Page 27 of Mayfair Madame (Mayfair Heights #1)

Chapter Twenty Five

Ellie

“ I ’m going with her,” I said to Josh and climbed into the ambulance, still holding Naomi’s hand.

“We’ve got it covered here,” he said. “Go!”

I smiled tightly, so fucking worried. What if she died?

“She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?” I nibbled my lip. Relief coursed through me when the paramedic said they thought so, but she’d need scans to make sure no internal organs had been damaged.

That was the worry. How far had the knife penetrated? Was she bleeding internally?

It didn’t do to panic until I had all the facts, but that didn’t stop the thoughts running rampant through my head.

“Ellie?”Naomi’s voice brought me back to the present.

“I’m here, baby. Just lie quietly. We’ll be there soon.”

She smiled, and her eyelids dropped closed. She had to be okay. We’d not known each other long, but I didn’t want to contemplate the alternative. Life without Naomi wasn’t a life at all. Not now anyway.

With every minute that passed, my anxiety grew. Finally, we arrived at the hospital.The doors flew open, and she was whisked away to be treated. I followed, but a nurse stopped me.

“I’m sorry, miss, you can’t come any further right now.” I watched helplessly as the double doors closed behind her. It was only then that I allowed myself to cry.

I sat on the hard plastic chair and dropped my head into my hands. Big, fat tears ran down my face. What if I lost her? What if I never got to tell her how I really felt?

Well, that would need to change, and I vowed the next time I saw her, I’d tell her everything.

How she’d become the highlight of my day, how I’d grown accustomed to having her around.

While I’d loved Kate, or thought I had, my heart hadn’t fluttered the moment she walked into a room as it did when Naomi was near.

Didn’t that mean something? Did it mean I was in love?

I couldn’t stop the fidgeting, the picking of my fingers, the jiggle of my knee,the panic that hit me the moment the door opened. But it was an hour before a doctor appeared.

“Are you here with Miss Naomi Reeves?”

I stood quickly and wrung my hands. “Yes. I?m Ellie. Ellie Sharpe. I came in with her.”

“She’s asking for you.”

“Is she okay?” I followed him through the door and down a corridor to a private room.

“Miss Reeves is doing as well as can be expected.”

I ran to her side and held her hand. She looked exhausted, her usual smile absent. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Like I got sliced open, but it’s going to be fine. The doctor said so.” She turned to him. “Tell her what you told me.”

“Well, fortunately, the wound was clean cut. A slice with a sharp knife is much better to stitch than a ragged one. There’ll be some scarring, but it will fade with time. Miss Reeves will make a full recovery. With a day or so in here and as long as all is fine, she can go home.”

The doctor left and closed the door behind him.

“God, I was so worried,” I said. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Seeing her pinned against the wall by that piece of shit, Godfrey, I’d frozen. Fear, horror, and panic almost had me running in and kicking the crap out of him, but sense had prevailed. My training had kicked in, and I’d resisted the urge to protect her from him.

“You can’t get rid of me that quickly.” She tried to sit up and winced.

“Steady, Naomi. Do you need painkillers? Should I get a nurse?”

“No, Ellie. Just help me sit up a little. My job might entail lying on my back, but I don’t want to do it if I don’t have to.”

At least her sense of humour hadn’t disappeared.

“What happened? How in God’s name did he get hold of you?”

“He came out of nowhere and jabbed the knife into my side. I tried to fight him off, but he threatened to stab the surrounding people. I couldn’t let that happen, Ellie.

So many innocent lives could have been ruined by that maniac.

I’m just glad you turned up when you did.

Who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t? ”

“Hey, none of that now.” I wiped away the tears from her face.

“It’s over, and you’re safe. Josh took him away, and I doubt he’ll see the outside of a prison anytime soon.

He’ll likely be charged with attempted manslaughter.

With a good lawyer, he might get it knocked down to assault, but he’ll never harm you again, Naomi. You have my word.”

“Thank God.” Her eyes fluttered closed, and I took that as my cue to let her sleep.

I kissed her dry lips and laid my head on the bed next to her. They’d have to kick me out, as there was no way I was leaving her alone.

I thanked all that was holy that she was fine, and when her fingers slipped into my hair, then rested on my head, I knew all would be well and I knew what I needed to do.

After a couple of days, she was allowed out, and it’d been my turn to care for her.

