Something More

by Jenna Tyler

  He doesn't move, but he leans in a little to whisper into my ear. “Does Mr. Fancy Pants make you moan like I use to? I know you miss it.” Bile is rising in my throat and his proximity is making my skin crawl.

  I whip around on him and shove him backwards so he's an arm's length away. “Do you really think you ever made me moan, Marcus? You are delusional, my friend. You did absolutely nothing for me. You got yourself off just fine, but I faked it. Every. Single. Time. And I don't miss one single thing about you.” That ought to sting. If he thinks he's all that in bed, someone needs to knock him back down to reality. He doesn't know how to make love or fuck. He's selfish in the bedroom, as well as everywhere else.

  Marcus takes a step toward me and I back up, placing myself right up against the soda machine. “I think you miss at least one thing,” he says and he grabs his crotch where he must have a boner. I refuse to look down. I burst into a fit of laughter and I can tell this makes him a little angry. When tears start rolling down my cheeks, he backs up and stalks over to the door. “I see you're still a bitch.” Then he walks out.

  I'm still laughing when Drew shows up with lunch. “What's so funny?” he asks while he unpacks the bag of food.

  “Marcus,” I say and I go back to searching for change.

  “Ah. Are you the reason he's leaned up against the wall outside of Charlie's room, pouting and giving dirty looks?” Drew asks with a smile. I've missed that gorgeous smile and those beautiful blue eyes. He makes everything better.

  “Guilty as charged,” I reply. I'm quite pleased with my bad-assery and I can't stop grinning.

  “Sounds like I missed out on you turning me on again. I guess I will have the food delivered next time,” he says with a wink. Still grinning, I nudge him and then go rearrange some furniture in the waiting room so we can eat semi-decently. We pull out a little side table and then place two chairs on either side. Drew brings over the food that he's managed to find from who knows where. It sure smells good.

  He has gotten me a salad and himself a sandwich. As we sit and eat, I tell Drew about what transpired between Marcus and me. He laughs until I get to the part where Marcus called me a bitch. I see a hint of anger in his eyes. “Don't worry about him. I can handle it, but I like that it bothers you,” I say, nudging his foot with mine. He cracks a tiny smile, but I can tell he's still bothered.

  “I don't want anyone to disrespect you, Rebecca. I don't like it and I won't tolerate it.” He says it with such intensity and sincerity that the little dormant fire that is always present in my core just expanded a bit.

  “I appreciate that and, normally, I would love to watch my man defend my honor, but he's not in his right mind. I expected it from him, especially after what I said. Just let it slide, for Charlie's sake. It's not the time nor the place for any drama.”

  I can see him struggling with this request but, in the end, he agrees to let it go. This time. “Only because of the situation and Charlie,” he adds.

  Leaning over the little table, I offer him a kiss and he meets me in the middle to receive it. “Thank you, Drew. I can see it's hard for you to let it go. You can take it out on me later.” It's my turn to wink at him. Just as we're about to really kiss, I can see someone walk in. I turn to look at the intruder, and Drew follows my gaze. Good ol’ Dr. Phillips again. The fire inside returns to its dormant state and Drew and I go back to sitting upright.

  “Ms. Michaels? Sorry to intrude...”

  “It's okay.”

  “Andrea, the nurse, said you had some questions about your daughter,” he says and moves to come into the room further, pulling up a chair.

  “Yes, I do. No one has told me what is actually wrong with Charlie…er, Charlotte.” Drew puts down his sandwich and shifts his chair around to be next to me. He takes my hand and laces our fingers together.

  “Charlotte was unconscious when she arrived late last night. We did a scan on her whole body to check for internal bleeding and damage. There was no internal bleeding, but there were several cracked ribs and some swelling on her brain from, we assume, hitting her head on the windshield or steering wheel. She has lots of bumps and bruises, her ribs and chest area taking the brunt of the damage. She has a mark across her chest from the seatbelt and, as you saw, her head has some scratches from the glass. All in all, she is a lucky girl and could've been much worse.” Letting out a huge breath that I didn't know I was holding, I take in some much needed oxygen.

