Zak sighed. “I better get some really good material outta this, Hotshot. Fight stuff. Hospital stuff. Nurse sympathy.” He managed a weak grin. “Lots of nurse action.”
“Are you serious?” Cassie asked. “You’re beaten to a pulp and all you’re thinking about is your act?”
Zak shrugged. “Sorry, Cassie. The act always comes first—but sex is never far behind.” He grinned sloppily. “If I do rehab, I’m bound to get some great stuff from there.”
“Coming through!” yelled a paramedic. “Move over, people.”
Rhett and Cassie stood and moved back to the restroom doors.
“I’m so sorry,” Rhett apologized. “I saw him on you and you struggling and I went nuts.”
Cassie took his hand. “I know. I’m sorry, too.”
“You didn’t do anything, babe.”
Cassie steeled herself. “Rhett, maybe this isn’t meant to be. I seem to bring trouble with me. I can’t imagine what this incident will do to your career.”
His fingers sank into her arms. “Don’t say that, Cassie. Fuck my career! I have enough money to live on for the rest of my life. I could paint houses or train horses or sack groceries. It wouldn’t matter. I don’t care what the papers print. I do care what you say. Please. Don’t leave. Promise me.”
Cassie saw in his tortured eyes how much he really cared for her. Tears began to flow down her cheeks.
“I won’t leave you. I love you,” she blurted out.
Rhett’s forehead came to rest against hers. “I love you, too.” He kissed her deeply, clinging to her as a drowning man would a piece of driftwood.
”Excuse me.”
They broke apart and Cassie saw two policemen standing in front of them.
“Mr. Corrigan, we need to speak to you about what happened. You, too, Miss.”
CHAPTER 22
Rhett held the Ziploc filled with ice against his face as he left Pomodoro, partly to ease the ache along his cheekbone and eye and partly to block his face from the photos being taken as he walked to the limo.
Johnny leaped from the vehicle and had him in and the door shut in record time. He pulled away from the curb and into the flow of traffic. Rhett hoped no paparazzi followed.
“Home, Mr. Corrigan?”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Rhett sank into the leather and tossed the ice bag on the seat next to him. He reached for a bottled water, downing half of it in the first swallow. He’d spoken to a couple of cops for half an hour and then he’d cooled his heels another hour before they let him leave the manager’s cramped office, where they’d questioned him. He could tell they weren’t happy cutting him loose but one of them spoke directly with Zak, who refused to press charges.
Rhett took out his phone and toyed with it. He wanted to call Cassie. He’d sent her home with Breck and Jolene after the police spoke with her. He hoped she’d gone back to the gatehouse although she might have returned to Ken and Melanie’s. He wondered if she’d even want to talk to him after such a disastrous night.
His head pounded viciously. He asked Johnny, “Got any Tylenol?”
“Yes, sir. Extra Strength.” The chauffeur produced a travel-size bottle and passed it over his shoulder. “I never go to work without it.”
He laughed. “You’re always prepared for pain in the ass customers that might give you a headache?”
The chauffeur nodded. “Once a Boy Scout, always a Boy Scout. Be prepared in any situation.” He hesitated. “Would you like to go to the emergency room instead, Mr. Corrigan? You ain’t looking too good to me.”
Rhett shook his head. “Nothing’s broken. It’s only some bruises—and maybe a little bruised pride. I’d rather head home.”
He pocketed his phone and settled back with the ice bag again. He decided to wait and talk to Cassie in person.
And hold her. God, he needed her right now. It surprised him how much he needed her. In his arms. In his life.
His mom always told him when love happened, it would come out of nowhere. Breck had told him the moment he’d seen Jolene, it had had struck him harder than a lightning bolt, so fast and furious that Breck said he knew he’d never recover. Well, Rhett had definitely been furious when Cassie plowed into his beloved BMW. He and Breck had spent hours restoring the classic model to pristine condition before Cassie slammed into it, catching it and her car on fire. It was certainly fast when he’d asked her to come to work for him on the spur of the moment. Yet Rhett knew somehow that he couldn’t let the fiery Texan with mascara staining her cheeks charge upstairs for her interview at Merriman Smith.
Within the space of a few weeks, he’d tumbled headfirst into love.
Moms were always right. Especially Nadine Corrigan.
Johnny punched in the code that allowed the gates to open and pulled up into the circular driveway. He cut the engine and got out, opening the door and lending him a hand to ease out of the car. Rhett already felt the stiffening in his body. Getting out of bed tomorrow would not be a pleasant experience.
”You hang in there, Mr. Corrigan,” Johnny encouraged. “And hang on to Miss Carroll. She’s a keeper. I’m a good judge of character, being in the people business, and I’d say that one is good for you.”
He offered the driver his hand. “I agree with you, Johnny. Thanks for your time tonight.” Rhett slipped him a generous tip and walked awkwardly to the front door, his body throbbing in pain.
The door opened before he could slip the key into the lock. Cassie stood there, her eyes full of tender understanding. She took his hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them.
“What did the police say? Did you call your lawyer? Will Zak—”
Rhett took her in his arms, almost crushing her to him. “You are my lifeline in this crazy, mixed-up world,” he whispered against her hair.
She snuggled closer. “I thought I was simply your efficient personal assistant. I suppose since being a lifeline includes major responsibility, Corrigan, I should ask for a hefty raise.”
He met her teasing eyes with his and quipped, “Under the influence of three Tylenol Extra Strengths, I will probably agree to just about anything.”
His mouth came down on hers before she could fire off a smart-ass reply.
Cassie welcomed his kiss, long and hard and unbelievably hot. She clung to Rhett as his hands explored the curve of her hips, sliding around to cup her bottom.
“Mmmm, nice and tight,” he murmured. “You’ve got a great ass, Cassie Carroll.”
She nuzzled his neck. “And don’t forget. Sensational legs. Or were you just feeding a line to that blonde bimbo reporter?”
Rhett chuckled. “You do have hot legs. Why do you think I let you run a little ahead of me sometimes? It’s a view I can’t afford to pass up.”
Cassie pulled away from him. “What about—” She stopped, frowning. “Come into the light.” She pulled him along and stopped cold in her tracks as they moved into the light.
“Oh, Rhett. You look awful.” She brushed a soft kiss along his brow and then his cheek, stopping when he winced.
“You need a hot shower and plenty of—”