Twenty Times Tempted: A Sexy Contemporary Romance Collection

by Petrova, Em

  She felt him press something beside her. “Safe?”

  “Safe.” He held a cup for her to sip water through a straw. Her mouth and throat felt like someone stuffed them with cotton.

  “Ms. Howell?” A new voice, fresh and cheery, bubbled in the room. “I’m Eva, your nurse. Mind if I call you Christine?”

  Christine wanted to smack such cheerfulness. She shook her head and moaned in pain. Don’t move the head and all is well. “N-nurse?”

  “Yes, hun. I’m Eva.” Soft fingers touched Christine’s wrist. “Can you move your fingers?” Nurse? More like beach bunny, all tanned and glowing. Christine moved her fingers, one by one and noticed the IV in her right arm above Charlie’s fingers. He watched her, his gaze taking in every movement she made.

  “You need a manicure, but we can arrange one later when you can fully appreciate it. Nothing makes you feel better than having someone fix your nails.” Eva bustled about reading the machines Christine could hear beeping. She pulled out a stethoscope. “Can you please try to take a deep breath for me?”

  Christine tried to draw air deep into her lungs, but it hurt, everything hurt. She felt the tube in her nose and realized she had oxygen. Why couldn’t she open her right eye? She wanted to reach up, but she wanted Charlie’s fingers around hers more.

  “Easy, yes, I know it hurts.” Eva marked something on the thin tablet she held. “Just take it slow, hun, no need to rush. What can I get for you?”

  Christine swallowed. “How bad?” From the shuttered expression on Charlie’s face, the pain she felt, her returning memories, and her presence in the hospital, she knew the attack had been brutal.

  Eva brushed back a wisp of blonde hair which had escaped from her long ponytail, glanced at Charlie, and got his nod. “You have a concussion which scared us the most because you didn’t want to wake up. Not that I blame you; I bet the pain is incredible. I’m sorry I can’t give you anything until the doctor comes and checks you.”

  Christine wouldn’t nod; she’d learned to stay still. “More?”

  Eva nodded. “I like when people are straight with me and from what I can tell, so do you. You have a swollen right eye, as if you weren’t already aware, badly bruised, a real shiner, like the one I wish I’d given my ex-boyfriend when I found him cheating on me with my best, ha, friend.”

  Christine wanted to smile. “You didn’t?”

  “Nah, I gave him a solid kick to the balls he so prized.” Eva smiled and winked at Charlie. “Sorry if it makes you squirm in male sympathy, but the low down rat deserved it.”

  “No argument from me.” Charlie raised Christine’s hand to his lips. “Low down rats deserve to be kicked.”

  Eva leaned in to whisper, “This one seems good. He stayed by you and even shouted at the duty nurse who tried to make him leave. He’s a keeper.”

  Yes. Charlie is a keeper.

  “Okay, here’s the rest. There’s a nasty cut across your cheek, some swelling where it hit something hard.” Eva’s gaze filled with sympathy. “The six stitches will scar but nothing some Clinique can’t minimize. Or maybe it’s Mary Kay. I can’t keep those high priced foundations straight. I’m always getting those make over invitations too. There’s a party in a couple of weeks from another nurse here. We should go and score some free makeup.”

  She didn’t behave like any nurse Christine had ever met. She wore scrubs, dark pants with a white top covered in yellow suns with quirky grins. The trade mark stethoscope and her name tag identification hung from her neck along with a silver chain strung with bright green gems.

  “Split lip, but you’ve no broken teeth, thank the stars. Dental work hurts like a witch and costs the whole sky too.” Eva grinned. Christine felt guilty for her first thought of smacking away the cheeriness. “Your cracked ribs will ache like bad teeth for the next few weeks, sorry for the dental puns. Your shoulder is dislocated and had to be fixed, but nothing is broken. You have great bones. You must drink a lot of milk.”

  “She drinks coffee flavored milk.” Charlie kissed her hand again. “And she prefers mocha.”

  Eva sighed. “Coffee may be off your diet for a while. But I bet this fine hunk of man will sneak some in to you anyway. There’s a Starbucks right downstairs, and they make the most incredible grande mocha cappuccino. Why don’t you go get one and sneak it past me now, give me and Christine a few minutes?”

