“Put the sling on,” Beck ordered.
She wiggled her fingers. “I don’t need it.”
“Doc said to give that arm time to heal. Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to mess up what they fixed.” Beck held the sling up.
She slipped it over her head and tucked her arm inside, letting her hand rest without pulling on the muscles and tendons. Jay kissed her on the side of the head and smiled his thanks for not being stubborn. She rolled her eyes and sat in the wheelchair. Jay took her hand as they left her room. Beck and Ashley carried her belongings. Her hand tightened on Jay’s as they went down the hallway and people stared. She knew it was because of Ashley, but her heart raced as she checked every face to be sure it wasn’t Noel or Brian.
By the time they got downstairs to the patient pickup, her nerves were shot. Jay had parked his SUV by the doors. He opened the passenger side and helped her out of the wheelchair. Before she got in, she spotted the boxes filling the entire back of his SUV. “What’s all this?”
Jay ran his hand down her hair. “You agreed to live with me at our house, so I had Beck take my car last night. He and Ashley went by your place this morning to get you some clothes for today, but they also packed up the rest of your clothes and things they thought you’d need until we officially move you out of your apartment. Beck also had a professional cleaning crew go in and clean your place and fix the broken window.”
She turned to her brother. “Thank you.”
He hugged her close. “You’ll be much happier at Jay’s place. Caden and Mia drove your rental car out there this morning, too. You don’t have to go back to your place until you’re ready. Or never. Caden and I can pack it up for you if that’s what you want.”
“We can decide that later.” Jay nudged her to get in the car, knowing making those decisions was beyond her at the moment.
She waved to Ashley and Beck through the side window as Jay drove them out of the hospital lot. Three blocks away, she realized why his head looked like it was on a swivel. “Are we being followed?”
“Only by Beck four cars back.”
“Is he going to follow us all the way home?”
“No. Just to the edge of town where he’d split off to his place. The rest of the way to our place is wide open. I’ll see anyone coming.”
“Jay?”
“Yeah?”
“How many guards do you have at our place?” She liked that he already thought of it that way.
He finally looked at her. “Uh, just one. A sniper on the roof.”
“What does your mother think of that?”
“I think she has the hots for King, but he’s stuck on Cara, so my mom is shit out of luck.”
“Isn’t King a bit young for your mom?”
“I pointed that out and got the whole, ‘what’s good for the goose’ crap. Am I really that old and you’re that young that we don’t make sense to anyone but us?”
“All anyone has to do is see the way you look at me and they’d get it.”
He glared at her. “How do I look at you?”
“Always with love. Even earlier when you snapped at me, I saw the frustration because you didn’t get Brian, and you want him because you love me. But, Jay, when we get home, you’re going to set this aside for a few hours and get some sleep. I’m worried about you.”
“I can sleep when he’s dead.”
“Okay, tough guy, how about you take me to bed and I’ll distract you.”
“Sweetheart, that’s a great idea, but you are in no condition—”
“Jay, I need the distraction and you right now, so please, just say yes.” Her throat ached with the emotions she’d been holding back for too long.
Jay went to grab her hand, but bypassed her arm in the sling and laid his hand on her thigh. He gently squeezed, then rubbed his big hand up and down. “Yes, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”
The drive seemed longer because she wanted to be there, alone with Jay. She made him leave her things in the back, except for the bag Ashley had packed her. They went inside. Alina waved with Jay up to King on the roof as he gave Jay the all clear.
Jay plucked out the note stuck in the front door, read it, then handed it to her.
Alina,
Your favorite cherry cobbler and vanilla bean ice cream are in the fridge. Pop the lasagna in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. Garlic bread under the broiler for 5 minutes. Feel better, honey. My monkey lost his mind these last few days without you. I’m so glad you’re home where you belong.
“Did you tell your mom we’re moving in together?”
Jay led her into the house. “No. She knows me. When I called her from the hospital . . . I wasn’t in a good place. I guess she figured when you came around, so would I, and I’d beg you to stay with me.”
“You ordered me to move in.” At his eyebrow raise, she smiled. “No begging necessary. I’m here. Where I belong.” She echoed his mother’s words. They touched her deeply. She didn’t want to be a new conflict between Jay and Heather. She wanted them to be a family.
If the sweet note and lovely meal left for them meant Heather finally saw how happy and in love Jay was with her, and Alina was with Jay, and accepted it, then it looked like they’d have a much more peaceful future together here on the ranch. Together.
She turned, grabbed the strap on her bag over Jay’s shoulder, then pulled him toward her as she backed up down the hall to their room.
“Do you want to eat?”
She shook her head.
“Is it time to take your meds?”
She shook her head again. “It’s time to get naked and show me how much you missed me.”
Jay’s gaze took her all in. “I don’t want to hurt you.” The softly spoken words touched her, but didn’t override her need for him to wrap her in his arms.
“You won’t. You’re going to make me feel everything good until there’s no room for the bad anymore.”
