Her Guardian Angel (Fire and Snow)

by Khloe Wren

  Dominic couldn't help but chuckle. "Trust Mum. Neither Adele or me had even thought about that side of looking after Kelly. I'll do my best to get her away from the hospital for dinner. With Kelly awake, it's probably going to be harder than ever."

  "I'm sure you'll manage, son. Now, I heard you say you'd be heading over there. You better get a move on. I'll finish up the roster and get it out to everyone."

  Dominic sighed with relief that he could go straight away to Adele. His Dad was simply the best.

  He paused on his way out the door. "Thanks, Dad, you're the best."

  "Just you remember that when my birthday rolls around." His Dad responded with a wink.

  ~ * ~

  On his way into the hospital Dominic stopped by Clint's office.

  "Hey Doc, got a minute?" He called out as he knocked on the doorframe.

  "Sure, Dominic, what can I do for you?" Clint's voice sounded tired. Poor bugger, being head of the hospital meant he was under some serious pressure.

  "Heard Kelly woke up earlier, wondering if you could give me an idea of how long she'll be in here for? Adele wants to take her in when she leaves, and a time frame for how long we have to get organized would be great, Doc."

  Dominic watched in amusement as Clint flew up out of his chair.

  "She's woken up? When?" He grabbed at the pager on his belt and cursed.

  "Damn it, dead battery again! I swear the current box is made up entirely of duds. Follow me, Dominic."

  Dominic understood Clint's frustration. Pagers were vital to all emergency services. For a doctor, missing a page could be the difference between life and death. He followed behind Clint as he strode out of his office toward Kelly's room. They briefly stopped at the nurse's station so Clint could hand over his pager with instructions to ditch the box of batteries.

  As they approached Kelly's room, Conner rose and stretched.

  "Hey, Dom, Doc. Was about to come looking for you, Adele was wondering why you didn't answer her page."

  "Hey, Conner, the joys of technology my man. Damn thing was dead. Is she still awake?"

  "Not sure, Doc. Last check she was curled up with Adele sleeping. Poor kid." Dominic watched as Conner shook his head. Yeah, his brother was as pissed as he was about the abuse Kelly had suffered.

  He and Clint entered the room, and sure enough Kelly was still sleeping and Adele was still on the bed with her. The sight before him was instantly imprinted on his soul. Adele would make an awesome mother. He fell a little more in love with her as he watched. She had Kelly protectively embraced in her arms with her cheek resting on the top of Kelly's curls, and her eyes were closed as she quietly hummed.

  Adele raised her head from Kelly to look at him as they approached. He loved how she could sense when he was nearing her; he sure as hell did whenever she was close to him. He remained standing behind Clint. He didn't want to get in the way of any poking or prodding the doc wanted to do.

  "Pager dead again, Clint?" she asked the doc with just a slight hint of a smirk. His mate was a cheeky one when she wanted to be.

  "Yeah, damn batteries. I asked Lyn to throw out the whole box. Dominic tells me she woke up. What happened?"

  Dominic drunk in his mate as she was relaying to Clint how distraught Kelly had been upon waking and what she had recounted upon her memory returning.

  "Poor little mite, how on earth did she manage to get away from the monster?" Clint asked while shaking his head, his disgust easy to read in his face.

  "I guess the threat of rape was motivator enough to give her strength and take a few risks." He noticed how Adele tightened her hold as they spoke. So protective. So perfect.

  "I'm glad it did and I'm glad we found her. Now she has us to keep her protected," Dominic added in a firm strong voice.

  Clint cleared his throat as he looked sadly down at Kelly.

  "Well, don't suppose you could try to wake her for me, Adele? I'd like to check her over then I can give you an idea of when she might be able to leave the hospital."

  Chapter Ten

  "A week. I have one week to get everything organized or Kelly goes into the system." Adele said in a panic as she paced around her desk. Kelly was sleeping peacefully after Clint had checked her over. Thankfully all her injuries were healing up just fine and she would make a full recovery--physically anyway.

