The Doctor’s Promise

by Love, Michelle

  Rafa studied him for a moment before answering.

  “Are you stalking Noemi for some reason? Did you attack and stab her, knowing she was carrying my children?”

  Drew’s eyes grew big. “Wow, Rafa. That, I wasn’t expecting.”

  “Answer my question, please.” Rafa’s anger was on a knife-edge. Drew put his coffee cup down and placed his hands flat on the table.

  “No, Rafa, of course not. Of course I would never hurt Noemi, or anyone else. Why on earth would you think that?”

  Rafa told him everything in a flat, dead tone. “So, you can see why I might be suspicious.”

  Drew nodded slowly. “Now that you put it like that… yes, I suppose you would think of me, especially when I made a deliberate effort to insert myself into Noemi’s life. But no, I swear to you. I would never stoop so low. Was I surprised when Noemi told me about the two of you? Yes, I admit I was. Was there a fleeting moment of thinking that your relationship was inappropriate? Yes, for a scintilla. But your relationship is entirely your business and knowing Noemi now, I think Thomasina would be delighted for the both of you.”

  He let out a shaky breath and for the first time, Rafa saw real emotion in him. “I’m sorry to hear about Noemi. Is she alright?”

  “Yes, thankfully. The stabbing wasn’t serious, and both she and the babies are doing well. But you can see why I’m trying to figure out who would do this to her.”

  “I can, but I will swear on the Bible, it wasn’t me. I’ll take a polygraph, give DNA, anything. When did it happen?”

  Rafa told him and Drew visibly relaxed. “That day, I can tell you I had a workshop, all day at one of the smaller chapels in the city. Bereavement counseling. There was a small group, but I took individual sessions both in the morning and in the evening. You can check with the participants; I’m sure they wouldn’t mind speaking on my behalf.”

  Rafa couldn’t decide whether he was being played, but his gut told him Ballentine was on the level. “Maybe a couple.”

  “No problem, although there was one man I’d rather you didn’t call. He was a very disturbed young man: angry, combative. He told me that he’d just lost his six-year-old son, and he blamed the mother and her family for not letting him be in the kid’s life.”

  Rafa’s skin prickled. “What?”

  Drew didn’t pick up on Rafa’s concern. “I can’t name names obviously, but I saw the kind of anger you’re talking about. Mental health in this country…”

  Rafa held up his hand, stopping him, his eyes almost wild with terror. “Drew, was this guy’s name Paul?”

  Drew’s expression told him everything he needed to know, and Rafa cursed loudly, drawing the attention of the other patrons. Rafa stood, but Drew was too quick for him. “What is it? What is it, Rafa?”

  “It’s Noemi’s sister’s ex. The father of her nephew who died. Jack… Drew, he was six years old and barely knew his father…”

  Realization dawned and Drew look horrified. “Oh, dear God Rafa…”

  “I have to find Noemi.”

  Drew nodded. “Let me drive. You’re in no condition… Come on, Rafa. Let’s go find your girl.”

  “Turn around, Noemi.”

  Noemi did as she was told, keeping hold of Leonora’s hand. Paul smiled at her, but his eyes were cold, dead. He kept the gun leveled at the center of her belly, and Noemi couldn’t help but put her hand over it protectively, knowing that if he shot her, she could do nothing to protect her babies. “Paul…”

  “Shut up. I do the talking. Six years of talking I’m owed.” He looked at Leonora. “None of you let me see him until the day I got to kiss his cold little face. In his coffin! God…”

  “We never stopped you visiting—”

  Paul cold-cocked Noemi, and she fell back as Leonora screamed. Noemi’s head spun and screeched with pain as she gasped, but she was determined not to lose consciousness. Paul aimed the gun at her head. “Shut your lying mouth, Noemi, just shut up. I should have finished what I started in that hallway.”

  Noemi swallowed. “Why didn’t you? Why didn’t you kill me then?”

  “Because…” He spat at her, but she saw the flicker of his eyes towards her stomach. Because I told him I was pregnant…

  It gave her hope. “Did you break into my apartment?”

