MaKayla nodded and smiled at Dustin entering the room. “I can go home.”
Dustin looked at her parents and Jodi. “Do you mind if I do the honors? I’m not going to let her out of my sight.”
The doctor patted her leg, but looked at Dustin. “I want her to rest. If she shows any signs of dizziness or slurred speech, you bring her back here.”
He nodded.
After the doctor left, Jodi leaned above the bed’s metal bar for a hug. “I’m glad you two have worked things out. If I’d known it took a bullet to get you to come to your senses, I would have shot you a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry you missed out on the pleasure.” MaKayla embraced her friend as they shared a laughed.
She hugged her parents and assured them she’d call later. Dustin helped her out of the bed and into the bathroom to change into her fresh clothes.
Sitting in the passenger’s seat of Dustin’s minivan, MaKayla saw the world with her eyes wide open. She no longer had a barrier, shutting out people who cared for her because she feared reality. She reached for Dustin’s hand. Better things had come from putting the past behind.
After parking in her driveway, he came around to her side of the car, scooped her into his arms, and carried her over the threshold. “You can put me down now.”
“Not a chance.” He stepped into the living room and sat on the sofa with her still in his arms. “I don’t ever want to let you go.”
“You have to go home at some point.” Her eyes scanned each room from where she sat. A feeling of insecurity washed over her. As much as she didn’t want him to leave, he did have other obligations. She was going to have to learn to live here without fearing for her life. “You have a daughter and a business to tend to.”
He removed her sneakers then massaged her feet. “They’re both covered.”
She dipped her hand between his legs and felt his excitement. “How about we go to the bedroom and you can welcome me home properly?” She smiled at how quickly he had responded to her touch. Her lips dropped kisses on his neck. “Make love to me.”
“The doctor said you needed to rest.” He removed her hand. “They’ll be plenty of time for that when your body’s ready.”
“My body is ready.” She nipped his earlobe with her teeth.
“You’re not making this easy. I won’t jeopardize your health to satisfy our needs. Doc said you need to recuperate.” He removed her from his lap and sat her on the cushion beside him. “How about a cup of tea?” He stood, adjusted himself beneath his fitted jeans, and then headed toward the kitchen.
She put her head in the palm of her hands. The quick move from his lap had triggered a pulsating sensation between her eyes. “Sure. I’m going for a shower. I’ll be down to join you in ten minutes.” As she stood, she felt a blood rush and she lost her balance. Her knee banged against the table in front of her, and she sat back down.
Dustin came to her rescue. “Why don’t you relax?”
“I will after a shower.” He helped her up. “Make yourself at home and I’ll be down soon.”
The warm carpet beneath her feet made her feel better as she made her way to the top of the stairs. The eerie feeling returned. Soon Dustin would be gone and she’d be alone.
She couldn’t be a prisoner in her own home. She shook the feeling and turned the corner into her bedroom. She gasped. A gold foil package sat on the corner of her bed. Her stomach knotted and panic set in.
“Dustin.”
His footsteps pounded the stairs as he made his way to her side. “What is it?”
She pointed to the package. “What is that?”
He sat on the bed and took a deep breath. “It’s for you.” He handed her the box. “Jodi brought it by when she came to pick up your clothes.”
She pulled the bow, opened the box, and then read the card on top of the blue satin fabric. “Merry Christmas.”
He stood and took her into his arms. “I bought it the day we met at the mall.” She flashed back on the shopping bag she’d seen that day. His lips pressed against hers. “I hope it fits.”
He kissed her neck. Her breathing became heavy and her body weakened. Even if he would agree to lay her on the bed and make love, she needed a shower first.
“You need to leave so I can shower and try this on.” MaKayla held onto his shirt before he moved. “Unless you want to join me?”
He smiled, but headed down the stairs.
The hot shower had relaxed every cramped muscle in her body. She removed the midnight blue satin nightgown from the gift box and let the cool material glide down over her warm skin. Maybe a little fashion show would get him to change his mind about making love.
She left the matching robe in the box and headed downstairs. Leaning against the wrought iron railing at the bottom of the steps, she stared at the back of his head while he sat on the sofa and chuckled at something on the TV. “Ahem.” He turned around, stood up, and headed her way.
****
“Wow.” Just when Dustin thought he had his libido in check, he set his eyes on the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. When he picked up the eveningwear at the mall, he never really expected he’d be witnessing her modeling it for him. MaKayla took his outstretched hand. “You look beautiful.” The apple scent on her body had returned.
She kissed him on the lips and stepped even closer. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Her breasts were too close and too tempting. He couldn’t fall for her seduction. “I’m still not going to break doctors’ orders.”
“You’re no fun.”
He escorted her over to the sofa. “When the time’s right, you’ll be eating those words.” He adjusted two pillows against the armrest and tossed a tan blanket over her to ease his temptation. He lifted her legs onto his lap. Her bare thighs were calling for his attention.
He handed her a teacup. “Anything you want to watch?”
“I’m already watching what I want.” She stared at him. “How’s Dana doing in Oklahoma?”
