I Need You Now: Standalone HEA Billionaire Alpha Male BDSM Erotica Contemporary Suspense Romance (Need Series #2)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  A paramedic came over to take a look at the bump on her head. “Looks like you might need a stitch or two, ma’am. I’ll go ahead and bandage it here. We can take you to the hospital any time you’re ready.”

  Before we could answer, the doors were held open as a body bag was wheeled out. Gianna ducked her head into my chest. I rubbed her back to reassure her things would be all right. I looked up to see one of the SWAT members mouth the name, “Cameron.”

  He’d been a nasty bastard to Gianna and Marissa, but he’d tried to do the right thing at the end. It didn’t seem right that he had to die all in the name of greed.

  The officers asked us to stand back a bit as they led Rachel and Connor out of the building. Connor’s hand was wrapped in gauze with some blood seeping through. They’d already placed Rachel in the back of one police car and were about to place him in the other when he went limp on the sidewalk and started convulsing.

  Rachel yelled out. “My boy. Someone help my boy.”

  A couple of SWAT officers and paramedics descended on him to check him out. He kept scratching up his arms and hitting his head against the pavement. One of the paramedics asked that they move the cuffs to the front, so they can keep him from hurting himself any further.

  Gianna was clinging to me, crying as the scene played out, while I watched in horror. As soon as one of the cuffs was removed, Connor reached over and grabbed the officer’s gun, aiming it straight at Gianna. It had all been a ruse.

  Everything moved in slow motion as I pushed her to the side before he fired, but then I felt the flesh of my abdomen being torn apart. I held onto my stomach, dropping down to my knees before finally falling flat on the sidewalk. My only thoughts were of Gianna.

  I heard her scream and crouch over me, before hearing another bullet fire and seeing her hit the ground. I kept one hand on my stomach as I stretched the other hand out to hers. “Hang on, my love. I need you.”

  She squeezed my hand gently before muttering the words, “I love you, Nate. I always will.” Her hand fell to the side.

  Dane shouted out, “No!”

  A hail storm of bullets were dispensed and I heard Rachel’s cry of horror. I felt sorry for Connor. He’d been led by his mother into criminal activity and now he’d paid the ultimate price. She’d have to live with her sins and the haunts of this day for the rest of her life.

  The paramedics surrounded both of us. I felt the need to give in to the darkness, but I couldn’t until I knew if Gianna would be all right.

  “She’s got a pulse. The bullet went clean through, but she’s bleeding out. We need to move her stat.” No, stay with me, Gianna. Live for me!

  My vision started to slip as the darkness finally took hold. The last words I heard were, “We’re losing him.”

  MY MIND FELT DRUGGED and my body weak. I heard the soft beeps of a machine close by and felt someone squeeze my hand. I squeezed back, feeling a bit confused, wondering what was going on.

  “He’s waking up! Dane, go get the nurse.”

  My ears must have been playing tricks on me. I thought I’d heard Gianna’s voice. But how could I? I remembered her bleeding out from her gunshot wound and the paramedics stating she was critical. Then again, didn’t I die? This couldn’t be heaven because everything hurt like hell!

  “Come on, hot stuff. Wake up for me? I’ve missed you.” I felt a gentle kiss on my forehead and opened my eyes to find her standing above me, the vision of an angel.

  I looked a little closer and noticed she was in a hospital gown, her left arm was in a sling, and her shoulder was bandaged. The cut she’d had on her forehead was now sporting some stitches. She had an IV needle taped to the hand that was holding mine, but I didn’t see an IV attached. Gianna had gone through a lot, but she still looked perfect in my eyes.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” I managed to squeak out. My mouth felt like it was filled with sand.

  Her eyes were red, indicating she’d been crying. “I thought I’d lost you, too.”

  A cup of water and a straw appeared in front of me. “Here, take a sip, bro.” I looked over and found Marissa, her eyes full of tears. “You scared the shit out of me.” She slapped at my shoulder and then proceeded to reprimand me. “Don’t you ever do that again!”

