The Intruder (3 page)

Jacob went and checked on his patient and was relieved to find her sleeping soundly. He knew he didn't have any right to spank her, but if she tried to get out of that bed before Jase said it was okay to do so, he would keep his promise... Just like he would if it was his kid sister Jenna. He'd learned a long time ago that a spanking worked better than pleading and arguing. The trouble was that he hadn't meant anyone yet who he cared enough to take over his knee and spank them to insist they work together to make a relationship work. But, in this situation with Kari, it seemed the natural way to settle her down. She'd probably never want to see him again once she was well.

Jake's biggest problem right now was Quincy Darles. His investigation was on hold for now. He had expected to follow the man tonight, but it was out of the question now that he had little Kari to take care of. Jacob couldn't help smiling at the frustration Darles would feel when 'James' didn't show up at the appointed meeting place tonight. In fact, it was kind of funny to know that he was right next door to Quincy Darles apartment... Which brought up another question... Why on earth was Darles living here when he could afford to live anywhere he pleased? It didn't make sense. Yes, these apartments were brand new, and very nice... but... they weren't luxurious, and Darles made a lot of money. It just didn't fit, and Jake was puzzled. Did Darles think that living in a normal neighborhood would protect him? Make him look less suspicious than living in an expensive condo or house? Why would he settle for a one bedroom apartment, even if the apartment was new and clean and very nice? It wasn't typical behavior for a man like Quincy Darles, and it made Jake all the more suspicious of the man. It also put Kari at risk. If someone came looking for Darles and got the wrong apartment, Kari could be hurt or killed for no reason at all. Jake was going to move her out of here as soon as humanly possible... even if he had to take her to his place... or to Ma's. That might be even safer. His Ma wouldn't let anything happen to the little redhead when he was on a case.

Jake heard movement in the other room and got to his feet and went to check on Kari again. She was awake and looking around her as if she didn't know where she was. He got the thermometer and approached the bed. "Let's take your temperature again, sweetheart. It's time for some Tylenol, and I want to see how you're doing."

Kari looked up at him and was shocked to realize that her dream was so real. The big man was still in her apartment! But, now she didn't fear him so much. He hadn't hurt her, other than swatting her bottom so the other tall man could give her a shot. He read the thermometer and shook his head. "It's come down a little, but not nearly enough, sweetheart. You must feel like hell right now. Does your head still hurt?" he wanted to know. She simply nodded, and then closed her eyes. "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" he kept talking to her. She thought about it, and then nodded. She didn't know if she could even get out of bed because she felt so weak. She didn't have to. Jacob picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, and made her blush when he matter-of-factly pulled her nightgown up in back before sitting her on the toilet seat! He left the bathroom then, giving her a bit of privacy, but not until he warned her not to try and stand up by herself. As if she could! Her legs were like rubber. Her body hurt all over and all she wanted to do was lie down and go back to sleep.

Jake got the Tylenol and a glass of orange juice for Kari, and put them on her bedside table before going into the bathroom to carry her back to bed. As he did the other time, he wet a washcloth and brought it to her to wash her hands. Then he gave her the Tylenol, and she took them without fussing. She tried to hand the juice back to him, but he shook his head. "You need liquids, sweetheart. Jase said so. Try to drink all of this juice, and then I'll let you sleep," he promised. Kari was too sick to argue, and she obeyed even though it took a lot of effort to drink the orange juice. "Good girl," Jake said in approval, and then he made her comfortable as possible and let her go back to sleep.

Kari wasn't any worse, but her temperature hadn't come down nearly enough yet, and Jake was worried about her. If she wasn't a lot better soon, he would have to put her in the tub and give her a bath with ice cold water to bring the temp down. He remembered his Ma saying that would help once when Jenna was a little girl... and it did. Maybe he should just do that right now...? No, he would wait an hour, and if the Tylenol didn't help enough, he would put Kari in the bath tub. He could well imagine she wouldn't like that, but she wasn't in the best position to make decisions for herself. He was acting as a nurse, and he would remain impersonal and regard her in the same way he would his little sister, he promised himself.

