Cinderella's Guardian

by Khloe Wren

  "I think it needs a green stone. To match her eyes."

  Kelly's memory astounded him. "You really do remember her from that one time you've seen her, don't you?"

  "Of course I do. I told you before, the sadness I saw in her eyes was what used to be in mine. Not something I forget when I see it. That and they were such a pretty green."

  "Well, I agree. Her eyes are a stunning Emerald green."

  "But you still have to have diamonds on it, Uncle Conner. A girl has to have diamonds."

  He chuckled, even though he fully agreed Tina's ring needed diamonds. "You've been watching too much TV, young lady."

  He regretted his words the moment they left his mouth as he watched her face drop.

  "TV was all I had."

  Shit. Now I've really put my foot in it.

  "I know, Kelly. I didn't really mean it, I was just mucking around. I'm sorry."

  He pulled her into his chest and gave her a tight hug before releasing her. The action still felt awkward, he'd never done emotion well. Except with Tina. With her, it was as natural as breathing. A tug on his hand pulled him from his thoughts.

  "Oh! It's perfect, come see, Uncle Conner."

  He followed where Kelly's finger pointed with his gaze and sucked in his breath. It was perfect. A white gold setting with a large oval emerald in the center, flanked by two brilliant cut diamonds with a couple of diamond chips inlaid around them. The thing that really set the ring off was the thin white gold band that curled over above the emerald. The ring looked modern, yet elegant. Tina would love it, he was certain.

  "You nailed it again, Kelly. That is the perfect choice for Tina."

  He caught the attention of a sales assistant and made quick work of the purchase.

  He couldn't wipe the grin from his face. He had a fiancé. His mate was soon going to be his. He glanced at Kelly who sat in the passenger seat. She was holding the ring box open and turning it so the sun would glint off the gems in different ways.

  "What are you doing there?"

  "Just seeing all the different angles and lines. The ring looks fabulous, but when you just look at a small part, like this little bit here"—she pointed to the intricate setting that held the diamonds in place—"it's still brilliant. Every little bit of it."

  His brain ran a mile a minute. Kelly liked art? He knew Adele had been searching for hobbies for her to get involved with. Art was an easy one to accommodate. He'd been a fairly decent artist in his teen years. He turned the car down a side street to head toward an art supply shop he'd not been in since he left school.

  As he pulled up, Kelly put away the ring and looked around. "Where are we? What else do you need to get?"

  "This stop isn't for me. It's for you."

  "But, I don't need anything."

  The little frown on her face was cute, but he didn't like her worried.

  "The way you described Tina's ring a moment ago, it gave me an idea. I think you might enjoy getting into art. So, I thought a good first step would be some sketching stuff. I used to draw a lot. I can help you get started if you like. I know you'll get the hang of it in no time."

  "You think I'd be good at it?"

  "With practice, I'm sure you'll be amazing at it."

  "You don't have to buy me things."

  "No, I don't. But I want to. I want to see you smile every day because you're enjoying your life. And, you've helped me impress my girl twice now. Got to say thank you properly. Now, come on. Let's see if we can't set you up with the basics."

  ~ * ~

  Finally! Jake sighed in relief as his email flashed up with a mobile phone number for Dale Anderson. With a quick prayer of thanks, he picked up his phone and dialed the number.

  "Dale Anderson."

  With a rush of relief, Jake sat down at his desk.

  "Hey Dale, it's Jake White here. Not sure if you remember me, but we went to school together, back in the day."

  "Yeah, sure I remember you. How you going these days?"

  "I'm all good. Listen, I'm not going to beat around the bush with this. I'm ringing about your daughter, Tina."

  A long sigh came over the line, "what's happened now?"

  "Well, that depends on what you know."

  "Not a hell of a lot. I know her wheelchair got hit by a van—with her in it. Other than that, I've just been trying to get back to her. I canned my contract on the rig and am trying to arrange transport to get home. I'm stuck in Sydney airport at the moment. Massive storm has just rolled in. I don't think I'll be there until at least late tonight."

