“How’s about you grab your backpack, sweetie, and we’ll head out, okay?”
“Pack pack. Got it.”
I chuckled and so did her mother, breaking the tension of the moment.
“Back. Pack, sweetie. Backpack,” I corrected.
She grabbed her backpack off the couch and twirled, fire in her eyes. “’S’wat I said. Pack pack! You didn’t listen to me!”
“Go get in the car, Your Majesty.” I grinned, wrapping an arm around Monet.
She stomped toward the garage. “No one listens me,” she continued to grumble on her way out of the room.
“Seriously, Monet, I love that kid,” I admitted, holding her close.
“She loves you too. Really loves you.” She frowned and then pursed her lips.
“And that’s a bad thing?” I wanted her to really think about it.
Monet lifted up on her toes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me softly. “No, it’s a very good thing, provided you’re staying around.”
I tunneled my hand into her silky tresses. Fuck, I loved her hair. “I’m here, aren’t I? I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
She looked down and let her arms fall. “Yeah, that’s what Kyle said when he promised to love me forever. Now he wants me dead.”
Man, I wanted to hurt the bastard. Smash his jaw with my bare fists as many times as I could until the anger at the torment he’d put Monet under abated in my mind. Letting those thoughts simmer for now, I reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m not Kyle.”
Her gaze lifted to mine. Worry and fear were coating the happiness I’d seen the past couple days since we’d taken our relationship to a more physical level.
“No, you’re not. You’re better. But you leaving Lily—leaving me—after the past two weeks would destroy us. Please think about that. Really think about that before you commit to me, to what we have started.” She let go of my neck and helped her daughter get settled in the car.
Instead of a witty comeback or a quick retort, I held my tongue. I would think about it, long and hard, but I didn’t see anything changing. I wanted this. A family. Monet and Lily. Wanted it more than I wanted my next breath. I’d just have to show her, prove it to her, to Lily, to every-fucking-body. I was in it to win it, and they were my grand prize.
* * *
Dropping off Lily was easy. I met her teacher and the principal, and Monet signed some forms and confirmed the instructions they’d discussed late last week. They knew about the threat and would keep an extra eye on Lily and the classroom. The teacher promised she’d never leave her sight, though I didn’t think it would be an issue. Kyle hopefully wasn’t stupid enough to kidnap a child from her school. Moreover, the day after Kyle’s call, we met with the detectives about what had happened. They promised they’d have a patrol car circling the school and Monet’s house for additional protection, as well as make it known they were on the lookout for Kyle. It gave Monet and me some semblance of peace. It would have to be enough until he was caught.
Monet was quiet as we waited for the doctor to come into the room and remove her stitches. She was instructed to lie on her belly in a flimsy gown that left the back open. I sat next to her, petting her back up and down where there wasn’t an injury, to hopefully soothe her.
Next to the bed were a couple pairs of surgical scissors, tweezers, a bottle of hospital-grade alcohol, cotton balls, gauze, medical tape, and a few other things. I’d been stitched up before when I’d cut open my arm pretty good mountain biking at New Melones Lake a couple years back, but I only received twelve stitches, not eighty.
The doctor entered, dark hair with sprinkles of white dotting his temples. He had a salt-and-pepper short-cropped beard to match, kind eyes, and a soft smile. He bent over toward Monet’s face and placed his hand over hers.
“You ready to get the stitches removed?” he asked softly as a petite blonde with pink scrubs entered with what I guessed was Monet’s medical file on a tablet.
“Are you doing the removal?” Monet asked.
He nodded and went over to the in-room sink and washed his hands. “With this large a wound, I’d feel better doing it myself. Mandy here will assist.”
“You’re in good hands, Dr. Holland,” the nurse added and then washed her hands as well.
Both medical professionals donned gloves. The nurse went behind the table closest to where the tray was. I moved out of the way toward the front of the table where there was a bit more room. No fucking way was I not going to hold her hand or pet her hair while they tended to her.
