by L. Ann Marie
Chapter Twelve
One week…
Danny has his hand over my eyes while he walks me into the room. “It’s beautiful. I love how it all came together.” I tell him. This is the first time I’ve seen his house with everything in and hung up. It is a show piece. "The woodwork is beautiful."
“I’m glad you like it.” He tells me, holding my hand he walks me up the stairs to see the finished bathroom.
“Oh my God! I love it!” I wonder how he got it done so fast. There is a beautiful deep pale pink marble whirlpool tub with extended edges and a rack going across the middle. The rack has bath salts and a candle sitting on it. It’s beautiful. The shower has four heads and a bench seat built right in. I can’t believe the way the pink and blues look together. The marble makes it look so elegant. They complement each other perfect. How does he do that?
He turns my face to him. “I was hoping you’d say that. I want you to move in Kate. I had you pick everything out just for that reason. I wanted you to be happy living here. I love you my beautiful K. Will you move in with me?”
Holy cow! He loves me. I feel the tears. “Yes. I’ve waited so long to hear you say those words to me. I love you Danny. I don’t want to wait anymore.” He hugs me to him. Saying thank you. He sounds relieved. I have to smile at that.
He has his crew waiting to move my things over. I laugh. He is too much. He calls Chris and tells him we’ll meet them there. It takes all day but it’s done. I can’t wait to tell Jess but I’m so freakin tired I can’t do anything but lay against him on the couch.
“I’m so glad we’re finished.” He says sounding as tired as I feel. “I love you Kate. I’m so glad you’re here with me. I love our house, all the furniture and accents you picked work perfect."
“mmm.” Is all I can do. He laughs lifting me up and carrying me to my brand new bed. I curl up to go to sleep. He unrolls me and takes my clothes off. Once he gets into bed I curl up on him and kiss his chest. I feel the pull of sleep closing my eyes, I go with a smile on my face.
Chapter Thirteen
One month…
Danny takes me to R&R. Ben has him talking to a cop friend of his about the drugs being sold at three different houses. I'm at the bar talking to Rob about how happy I am living with Danny when he freezes. His eyes follow someone over my head. I don't move. "Slide off and get on the floor, don't look back, make your way to this side of the bar." He says so soft I almost miss it.
I slide off the stool slowly. A guy starts yelling and I duck to the floor just before the first shot is fired. I look for the guy; he's on the other side of the room. Cops are yelling freeze. I crawl to the end of the bar under the pass thru. More shots are fired and bottles are breaking above me. I'm squeezing myself back as far as I can get. My whole body is shaking. Everyone is yelling. I hear bikes and sirens outside. Rob lifts me up and carries me to the back. "No Danny is out there." I'm fighting him to put me down. Something is wrong; I feel it in my bones. "Something's wrong Rob, I need to see Danny, he needs to know I'm alright." He won't let me go.
"Kate, be still." He says in a voice I've never heard from him. I stop fighting. He sits me in the office and stands at the door. "We're going to wait in here until Ben tells us we can come out." Again, in that scary voice.
I just look at him. I think I must be in shock. He moves behind the desk pulling a bottle off the shelf, he pours a glass and hands it to me. I drink it right down. I cough and my eyes water from the burn. I have to take a couple of deep breaths. Fuck that burned. He doesn't say anything else so I just sit and wait. Danny would have come for me by now. "Something's wrong Rob, I feel it. Danny would have already come for me."
He looks down, "We're waiting for Ben."
It seems like forever when Tracy comes to the door. Rob moves out of the way for her to enter. She squats down in front of me. "Kate, Danny was hit in the crossfire; an ambulance is bringing him to the hospital. Ben is with him. I'm going to drive you. Steve is bringing Jess." She talks so gently I know it's bad. Danny would have come and got me.
I think my heart stopped. I can't breathe. I put my head down and see my tears falling on the floor. "Please tell me he'll be ok." I beg her.
"I want to tell you that Kate but I don't know. I just got here. Let's get to the hospital and find out ok?" She puts her hand out for me.
I sit up and look at Rob. "Where was he shot?"
He looks down. "I don't know exactly where. His head went back, I saw blood on his face."
