Fall On Me (24 page)

"I missed you too," I whispered, wrapping my
arms around his neck tightly. "I made dinner," I added as I
breathed in the faded scent of his aftershave. His neck was wet
from the droplets of water that were trickling from his hair. "It's
probably still warm."

"I know what I'm hungry for," he said in a
gruff tone as his hands dropped to cup my butt. "And it's not on a
plate in the kitchen."

"I'm not a piece of meat, you know," I joked,
feeling right for the first time since he left this morning. He was
home. All was good again. The nervous butterflies were caged again.
Blocking out all my earlier doubts and fears, I allowed myself to
bask in his comforting presence–in the palpable heat that was
burning in his eyes and melting my heart.

Kyle smirked and shrugged his shoulders
before dipping his face to my neck. "On the contrary, princess,
you're my favorite cut, taste and flavor." I felt the wet heat of
his tongue against my skin and my legs weakened.

"Seriously?" I breathed as I sagged against
him. "Dirty talk revolving around a meat product?"

"What can I say," he teased as he hoisted me
into his arms and began climbing the stairs, eyes dark and full of
sensual promises. "I'm a red blooded male in the prime of my
youth."

****

"I've always wanted to ask you something," I
confessed as I rested my head against Kyle's chest. "But I've been
too afraid."

I felt his finger tip my chin up to meet his
face. "You can ask me whatever the hell you like, princess," he
said in a gruff tone as he brushed his thumb over my cheekbone.
"You know this."

"Okay," I said. "But it's not an accusatory
question. It's more curiosity than anything. So don't get mad,
okay?"

"Okay…"

"The night I miscarried," I whispered,
pausing to gauge his reaction. Apart from the skin around his eyes
tightening, his face remained impassive. "Where did you sleep?"

My question must have surprised Kyle because
his eyes widened, his forehead creased. Gently rolling me off his
chest, Kyle sat up and rubbed his forehead with his hand.
"Lee…"

"I'm not angry, Kyle," I quickly told him as
I sat up. "I just want to know. You told me you went to Rachel's
and had words with her. But you didn't arrive to the hospital until
the next day. Where did you go?"

He shook his head. His body tensed. "I
really don't see what this has to do with anything," he hissed.
"None of that matters now. It's in the past."

"Where did you go, Kyle?" I asked in a
firmer voice, suddenly nervous. What was he hiding? Oh god, what
did he do?

"Why don't you ask what you really want to
know, princess." he said in a cold tone of voice. "You think I
stayed with her."

I didn't think that, or at least I hadn't
thought that. Until now. "I'm not going to argue with you," I told
him as I shook my head. "I would just like to know."

We stared at one another, my gray eyes
welded to his blue ones, waiting to see who would hesitate and who
would back down. Surprisingly, it was Kyle who looked away first.
"I did stay at Rachel's," he muttered in defeat. "But not for the
reasons you're thinking."

Ice ran through my veins, but I forced my
body to stay firmly on this bed and hear him out. Closing my eyes,
I inhaled a steadying breath through my nose as I tried to push
every painful thought, notion and sickening image out of my
mind.

"I had a lot to drink that night, Lee," he
whispered. "Rachel drove us to her apartment."

When I felt I was ready for him to continue,
I opened my eyes and made a point of keeping my features blank. I
didn't want the 'make Lee feel better' truth. I deserved the god
honest truth, warts and all. "You could have called a cab." The
words spilled out of my mouth without my brain's approval. "You
could have walked."

Calm, deep breaths.

"I know that," he sighed. "Christ, don't you
think I know that?" His shoulders sagged as he hissed out a sharp
breath. "She went fucking nuclear that night, baby. I know that
doesn't excuse my actions, or the fact that I wasn't with you when
you were losing our baby, but I had an honest to god fear of her
harming herself. The shit that spurred out of her mouth was
insane…If I knew then what I know now, and could go back to that
night, I would hand her the bottle of pills she was threatening to
take and tell her to go fuck herself. "

"Don't say that, Kyle," I choked out as I
reached over and grabbed his hand. "You did the right thing." The
words tasted sour in my mouth. I was fighting an internal battle.
Half of me was happy he said that he wished he'd let her die. I
wanted Rachel to burn. Not for what she had done to me, but for
what she had done to the people I loved.

