by Mia Jones
He chuckled. He listened as sleep took her. He was tired, but he didn’t want to waste a moment of her in his arms.
When he couldn’t fight it any longer, he tightened his grip on her just in case she tried to roll away from him.
He would fight to keep her close to him. Hell, he didn’t want air to get between them. He hoped things would settle with time, or he would go stark raving mad being away from her at all.
The next morning, a satisfaction unlike anything he’d ever felt raced through him as he watched her make breakfast for them in his kitchen.
He hoped he’d see her there many, many more times and for the rest of their lives.
Chapter Fourteen
“Hey, pretty lady.”
Lilah rolled her eyes at the voice that came behind her.
“Aren’t you even going to talk to me?”
Lilah turned to the man that had been irritating her since the first day she started.
“Sure, I’ll talk to you, but only about patients.”
She jerked her head back when he reached for her hair.
“I’ve told you not to touch.”
Dr. McCowell chuckled and came a step closer.
“You don’t mean that?” he crooned.
Lilah gritted her teeth. “I’ve told you I’m in a serious relationship.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.”
“Actually, it does mean that.”
Both Lilah and the doctor spun around at the growl. They both stared at the angry man in front of them.
“Come here, Lilah.”
“Holy shit,” the doctor burst out. “That’s your boyfriend?”
Lilah walked to Kaden and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was getting great delight out of seeing the fear on the doctor’s face. She was pretty sure he’d leave her alone now.
“Kaden, I’d like you to meet Dr. McCowell.” She turned to the doctor. “Dr. McCowell, meet my other half, Kaden Shaw.”
“Shaw? Like in Shaw Construction?” the doctor asked.
Kaden nodded and still hadn’t taken his cold eyes off of the man that tried to touch what was his.
Lilah was getting more and more worried as the seconds passed without Kaden saying anything. She looked up at him and saw the muscle in his jaw bunch.
She tightened her arms when Kaden took a step forward.
“You can’t hurt him,” she pleaded.
“He touched you,” Kaden growled.
“He won’t do it again,” she murmured.
The doctor raised his hands in front of him. “Man, if I knew she dated someone like you, I’d have stayed far away from her.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Kaden scowled. “She told you she was dating someone, and you still pushed it.”
Lilah tightened her arms when Kaden stiffened.
Kaden looked down at Lilah and saw the worry on her face. He grasped her shoulders and kissed her forehead.
“I want you to go and wait for me by the elevator.”
“But…”
“No, buts, you’re in enough trouble.”
“Me?” she asked, shocked. “Why?”
“Because it sounds like this has been going on for a while, and I’m just hearing about it now.” He thought about how long and gritted his teeth. Had she been dealing with the harassment for weeks? Months? He was determined to find out.
Lilah opened and then closed her mouth. She had nothing to say. She’d wanted to tell Kaden about it but was afraid of what he would do.
“Lilah, go. We’ll talk about family business when we’re alone.”
“Uh, hey,” the doctor spoke up, his voice shaky. “He doesn’t hurt you, does he?”
Lilah was a bit impressed that the doctor had the guts to ask.
Kaden wanted to howl in pain at the thought of Lilah hurt. “I’d cut off an arm before I’d hurt this woman.”
Lilah nodded. “He would never hurt me.”
“I said go,” Kaden repeated as he turned her away from them and gently nudged her.
Lilah walked off. She was waiting for a crash to happen. She hastily grabbed her purse and bag from her locker in the lounge and started for the elevator. She glanced down the hallway to where the men stood.
***
He waited until she had turned into the nurse’s lounge.
“This is what’s going to happen?” Kaden stared at the doctor. “She will continue to work here because she enjoys it, but never again will you talk to her about anything that doesn’t have to do with the hospital or a patient.” He waited for that to sink in. “Do I make myself clear?”
The doctor held up his hands again. “Yes. I was only joking around.”
“Well, now you know how I feel about you joking around,” he said sarcastically. “You stay away from what’s mine. I’m a possessive, jealous son of a bitch, and you don’t want to ever cross me when it comes to that woman.”
“Hey, I understand. I swear I won’t get near her.”
Kaden’s eyes narrowed. “Do you do that to other nurses?”
A red flush covered the doctor’s face, and it told Kaden what he needed.
“I think you need to deal with all the nurses the same way. I’m going to predict if you don’t, you’ll be brought up on harassment charges. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Alright. Can I get back to work?”
Kaden tossed his head, dismissing the man, and then turned toward his woman.
***
“Holy shit, what’s going on with those two?” Addison said and pointed to the men.
“Kaden came up behind us when Dr. McCowell was hitting on me.”
“Oh, nice,” Addison said and then hooted. “It’s about time that asshole was put in his place.”
“I agree, but I don’t want Kaden put in jail for assault.”
Addison shook her head.