“Great.” He hit the remote’s button turning off the television. “She’s turning her trip into a vacation. Can’t say I blame her. It’s beautiful and peaceful out there.”
MaKayla had told him she wanted to learn everything about him. Since they were on the subject of his favorite childhood place, there was no better time to share his memories. “We grew up there…on my grandfather’s ranch. He taught me how to ride horses, work hard, and be a man. My No Bulls idea came from my grandparents’ barn. Every Saturday night the town folks would stop by with potluck dishes and dance to country music. Anyone who sang or played an instrument would join in.”
“So you recreated your childhood with your club?”
He nodded. “I loved visiting them. I fell asleep on a haystack in the back of a truck one night. My mother woke me in time to see the sunrise. I remember wondering what else I had missed while I slept. Some days I get up before dawn just to watch the sunrise.”
“I need to take you to Kentucky sometime.” She smiled. “I, too, go there for the sunrises.”
He nodded and drank his tea.
Her smile faded. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why’d you give up being a lawyer?”
He explained how Liz had been raised by a nanny and had often felt deprived of her parents’ love growing up. She had wanted the hands-on experience of raising their child. “Giving up my practice was the only way to keep my deathbed promise to Liz.”
She reached out her hand and he took it. “I’m sure Melissa will appreciate that when she gets older. My mother was home with me…but we never bonded the way a mother and daughter should.”
“You seem to be now.”
She smiled. “That’s something I’m trying to get used to.”
“Now, can I ask you something?” He smiled, not sure exactly how to ask. Twice already he’d seen her best friend make a gesture that had sparked his interest. “Wh
at’s with Jodi and the tongue-in-the-cheek thing she does?”
MaKayla laughed and covered her mouth with her hands. “You saw her?”
He held up two fingers. “Twice.”
“So you’ve been spying on our conversations?”
He shrugged.
“What do you think it means?”
Every male knew the code for a blowjob. He wanted to know why her best friend had been giving MaKayla the signal. “Where I’m from, it means you made a man very happy.”
“Really?”
He chuckled. “You sound surprised. Why? You’ve never…?”
She shook her head. “Paul was very conservative. He didn’t think a woman should be down there. Jodi, of course, is always reminding me of what I’m missing.” She turned her body so that her head laid on his lap now. She looked up and smiled. “Are you a conservative man, Dustin?”
Was that her code for getting his permission? “Nope. You can do whatever you want to me”—he scooted down, leaning his head against the sofa so that her head now rested on his stomach—“after you’re feeling better.” He stroked her hair. “Go to sleep now.”
****
MaKayla opened her eyes to a darkened room. Her head lay on a sofa cushion instead of on Dustin. He must have gone home. She’d been awake for only seconds and already she missed him.
A bang in the next room made her stand up. She followed the scent of something cooking on the stove. Her head felt as if she had a bag of rocks inside her skull. Her stomach was queasy, and she was freezing. She glanced down at the nightgown she wore.
“Hey, beautiful. Sleep well?” Dustin enveloped her into his warm embrace.
“You’re still here?”
“Of course.”
She glanced at the pan on the stove. “What’s cooking?”
“My mother and Melissa dropped off homemade chicken soup for you.” He reached for a paper lying on the table. “And Melissa made this for you.”
She took the green construction paper with the words “Get Well Soon” scribbled in red surrounding a photo of his beautiful daughter’s face squished against a princess’ cheek.
MaKayla’s hand covered her heart. She’d yet to sit with the little girl to discuss her Florida trip, and see all the pictures she’d taken. Guilt rushed through her.
“She’s so cute, Dustin.” She met his gaze. “Did you tell them about us?”
His thumb caressed her cheek. “Yes. Melissa gave you a kiss on the forehead while you were sleeping. I told her she’d be seeing a lot more of you. My mother is, of course, thrilled and can’t wait to talk with you. Dana says you must have hit your head pretty hard to agree to put up with me.”
“Tell Dana that hit was what brought me to my senses.”
He smiled then gently kissed her mouth.
The noise of the back screen door squeaking made MaKayla break the kiss. She squeezed his arm. “What was that?”
Chapter Twenty
Dustin dashed out the back door and chased the person running down MaKayla’s driveway. “Call the police.”
The shadow ahead of him wasn’t fast enough to escape Dustin’s adrenaline rush. Leaping two feet into the air, he tackled the intruder to the ground.
The kid landed on his stomach as Dustin straddled his back. He took the kid’s arms and twisted them around his back up toward his shoulder blades.
“You move and I’ll snap your arm like a fuckin’ twig. Do you have a gun?” He pulled the arm higher when the kid didn’t respond. “Answer me, you son of a bitch.”
“No! Luke stole it.” The kid squirmed on the damp frozen grass. “Now get the fuck off me.”
Reality kicked in as his adrenaline leveled off. Dustin knew he was much stronger. He eased the pressure and took several deep breaths. He held the boy’s arms behind his back, pulled him to his feet, pinned the kid’s stomach against his van, and then patted the kid down. He’d be damned if he were going to believe this kid had no gun, or any other weapons. “What the hell are you doing here?” He pulled the kid back then slammed him against the van again. “Are you the one who shot her?”
