by Lynda Chance
He knew he had to withdraw from her in a moment, not because his cock was softening, because it wasn’t, but because he couldn’t start pounding into her again with the soiled condom between them. Although he had no way of knowing if she was on some manner of birth control, if she wasn’t, somehow he knew she’d get really pissed off if he fucked up and got her pregnant.
Pregnant.
Why in the hell would the thought of Maria pregnant make his cock swell up and take notice? That was completely fucked-up; he needed to clear his head; he wasn’t thinking properly—she had him completely unbalanced. But he couldn’t think now, he was still in the realm of only feeling. And Christ, she felt good. Exactly as he’d expected, exactly what his fantasies had already anticipated.
Christ. It had finally happened. He’d finally nailed the woman behind the voice. Jesus, but it had taken long enough. He’d never waited for anyone, ever, that long before in his life. But he knew if he had to do it again, he would.
She was that spectacular.
Forcing his addled brain to regroup, he kissed her on the forehead and slowly began to withdraw from her. She was tight, so tight that a moment ago, he’d almost lost it too soon, and now, his withdrawal was more difficult than his entry had been.
She winced and he attempted to make a soothing sound, putting his hand to his cock and holding the condom in place. He was trying even now to protect her, the difficulty of his withdrawal telling him that he was holding a loaded gun in his hand. She let out another gasp and the knowledge that he was hurting her almost made him come unglued. “Shhh, baby. Be still, just a sec, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, although she turned her head away as if she was supremely embarrassed. Embarrassed? Yeah, they’d had sex, the dirty and gritty kind, but sex was normal and why should she feel even the slightest trace of embarrassment?
Finally separated from her with the condom where it should be, he absentmindedly removed the protection while watching her. She rolled to her side and curled up in a ball, and stark concern had him quickly disposing of the evidence of their encounter in the bathroom. He came back and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hand to her backside. “Hey,” he said, wanting her attention.
“Hey,” she mumbled back as if she were greeting someone.
He rolled his eyes. “Maria, look at me.”
She shook her head and her eyes slipped closed.
His face creased into a frown. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then what’s wrong?”
Finally, she rolled over and faced him, opening her eyes. “Nothing.”
God, she had beautiful eyes. “Are you sure? Still pissed because I’m bilingual?”
“Yeah … no.” Her lips lifted in what looked to be an attempt at a smile.
“Right.” He studied her for a moment longer, trying to figure out what was in that feminine brain of hers. Having no clue what to say to her, he went for the mundane. “Are you hungry?”
After an abbreviated moment, she surprised him by nodding her head.
Pleasure at her agreement to readily spend more time with him raised his mood and he felt one side of his mouth lift as he caressed her backside. “You want to go grab some dinner somewhere?”
Her eyes widened and she scooted back on the bed, up onto her elbows, into a semi-reclining position. “You mean like somewhere other than in the hotel?” She made it sound as if she never got out, almost as if the hotel was her boundary.
“Sure. Wherever. We can eat downstairs or take a drive, find a restaurant on the water some place. That sound good?” She looked back at him in silence for a moment, as if he’d surprised her. What the hell? She didn’t think he’d bother feeding her? That kind of hurt.
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
He rubbed her butt again because he couldn’t seem to make himself stand up and move away from her.
She looked at him beneath her lashes. “Garrett?”
His hand took another stroke he couldn’t seem to control. “Yeah?”
“That thing you said to me earlier?” she asked.
He frowned. “What thing?”
“About you not messing around with other women?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“If you weren’t being honest with me, I’ll find out, and trust me, that’ll be the end of whatever this is between us.” She was studying him intently and then she opened her mouth again and turned his words around on him. “Got me, babe?”
She was so fucking adorable he couldn’t help but crack a smile.
****
The next day at work ended up being anti-climatic for Maria. The restaurant Garrett had taken her to the night before had been casual, but there had been little conversation between them. He’d practically stared at her throughout the entire meal, his look both harsh and assessing. The few words between them had been inconsequential, and it was as if they were both only eating for the fuel the food would bring, while each was basically lost in their own thoughts.
She’d certainly known what she’d been thinking. She couldn’t come to grips with the explosive sex they’d had, the dominant force he’d used, and his quiet but semi-raunchy gentleness afterwards.
After the restaurant, he’d walked her back to her room almost like a gentleman, and she’d half expected that he’d try to come back inside for seconds, but he hadn’t. He’d simply kissed her, deep and hard, and then with a gentle push, he’d set her inside her room.
And now, after a regular workday where he hadn’t shown up, she wondered for the billionth time where he was. She imagined that he was back in the Keys, but she wasn’t at all sure. A tiny, ridiculous feminine hurt tried to rear its ugly head, but Maria refused to let it take hold. Her therapy to keep her mind from him was to stay busy, and that’s exactly what she’d done all day.
Staying busy hadn’t been a problem, with electrical problems blacking out part of the building, causing temporary chaos and meaning that she’d ended up stretched to the limit. She’d give anything right now for a scented bath, some candles and some alone time, and certainly being alone seemed to be on her agenda, as Garrett still hadn’t shown up yet.