  Relief spread through Jake. Dale was nearly here. Jake had feared he was still stuck out on a rig in the middle of the ocean somewhere.

  "Okay, well, you let me know what time you're landing and I'll pick you up. Because your daughter needs you, like yesterday. Not sure if you know, but my youngest son, Conner, has fallen head over heels for young Tina. He hasn't left her side since she was hospitalized."

  "Any boy of yours is going to be good for her. Do you know how Tina feels about him?"

  Jake let out a deep breath, thankful that Dale was so accepting of Conner. It could be a real mess if Dale was against their relationship, he may have sided with Robyn.

  "Not real sure. Robyn has been keeping Tina on lockdown. Barely lets the poor girl out of her sight. Conner's been pressed to just see her. He got a friend, Kit, to sneak a present to her on her birthday. Kit also gave Tina his phone number. They started seeing each other late at night. After Robyn would retire for the evening, Tina would go out the back and chat with him a while before heading back in. But Robyn found out, took Tina's phone and Conner tells me she now takes her chair at night. So she can't leave the house."

  "She did what? Bloody hell, as much as I don't like the idea of my baby girl being all grown up, she is. She should be allowed the freedom to date! To leave the house. No wonder she's depressed and the doc's worried about her."

  He hated having to be the bearer of bad news but there were things Dale had to know. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he continued, "sadly, I believe things are about to get worse."

  "How could it?"

  "Kit was the first to the scene when the accident happened. Kit's a good girl. Tough as nails but loyal and has the biggest heart. She went to the hospital with Tina in the ambulance. The medic that attended is my daughter-in-law, so Tina was in good hands. Knowing what they did about how Robyn has been treating your daughter, they asked the doc to ring you, not Robyn. I'm guessing you then rang Robyn?"

  "Yeah, rang her to ask her what the hell was going on. Not that it did me any good."

  Jake had feared that's what had happened. Not that he could blame Dale. If he were in Dale's place, he was certain he would have done something similar.

  "Well, Robyn came storming into the hospital. Kit refused to allow her access to Tina. Then Robyn saw that Conner was by her beside. She went nuts. Tried to get the hospital to remove Conner from her room. Kit got verbal with her and she stormed off, claiming she had a legal document proving her authority as Tina's guardian and that she'd return with it. She hasn't shown up with anything yet, but it's only a matter of time. Do you know what document she's talking about?"

  A heavy sigh came over the line. "I thought it was the right thing to do. She is Tina's caretaker, if something happened and urgent choices needed to be made. Out on the rig, communication is so limited. I needed someone there with her who could make the decisions. I made sure there were clauses in the power of attorney, ones that only allowed Robyn to make decisions if Tina was unable to, what was the wording? Something about being unconscious or of unsound mind. But never did I think it would be used like this! Bloody hell, what have I done to my daughter?"

  Suddenly, Jake was very grateful this conversation was happening over the phone. With the level of emotion pouring off Dale, Jake would be struggling not to be sick if they were face to face. As it was, his stomach was churning from the small amount he was transmitting through his voice over the
phone line.

  "Don't be too hard on yourself, Dale. All any of us can do is our best. You did yours. Still are. You got word Tina's in trouble, and you immediately hightailed it straight home to be with her. You're a good father."

  "Not feeling it just at the moment, mate. Why would Robyn do this? I mean, I know she had a crush on me back in school, that's why I figured she offered. I knew she wasn't trained but I thought it wasn't that big of a job. I mean, Tina's an adult. She just needed a little help with mobility and someone to go through her rehab exercises with her."

  "Yeah, from what Conner has said, Robyn has never done any rehab with Tina."

  "Never? Tina's depression is making more sense. Do you know- Did she really roll in front of the van on purpose?"

  He took a deep breath before continuing. This was going to hurt Dale. No matter how much Dale needed to know, Jake wished he could spare him from it.

  "Kit wasn't just the first on scene. She was running to grab her when it happened. Sorry, Dale. It was definitely on purpose. It hasn't been reported, so the police aren't poking around. Conner told me this morning she's looking a lot better. He's spent every minute he can with her, and he's been working with her on her exercises."

