Royce (6 page)

Royce didn’t move. He wanted to go after his brother and tell him…tell him what? Leave her alone? Enjoy dating her? Royce didn’t like either thought. He didn’t want to date her and he didn’t want his brother to either. He grabbed up his coat to go and have a few words with Miss York. He didn’t know what, but he was going to talk to her about something. He was halfway to the hospital when his phone rang.

“She’s gone. She checked herself out of the hospital about ten minutes ago,” Abby said. “I went to lunch and when I returned, she’d already done it. Did you know that you can get AMA forms off the Internet? She had them signed and gave them to the head nurse when her uncle showed up to get her.”

“Son of a bitch.”

~~~

Jay watched his niece very carefully. She was upset, that was for sure. But about what, he didn’t know. She was talking to Suzy like she always did, but he could hear the strain in her voice.

They were coloring at the makeshift table when Suzy began to cry. “No, no, no. Suzy want red. Want red. Want red.”

“All right, but you know that you can’t have it until you calm down. I won’t play with you if you can’t behave.” Kasey held the red crayon in her hand just so that Suzy could see it. “You want it, you can’t act like a spoiled baby.”

“Want. Suzy want.” When Suzy stood up and stomped her foot, Jay started to move toward her. She wouldn’t hurt Kasey under normal circumstances, but since she was hurt, it would be bad. But Kasey held her ground.

“I have it and if you want it, you know what you have to do.” Suzy stood there glaring down at her niece.

Jay had been caring for his sister since their parents died nearly ten years ago. Suzy had Down’s syndrome. And at fifty-one years old and nearly two hundred and fifty pounds, she was like a very big eight-year-old with the strength of a grown woman. But she loved Kasey, loved her since the day Leah had brought her home from the hospital. And Kasey had been caring for her aunt since she figured out how to.

“I like red. It’s pretty like the flowers.” Jay had to smile at his sister’s reasoning. “You need to let Suzy color with it. Please.”

There was a knock at the door before Kasey answered. But before he left the room, he saw Kasey hand the coveted crayon over to her. The laughter followed him into the front hall. Peace once again reigned. Well, for now, he thought when he saw who was on his front porch.

“Mr. Hunter. How are you tonight? I didn’t…” Jay looked back behind him, sudden dawning hitting him. “She didn’t tell you. She told me that you knew she was coming here.”

“No, I didn’t. I told her to stay there until the doctor released her. She needs proper medical care and I’ve come to take her back so that she can get it.”

Jay nodded. Not that he was agreeing with the man, but he knew why she’d left and he almost understood it. “You telling her to do something is the same thing as telling her to do the opposite, you know. Kasey always has been stubborn like that. The sure way to get her to do something is to tell her she can’t. Works nearly all the time.”

Laughter from the living room had him turning. He was worried about leaving them alone so he thought to get rid of the man before Kasey figured out he was here.

“Look, Mr. Hunter, she’s here now and doing fine. I can’t—” A crash had him nervous. “I have to go. You see yourself out.”

The scene in the living room wasn’t a bad as he’d imagined. The small table that had been set up for the coloring books had been knocked over and Suzy had moved to the television. Kasey was lying back on the couch with her arm over her eyes, but she didn’t appear to be hurt. Jay moved toward the mess, intending to clear it up. Royce took that moment to start into Kasey.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I told you to stay at the hospital. Don’t you listen to a damned thing anyone tells you?”

“You didn’t tell me anything, you arrogant ass, you ordered. I don’t take orders from you or anyone else. And what the hell are you doing here anyway? I thought you’d be thrilled not to have to bother with me anymore.”

“
No
. No, no, no, no.” Suzy put her hands over her ears and started rocking. “No, no, no, no, no.”

“Now look what you did. You’ve upset my aunt. Get out.” Kasey tried to move, but cried out in pain when she did. Jay dropped the books he had and started to go and help her, but Royce was there before he was. Jay watched as the man paled and seemed terrified. Interesting, he thought.

“What is it? Tell me what…are you hurting? Damn it, Kasey, you have several broken ribs. They could be back in your lungs if you don’t lay still.”

“Go away,” Kasey whispered. “Please, you’re upsetting her.”

