“You’re our Christmas gift,” Maggie says pulling him in for a full on mouth kiss. He indulges her, dipping her low before releasing her back to her husband.
“If you’re all gonna welcome me like that, I’ll need measured breaks,” Karl snarks. We all chuckle and life seems to fill a little bit of the black hole that we’re living in.
“Mr. Kellerman?” I hear Sheryl call from the nurse’s station.
“Yes,” I respond wondering why she’s calling my name. I approach her with an eyebrow raised.
“Shannon would like to see you alone. Don’t test me,” she warns the rest of the group thinking about trying to join me. Sheryl is kind of scary. I nod and quickly make my way into Kid’s room. I shut the door and pull the privacy curtain around her bed. If she wants me alone she gets me alone.
I sit down in my chair. She’s staring out the window again. It’s dark out so I don’t know what she’s looking at, but I let her look. I don’t grab her hand or say a word, just wait.
“I called my old therapist,” she explains calmly. “Kavy suggested it after I told him what happened to me. I was gonna wait until I was discharged to start therapy, but after I saw you I needed it right away.” That doesn’t sound good. If I make her feel like she needs emergency therapy maybe I need to clear out.
“I’m scared, Kel,” she says finally turning her head to meet my gaze. Her eyes are terrified. I can’t hold back anymore. I reach and grab her hand as best I can with my taped and splinted fingers. I try to convey with my eyes that she’s safe with me.
“I was single when Liam attacked me so I didn’t expect this. I wasn’t prepared for it, that’s why I called Doctor Schrader.” I nod a little to encourage her, hoping she can’t see that I’m freaking the fuck out right now.
“I’m afraid you won’t want me now that you know what happened. Or worse, if you do want me it’ll be different now. Maybe you’ll treat me like some damaged property you’re stuck with, because you’d be an ass to leave the girl that was tortured and almost raped,” she says wincing at the harshness of her words.
“Doctor Schrader talked me through a lot of this. Now I’m talkin’ to you because you deserve a chance to leave if you can’t do this. I won’t blame you and I won’t let the guys do anything to you if you go. But if you’re goin’ I need it to be right now,” she says emphatically.
I pause for a moment to get my words and tone right. If I don’t do this the best way it could go badly.
“Just go, Kel. It’s fine, really. I’m in so much pain already what’s one more ache?” She mistakes my silence for defeat. Fuck choosing the right words and tone. Here goes nothing.
“I’m not goin’ fuckin’ anywhere. I will not leave you. I will not be pushed away from you. I will not allow anyone or anything that happened steal one more moment of this life from me. You are mine. You’re the only thing in this life that makes it worth livin’ for me. I love you. I love you so fuckin’ much I don’t have words to explain it to you. I don’t give a shit what that motherfucker did to you.” She drops her head at that statement and I grab her chin pulling it back up to meet my intense gaze.
“I don’t give a shit what that motherfucker did to you. The only thing I care about is you healin’ from it. You’re just as perfect in my eyes today as you were the day I met you. No, that’s not true, you’re even better today than you were then. We’ll get through this together. I promise.” I stop talking and she pulls me so hard I ram into the side of her bed causing me to wince.
“Sorry,” she whispers in a giggle. I wrap my arms around her tightly, hovering above so I don’t smash her broken body. She sweeps her arms around my neck and kicks her legs out knocking my knees from beneath me. I fall, crushing her body. “I want you close.” I nod and remain where she’s got me.
“I love you, Dylan Kellerman. You are the only man I ever want in my life again. Thank you for everything you just said. Thank you for loving me like you do. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for being you.” I smash my lips against hers in a kiss that I’m sure is too rough, but I can’t pull back. I eagerly push my tongue between her lips and she gladly grants me passage. She tastes like strawberries and Kid. Heaven. I work my mouth against hers nibbling and caressing every inch I can get to. A soft moan breaks from her throat and I move. Never leaving her mouth I climb on top of her, she quickly spreads her legs to accommodate me. I pull her nightgown up exposing both tits. Perfect. I lean down and capture a nipple in my mouth suckling softly while working the other between my thumb and finger, pulling and twisting. Kid moans and arches her back into me feeding me more of her.