  “So she's okay?” I ask, wanting to hear him say she is going to be fine.

  “Yes, ma'am. She's going to be alright. We will keep her overnight for observation, but they are preparing to move her out of the ICU sometime this afternoon.” The doctor taps me on the knee and Drew squeezes my hand…a little too hard. “Do you have any other questions for me, Ms. Michaels?”

  “No. I think that'll do for now. Thank you for coming in to talk to me.” Catching a glimpse of the danishes I brought in, I say, “Oh, Dr. Phillips, do you think the staff would like some pastries? I have a tray of them that I surely won't eat.” I point in the direction of the table I set them on earlier.

  Dr. Phillips rises from his chair and moves it back to where he got it from. “Yes, I think they'd enjoy a little snack. I'll put them in the nurse's station. They'll be gone in no time. Enjoy the rest of your lunch,” he says as he walks out the door, snagging a treat for himself on the way. Glancing over at Drew, I see that he is staring at my knee. Possessive much?

  “You can loosen your grip on my hand now,” I giggle out.

  He does, but doesn't let go. Instead, he takes it in both hands, massages it, and then finally looks up at me. “I'm sorry, babe. I didn't realize I was squeezing your hand. I've never reacted that way before. I don't know what came over me.”

  “Maybe you've never had something you wanted to protect before.” I shrug and take a sip of my drink.

  “Perhaps. I do know that I did not like another man touching you. Even as innocent as that was, I didn't like it.” He laces our fingers together and looks at them a moment. He turns our hands to where mine is on top and continues staring at them. After what seems to be minutes, he looks back up at me. “I want you to be mine, Rebecca. Only mine. Always mine. Forever mine.”

  Oh, that word just does something to me. It's like a direct line to my g-spot and I would love nothing more than to be his right now, in all sense of the word. And for him to be mine. But what is he saying? I thought that we had been through this already. I hadn't even told him that I would live with him yet and he's talking about forever?

  “Drew…” I try to protest, but he hushes me with a finger.

  “I'm not asking you yet. I just want you to know how I feel and that it's coming.”

  Shaking my head in disbelief, I really don't know what to say so I just look down at our hands. This was so unexpected. Maybe he needs to seek professional help to talk about his feelings...and actions. It is so unlike any other man on the planet to act this way, I just don't get it. While my head is being rational, my heart wants nothing more than to be completely his.

  “Rebecca?” Drew is holding my chin up to look into my face. I must have zoned out for a minute. I didn't even feel him let go of my hand. “Rebecca, I didn't mean to frighten you. Once again, I probably should've waited to say anything, especially under the circumstances.”

  “I'm not scared, Drew. I just don't understand you. I've never heard of another man doing anything remotely like this in all of my life. Well, except for maybe those drunken, shotgun weddings in Vegas,” I scoff. “You never really dated before me and now you are wanting to skip right over all of that other stuff,” I say, trying to find some kind of logic in his thinking. “We just met barely a week ago. Please, Drew. Let me deal with one issue at a time. Charlie is my priority right now. We can talk about this later.”

  Drew kind of wilts a little and lets go of my chin, looking a little defeated. I grab his hand and bring it up to my lips, kissing the back of it like he always does to me
. “It's not a ‘no’, Drew. I still want to be with you and I don't want to be with anyone else.” His face perks up slightly and he leans in for a kiss.

  “Promise?” he asks, sounding like a little boy waiting for his mother to agree to buy him a toy.

  I smile back at him. “Promise.” Our lips touch, then I continue, “Although, if you want to get technical, you didn't ask me anything.” I wink at him and take another sip of my soda. He huffs and takes a bite of his sandwich, getting back to his normal demeanor.

  “Correct you are, my love. Correct. You. Are.” With a mouth full of food, he's still freaking gorgeous and back to his challenging ways. It also shows me that he is, in fact, somewhat of a normal male. His lack of manners makes me giggle and roll my eyes.