“Kaden won’t hurt him. He’ll just scare the hell out of him.”
“You didn’t see his face,” Lilah declared.
“Oh, damn, here he comes,” Addison hissed. “I’m out of here.”
Lilah snorted as she watched Addison scurry off as Kaden walked toward her.
***
He started her way. He bit back a smile when Addison darted away. Jesus, he knew he was pissed, but did he look that bad?
His mind was stuck on when he’d come off the elevator and froze. A wave of rage swept through him as he watched a guy trying to make moves on his woman. What made his anger soar was Lilah kept moving away from the guy, but he persisted.
He’d come up behind them and caught the tail end of the conversation.
His hands tightened into fists caused by the purely male instinct to protect his own.
His anger spiked when he caught sight of Lilah’s relief that he was there.
His eyes roamed over the man that he could take apart with one hand and was glad the guy also guessed it and tried to back off.
His anger lessened when Lilah came to him quickly when he asked.
He could feel the tension in her and didn’t want to prolong her distress, so he sent her to get her things.
Chapter Fifteen
Lilah watched as Kaden made his way to her. He walked with a slight swagger but light on his feet, not thumping around like one would think a person his size would.
A delicious shiver raced down her spine at the intense way his focus narrowed on her. She couldn’t ever see her reaction going away, because it seemed to get worse with time instead of better.
Kaden came to stand in front of her with his hands on his hips and a dark scowl on his face.
She grinned up at him, not the least bit intimidated by his presence or his scowl.
Kaden huffed out a laugh, gripped her upper arm and maneuvered her into the elevator. The elevator stopped a few times letting people in and crowding Kaden and Lilah against the back wall.
Lilah watched several people give Kaden nervous looks. She got angry. How did
he stand to have people afraid of him all the time?
She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on his chin.
Kaden looked down at her. “What was that for, baby?”
“I’m just happy to see you. I missed you.”
Kaden grinned and pulled her tightly against his chest. He used his fingers under her chin to tip her head up at the same time his mouth descended on hers.
“I missed you, too,” he murmured against her lips.
The elevator doors slid open, letting out a few people and letting on an older woman.
Kaden smoothed the hair that had fallen from her braid away from her face as he and Lilah grinned at each other.
“If I might say so,” the elderly woman said. “You two make a striking couple.”
“Thank you,” Lilah said and smiled broadly.
“My Harry and I were like you two. He was over a foot taller than me, but it never mattered.”
“Thank you. I haven’t ever had a problem with our size difference. In fact,” Lilah said and grinned up at Kaden. “He makes me feel safe.”
“You two would make beautiful babies.”
Lilah’s smile dimmed when she felt Kaden stiffen.
“We haven’t talked about children yet,” Lilah stated.
The elevator dinged, and they followed the older woman out into the lobby.
“Don’t wait too long for children, dear. Life goes by so fast.”
“Thank you,” was all Lilah said and then waved as they walked off.
Neither said a word on the way out to his truck.
Kaden lifted her in, secured her belt like he always did, and then gently kissed her.
Lilah sighed as she watched him walk around the front of the truck and slide in. “Where are we going?”
Kaden glanced at her before he pulled out into traffic. “Home.”
The subject of the houses never came up, along with a future and eventually children, and she didn’t know how she felt about that right then.
“Which home?” Lilah asked.
Lilah noticed his jaw clench and wondered why.
“My home.”
A thought was stuck in her head, and she’d been too afraid to ask Kaden. Was she at his house so that he could protect her? What would happen when they finally found the man that attacked her? Would she need to move back to her home?
She waited to see if he’d say anything else. She glanced out of the window. They spent the majority of time over at his house, most of her clothes and personal items were already there. But they never talked about even living together.
She wondered at his reaction to having children. She’d always dreamed of having a family of her own. A normal life with a husband, kids, and a house with a big backyard for the children to play in.
Sometimes the dreams were the only thing that got her through the rough times when she was growing up.
She never knew who her mother was. She was told a priest found her in a box in the back of the church. She’d only been a few days old at that time.
It had been hard to place her or get her adopted because she had been born with heroin in her system. The hospital got her through withdrawal, but she still had issues that many people didn’t want to deal with. She bounced around from one foster home to the next, always hoping a couple would see her and take her home with them. It never happened.
Her health issues disappeared when she was in her teens, but at that point, it was next to impossible to get adopted. No one wanted a teenager.
The foster home she’d been in when she was sixteen changed her life. The woman had been a retired schoolteacher and made it a priority for her and the other three children she fostered to read and think about the future.
The woman had helped Lilah get through high school at the top of her class and then into college. Lilah had found several scholarships that helped pay for some of her classes. She’d had to take out college loans for the rest and use the money she made from her job as a waitress to live off of.
She had decided on being a nurse and working with children because of all the friendly, caring people she’d met when she was in the hospital for different ailments.
