by SM Olivier
“I guess you’re going to be busy with all your new patients,” I commented, changing the subject and respecting his decision not to say any more.
“I have two colleagues. They’re in your grandfather’s employ as well.” He studied the vein in my hand. “It won’t be too bad, especially since Claire and your grandpa went back to the mansion, as well as the children. In a few days, hopefully, Ava will be joining them there for her complete recovery.”
I pulled my hand away. “Is it okay if I take a shower first, Bryce?” I thought it would be weird calling him by his name, but it hadn’t been.
He cleared his throat. The more time I spent with him, the more I believed he leaned toward the introverted side. I knew from the nurses that gossiped about him at the hospital that he, along with his two associates, owned their own clinic in an adjacent city. He was considered a medical prodigy. You couldn’t just graduate med-school at twenty-two without studying really hard. I imagined his social life had never been big, what with being the youngest there. He had been working for two years in the medical field before opening his own practice. That put him at twenty-six-years old now. Most doctors couldn’t say they accomplished as much at his age.
“I don’t think you should shower by yourself, just yet,” he said quietly. “Do you… will…” he stuttered. “I’m not sure your friend Madison will be strong enough to help you,” he finally spit out.
If I weren’t so out of it, I would have laughed at his discomfort. After witnessing my panic attack and seeing the guys, I knew he was just as confused about our relationship as most people were. However, I didn’t know if I could ask Madison to assist me, even if she were capable of helping me.
I had fallen back to sleep after Grandpa was whisked away, waiting for my discharge from the hospital. I’d woken up this morning with Paxton by my side, in the ambulance that transported me here. I found out that Madison had convinced her parents to allow her to transfer here the week after I had disappeared.
She had lost focus at school and was in a bad state, apparently. She’d asked to move here and finish out her senior year. Her parents spoiled her, so of course, they agreed… on the condition that she keep her grades up, and if Grandpa would keep an eye on her. Grandpa, being Grandpa, had reassured them he would look after her.
Lucas tried to transfer as well, but there was no way Mickey was having it. His other son was six years older than Lucas and was so drastically different. Caleb was extraordinarily studious and was on his way to becoming a lawyer. He never shared the same interests as Mickey and Lucas did and rarely came home, especially after Yoon passed away.
Paxton told me Madison was staying in an apartment in town. Then he told me how Golden and Madison spent a lot of time together. Since the official adoption of the kids, she had taken a bedroom upstairs. I hadn’t been brave enough to ask Paxton if she and Golden were now…a couple.
“I can’t get under the covers like this.” I grimaced at Dr. Baylor. I was still wearing a hospital gown. Luckily, the nurse had put underwear on me, but they were granny panties. But the weeks of not having had a proper bath clung to my skin, and I was covered in filth; my smell was repulsive. I needed a proper shower so I could finally get clean, clean enough to get into this bed, but I wasn’t able to bathe myself.
As it was, I was horrified when they laid me down on the bed like I was. I had asked Paxton to just find me a sheet because I had been too mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted after the ambulance ride. I knew he wanted to stay with me, but he wasn’t sure if he should. Hell, I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to stay. I… I wasn’t me right now.
Dr. Baylor had seemed to notice my reticence and kindly told Paxton I should probably get some rest. He’d given me my medications and hooked me up to my machines before I fell asleep once more. When I’d woken up, I had laid in silence for almost an hour contemplating… life. I was so numb. I knew I was in denial, like nothing had happened to me, but I still wasn’t ready to face my emotions.
I must have had a nightmare last night, because I had dislodged my IV. My left hand was now a gnarly mess. Finding the room had been empty after I’d woken up, surprised me. I had fully expected one of them to sneak in and stay with me.
This mental roller coaster I was on was exhausting.
“I’ll let the nurse know when she arrives to help you out,” he seemed to regret his words but didn’t know of any other solution.