I start to kiss a trail down her stomach listening for any hesitation she may have. Her hands plunge into my hair encouraging my journey south. When I get to my destination I pause and look into her hooded eyes.
“Are you okay, Kiddo?” I ask with my voice full of want. I’ll stop if she tells me, without question.
“I’ll be better if you finish what you started,” she says in her heavy sex voice. Green light!
I cover her with my mouth licking and lapping at her folds like a man starved for forty years has just been given his first meal. I press my tongue into her opening and she bucks and thrusts against my face. Moving to her clit, her legs begin to shake with her impending orgasm. I stroke her vigorously with my tongue, flicking tirelessly. I could do this for hours. The taste of her coating my throat and the smell of her saturating my lungs, there’s nothing better in this world. My dick is so hard I’m afraid it may explode, but I won’t take this that far. She’s not ready for that.
I move my hands under her ass to tilt her up to my face a little more. Her bandages are gone but scabs still remain. She doesn’t protest in pain or discomfort so I keep my hands on her cheeks and work my tongue in circles and lines. Kid’s hands yank and pull at my hair harder and harder as her hips roll faster and faster. I remove one hand from her ass and drive one finger straight into her and that’s her undoing. She cries out shaking and calling my name. I remove my finger and lap up all of her juices until she finally stills her hips and loosens her grip on my hair.
I kiss each of her inner thighs causing her to shudder. I lightly feather kisses up her abdomen and across each tit before travelling up her neck and jaw. She captures my mouth in a heated passionate kiss licking herself from my mouth. I slow the kiss and pull back to rest my face in her neck, trying to keep my weight off of her as much as I can. Keeping my dick completely away from her so she isn’t uncomfortable.
“Fuck, that was good,” she mumbles into my hair. I chuckle. “I missed you, Kel.”
“I missed you too,” I murmur into her neck.
“Didn’t expect you to go down on me after that conversation. Thought I might get a kiss.”
“I aim to exceed expectations, Miss Kelly.” She laughs a deep belly laugh warming my heart.
“It smells like sex in here,” Karl calls from the other side of the curtain. Kid and I both burst into laughter as I pull her nightgown down covering her perfect body. I climb out of the bed and go into the bathroom of destruction to clean up as Karl pulls back the privacy curtain. His eyes are dancing with mischief as he glances between the two of us.
“Spill,” he commands Kid as I shut the door snickering. Karl is definitely our Christmas gift.
Shannon
Holy shit balls!!! That was unexpected and fucking amazing. In a coma one day and coming hard the next. Whew, I’m warn out. Karl is here! This day has gone from shit to great in warp speed.
“Spill,” Karl orders as Kel shuts the bathroom door.
“What’re you doin’ here? It’s Christmas you should be with your family,” I chide as Karl sits in a chair next to my bed.
“Come on. You know I don’t do well with anyone but my sister. She’s got a new boyfriend and is doing Christmas with his family. I’m NOT spending Christmas in my parent’s house without my sister. Plus, you’re my family Shannon. You’re the closest person to me,
wild horses couldn’t keep me from you,” he says dramatically, but I know his heart is behind those words. “Now, spill!”
“Just a little reconnecting,” I feign innocence.
“Uh huh, did he reconnect his dick to your lady parts?”
“Karl!” I screech and roll my eyes. “I’m in no condition to be havin’ sex. I just woke up yesterday.”
“Hey, I don’t know the rules about what to do and not to do after crazy ass shit like you went through. But if I woke up and that man was at my bedside, we’d be reconnecting every body part multiple times…loudly,” he says pointedly.
“You need a boyfriend,” I instruct.
“I’ll get right on that,” he snarks. He’s quiet for a moment before talking again. “Scared the shit outta me,” he whispers.
“Scared the shit outta me too,” I admit quietly.
“You know I love you right?” he asks sweetly his pale blue eyes twinkling.
“As much as I love you,” I state emphatically.