Now she’d graduated, found a job and a house of her own. Something she’d dreamed about her whole life. But she was willing to give up her home to be with him.
They talked about their pasts, people they knew, current events, and their jobs, but nothing really personal. In fact, they’d never said they loved each other. She would bet he did love her, but she had to remember it had only been five months since they started dating.
They pulled up into his driveway. She waited for him to come around to help her out. She’d learned that right away. He liked to take care of her. He liked to buckle and unbuckle her seatbelt and help her down.
Some women might find it stifling, but it just made her feel cherished.
Lilah caught the cold look on his face.
She grabbed ahold of his hand when he reached over her for her belt. “Kaden, why don’t I just go home for the night.”
Kaden slowly lifted his head. “Why in the hell would you say that?”
“You just seem upset.”
“I am upset. I’m upset a man was touching you. I’m upset you haven’t told me about it, and now I’m upset that you want to go home.”
Lilah raised her hand and cupped his cheek.
“I don’t want to go…”
“Good, because you’re not,” he declared as he lifted her from the truck, He curled his arm around her waist, grabbed her bags, and led her into the house.
She pulled away as he dropped her bags on the table inside the door.
“I’m going to go shower,” Lilah said and walked off.
He watched her walk away from him, and he was shocked at the pain that hit him. He knew it was unreasonable. She was just walking into the bathroom, but something had shifted. He couldn’t point to what caused it.
Was it the prick doctor and the way Kaden reacted? Was it what the older woman said? Or something totally different?
The fact that she’d ask him which home pissed him off. He knew he had to go slow, not push her, but he’d been making headway into getting her things in his house. He had decided to wait to ask her to sell her house, because they’d only been together five months. A tiny part of him was terrified, if he pushed too hard, he might lose her.
Way too early to ask her to move in with him. Or was it? He’d never lived with a woman, and he certainly couldn’t read Lilah’s mind, but he was sure she loved him. No woman acted the way she did, gave of herself as much as she did, if she didn’t love him.
Right?
“Fuck,” he spit out and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Hell, with this,” he said as he strode into the bathroom. If she thought she could hide from him, she was mistaken. He closed the bathroom door behind him and quickly stripped out of his clothes. His breath caught at the look on her face. Her head tilted back to let the water run down her head and back, her eyes closed, but it was the mask of sadness he noticed the most.
He closed the door, which got her attention. She tried to smile at him, but there was no light in it.
He wrapped his arms around her and then used a hand to hold onto the back of her neck. The way she automatically gave herself over to him appeased him a bit.
“I want to bathe you.”
Lilah leaned back and smiled up at him.
“Can I wash you then?”
“Yes, baby, you can.”
Kaden squirted some of her flowery shampoo in his hands and started working it through her hair. He smiled when she moaned. Massaging or brushing her hair was a few of her favorite things, so he tried to do it a lot.
After he rinsed the shampoo, he worked conditioner in. He reached for the loofah and put a small pool of her body wash on it. He worked up from her feet, not missing a millimeter of her body. He paid particular attention to her pussy an
d then her breasts.
“Step back,” he murmured and then washed the conditioner, and then body wash, off her.
Then it was her turn.
He sat down on the small bench he placed in the shower so she could reach his head. She shampooed his hair and then made him stand to rinse. Lilah used her hands instead of a sponge and took her time going over him, looking for any injuries he might have received that day and was pleased to not see any.
The texture and hardness of his body fascinated her. She could run her hands over him all day and never get sick of it.
She kissed the middle of his back as her hands massaged his tight buttocks and then grinned when he stiffened.
“Lilah, what are you doing?” he asked as her hands roamed to the front of him and curled around his cock.
“I’m not doing anything,” she said innocently.
Lilah bit back a laugh when he growled as she circled him, never releasing her grip on his cock.
Lilah looked up at him as she ran her hands up and down, caressing him and making him harder than he was before. She was still shocked that she could fit him into her body. If he had been a shorter man, she would have gotten on her knees, but all she had to do was bend down and take him in her mouth.
“Jesus Crist,” he shouted.
She felt his fingers dig into her hair. He didn’t let her do this to him a lot. He said because he wanted to last longer than a minute, but when he did, she took advantage as long as she could.
He pulled her head up with a hand tangled in her hair, wrapped his arm around her waist, and yanked her against his chest. He controlled her head and bent and took her lips as if starved for her.
She hummed when he lifted his head.
“That’s not fair,” she whined. “You get to taste me all the time.”
He rubbed his cock against her stomach and grinned.
“We could wrestle for it.”
She rolled her eyes. They’d done that before, or at least she tried. He had her pinned under him in seconds. She fought his hold until his tongue speared into her heat.
“We both know how that turned out,” she growled with a frown, making him laugh.
He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her. His smile disappeared, but a heat and affection filled his eyes.
“Damn, woman. You are my world.”