  Why did they need a few minutes? Christine wondered. Eva had already listed all her injuries, unless there was more.

  Charlie glanced at her then Eva and slowly nodded as his shoulders slumped. He kissed Christine’s forehead trying to smile, but she saw the strain. “I’ll be right back. Is there anything else you want?”

  She stared up at him. I want you never to leave me. But he wore the same closed expression he wore in the Hawaii airport. Her heart picked up speed. Oh, God, no. Please not that.

  “Look at her monitor from one little kiss.” Eva shot her hands to her hips and shook her head. “Get out of here, handsome, before you get her so worked up I have my hands full explaining your sex appeal is what made her heart trip out and not some sort of impending trauma.”

  After he left, Eva sat gently on the bed beside Christine. “I see what you’re thinking, and I thought it’d be better with him out of the room for us to talk about it.”

  Christine would have turned away if she could. No. Please, please, please no.

  “You weren’t raped,” Eva said, quick and blunt. “But you have bruises on your thighs and chest. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “He pinched my breasts hard and then he...” Eva grabbed the bed pan and held it while violent sickness wracked Christine’s body. When the nausea passed, she lay against the pillows while weak tears slid down her face. “Sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Eva set the pan aside, placed the cup and straw in Christine’s hand, helped her sip and rinse her mouth. “You’ve nothing to be sorry about, hun. I understand you think the attack is somehow your fault, but it’s not. He’s a jerk, and I hope when the police get him they feed him to the nearest mongrel dogs. Of course then the poor dogs would be sick.”

  “Yes.” Christine laid back miserable and yet relieved.

  Eva went into the bathroom. Water splashed in the sink as she rinsed out the pan. “This is a violation even if you weren’t actually raped. We have some great counselors for you to talk to when you feel up to it.”

  Christine wanted to just curl in a ball. “All right.”

  “They’re good, but your man is better.” Eva returned to the room, set the clean pan aside, and came back to her bedside. “It’s typical to want to push him away but don’t, hun. Let him help you. He’s been worried sick.”

  “He’s a good friend.” Christine pleated the sheet and blanket between her fingers.

  Eva raised a brow. “He said fiancé, but the secret is safe with me. Doesn’t matter what he officially is. He’s your guardian angel from what I’ve seen. And I’m here too, if you need me.”

  “Thanks.” Charlie claimed to be my fiancé? Why?

  “No problem. Not just my job either, so if and when you do want to talk, call on me.” Eva patted her leg. “The police detectives want to speak to you. I can stay and your man too. Sometimes it helps to have people you care about around.”

  Charlie walked back in with two trade mark cups. Christine smelled mocha over the antiseptic of the hospital; so normal it made her want to cry. “One of those better be for me or I’m blowing the whistle right here and now and confiscating both of them.” Eva wagged her finger.

  Charlie grinned and handed her one. “Of course it’s yours. Would I bite the hand who pleads my case to allow me to stay?”

  “Depends on the tone of the bite I think.” Eva winked. “Call if you need anything, hun. Doc should be here in about thirty minutes, so drink your coffee straight away if you can. I didn’t see a thing.” After taking a deep sip from her cup, sighing with pleasure, and giving Charlie’s arm a squeeze, Eva br
eezed out the door.

  It seemed quiet after she left. Christine had no clue what to say or how. Charlie sat beside her and set the cup on the bedside table, his gaze dark and soft. “May I hug you?”

  “You have to ask?” Christine swallowed the lump in her throat and chest.

  He held both hands palms up. “I don’t want to upset you. I just want to hold you, feel your heart beating, and comfort us both.”

  Christine reached for him. He had her in his arms before she could more than lift her hand. As she smelled his scent, felt his warmth, his breath in her hair, and his cheek against hers, the lump inside her burst. She cried out all the pain, terror, and uncertainty. Through it all, he held her as if she were something precious, special, and cherished. She couldn’t hear his words, only the murmur of his voice, and felt the tenderness in how he wiped her aching cheeks. The deep blue of his eyes when she finally shifted to occasional sniffs calmed more than anything except his presence. “Thank you, Kale, for being here with me.”

