He had been so angry when he had arrived at her home only to discover she had meant it when she had told him she wouldn’t be there. He had gone hunting for her but seeing the lights off at her shop, he had driven by, intending to look for her all over town until he found her. But something, a sixth sense of urgency, had drawn him back to her shop and he had parked his truck in front of it then gotten out and taken a closer look and seen that the lights were on in the back. He had just begun pounding on the door when he had seen the door to the storage area fly open and Addison had run into the main room.
The light from the hallway had cast so many shadows into the shop that at first he hadn’t seen the man following her. Seeing the masked man chasing her and the knife in his hand, for the first time in his life he had felt deep-gut clenching terror.
Running his hands over his face, he relived the moment he had seen the man bury the knife in her side and the pain and terror on her face as she had ran toward him. Knowing he had to get to her, he had grabbed the small public trash can from the sidewalk and had thrown it through the shop window. The glass had shattered, small pieces still falling when he had ran through the opening, his gun drawn. He had moved in front of her, shielding her with his body while searching the store for the assailant.
When he had lifted her into his arms and felt her blood soaking into his shirt, he had known there wasn’t time to wait for an ambulance. He had carried her to his truck and then driven like a madman to the hospital emergency room, carrying her inside, rushing by the nurse on duty and into one of the treatment rooms. The sound of his shouting had brought doctors and other nurses running, including Doc Robert, who had known instantly that Addison was in critical condition.
He had felt fear in the past. Usually when Addison had done something that had ended with her in the emergency room, and a few times when his assignments had gone bad, but this was the first time he had felt helpless. Realizing that she could have died tonight if he hadn’t shown up, he cursed then began pacing again. “How the hell did that son of a bitch get into the shop? I made sure she had the best security system on the market.”
Jackson kept quiet. There was no way he was telling Cade that Addison hadn’t locked the back door and the alarm had not been activated.
Cade slammed his fist into the wall, cursing. “This shit has got to stop. If she can’t control this damn reckless streak of hers then I will.”
“I thought you and Addison had broken up,” Luc said. “But then everyone at the club saw her come downstairs, and I’ve heard rumors around town about the two of you. Is she your sub now?”
Jackson watched as Logan looked at Luc, and a silent agreement passed between them with a lift of a brow here and an almost imperceptible nod there.
“We’re here for you, Cade. Whatever you need,” Logan said as Luc nodded in agreement.
One side of Jackson’s mouth curved up when he saw Cade cock a brow then nod at the twins and give them an evil grin. They both took a step back. It wouldn’t be long now before Cade lost all patience with them and left the room. He glanced at the clock. If he was a betting man, and he was, he would take odds that Cade would be out of here in less than one minute. Forty-nine seconds later, he grinned as Cade got up and walked out. A man had to find happiness where he could, he thought to himself, then lost his grin when Jenna walked into the room.
“How’s Addison?” she asked anxiously, ignoring Jackson’s presence.
“Still in surgery,” Logan said.
“What happened? Did the police catch the guy?”
“He got away. The police think it was a random robbery,” Cade told her as he walked back into the room and sat down, worried and exhausted. He had been working around the clock the last two weeks trying to discover who had blown his cover on his last assignment in South America.
“What do you think?” Jenna asked him. Even though she didn’t like the way he had been treating Addison, she felt concern for him when she saw the worry on his face and the small cuts on his face and hands.
“They’re probably right,” Cade told her. “They told me this is the third robbery in three weeks and the other victims described the same man I saw in her shop tonight.”
When Doc Roberts walked into the room, Cade tensed and stood up. Doc held his hands up then told him, “Addison came through the surgery just fine. We repaired the damage and Dr. Sahal did the stitches.” Then seeing the look on Cade’s face and knowing what was coming next he added, “He’s the best cosmetic surgeon in east Texas so she shouldn’t have much of a scar at all. As far as recovery from the surgery goes, she should be okay in a couple weeks. If there’s any stiffness then I’ll order some physical therapy for her.”
“Where is she?” Cade asked.
“She’s in recovery. We’ll leave her there tonight then move her to a private room sometime tomorrow,” he said while turning in a half circle, tracking Cade as he walked around him. Doc watched him walk away, knowing there was no stopping him when it came to Addison. “I better go save my nurses,” he said as he hurried after Cade, wondering how he was going to get him to cooperate long enough to remove all the slivers of glass imbedded in his skin.
* * * *
Walking through the familiar hallway, he decided he was going to put an end to her devil-may-care attitude. The last time she had ended up here she had fallen from a horse that she had obstinately refused to identify, and he had had to ban her from the ranch. He suspected, even though he had not caught her, that she was still sneaking out there and riding that horse.
Entering her room, he stared down the nurse standing over her, then sat on the edge of her bed. The small freckles across the bridge of her nose stood out starkly against the paleness of her skin. Lifting her right hand, he saw the blood under her nails, and he felt sick to his soul that he hadn’t been in time to protect her. “Get me a bowl of warm water and a cloth,” he told the nurse, his voice demanding obedience.