Jay moved to his sister. “Come on, Suzy, let’s you and I go and make some dinner. Royce, will you stay?”

“No. I want to stay, too. Sit. I’ll be good.” Suzy pointed to the chair next to him and Royce looked at it.

“I’d like to sit next to Kasey for a few minutes, please. She’s hurt and I want to make sure she’s all right.” Royce didn’t raise his voice like some people did when dealing with Suzy. As if raising your voice would make her understand better.

“Royce, I’m going in the kitchen. Kasey needs her pain pills. If Suzy gets out of hand, yell. I’ll come back and get her.” Jay walked to the kitchen and picked up the house phone. He called Leah. “You’re not going to guess who’s here. Royce Hunter. He’s watching over our Kasey.”

“Has he hit her yet?” Leah asked with mirth. “Those two are like two sticks of dynamite ready to explode. He kissed her today, did I tell you?”

She had, but he let her tell him again. Jay leaned his head against the cabinet above the phone and listened to her. He loved his sister very much and knew he was going to miss her more than he could imagine.

“You should come over and eat with us. I have plenty. I made spaghetti and meatballs. There’s a salad too.”

“No, I’m sort of tired tonight. I think I’ll go to bed soon. But you call me tomorrow and tell me how it went. And Jay…”

“Yes, love.”

“Don’t you dare say a word to him if he wants to spend the night. She’s in no shape to have sex and maybe she’ll sleep better if he’s there.”

Jay laughed. “Honey, you know as well as I do if they want to have sex, all the casts in the world aren’t going to stop them. But I won’t. And I’ll call you tomorrow.” He let the tears fall. Leah was his baby sister and he’d do anything in the world for her, but there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about this. He turned to finish up dinner as he thought about the couple in the other room.

He’d worked for the Hunter Corporation since before his own Jean had died some twenty years ago. Their marriage hadn’t been a great one, not even a good one, but it had been fair. Jean had never cared for Suzy and she knew it. When Suzy had had some difficult days, Jean would lock her in the closet and leave her there. It wasn’t until he’d come home from work early to see it for himself that he’d forbidden her to do it again. After that, Jay had asked for help from the local church and Suzy would spend the day with some of the ladies there. She’d grown to love them.

Then Leah had gotten sick after his Jean had died in an automobile accident in icy weather all those years before. Kasey had come home and held them all together. To this day he had no idea what she’d given up to come home to help and she wouldn’t tell him either. From Leah, all he’d gotten was that she was happier here.

When dinner was ready he went back into the other room. He stood in the doorway and watched Royce with Suzy. When he noticed Jay standing there he nodded over to Kasey.

“She’s hurting. Do you think she can have something now?” Jay knew it was bad when she didn’t argue. He handed the water and pain pills to Royce and took Suzy to the kitchen. He came in just as they were finishing up. “I’d like to stay tonight. She’s asleep now, but when she wakes I want to see if I can convince her to come back to the hospital with me.” Royce sat down. “Or bring her back to my house. I can hire someone to keep an eye on her. She won’t be happy, but I’ll know she’s fine.”

“You love Kasey. She’s my favorite. I love her more than chocolate. You love her too.”

Royce stared at Suzy, but made no comment. Jay didn’t either. The man simply looked pole axed, but about what Jay couldn’t say. He showed Royce where to take Kasey and let him settle her in her big bed. He just hoped they all weren’t making a mistake.

Chapter 6

Kasey woke warm. And stiff. It took her a few seconds to realize she wasn’t alone in her bed. When she put her hand on the arm around her waist, she realized it wasn’t her aunt. The arm was most assuredly male.

“Do you need something else for pain?” the voice rumbled sleepily in her ear. “I’m not sure how often you can take them, but it’s been about five hours.”

“Mr. Hunter?” She couldn’t move. She knew she should pull away from him, but she just couldn’t make her body work.

“Kasey, I’m in bed with you. Don’t you think you should drop the Mr. Hunter bit and call me Royce? You did earlier tonight.” His breath was warm on the back of her neck. “And we have kissed.”

“Why are—” Her train of thought stopped when he placed and open-mouthed kiss on the back of her neck. And then when his leg moved over her uninjured one, she moaned.