Jay dropped the bag inside the bedroom door and kept coming toward her. In the quiet, he stripped the sling and all her clothes away one article at a time like he had all the time in the world. Here, they did. He didn’t touch her. Not the way she wanted him to with his rough hands and greedy mouth.
Naked, she stood before him filled with anticipation and need. She vibrated with it, but held still, letting him lead. He took her hand and led her around the bed, pulled back the sheets and blankets, and gently nudged her to lie down.
He grabbed a spare pillow from the chair by the window and placed it under her injured arm. “This arm stays here.” He hooked his hand over his head and grabbed his shirt between his shoulders and pulled it off, revealing a wall of rippling muscles.
Her body quivered at the sight of all that contained strength and sculpted perfection. “I’ve missed you.”
He leaned down, planted his hands on either side of her shoulders, and gazed into her eyes, his filled with longing and heat. “I nearly lost you. God, Alina, do you know how much I love you?”
“Show me.”
The gleam in his eyes should have warned her. “This might take a while.” In the same leisurely fashion he’d stripped her, he rid himself of the rest of his clothes and casually grabbed a condom from the bedside drawer, tore it open but didn’t take it out, and put it down within easy reach. “For later.”
Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he went to the end of the bed, laid his chest between her thighs, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and pressed his tongue flat against her soft folds and licked his way up over her clit in one long, slow glide that nearly sent her to pieces. He kept her right on the edge, circling her clit with the tip of his tongue, then sinking it inside of her and gently sucking until her hips came off the bed and she begged him to be inside her.
He slithered up her body with soft, wet kisses to her breasts. He circled one hard tip with his tongue and then the other before taking it into his mouth and suckling hard. Her hips rocked against his hard cock, but he took h
is time, lavishing attention on both her breasts before trailing kisses up her neck to her mouth. The kiss was sultry and deep, his tongue gliding along hers to that sultry, sweet tempo he’d kept, loving her slow and easy and oh so thoroughly.
His mouth never left hers as he rolled on the condom and rubbed the head of his cock against her slick folds, teasing and tempting her to take him in. She pushed down on him and he thrust into her in one long glide, then backed out almost all the way. She whimpered her disapproval and he sank deep again. She matched his rhythm as he pulled back. She circled her hips to tease the head as he groaned and sank into her again.
He broke the kiss, held her close, his mouth right next to hers, their breath whispering over each other’s cheeks. She held him with one arm, her hand splayed wide over his shoulder as their bodies moved together.
She lost herself in the feel of his weight, the friction of their bodies moving against each other, the feathering of his breath against her skin, the beat of his heart against hers. He filled her with love so warm and bright and wonderful, it burst from her as he thrust into her hard and deep and held himself there as he joined her in paradise.
His mouth found hers for another of those soft, long kisses that made her body pulse.
Jay ended the sweet kiss, stared down at her, brushed his thumb over her cheek, and wove his fingers into her hair. “Welcome home. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “Me, too.” She rubbed her hand up his scruffy jaw, the brush of his whiskers soft against her palm. “This is forever, right?”
“Yes.” He kissed her softly, then rolled to his side and gently snuggled against her and held her close. “Get some sleep, sweetheart.”
The hospital hadn’t been all that quiet and relaxing. She found herself drifting off, then remembered something he’d told her. “Didn’t you get me a present?”
His chest rose and fell steady and even. His words came out slow and sleepy. “Yes. Later.”
They woke up hours later and instead of waiting for the lasagna to cook, they ate cobbler and ice cream in bed. They made love again and slept in each other’s arms. He held her through another nightmare, whispering sweet things in her ear until she slept again, safe and protected with him.
In the morning, she woke feeling the need to do something. “I want to go and check on Lee.”
Jay glanced over at her lying beside him. “It’s not safe to go out until we find Noel and Brian.”
“I have to go see her. I wasn’t the only one affected by what happened. She’s suffering, too, without the man she loves beside her to help her through the nightmare.”
Jay swore, but couldn’t stand up to her resolve. She stared him down until he swore again and got out of bed to take her, though he grumbled the whole way.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Noel grimaced at the stale stench coming out of the ancient refrigerator at his grandfather’s old cabin. His mother still owned the place and one day it should come to him if he wasn’t in jail or dead. But once his mother found out what he’d done, she’d disown him. Maybe she’d leave the place to his girls.
He slammed the fridge door, too upset to eat or drink anything.
He used to bring Lee and the girls here all the time. He should be home with Lee now. She must be devastated after he abandoned her. He’d like nothing more than to turn back the clock and be home with her.
What would she tell the girls? What would happen to them now? How would Lee make it through her treatments? Would his girls leave school to take care of their mother? Would they go back and finish their degrees and have the bright future he wanted for them because they didn’t have money for tuition?
His cell dinged with a text. Not the one in his name that he’d destroyed so he couldn’t be tracked. The one his wife and kids had probably left several messages on trying to find him.
He pulled the burner cell out of his coat to shut it off. He should have done so any one of the dozen times Brian tried to contact him. The picture brightened his screen and darkened his world. He gaped and nearly fell to his knees. His sweet girl sat with a gag in her mouth, her hands taped together in front of her in the front seat of Brian’s truck.