  He smiled at the use of his native name. “No need to thank me. Ever.” His kiss gentle on her lips, the warmth of his skin pulsed through her and made her feel nothing but security. His hand entwined with both of hers, a simple touch to anchor her to the present and to him. “Have some coffee.” He held the cup to her lips with his other hand.

  She took a sip and felt it ease down her throat. It didn’t feel as scratchy as when she first woke, but the rawness of it ached. He drank from the same cup as his gaze skimmed her face. “I used your cell phone and called your children. Adam came here and stayed for a while, but we convinced Anna not to miss her classes or exams. He had an exam too, but he’ll be back when it’s over. Anna will be here this weekend with her friend Robin.”

  He’d called her children? They knew him, of course, from the funeral. But they were adults; they’d wonder why her ‘friend from work’ stayed at her hospital bedside. Could Charlie be prepared to answer questions he and she hadn’t even discussed themselves?

  He must have seen the questions in her face. “I told everyone I’m your fiancé, so I could stay with and protect you. Plus Adam needed someone with him; I didn’t want him to sit alone and worried. It seemed the right thing to do.”

  Oh damn, now there were tears flooding. “Thank you, you’ve been so good to me and my kids. But what if the corporation hears you’re here with me? Your promotion could be in danger.”

  “I don’t give a damn. You are what matters.” His gaze became intense and narrowed as if he dared her to argue. The very air between them pressed thick and close. “I would say and do anything to keep you safe, to be with you.”

  She couldn’t breathe and not because her ribs hurt. Did he mean what she thought? Or did he just want to protect her? She wiggled her fingers in his and smiled to lighten the mood a bit. “I don’t have a ring.”

  “It’s being resized because your fingers are so small. You deserve a sapphire and not a diamond, something antique and classic for these beautiful hands.” He lifted one to his lips and winked. “Plus, they wouldn’t let you keep it on while you’re in here anyway.”

  Her heart sped again, making the monitor drum. “You’re a charmer, my knight in shining jogging gear.”

  “I should never have left you.” He gripped her hand tighter. “If you can, I want you to tell me what happened.” For the first time, she saw the hardness in his face. His jaw clenched as his gaze slid over what must be the awful bruises on her face. She shivered. Charlie angry, truly angry, would never be something she wanted directed at her. She took a breath to begin and the door to her room opened to admit two people.

  “Hello, Christine. We’re here to take your statement for the official record.”

  “Hello, Marsha and Ben.” She glanced at Charlie and saw the frown crease his face.

  He rose and stretched out his hand out as they approached. “I’m Charlie Jergens. You’re the investigating police detectives?” He motioned to the badges worn on their waists.

  Marsha nodded. She was slim and elegant, barely five foot four. No one seeing her simple navy jacket and slacks would believe her one of the city’s toughest policewomen. Christine had seen her bench press her own weight and then some. Her dark red hair pulled back in a knot to showcase a face too tough to be beautiful and too attractive to be anything else. Marsha would be Chief of Police when the current one retired in a few weeks, a hard and well-earned position.

  “I’m Detective Marsha Owens. This is my partner, Detective Ben Howard.” Her gaze assessed Charlie, sizing him up and not bothering to conceal it.

  “Howdy.” Ben also extended a hand and smiled. He looked like a faithful hound dog with droopy brown eyes and rounded face, not much taller than Marsha, almost as wide as he was high, and old enough to be their father. The outward impression mocked what lay inside. Ben moved over to Christine, leaned down, lightly kissed her cheek, and then laughed at what must be utter shock on her face.

  “Forgive me. It’s serious and all, but damn, darling. It’s good to see you again.” Ben gestured to her bed. “I just hate that it’s under these circumstances.”

  “Good to see you too.” Christine tried to smile. “Nothing against either of you, but there’s too many memories, too many reasons I didn’t want to see you again.”

  Ben inclined his head, sober now. “The Chief thought you’d be more comfortable with us, seeing the history and all. But if you want, I’ll take your friend here and we can wait outside while you and Marsha talk.”