  During the rest of our lunch, I tell Drew the story Charlie told me about what had happened to cause her accident. He gets that very protective look again and I can tell the wheels are turning in his head. In his protective state of mind, he's down right fuckable. His jaw clenching and unclenching is particularly attractive.

  Twenty

  After we finish up our lunch, Drew and I head back to Charlie's room to check on her. Marcus is in there when we walk in. He looks up and shoots me a nasty look, then turns it on Drew.

  Charlie is awake and perks up when we show up. “How was your nap, pumpkin?” I ask, walking over to the side of her bed, opposite Marcus. I lean over and give Charlie a kiss on top of her head and take her hand in mine.

  “It was okay, I guess. You smell like salad dressing.”

  Smiling down at her, I say, “That's because I had a salad, silly. How are you feeling?”

  “Well, you were only gone about, what? Thirty minutes? Maybe forty-five? I woke up just before you walked in.” It feels like I've been gone longer, but I guess she's right.

  “That's not much of a nap, sweetheart. You need your rest. We can all leave you alone so you can sleep.”

  She shakes her head in protest. “I don't want to be alone and I don't want to sleep. It will get me off schedule if I sleep all day,” she still whispers, but you can hear the stubbornness in her voice.

  “I think you've earned the right to be off schedule for a little while. Resting is part of healing. If you are tired, sleep,” I advise her.

  Marcus chimes in, “Your mama's right. You need your rest.”

  “Besides, pumpkin, they will be in here soon to move you to a regular room. Hopefully tomorrow, we can get you out of here,” I add, cheerfully.

  “Ugh,” she whispers. “Am I going to have to share a room with a stranger? Because that's just weird.” We all chuckle. Leave it to Charlie to think of the negative part of getting out of the ICU, instead of focusing on being well enough to get out of the ICU.

  Drew speaks up, “Nope. Already taken care of.” He gives her a wink and a smile. “I got you the penthouse of hospital rooms.” We all look at Drew with open mouths, in complete shock…even Marcus.

  Marcus finally closes his mouth only to open it again. This should be good. “Hey, now, we don't need you throwing your money around for us. We can handle our daughter just fine.”

  “Good thing I didn't do it for you then,” Drew snaps back at him, some of his earlier frustration seeping into his words. “I did it for Charlie, and for Rebecca. And I did it because…I…can.” This is going to turn into a pissing match pretty soon.

  I look up at Drew, pleading with my eyes for him not to go there, but Charlie squashes my plea when she speaks up. “Oh, shut up, Dad. He's just trying to be nice.” Marcus looks at Charlie, then at me. He huffs, then stands up, leans over and kisses Charlie on the cheek, and heads for the door.

  “I'll be back later,” Marcus says as he exits.

  Not able to hold it back, a chuckle escapes. “I guess he's even more pissed at me now,” I say, brushing it off as typical Marcus. Drew rubs my back, and I turn and look up at him. He still shows a little anger, but is managing it well. Of course, he's still sexy as all hell. “I don't think he likes you very much.” He looks down at me and smiles briefly.

  “The feeling is mutual,” he says. I see his jaw clench and then release.

  “What happened now, Mom?” Charlie asks, wondering what the hell she missed while she was asleep.

  “Your father is just being…your father. Same ol’, same ol’.” Charlie rolls her eyes and lets out a soft sigh. “I know. Some people just never grow up, or change for the better,” I respond to her obvious frustration.

  Charlie and I talk about everything. Now that she's an adult and more aware of what's going on, I see no reason to hide things from her. She knows how her dad acts towards me and she thinks he's pretty pathetic when he does it. With Drew now in the picture, it's just that much worse. The jealousy and arrogance Marcus shows, even after all these years, is quite pitiful.

  Drew walks over to grab a chair for me to sit in and then gets one for himself. We sit and talk with Charlie when she manages to stay awake. When she drifts off to sleep, Drew and I lean our heads on one another, just content on being with each other. You know, it's quite nice when you can be blissfully happy and not have to utter a word.