An hour later, Kari's temperature was still high. Jake went into the bathroom and started filling the bathtub with cold water. In the hospital they would pack her in ice, from what Jase told him, but Kari only had one tray of ice cubes in the freezer, so the cold water was next best. Jacob made sure he had a towel to wrap her in when he was done bathing her. He also found one of those things women use to pull up their hair so it won't get wet, and took it with him into the bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Kari didn't like the look in Jacob's dark eyes. He was up to something and she was sure she wasn't going to like it.

"Sweetheart, your temperature isn't coming down like it should. I'm going to try something else to keep you from having to go to the hospital. Remember, I am your nurse right now, and I'm not going to take advantage of you in any way. I'm going to give you a bath to lower your temperature." He waited for her reaction and it wasn't long in coming.

"No you are not!" Kari immediately protested and she pulled the blankets up to her chin and glared at him. "You just go home and leave me alone!" she ordered. There was no way she would permit him to see her all naked! No way on earth! It was too humiliating to contemplate! "Get out now!"

"I can't do that, sweetheart. You are much sicker than you realize, and I wouldn't leave my worst enemy alone in your condition. Ma would strip the hide off me," he said. "Please don't fight me, Kari. I'm only doing what needs to be done." He tried reasoning with her, but could tell by her body language that he wasn't getting anywhere with her.

"No! I won't have it!" she protested, but it didn't do her a bit of good. Jacob was a very strong man, and he easily pulled the blankets off of her. Kari slapped him in the face as hard as possible when he leaned down to pick her up. She was as weak as a kitten, but she managed to hit him hard enough that he cursed and grabbed his nose to see if it was broken or bleeding, and then he leveled those dark brown eyes on her and she swallowed hard. She'd crossed a line! She, who had never struck another human being in her entire life, had dared to hit the biggest man she'd ever met! Was she completely insane?

"That was uncalled for, little girl. I am trying to help you, not hurt you." In the next instant, he flipped her over on the bed, pulled up her gown to bare her derriere, and he gave her a dozen quick spanks, making her bottom burn, and bringing her to tears of shame and remorse for her actions.

"I'm sorry!" she bawled. "I don't know why I'm acting so horrid!"

"Because you're sick and you're half delirious because of your fever," Jake answered, feeling like an ass for spanking her while she was so ill. Without another word, he carried her into the bathroom and sat her on the toilet lid. He pulled her long red tresses up and wound the hair thingy around her hair a few times. "There, now your hair won't get wet," he muttered in satisfaction.

Kari gasped when he unceremoniously pulled her nightgown over her head and dropped it on the floor. In the next second, he picked her up and carefully sat her in the tub. She gasped again, "This water is freezing cold!" she tried to get up, but he held her down.

"The water needs to be cold, sweetheart. You're just burning up. Now try to tolerate this. I won't keep you here long, I promise. This is necessary to keep you out of the hospital." He picked up the wash cloth he'd tossed in the water earlier, and ran it over her back and shoulders. She was shivering, and he felt bad for her. "This will help, sweetheart. I promise." She had her arms folded over her breasts, trying to hide herself, "Sweetheart, pretend I'm a male nurse, assigned to take care of you. My intentions are pure, and I need to bathe your front, too," he cajoled, and gently pulled her arms down so he could run the wash cloth over her burning skin.

Jake tried real hard not to notice how perfect her breasts were, but damn! Kari Morgan was a lovely woman! He'd have to be blind to miss that. She certainly didn't have need of a bra... Her breasts were firm and the nipples were puckered from the cold water and stood erect. He tried to keep his eyes averted, but it was hard to do as he cooled all of her skin. Finally, he decided she'd had enough for now, and he carefully lifted her wet body from the tub and stood her on the bathmat as he wrapped a soft white towel around her slender body,

Kari's legs were so weak it was all she could do to stand there and when she thought she was going to fall she reached out and steadied herself on Jake. He looked at her and smiled, and she felt weak all over. But was it from her illness, or just because he was so close and so very handsome? The man had spanked her, but given the fact she'd slapped him so hard, she felt lucky that he'd flipped her over and spanked instead retaliating and slapping her in the face. With his large hands, he would have injured her. Better a burning bottom, she decided. She'd earned that spanking for being so impossible. Her feelings were all a jumble, and she didn't know whether to cry or laugh or just melt against Jake. He solved the problem by carrying her back to her bed and sitting her down, careful to keep the wet towel from soaking her sheets.

