Unsurpassed

by Charity Parkerson

  “Hurry. I want to feel all of you.”

  His lips settled over hers as he pushed his way inside and Aubree sucked in a sharp breath. All her longing came to the surface. She bit down hard on the delicious bottom lip that constantly teased her with its wickedness. He was perfect. There was no way she’d get to keep him. As the champion, he could have any woman he chose. For tonight, he belonged to her. If this was the only night she was ever going to have, she wanted to taste as much of him as possible. Aubree was so wet she could hear it with every pump of his hips. Ripping his mouth away, Drew buried his face against her neck.

  “Fuck, Aubree. You have to come for me. I want to feel your greedy cunt pulling at my cock. Come for me, now.”

  Punctuating his words by reaching between them and circling her tender nub, Drew sent her over the edge again. With her focus on the tingling and pulsing of her pussy, she barely noticed the tightening of his muscles as his body tensed. Drew cursed heavily when his orgasm hit. He crushed her beneath him. Aubree could barely breathe underneath his full weight. She didn’t care. She memorized every dip and valley of his back as she ran her hands over his skin. He was so much more than every fantasy she’d ever had, and this was one she wanted to keep.

  Chapter Six

  “Ho! Ho! Ho!” Aubree turned her head hiding her smile from the tiny girl in the hospital bed as Drew entered the room. Despite keeping her gaze locked on the white dry erase board in front of her, he could tell from the outline of her cheek she was holding back laughter.

  She quickly finished writing a series of numbers on the board and seemed to have pulled herself together by the time she turned around. Her eyes shone as she cheered, “It’s Santa! He’s made a special trip to see you, Trina.”

  The little girl hid a shy smile as Drew claimed the chair next to her bed. The stuffing at his stomach took some getting used to, and the fake beard was hot as hell, but the smile on the kids’ faces had been worth it.

  “I’m going to leave the two of you alone, but I expect you to ask for something expensive since Santa can afford it.” Drew bit back a laugh at Aubree’s words. She winked as she left the room.

  “How are you today?” Drew asked as soon as they were alone. Trina’s advance- stage cancer had left her little more than skin over bones and chemo had stolen her hair. In spite of those things, she seemed strong if not a little old for her ten years.

  She ran her finger underneath the plastic I.D. bracelet on her arm, keeping her eyes locked on the motion as she answered. “I’m okay.”

  “Your nurse, Aubree, tells me you’ve been very good this year, so I made a trip to see you. Do you have a special request?”

  She kept up the nervous motion at her wrist. “I know you’re not really Santa.”

  This was different. “What makes you say so?” Drew asked, hoping he didn’t spoil Christmas for Trina for the rest of her life.

  “It’s Christmas Eve, so Santa is really busy, and that’s why he sends his helpers out to talk to the kids.” Luckily, she didn’t appear to need his confirmation on the matter, before asking, “Do I have to ask for something for me?”

  “Hmm, I don’t suppose so, but don’t you want a present for yourself?”

  Trina curled her nose as if thinking things over. “I’m not really allowed to have many toys here since they absorb germs.” Her answer broke Drew’s heart. Kids should have toys, and it was a shame Trina had to accept that she couldn’t. “But it’s okay because I know what I want,” she added sounding pragmatic.

  “Hit me with your list.”

  “It’s not for me,” she reminded him.

  Smiling at her motherly tone, he reassured her. “I’ll do my best.”

  “I’d like for Aubree to get some happiness for Christmas.”

  Drew’s heart stopped at Trina’s request. “Aubree isn’t happy?”

  “She is for part of the day,” Aubree explained. “I think she should be happy all day. She is very nice and I don’t like that man who is mean to her.”

  “There’s a man who’s mean to her?” Drew heard himself, but he couldn’t stop. If something was going on with Aubree, he needed to know, even if it meant questioning a child. Trina nodded while staring at the corner. “Un-huh. He shows up every day. He’s very big,” she explained holding her arms out wide to aid her description. “And he says lots of bad words to her. He says she only cared about sick kids and not sick old people then he calls her ugly names. I don’t like him, and it’s not true. Aubree cares about everybody, even the mean nurse who doesn’t let me watch anything except the educational channel.”

