by Mia Jones
Lilah felt tears sting her eyes. That was the closest he’d ever come to admitting how deeply he cared for her.
Lilah wiped the water that ran down the side of his face.
“I can say the same. I always thought I was happy and fulfilled. Looking back now, I know there was a crucial part of me missing. You.”
They stood and stared at each other and then Kaden reached behind her and turned off the water. He grabbed a towel and watched her wring the water from her hair before drying her off. He wrapped the towel around her and grabbed one of his own, hastily drying his body, and then wrapped the cloth around his hips and secured it.
He lifted her out of the shower and set her on the counter.
Lilah closed her eyes. She always loved when he took care of her. She knew he enjoyed it as much as, if not more than, she did.
He sprayed the leave-in conditioner generously over her hair and then finger combed it before reaching for the hairdryer.
Lilah would catch him staring down at her while he worked. She lifted her hands and spread them over the defined contours of his chest and stomach. She ran her fingers through the small patch of hair he had in the middle of his chest.
She traced the thin line of hair that descended past the towel.
Her fingers traced over the scars she could reach; then she’d press her lips to them.
She could study his body every day and never get tired of it. He was a beautiful male specimen. Everything about him was undeniably masculine.
His hands were the size of dinner plates and could easily crush most men, but she’d never known a moment of fear or pain with him. She knew as long as she was with him, she’d be safe.
He finished drying her hair and picked her up. He whipped the towel from her and then his hips before laying her on the bed and coming down over her.
He made sure he kept most of his weight off of her and then kissed her. He used his lips, tongue, and teeth to devour her and only lifted his head when she started begging.
Kaden slid his mouth to her neck and then lower. Lilah clutched at his shoulder when he widened her legs to fit his torso. He speared his tongue into her pussy and then smiled when she screeched, and her body bowed off the bed.
When he felt her start to stiffen, he pushed one of his long blunt fingers into her at the same time he sucked her clit into his mouth.
He almost came just watching her rapture. The sounds she made as her whole body was in the throes of an orgasm were the sexiest thing he’d ever heard.
Kaden moved up and speared his cock inside of her at the same time he took her lips.
He pumped into her several times and felt her start to come apart again.
The rosy cast to her skin, the way her face contorted in pleasure, and the surprise in her eyes almost sent him over, but he waited to cum when she settled down from her last orgasm. Within a minute, he was losing himself inside of her.
Air billowed in and out of their lungs.
Kaden finally found the strength to move to her side, taking her with him, so they stayed connected as long as his penis remained in the firm grip of her pussy.
He listened to her, breathing even out and then get deeper. He held her while she slept for a long time before he placed her comfortably in between the sheets. He smoothed her hair and leaned in to tenderly kiss her forehead.
He pulled on boxers and walked into the kitchen.
Kaden was planning on making pasta that night, but they were both wiped out, so he decided on beef and vegetable soup and grilled cheese.
He just flipped the sandwich when arms came around his midriff and lips pressed against his back.
He looked at her over his shoulder.
“Baby, I was going to bring it in, so you didn’t have to get out of bed.”
Lilah tightened her hold before she released him and walked to the refrigerator.
“What do you want to drink?”
Kaden’s attention focused on her. She’d pulled on his shirt again. She once said it made her feel like he was wrapped around her.
“Beer.”
Lilah nodded, grabbed his beer, and a diet soda for herself.
Kaden put the sandwiches on a plate and set them on the table with one big bowl of soup.
“Come here.”
Lilah let him pull her into his lap.
“I don’t get my own?” she asked and smiled.
“It’s all yours, but you’re going to share with me.”
Lilah huffed out a laugh.
He used an arm to hold her steady and used his other hand to feed them both.
Kaden scooped up a spoonful, tested to make sure it wasn’t too hot and brought it to her mouth before taking his own spoonful. They did that until both the soup and sandwiches were gone.
Lilah took the last bit of soup.
She raised her hand when he brought the sandwich to her mouth.
“I’ve had enough,” she said and leaned against his chest while he finished the sandwich.
She closed her eyes. She could feel herself begin to fall asleep and roused herself. She climbed off his lap and started taking the dishes to the sink.
The kitchen was spotless after they both cleaned it up.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Kaden asked her.
She smiled up at him. “As long as it’s not one of the bloody ones.”
“Well, I’m not watching a chick-flick,” Kaden announced, glowered down at her, and crossed his arms over his chest.
“I guess it’s a comedy tonight,” she guessed with a smirk.
Kaden snorted, bent, placed his shoulder in her mid-section, and lifted her into a fireman’s hold.
Lilah screamed. “Put me down,” she yelled.
“No.” Kaden walked her into the TV room.
Lilah growled and smacked his ass as hard as she could. She screeched when he slapped her bottom right back.
She wanted to smack him again, but knew he’d just whack her back. His hand was a lot harder and bigger and held a hell of a lot more force than hers did.
“You goat head,” she hissed.
Kaden huffed out a laugh and then spanked her ass.