  Jake felt for the man on the other end of the phone. Poor bugger, talk about drama. A muffled loud voice came over the phone, Jake couldn't make out words but the cussing coming from Dale made it clear it wasn't good.

  "The storm isn't passing any time soon. They've just canceled all domestic flights until the morning. I guess I could hire a car and drive down to Melbourne and catch the ferry across to Tasmania."

  "Don't think that'll help. It's a bloody long drive then you'll be stuck waiting for the ferry. It still only runs twice a day. Stay there. Get a good night's sleep and get down here first thing. We'll do whatever we can until you get here."

  "Thanks, Jake. I'd better get to a hotel. Guess I'll see you in the morning. I'll text the flight info to you as soon as I have it."

  "Sounds like a plan. See you then."

  Jake hung up the phone and pressed his fingers into his eyes. He had a really bad feeling about how all this was going to play out. And he hoped like hell that Conner and Tina would both make it out in one piece.

  Chapter Seven

  A tingle up Tina's spine had her turning to look at the doorway of her hospital room. She'd had a great morning with Kit. They'd played Scrabble and discussed everything from men to music. Then, before Kit left, she insisted Tina learn some self-defense moves. Knowing she was restricted to the chair, Kit spent time showing her pressure points in the arm and leg. Tina was shocked at the drastic effect pressing the right spot on someone could have. She seriously hoped she'd never need to use the knowledge, but it was really sweet of Kit to teach it all to her. But now Kit had gone and she sat bored and alone. Tina hated hospitals. Too much time to sit and think. She'd spent every second since Kit left thinking about Conner. His cheeky smile, muscular physique, and the way he cared for her every need. Conner had spent so much time with her. She knew she was already falling in love with him. But she wasn't ready to admit it to anyone but herself.

  "Can't believe I'm doing this for you, bro. You seriously owe me, you know that?"

  "I know, Dom. But you of all people understand why I need to do this."

  Frowning, she cocked her head to the side, what on earth was Conner up to?

  With a raised eyebrow, she watched as Conner slipped into the room and firmly closed the door. With a cheeky sly smile, he prowled over to her—purring the whole way. Her heart rate sped up and tingles ran through her body at the sight he made.

  "I brought you something."

  "You've already done so much for me, Conner. You didn't need to buy me anything else."

  "You said, yes."

  Her eyes opened wide. He'd bought her a ring? For some reason, she hadn't even thought of it before now. Conner dropped to one knee by her bed and opened his hand to reveal the most stunning emerald ring she'd ever seen.

  "Oh, wow. It's beautiful!"

  Taking her hand, he slid it on her shaking finger before rising over her and devouring her mouth. Tina wound her hands in his hair—thankful the sling on her arm was now gone. Conner's hands began to roam over her. They glided down her rib cage to the swell of her hips. He bunched up her nightie—the one he'd bought for her—in his fists and moved it up her body. She shuddered as Conner revealed her naked skin to his view, one slow inch at a time. When he reached the lower edge of her breasts, he paused a moment and left her mouth.

  "No bra again, baby?"

  She watched, breathless, as he lowered his gaze to his fingers, moments before they kept moving up.

  "Arch for me, baby doll."

  Without thought, she arched her back and she felt the thin cotton material slip over her nipples, causing them to harden further in arousal. Her lids fluttered closed as the garment passed over her head, leaving her naked, aside from her thin cotton knickers. When his touch didn't return immediately to her, she opened her eyes. Her breath froze in her lungs. He was perfection and she would never tire of staring at him. Taut sexy muscles rippled beneath tanned skin as he peeled his shirt over his head. Feeling his gaze on her, she looked up into his sparkling eyes. Her hand came up to touch him on its own accord. He climbed on to the bed and with a knee on either side of her hips he leaned forward, giving her full access to his broad chest.

  Her hands played over his flesh. Feeling him tremble beneath her caress sent a zing straight through her. She continued her exploration, her gaze following each stroke her fingers made.