So now, as she was riding the service elevator up to her suite after her long stressful day, she was attempting to keep at bay the claustrophobia she always felt when she stepped into an elevator. She was alone inside, and she watched the numbers rise while she tried to breathe steadily. You can do it this, Maria. Remember, you do it every single day.
Just as she thought she had the fear conquered, the elevator came to an abrupt stop with a grinding lurch, and the lights went off. In an instant, she was transported back to the dark shed of her terrifying childhood experience; logic went out of the window. Her heart started pounding, and she practically choked on her own breath, debilitating panic overcoming her as terror wrapped around her and gripped her in waves, refusing to let go.
Chapter Seven
Garrett walked into the hotel that evening just as one of the maintenance workers shouted across the lobby. Annoyance was his first feeling, wondering why in the hell the man would break from protocol and send a possible upset through any guests who might be within earshot.
Already anxious to see Maria, he glanced around, knowing instinctively that if there were a problem in her hotel, she’d be right in the midst of it all. When he saw another maintenance man join the first, with still no sign of Maria, he walked over to them. “What’s going on?”
The first man, the one who’d shouted, was a much older, no-nonsense looking guy with a nametag that read ‘Dan’ on his coveralls. “The elevator doors are stuck.”
“Any guests on it?” Garrett asked.
“No. Service elevator. “ Dan answered shortly, turning away abruptly as if he didn’t have time for questions.
The slight insubordination hit Garrett the wrong way; there was no question that the employees here knew that he owned the place. “Then
why exactly would you shout across the damn hotel like the place is on fire? You purposely trying to upset the guests?”
The man turned back with fire in his eyes, “Because Maria’s on it, that’s why. And that’s all I give a shit about at the moment, not the hotel and not the guests.” The words were pissed, as if someone was trying to slow him down from saving his own child.
At Maria’s name on the other man’s lips, Garrett reared back as if he’d taken a hit. “Is she okay?”
“Hell, no. The girl’s got the worst case of claustrophobia I’ve ever seen. And she’s been stuck in there by herself for a good twenty minutes already.”
“Claustrophobia?” Why the hell hadn’t he known she had claustrophobia?
“Damn near debilitating. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get her out of there, okay?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“Fine, let’s go.”
The men vaulted up the stairs and worked on getting the doors open with a vengeance that was telling. The people here loved Maria, that had been more than obvious to Garrett since the day he’d arrived, and now, they worked like madmen to release her from her confinement.
When the doors finally opened, Garrett almost lost it at the sight that greeted him. Maria was sitting in the back corner, on her butt with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her head was bent forward, her face pressed tightly against her knees with her eyes screwed closed, and tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. Her shoes were off and lying beside her, her hair was a tangled, damp mess, and she was moaning in the back of her throat, rocking her torso forward and then back again.
“Goddammit,” he barked, making an immediate move for her. Before he could take two steps forward, Dan put a proprietary hand on his arm, indicating that he’d be the one to see to her first.
Rage, unlike anything he’d ever felt before, boiled up from Garrett’s throat and clawed itself out in a display of emotion that, had he retained a bit of sanity, would have astonished him. With a move that pushed the older man back against the elevator wall, Garrett snarled, “Back the fuck off. Understand me, old man? She’s mine. My woman, my responsibility.”
Releasing the clearly shocked man from his death grip, Garrett turned and crouched beside Maria. She was exactly in the same position; her head was still against her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs. “Babe,” he all but whispered.
The rocking motion stopped, but she remained still, with her head lowered.
“Baby, come on.” He ran a gentle hand from the top of her head down her damp hair, but still she didn’t respond.
Putting his fingers to her clammy forehead, he pushed back until finally, she raised her face and opened her eyes.
He sucked in an agonized breath at the look of her. Her mouth was set in lines of tension and her eyes seemed hollow before she jerked them away from his gaze and looked away. He’d never thought she looked her age, but right now, she looked every day of her twenty-five years. Her eyes were red from crying, and the only thing that saved her skin from being deathly white was the streaks of mascara and other make-up that was smeared in a colorful mess on her cheeks.
“Baby,” he mumbled again in commiseration for whatever she’d gone through in the last few minutes.
When he received no indication of an answer, Garrett glanced back at Dan. “She’s in shock. Her temperature has dropped, she needs to be warmed up.” He thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. “Do you know if there are any guests using the hot tub?
The man began shaking his head as if it wasn’t the answer they needed. “You won’t find the privacy she needs there. I was just there and the swimming pool area is more crowded than usual.” The man seemed to debate something for a few seconds before continuing, “But there’s a hot tub in the Presidential Suite, and the room is unoccupied at the moment.”
“Fifth floor?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah.”
“Do me a favor and get some room service up there? I want a bottle of cognac,” Garrett paused, wondering is she’d balk at the liquor. “And a bottle of red wine, house brand is fine. After that, get whatever doctor the hotel has on call and send him up. If we need anything else, I’ll call down for it later, okay?”