“Well I wouldn’t go that far. You’re dysfunctionally dependent on me and unhealthily obsessed with my love life.” He moves straight back to snark. He’s good for my soul.
“That’s very true. I’m not sure how I functioned in life before you strolled in,” I snark right back.
“From what I can tell it was on sexy men that you wouldn’t touch and a lot of double A batteries,” he says before falling into fits of laughter which I follow gladly.
“You two all right?” Kel questions moving from the bathroom toward my bed. His teal eyes are smiling along with his gorgeous face. He fixed his hair that I spent a good amount of time disheveling. He’s wearing a cable knit charcoal sweater and perfectly fitted dark wash jeans, he looks gorgeous. I’ve missed looking at him. Dr. Schrader was right. Talking is the best way to heal. I didn’t talk after the Liam attack. I kept everything to myself other than talking to her, and it consumed me. I won’t do that this time. I want to be free of this, so this time I’ll talk.
Shannon
As Kel makes his way back over to his perch at my side Karl’s gaze hardens. His pale blue eyes crinkle up at the edges and his shoulders rise a bit. He’s annoyed.
“What happened to your face?” Karl asks Kel harshly. Good question.
“Long story. How was your flight?” Kel dodges.
“My flight sucked. What happened to your face?” he asks again more annoyed.
“The guys and I had a misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about now,” Kel says dismissively as he takes his usual seat at my side.
“You know what happened?” Karl asks me.
“No, I don’t. I was informed there was, and I quote ‘a beating’, but that’s all I got,” I inform Karl. We both pin our gazes on Kel waiting for him to fess up.
“You two are relentless,” Kel concedes. “Taylor informed the guys that I cheated on you with Cassie and got her pregnant. That gifted me quite the beat down and the opportunity for you to get grabbed.” He explains it quickly and I get pissed faster.
“KAVY!” I scream. Kel and Karl both sit back in their chairs at my sudden outburst. Kavy dutifully comes sprinting in to my room.
“What?” he asks breathily.
“Did you and the guys beat the shit outta Kel?!” I fume. His eyes are bugging out of his head and staring at Kel, hoping for him to make me calm down. Not fuckin’ likely. “Quit lookin’ at him to protect you and answer my goddamn question.” His body goes limp and his gaze hits his shoes.
“Yes.”
“You fuckin’ asshole! Are you kiddin’ me with this shit? Taylor really got us all good, but you didn’t even have the brain to talk to Kel first. I at least had the brain to talk to him first!” I shriek. Aidan, Sully and Cally trail in behind Kavy upon hearing my rant. They’re in for it too.
“Sully you did this,” I accuse pointing to the scar under Kel’s eye.
“Yes.”
“What did you do Kavy?”
“Choked him.”
“Aidan?”
“Kicked him.”
“Cally?”
“Spit on him.”
Spit on him?
“You spit on him?”
“Yeah, I spit on him,” Cally admits like he’s telling me he chopped off Kel’s pinky. I burst into fully belly pain inducing laughter. He spit on him! Everyone in the room just stares at my apparent lunacy until I calm down.
“Any of you ever so much as think about puttin’ a hand on him you’ll deal with me. He and I have an issue that’s between us. I’ll sort him out and vice-a-versa. Do NOT touch my boyfriend again!” I shout.
“Kiddo,” Kel soothes. “It’s okay. I’m fine. They did the right thing at the time. Their job has always been to keep you safe from assholes. That day I looked like a supreme asshole. They shoulda talked to me first, but that’s not really how men operate. We like action.” I growl and look back to my scolded brood.
“You guys are lucky I’m stuck in this bed,” I warn softly with no real threat to my voice. “And how do you guys always get Kel to calm me down? It’s not fair.”
“He’s part of the family now,” Kavy informs me. “And we have a strict code of bros before hos—” Kavy gets cut off with a tissue box to the face. Point me, zero Kavy!
“Are you insane?” Sully asks Kavy looking at me warily.
“It’s the only time we can mouth off to her. She’s stuck and can’t retaliate,” Kavy informs Sully with a shrug.