  Drew gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles protested. “Does he do anything else?” Even to his ears, Drew’s voice sounded hollow.

  Trina went back to twisting her bracelet. “Yesterday she said something and he got really mad. Aubree doesn’t know I can see her from here with the door open,” Trina added shooting him a panicked look.

  “Don’t worry,” he said attempting to sound soothing in spite of his boiling blood. “I won’t say a word. What happened yesterday?”

  Looking relieved, Trina dropped her gaze to her lap again. “He said, ‘if you ask him to do it, he will. He’ll give you whatever you want,’ and Aubree told him no. She said, ‘Everyone uses Drew. I love him and I won’t be like everyone else.’ His face turned scary and he pushed her against the wall. It was really hard too because she hit her head.”

  The edges of the room turned dark as Drew lost focus. He would kill him. Max had been here terrorizing Aubree and she hadn’t said a word. He’d put his hands on her. Max was a dead man. “If he goes away, Aubree will smile again all day. Can you do it or am I wasting my Christmas wish?”

  Every single word Trina spoke sounded as if it was coming through a tunnel, but he nodded. “I definitely can,” he promised, and Trina looked over at him, smiling. Clenching both arms of the chair to keep from storming out, Drew forced his voice to remain level. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can bring you for Christmas? I’ll take care of Aubree for free if you’d like something as well.”

  She scrunched up her face again as she answered. “If you want to surprise me then I won’t complain about whatever you bring me.”

  “You have a deal,” he said, coming to his feet. He tried hard to move as slowly as possible even as his mind raced in every direction.

  “It’s okay for you to hug me.”

  In spite of his rage, Drew couldn’t help but be charmed by the little girl as he leaned over and carefully hugged her. He was hyper-aware of his strength in comparison to her frail body, but it was obvious she had enough inner strength to make up the difference.

  With a final wave, he headed out. As soon as he was out of sight, he stormed from the building pulling off the hat and beard as he went. It was time to take care of Max. Nobody touched his woman and lived to tell about it.

  Aubree peeked in Trina’s room and a hint of disappointment set in when she realized she’d missed saying goodbye to Drew. “I see Santa has already left.”

  Trina nodded. “He is Santa, so he’s very busy today.”

  Aubree pursed her lips to keep from smiling at Trina’s matter-of-fact tone. She was convinced the girl was going to grow to be quite the character. “Did you make sure to ask for lots of new stuff?”

  “He’s going to surprise me.”

  “Good choice,” Aubree agreed. “I like surprises.” Glancing over she caught sight of the television. “Sheesh. Are you on the educational channel again? Be a child, chickee,” Aubree ordered flipping it to the cartoon channel as Trina giggled.

  Despite her best efforts, Aubree spent the rest of the day worrying. Even though she knew Drew had a lot to do, it wasn’t like him to leave without saying anything. It niggled at the back of her mind making it hard for her to concentrate. By the time she made it home that night, she barely remember anything she’d done or said all day. When she heard Drew’s key turn in the front door, she had to force herself to sta
y where she was, even as the door closed behind him. Leaning her weight on one elbow on the kitchen countertop, she flipped to the next page in the magazine and called out. “Hey baby, I missed you when you left the hospital today.”

  A shadow fell over the pages in front of her and the same burst of happiness she always experienced when he was nearby ran through her. “I had a few things to take care of. Isn’t this a tempting picture?” Drew’s deep rumbling voice ran down her spine as his hands gripped her waist. “Do you have anything on underneath this t-shirt?” Without giving her time to answer, he added, “Wait. Is this my t-shirt?” He tugged at the collar, checking the size. “It is. Damn, that’s sexy as hell.”

  “It’s comfortable,” she complained with no real heat. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and she was waiting for the moment he discovered it. Gripping the counter on either side of her, he crowded her with his body. Touching his lips to the back of her neck, he spoke against her skin.