  I’d never liked the taste of water but one sip wasn’t enough. I tried to drink the whole cup until Marissa pulled it away. “Sorry, but we need to see if you can keep that down first. You can have more in a little bit.”

  I just shook my head. “Already in mom mode, I see.”

  Dane walked back into the room. “I went for the nurse, but found his doctor. I’ll go tell the others that he’s awake.”

  The doctor looked into my eyes, asked me to squeeze his hands, and raise my legs. “Glad to see you’re finally awake, Mr. Lawson. How are you feeling?”

  I could only come up with one answer. “I feel like I’ve been shot.” Everyone laughed.

  “You’ve been in a coma for three days and had a close call. The bullet ricocheted around in your abdomen, hitting several major organs and nicking an artery. It was lucky that you were so close to the hospital. If you’d been any further away, you wouldn’t have made it.”

  Damn, it was a close call.

  “You flat lined once on the way to the hospital and once on the operating table. Your health and your age are what saved you. We had to give you several pints of blood to compensate for what you lost. You’ll feel weak for a while, but you should regain your strength over time. For now just rest and focus on getting better. If you’re stronger by the end of the week, we might be able to discharge you.”

  He looked at Gianna and asked. “How are you feeling, Ms. Prescott?”

  She smiled. “The same as usual, doc. I’ve got a clipped wing, but I think I’ll live.”

  “I don’t want to see you walking around much. I want to see you back in that bed and resting soon.” I looked over to where he was pointing and noticed another bed in the room. “You just woke up yesterday. We don’t need you having complications from moving around too much.”

  “Yes, sir.” Gianna was always compliant. God, I’ve missed her.

  “I’ll check back on you two later this evening. If you have any problems before then, just call for the nurse and she can have me paged.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  Gianna sat back down in the seat closest to the bed. “You look worn out, love. Why don’t you climb back into bed and get some rest? I’m not going anywhere.”

  Her mouth quivered as tears began to pour from her eyes. “I’m afraid. Every time I close my eyes I dream that I’ve lost you, that I’ve lost a piece of my soul.”

  I tried to reach out to her, but as soon as I moved, my entire abdomen clenched in pain. “Damn, that hurts. I wish I could hug you and show you how everything will work out.”

  I heard a commotion out in the hallway and looked toward the door to see a herd of people come through it. We already had Gianna, Dane, and my sister Marissa. Next came Alexander and Celia, with Rafe and Marjorie, with their mom and dad, and to my surprise, my parents.

  I looked up at Marissa, who was still standing on the other side of my bed. “Mom and Dad are here? How?”

  She leaned down to whisper in my ear. “They were just as distraught as everyone else. They tried getting a flight down, but nothing was available so Alexander sent the company plane to bring them here.”

  I wasn’t much of a touchy feely kind of person, except with Gianna, but everyone was patting my hands or my legs. My mom got my face all wet with her tears. Dad gave me a stern lecture about trying to play hero, then turned around and congratulated me on pushing Gianna out of the way. “She’s quite the catch, son.”

  I noticed Gianna getting tired and barely able to keep her eyes open. “Marjorie? Could you please help your sister get back in bed?”

  “I don’t need to get back in bed.” It looked like she was going to say more, but yawned instead.

  Marjorie just laug
hed. “You always were the more stubborn of the two of us. Come on, sis. It’s time you have some rest.” I loved how she said it loud enough that everyone could hear. It had been nice visiting with everyone, but it was all I could do to keep my eyes open, too.

  Alexander took the hint. “We should probably get some food and give these two love birds some peace and quiet, so they can rest and let their bodies heal.”

  I started yawning while everyone piled out of the room. Well, almost everyone. Dane, Marjorie, Rafe, and my sister hung back.