I tucked the small chair next to her head and put one hand on her hair and the other on her hand. She gripped it firmly as the doctor poked and prodded at her back, checking the wound.
“Looks really good, Dr. Holland. I see you’ve heeded our instructions. The seal looks tight, but I’ll remove the stitches and then we’ll place some adhesive strips in strategic locations that might be at a higher risk of opening when you’re moving around and more active. You’ll still want to be careful for the next couple weeks, but you should be able to continue normal movement, go to work, resume sexual activities…” He glanced at me and then back to the wound.
Monet’s cheeks pinked prettily. I kissed her temple, letting her know the embarrassment wasn’t just on her. I squeezed her hand and stroked her hair.
“All right, Mandy, let’s clean the entire area.”
Mandy opened the alcohol and poured a healthy dose onto a stack of gauze. She ran the wet gauze all over Monet’s back. Instantly gooseflesh prickled against her skin.
“Are you in pain?” My heart pounded and I held her hand firmly.
“No, just cold.”
Mandy used the smaller cotton balls on the stitches, wetting and cleansing them at the same time.
“Okay, Mandy, hand me the scissors. Dr. Holland, I’ll snip them all first. Then both Mandy and I will ease each stitch out from the knot side and do our best not to tug too hard or open the wound. Everything looks really great and your healing process is stellar. I don’t anticipate any problems.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
With every snip I flinched. Eighty fucking times. Monet, on the other hand, held perfectly still and stared at the wall across the room. I wanted to do something for her, say something that would make this easier. I was at a total fucking loss.
The doctor and nurse started at opposite ends of Monet’s wound with their tweezers and scissors, snipping and tugging each string out.
Monet’s eyes closed tight.
“Hey, let’s try Dara’s chant. Om Mani Padme Hum. You know that one?” I asked softly.
Her eyes flickered open. “Yeah, okay.”
“First, breathe with me, beautiful. In for four beats and out for four like in Dara’s classes. Okay?” We both knew the yoga breathing process from taking regular classes at Lotus House. I’d taken Dara’s meditation classes a few times but never thought I was any good at letting go of the monkey mind. Still, chanting helped get me in a better headspace. For Moe, I’d try anything to get her to stay relaxed and not focused on the procedure.
Monet followed along with my breathing, pairing our breaths. I placed my face directly in front of hers and ran my fingers through her hair. Her gaze stayed on mine as we breathed together, our faces only a scant few inches apart.
I inhaled long and full before letting out the words along with my breath. “Om Mani Padme Hum…” I let the last word run long, humming until all the breath inside my lungs was gone. Then together we breathed in again and continued to chant softly. “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Every so often she’d wince and lose her place, but I’d bring her back to our combined meditation and she’d relax into it once more.
It felt like the process took hours when it probably was only twenty minutes or so.
“Now we’re going to apply the tape. As you know, it will fall off on its own. Don’t help it. Just take normal showers and let it ease off over time.”
“I will,”
she whispered.
For another ten minutes, the doctor applied the tape and inspected the wound. “Looks really good. You’ve been a great patient. If you have to wear a bra over the next week, I’d suggest something really light with no elastic.”
“You could try those camisole bras. Those are pretty good,” the nurse offered.
Monet nodded, her eyes still pained and weary.
“We need to remove the ones from your neck now. Can you sit up?”
I helped Monet get up and twist her legs around to the side.
The doctor grabbed a light hanging near the wall, flicked it on, and adjusted it near Monet’s upper body. “Almost done.” He looked at the neck wound as she lifted her head.
“This will be quick. The wound is perfectly closed, though tugging on the sutures will hurt a bit since the area is so thin and sensitive.”
“Please, let’s just get this over with. I’m fine. Carry on.”
The strength she manifested was staggering. In that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud to call her mine. Strong, gorgeous, intelligent. This woman absolutely had me by the balls.