He jumped when the phone rang. “What the hell did you do?”
“Daddy? He won’t let me go.”
His heart dropped at her trembling voice so filled with fear he felt it rush through him. “Heidi?”
Another familiar voice came on the line. “Hey, Doc. Miss me?” Brian tried to pull off light and friendly, but an edge sharpened his voice. From the reports Noel had seen on TV, Alina lived through the brutal attack. His relief was so great, it couldn’t be measured. Noel wished she’d ended Brian the way she’d killed Davy.
Thinking about her hurt. He’d never wanted her to find out or get involved. But when he couldn’t get out, he’d dragged her in without her even knowing it.
“What have you done?”
“You wouldn’t answer the phone. I figured you’d answer for your precious baby.”
Noel hated that his actions had brought his daughter home to care for her mother and put her in danger. “Let her go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“Maybe not, but you seem to think you can just disappear and leave me hanging.”
“Why haven’t you disappeared yet?”
“The cops raided my place before I got to my stash. But I’ll bet you’ve got just what I need. Now you’re going to help me escape the fucking mess you made.” Brian tried to lay the blame on Noel, but if he’d stayed away from Alina in the first place, none of this would be happening.
Guilt sent a sharp pain through his heart. Of course, it all started with Noel. If not for him, none of this would be happening.
“Kidnapping my daughter only makes this worse. Let her go. Please. Drive out of the state before they find you.”
“That bitch partner of yours killed Davy. I’m not leaving until she pays for what she did.”
“Be smart. You go after her, you’ll have the full weight of the DEA after you.”
“They already are! And that’s your fault. You brought her into this. I’m taking her out.”
“Don’t be stupid. I can’t get her alone. She’s protected by her boyfriend and her brothers.”
“Figure it out. You’ve got an hour before I arrive.”
“How do you—”
“Grandpa’s cabin. Heidi has fond memories of how much you used to love that isolated, wide-open space. Who’s the stupid one? How long before your wife gives up that place to the cops, dumbshit? Let’s hope it’s long enough for us to finish our business.”
“Please, Brian. Let this go before it’s too late.”
“If your partner’s not there, your daughter is dead. And so are you.”
Heidi whimpered in the background. Brian hung up on those ominous words. Noel had no choice. He needed to save his baby, even if that meant dragging Alina back into this mess.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Alina knocked on the door. Jay stood right behind her, his back to her as he scanned the street outside the ranch-style home looking for any sign of Noel and Brian. Alina had to admit, this might not have been her best idea. Nerves fluttered in her stomach. Fear made her think any second Brian would attack.
She tried to relax, but the second the door flew open and she saw the worry in Lee’s eyes, alarms went off that had her backing into Jay.
“You’re not Heidi.” Lee pressed her hand to her chest.
“Lee, what’s wrong?”
“She went to the grocery store and hasn’t returned. She won’t answer her phone.”
“How long ago did she leave?” Jay pushed Alina into the house, even though Lee hadn’t invited them in. He slammed the door and waited for Lee to catch her breath.
“Almost two hours ago.” Lee placed her hand on the table by the door for support.
Alina took Lee’s arm and led her into the living room and into a leather chair
. “Did she have any other errands to run? Maybe her phone battery died.”
Lee shook her head. “We only needed a few things and she checked her phone before she left just in case I needed her. Something’s wrong.”
“Do you think she could be with your husband?” Jay asked.
Lee’s eyes shone bright with unshed tears. “We haven’t heard from him at all. But . . . but I guess it’s possible.” For the first time, Lee focused on Alina and the stitches across her forehead. “Are you okay? That man, the one police say is working with Noel, he hurt you.”
“He tried to kill her. And he is working with your husband.” Jay couldn’t hide the temper in his voice. “I’m sorry. I know this is a difficult time for you.”
“Yes. And now my daughter is missing.”
Alina sat on the ottoman and placed her hand on Lee’s knee. “We don’t know that yet. Maybe she met some friends while she was out and lost track of time.”
Lee shook her head again. “She wouldn’t leave me alone this long. Not without calling to let me know.”
Jay pulled out his phone. “What’s her number? I’ll put a trace on it, see if we can locate her.”
Before Lee rattled off the number, Alina’s cell rang. She pulled it out to silence it, figuring one of her brothers was calling to check on her, but saw the unknown number. For a second she thought to disregard the call, but something compelled her to answer.
“Hello.”
“Don’t hang up on me.” The desperation in Noel’s voice sent a cold chill up her back.
Alina put the phone on speaker. “Noel, where are you?”
“I need you to listen. He’s got my daughter.”
Lee gasped. “No. Not Heidi. How could you let this happen?”
“Lee. Oh God, I’m so sorry. I never meant—we don’t have time for this. Alina, I need your help. We don’t have much time. If you’re at my house and you drive really fast, you may make it in time to save my daughter. Please, you have to come to the cabin. It’s the only way to end this.”
Tempted by Love Page 31