  Rafe looked depressed. “Still no luck with Dawn?” He shook his head. “If it’s meant to be, she’ll come around sooner or later. Have faith. Look how long it took Gianna and I to find one another again.”

  He smiled. “True. I hope you feel better. I still can’t believe how everything went down. It’s definitely put my life into perspective. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get her back, even if I have to wait.”

  Marjorie came over and gave me a gentle hug. “Thank you for saving my sister. I don’t know how to repay you. She’s my best friend in the world and I’d be lost without her.” She gave my hand a gentle pat. “I’ll be sure to call Ethan to let him know you’re awake. He’s been worried sick about you, but has a fear of coming to the hospital for some reason.”

  I nodded. “Ethan spent months in a coma and then a couple more trying to get through rehab. He’s had enough clinical settings to last a lifetime, so his behavior is understandable. Please let him know that I’m still kicking and hope to see him soon.”

  “Sure thing.”

  I watched as she leaned over and gave her sister a gentle kiss on the forehead, not wanting to wake her up. “Poor thing’s worn herself out. The moment she woke up, she insisted on being by your side. Everyone argued with her, but she wouldn’t budge, not until now.”

  Dane stepped up. “Marissa and I need to get going. We promised to meet up with everyone for dinner. We’ll try to drop by to see you tonight, if not, then we’ll be here tomorrow.”

  He leaned down to whisper something private, so no one else could hear. “I just want you to know that the paramedics made sure I had your jacket. They saw the jewelry boxes inside and didn’t want to be held responsible. The police were about to take it from me when I let them know I was your brother in-law and would keep the items safe.”

  I’d forgotten all about that special night. “Damn. Did anyone call Kenny to let him know what was going on and why I didn’t show up?”

  Dane gave my shoulder a pat. “He knows. He wants you to call him when you’re both feeling better and he’ll help you set up the surprise again, but this time he insists on both of you traveling in a bullet proof vehicle.”

  I tried to laugh at the statement, but it hurt too much. “Tell him I agree and I’ll be in touch soon. Thanks, man.”

  Marissa moved my tray closer. “Here’s your water. I went down and got you and Gianna some more ice and water in your pitchers. If you need anything, either of you, just call us and we’ll be here.”

  I could tell she was getting emotional. I held out my arms for a brief hug. It hurt like hell to give her one, but I knew it would help put her mind at ease. “Don’t worry, I’m too stubborn to die. Love you, sissy!”

  “Love you too, Nate.”

  Dane came over and guided her out of the room, along with everyone else. “Let’s get you and the little one something to eat.”

  It’s amazing how much my life had changed, and in such a short time. A little over six months ago I’d been here for my sister’s graduation. At the same time I’d met Gianna, as Vixen. I came back for my sister’s wedding, tried to look for my lost love, decided on a new career path, ended up working alongside the person I was looking for and falling in love in the process. We’ve had some bumps in the road, several actually, the biggest was getting shot, but I’m slowly learning that with the Prescott family, you’ll get through it, one way or another.

  I could feel my eyes getting tired and looked over to my sweet love sleeping so peacefully. I held onto the knowledge that things were going to be just fine and finally allowed myself to rest.

  Gianna and I ended up spending a couple weeks in the hospital before they’d release us. When they found out we were going to be taking care of each other they decided to keep us longer for extra measure.

  That was almost two months ago. We’d finally been given a clean bill of health and were finally able to start working out in the gym again, but my mind drifted to another kind of workout.

  “Are you almost ready, love?” I called out to her, knowing it was getting late.

  She walked through the door looking like a million bucks. “I don’t know why you insist on me wearing this. Where are we going, anyway?”

  I glanced over her body, causing her to shiver. “You know why I like this dress? It reminds me of the first time we met.” My hand reached out to her nape and massaged it, causing her to melt into me.

  “We should get going.” I held out my arm and led her out of our place.

  When we left the hospital we’d agreed that it was time for us to live in the same condo and pool our resources. We’d already been inseparable, but having a near death experience helped push us closer together. The family came to our aide and helped carry my things down to her place.

