Doctor's Orders [The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Lara Valentine

  Brianne shook with anger at Tami’s asinine logic. This woman thought only of herself.

  “Men lie, Tami. Rick was one of the worst liars. He lied to me, to Kade, and to you. Rick loved Rick. Maybe in his own way he loves Kade, too. But I can assure you that he didn’t love anyone else. If he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t have done this.”

  “He’ll come back. He’ll come back for me and Kade.”

  Tami moved toward the gangplank as if to go after Kade, and Brianne’s thin hold on her temper snapped. She reared her fist back and clocked Tami right on the jaw. The woman went sprawling on her bikini-covered ass with a comical expression of shock.

  “Shit, Tami, I didn’t want to hit you. But you will never go near Kade ever again. Do you understand me?”

  “Quite the right hook you have there, slugger.”

  Brianne rounded in surprise at the sound of Sam’s voice. He was climbing over the railing along with two uniformed officers. The officers helped Tami to her feet and cuffed her hands behind her back.

  “She was going after Kade, Sam. I had to stop her.” Oh hell, was she going to jail, too?

  “I know. I saw it all. Nate’s down there, by the way. He’s got Kade.”

  Brianne felt the breath whoosh out of her in relief. Kade was okay, and Nate was here. She ran to the railing and looked over to see Nate carrying Kade piggyback as her son ate his granola bar. She waved at the men she loved. They both smiled and waved back. It was all going to be okay.

  * * * *

  Brianne gazed at her son’s angelic face as he slept. She was relieved to have him home and tucked up safely in his Star Wars bed. She was also sad that events had taken the turn that they had. Rick would miss out on his son growing up, falling in love for the first time, going to college, becoming a man. She winged a prayer upward that she would live a long life so she could be there for all those milestones. She wanted to be there for Kade.

  It had been one hell of a day, and she was exhausted. She still couldn’t believe what had happened, and she had spent the better part of the evening recounting the events for Lisa and Conor.

  “So, are you pressing charges, Bri?” Conor had asked.

  Nate had sat with her and rubbed her tense shoulders.

  “Yes, I am. If she had been sorry, maybe I might have backed down. But she refused to see what she did was wrong. Maybe this will help her see beyond herself for a change.”

  “You did the right thing, Brianne. Tami needs to start taking responsibility for her actions. I’m just glad to have you and Kade in one piece. Tami’s a little worse for wear, but she’ll be fine, too,” Nate had teased.

  “I must say, after punching Tami I do feel better. I abhor violence, but she pushed me when she messed with my child.”

  “Hell yeah,” Lisa cheered. “No one messes with a mama bear. No one with any sense anyway.”

  She slumped against the doorframe and closed her eyes. All the adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins mere hours ago had drained away, leaving her limp as a dishrag.

  “You’re almost asleep on your feet, Bri.”

  Nate’s voice rumbled in her ear. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he pulled her into his arms. She burrowed deeper into his chest, pretending to snore. Nate laughed and swung her up in his arms, heading for the bedroom. She should protest that she didn’t need to be carried, but she was honestly too tired.

  Nate lowered her gently to the bed and began to undress her. She sat quietly while he efficiently stripped her shorts, shirt, and bra. She smiled when she saw that he pulled one of his old T-shirts out of a drawer for her to wear to bed.

  “Arms up.” Obediently, Brianne raised her arms over her head so that Nate could tug the Rays shirt over her head. She would need to buy him a new one next time they went to a game. She wasn’t giving this one back.

  “Lay down, sweetheart. Everything looks better after a good night’s sleep.”

  She lay down and curled up under the light blanket. Before she knew it she was asleep.

  * * * *

  Brianne’s eyes fluttered open, and she waited while they adjusted to the dark. A glance at the nightstand showed that it was five in the morning. Nate must have felt her stir. She could feel his body tense next to hers.

  “You okay, Bri? Do you need anything?” Nate’s voice was rough with sleep. She felt bad that she had woken him up.

  “I’m fine. I slept like the dead but seem to be pretty awake now.” She pushed to a sitting position and groaned as her muscles protested. She must not have moved the entire night.

  “I think I almost feel human this morning. Thank you for taking such good care of me last night. It was so wonderful to have someone to lean on. I’m not used to that.”

  Nate pushed himself up also and flicked the bedside lamp on low.

