Breathe (50 page)

“Why did he visit you?” she asked.

“Why does he do anything?” Chace evaded. “Mostly to be an asshole.”

“Is your Mom okay?”

He nodded. “She’s good. Got a call from her too. We’re invited to dinner, three weeks.”

“All right,” she replied hesitantly, her eyes still searching his face.

“It’ll be okay. Dad won’t be there,” he assured her.

She continued studying him before, for him, she let it go by whispering, “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what went down but I do know it’s unpleasant seeing him. So I’m sorry.”

Chace gave her a lift of his chin and changed the subject. “Those books, they’re special to him. My advice, talk to him, put them where he wants them. He’ll probably want them close and tell the staff to leave them be.”

She nodded.

“Should we be concerned about the fact he’s not speaking?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet. They’re having a child psychologist come up and have a chat with him after lunch. They say at this point that it isn’t really surprising considering how he was living and how he was found. He’s not refusing to eat. He’s communicating nonverbally. He’s not agitated. Except for not talking, he seems to be in good spirits. He does have some hesitation around the nurses but they’re going gentle and he settles pretty easily. He doesn’t seem to like men very much so it isn’t just you. They have a male nurse on this ward, he came in, Malachi didn’t like it. He noted it immediately and assured me he isn’t coming back.”

That said a lot but Chace didn’t share what it said.

Faye went on, “We’ll know more when the psychologist speaks to him. But they’ve examined him and it isn’t physically that he can’t talk. Whatever’s holding him back is psychological.”

Chace nodded and asked, “Word from your parents?”

“All good. The house passed inspection. Apparently the spring schedule of foster care classes started last Saturday so they’ve enrolled Mom and Dad. But they’re going to place Malachi there tomorrow. Dad’s at work during the day but Mom works at home and can be around twenty-four, seven which they said is good. So it’s all in place.”

Silas was a geologist who worked for an environmental consulting company based in Chantelle. Sondra was a part-time bookkeeper who did the books for a variety of businesses in town including the Italian Restaurant, Holly’s Flower shop and La-La Land Coffee. She worked at home, available to Malachi. Perfect.

“You’ll wanna be there tomorrow,” Chace guessed and he knew it was accurately because Faye immediately nodded.

“I already called my volunteers. I’ll open up and get them sorted then the two of them are going to handle things. Mrs. Bagley has closed for me before. She has keys. That’s good too.”

“Right,” Chace muttered then he told her, “I’ll pick up some stuff for him, the book and bring it here after work but, darlin’,” he pulled her slightly closer and dipped his face to hers, “your Mom comes, you gotta give him time alone with her. Start teachin’ him to trust her. You don’t have to be gone hours but he’s gotta get used to her without you around. Okay?”

She nodded but she did it scrunching her nose. She had to do it, she knew it but she didn’t have to like it.

“He’s good now, Faye,” Chace said quietly. “Family. Food. Movin’ his fingers and toes. All the books he can want on that thing Silas bought him and to hold in his hands. He’ll be all right.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, leaning into him, her expression clearing.

He dipped his face closer to kiss her nose and when he moved back, he murmured, “I gotta go.”

“Okay.”

“He says he wants somethin’ else, call me and I’ll pick it up when I go out.”

“Okay.”

“See you here later tonight.”

She grinned and whispered, “Okay.”

“Your bed or mine?”

Her face got soft, her body melted into his and she asked back, “Which one do you want?”

His mattress was better. Her sheets were the softest sheets he’d ever felt in his life. Therefore, a tossup.

But her place was closer to La-La Land which meant he had more time with her in her bed and her shower before they headed for coffee.

“Yours,” he answered.

“’Kay,” she breathed and that was so cute, he bent his head and kissed her quick but open-mouthed, sliding his tongue inside to taste her before he broke the kiss and again lifted his lips but this time to kiss her forehead.

Over her head, he saw Malachi watching them from his hospital bed. And, fuck him, Chace would never have guessed, not in a million years, that Malachi would watch Chace holding Faye, talking to her, whispering with her and kissing her and that would buy him what it bought him.

But when his eyes caught the boy’s, it was slight, it was hesitant but it was there.

The kid smiled at him.

Thank fuck.

Chace smiled back.

Then he gave Faye a squeeze and looked down at her. He saw that she was looking over her shoulder into Malachi’s room and she looked back at him, hesitant too but happy, her lips parted, a bit of her cute wonder shining through and then she smiled huge.

Chace smiled back, gave her another squeeze and a, “Later, Faye.”

“Later, honey.”

He glanced at Malachi before he let her go on another smile and walked away.

* * * * *

Chace felt Faye’s hand run lightly down the skin of his side, he blinked sleep away and saw, strangely, the light was on and she was turned to him.

She’d been reading. She read most nights and he loved that. Loved the fact that for years, he saw her, nose in a book and now he had her in bed with him in one of her little nighties, close enough to touch, her nose in a book. The time he spent knowing she was going to be his, the years he spent knowing she never would, he’d not thought of that. Being in bed beside Faye while she read. But having it felt like a gift. It was maybe whacked to think about it like that but he didn’t care.

He liked it.

But she usually turned off the light and settled in. When he felt it, he pulled her into him.

Now the lights were on and she was facing him, her hand on him.