I wanted justice for Cam.

For Derek's depression.

For the nightmare's that stalked me.

But mostly for Kyle. He was no angel, but he
was a good man who hid that huge heart of his well. Thoughts like
that did no favors for good people. Thoughts like that blackened a
person's soul. She'd tainted me. I was scarred, but I'd be damned
if she marked my man.

****

Chapter 13

Mood
killer

Derek

The sunlight beamed through the crack between
my bedroom curtains illuminating the short golden hair of the woman
asleep beside me. I groaned and threw my hand over my face.

I had to stop doing this.

The first night had been revenge. The second
had been loneliness. And the third…I wasn't sure what this was, but
it had gone too far. She wasn't supposed to stay the night. She had
a goddamn family waiting for her at home. "Come on, sweetheart," I
whispered nudging her arm. She didn't stir. "Wake up." She opened
her brown eyes and gave me a smile of pure female satisfaction.
Well, I was glad she was content. I, on the other hand, was a
fucking mess.

"Morning," she purred as she stretched her
arms over her head and twisted her body into mine. I pulled away
and climbed out of bed. I didn't fucking snuggle and she should
have left last night.

"You need to go," I said coldly as I pulled
on my jeans and rooted around for my shirt. Kyle was right. I
needed to clean this house up. I needed to clean my act up. I
couldn't keep living like this. I'd sworn after the last time never
again. Yet here I was. What had started as revenge was now just
sick and twisted. I looked down at her naked body, sprawled out on
my bed, and disgust chewed at my gut. She was a beautiful woman for
her age, but this was so wrong. "Anna," I snapped when she didn't
move. "You need to go home. Now."

"He doesn't care," she said in her soft
British accent. "He never has."

Fuck, I didn't need this.

****

Lee

"Did you take your meds today?" Kyle stood in
the doorway between our bathroom and bedroom, with his arms folded,
legs apart. A white towel hung low on his narrow hips. Droplets of
water dripped from his hair, falling to his chest before slithering
down his toned stomach.
Sweet Lord Almighty…

Forcing my face to meet his, I rolled my
eyes, picked up my hairbrush and resumed my task of un-knotting my
curls. If he didn't look so hot, and I hadn't lost my train of
thought from ogling him, I'd be pretty annoyed he was bringing this
up again. "Of course I did. I also took it yesterday and the day
before that, too. You know this." He was referring to the
anti-rejection medication I had been prescribed and needed to take
daily.

For the rest of my life.

The meds were to prevent my body from
rejecting my new kidney. I knew all this, but Kyle seemed to enjoy
lecturing me on every rule and regulation of my new lifestyle when
he felt inclined. "Did you…" he began, but I interrupted him
quickly, knowing full well what he was about to ask. The man was
methodical.

"Yes, I remember what the doctor said. I've
been very thorough in my application of SPF. 50. And look, I even
did my nose," I teased, leaning my hip against the bed frame. It
was pouring with rain outside, but according to Kyle, a person in
my
condition
could burn through rainclouds–in November. What
a croc… "So, have I been a good girl, Mr. Carter, or should I go
sit on the naughty step?"

The tension around his eyes eased and his
lips rose in a reluctant smile as he prowled towards me. "Hmm," he
purred as he wrapped his arms around my waist. Grabbing my ass, he
hoisted me into his arms. "Maybe I need to take a closer
inspection."

Wrapping my legs around his waist I groaned
when I felt his hardness press against me. Capturing my lips with
his, Kyle kissed me so deeply and with such intensity that every
inch of my body vibrated with desire. "I think you need to check
here," I whispered against his mouth as I rubbed myself against his
erection. I needed this. I needed to be with him. I needed him to
be inside me. It was the only time things felt worthwhile. I felt
worthwhile when I was in his arms. When everything became too much
I clung to our connection as my lifeline. He always pulled me back
from the darkness. He could fix everything broken in me as quick as
he could break me. I belonged to him and I'd give him anything he
wanted…

"Christ, Lee," he groaned as his lips dropped
to my neck. Guiding us to the bed, Kyle laid me on my back before
lowering himself on top of me. He didn't put his full weight on me
and I wished he would. I needed all of him. Every ounce and every
touch. He was my anchor. I'd been haunted with nightmares last
night and needed him to ground me.