“No, you bastard. Let me go.”
“Not until you tell me what you were doing on her back porch.” Before he could slam the boy against the vehicle once more, a hand stopped him.
MaKayla, wrapped in a long coat, held his arm. “Dustin, that’s enough.” She took the kid by the arm. “It’s you again.”
The boy nodded and then lowered his head.
“This is the boy from the robbery.” She looked at Dustin. “Let’s take this inside.”
“Fine.” Dustin grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him along. He hadn’t lost his temper like this since Slaughter had made his threat to kidnap Dana. He pushed the kid into a chair at the kitchen table and stood inches away.
“How about some hot chocolate?” MaKayla turned on the stove to warm the water in the kettle. “What’s your name?”
Dustin shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He’d never understand the heart of a woman. As long as he was there to protect her, he’d let her be the sweet woman he’d fallen in love with.
“Carl.” The boy answered.
****
MaKayla stared into the kid’s sapphire eyes. The sadness in them she’d seen on Christmas morning had grown deeper. Carl looked lost and lonely.
If she took an angry approach, the boy would be scared to death and she wouldn’t get any answers from him. She had to stay calm and motherly. This boy needed a trusting adult and she might be his only hope—if he was willing to rat out who shot at her.
“Carl, why are you here?”
The kid lifted his head and gave her an angry, confused look. “Why are you being nice to me?”
He tried to sound tough but she heard the crack in his voice and watched him try to swallow as if a boulder was lodged in his throat. She went to the refrigerator and then handed him a bottle of water.
She pulled a chair in front of him, took his chin on her fingertips, and made him look her in the eye. Any woman would die to have his long eyelashes. His round face looked younger than his seventeen years. His blond hair was knotted and dirtier than she remembered. She was sure she’d be able to tell if he were lying.
“Do I have a reason not to be nice to you? I heard you say you weren’t the one who shot at me the other night.”
“No! I could never hurt you. I told you before that I wanted to protect you.”
“Carl, I believe you. But I do think you know who did this,”—she pointed to her head—”and that’s why you’re here.”
His head shot up and his eyes widened.
“You do know, don’t you?”
He nodded.
A knock on the back door put a fire under Carl’s butt. He jumped up, knocking the wooden chair to the floor, trying to run for the front door.
Dustin caught the kid and threw him back into the chair. “Sit down. And don’t think of running again.”
MaKayla opened the back door and Duke stepped inside. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Duke, this is Carl. He’s the third guy from the bank robbery.” MaKayla turned off the whistling kettle and then sat back down. “He knows who shot at me.”
“Is this true, son?”
The boy nodded.
She put her hands on his knee. “Carl, tell Duke who did this?”
He shook his head. When he looked up, his eyes were filled with tears. “No.” He stood in front of Duke. “I’ll take you to him.” Carl swiped the tears from his eyes and turned to MaKayla. “Remember when I told you this guy was pissed he wasn’t invited to the robbery? Well, he thinks he’s in on something huge now. I told you I was going to protect you while Alex was gone and I meant it.”
She stood. “Thank you.”
Duke grabbed the kid by the arm. “Let’s go.”
Carl stopped. “No.” He pointed to Dustin. “I’ll take you. Luke thinks I’m getting him more ammo from a dude who wants to set u
p another robbery. If I bring a cop, he’ll run.”
Dustin nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
****
Dustin rested his head on the back of the passenger seat while MaKayla drove them through the mountains of Tennessee and over the Kentucky border. Acres of open fields turned into miles of rocks and boulders. The cool morning couldn’t be any better for a day of travel.
When she’d asked him to visit her Kentucky vacation home, she had never mentioned how many times a year she took this drive. “Do you come here often?”
She glanced his way and smiled. “Not any more.” She reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt last week.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “Me too.”
Dustin wouldn’t admit to her that he had wanted to choke that bastard, Luke, once Carl had called him outside from the recreation center. The tall, thin kid had a green Mohawk and an attitude twice the size of his IQ.
Reluctantly, Dustin had gone along with Duke’s plan of pretending he needed a hit on a man who’d screwed him on a business deal. The kid was so excited about making money that he hadn’t hesitated when Dustin asked to check out the weapon he’d be using in the takedown.
The dumbass handed over his gun with no questions asked. That’s when Duke and his boys had charged in.
Now everyone who should be in jail was behind bars. Thanks to Carl, there was no longer a need for Dustin to worry about the woman he loved, and she no longer feared for her life.
From what Dustin learned of Carl’s past, the kid needed a break. Something he related to.
Jesse had offered to take Carl under his roof and help him study for a GED. Dustin had hired Carl to clean up the club after closing time to instill responsibility in the young lad. The place was now spotless and the boy seemed to appreciate having authority figures in his life.
“By the way,” MaKayla interrupted his thought, “Buck will be home next week and he and I are making plans to have a party with Tiffany Reynolds, the winner from the radio station, and her father. Would you be interested in having No Bulls host it as your first family night? There would be no alcohol allowed.”
The Patriot Girl Page 20