  “I’m not bitching. It makes me feel like I’ve marked my territory.” Goosebumps covered her entire body and her nipples hardened as she dropped her chin to her chest giving him more access to her neck. Her eyes landed on his hands. His knuckles were split and blood still oozed from the open wounds.

  “Oh my gosh, Drew! Why didn’t you wrap your hands today?” She grabbed him by the wrists, tugged him to the sink and shoved his hands under the tap. Turning the water on, she leaned closer to his wounds. “What were you thinking?” she asked when he didn’t say anything. “All it would take is one fracture in the right spot to screw up your whole career.”

  “Aubree.”

  “I’m serious, Drew. You’d be crushed.”

  “Aubree.”

  “It would break my heart too because I know how much you love it.”

  “Aubree,” he said louder. Cutting off her tirade, Drew pulled his hands away and switched the water off. Spinning her around, he forced her to pay attention to him. As soon as she met his gaze, she realized how serious he was, and she bit down on her tongue to keep from saying anything else. “I’m going to get hurt,” he told her firmly. “I’m going to bleed and bruise. It’s my job, but I can take it, and you have to trust me when I say I’m okay.”

  “You could wrap your damn hands,” she grumbled unable to stop the words.

  He smiled at her childish tone. “It won’t happen again. I promise.” His smile fell and the solemn expression dropped back into place. “I need to tell you something important.” She felt sick at his tone. If he was done, then she really wished she had more clothes on.

  Shoring up her courage, Aubree gave him a short nod. “Okay.”

  Cupping her face between his hands, he held her stare while keeping her in place as if he feared she would look away. He didn’t say anything and her nerves were ready to snap as panic settled in her gut. “You’re killing me, Drew.”

  “I’m in love with you.”

  “What?”

  “I love you,” he said again. “Actually, it was pretty instantaneous, which is a concept I always thought was a bit ridiculous, but then I met you. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you or give you.”

  “I don’t want anything else,” she said, cutting him off. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, and she realized she was gripping his shirt between her hands as if she’d been trying to physically hold him to her side. Relaxing her hands, she smoothed them up his chest before circling his neck.

  “Really? You don’t want anything else from me?” The seriousness of his tone brought her fear back to the surface. “Because I want things from you. I want you to love me in return.”

  “I do,” she said without hesitation, but his expression still didn’t change.

  “I want you to want things from me, not because you know I care so much for you I’ll give you whatever you ask for, but because you love me and trust me enough to know I’ll take care of you. Please tell me you want things from me too?”

  The mixture of pain and honesty shining in Drew’s eyes was killing Aubree. She didn’t want him to hurt because she’d held back in any way. Nodding, she forced her teeth to unlock and allow her to speak. “I want to know you’re never going to leave.”

  “Thank God,” he said. Swooping in, he opened his mouth over hers, overwhelming her. As his tongue brushed hers, she met him stroke for stroke. Cupping her ass, he hauled her against his erection and tore his mouth away. “Fucking hell. There’s nothing under this shirt. Don’t want to wait,” he said, lifting her feet from the floor. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. With a few short strides, Aubree found her back against the wall. Proving his strength, Drew easily held onto her with one hand as he reached over his head and pulled his shirt over his shoulders. She helped in the effort. Aubree didn’t want a thing between her hands and his skin. Free of his shirt, Drew tore at the button of his jeans and in a matter of seconds, his shaft stretched her wide. The moment he was fully seated inside her, Drew froze and held her stare. A flush covered his cheeks, causing the gray of his eyes to stand out in stark comparison. He looked turned on and sexy but also filled to the brim with emotion.

  “You’re not wearing a condom,” she pointed out.

  “Does it matter?”

  The question gave her pause. She recognized they’d reached a pivotal moment in their relationship. “Only if you don’t want children,” she pointed out.

  He rocked against her, stealing her breath. “I want it all with you, kids, marriage, the whole thing.”

  “You’re beautiful,” she said before she could stop herself. She tightened her inner walls around his cock. “I think you could make me come by doing nothing more than looking at me.”