  “Good. Now we need to talk about your punishment.”

  Brianne froze as Nate’s words penetrated her sleep-numbed brain.

  “Punishment? What the hell have I done to be punished? I don’t deserve to be punished!”

  Nate’s eyebrow quirked up in question.

  “Are you sure? Did Sam and I both tell you to wait for us on the dock? Did we both tell you not to engage with Tami? You could have been hurt or killed. Tami might have had a weapon. I cannot allow you to take your safety for granted in this way. You need to stay safe so you can be there for Kade.”

  Nate’s voice was soft but firm, and she felt a flush of anger at his reference to Kade.

  “That’s a low blow, Nate. My number one priority is Kade and his safety.”

  “Yes, his safety but not your own. You need to make your safety a priority, too. Kade and I want you to be around for a long time. I hope you want that also. You have given me no choice but to punish you.”

  Brianne’s mouth hung open in amazement. Nate was totally serious. He was going to punish her for the harebrained move of boarding that boat without him or the police. Wait. Did she just admit it was harebrained?

  Shit. Yes, it was a stupid move. Tami had been in a bikini, so she didn’t have any concealed weapons, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have any on the boat. The sheer stupidity of what she had done suddenly hit her. She felt tears leaking from her eyes.

  His fingers captured her chin and turned her to look into his soft blue eyes. He had a gentle smile on his face.

  “What’s wrong, Brianne? This certainly isn’t the first punishment for you, and if I’m guessing correctly, it won’t be the last.”

  She scrubbed her hands across her face.

  “The sheer stupidity of what I did yesterday just hit me. Fuck. She could have had a gun or a knife. I could have been hurt. Who would take care of Kade? You should punish me. I fucking deserve it. Drive some sense into my head, Nate.”

  “First of all, I would take care of Kade if anything happened to you. I love Kade like my own son. Secondly, the only thing I’m going to drive into you is my cock in a few minutes. I will decide your punishment later. But it is clear that you need me to make sure you don’t do this again. That’s why I have decided to marry you.”

  Marry her? His face appeared serious in the dim light. But he couldn’t be serious. He didn’t really want to get married. Did he?

  “What do you say, Brianne? I think we should get married. Will you marry me and make us a family?”

  Brianne swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Her eyes blurred with tears.

  “Nate, what are you doing? I know you don’t want to get married again. It’s okay. I don’t need to be your wife. I love you no matter what.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew Nate had heard her from the grin that spread across his face.

  “Who says I don’t want to get married? You’re not thinking about something stupid I said while I was getting divorced, are you? I want to marry you, Brianne. I love you. I want us to be a family. Will you marry me?”

  Brianne smiled at Nate and nodded, only to have him quirk an eyebrow
at her.

  “What’s rule number one, Brianne?” His whisper was so soft, but she heard him clearly. Oh yes, no nodding allowed. He needed to hear her voice.

  “Yes, Nate. Yes, I will marry you. I love you.” She launched herself at him. They were going to be a family, and she was going to be punished. Her body was already starting to become aroused at the thought.

  “Um, about that punishment, Master…” She nipped at his bottom lip and let her hands slip down his torso to stroke his already-hard cock.

  “Yes, little slave, your punishment starts now.” Nate grinned and pressed her back on the mattress, covering her body with his warm, solid weight. She gazed up into his handsome face and saw all the love she had dreamed of finding. Nate had been worth the wait.

  THE END

  WWW.LARAVALENTINE.NET

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I’ve been a dreamer my entire life. So, it was only natural to start writing down some of those stories that I have been dreaming about.

  Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I fall in love with all of my characters. They are perfectly imperfect with the hopes, dreams, desires, and flaws that we all have. I want them to overcome obstacles and fear to get to their happily ever after. We all should. Everyone deserves their very own sexy happily ever after.

  I grew up in the cold, but beautiful plains of Illinois. I now live in Central Florida with my handsome husband—who’s a real, native Floridian—and my son, whom I have dubbed “Louis the Sun King.” They claim to be supportive of all the time I spend on my laptop, but they may simply be resigned to my need to write.

  When I am not working at my conservative day job or writing furiously, I enjoy relaxing with my family or curling up with a good book.

  Also by Lara Valentine

  Ménage Amour: Plenty, FL: Plenty to Come

  Available at

  BOOKSTRAND.COM

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com