I had at least five more solutions upstairs, but I wasn’t sure I wanted them to see what lied beneath my hospital gown and bandages. As much as I cared for Paxton, I knew his limitations. He would be so empathetic he would absorb my emotions as if they were his own. Crew and Kyler would probably want to go raging across town until they found Boyd, Coach, and Tormentor—if they hadn’t already been taken into custody—and find a way to murder them. Zane and Lochlann would probably be my best options, but, again, I didn’t want them to see me like this.
There was a gentle knock on my door, and Bryce looked at me inquiringly. I nodded. The guys were all… reserved with me right now. I understood their restraint—I felt the same way. But I needed them to hold me and pretend like nothing had happened. This was all unchartered territory for me.
“Come in,” Bryce called out.
Kyler came striding into the room with his hands in his pockets. “Good morning, Peyton.” His gray eyes looked at me as if he still couldn’t believe I was here. “Agent Janson and Agent Dominquez will be here in about an hour. We made breakfast so you could eat first. I, uh… don’t know if you like oatmeal or grits, but we made them both. Doc already informed us you can try to eat it.”
I noticed how Kyler avoided looking at my face. Strangely, I was grateful for that. Even I was too scared to see my reflection.
“Doc, would you like to stay for breakfast?” he asked. We also have eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast.”
“Thank you for the offer.” Bryce smiled. “Unfortunately, I still have to make it to the Delaneys.”
“How’s Claire, Doc?” I asked. My mind was filled with so many questions. Paxton said she had been released earlier than me after just a checkup. She didn’t have any lasting damage from our time in the cabin. At least not physically.
Bryce looked undecided once again. “She’ll be okay,” he murmured. “Now, let’s get you hooked back up. You can get up and move around but make sure you take the dog,” he teased with a twist of his lips. “Listen to your body and don’t push it.”
“Did you just make a joke?” I accused him with a crooked smile. Earlier, I had told him my IV pole was like a dog, and I was attached to its leash.
He grinned and shrugged.
“Will the nurse help me in the shower, or will she give me one of those sponge baths?” I grimace.
“Well…” He was red again. “I don’t think you should be up and about without assistance for at least another day or two.”
“I’ll take you,” Kyler said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Bryce looked at me. I nodded, twisting my ring around my finger. Sadly, it didn’t fit on my finger anymore. It was now too large, so I had moved it to pointer finger.
“Actually, I think I’ll have breakfast after all.” Bryce gave me a reassuring smile. “Call me when you’re finished, Kyler, and I’ll put the IV back in.”
Silence hung in the air after he left. I didn’t know what to say, and was at a loss with how to act, still.
Kyler left my room and went into the en-suite bathroom. He returned a moment later and opened my drawers. I watched as he removed underwear and a bra, then understanding dawned.
“No bra please,” I requested. “Can you find me an oversized hoodie or something?” I inquired quietly. A bra would feel too confining against my bruising and tender ribs.
He nodded. “Did you want yoga pants or jeans?”
“Yoga pants,” I answered.
Gathering my thoughts, I let out a breath as I watched him gather my clothes. “Umm�
� Ky? I…I…” I felt the hot tears burn my eyes. I was ashamed of my body, and I didn’t want him to see it. Not after everything that had happened.
He took the few shorts strides to the bed and sat down. His thigh was warm against my own as he gently grabbed the side of my face that wasn’t bruised.
“I am here for you, Peyton. In any way you need me. I may not have been through the hell you’ve been in, but I know what it’s like to have your world turned upside down, where you begin to question everything.” I knew he was talking about his time overseas.
“I’ve been through hell without you, Kitten,” he said then, in a voice raw with anguish and vulnerability. “We all have. All last night, I had to stop myself from hunting down these monsters and killing them with my two hands. Please. Please, let me help you, Kitten. Please don’t shut me out.”
Just as I suspected, the beast in Kyler wanted to assuage his blood lust but was denied. I was glad he was able to control his natural impulses. I had no doubt he wouldn’t have quit until he’d succeeded, and then he would have been put behind bars. I needed him too much for him to leave me.