  Christine glanced around at the three of them before she shrugged and winced. “She’ll have to waste time filling you in, and then Charlie will demand to hear too, so might as well tell it one time.”

  Ben took out a pen and pad and made Christine smile. He’d always shunned technology and preferred the ‘tried and true’. “We already talked to the EMTs. So let’s hear what happened before they got there.”

  “Someone decided to use me as a punching bag.” Christine stated the obvious.

  “No kidding.” Marsha sat in the chair beside her. “Do you have any idea who?”

  “No. I didn’t really see him.” Christine twisted the covers in her fingers.

  Marsha frowned. “You said ‘him’.”

  “A man attacked me.” She swallowed, knowing this would be hard when Charlie muttered something.

  Marsha shot him a glare. “What makes you so certain?”

  “You mean besides the fact he shoved my face into the side of my house then threw me down?” Christine felt the heat in her face, the gathering of tears she’d thought long cried out. “He touched me, meant to hurt and humiliate me. His hands were scratchy and rough.”

  Marsha keyed words into her tablet. “He bruised you intimately, but he didn’t rape or sexually violate you. Did he say anything?”

  Charlie paced to the window, his back to the room. Christine bent her head. “He called me a whore. He knew Charlie stayed with me, and we,” She couldn’t say the words. She wouldn’t make something beautiful between them the ugliness this villain tried to make it.

  “Go on,” Marsha urged. “Did you recognize his voice?”

  Christine kept her gaze on the sheets as she recounted the attack, blanked all other thoughts and concentrated on getting the conversation over. “He didn’t say much. I couldn’t focus with the pain, but I felt his anger.”

  “Why?”

  “I have no clue.” Christine wanted to yell, How the hell should I know? I didn’t ask for this. “I thought he would kill me.” She glanced at Charlie and saw his shoulders and back go rigid. “But I fainted or blacked out or whatever after he hit me in the face again.”

  “He cut your clothes and skin. What did he say? Did he speak when he attempted to rape you?” Marsha’s face, direct and yet compassionate, belied her brisk professional tone.

  “I don’t remember words besides the ones I already told you. He wanted to hurt me. Scare me, terrorize me. It was like he knew my worst nightmares and he’d mak
e them come true.”

  “You think he’s acquainted with you? Familiar enough to have knowledge of your fears?” Marsha raised a brow.

  “It’s a gut feeling. I mean, people don’t get attacked in their own yard for no reason. And if he really meant to...” Christine couldn’t say the word.

  “Rape you, he would have?” Marsha asked. “Maybe, but your friend here scared him off.”

  Charlie turned around, face blank yet his eyes blazed hot, the emotion in them making Christine shiver. “He must have been watching your house and saw me leave. I hadn’t jogged far when I thought I heard you call.” Charlie cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “I ran back and found you. He couldn’t have been gone long.”

  “You saved me.” Christine lifted her hand toward him.

  His jaw clenched tighter. “I should never have left you. The son-of-a-bitch ran when he heard me coming. When I catch him, he’ll wish to hell he’d never touched you.”

  “Whoa there.” Ben spoke in his calm tone. “Let us handle this.”

  Charlie turned toward him, his expression making Ben retreat a step. “Don’t pull the ‘let the police handle this’ on me. There has to be payment for what this animal did. And there will be.”

  Christine gaped. There’d been hints Charlie possessed a temper, but she’d never suspected anything like this cold burning rage vibrating off him, filling the room and smothering the air with the scent of fury. How could she calm him? “I’m okay, Ko`u Aloha.” She struggled to say the new word and saw the flash of surprise cross his face, erasing the worst of the anger. “Please Kale.”

  “He hurt you, may all the gods damn him.” Charlie threw his arms up to indicate the hospital room. “You think I’ll let it go or stand back idle?”

  Marsha glared at him, her voice hard and firm. “We’ll make certain he’s caught and punished according to the law. But right now we need all the information Christine can recall. You spouting off threats isn’t helping her. You’re angry. I’m angry too. Control it, control yourself, or Ben will arrest you for impeding an investigation and take you the hell out of here. Clear?”