“Why am I what?” His voice seemed to melt over her. She had to try and concentrate very hard on what she’d been thinking about before he’d kissed her.

“Why are you in bed with me? Shouldn’t you be home, in your own bed, away from me?” She swallowed hard. “You need to back off.”

“I’m in bed with you because you’re here.” He kissed her again before he continued. “And there is only one bed in this room. A nice bed too. I haven’t slept this well in…wow, it’s been months.”

“I’ll give you the brand name. Get off my bed. And go home. Home is where you should be, not here.” Kasey tried to roll away, but short of rolling on her sore hand and arm, there wasn’t much she could do. She tried inching over and away from him, but he pulled her back.

“Lay still. You keep moving around like that and I’ll begin to think you’re ready for some things I’ve had on my mind since I felt you press your bottom against my cock.” He rolled his tongue into the shell of her ear and nipped at her lobe. “Things that’ll make both of us forget where we are.”

Kasey closed her eyes only to see her own ideas of what they could be doing and she popped them back open. “You can’t possibly want to have sex with me. I’m…I’m not your type at all. I’m a…a…stop that.”

He was running his hand up and down her thigh, getting closer and closer to her panties. When his fingers stopped on her hip bone she didn’t know whether she wanted him to move off or closer to her pussy. She squirmed when he didn’t move.

“I want to touch you, Kasey. I want to feel how wet you are and then taste your cream off my fingers.” She closed her eyes at the seduction in his voice. “I want to feel you come around my fingers and lick them dry of you. Will you let me, baby? Will you let me make you come?”

His fingers moved down her thigh and up again. This time he didn’t stop at her hip, but brushed along the elastic at the top of her curls. While his fingers were running back and forth over her skin he was adjusting her around so that her head was toward his and he took her mouth.

This kiss was different than in the hospital. This one was hungry, needy, and so much more heated. As his tongue traced along her lips he slipped his finger under her panties. When his tongue brushed along hers, dueling slightly, his fingers found her clit and he slid between her folds. His moan seemed to come from his mouth and into hers and straight to her pussy, making her cream more on his hand.

“You’re so wet,” he growled in her ear. “Wet enough if I wanted to enter you, I’d slide deep. Do you feel what you’re doing to me?” He pressed his cock into her ass. She moved gently back and heard him moan again.

“Please,” she begged him.

He pulled his fingers free of her and brought them to her mouth. “Taste, baby. Taste what I’m going to when you come. Christ, I want to bury my mouth over you. Lick your pussy until you come down my throat.”

When she lapped at his finger he rocked hard into her ass. She was so close to coming she knew that if he kept this up, she’d be begging for him. When he moved his fingers back to her pussy she started riding him, riding his fingers even as he rocked into her ass from behind.

“I want to be inside of you. I need to…let me, Kasey. Let me bury my cock into you. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

“Yes. Please, yes. Hurry, I need…hurry, please.” She was nearly sobbing when he tore her panties from her and when she felt him pull back she whimpered. Then he was there. His cock hard and hot between the cheeks of her ass.

“Lift your leg for me. Gently, don’t hurt yourself.” She couldn’t think beyond that he was going to be inside of her. Pain was the last thing she could think of. When she lifted her leg, wrappings and all, he entered her.

Neither of them moved for several seconds. Her body was on fire and she knew as soon as he moved, she was going to come. Now, she needed to come right now. With his hand on her hip, she moved back and felt him shudder.

“Please, Royce. I need to…please, fuck me.”

He moved back then rocked forward twice as he filled her. She lifted his hand and put it over her nipple and he bit at her shoulder. The climax came quick, grabbing her hard and making her cry out. Royce moved quicker now, and his fingers of his free hand moved between her legs and he pinched her clit. Again she came, hard. Before she could catch her breath he was pushing her again.

“Come, baby. Come now, come with me.” His command brought her again, and this time she felt him fill her; his cum seemed to touch every part of her body as he shuddered to release inside of her. Even before he pulled free she was drifting off, her body sated and relaxed.

When she woke later the room was still dark. She started to stretch, but a slight soreness and tightness felt like it had taken over her body. Then she remembered what she’d done…what they’d done. She knew she was alone in the bed and started to roll over when he spoke from behind her.