“No!” I locked my elbow around his arm and pressed my hand against the back of his head while trying to ignore the electrical surge coursing through my body. Stepping behind him, I caught his other arm and got him in a full nelson. He let out a blood curling howl.
“We’ve got him.” Two men dressed in scrubs grabbed his arms and pried him from me. Stratton kicked and growled as they dragged him from the room.
Monica sat on the floor with her arms around Lisa. I squatted down beside them. “How badly are you hurt?”
“Now they show up,” she shouted. “They wait until my husband almost kills us.”
“Let’s get you both off the floor.” I put one arm around each of them and lifted them to their feet.
Lisa pressed her face against my chest as heavy sobs racked her body.
“Oh, baby.” She stroked Lisa’s hair back from her face. “I’m so sorry this happened.”
A nurse placed her hand on my back. “Bring the ladies with me. We have a P.A. on duty who can check them over.”
“I don’t need a doctor,” Monica shouted.
“It might not be a bad idea.” I nudged them down the hallway. “Lisa should at least be seen by one.”
“You’re right.” She leaned her head against my shoulder and rubbed at Lisa’s arm.
The nurse led us to a small room. Two chairs set against the wall. An examination table took up the rest of the space. “One of you ladies get on the table so I can check your vital signs.”
“Take care of my daughter first.” Monica straightened up and went into mother mode. She pried Lisa from my arms. “Come on, baby.”
I helped her onto the table. We stood on either side to keep her from falling. Her sobbing had stopped, but heavy trembling shook her body.
The nurse slipped a blood pressure cuff around Lisa’s arm. “The P.A. should be in here soon. If you’ll sit in the chair, Mrs. Stratton, I’ll take yours next.”
Monica never moved. “Do you have ice for her cheek?”
“I’ll get a bag as soon as I take your blood pressure.”
A middle aged man walked into the room before the nurse finished with Monica. With my mom being a nurse, I knew a Physician’s Assistant was practically the same as a doctor.
The P.A. checked Lisa’s neck, her scalp, and the red welt on her cheek. Next, he used an instrument to look at her eyes and ears.
When he started to examine Monica, they threw me out of the room. Stratton had kicked her around pretty good and she had to take off her sweater to have her ribs checked.
The nurse came out with me and returned to the room holding a plastic bag of ice wrapped in a paper towel. I paced the short hallway until the P.A. came out. The nurse followed. Monica and Lisa were right behind her. “Are you both all right?
Monica had one arm around Lisa’s shoulders. Her other hand held the icepack to Lisa’s cheek. “Yes, Brendon. We’ll be fine, but she needs to rest. Can I count on you to get my daughter home safely?”
“Of course.” I put my arm around Lisa and took the ice pack from Monica. “But what about you? Aren’t you going home?”
“No, not right away. I’m going to wait for my husband’s doctor. He’s supposed to be on his way in, and I intend to talk to him. They said Kyle was improving. This should not have happened.”
She was right. I could’ve prevented their beating if only I’d reacted quicker. “I’ll take her home right away.”
Monica kissed Lisa on the forehead. “I’ll be home in about an hour.”
I helped Lisa to the elevator. She never spoke until we stepped outside. “I’m cold.”
The night air didn’t seem too cool, but she’d just endured a beating at the hands of her father and probably suffered from shock. The icepack most likely intensified her chills, so I removed it from her cheek. I picked her up in my arms and carried her to the pickup. After I got her strapped into the front seat, I started the engine and got the heater blasting. “Can you get to your cell phone? We need to call Carson and Sherry.”
She twisted around until she pulled the cell from her jean pocket. After pressing some buttons, she put the phone to her ear. “Sherry, we—” She broke into heavy sobbing.
I slipped the phone from her hand. “Hey, Sherry. We’re on our way to pick you guys up. Something happened at the hospital, and I have to take Lisa home.”
Five minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot. They stood on the sidewalk outside the pizza parlor. I rolled down the window. “Carson, is it all right if I drive? I don’t want to disturb Lisa.”
“No problem.” He opened the back door and let Sherry hop in.
She reached into the front seat and patted Lisa on the arm. “Are you all right?”
Her only response was to bury her face in her hands while shaking her head.
I glanced into the rearview mirror at Carson. “After I get Lisa home, the two of you can head back and catch the movie.”
“Don’t worry about it, man. I’ll hang out at Sherry’s until you’re ready to go home.”
Chapter Thirty–One
By the time I pulled into the driveway, Lisa had stopped crying, but her silence worried me. I jumped out of the pickup and hurried to the passenger side. She made no attempt to move, so I unfastened her seatbelt. The four wheel drive vehicle set so high off the ground that I scooped her easily into my arms.
Carson met me by the front bumper. “Do you want us to come in for a while and help with anything?”