I stand up and let Tracy pull me out. I don't remember getting to the hospital. Ben tells me he's in surgery; he was shot in the face. I sit in the waiting room, it feels like days go by. People come and go but I don’t really pay attention to them. I do notice a couple of cops sit down for a while then leave. Everyone is trying to feed me, I can't eat, I don't want a drink. I just sit and wait. I refuse to think about the damage until I know for sure. I look at the window, it dark, I've been here forever. I’m finally right where I want to be and Danny is shot in the face. I push it out of my head, no negative thoughts I keep telling myself. Finally, a doctor comes to us. "LaPonte?"
I stand and walk to him. Jess holds my hand. "Yes."
"The bullet hit the bone in his cheek. It shattered, the fragments severing muscles, part of his optic nerve and his eye badly. We reconstructed his cheek bone with a plate. With today's technology we're able to reconstruct his features very close to before the bullet damage. His jaw bone was intact; we were able to connect the plate above it. He was very lucky the way the bullet passed through, the damage was contained to the cheek and eye. We have a specialist coming to assess the eye damage. I'm sorry I can't give you more information on that. It's not my specialty. He's in recovery right now. He made me promise to tell you he's fine and even with one eye you'll still be his beautiful K." He smiles at me.
A sob comes out. "Thank you." He's alive and going to be fine. Through all he said that's all I can grasp. Jess grips my hand and laughs.
"I'll have a nurse come get you when he's moved to his room." He leaves and everyone starts talking at once.
I look at Jess. "He's ok. He's going to be ok."
She smiles. "Yeah Kate, he's going to be ok." I hug her and laugh.
Tracy hugs us from behind. "He's ok." She whispers.
When they let me go I take a deep breath. Ben puts his hand on my shoulder. "Kate, I have to leave, I'll be back later. I have a Prospect that I need to coordinate care for. I'm glad he's ok. He's a strong man, not much would keep him down." He hugs me.
"Thank you Ben."
"You should put the Prospect in with Patches. He's getting a little stir crazy." Jess tells him.
He gives her a thoughtful look. "I think that would work well, thanks little mama." He's gone a second later.
Chapter Fourteen
Two weeks...
Fuck. I feel like a hammer is pounding the right side of my face from the inside. I slide out from under K, grab some Tylenol from the kitchen and bring a glass of water out to the porch. Sitting up helps, I feel the pressure lessen after a minute of sitting on the swing. What a fuckin mess, fuckin dirty cops. I was released from the hospital after three days. Pres waited for Kate to leave for work to come and talk to me. Steve 'dealt with' the cop that shot me. I didn't ask any questions. I'm not sure I want to know how he dealt with him in a fuckin jail. I'm learning he is seriously scary. The guy that shot me was aiming for the other cops, I just got caught in the cross fire. Thank God I moved back when I saw the gun move or I would be dead right now.
When Pres asked if I needed anything I made him laugh with needing a ride. He took me to the jewelry store to get a ring for Kate. They didn't have what I was looking for so the jeweler had to make it. It took a week, but I finally got it, the pink diamond is a perfect match to her jewels. I'm so glad Jess handles my money. I didn't have to scrimp and save like with my ex. I sigh, her demanding the ring she wanted, way more than I could afford, should have given me a clue that it
wasn't right. I’m so glad Kate is her opposite.
I've been waiting to ask. Knowing how close to dying I came, I feel an urgency to make her mine. She's been so calm and hasn't changed the way she treats me, but I'm not sure once all the bandages come off if she'll feel the same. The scar on my face is horrific even to me.
The door pulls me out of my head. "Couldn't sleep?" She asks, sleep making her voice husky.
My fuckin dick jumps. "Just waiting out Tylenol." I put my hand out and sit her on my lap. "Why are you up?"
"I guess I missed you even in sleep." She says planting a kiss on my lips. "I think my brain doesn't want to miss a minute of us." She smiles. Her eyes are bright, the moon lighting her face. Beautiful K.
"I was just sitting here thinking about that." I guess I have my answer. She lays her head on my shoulder. I give her a few minutes of quiet then slide her on the seat. "I'll be right back." I'm not wasting another fuckin minute. I get the ring and slide it on my little finger so I don't drop it. When I get to the porch I lift her up and sit down feeling the pressure in my face. Fuck, I moan and need a minute to let it clear. She puts her head back on my shoulder.