“Problem with that logic. She’s got a memory and she won’t be stuck much longer dipshit,” Aidan scoffs at Kavy. Kavy shrugs his shoulders again and starts to turn his lips up.
“I’ll take my chances.” Kavy smiles my smile at me.
“That’s an ass kickin’ I’d like to watch,” I hear a familiar voice call from the door. I look past Karl to see a rough scarred up ruggedly sexy Kieran Delaney smirking a crooked smile at me.
“I’ll make sure to get you front row seats, Kieran,” I beam at him. This man has always given me a little light. I know he’s bad news, but there’s something about him that’s always made me think he’d do anything for me. I don’t know why…I felt it the first time I met him when he came to our townhouse for dinner. Even now he doesn’t look at me like I’m broken in a hospital bed. He’s looking at me like I’m at home on the couch getting ready to watch a game. I need some of that lightness in my life right now.
“Woulda come yesterday, Shannon. Funeral held me up late,” Kieran explains moving to my bedside. He looks down at Karl and quirks an eyebrow. I don’t usually have anyone around but the family.
“Kieran this is my friend Karl,” I introduce politely. Karl stands from the chair next to my bed and extends a hand. Karl is gay but Karl is not a pussy. He’s never been intimidated by my guys or the creeps we’ve had to deal with at work and not by the truly terrifying presence that is Kieran Delaney.
“Karl this is Kieran Delaney the long removed crazy cousin of the O’Sullivan boys,” I introduce dramatically. Kieran eyeballs Karl’s hand before grabbing it in a firm handshake that I have no question is equally returned by Karl.
“Shannon can you ever possibly be acquainted with a man that’s not an alpha male on the prowl to constantly protect you?” Karl asks in his usual snarky tone while maintaining eye contact with Kieran who’s trying not to laugh.
“I’m like a tractor beam for them Karl. I wouldn’t know what to do with a beta male bein’ needy and wanting. And last I checked you fit the profile right along with these Neanderthals,” I snark pointedly. Karl releases Kieran’s hand and flops back into the chair at my side.
“And don’t you forget it. I run this shit,” Karl snarks and we all break into muscle cramp inducing laughter.
As we calm down Cally, Sully, Kavy, Aidan and Kieran take up chairs in a circle around my bed, joining Karl and Kel. I feel a talk coming.
“Kellan O’Shea was your friend?” I ask Kieran starting to put pieces together.
“Yeah. You me
t him once at that barbecue you guys had after graduation,” Kieran explains quietly. I got someone killed and I don’t even remember the guy’s face.
“I’m really sorry, Kieran. I’ll get in touch with his family as soon as I can. Did he have a wife or children?” I ask in a whisper.
“He had a woman and a daughter. Baby’s young…six months or something.”
“Don’t you dare, Kiddo,” Kel warns. “You are not allowed to start takin’ blame for shit that had nothing to do with you.”
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me Kel? He’s dead because of me. There’s a baby that’ll never know her daddy because of me. A woman that’ll never be in her man’s arms again because of me!” I bellow.
“Shannon,” Kieran commands my attention from the other side of the bed. “O’Shea went into that night knowin’ what we were gonna encounter. We all did. He was there because he met you once and knew you were worth the risk. He fuckin’ told me he knew you were worth the risk. When I called him and asked for some weapons to help me and the guys out he said he was in when I told him it was for you. He knew what Mancini’s men were capable of and didn’t bat an eye. That decision was his and his alone. It’s a shame his woman and daughter won’t have him but he wasn’t a guy that was gonna see eighty anyway. He went out with his boots on doin’ something good for once in his life. You carry no guilt for that. None!” Kieran’s voice carries such finality to it that I can’t find the words to argue.
I turn my gaze to Cally. “You set up a trust fund for his family, Cally. You make certain they want for nothing. They live in a good house in a good neighborhood with a good car. The widow doesn’t have to work unless she wants to. That baby goes to whatever school and university she wants to.”
“Definitely worth the risk,” Kieran murmurs quietly. I turn my gaze back to him. I was right, Kieran would do anything for me.
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