Surprised by the openness in his voice and expression, I whispered, “It’s not pretty.” I didn’t know if it was the pneumonia or from being shocked multiple times by the dog collar, but my voice hadn’t been the same since the first time I was hit with that electricity.
“Kitten,” he said so urgently I was forced to look into his eyes. I saw the pain and need there in his gaze; no pity or revulsion. “I don’t give a shit how you look. Somehow, I believe if the situation were reversed, you’d be there for me in any way I’d let you.”
He wasn’t wrong, and I imagined he did a lot of pushing when he was in recovery.
His gaze was intense as he spoke. “I’m just thanking God that you are back here with me. I’m gonna be angry, and I might lose my mind, but none of my anger is directed towards you. If anything, I’m pissed I didn’t wake someone else up to watch Maisie, so I could’ve waited with you that day at the hospital. And I wish I would have made it there faster.”
“You couldn’t have known. Hell, I didn’t even think anything was off until we made it to the parking lot. They sent in a kid to lure me out, for goodness’ sake.”
He took a deep breath in and out before he leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. “Let’s get you showered. Can I…will you mind−” his hands paused at the hem of his black t-shirt, seeming hesitant all of a sudden.
I knew he wanted to know if I’d be comfortable with him disrobing to get in the shower with me.
“Please,” I murmured. I needed his strong presence right now.
He nodded before he slowly took off my hospital gown. I could see his jaw clench as he looked at the bruises marring my skin. His breath became ragged as he slowly unwound the bandages on my arm. Bryce already told me that he okayed my bandages being removed from my arms and neck.
“Oh, Kitten.” He words filled with anguish and pain, he looked down at the circular blisters on my upper right arm.
I had twenty blisters from the burns. They started right above my elbow and crawled up my arm to my shoulder. Some of the burns were an angry red color, while others looked infected, and only a few were a dark brown. Bryce had reassured me they would all heal…eventually.
“That was a whole pack of cigarettes,” I whispered, seeing the ugly marks. I wondered if Mederma would remove them, because unless I quit dancing, I wouldn’t be able to get a tattoo to cover the scars it would leave behind.
He closed his eyes, and I knew he was trying to control his emotions.
Slowly I unwound the gauze bandage wrapped around my neck. The skin was raw where the collar had been, and from touch alone, I could feel where the probes had embedded into my skin.
“They put a shock collar on me to control me,” I whispered.
He cursed quietly, but his arms were gentle and firm as they embraced me. I sighed and leaned into him.
The first hour or two at the hospital was spent with police officers and FBI agents in and out of my room. According to Paxton, the hospital we were taken to wasn’t prepared for the chaos of our arrival. It was a good thing Officer Perry had his way, because we had bypassed the ER and had a wing cleared out for me, Ava, Claire, Hope, Gideon, and the other kids.
Officer Perry had even sat with the little ones, feeding them and getting them drinks until CPS got there, I was told. I made a mental note to write a thank you card to him. Not only for pulling me over but for helping me maintain some of my dignity before the ambulance and helicopter had gotten there.
While I had laid unconscious, all my bruises, marks, and burns had been photographed and cataloged. I didn’t know how I felt about that, but, I figured, at least it saved me some embarrassment. I had already seen the pity and discomfort in some of the nurses’ faces, and I couldn’t stomach any more.
Kyler slowly disrobed then stopped before removing his boxers. I nodded for him to continue, as desire rose up in me. I wanted him, but I knew I needed to give myself time before I went back into that part of our relationship. My emotions were still everywhere, but I had to admit, I was thankful that that part of me wasn’t dead. It was very much alive, in fact, judging by the heat that kindled low in my stomach.
“Stop looking at me that way, Kitten,” he teased.
“Stop looking so sexy,” I retorted back.
He chuckled and lifted me up in his arms. “I missed you so damn much,” he growled as he gingerly kissed my jaw.
