hunter’s expression softened a fraction. “You really should think about pressing charges.”
Shay’s hand tightened on my arm. “I really don’t want to go through that.”
“Okay…” Hunter agreed. “But if you change your mind, you send Sheriff Raines to me for a statement.” He turned his focus to me. “I need to get Sam out of here and deal with my crew. You need anything, just say the word.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll come talk to you a little later.” I needed the lowdown from Hunter on Sam. Had to know whether there was a chance he could cause more trouble. Hunter gave me a chin jerk and headed back towards the studio site.
I turned to Shay. “Do you think you can stand?”
“I want up. My butt’s freezing.”
I wanted to grin or laugh, but I simply didn’t have it in me. Not while I was staring at a pale, still-trembling Shay. “I’m going to help you, okay?”
She took my hands. “I’m ready.”
I pulled Shay to her feet, and while she stumbled slightly, she quickly righted herself. I slipped an arm around her waist. “We’re going up to the house, but slowly.”
“Slow and steady wins the race, right?”
“Damn straight.” It might as well have been my life motto these days. With art. With this new life I was building. With Shay. “Does it hurt to walk?”
“I’m stiff, that’s all. I need a long soak in an Epsom salt bath.”
“We can arrange that.” The guest room had a decent-sized tub, or she could use the soaking tub in the master. But what if she slipped or passed out? “Actually, maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“You had a pretty decent knock on the head there. You could pass out.”
She groaned, leaning her weight against me a little more. “Pretty please? I’ll talk to you through the door so you know I haven’t started drowning.”
I chuckled as I guided Shay up the front walk to the house. “The bath in the guest room has a curtain. You get in and pull the curtain. I’ll sit by the tub, just in case.”
She was silent for a moment before she answered. “No peeking.”
“Scout’s honor.”
Shay snorted. “Like you were ever a Boy Scout.”
I pulled open the door and ushered her inside, towards the stairs. “I’ll have you know, I had two whole years of Boy Scouts before I dropped out, much to the dismay of my father. Easy on these stairs now.”
She gingerly took each step, one hand on me, the other on the rail. “Do you know how to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together?”
“No, but I know how to start one using flint. And I’m an expert at roasting marshmallows.”
“We might have to put that to the test one of these days. There’s a fire pit on the far beach.”
An image of Shay and me wrapped in a blanket, roasting marshmallows filled my head. Her body curved against mine. I slammed that door shut. Not the place or the time. Especially since Shay was about to be naked, mere inches from me. Naked because she’d been hurt and needed to recover. That reminder sent any flicker of lust fleeing fast. “When you’re back to one hundred percent, I’ll get you some marshmallows.”
“I’ve got a few bumps and bruises. It’s not like I’ve been mortally wounded. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“We’ll see.” I steered Shay towards the guest bed and helped her ease down to sit on the edge. “Stay here. I’ll run the bath. I think there are some Epsom salts in here.”
“They’re under the sink. And scalding hot, please.”
I grimaced as I ran the water at least ten degrees warmer than I would’ve liked, pouring in a healthy dose of the salts. I searched the medicine cabinet and came away with a bottle of Tylenol. Filling a glass with water, I headed back out into the guest room. “Take these.”
“Thank you. Sorry you’re stuck playing nursemaid.”
“If I would’ve known, I’d have picked up the sexy outfit.”
Shay grinned. “Now that would be a sight.”
She took the pills and then stood, already having toed off her boots and stripped out of her jacket and fleece. I took her elbow as we headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be right outside if you need me. Holler once you’ve pulled the curtain.”
“I’ll be fine. Promise. I’ve already got some of my sea legs back.”
“I’m still sitting with you.”
Shay huffed. “Pervert.”
“Troublemaker.”
She stuck out her tongue at me. “Takes one to know one.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Some of the tension that had overtaken my muscles since I’d first heard those raised voices eased as I headed out of the bathroom to give Shay some privacy. She was okay. Or she would be. But even as I thought that, I wondered if it was actually true. The image of her pale face and unfocused eyes filled my mind. She’d been lost in another world. And Sam had sent her there.
I cracked the knuckles of one hand and then the other. It was killing me that we couldn’t have him arrested. That I didn’t have a chance to put the fear of God into him, instead of him doing that to another woman.
“You can come in.”
Shay’s voice broke me out of my stupor and pulled me back to the here and now. I eased the door open and entered what felt like a steam room. I quickly shut the door behind me so I didn’t let any heat out. “How’s it feel?”
“Like heaven.”
I grinned as I eased onto the tile floor next to the bath. “Glad to hear it.”
“If you’re not careful, you’re going to have me breaking in to use this tub every evening. I only have a shower in the guest house.”
I leaned against the wall, crossing my legs. “You know you’re welcome anytime.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, the water sloshing against the ceramic.
“You scared the hell out of me today.” I didn’t think I’d ever forget the panic creeping up my throat when Shay wouldn’t answer me. Wouldn’t even look at me.
“I’m sorry.”
“Where were you? You were lost somewhere, and I couldn’t bring you back.” I was bolder with my questions than I had been before. Maybe because a curtain hung between us, or because I was desperate for answers. I didn’t know.
Shay was quiet for a moment, the only sound a trickle of water here and there. “I don’t do well with feeling boxed in. Sam triggered a memory, and I couldn’t stop it. They used to take over a lot more. But it’s been a while since I’ve had one that bad.”
“What was the memory?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, yet I couldn’t resist asking. I needed to know every sore spot and trigger so I didn’t accidentally send her spiraling like today.
“Michael locked me in a trunk. We’d been looking for hide and seek spots for when our friends came over to play. He told me he didn’t think I’d fit, but I said I would. When I climbed in, he locked the latch. I was in there for almost eight hours before my parents found me.”