“If you don’t mind.” I readjusted Lisa in my arms. “I could probably use some help getting in the house.”
Sherry rushed ahead of us. “I know where the key is.”
The door was opened wide and the lights flipped on by the time I got there. I carried Lisa into the living room. “Do you want to sit on the couch, or lay down on your bed?”
Before she could answer, Sherry rubbed her hand over Lisa’s shoulder. “You haven’t had any dinner. Why don’t I help you change into your pajamas while the guys dig up something to eat? How’s that sound?”
When Lisa nodded, I carried her down the hallway to the bedroom. I nudged the door open with my foot and waited for Sherry to flip on the light. The soft glow of the ceiling lamp illuminated her room. The sight surprised me. With Monica’s obsession to keep her daughter a little girl, I expected butterflies or dancing fairies adorning the walls, but this looked like a young woman’s room. The purple bedspread and frilly curtains contrasted with the white headboard and dresser. Framed pictures of her family were scattered on the desk next to a laptop computer.
I carefully set her on the edge of the double bed. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”
She didn’t answer. Her shoulders slumped and her head hung down. Her hair spilled across her face. I glanced at Sherry. She grabbed my arm and shoved me out of the room.
“We’ll be fine,” she said before closing the door in my face.
Carson roamed around the kitchen, foraging through the cabinets in search of food.
“Find anything to eat?” I asked.
“Nothing good. No cookies or chips.”
I opened the fridge door and ducked down for a quick inspection. “Guess I’ll have to cook something.”
“What happened tonight with her father?”
“He flipped out—totally.” I shook my head at the memory. “He started hitting and kicking Monica. Slapped Lisa around and jerked on her hair. I stopped him from doing more, but I should have been quicker.”
“Man, don’t blame yourself. You did what you could.”
“I should have seen this coming.”
“You can’t see into the future, X–man.”
Maybe I could. In my nightmares, it sometimes seemed the future unfolded before me.
Carson stuck his hand into the freezer and rummaged around. “What’s this? A frozen dinner?” He turned the carton over. “Man, that’s one of those diet dinners. Probably tastes like crap.”
“Isn’t it sup
posed to be healthy?”
“Yeah, if you can stomach it.” He dug deeper in the freezer. “Here’s a frozen pizza.”
I glanced at the little package he held. “That’s not big enough for the four of us.”
“Sherry and I already ate.” Carson ripped open the box. “If the pizza is too small for you, then cook two. There’s a second one buried in there.”
“One at a time will do.” I flipped the dial for the oven.
“Strawberry ice cream.” He tossed the carton on the countertop with a loud clunk. “Lisa might like this. Girls always eat ice cream when they’re upset.”
“Good idea.” I dug through a drawer for the scooper. By the time I dropped a double dip into a bowl, Sherry’s voice echoed from the living room. I grabbed the bowl and headed in that direction.
Lisa sat in the middle of the couch wearing pink flannels and a grey sweatshirt with the neck band cut off. The top draped off one shoulder, revealing the pink strap of either a tank top or a sports bra.
I offered her the bowl. “I got you some ice cream.”
“Wow. Look at him.” Sherry sat beside her. “Brendon takes such good care of you.”
Lisa glanced into my eyes as she took the bowl from my hand. This was the first time in the last hour I’d seen her so alert. I slouched into the other corner of the couch. “Do you like strawberry?”
A spoonful of the ice cream went into her mouth just as I asked, but she managed to nod.
“You’ve got a great boyfriend.” Sherry patted her on the knee. “You better hang onto him.”
Carson stood in the middle of the room, rubbing at his belly. “All this talk about food is making me hungry. Why don’t we go to your house and see what your mom has to eat?”
Sherry glanced at me. “Will you be all right if we leave?”
“We’ll be fine.” I moved to the edge of the couch. “Monica should be home in about an hour.”
“Don’t get up, man.” Carson grabbed Sherry’s hand and pulled her up. “We know the way out.”
“Thanks, Carson.” I leaned back and stretched my arm on the top of the cushion behind Lisa. “I’ll walk over to Sherry’s after Monica gets home.”
“Just give me a call.” He put his hand to his ear like he held an invisible phone. “I’ll swing by and pick you up.”
When the door closed behind them, I glanced at Lisa. “How’s the ice cream? If you want something else to eat, I’ll toss another pizza in the oven. Or maybe a healthy frozen dinner?” The words seemed to babble out of my mouth, but I didn’t want to talk about anything that might remind her of what happened tonight. “Do you want to watch some TV?”
She braced one hand on my shoulder so she could lean across me to set the empty bowl on the end table. As she straightened, her other hand pressed against my chest. I covered it with my own.
“Your fingers are cold. Do you want some hot chocolate, or something to warm you up?”