“I missed you more,” I demurred.
He carried me into the bathroom. I was thankful for the large, tiled shower with room to spare. He tested the water before stepping inside with me still in his arms, and turned his body so that I was under the hot stream. I groaned in bliss. I felt the tremors in his body, and I melted into his embrace.
This. This was what I wanted since I returned.
“Need any help?” I heard a masculine voice question from the doorway.
I looked up and saw Lochlann leaning against the door jamb. Kyler looked down at me in question, and I nodded, somewhat in shock. Ky set me on my feet, offering his support, as we waited for Lochlann to join us.
I was surprised by Lochlann’s boldness. I knew he had a lot of self-control up until this point. We had yet to even share a real kiss, and here he was, offering his assistance.
I should have been asking him if it was wise for us to cross this line. Not without a plan for his future, but I didn’t question his wisdom, though. I was greedy for his presence. I needed to feel this connection with him. He was stepping over the line that we’d been toeing. But maybe like me, he didn’t care anymore, and was willing to break down those walls we’d built.
Lochlann quickly undressed and slipped into the shower with us. I barely got a glimpse of his finely sculpted body before he stepped in behind me. He leaned forward, and I felt the brush of his broad chest against my back as he grabbed my shampoo. When he ran his fingers against my scalp, I didn’t know if my knees were weaker from his touch, or because I was already feeling weary.
“I’m sorry for not thinking about the danger I put you in,” Lochlann spoke softly.
I frowned against Kyler’s chest. This was the second time one of them had blamed themselves for my kidnapping.
“You didn’t put me in any danger,” I insisted, twisting in Kyler’s arms. I grabbed Lochlann’s face and saw the conviction in his eyes. He really believed he was at fault! “They knew my weakness with children. They sent a little boy to lure me, Lochlann, knowing I would blindly follow and help him. You were right where you should have been, with Clay.”
I was surprised when he gently lowered his mouth to mine. His lips were gentle but… desperate. I realized then that I was between two very hot, very sexy men. My earlier thoughts scattered. It was like a fire was lit immediately within me.
I opened my mouth, mindful of my split lip that wasn’t completely healed yet. I traced my tongue against his lip
s. He groaned and opened his mouth. As his tongue found mine, he took my tongue and sucked on it. I moaned and gripped his shoulders tighter. He tasted like coffee and chocolate. The kiss was better than I had ever imagined it would be.
I felt lips on my neck right before Kyler’s erection touched my lower back. Whining and rubbing against Kyler, I lowered my hands and touched Lochlann’s body. He hissed as my hands grazed over his hard cock.
“We should stop,” Lochlann said breathlessly before trailing kisses along my jawline. “You’re still healing, you need to eat, and those agents will be here shortly.”
“Help me forget,” I begged him, looking over at Kyler before looking at Lochlann. “Take me.”
I never thought I would be the type of person to become intimate with two people at once, but this felt right.
“I want our first time in a bed, not a quickie in a shower,” Lochlann said reluctantly before taking my lips once more.
I immediately feel bereft and… rejected.
“We really should finish getting you showered and dressed so you can eat,” Kyler agreed, even as his fingers traced down to the apex of my thighs. His large, long fingers found my clit, and he played with me. “But maybe we can help you out a little.”
I cried out and leaned back into him. “Please, baby,” I begged.
Lochlann groaned before his fingers joined Kyler’s. I gasped as his fingers traced my slit. He bit his lip and almost looked like he was in pain. I could feel how hard he was against my belly. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.
When he found the wetness between my thighs, he muttered a curse and slipped one of his fingers inside me. “You’re so tight, love,” His voice was thick with need, and his eyes were almost completely black…only a thin line of blue showed around his pupils.
“Let’s make our girl feel good before we finish our shower.” Kyler lightly nipped my shoulder.
I cried out once more in bliss, as Lochlann slipped another finger into me.