  My buddy Ethan was about to be released from the rehab center, having undergone his last surgery and finally walking on his own, with only the slight assistance of a cane. Mr. Prescott offered Ethan the condo above us, along with jobs that neither one of us could turn down.

  Ethan would head up the IT department at Prescott, while I managed the Accounting department with Gianna. She kept the title of co-manager, but offered to switch desks with me as long as I requested her assistance in my office on a regular basis. How could I refuse?

  Mr. Prescott had sweetened our deals by offering us space to work on some software ideas we’d come up with based on the issues we’d dealt with at his company. We’d wanted to form our own company, but he asked to be a silent backer, because he felt our ideas had merit and could be beneficial to the business world.

  Gianna thought we were going out to celebrate my coming to work for her family’s company. She had no idea what I was actually planning.

  When we got to my new Camaro, customized sport edition, courtesy of Mr. Prescott and my insurance policy since Connor had blown mine to smithereens, I pulled out a blindfold. “You want to blindfold me, too? Isn’t it enough that I’m dressed in stilettos and a leather dress?”

  I just shook my head. “If you want to know the surprise, you have to play by my rules.”

  She relented and got into the car, where I put the blindfold over her eyes.

  The drive was short. I texted Kenny to let him know we were coming. He must have had the crowd in on everything, because the place was normally pumping with music and screams of ecstasy. Tonight the music was subdued, but added to the mystery of where we were.

  I guided Gianna out of the car and in through the crowd of people. Everyone was smiling and holding up signs saying, “Congrats!”

  I opened the door to our special room and was instantly hit with the scent of roses, strawberries, and an open bottle of champagne. At the hospital I finally broke down and asked why she never wore that scent anymore. I was shocked to find out that it made her sad because she’d associated it with me and had given the rest of her bottle of perfume to her sister. I was grateful, and always hard as a result of her wearing it again lately.

  I closed the door behind us as the music started to pick up. “We’re here, love.”

  I reached up and removed her blindfold. She blinked a few times before glancing around the room. Almost every inch had been covered in floral arrangements. I’d only ordered the same amount as before, but when the patrons found out what happened to us, they pooled their money and made sure we would have a night to remember.

  She turned this way and that, looking at all the little details. Her hand flew
up to cover her mouth. “I can’t believe you did all this. You’re trying to recreate the night we met.”

  “Yes, but I had a little help from Kenny and many of the club members.” I watched as she walked over to one of the arrangements and sniffed the roses.

  I took that as my cue to get down on one knee, removing one of the items from my pocket. I had the box open as she turned around and gasped.

  “Oh my god! Nate?”

  It was now or never. “I know the circumstances in which we met weren’t the most romantic, but they somehow managed to touch both of our hearts and, in turn, changed our souls. Fate brought us together that night and it’s continued to do so since then, we were just too blind to recognize one another. I figured the best place to ask you this was where it all began.”

  I watched Gianna kick off her shoes and kneel down in front of me, smiling from ear to ear. I held my hand up to indicate that I wasn’t done, not yet.

  “You made me want to love you, hate you, and most of all spank you. I’ve never had someone surrender to me so completely as you do. I’m honored by your trust in me and promise to do everything in my power to bring you the greatest pleasures you’ll ever know. Gianna Alexandra Prescott, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Tears fell down her cheeks as she leaned forward and kissed me.

  “Is that a yes?”

  She nodded. “Yes!”

  I pulled the ring from the box and showed her the inscription, which read: Fate Brought US Together.

  “It’s beautiful and perfect. I love it, but not as much as I love you.” She leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss on the lips as I slid the ring onto her finger.

  She held her hand out, turning it this way and that. Since my little Vixen had a fiery spirit, I had selected a yellow gold ring, with a princess cut one carat diamond, with a half carat ruby sitting on each side. It was definitely different, but it was also my Gianna.