“Kaden!” she cried out in disbelief.
She glowered up at him when he finally set her on the sofa.
He held up a hand. “Hold that thought.”
Lilah watched him pick up the remote and start scanning Netflix. He smiled when he found what he wanted and then came to sit beside her before he pulled her onto his lap.
She’d gotten used to him putting her where he wanted her instead of asking and hadn’t had a problem with it. What she had a problem with was the smirk on his face. She glanced at the TV.
“What did you pick?” she asked suspiciously.
“You’ll see.”
Lilah got comfortable against his chest and waited.
Pictures started crossing the screen, and then the movie started.
She sat up straight. “You pick porn?” she screeched.
Kaden laughed. “Yeah, it said this was supposed to be funny.”
Lilah slapped his chest.
“Give it a chance,” he advised.
She huffed out a breath but relaxed back against him again.
Within five minutes, the two people in the movie were on each other.
“That was fast,” Lilah commented.
The breath stalled in her lungs when Kaden’s hand started caressing her thigh. She felt herself sink against him as the hot vibes raced through her. Her breathing got deeper the closer he got to the heart of her desire.
Her head fell back against his shoulder, and her eyes slid closed.
“Open your eyes,” he demanded. “Watch the screen because I’m going to do to you what the guy is doing to the woman.”
Lilah’s attention rested back on the TV and watched as the man flipped her over on her hands and knees and plunged back into the girl.
Watching the sex scene and having Kaden use his fingers to separate
her lower lips and press on her clit made her so close to going over, she couldn’t hold it back.
She whimpered and pressed her face against his neck as her body shook with her orgasm.
“Jesus,” Kaden exclaimed. “That was so hot, baby.”
Lilah couldn’t talk yet, so she just nodded.
His heart felt about ready to burst. Watching Lilah cum had been one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen. He grimaced as she pressed down on his hard erection. He flipped her over on her stomach and pulled her up until she was on her knees, pulled his penis out of his boxers, and started pushing in.
He gritted his teeth against the urge to slam into her, but it was near impossible when she was wiggling her ass and begging him for more.
He lightly smacked her ass. “I will not hurt you. You’ll take me slow like this even if it kills me.”
It was like she didn’t hear or understand him.
Finally, he was where he dreamed of being twenty-four hours a day, deep inside the woman that had taken over his world.
He felt her constrict around him right away as he started pumping into her. He knew he wouldn’t last too much longer, so he bent and reached under her so he could manipulate her clit.
Within a minute, Lilah screamed.
He rode her hard through her orgasm before he took his own pleasure.
Kaden caught himself on the back of the sofa and waited until the feeling came back into his arms and legs.
He smiled when Lilah collapsed and sprawled under him, somehow keeping him lodged inside of her still. He groaned as he pulled out of her, turned off the TV, picked her up, and took her to bed.
He’d wanted to talk about her reaction after he picked her up from work, but he could tell it wasn’t going to happen that night.
Before putting her under the blankets, he wiped off their combined cum, knowing she’d sleep better.
Within five minutes, he’d secured the house and turned off the lights.
He gathered her sleep prone body against his chest, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and murmured his love for her silently.
Kaden couldn’t wait until he’d be able to say it to her every day and not be afraid it would make her run from him.
Chapter Sixteen
Lilah glanced at Kaden as he drove her to the hospital.
“When do you think I’ll be able to drive myself again?”
She saw him glance at her, his face grim.
“Not until Terry is caught, baby. You know that.”
Lilah sighed and looked out her own window.
“Do you dislike me driving you that much?” he asked.
Lilah’s head snapped around. “That’s not it at all. I love every minute I spend with you. It’s just he’s taken away some of my freedom, and I resent it.”
“I can understand that,” he replied. “He’s going to be caught. His face is everywhere. But until then, I’d feel better taking you to your job and back.”
“It just takes so much of your time. It’s not fair to you.”
After parking, Kaden reached for her hand.
“I don’t think about it that way. I’m protecting what’s mine.”
She snorted. “You sound like a caveman.”
Instead of the smirk she expected, his eyes hardened.
“You need to tell me if how I am with you bothers you.”
The smile melted from her face. “I was just kidding.”
She could tell he wasn’t convinced, but he let it go and got out of his truck. He lifted Lilah out, grabbed her bag and purse, wrapped an arm around her waist, and moved toward the building.
“You know you don’t have to take me to my floor. We have security all over the hospital.”
“I feel better if I do it.”
She could tell she’d struck a nerve when his jaw clenched. She wanted to say more, but they’d made it to the elevators with a crowd of other people.
They stepped out of the elevator when they came to her floor.
Kaden grasped her shoulders, bent and pressed a kiss against her lips.
“I’ll see you when I come to pick you up. Stay on this floor and wait for me.”
Lilah went on her tiptoes and kissed him.
“I understand completely. I’ll be right here.”
Kaden nodded, turned when the elevator door opened.
Lilah waved at him as he stood in the back of the elevator. He waved back but still looked grim. When he picked her up later, she’d get to the bottom of his problem.