Nurses came in every day to change her dressings, and she’d chat with them, thanking them for taking such good care of her, but the moment they went, she’d sleep.

It had taken so much out of her. She’d lost so much blood; it’d take time for her body to come back from that.

The apartment was full of flowers and fruit baskets, not to mention countless boxes of chocolates that tempted me daily. I resisted, but only just.

A parade of her friends visited: Oscar and Marco, and I finally met Lorenzo and Guy. She’d laugh and joke with them, but when she thought I wasn’t looking, I’dsee the terror and anxiety that gripped her.

The nightmares would return. How could they not with all she’d gone through? In time, we’d have to address them again.

Melinda had temporarily taken over the running of the business, and on the plus side, I’d gone up in her estimation by saving Naomi. She’d thanked me profusely, and when she brought coffee and pastries, she never forgot me.

When Rupert had arrived, he’d suggested we get away for a while, and I’d agreed wholeheartedly. He offered not only his villa, complete with housekeeper, but also the use of his private jet. We both agreed it was just what we needed, and we began to plan.

It’d be a couple of weeks before Naomi could fly. She still needed to heal, and there was no way the doctors would allow it until she’d had her stitches removed, so we waited.

Inthe meantime, I contemplated our relationship. She was so much more than a friend, and if I was reading things right, she felt the same way about me. I’d spoken with Lucy and told her what had happened.

I confided in her, telling her how I felt about Naomi, and it was like a weight had been lifted. I’d carried around the guilt about my and Kate’s relationship for so long it was hard to let go. I’d finally realised I wasn’t to blame, that Kate had likely been looking for an excuse to end things.

Butwith Naomi, the thought of her ending things between us tore me apart. That was when I knew I loved her.

“What are you going to do?” Lucy asked one evening. Naomi was sleeping, and I’d just finished a long shift and was about to shower.

“Ask her to marry me,” I said, part joking.

“I think that’s a great idea.”

“Don't be fucking stupid. What if she says no?” I chewed on a broken fingernail and cursed when it bled.

“And what if she says yes? What do you have to lose?”

“My dignity, my self-respect, my fucking mind!”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Ellie. From what you’ve said about her, I think you’re worrying far too much. Go on holiday with her, and what better time to do it than at sunset on a beautiful beach? Find your romantic side, Ellie. God knows it’s been missing for years.”

“Hey, you don’t know that.”

“Unfortunately, my dear sister, I do. Now, I have to go. Henry brought a kitten home yesterday,and it’s scaling the curtains. Gotta go, sis. Love you.”

And with that, she was gone.

Naomi continued to improve day by day, but at night, as I’d expected, the nightmares returned. She’d often wake screaming and occasionally lash out, but I’d hold her until the trembling subsided and she went back to sleep.

Hopefully, some time away from London would help settle her. This break couldn’t come soon enough.

And then finally, we got the news we’d been waiting for. She was cleared to fly.Two weeks after the assault; we flew out to Portugal. We did very little. We sunbathed, swam, ate, and drank. Walking tired her, but that suited us fine. We’d come away to recuperate, and that was what we’d done.

And as one week moved into two, my feelings for her only grew. Spending time with her, with no distractions and only ourselves for company, I didn’t relish the thought of going back to how we were. I wanted her by my side. But how could I tell her?

With two days left to go, I’d decided. There was only one thing to do.

“What shall we do this evening?” I handed her a chilled bottle of water and sat on the edge of her sunbed. With only two nights left here, I was running out of time. “There’s that Michelin- starred restaurant Rupert mentioned, or we could go back to the little bistro in the village.”

The break had done her good. She looked amazing. Well rested and almost like her normal self. The wound had healed nicely, no doubt aided by the sun.

With no one around, she bathed topless, and you wouldn’t find me complaining. I got to take advantage of her beautiful body daily. How could I resist? I stroked her bare breasts. She was so responsive, and her nipples hardened.

“Why don’t we order in? All this lying around has me exhausted.” She arched her back in response to my touch.

“Maybe it was the sex this morning. We didn’t exactly hold back.” I’d been so careful at first, not wishing to damage her any further, but after three weeks of doing nothing, she’d dragged me into her bed and showed me exactly what I’d been missing.

From that day on, I’d let her know how much I wanted and craved her, every single day.

Even now, the thought of her made me wet. Naomi, of course, noticed the dark patch that had spread and slipped her finger beneath my bikini bottoms.