  Paul smiled. “I did. I was only looking for information on Jack’s whereabouts. I had to improvise when I heard someone coming. Plus, I saw you with Rafael Genova. Gold-digging whore…”

  Noemi was confused, ignoring his jibe. “Paul, no one stopped you seeing Jack apart from yourself.”

  He laughed. “You can really sit there and say that? Noemi, please. You, Leo, your parents... all of you conspired to keep my son from me.”

  “Bullshit.” Noemi was angry now. “You are the definition of deadbeat dad, Paul. Jack would have loved you to be—” She had shot a look at Leonora, but her sister’s expression made her falter and stop talking. “Leo?”

  Leo, her mouth swollen from her injuries, couldn’t look at her. “It’s true,” she whispered. “I wanted Jack for myself. I didn’t think Paul was good enough for him—” She shot a look at the gun and gave a short, mirthless bark of laughter, “—and clearly I was right.”

  Noemi looked at her appalled. “You kept Jack from his father?”

  She felt the gun being pressed against her temple. “Don’t act like you didn’t know, Noemi. It won’t save your life.”

  Leo looked up at Paul. “She didn’t know. I told her that you didn’t want anything to do with us—with Jack. That you told me to get an abortion. That we meant nothing to you. Noemi didn’t know. Nor did my parents.”

  The pressure on Noemi’s temple fell away, and she saw Paul, unsure, staring at Leo. “She didn’t know?”

  “No one did. No one but me.”

  Paul and Leo stared at each other, then in a split second, Paul raised the gun and shot Leo in the head. Noemi screamed as her sister slumped onto her side, bleeding profusely, her eyes closed.

  Paul grabbed Noemi and dragged her from the room, Noemi crying hysterically. He practically threw her down the stairs and, clamping a hand over her mouth, he hauled her out to Leo’s car and threw her into the trunk.

  “You’re my insurance policy now, Noe. Once I’m out of the state…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but she knew. She was a dead woman. Paul slammed the trunk closed, and she was in darkness.

  As Drew drove, Rafa was on his phone calling the police, the FBI, everyone who could help them. He directed Drew to Leonora’s house, but as they turned into her street, Rafa cursed. Leonora’s car was speeding away from the house. “Follow her.”

  He knew if Leo had taken off that quickly, she had to have Noemi with her, or Noemi had already left. Leo was the key, the main target. Follow her; find Paul.

  “Rafa… that’s a guy driving that car. Sure it’s Leonora’s?”

  Rafa felt ice cold fear in his veins. “Keep following them.” Them? Somehow, he knew, he knew that this situation was bad. Noemi could be with him; both women could be in the car, both in danger…

  …or Noemi could be lying dead at Leo’s house. Rafa, calming himself despite his terror, called the police and gave them directions. “There could be… injured people.” Don’t say her name and she’ll be okay….

  They followed the other car for miles, Drew keeping up with it, and Rafa warning him not to alert the other driver to their presence. More and more his instinct told him Noemi was in that car.

  The police called him back. “We have a shooting victim…”

  His heart nearly broke in two. “A woman?”

  “Yes. Shot in the head but she’s alive. Caucasian, mid-thirties…”

  Caucasian… Leo. Rafa knew he shouldn’t be so relieved. “That’s Leonora Castor. We’re following her car, and I think the shooter has my girlfriend.”

  “Don’t engage, sir! We’re on our way.”

  Rafa ended the call. Don’t engage. Yeah, right… i
f he had the chance to rescue his love, he wouldn’t hesitate to engage.

  “Rafa.”

  Drew indicated the car ahead which was swerving wildly now. Rafa leaned forward, and his heart soared as he saw Noemi wrapping her arms around Paul’s head, trying to put him off, stop the car.

  Oh, you good girl, you brave, brave girl. I’m here… I’m coming for you…

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Noemi, trapped in the pitch-black trunk, calmed herself eventually and forced herself to think logically. Leo’s car. She’d been in it a million times… The back seats were tricky. She could push them down, sneak into the backseat and…

  She focused her thoughts entirely. She would wait until his speed picked up on a highway. He’d have to concentrate, so that when she burst through, he wouldn’t have time to react. She had to get to his gun or the steering wheel before he did… if she could crash the car, they might stand a chance. She would curl into a ball, protect her babies as best she could.