"It's a pretty night." She says softly as if any louder will wipe it away.
"K, how will you feel if I have to wear the patch for the rest of my life?"
She moves so I can see her face. She's fuckin smiling. "I'm sorry you have to wear it, but it kind of turns me on. I think you look sexy with it, like a modern day pirate. Does it bother you?"
"I can't change what is, it doesn't bother me in the way you're thinking. I know the scar and patch aren't going anywhere anytime soon. My dyslexia is making relearning things harder. That's the extent of my concern. We haven't talked about it. I just wanted to know how you felt if the patch was a forever thing."
"I love you with and without the patch. I've loved you for years. The patch hasn't changed how I feel." She kisses my lips.
She loved me even after the way I treated her with the whores. "Fuckin beautiful K. I love that about you. I love everything about you." I put my hand on her cheek stroking her bottom lip with my thumb.
"We can go back to bed and you can show me again." She smiles wiggling her eyebrows.
I laugh holding my face, "baby we can, but I have a question first. After everything I put you through, the selfish bastard that I was, you still love me. A guy doesn't get that every day. It took me time to realize and appreciate you for who you are. I love you Kate, I don't want to wait anymore. I want to make you mine in every sense, as soon as possible. I'm looking for forever baby. Will you marry me?" I turn her hand over and put the ring in her palm.
She looks at the ring and cries. Fuck! I hold my breath feeling light headed. She finally looks up. "Yes. This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen. I love you for always thinking about what I would like."
"Holy shit, thank you." I let my breath out and take a deep breath. She laughs. I kiss her lips. "You had me scared for a second there."
"I don't know why? If I didn't keep you around who would play with my jewels? You’ve got job security." She smiles with tears on her face as I slide the ring on her finger. How do women do that?
"Fuckin beautiful K, I'm glad you have your reasons for keeping me. My dick is hard enough to pound nails. Let's go to bed so I can get started on my new job."
She laughs and kisses my cheek. "How much does a piercing inspector get paid? I may need Jess to shift some stock for me, this could get expensive over fifty years."
Fuckin Kate. I put my hand on the bandage and laugh. "We can work it out in trade."
She stands, "ok." Pulling me to my feet she grabs my dick. "Yep, hard enough to pound nails."
Fuck.
Kate
I pull his t off as he sits against the headboard. He's so fucking sexy, I take him in. I'm marrying him. Holy Crap! I’ve dreamed of marrying him for most of my life. I feel so lucky right at this moment. Now I want to get lucky. I climb on the bed. "You're a very sexy inspector. I really like this position; it makes me feel like I'm holding a sexy pirate captive." I reach for his dick. The left side of his face smiles for me. I bend and take his head in my mouth loving his hissed 'fuck'. I suck hard going down.
"Fuck that's good baby." His hand holds my hair away from my face so he can watch. I've noticed he loves to watch everything. He's a very visual guy. I move my body over so he can see. "Fuck K that feels so fuckin good. I love your mouth on me, seeing you swallowing me down. I don't want to come in your mouth baby, I need to see you." I lift up releasing him with a pop. He moans again.
I straddle his lap, he holds himself so I can slide down. Fuck, we both moan. I just sit with my back arched so he can play with my nipples. Jess was right they are like a pleasure button, it connects right to my pussy and sends shivers down my spine making me moan. I reach up and help him holding the tit his mouth isn't on. His fingers feather and message around the jewel making my pussy throb.
"Beautiful K if you don't move we're both going to come from me touching your nipples. I'm going to get thrown out of the man club if that happens again." I snort then moan when he pinches one.
"I was hoping you felt good enough to slide in my ass. We haven't done that since you've been out of the hospital." I'm a little unsure about what he can do without pain.