“Yes, sir. I’m on it.” The man gave a last lingering, paternal glance at Maria before frowning and turning away.
Garrett glanced at the other maintenance man who was standing still as if staring at a tableau unfolding, and barked, “Make sure this gets repaired. I don’t give a shit how much it costs or who we have to call to make sure it happens. I don’t want this shit happening again.”
“Yes, sir,” the man said, already cordoning off the area with yellow tape.
Garrett turned back to Maria, tipping her chin up with his hand. “Let’s get you out of here, okay?”
Her eyes wouldn’t meet his, almost as if she was scared of everything around her. “You’re safe now, baby. I’m here and I’m not going to let anything hurt you, okay?”
At his words, her gaze swung back to his and clung as if she were looking at her only lifeline. His abs tightened as he took a hit to his equilibrium. “I’m going to pick you up and get you out of here.”
When she didn’t answer or acknowledge his words, Garrett slipped an arm under her already drawn-up legs and the other behind her back. Gratifyingly, she didn’t try to fight him, only stayed curled into a tight ball and huddled against his chest.
He stood to his feet and as he made a move toward the main elevator of the hotel, she whimpered a denial in the back of her throat. Feeling as if he wanted to kick himself in the ass for causing her additional upset, he went toward the stairwell and climbed the flight of stairs, gladly carrying her the entire way, feeling as if he deserved the slight penance for upsetting her.
When they arrived at the Presidential Suite, he was forced to set her on her bare feet while he grabbed his key-card from his wallet. She leaned against him while he opened the door. Picking her up again, he pushed inside and took a moment to glance around. The suite was very nice for the size and age of the hotel, but then again, it had only recently been refurbished with Rule Corporation money. And he and his brothers almost unequivocally did things right.
He walked through to the bedroom and pulled back the covers, placing her within them and tucking her in. Finding another blanket, he laid that on top of her as well. “I’m going to turn the heat on the hot tub, babe. I’ll be back in a sec.”
When her eyes closed and she turned her head away, he grimaced, but pushed through to the bathroom. The hot tub was big enough for four, and he adjusted the setting to an appropriate temperature.
By the time he started for her side, a knock on the door let him know the doctor had arrived. Garrett let the man in and shook his hand, briefly explaining the situation.
They walked through to the bedroom. “Maria, baby. You know Dr. Valdez … he’s going to check you out, okay?”
Almost imperceptibly, she nodded her head.
The doctor went to her side. “I’m going to take your temperature and blood pressure, just to make sure you haven’t had any residual side effects from your scare, okay?”
Again, the only answer she gave was a slight tilt of her head.
The doctor went about his business, taking her temperature and testing her blood pressure. “Can you tell me what happened, Maria?”
Her eyes left the doctor’s and sought out Garrett’s gaze and he felt his stomach dip as she seemed to want him to answer for her. “She got trapped in the elevator, I already told you that,” he hissed out, pissed the doctor was upsetting her needlessly.
“Yes, you did. And I’d like for Maria to tell me in her own words,” the doctor said firmly.
Garrett looked back to Maria and her eyes were frantic. He turned back to the doctor and glared. “She knows what happened. Just make sure her vitals are good, okay?”
“Her vitals are fine. But I’d like her to at least prove that she can speak before
leaving her in your care.”
Garrett was just about to lambast the motherfucker when Maria spoke softly, “I can talk, I know what happened.”
“Good, good,” the doctor said, loading his equipment back into his bag before turning to Garrett. “It’ll probably be a good thing to keep her warm. The spa is a good idea. She seems fine, her pulse is strong, if a bit elevated. Just monitor her for a while, and make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Garrett agreed with the pompous ass and then escorted him from the suite.
Just when he was about to shut the door, room service arrived with the items he’d requested. He quickly took them and shut the door again. Putting the tray with both the cognac and the wine next to the spa, he tested the water and found it about perfect.
Now if he could get Maria undressed and warmed up, he’d start breathing a little easier.
****
Maria’s heart was only now beginning to settle down from the sheer, unmitigated terror she’d experienced. In the back of her mind, she was inordinately thankful that Garrett was with her, but she didn’t take the time to question why or to think on it too much.
She was just glad.
He came back to the door and studied her. “Where’d you find that guy?”
Maria felt her lips lift a little; it was obvious he was referring to the good doctor. If she’d been capable of laughing, she would have let loose at Garrett’s disgruntled expression.
At her silence, he continued, “I’m glad you’re okay. If you weren’t, there’d be a couple of maintenance men looking for new jobs right about now.”
She knew he was joking to make her feel better, and she appreciated that about him, she really did.
“I’m going to help you into the spa now. The water is warm, it’ll make you feel better.”
She licked her lips and tried to form an answer; her brain still felt sluggish. “My swimsuit is in my room.”
“You don’t need it.”
She swallowed and nodded her head, trying to insist without speaking.