  It was either that or resign herself to a bullet. No. No way. No fucking way. She’d had her fill of hospital stays—her life was with Rafa and Bepi and her babies and being on the right side of the operating table now. This bastard wasn’t going to stop her.

  She counted down as she felt the car speed up. Ten… nine… eight…

  As she reached one, she kicked out the seat behind the driver and threw herself through it. Paul gave a startled yelp as she wrapped her arms around his head, blinding him. He tried to steer with one hand; with the other, he yanked his gun from his pocket.

  Noemi grabbed that hand and smashed it repeatedly against the stick shift until he screamed with pain and dropped the gun. “You fucking bitch!”

  “You psycho motherfucker,” she growled as she wrestled with him. “You killed my sister! You tried to kill me and my children! Fuck you! Fuck you, Paul!”

  The car skidded and swerved and plowed through the fence at the side of the highway. Noemi clung onto Paul’s head as the vehicle almost flew across a field and then, with a sickening crunch, it hit a tree, and Noemi was knocked unconscious.

  “No! Noemi!” Rafa was beside himself as Drew drove through the broken fence towards the tree and the smoking wreck of Leo’s car. Rafa was out and running before Drew even stopped his car.

  As Rafa got to the car, he smelled gasoline. Panicking, he yanked open the backdoor and extracted Noemi’s limp body. Paul was dead, his face mashed into the steering column, but Rafa couldn’t give two fucks.

  All his attention was on Noemi as he carried her away from the car, his eyes on her face as he willed her to be okay. Drew was waiting. “Get in the back seat with her. I’ll drive us to the hospital.”

  Rafa lay Noemi gently on the back seat, then got in, settling her head on his lap. As Drew drove, Rafa stroked Noemi’s hair. She didn’t appear to have any injuries other than a bruised face and a cut above her ear, but she was so pale, so still. He pressed two fingers against her neck and was relieved that her pulse was so strong. “I love you so much, Noemi Castor. Please... open your eyes for me, baby.”

  He squeezed his own eyes shut then felt the slightest movement, then soft lips against his. “Hey, big guy.” Her voice was gravelly, gruff, and soft. Rafa opened his eyes and saw her smile, her beautiful smile, and he couldn’t help the tears that streamed down his face as the relief hit.

  “Hey, beautiful girl…”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Is he dead? He killed Leo. He killed my sister!”

  Rafa shook his head as he laid her gently on the ground, cradling her head. “No, darling. Leo’s alive… she’s holding on.”

  Noemi sighed. “Oh, thank God… thank God…”

  “You better hang on, too, Noemi Castor.” Rafa’s voice shook and she smiled.

  “I’m okay, just a little groggy.” She touched his face. “Did you get even more handsome since this morning?”

  Rafa chuckled, his emotions on the surface. “Noe… you are going to marry me, right?”

  Noemi smiled, groggy, concussed but delighted to be alive. “I love you, Rafael Genova... but I gotta say... about damn time you asked.”

  Rafa laughed and kissed her. “I’m going to take that as a yes…”

  “I might be concussed, so ask me again when I’m better.”

  Rafa winked at her. “And risk you saying no?”

  “That, Rafa Genova, would never happen.”

  “Then tell me yes again and again.”

  Noemi smiled as she pulled his lips down to hers again. “Yes… yes… yes… yes…”

  The End.

  Let It Be Me Extended Epilogue

  Genres: Doctor Erotic Romance

  Tropes/Categories: Contemporary Romance, Erotica, Love, Sex, Desire, Honeymoon, Stranger, Doctor

  Six months after the birth of their twin daughters, Noemi and Rafael are newly married and about to enjoy some alone time on their honeymoon.

  Delighted to be able to enjoy each other, they eschew the tropics and head to the snowbound mountains of Switzerland. In a secluded cabin, they explore carnal pleasures as they take their love to the next level.

  When a visitor from another cabin arrives, Rafa is suspicious of the man’s motives and questions whether their love nest really is the safe haven they had been promised. After almost losing Noemi twice before, Rafa is taking no risks with her safety.

