Nobody's Hero (22 page)

He expelled his pent-up breath, relieved
Cassie hadn’t been hurt. Karla wouldn’t have survived that. Thank
God she’d hit the deer, rather than swerve off the road. Picturing
her plunging down the side of a mountain or plowing into a tree
made him even weaker in the knees. “Tell me where you are. I’ll
come get you.”

“They brought me to the ER in Littleton.”

Oh, God, no
. She
was
hurt. Adam
felt as if he’d just been roundhouse kicked in the gut.

“How badly are you hurt, kitten?”

“Bruises, mostly from the seatbelt and
airbag. The doctor said I may have some neck and shoulder strain
tomorrow. No concussion, though. They gave me something for pain,
but it’s not working.”

Her plaintive voice pulled at his heart. Adam
needed to get to her, to hold her, to make sure she was okay.

“I’m on my way, hon.” He walked over to the
mug rack where he hung his keys and retrieved the set for his
truck. “Just take deep breaths and hang on.”

“Sir?”

“Yes, kitten?”

“Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you, hon.”

“But I disobeyed you, Sir.”

His command that she return home within a
certain time rewound and played again in his head. What had he
done? This damned TPE arrangement could have gotten her killed.
“Kitten, stop worrying.” He cleared the gravel from his throat.
“I’m leaving right now. I’ll be there within thirty minutes. Are
they taking good care of you?”

A pause, then a meek, “Yes, Sir.”

“Just do whatever they tell you. Everything’s
going to be fine, kitten.”

Another long silence. She said they’d given
her something, maybe a sedative. “Yes, Sir. Please hurry. I need
you.”

Her plea broke his heart and left him feeling
so helpless. “I’m coming, baby.”

Adam disconnected the phone and turned to
find Marc and Angelina looking at him with worried expressions on
their faces.

“What happened?” they asked in unison.

“Karla hit a deer. She’s a little banged up,
but I think she’ll be okay. I’m going to go get her in
Littleton.”

Marc took the keys from Adam before he had
time to react. His damned reaction times were slowed down by his
recovery. “When’s the last time you took a pain pill?”

“Two nights ago. I’m fine. Give me my fucking
keys.”

“Why don’t you let me drive so you can hold
her on the way back? She’ll probably be shaken up.”

Well, fuck
. Of course, Marc was right.
Adam wasn’t thinking clearly. It would be better if he could focus
on Karla on the way back and not the road. He took the keys from
Marc again, though. “You can drive on the way back. Let’s go.”

“I’ll call Damián and Grant and ask them to
get some others in to help cover for you all at the club tonight,”
Angelina said, putting her hand on Marc’s forearm. Marc nodded.
“Just be careful yourselves. It was snowing when we headed over
here this evening. The roads may be slick now.”

Marc leaned down and kissed her cheek. “We’ll
be fine,
cara
. Maybe you can prepare something light for
tonight, in case Karla’s hungry. I doubt anyone’s going to have
much of an appetite.”

“I know just the thing.” She paused and
added, “I love you.” She brushed a kiss across Marc’s lips, then
Adam and Marc headed out the back door.

Kitten, I hope you know I love you, too.

I just can’t love you the way you need to be
loved.

Karla lay curled on her side in the narrow
hospital bed. The pain in her chest and shoulders radiated into her
neck. Her head had begun to throb in the last quarter hour,
matching the beat of her heart. Why hadn’t she listened to her
Master and come straight home? When Cassie had wanted to show her
the painting she was working on, Karla hadn’t realized how much
time had passed until she was already half an hour late. She’d only
sped a little before the snow started and she decided it would be
better to slow down and be a little late than to get hurt. But
she’d gotten hurt anyway, killed a deer, and probably totaled
Adam’s SUV. She had only had an hour’s sleep last night and her
uncharacteristic downer hadn’t helped. Why did the deer have
to…

“Just a minute, Sir! Only family members are
allowed back here with patients!”

“Karla, where are you?”

Sir!
“Here!” Tears sprung to her eyes
as she tried to rise, keeping her gaze riveted on the opening
between the curtains and feeling the strain of already stiff
muscles.
Please hurry, Sir.
I need you
. She struggled
to push herself upright and winced.