Her hand slid up my chest and around my neck. She pulled my head toward her. Her cool, strawberry flavored lips brushed against mine. She leaned back and gazed into my eyes.
Bewildered, I stared at her. Getting romantic was something she generally avoided. Her fingertips pressed into the back of my neck, urging me to her. I tried to resist, but my willpower crumbled and my mouth pressed against her. I wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her against me. My fingers threaded through her hair. Her head turned and the kiss deepened. Beyond the coldness of her lips, the warmth from the inside of her mouth ignited a spark in my body. My brain hammered out a warning, but I pushed it aside. We were just kissing. Nothing more was going to happen.
I nibbled at her lips. Her mouth opened and she caught my lip between her teeth. Her tongue brushed over the flesh. The blood pounded faster through my veins. I sucked my lip free and caught hers with my teeth. As I brushed my tongue over her softness, a tiny moan squeaked inside her throat. The sensual sound brought me to my senses. My head turned and our kiss ended. “We have to stop.”
“No.” She clasped her hands around my neck and used the leverage to crawl into my lap. Her knees straddled me as her upper body pressed against my chest.
“Lisa—” My warning was cut short when her mouth covered mine. Her tongue brushed across my lips. Heat flashed through my body. I couldn’t fight it. She wanted me. And I wanted her. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her to me.
“Mmm.” Her head lifted. “Not so hard.”
Control. The word vibrated in my skull. Lisa was a virgin and I didn’t want to hurt her. I had to slow down. But how?
All the advice I’d heard, but never had to use, flew through my mind. Think of baseball. Picture something ugly. Count backward from a hundred. Nothing worked. All I could think about was Lisa and how good she felt in my arms.
My hands grabbed at her hips, and I lifted her from my lap. I laid her onto the couch and crawled on top of her. Her scent overwhelmed me when I nuzzled my face into her neck. Her hair smelled like peaches. Vanilla body butter coated her skin. The strawberry ice cream lingered on her lips. She was a dessert waiting to be devoured.
I brushed my lips across her cheek to her ear, placing little kisses on her skin. My hand rested at her hip. I edged my fingers beneath the sweatshirt and rubbed my palm up her warm, soft belly. My fingers inched higher over her bare skin until I touched the band on the underside of her bra. Just as I was about to move higher, her arm clamped across her breasts.
Some semblance of sanity returned. Lisa didn’t want me to touch her there. What else didn’t she want?
All or nothing weren’t the only options. But could I handle something in between? If she drew an invisible line, declared a body part off limits, could I honor her request? I summoned my self–control.
Using my arms, I lifted my upper body so I gazed at her face. She was so sweet and innocent. I never wanted to hurt her. Whatever she desired, even if it was only kissing, I could handle it. I turned so I lay beside her on the couch. My lips pressed at her temple. “How far do you want this to go, Lisa?”
“I don’t care. I’ll do whatever you want. I just don’t want to lose you.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’re not going to lose me.”
“But I could. There are other girls more experienced than me who like you. One of them could take you away.”
“I don’t want anyone else.”
“But you want a girlfriend who will let you do things. You’re always pushing me to do more.”
“No, I don’t.” My anger flared. I wanted more, but I’d never force her to do anything.
“Don’t be mad.” Her voice quivered. “I only want to make you happy so you’ll stay with me.”
“Then don’t accuse me of things.”
Her leg curled over my hip. “Do you want me?”
“Damn it, Lisa.” I pushed her leg away and crawled off the couch. “This isn’t fair.”
She sat up and pulled the bottom edge of the sweatshirt down to her waist. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Don’t start crying, or I’ll walk out that door.”
“What did I do wrong?” The back of her hand pressed against her trembling lips.
“Everything,” I shouted.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I know I’m not experienced, but you could always teach—”
“Stop it. Just quit talking.” I turned away. If I kept looking at her, I might jump back on the couch and do exactly as she asked. Her crying turned to heavy sobs. I couldn’t take it. I walked to the kitchen for a glass of water.
“Don’t leave me,” she cried out.
I stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, but didn’t look back. “Come here, Lisa.”
Her bare feet scuffed across the rug at a rapid pace. She flung her arms around me from behind. “I’m sorry.” Hot, wet tears soaked through the back of my shirt.
If I turned around, I’d be lost. I stared at the wall while I talked. “Do you know what I want?” I asked, but didn’
t wait for her answer. “I want to take you in the bedroom and make love to you. Then I want to hold you in my arms the rest of the night. But do you know what’s preventing me from doing that?”
She sniffed back a heavy sob. “My mom would find out?”
A couple seconds ticked by before I burst into laughter. “Damn straight. And your mom is pretty scary.” I pulled at her arms so I could turn around and face her. “The real answer is that I’d lose you.”
Shadow Keeper Page 20