When she started to protest, he glanced up at her and she hurried away, returning a few minutes later with a pink tub of warm water and a washcloth. Wetting the cloth, he worked on getting the blood off her fingers and out from under her fingernails. He had been wounded more times than he could remember but this should never have happened to her.
He stayed with her, holding her hand and talking to her, afraid she would slip away from him if he so much as looked away from her. When the doctors and nurses came in, he moved back a few feet and let them do whatever they needed to do, but as soon as they left he picked up her hand, connecting them, holding her with him. When doc came in with a nurse, insisting that Cade allow him to remove the glass and treat the small wounds, he had peeled off his shirt but refused to let her hand go.
Toward morning, when Addison began to move restlessly and cry out in her sleep, Cade slid his hand under her neck and stroked his fingers over her soft cheek, wishing he could hold her without hurting her. “Shhh, baby, I’m here.” Hearing her sigh and seeing her body relax back into sleep, he let a small smile lift his lips. No matter what she said about not wanting to see him, her mind and body still responded to him.
A nurse entered the room and injected pain medication into Addison’s IV then smoothed the covers over her legs. “The best thing for her now is to rest and heal. She probably won’t wake until around noon. If you want to go get something to eat and clean up I can stay with her.”
“No,” he told her, his voice blunt. He had had a lot of time to think about his relationship with her while she slept. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her, no matter what she said. The problem was that she loved him. He knew he wasn’t capable of loving her or anyone else, not after seeing his parents destroy themselves in the name of love. He had respected his adoptive parents, and watching them he had seen what a sober marriage could be, and he had decided that was what he wanted. But, now, Addison had muddied the water with her demand that he love her and that they have both a marriage and a D/s relationship.
K
nowing how intimate a permanent D/s relationship was, as it was based on total honesty and trust, he had never had the urge to sign a contract with a sub for any length of time. But Addison was a part of his life and he knew he wouldn’t let her go. He also refused to lie to her about how he felt about her. She belonged to him and he wanted her. That would have to be enough for her. Getting her to accept it would be his next hurdle.
Around noon doc came in and told him they were moving Addison to a private room and that Jackson had brought him some clean clothes. Cade walked beside Addison’s bed as they moved her then took the time to clean up in the bathroom attached to her room while the nurses got her settled. When he came out, freshly showered and wearing the clean clothes Jackson had brought him, his brothers were standing around Addison’s bed, talking quietly. Jackson pointed to a tray of covered dishes on the rolling cart by her bed.
“Time to eat, Cade.”
Nodding, he pulled a chair closer to her bed and uncovered the dishes. “The police find that guy?”
“Nope, I think he’s skedaddled.”
Cade nodded and continued to eat. The door opened and several young girls dressed in pink-striped dresses entered, pushing a cart covered with plants and vases of flowers. They began unloading the cart, arranging the items around the room, and it wasn’t long before it resembled a florist shop.
Noticing a large bouquet of red roses, Cade plucked the card from the vase and opened it. “Fucker,” he mumbled when he saw the name on the card. “How did that fucking Daniels find out Addison was in the hospital?”
“I told him,” Jenna answered as she entered the room with Maggie Lamont behind her. “He and Addison are friends.”
“Not anymore they’re not.” Grabbing the roses, he crammed them into the trash can, then spotting a vase of yellow roses, he tore the card open, saw Vitale’s name, cursed again, and crushed them down on top of the red roses. Scanning the rest of the gifts, and deciding none of them looked like something a man would send to a woman he was pursuing, he set the trash can in the hallway. Stalking to the window, he crossed his arms over his chest, then ignored the other people in the room and wondered if she had been seeing the other two men.
A few minutes later when Addison moaned, he rushed over to her and stroked his fingers over her cheek. “Hey, baby. Open your eyes for me.”
Addison struggled to do as he asked, finally succeeding in lifting her lashes until she could see a blurry image of Cade hovering over her. She smiled at him then lifted her hand, touched his face, and tried to speak but her mouth was so dry no sound came out.
Seeing her struggle, he fished a piece of ice from the glass on the bedside table and ran it over her dry lips. Her tongue came out and licked the moisture away as she lifted her hand and tried to take the ice from him. He grabbed her hand and held it over her belly. She struggled then groaned in pain and tried to reach for her right side. He told Jackson to get doc. “You’re going to be okay, baby. I’m here.”
“What happened?” she asked, her voice raspy and slurred as her eyes closed again and she sighed.
Jackson opened the door then stood aside when he saw doc rushing toward the room.
Doc picked up Addison’s hand then reached over and turned off the alarm on one of the machines she was hooked up to. “Time to wake up now, Addison.”
“Can’t,” she mumbled.
Doc chuckled. “Feeling good are you? Try to fight the pain medication and answer some questions for me.”
“’Kay,” she mumbled, forcing her blue eyes to open halfway.
“Do you remember what happened?”
Her brow wrinkled as she thought for a moment then gasped with panic. “A man…chasing me…hurt me,” she told him, her eyes filling with tears.
Doc patted her hand. “You’re safe now, Addison.” He listened to her heart for a moment then asked her, “What level of pain are you experiencing right now on a scale of one to ten?”
Her brow wrinkled as she tried to come up with an answer. “Five?”