"Fuck Kate, I didn't know you liked it that much. You're such a fuckin surprise sometimes." He lifts me off him and sits me back down. "Let me finish my job, I won't last if you come with me in you." He goes back to my nipples. Holy Crap! My body clenches as he squeezes one tit while sucking hard on the other. I cry out and grab on, holding it out for him. His hand moves over mine making me message like he does, he sucks hard flipping the jewel. I scream and fall against him. He slides his hands up to my face. "You're so fuckin sexy when you come, just watching brings me to the edge. I have to do multiplication tables to last."
I think I laugh. He kisses my lips. I can't wait until his tongue can go in my mouth again. I slide off his lap and reach for the drawer grabbing a condom and lube. He won't go in without one, saying it’s too messy for me. He kneels on the bed and faces the headboard, turning me around, he puts my hands on the top and pulls my ass toward him. "Did you forget the vibrator K, or you don't want it?"
"I'm still kind of fuzzy here." I tell him, he reaches for it, turns it on and slides it up my body and over my nipples. "Fuck." I moan, and my whole body shivers. He moves it down sliding it into my pussy. Once he's lubed he slides in steady but slow. I moan the whole way. "Fuck that feels good." He slowly fills me making the vibrator feel tight in me.
"Fuck K. I'm going to move fast baby."
He holds my hips and starts pumping. I moan. He puts one hand low on my stomach, when he puts pressure the vibrator sends sparks shooting through me. I start to shake. "Fuck, harder, please harder." I beg him. He moves faster pounding into me one hand wraps around my waist pulling me into him the other on my nipple playing with the jewel. My body explodes. Holy fuck!
I hear him groan out a ‘fuck’ then he falls on my back with a hand on the wall. He doesn't move his arm from around my waist, thank God. I would’ve face planted on the headboard. When he catches his breath he slides his hand to my pussy pulling the vibrator out and shutting it off. "You keep making it better. Every fucking time it’s better. Thank you my beautiful K." He kisses my back.
I moan back at him. I feel his chest rumble and know he's laughing with his jaw clenched. He pulls out and cleans us up. I fix his pillows so his head is high and wait for him to lie down so I can lie on his chest. "I love you Danny. Thank you for another awesome day." I kiss his chest while he holds me tight. I'm asleep in minutes.
Chapter Fifteen
One month…
I finally make it to church. Tiny and Petey picked up my truck last week. I didn’t even notice it was gone. They installed bigger mirrors with bubbles on the top. I’m getting around in the backyard. I haven’t gone to the city yet. I still get caught off guard w
ith the blind spots. I figure if I drive enough, the new mirrors will be normal to me. I haven’t even looked at my bike. A Prospect opens the gate and waves me in. I pull in to a front spot. I’m wondering if they left it open for me. Not for the first time, I wonder about belonging to a club if I can't re-learn to ride my bike. I shake it off and pocket my keys.
Walking in the door I’m surprised by everyone greeting me with a ‘Brother’ or a slap on the back. I see Patches and move over to him. We’ve gotten close since he was stabbed and I was shot. When I got out of the hospital I started walking over to see him. He started taking walks with me to the garage, at first to chat with the Brothers, then to the beach and around the yard. He’s a good kid but without family. It feels good to hang out with him, he reminds me of Rich. Rich even asked him to move into the second room and share the expenses with him. I think Patches likes the idea of Rich hanging out there when he comes home. I like the idea that he’s tethered to someone and not going through life alone.
“Danny, glad you made it. Did you take out any bikes?” He smiles. Fuckin comedian.
“Not yet. The day is still young.” I tell him. He laughs. "You still coming for dinner?" He nods with a smile.
Caroline comes up and leans against me. I step away and look down at her. Luke's standing to the side of her. “Sorry Caroline, I’m taken.” She sucks in a breath, shock is evident on her face, she hasn't seen me since I was shot. I don't have a bandage covering the scar anymore, that's enough to shock any one. Without a word she turns and is gone. I look at Patches put my hand on my face and laugh. He cracks up. “I guess I scared her away.” No one else from the club or my family react to it, not even the boys. I forget how bad it looks.
He slaps my back, “She’ll get over it. Not sure they like the new and improved you though, you don't pay them any attention.”
“Guess they’ll have to live with it. I’m taken and a candidate for phantom of the opera. Don’t see either one of those things changing anytime soon.” I say with a smile realizing its true and I don't care who knows. I notice Luke walking away.