  Dominic snagged her hand as she rushed past and pulled her into his chest.

  "It will be fine, Adele. Take a deep breath and calm your mind down a notch. Everyone will help, you'll see."

  He took her face between his hands and gave her a kiss. Adele's thoughts scattered under the onslaught. Yep, her mind had slowed down a notch or two now, bugger a deep breath. Dominic's kisses worked much better. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Dominic pulled back, sounding slightly breathless as he spoke.

  "Come to dinner with me at my house. Tonight." She loved that he was as breathless as she was.

  "I don't know if I have time. I have so much to do now," she whispered back.

  "This will help. I promise. My parents want to get to know you, and my mum, she's got some ideas on how to help Kelly with her education. I bet Deirdre will be impressed if you have a plan all worked out on that front."

  Adele had rested her head over his heart as he spoke, tilting her head up she put her nose against his neck, inhaling and surrounding herself with his scent. A night in his arms would be nice. Real nice.

  After a moment of shoring up her courage, she kissed Dominic's neck, nibbled her way up to his ear and whispered, "Hmm...okay, I'll come over for dinner, on one condition."

  Dominic groaned deep in his throat as she nibbled his jaw.

  "And what would that condition be, beautiful?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

  "You come pick me up...then take me home after, and..." she paused a moment to nibble his jaw some more "...stay with me the night."

  Dominic's hands, which had dropped to her waist, tightened their hold on her as he took in a sharp breath.

  "Are you sure, Adele? You need to be certain, one hundred percent sure."

  She trailed her hand over his pectoral muscle, marveling at the way it clenched beneath her palm. He was so sweet, worrying about her decision.

  "I'm done running, Dominic. I am most certainly one hundred percent sure."

  Dominic wrapped her up in his embrace, lifting her off the floor as he stood up straight. With his face buried in her neck, he whispered in her ear, "Adele, I love you, and tonight will be so special and perfect. I'll never leave you, I promise."

  Adele's heart sang at Dominic's desperately whispered words.

  "This is crazy. We've only known each other for such a short time, but yeah, Dominic, I love you too, mon amour."

  As the last syllable left her mouth, Dominic spun her around before putting her down and kissing her senseless again.

  ~ * ~

  Adele took in the surroundings as she got out of Dominic's car. The house was set back from the road, just far enough that the scrub hid the home from the view of passers by. There were a couple of paddocks around the house, where what looked like Alpacas were quietly grazing. The house itself was massive, but it wasn't ritzy. Adele thought it looked homey and warm. She looked over the two-story brick house. It had been rendered white and it looked almost like an overgrown cottage, especially with its two beautiful bay windows coming out from either side of the front door. She looked up; there was a series of four attic windows poking through the stone grey Colorbond roof. She grinned wide; she'd always loved the idea of attic rooms. Dominic's parents' house was like her fantasy home come to life, and she couldn't wait to see inside.

  Adele was pulled from her trance when she felt Dominic come up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body flush against his then lowered his head into her hair. She heard him inhale deeply and felt his body shudder slightly.

  "Oh Dominic, your parents' house is just gorgeous," she said in awe.

/>   She felt Dominic raise his head. Obviously, he didn't actually look at the house he lived in--typical male. She couldn't help but chuckle.

  "Don't tell me you've never seen the house you live in before?"

  Dominic laughed quietly in return.

  "It's home. I've never really seen it as anything other than that. I guess it's an attractive enough house. I know Mum and Dad do a fair amount of work to keep it looking good. Let's head inside. I can give you a tour if you like?"

  He chuckled. She loved his laugh, especially when he was holding her and she felt the laughter vibrate through her body.

  "I guess I should say if Mum leaves you alone for long enough, I can take you for a tour."

  She attempted to respond but before her lips could part to speak, she felt him lower to her neck where he laid a gentle kiss that set her on fire from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. As she stood trying to calm herself, he released his hold on her and stepped back. As if sensing she was extremely aroused, he gave her a moment in the cool night air to regain her composure before he slid his hand over hers and led her up the path to the front door.