  But are the man’s intentions malevolent? Or he is simply a lonely man in need of company?

  Whatever the reason, Rafa and Noemi are determined that their dark days are behind them and they soon find that their love can overcome any obstacle, as long as they are together.

  Noemi chuckled. As soon as they closed the door of their little cabin in the snowy mountains, Rafa kissed her neck, tugging at her padded jacket, eager to get her naked as soon as possible. “You are insatiable.”

  “I have the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms, no-one would judge.” He crushed his lips to hers as if they hadn’t been kissing the whole trip over to Europe in his private plane. “Get naked, wife.”

  Noemi giggled. They had been married for forty-eight whole hours, and now they were ensconced in the cutest little chalet cabin, high in the Swiss mountains. It was secluded but not isolated, but Noemi reveled in the privacy of it. Six months ago, they had become parents to two adorable twin daughters, Meggie and Viola, and with their older brother Bepi, Noemi and Rafa were madly in love with their children.

  It was good to be alone together though, on this, their honeymoon. After a fraught year where Noemi almost lost her life, and her sister, Leo to a madman’s gun, they were finally able to relax, knowing all was well at home.

  Noemi grinned at her husband and took his hand. “Come on, stud, let’s go find the bedroom.”

  Rafael stripped her slowly. God, every inch of her was perfect. When they were both naked, he swept her onto the vast bed and covered her body with his. “Alone,” he said with a grin, “with no rug-rats to disturb us. We can get really dirty, baby.”

  “Ha, like that stops us at home.”

  “You say that,” he said, trailing his lips along her jaw, “but I haven’t heard you scream my name for months now…”

  Noemi giggled. “You have a point. So… challenge extended, Genova. Make me scream so loud it causes an avalanche.” She made a face then. “A small one that doesn’t hurt anybody, that is.”

  “Nutso. But… challenge accepted. Now… let’s just see…” He slipped his hand between her legs and she opened them for him, sighing happily as he began to stroke her clit. “Are you wet for me, baby? Damn, you are…”

  “You’re not the only one who’s been thinking about this all day.” She reached down to stroke his already half-erect cock. “I swear you get bigger with age.”

  “You mean Mjolnir?”

  They both laughed at the nickname she’d bestowed on his penis. “Mjolnir needs to go to Valhalla,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at her, and Noemi groaned.

  “Nope,
that’s not sexy talk. Just fuck me, husband.”

  Grinning, Rafa thrust his cock deep inside her ready cunt and she moaned with ecstasy as they made love. Rafa fucked her hard, his green eyes intense on hers as they moved together. “God, I love you, Noemi Genova.”

  “Oh… I love you so much, god, that’s good, yes, just like that, yes… yes…” Noemi was almost delirious as his cock reamed her cunt mercilessly, and the bed shook with their exertions.

  Noemi’s back arched as she came, pressing her belly to his as Rafa gathered her to him, his cock pumping thick cum deep inside her. “Christ, Noe… I’ll never get enough of this, of you, of us…”

  As they collapsed panting, she stroked his face. “Handsome.”

  Rafa immediately crossed his eyes and stuck of his tongue to make her laugh. “You goofball,” she said fondly. She curved her body into his, laying her head on his chest. “Can we be naked the whole time we’re here?”

  “Now who’s insatiable? But, yes, that’s the plan.”

  “We don’t have to be grownups for the next few days.”

  “Just grown up enough for you to do that,” Rafa laughed as Noemi cupped his cock and began to stroke it. “I miss the kids but I gotta say… the thought of this for an entire week? Yes, please.”

  She grinned up at him. “Remember that first date? Well, it wasn’t really a date, more like…”

  “Animal sex,” he said with a satisfied grin. “God, if you only knew how long I’d been thinking about making love to you… in my head I’d imagined fucking you in an alleyway, or in one of the on-call rooms at the hospital.”

  “That never happens but for you, I’d make an exception,” she giggled. “I admit, I had the same thoughts. Every time I saw you, my entire body would quiver and I would feel like screaming, just fuck me, please! I’ve never wanted anyone so much, and I never will. Not ever. You are the love of my life, Rafael Genova.”