Sliding up my night-shirt, his tongue lapped
over my bare breasts. "You can't say shit like that to me," he
grunted as he flicked one of my nipples with his tongue. "I'm gonna
explode and you're not…"

I didn't let him finish speaking. I couldn't.
Grabbing his face between my hands, I pulled his lips up to meet
mine as I rocked my pelvis upwards. I felt him harden with each
thrust of my hips. Slipping a hand between us, Kyle pulled his
towel away and shoved my t-shirt up my body. "You're soaking,
baby," he purred as he rolled my clit between his fingers. Oh god…
He knew just the right amount of pressure to apply, the speed I
needed him to use.

"Kyle," I moaned, spreading my legs wider for
him. "Please..."

"Please what, princess?" he crooned as his
fingers worked me into a frenzy. Every vibrating touch of his thumb
to my clit caused my body to shake violently. I was a quivering
mess underneath this sex god of a man and he'd barely touched me.
"You want me to stop?"

Shaking my head, I reached for his erection.
I couldn't speak. Words were beyond me. I needed the physicality of
our relationship. "Fuck," he hissed as he bit down on his lower
lip, losing his expert rhythm on my clit when I stroked his
length.

Wriggling myself further down the bed, I had
to bite back a moan when I found what I was looking for. The head
of his shaft against my entrance was almost enough to set me off. I
was throbbing and clenching in anticipation as I guided his
erection inside of me.

"Princess…" he moaned as he sank fully into
me. His weight came down on me and I relished his temporary loss of
control. Wrapping my legs around his hips, I rocked upwards as he
filled me. The feel of him inside of me was both agonizing and
mind-blowing. I'd never been with anyone but Kyle, and I couldn't
be certain, but I guessed he was bigger than the average man. When
he was fully erect and inside of me, stretching and filling me to
the brim, the sensation was so overwhelming it was close to
painful. Painfully amazing…

"Easy, baby," he whispered as he slid in and
out slowly. "You're not ready for the hard stuff…"

"I want the hard stuff," I moaned as I
quickened the pace of my hips. I was frantic in my search for
release. My orgasm was building inside of me and I was desperate to
come…

"Wah…Wah…"

My desire abandoned me the instant I heard
the soft cries coming from the baby monitor next to our bed.
Dropping my hands from around his neck to his chest, I let my legs
fall away from his hips as I gently pushed him off me as I
attempted to stifle a giggle.

"Fuck," Kyle groaned as he dropped his head
to my neck. Growling in frustration, he pulled out slowly and
rolled onto his back. "Goddammit to hell," he muttered as he
covered his face with his arm.

Sitting up, I fixed my night-shirt before
climbing off the bed. "Sorry." I grinned. "Duty calls."

****

Kyle

Christ, I thought I'd explode this morning
when Lee climbed off me–mid-sex. Yeah, it was a little awkward when
Hope started crying, but, Jesus, I was
this
close. Didn't
she understand a man's body? She could have killed me. Seriously, I
had a genuine concern for my dick. It wouldn't lie the fuck down.
I'd been walking around with wood half the goddamn day. I needed to
get my ass home and have her finish what she started…

I looked up when I heard the sound of my
office door open. A young girl with cropped blonde hair stood in
the doorway with a cleaning cart. "Shit," she mumbled. "I mean
sorry, Mr. Carter. I thought your office was empty."

"It's fine," I said wearily as I grabbed my
jacket and laptop. I wasn't getting anything done around here
today. I was pissed off and horny as hell.

Bad combination.

"Will I come back later?" the blonde
asked.

Jesus, I'd been so distracted with the past
few months that I couldn't even remembering hiring this one. She
looked familiar. I knew I'd seen her head around the place–not many
girls wore their hair so short–but I couldn't place her. "What's
your name?" I asked, embarrassed at not knowing.