  "You are amazing, baby doll. I've never felt anything as good as your skin against mine. Your touch is driving me insane."

  Before Tina could suck in another breath he lowered his body and took a nipple in his mouth. He suckled her gently, slowly building a fire within her. Moving to her other breast, he began laving her and her body arched under the onslaught. She'd never felt like this—and he'd barely touched her. Her one past lover hadn't been able to stimulate her to climax. Mind you, both times they'd had sex had been while at training camps and they'd snuck off to hide and have some fun.

  He groaned as he withdrew his mouth from her skin. She whimpered at the loss of his wet warmth on her flesh. Leaning on his elbows he cradled her face and kissed the life out of her. As he devoured her mouth, his hips began moving. His hard erection encased by the thick material of his pants rubbed against her thin panties in a very delicious way.

  Turning her face slightly to break the kiss, she breathed out the words, "Conner, you have to take off your jeans. I need you."

  Conner's cheeks were flushed with his arousal as he climbed off the bed, the creaking of the metal reminded her where they were. Snatching the sheet to her, she sat up.

  "We can't here! Oh damn. What if someone comes in?"

  "Relax, Tina. I have my brother, Dominic, guarding the door for us. Trust me, he won't let anyone in, nor will he take a peek. He's happily married to his mate, Adele."

  The tension eased from her muscles, they were safe to enjoy their moment of passion. She dropped the sheet when Conner lowered his jeans, taking his briefs with them. He revealed his body in all its aroused glory to her.

  "You're so perfect. Every inch of you." She slid from the bed, leaning against it and Conner moved to stand before her. "Your face is beyond handsome. Your shoulders are strong, wide. All your muscles are real, you've earned them from hard work, not at a gym." Her hands followed her words. She ran them over his hard abs, enjoying how they rippled beneath her caress. She gripped his hips and lowered herself to her knees. Keeping her pelvis and back straight—she knew Conner wouldn't let her fall. As she took the hard length of him into her mouth, his hands came down to grip her shoulders. She looked up from beneath her lashes and caught his gaze. She ran her tongue over the head, the small taste she licked from him exploding across her senses. He was delicious, his natural scent amplified. Wrapping her grip around his base, she took
more of him into her mouth. Loving how he moaned and purred for her as he rocked into her ever so slightly. Releasing him, she took one long lick up the underside of his erection, paying extra attention to the sensitive skin below the head.

  An ache settled deep in her womb as his taste filled her and his sounds of arousal surrounded her. He pulled from her mouth and scooped her up from the floor.

  "I can smell your need for me, Tina. I will not come for the first time in your mouth. I want to be inside your body."

  He laid her gently on the bed and after a quick kiss, he set about peeling her panties from her body.

  "Your scent is intoxicating." She watched him close his eyes and take a couple of deep breaths. His body shuddering as he inhaled. Tina began to squirm on the bed. She was beyond turned on and couldn't wait for him to fill her.

  Conner had one knee on the bed before he shook his head and made his way back to where he'd discarded his pants earlier. He pulled a condom free of the pocket and sheathed himself before returning to her. He prowled up the bed over her, looking decidedly feline.

  "I promise I'll be gentle, but you tell me if anything hurts. I don't want to cause any more injury to your hip or leg."

  "You won't, Conner. It's so much better with all the rehab you've been helping me with, even though it's only been a few days."

  With a face clearly showing his pride at helping her, he ran his hand up the inside of her right thigh and pushed it wide, leaving her injured leg to remain where it was. She moved it as far out as she could comfortably, and he settled into the cradle of her body. Sparks ran through her body as his hot skin came into contact with hers. He lowered his head and caught her mouth in a passionate kiss.

  She felt the heat of him moments before his latex-covered erection pressed against her. She was so wet and ready for him. Her eyes slid shut as he easily glided into her body. She felt complete with him inside of her, like a puzzle that had found its final piece. Once fully seated, he shuddered above her and buried his face into her neck.