"Where do you keep your nightgowns, Kari? The other one is wet," he explained. Kari told him, and he found a long tee in the drawer. It looked comfortable, and he quickly pulled it over her before taking away the damp towel. "I'm going to take your temperature again," he said, and Kari tried hard to be a good patient. Her head was still pounding! "Much better," he grinned at her after the thermometer beeped and he read the results. "I want you to drink some water, and then I'll let you rest, sweetheart."

Kari sipped some of the water, but she really needed to sleep. Jacob helped her and tucked her in. "Jacob," she called to him as he was leaving the room. He turned around, looking at her curiously to see what she wanted, "I am sorry I slapped you. I've never done anything like that before."

Jake could see the truth in her green eyes and he came back to the bed to lean down and kiss her on the forehead. "You're forgiven, sweetheart. I don't hold grudges." The smile she gave him touched his heart and for the first time ever Jake wondered if he was actually in love! He was shaken, and quickly left the room before he made a fool of himself and proposed right then and there! Hell, he didn't even know Kari Morgan! What was with him?

Kari felt safe and protected... and it was easy for her to believe the big man loved her. Of course, she was being silly, and when she didn't have such a high temperature, she would scoff at herself, but for now, it was nice to believe... and she went back to sleep with a smile on her pretty face.

Jason came by when he was through at the hospital, just like he promised, to check on his patient. He was encouraged that Kari's temperature was lower now, but cautioned Jake to keep an eye on Kari and call him if she got any worse. When they were out in the living room again, he said, "What's wrong with you, Bro? You look like you haven't slept in days."

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing. Are you getting sick, too?" Jase wouldn't drop it.

"No, I feel fine. You know I don't get sick very often."

"Something's wrong. Is it the guy next door?" Jase whispered.

"Naw. Damn it, Jase. I'm a man. Kari is a pretty woman. It's hard to keep myself detached. She's beautiful, and she's touched me like no other female ever has," he admitted sheepishly, his face red, another unusual occurrence. Jacob Tobias wasn't easily embarrassed.

To his credit, Jason didn't laugh at his older brother's discomfort. He simply nodded and said, "You've met the right one, haven't you, Bro?"

"I think so, but I don't know the first thing about her... Other than stuff that anyone could learn. I don't know what she thinks of kids, family, religion, politics... Hell, I don't even know if she can cook! It's too damn soon to feel like this," he grumbled.

"I know what you mean. It was like that for me when I met Gretchen. I felt like I'd been sucker punched. One brief encounter and I was drowning."

"Gretchen is a great lady," Jake said solemnly. "She's perfect for you."

"I'm a lucky man, and I can't wait for the wedding so we can actually live in the same place. You'll feel the same way once you know Kari better," he predicted.

"She might not feel the same about me. She decked me earlier and I spanked her," he confessed.

"What?" Jase was shocked. "Why did she hit you?"

"Because I was going to give her a cold bath to take down her temperature. I remembered Ma doing that once when Jenna was little. It worked, too," he defended himself.

Jason chuckled. "Yes, it worked, but I can imagine Kari wasn't happy."

"I am her nurse, and I won't take advantage of her," Jake stated.

"I know that, or I would have put her in the hospital," Jason replied. "She didn't seem mad at you, and she didn't argue when I gave her another injection."

"No, she didn't get mad. She said she was sorry, and she meant it," Jake told his brother.

"So, why are you worried?" Jase grinned.

"Hell if I know."

Jason did laugh then, and left before his brother could tear him apart. He had a lovely lady of his own to go and spend time with.

After Jase left, Jake heated up the chicken dinner his brother brought earlier and enjoyed his meal. He turned on the television and watched the news, but kept the volume low so it wouldn't disturb Kari. If he figured correctly, Kari's Dad would be arriving around midnight, if he obeyed the speed limits. Kari still hadn't called him, but she wasn't talking much period. In Keith Morgan's shoes, he would be worried sick by now. Reluctantly, Jake picked up his phone and called the man for a second time, and Morgan answered on the first ring with an impatient 'Yes?'