Doc patted her hand again as she began to drift off again. “Good, that’s good, Addison. I want you to rest. No getting up and moving around. The nurse will be in later to help you bathe. If you’re doing well tomorrow, we’ll see about letting you go home as long as there’s someone there to take care of you.”
Before Cade could say she would be going to the ranch, Maggie stepped forward. “And, who else would be taking care of the lass besides myself? It will be like old times.”
“You can both move to the ranch. There’s plenty of room,” Cade told Maggie.
“No,” Addison mumbled. “Home, Maggie. Please?” Her eyes closed again and she sighed as she fell asleep.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Maggie told them, glaring at Cade. “What have you done now, Master Cade?” she asked him, emphasizing the title, letting him know she knew about him. “Are you her father or her man? Do you think he didn’t know your propensity for dominating the lass and keeping her from harm? Perhaps he put too much faith in you? If you cannot take care of her and make her happy then perhaps it would be best if you let her go to a man who can.”
“I’ll see to Addison in my own way and in my own time,” he told her, his jaw clenched, arms crossed over his chest, before turning his back and staring out the window. “You all can leave now. I’ll stay with Addison.”
“Aye,” Maggie told him before turning to Jenna. “Can you drop me at Addison’s home? I need to make sure everything is ready for her return.”
“Sure,” Jenna told her. “Cade, if she wakes while I’m gone please tell her I’ll be back later.”
He nodded then sighed in relief when he heard the door shut behind them and he was alone with Addison. Moving back to the chair by her bed, he lifted her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She squeezed back but didn’t open her eyes. Laying his arm over her thighs, he rested his head on the bed by her hip, intending to only close his eyes for a moment. When he woke up it was getting dark outside and Jackson was sitting in the chair in the corner watching them. “How long have you been here?”
“A couple hours,” he told him. “Doc came in about an hour ago and checked her. He said she’s doing fine. The nurses came in a couple times and tiptoed around the room like they were scared to wake you up.”
Cade smiled. “I may have been a little rough on them in the recovery room. I’ll have to send them some flowers and a basket from the bakery.” He looked at Addison. “Has she woken up at all?”
“She’s stirred when doc or the nurses came in but she hasn’t really woken up. Doc said it was best to let her sleep and she probably won’t really wake up until morning. The nurses are holding a dinner tray for you and one for her, just in case she wakes up tonight.” He hesitated for a moment. “Looks like neither one of you has been getting much sleep lately. You going to tell me what’s going on?”
Cade picked up Addison’s left hand and ran his finger over her bare ring finger. “She wants to leave me.”
“Are you going to let her go?”
“Hell no,” Cade told him. “Not in this lifetime.”
Jackson nodded. “She’s going to fight you.”
Cade chuckled. “I’d be disappointed if she didn’t.”
Jackson stood up and put his hat on his head, adjusting it so it was just the way he liked it. “I’ll tell the nurses you’re awake.”
Cade nodded. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
* * * *
The next morning Cade was eating the breakfast the nurse had brought him when Addison groaned and her blue eyes opened. Blue eyes met green eyes as she remembered their telephone conversation, the man attacking her in her shop, and Cade rescuing her. Closing her eyes, she avoided talking to him for another moment, knowing she was going to send him away. “I’m okay now. You don’t have to stay.”
“I want to, Addison.”
She was silent for a moment, a small wrinkle appearing between her brows. “I don’t want you here, C
ade. It’s too hard seeing you and knowing you don’t love me. Please go.”
“I want you, baby, and you chose to start a D/s relationship with me at Club Mystique. I’ve had Zane draw up a contract for us. When you’re feeling better, we’ll go over it, then you can sign it, and I’ll move you to the ranch.”
Pulling her hand from his, she fought to keep from crying. “No. I’m not signing a contract with you. I’ve decided its way past time for me to move on.”
“Without me?” he asked, not believing a word she was saying.
She gazed at him, her eyes dark and steady. “Yes, without you. I’m going to find a man who will love me.”
“Like Daniels or Vitale?” he asked. “Have you been seeing them?”
“No,” she told him, seeing his shoulders relax, then go up again when she added, “Not yet.”
A nurse entering the room stopped him from getting into a debate with her about her intentions. If she wasn’t injured she’d already be over his lap by now and her ass would be on fire. “I’ll send you a copy of the contract,” he told her. “I have to get back to Dallas but I should be able to get back in a couple of weeks. We’ll talk then.”
Addison ignored him. “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve already made my decision.”
He leaned down and ran his lips over hers. “Be good,” he warned her. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t approve of, baby.”
“Or what?” she challenged him.
He cocked an ebony brow and sent her an evil grin. From the blush on her face he knew she got the message. “Later, baby.”
She refused to watch him leave the room as she answered the nurse’s questions, then sighed with relief when she was finally alone and able to think about her future. When she was better she was going to go to Club Elysium and take Vincent Vitale or Jacob Daniels up on their offer to play with her. Jenna, Sherry, and Cassie were right. The best way to get over Cade was to replace him with another man.
To Love and Obey [The Doms of Club Mystique] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 14