  * * * * *

  A few hours later, the hospital staff has come in to get Charlie ready to be moved to her private room. I can't help but smile at the thought of Marcus' little rant. He's so juvenile. I tell Charlie that while they are getting her moved and settled in, Drew and I are going to go outside for some fresh air. The nurse tells us the room number that Charlie will be taken to so we don't have to stop and ask.

  On our way out of the hospital, we see Marcus heading back inside. When he gets closer, I inform him that they are moving Charlie to her other room right now and give him the room number. He rolls his eyes at me and continues to walk. Just as he passes us he says, “Thanks.” Then I hear a muffled, “Bitch.”

  Drew must have heard it, too, because he stops dead in his tracks and turns around. I turn to see what Drew will do now that we are still on hospital property, but outside.

  “What did you just call her?” Drew's voice is seething. Marcus keeps walking and Drew starts walking after him. Oh, shit! This isn't going to be good. Maybe it's good we are already at a hospital? Drew picks up his pace and catches up quickly. I speed up so I can hear them. Drew taps Marcus on the shoulder. “I asked you a fucking question! What the fuck did you call her?”

  Marcus finally stops and turns around quickly, swinging a right hook that connects with Drew's jaw. I gasp. Leave it to the coward to sucker punch. What an asshole! “I called her a bitch, moneybags!” That's all it took for Drew to snap. He cocks his arm and punches Marcus right in the temple, sending him to the ground, knocking him the fuck out. Damn! He can hit! Drew flexes his punching hand and then shakes it, stretching it out. Now he rubs his cheek and moves his tongue around his mouth. Checking for missing teeth? I have no clue.

  I appreciate Drew defending me, but maybe this was a bit too far. At least he didn't throw the first punch. Honestly, it feels good to see Marcus get what he deserves. If I could've knocked him out years ago, I would have.

  It only takes a few seconds before Marcus is alert again. I'm hoping he doesn't try to come after Drew a second time. Obviously, that wouldn't be a wise decision, but this is Marcus we are talking about. He’s not the brightest crayon in the box.

  Marcus makes his way to his feet and steps up to Drew, bowing his chest up to Drew's, who stands quite a few inches taller. “Isn't that sweet? You're standing up for your woman,” he says in a sarcastic tone.

  Drew pushes Marcus back with his chest then takes a step back, to gain some space between them. “I would do it for any woman who is disrespected in my presence, but when you do it to my woman, it's a whole different ball game.”

  Marcus looks at me as I struggle to maintain my composure, trying not to add fuel to the fire, but it's really hard to keep a straight face when he just got his ass kicked with one punch. By the hottest man on the planet.

  Grabbing Dre
w by the arm and pulling him away from the situation, I can't fight the smile that takes up residence on my face. “C'mon, Drew. Let’s go for a walk.” I place my hand into his and he starts backing up slowly, never taking his eyes off of Marcus.

  “Yeah, listen to the little...” Marcus stops talking when Drew stops walking and takes a step toward him. I don't think he wants to kiss the ground again. Marcus raises his hands up, as if to say he didn't want any more trouble, and finishes his sentence, “…woman.”

  Drew and I continue on our retreat and get a safe distance away. When we see Marcus turn around and go inside, we turn around and walk away. There's a little pond next to the hospital with a sidewalk that leads all the way around, with park benches scattered. It's very serene.

  As we start on the path, I look up at Drew. “How's the face?”

  He smiles. “I'm not broken. He got a good shot in, I'll give him that.”

  “Did you know what you were doing when you punched him?”

  Drew looks at me. “I have trained in boxing for fun in the past. It's come in handy a time or two.” This bit of information doesn't surprise me; he looked like he knew what he was doing.

  Drew leads us off of the sidewalk to a big oak tree that is just a few feet away from the path. He walks us around to the other side of it, and gently places me up against it. He puts his hands flat on the tree on either side of my face.

  Leaning in a little closer to me and hovering his lips just over mine, he speaks in a low, sultry voice, “Rebecca, it took a lot of self-control not to pummel that guy. I thought knocking him for a loop would be my best bet and it would be effective in shutting him the fuck up, without doing any real damage. I just want you to know that I tried my best and think I was quite successful.”