  Just as he reached his hand for the door handle, it swung open to reveal a rather excited woman who Adele assumed was Dominic's mother. She watched as Dominic leaned in to kiss his mother on the cheek. He was so sweet. A lot of men would be too embarrassed to kiss their mother's in front of their girlfriends--or in front of anyone for that matter.

  "Evening, Mum." He gently pulled Adele so she stood in front of him.

  "Mum, I'd like to introduce you to my special lady, Adele."

  Startling her slightly, his mum rushed forward and grabbed her hands in hers.

  "It is so lovely to finally meet you, Adele." Adele frowned. Finally meet her? She glanced at Dominic. She'd only known him a short time; a matter of weeks. Dominic gave her a quick shrug and a wink, like he knew what she was thinking but didn't want her to worry about it. She turned her attention back to his mother.

  "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. White. Dominic speaks of you very fondly."

  Adele caught the look that passed over Dominic's face. It was one of barely contained laughter. She gave him a raised eyebrow glare. He stopped nearly laughing, gave her a slight nod and a lopsided grin. Oh, she couldn't resist that grin. And damn, did the man know it. Adele felt so nervous. She'd never had a boyfriend before, so didn't have a clue how to act around his parents. The way his mother was blushing and fussing at her, she was pretty sure she was stuffing it up royally. At least Dominic seemed to be enjoying the show.

  "Oh, none of that Mrs. White stuff, love. You'll make me feel like I'm back in the school yard! Just call me Sophie. Now, dinner's almost ready. Why don't you two go in with Jake, he's in the dining room." Sophie patted Adele’s hand, released her and left them alone.

  Before they moved from the foyer, Adele grabbed Dominic's arm.

  "Please tell me what had you so amused?" She cocked an eyebrow and feigned a hurt attitude.

  "You were so preciously nervous, beautiful. And you had Mum fussing and blushing like a teenager. If our roles were reversed, you'd have a hard time not laughing too." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "C'mon, let's go find Dad."

  Adele couldn't help but grin as they entered the dining room. There was Jake, six foot four, wide muscular shoulders, powerful arms gently laying out place mats and cutlery. Even from the back, his big body looked out of place doing something so mundane. Adele raised her hand to cover her mouth as her body shuddered in a near silent giggle. Dominic's hand tightened on hers before releasing her with a lopsided grin and a wink. He stepped over to his Dad with a shoulder nudge hello and grabbed the cutlery from his hands.

  "You know you never get it right, Dad. Mum will hang you out to dry if you muck it up when we have a guest." From the amount of humor in Dominic's voice, Adele guessed he was just stirring up his dad.

  "Can't help that I use my right hand for my fork. You know, everyone else could just get used to it instead of giving me grief every chance you lot get. Oh, hey, Adele."

  He came over to her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  "Lovely seeing you again."

  He promptly went back to the place mats to finish setting them out.

  "Well, I guess since my table setting abilities are no longer required, I'll go organize the drinks, shall I? What's your poison, Adele?"

  "Oh, I'll just have some of whatever you are all having. Thanks, Jake."

  Adele's gaze followed Jake as he disappeared out of the room toward the kitchen, before she focused on Dominic being all domestic with the cutlery. A fully house trained man, she wished her mother could see this. She shut her eyes, sucked in a breath and winced at the sudden onslaught of pain the random thought of her mother brought. She opened her eyes to find Dominic in front of her, looking very worried. He caught her hands in his.

  "Are you okay, Adele? You look like you're in pain." She gazed into his eyes, allowing their cool blue ice to soothe her; the feel of his thumbs rubbing back and forth over her wrists calmed her further.

  "I'm fine, mon amour. I just had a thought that jarred a memory. I wasn't expecting it, that's all."

  She smiled as best she could vainly trying to reassure him she was okay. 'Fake it till you make it' was her motto just at the moment.