The doctor did the neck on his own after his nurse cleaned the wound. Monet didn’t move a muscle, but she held my hand so tight I worried she was in more pain than she let on. Still, the doctor moved quickly and efficiently. He applied a couple of butterflies and then gave her an antibiotic ointment to put over the entire area for a couple days.
“Vitamin E will be best to fight off the scarring.”
“We’ll get her some right away.” I patted her hand.
“Good man.” The doctor removed his gloves and washed his hands again. Once done, he shook Monet’s hand then mine.
The nurse typed notes on her tablet and they both took their leave.
Monet’s shoulders fell as she stared at her feet.
“Baby, I’m so proud of you.” I cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. “So damn proud. A grown man would have teared up, and you were so strong.”
A tiny smile slipped across her lips. “That sucked,” she deadpanned. “It stung, it hurt, and it just…sucked. But it’s such a relief. It actually feels better without the constant tug of the thread.”
“Good. And now it’s over. Oh, and bonus!” I smiled wide. “You can take a real shower.”
Her coal-black eyes lit up for the first time all day. “I can.”
“And I’ll be there to wash your hair for you.” I grinned wickedly. “And other things.” I waggled my brows comically.
She chuckled and placed her hands loosely around my waist as I shimmied in between her spread thighs. The loose drape she’d worn dropped down to display her bare breasts. I groaned and tightened my hold on her thighs at the sight.
“Will you?” She dug her fingers into the tender skin around my ribs eagerly.
Not being able to help myself, I licked my lips and sucked a brown tip into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it until it tightened into an erect peak. Fuck, so good.
Wanting more than anything to keep my mouth on her pretty tips and her mind off her experience, I continued playing our game. “Oh yeah. Someone has to make sure your back is washed and these tits are tended to.” I kissed my way to her other breast and wrapped my lips around it.
She hummed, arched into my luscious kiss, and scratched her fingernails through my hair. “We really shouldn’t be doing this here,” she murmured but didn’t lessen her hold on my head.
I bit down on her nipple and flicked my tongue against the tip. “Yeah, but it’s a really great way to celebrate your accomplishment.” I grinned around her nipple, shifted her ass toward my cock, and rubbed my hardness against her crotch.
She moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Clay…” she whispered dreamily.
“You want to come, beautiful, right here in your doctor’s office?” I bit down on her other nipple and she moaned enthusiastically. We were both losing our minds, but after what she’d just endured, she needed to feel good.
A little something I’d learned about my woman was that she was all lady on the street and a freak in the sheets. The lithe beauty had a sensual and sexual side that rivaled my own. We hadn’t had full-on intercourse yet, but one thing I noticed after this past weekend was her stellar libido. I liked to think my mad skills were the culprit, but not even those could bring out such a vixen.
“Oh yeah…” She thrust her hips against my pelvis.
I grinned and turned on the filthy talk. “Then you need to be quiet while I dry hump you.”
Her fingers tightened in my hair, and she rubbed along my length in desperate strokes. She was close already, and it hadn’t taken much. Then again, she’d been in pain; her endorphins were already high.
“Fuck. My woman likes the idea of getting caught with her top off, her man’s mouth on her pretty titties, and her legs wrapped around my hips, doesn’t she?”
Her body jolted, she sucked in a hard breath, and her legging-covered crotch grated wildly along the seam of my jeans.
“Clayton…” I knew that tone. My girl was going to come and come hard.
I wrapped one hand around her ass and ground into her over and over as hard as I could offer without making a racket. With my other hand, I pinched and plucked at her elongated nipple, working her into oblivion.
“Come for me, beautiful. Hurry up. You don’t want to get caught,” I said, reminding her where we were.
Her eyes flashed with heat, and her mouth opened. I knew she was going to scream through her orgasm. My woman was not a quiet lover, which I considered a goddamned blessing to the highest degree. However, no one but me was going to hear her climax. No one.