“Lie still.” Adam’s tall, broad frame filled
the entrance to her cubicle, relief barely edging out worry in his
eyes. She’d caused him to worry; he didn’t need that right now. Oh,
dear Lord, he was the most beautiful sight in the world.

She choked on a sob. “Hold me, Sir.”

He hurried the few feet to get to her and
scooped her into his arms, then sat on the edge of the narrow bed.
“Oh, baby. I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”

“I am now. I’m sorry.”

“I’ve got you, kitten. Don’t worry about
anything.”

Safe.

Karla’s body began shaking. Another sob broke
deep within her. She’d been on the verge of crying all day, only
now she had a reason to cry. What was wrong with her? Everything
was okay now. Adam was here, holding her.

He held her tighter against his chest. “Shhh,
baby. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I made a mess of everything. I didn’t mean
to be so late.”

“We’ll talk about it later, hon. Just rest
now. Slow deep breaths.”

“I stayed at Cassie’s too long…”

“I said we’d talk about it later.”

Sir was angry. Wanting to please him again,
she took a shaky breath, then another a little deeper and the
shaking lessened. “Please, Sir. Don’t send me away.”

“Who said anything about sending you
away?”

“I haven’t been a very good slave.”

Adam picked up the thermal blanket from the
bed and wrapped it around her. He tilted her head back and her mind
grew fuzzy. The pain pill they’d given her must finally be having
an effect on her, now that she didn’t have to hold herself
together, wound tighter than a snare drum. “So sleepy.”

“Good girl. You just sleep now. I have
you.”

“But I don’t have you, do I?” she whispered.
Adam’s body grew tense. A tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
She’d disobeyed him. How would he ever be able to love her if she
couldn’t respect him enough to obey a simple command?

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered.

What did he have to be sorry about? Sorry
he’d asked her to be his slave? Sorry she’d disobeyed him? Oh, God,
sorry she’d disappointed him? Or sorry that he had to send her
away?

“Relax, kitten. Get some sleep.”

Her head hurt too much to sort it all out.
She rested her cheek against his shoulder and drifted off to
sleep.

Home
.

Safe.

* * *

Adam held her closer. Seeing Karla so scared
and vulnerable ripped his guts apart. He’d put her in the situation
that led to this accident. If he hadn’t been so intent on making
her life miserable as his slave, hoping she’d put an end to this
asinine arrangement, she wouldn’t have been hurt.

“I’m so sorry, kitten.”

She moaned and stirred against him, making
him realize he’d spoken aloud. He laid his chin on the top of her
head and just held on. Nothing had ever felt so right as holding
her like this.

Yet he had never been so wrong.

What was he going to do with her? Why
couldn’t she see how wrong he was for her? All she’d know with him
would be pain, frustration, regret. He couldn’t give her the thing
she needed most—love. He’d never been able to love anyone. Why
couldn’t he convince her she didn’t need him?

Why had he never wanted anyone since Joni to
love him more than he wanted Karla to? But if he couldn’t love her
in return, what kind of life would that be for her?

Regrets over Joni seeped into his mind as
Karla’s breathing slowed and grew steady. He’d never been there
when she’d needed him, either, the worst being when their baby had
been stillborn and he was somewhere in Kuwait. How Joni had
continued to love him till the day she died was a mystery to
Adam.

Now Karla. How had he rated being loved by
these two wonderful women? Make no mistake, he had no doubt Karla
loved him, as much as he’d like to pretend she wasn’t. It was
written all over her face and in her actions.

What the fuck was he going to do with
her?

Love her back, jarhead.

Adam grew tense. His mind was playing fucking
tricks on him, but Joni’s voice was as strong in his ear as if she
were sitting on this bed beside him. When she was upset with him,
or teasing him, she called him by that common, but unflattering,
Marine nickname.

How convenient—getting the first wife to
approve the second.
Whoa! Who said anything about a wife?
He
would enjoy having Karla as his sub, maybe, but nothing more
permanent.

He hadn’t felt Joni with him since the weeks
right after she’d died. Of course, he’d closed the door on any such
feelings, heading back to war soon after he’d lost her.

I’m sorry I was such a disappointment to
you, Joni.