His hands moved so his arms could curve around her and he pulled her to him.

His voice sounded sleepy when he asked what he always asked, “Done?”

“Uh…” she hesitated, “yeah.”

Her hesitancy and the change in normal circumstances made Chace focus on her.

“Everything okay?”

Her body shifted against his, her legs moving restlessly and all sleep left him because she did this and often. But usually she did it when his mouth was on her, his hands on her.

She was turned on.

What the fuck?

“Faye,” he called and she bit her lip.

Then she pressed her body against his, tucking her face into his neck and she whispered, “There was… uh, in my book, you know,” her legs moved against his and she finished so low he barely heard her, “a really good sex scene.”

Chace smiled.

Oh yeah, she was turned on.

And now he was too.

“Hook your leg over my hip, baby,” he ordered and she instantly complied.

He instantly slid a hand over her hip to her belly, down, between her legs then he shoved his thigh up, trapping his hand against her.

Dripping.

It must have been a good sex scene, she was totally primed.

He shifted a finger and her hips jerked as a small, low, sexy noise drifted up her throat.

Totally primed.

His dick started getting hard.

Then something occurred to him.

“You read sex scenes a lot?” he asked quietly.

“Um…” she didn’t answer which was her answer.

She did.

He pressed his finger in tighter and her hips started moving with it.

His dick got hard and started throbbing.

“What’d you do before me?” he whispered into her hair. She pressed her tits into his chest, her face deeper into his neck and ground her hips down on his hand and thigh.

What she didn’t do was answer.

“You got in this state, Faye,” he pushed gently, “what’d you do before me?”

Her hips undulated with his finger and he heard her breath come faster.

She still didn’t answer.

His finger stopped moving and he cupped her between her legs.

She whimpered, pressed closer and pushed her hips against his hand.

Phenomenal.

“Faye,” he growled.

“Toy,” she whispered then quickly, “Chace, your finger.”

But he was caught up in visions of Faye touching herself with a toy.

Good ones.

Really
good ones.

“Where is it?” he asked, his voice low, gruff.

Her hips kept pushing and now her hands were moving with agitation over his skin.

“What?” she asked.

“Your toy. Where is it?”

Her head tipped back and oh fucking yeah.

She was turned on. Huge.

“Why?” she whispered.

“’Cause I’m gonna use it on you,” he whispered back.

“Nightstand,” she answered immediately, so hot, so cute, she wanted that and she wanted it bad.

Fuck. Amazing.

He dipped his head and took her mouth in a long, wet, deep, wild kiss then twisted just his torso to hold their position, hoping to Christ it was in the nightstand at his side.

It was.

He didn’t hesitate to turn it on and position it.

Like he expected, she reacted violently to this but in a good way, pressing her tits deep in his chest, holding on tight, her nails scraping the skin of his back, her face soft, lips parted, hips jerking against the vibrator.

And he got to watch.

It was fucking brilliant.

His voice now hoarse, when she was close, he asked, “How’d they do it?”

“Wh… what?” she gasped, her hips now jerking.

Christ.

Hot.

“In your book, baby,” he prompted and she tried to focus on him but failed. He pressed the toy harder to her clit, rolling it and growled, “Faye.”

“All fours,” she panted.

Jesus.

Fuck yes.

“You want that?” he pushed. They’d never done that. She could definitely get wild but he was still initiating her to sex slowly.

“Yes, please,” she breathed, her hips bucked, her head shifted back, lips parting and she came for him.

He didn’t delay, turned off the toy, threw it aside, rolled her to her belly then pulled her hips up and positioned, thanking Christ she’d done what she’d done only once before and that was start reading without putting her panties back on.

Then he drove in.

He was so far gone, she was so slick and still pulsing with her orgasm, it didn’t take him long. Still, she’d just found it but, all Faye, all his, she could get wild. So as he pounded into her, she lifted one hand to curl her fingers around the iron of her headboard and found it again. Her head jerking back, her hair flying, her ass tipping to the ceiling, she came hard and loud, crying out with it, it sent him over the edge and he joined her.

Coming down, he took her slow, gentle, his hands moving over her sweet ass, her hips, the smooth skin of her back, her sides, her ribs under her nightie. Then he pulled out, dropped to her side and hauled her over him so she was on top. He shifted, yanking her covers over both of them then he rounded her with his arms.

She breathed against his neck, her body so loose and sated, she gave him all her weight.

He took it because it felt fucking great.

Finally, she whispered, “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what, darlin’?” he asked quietly.

“I’ve been doing that for a while and you still do it better than me.”

For a second, Chace’s body tensed just thinking yet again of Faye touching herself.

Then his arms got tight around her and he burst out laughing.

When he was done, he noticed her head pressed tight into his neck just as he noticed her body was no longer loose but taut in his arms.

His laughter died but his arms stayed tight when he called, “Faye?”

She didn’t answer.

His hand slid up her spine to glide into her hair and he called again, “Faye, honey? You okay?”

“You know I have a toy,” she whispered.

Fuck, she went so wild for him sometimes he forgot this was all new to her.

“Lots of women have toys,” he told her quietly.

She didn’t answer.

“Nothin’ shameful about it,” he went on.

She was silent.

He used his arm around her to pull her up but even when she was forced to take her face out of his neck, she avoided his eyes.