The day seemed to crawl. All she could think about was talking to Kaden. Something was going on with him, and she wanted to know what it was before it drove her crazy.
Lilah had just passed the supply closet when a hand pressed against her face, and an arm circled her waist and pulled her into the small dark room. It was the size of a little bedroom with shelving against every wall and a row of them down the middle. This closet held everything the nurses needed except the drugs.
The shock paralyzed her for a brief moment, long enough for him to tape her mouth shut with duct tape he must have had ready.
She started to fight him, but he was so much stronger and had her pressed up against the shelving. Lilah knew it was Terry, but she couldn’t figure out how he got on the floor until she saw the orderly outfit he wore with the light from under the door.
He’d pretended to work at the hospital. He had a lot more guts than she or anyone else had thought.
She fought him as he tried to tape her hands together.
“You fucking bitch. You ‘ve ruined everything. All you had to do was talk to me.”
Lilah mumbled and tried to yell.
He got her hands tied and started pulling her down on the floor of the closet. She went wild when he started to get her pants down.
“Shut up.” He slapped her hard across her face, temporarily stunning her.
She tried kicking and hitting him with her taped hands. He continued to hit her, and her head hit the edge of the shelf, causing her eyesight to fade, and her body to feel paralyzed.
Tears were streaming down her cheek. She tried kicking at the shelving, hoping to make enough noise for someone to hear.
Light hit her face as the door was thrust open.
“What the hell,” a woman yelled. “I need help. Lilah’s getting attacked. Get security.” Within a minute, several men were converging on the scene.
Terry fought to get free when an orderly and security took him to the ground.
Several nurses got Lilah out of the closet, free from the tape, and started assessing her injuries.
“Oh, my God, what happened?” Addison yelled and fell to the floor beside Lilah.
One of the nurses pointed to where the security guard was holding a handcuffed Terry.
“That guy was attacking her.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Addison hissed. “Let’s get her on a gurney.”
Between them and a doctor, they had her secured on a gurney and in the first empty room. They transferred her to the bed, and the doctor started examining Lilah.
“Where does it hurt?”
Lilah touched her head and cheek. “Mostly here,” she told Dr. Swenson.
“We need to get a CT scan,” he called out.
One of the nurses ran from the room.
Lilah tightened the drawstring on her pants and clutched at it when the doctor tried to pull them off.
“No, he didn’t rape me. I’ll have several wounds, but the only thing you should worry about is my head.”
Addison shook her head at the doctor, keeping him from arguing.
Dr. Swenson was older but had a good head on his shoulders and minimal ego, so he listened to Addison. He watched as the shaking of her limbs turned into violent tremors.
“She’s going into shock, let’s get some heated blankets on her and start an I.V.”
For several minutes, Addison and Dr. Swenson worked on her, getting her comfortable. The doctor gave her a sedative that instantl
y calmed her. Lilah had settled a bit when a nurse came into the room.
“I’m here to take her for a CT.”
Addison and the nurse maneuvered the bed out of the room and into the elevator. Addison was glad they’d taken Terry away, so Lilah didn’t have to see him again.
With help from an orderly, they transferred Lilah to the machine.
Lilah grabbed onto Addison’s hand.
“Please don’t go,” Lilah begged.
Addison stroked her shoulder. “Never. I’ll be here as long as you need.”
Lilah nodded. “I need Kaden,” she whispered as she rested.
Addison moved out of the way of the nurse that was setting up the test. She walked into the small room so she could see Lilah and Lilah could see her.
“I need a phone.”
A technician handed over her phone.
Addison had to call to get his number and then dialed.
“Shaw,” Kaden barked into the phone.
“Kaden, it’s Addison. Lilah is doing okay,” she tried to reassure him before she told him the bad news. “But she was attacked.”
“What?” he bellowed.
“We’re checking her head out, but otherwise, everything else is fine. She’ll be achy for a few days. We want to make sure her head’s fine. She’s alert.”
Addison heard a motor rev and assumed Kaden was in his truck and on his way.
“Was it Terry?”
“Yes,” Addison told him. “He’s in custody.” Addison cringed at the words and anger coming through the phone.
“Kaden, I know you’re pissed. We all are, but you’ll need to be calm when you get here, or security won’t let you up, and Lilah needs you.”
“I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“Go up to our nurse station. They’ll show you the room we have her in. We will be up there shortly.”
“She wasn’t raped. Please tell me she wasn’t raped.”
“She wasn’t. A nurse found her before he could get her pants off.”
Addison winced at the agonized growl.
He felt a piercing pain when Addison first told him about Lilah and then a rage like he’d never felt overwhelmed him. Just the thought of being prevented from seeing her had him taking deep, slow breaths after he hung up from Addison.
He pulled abruptly into the parking lot and raced to the main doors. He clenched his hands and took calming breaths. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Lilah. Under any other circumstances, he’d bet she wouldn’t be scared, but a man had been violent with her; it might take a bit for her to come back from that enough to trust him.