I slammed my mouth over hers and swallowed her cry as she trembled in my arms. I rubbed her long and hard, digging my hand into her ass, pressing her against me. Still, I wouldn’t allow myself release. Not here. This was about her letting go. Getting a good memory from something necessary but downright unpleasant.
Eventually, her body calmed, but she still clung to me, arms and legs wrapped around me like an octopus. I chuckled against her neck and then kissed my spot until she relaxed.
“You going to fall asleep?” I whispered in her ear.
She sighed happily. My woman just got eighty stitches removed from her back, another dozen from her neck, and she was smiling. Yeah, my job was fucking done and done right.
“No. But I am sleepy and hungry.”
I pulled back, kissing her long and slow before grabbing her tank and helping get it over her head. Next, I eased the sweater over her arms.
“How do you feel otherwise?”
“Mmm, yummy.”
Again I chuckled and helped her off the table.
“No, babe. I mean where they removed the stitches?” I asked while leading her out of the office.
We didn’t run into anyone on the way out, which meant no questions as to why it took so long to leave the room, and I thanked the big man above for the small favor. She didn’t need to feel embarrassed after what was a priceless moment for the both of us. I’d never forget getting her off in the doctor’s office, and I didn’t think she would either. Mission accomplished.
“I think I feel pretty good. Of course, it’s sore and it did hurt, but afterward was pretty darn great.” Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. I’d pay good money to see that blush on her face regularly.
“Darn great?” I laughed while buckling her into my SUV then rushing around the other side.
“Yeah, darn great.”
I maneuvered my body over the console and kissed her long, hard, and so wet she sighed sleepily when I finished. When I pulled back, I focused on the dreamy quality in her gaze and opened my heart to her.
“I am so into you.”
Her return smile was huge, bright, and so fucking brilliant. “I’m into you too, Clay. Very into you.” She beamed and then blushed again.
God, I loved that look on my woman. Pretty and pink.
“Where do you want to ea
t? Anywhere. Fancy, expensive, you name it; I’m buying you whatever you want because I’m so proud of you taking on that procedure the way you did. Blew my mind, beautiful.”
She placed her hand over mine. “Honestly, I was thinking a bowl of soup and a sandwich at Rainy Day Café followed up with a treat from Sunflower Bakery would be awesome.”
I put the car in gear and headed to the normal haunt near Lotus House. I shook my head.
“What?” she asked, a smile to her voice.
“I offer you anything and you want to go to a café where your entire meal won’t even cost fifteen bucks, and that includes the treat at Sunflower. And that’s if they charge you.”
“I love Rainy Day and Sunflower.” She shrugged. “Why go overboard when simple is just right?”
“Why indeed? Well, what my girl wants, she gets. We can even pick up some glittery cookies for the queen to have when we pick her up. She’d like that.”
I glanced over when she squeezed my hand. “So. Very. Into. You.”
Chapter Eleven
When the heart chakra is open, an individual has a desire to bring happiness and joy to others, including their partners, friends, and acquaintances. Finding peace in all things is a guiding nature for this individual.
MONET
Clayton found us a table at the back of Rainy Day Café. I loved coming here, because just walking into the café gave patrons the feeling of entering a rainforest. Living potted plants dotted the environment, their vines stretching across the ceiling and walls. Coree and Bethany, the sisters who owned the place, did a great job of keeping the hippy, organic vibe of the street and served food worth eating. Hearty, healthy, and delicious. Not a combination every restaurant was capable of, but they’d found a balance.
“You seem happy,” Clayton said while pulling out my chair. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a man pull out my chair. Kyle never did in the years we were dating or when we were married. The simple act made me feel special.
I smiled and sat, making sure not to lean my sore back against the rungs of the chair. “I am. Being here is normal. Feels good to be out and around people I know and the things that make me feel like myself.”
Limitless Love: A Lotus House Novel: Book Four Page 15