  “I’m always up for a challenge but tonight is not the night.” Rolling his hips, Drew withdrew an inch before pumping inside her. The friction of their bodies pulled at her clit and she dropped her forehead to his shoulder focusing on the ecstasy pulsing through her. Staring down between their bodies, she watched as the muscles in his stomach bunched and rolled. She caught flashes of his dick, shining wet with her juices, as it moved in and out of her. The smell of his skin, the sight of their joined bodies, and the direct pressure to her most sensitive parts overloaded her senses. Drew growled as the first spasms hit and her channel pulled at his cock greedily. She gasped as the orgasm ripped through her, digging her fingernails into Drew’s skin and attempting to cling to the feeling as long as possible. Pressing her weight into the wall, Drew gripped her ass almost painfully with one hand as he buried the other in her hair. Pulling her mouth to his, he sucked hard on her tongue as he ground against her. A sound of pure male pleasure tore from his throat as he came.

  Aubree’s feet slipped to the floor and Drew held on until he knew she was steady. The moisture rolling down the inside her thigh reminded Aubree of how connected they now were. Drew snagged the hem of her shirt and hauled the material over her head. Swiping the shirt up her thigh and between her legs, he helped clean up the mess he’d made. Even with all the things they’d done, it felt like the most intimate moment they’d ever shared. When their gazes collided, Aubree knew Drew felt the same.

  “I have to get you cleaned up so you can get dressed.”

  “Why am I getting dressed?”

  “Because you’re marrying me tonight,” he answered simply before adding, “and then you’re going to give me a list of toys Trina is allowed to have in her room because we have shopping to do.”

  Her heart squeezed in her chest and the oxygen in the room seemed too thin. “We’re getting married tonight?”

  “It’s Vegas. I can marry you any time I’d like.” He held her stare. “We could wait, but I don’t want to. I’m going to feel the same way about you whether it’s today or ten years from now so let me have this, okay?”

  “I love you,” Aubree whispered, unable to think of a single thing to say powerful enough to express how happy he always made her.

  Drew settled his mouth on hers, lingering for a mom
ent before deepening their kiss. It was slow, sweet and powerful. When he pulled away, the playful Drew was back in place. “I’m hard work, but I’m worth it,” he promised.

  * * * * *

  Ryan leaned against the pillar in front of Aubree’s door, hoping the bite of brick into his skin would take away the picture of a broken and battered Max that was branded in his brain. When questioned by the police, he refused to release a name or description of his attacker. Instead, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, Max claimed he’d fallen down the stairs outside the gym where they worked. With no witnesses, video footage or cooperation, there was nothing anyone could do. It didn’t matter what Max said to anyone else because Ryan knew the truth.

  They’d been wrong. The guilt eating at him each day sat as a heavy reminder in his gut. Aubree had deserved so much better than what they’d done to her. Ryan missed her with something he couldn’t name. Perhaps it was a step beyond desperation. However, he’d never expected Max’s reaction to the loss of Aubree from their lives. His slow spiral out of control coupled with daily visits to see Aubree at work—which he gathered didn’t go well by Max’s mood when he returned—seemed to take a toll on him. No matter how wrong they’d been or how desperate Max was to reclaim her, his punishment hadn’t fit his crime.

  To his aggravation, when he began searching for Drew, he ran up against brick walls at every turn. Switching tactics, Ryan decided Aubree was the best way to locate the missing fighter. Unfortunately, once again, there was nothing. His search ended when, after a visit to her work, he’d learned from one of the other nurses Aubree had taken a vacation. She was due back today and the two hours Ryan had spent waiting for Aubree to get home did nothing to cool his seething rage. When Drew’s silver ultra-expensive sports car pulled up at the curb, a pulse began beating at his brain. Life had denied Drew nothing, including the woman sitting in the passenger seat. The frustration from months of waiting to have Aubree to only be given a few short hours enjoying her body pooled together with Ryan’s vehemence over Max’s injuries until a red haze covered his vision.