He looked down at the beautiful, but very
different, woman sleeping in his arms. “Forgive me, Karla, but I
can never be the man you need. I’ll do everything in my power to
shelter and protect you until you find that man.”

“Excuse me, Sir.” Adam looked up to find the
same nurse who’d tried to keep him from Karla glaring at him over
her clipboard. “The doctor has released Ms. Paxton, but I’ll need
to go over her discharge papers with you if she’ll be staying with
you.”

“She will be. You can give me the
instructions.” After the nurse had gotten him to sign the release,
he’d asked her to tell Marc to bring the truck around. Okay, maybe
ordered was more accurate; once a master sergeant, always one, he
guessed. Adam stood, cradling Karla in his arms as he made his way
out of the ER.

In the passenger seat of the truck, he
continued to hold her in his lap. Marc drove slower than usual.
Adam and Karla shared a seat belt, but Adam didn’t want any jarring
or sudden stops to put pressure on her already sore neck and
shoulders.

Back at the house, Marc held open the
passenger door and walked ahead of them to the back door to hold
that for them, as well. They entered kitchen to the smell of strong
Italian seasonings.
Damn, Marc’s girlfriend could cook
.
Music spilled from the hallway leading to the club, where canned
music entertained the members tonight. He was grateful to have
Damián and Grant who could step up when he couldn’t oversee things
the way he usually did.

Angelina turned away from a large stock pot
on the stove and came over to them, her hand reaching out to stroke
Karla’s hair and whisper, “How is she?”

“Sedated. I’m going to get her into bed.”

“I have a pot of minestrone on the stove.
Great comfort food. Can I fix you a bowl, Adam?”

“No, thanks, hon. Smells great, but I’ll wait
and enjoy it later with Karla. Thanks for going to all the trouble
of making it.”

“No trouble. I can make it in my sleep.”
Angelina reached up and cupped Adam’s cheek. “I’m glad she has you,
Adam.”

He cleared his throat.
It’s not like
that.
But he didn’t owe any explanation to Angelina. He turned
to his buddy. “Marc, thanks for your help tonight, too. You two
stay as long as you like. Sounds like the club’s hopping, if you’re
in the mood. But we’re going to bed. Good night.”

Karla raised her head and snared him with her
sleepy gaze, then smiled. Adam didn’t care if Marc and Angelina
knew he’d slept with her already or not, but Karla wasn’t going to
be anywhere but beside him in his bed tonight. He wouldn’t be able
to sleep unless she was nearby. Truthfully, he wouldn’t be able to
sleep
with her regardless, but at least he wouldn’t worry as
much as he would if she were across the hall.

He grinned back at her and proceeded down the
hallway toward the stairs. “How are you feeling, hon?”

“Like the coyote in the
Road Runner
cartoons. Only better, because you’re holding me.” She laid her
head against his shoulder again and he felt his chest swell with
pride that he’d made her happy with such a simple thing. He wished
he could go on doing things to make her happy forever, but that
wasn’t the wise thing to do. He’d already learned that, where Karla
was concerned, his self-control was nil.

He carried her into his bedroom and laid her
down. She moaned and reached for him, wrapping her surprisingly
strong arms around his neck, but he managed to extricate himself
from long enough to remove her shoes and jeans. He pulled down the
covers on his side before coaxing her to scoot over so she wouldn’t
be lying on top of the comforter. He pulled off his own clothes,
put on a pair of skivvies and a t-shirt and crawled in on what he’d
come to know lately as her side of the bed. Once he’d covered them
both up, he pulled her backside into the spoon of his body, wrapped
an arm over her midsection, and held her.

“Sleep now, love.”

Adam closed his eyes. What was he going to do
to make things right again? How could he have fucked everything up
so badly? All he’d wanted to do was protect her—from himself.

Yet all he’d managed to do was hurt her.

Big fucking surprise.

* * *

Karla had never felt so safe. Warm.
Cocooned.

Adam.

His woodsy scent surrounded her and he was
holding her again. He wasn’t angry. Maybe he would forgive her for
willfully disobeying him. She needed to turn around and face him,
ask his forgiveness, but she didn’t want to put an end to this rare
intimate moment with him.