  Adele could see the understanding in his eyes. How on earth this man could read her so well was beyond her, but somehow he knew. He knew her heart still wept for her lost mother. He tilted her head up and lowered his mouth to hers, giving her a passion filled kiss that made sure her mind had no room for any thoughts other than of him and his taste. She was melting into him when she heard a chuckle. Glancing around Dominic's arm, she saw his parents placing dinner on the table with large grins in place at their public show of affection. She blushed as she buried her face into Dominic's chest that was slightly vibrating with his laugh at being busted.

  ~ * ~

  Dominic glanced over at Adele as he plugged his seat belt in. She looked so adorable and sweet. Her eyes where half shut, and she had just a hint of a smile on her face with her hand resting on her tummy, just like he did after he ate a satisfying meal. His mother's roast lamb could do that to a person. Dominic grinned as he remembered her hoeing into dessert. Fresh fruit salad with cream--he chuckled to himself--cream with fresh fruit salad would be a better description of her dessert. It was apparently his mate's favorite dish.

  "What are you chuckling about this time, cherie?" Adele's sweet voice sounded content. He really liked that he was at least partly responsible for that contentedness.

  "Just thinking about your love of cream, beautiful."

  She arched her brow at him before giggling.

  "I'm a girl of simple tastes, Dominic. I love my fruit salad, especially when it's fresh, and especially when it comes with cream."

  Dominic chuckled as he started the car and headed down the drive. After he drove out on the road, he worked his way up to fifth gear as quickly as possible so he could gently lay his hand on her thigh. It felt nice, like he was claiming possession of her.

  "So, what do you think of Mum's ideas for Kelly?" he asked. He didn't want her getting too anxious about the night ahead, and he didn't want to let himself get nervous either.

  "I think it all sounds great. I hadn't thought about school yet; getting my own house has been all I've been focused on. But she's right; Kelly is going to need some serious tutoring and help. Not only with the academic stuff but I don't think she's ever socialized much with anyone, let alone other teenagers. It's going to be one hell of journey for all of us."

  Adele's voice sounded worried, but Dominic wasn't. He knew his mate was strong, definitely strong enough for this challenge. Plus she had plenty of help available.

  "Yeah, there is a lot to do. But you're not alone, Adele. You have me. You have this whole town to support you. You know that, right? This community is great when it comes to helping out when someone most needs it; you'll se
e for yourself soon enough."

  "Hmm, I'm learning that already. It's just hard to adjust to. I've been alone for so long. It's taking some time to adjust to having all these people who want to be in my life and learning to open up to them. Trust is hard for me."

  "I know, beautiful. You won't ever be alone again. I promise you, I will never leave you alone."

  He felt her gaze on him as he drove. He couldn't wait for her to believe his words; he didn't know how to get her to accept his promises so he just kept telling her. Eventually, she'd see by his actions that he meant his words. She was staring hard at him and thinking equally as hard. He could just about hear her brain ticking over.

  "Don't think so hard, beautiful. Just accept it and relax."

  "I keep expecting to wake up and this to all be a dream. You are too perfect. I just--I just don't feel like I deserve you." Her voice was small, quiet and confused.

  "I'm real, Adele. I love you and I'm one hundred percent committed to you, forever. I will keep telling you until you believe me."

  "I want to believe you. I really do."

  Dominic brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm before laying it against his cheek to nuzzle.

  "You'll see, beautiful. I'll prove it to you with actions and words. Whatever it takes." He could hear the steel in his voice, but he couldn't help it. He was dead serious about Adele, and he needed her to understand he was in this forever.

  Dominic could feel Adele's gaze on him. He could also feel when her mood changed from confused to aroused. Staring at him in the light from the passing street lights, Adele was now worked up. He could relate. He was already hard as steel at the thought about what would happen tonight and her eyes focusing on him were making him even hotter. At this rate, he'd be embarrassing himself by coming before the party began.