by S. K. Ervin
"Mr. Kane." The doctor called out from the double doors to the emergency wing.
Noah stood as he came over, “How is she doctor?”
Please say that she’s fine. I don’t want to live in a world that she isn’t in.
"She's stable. We are not sure what's happened, but, we are waiting for her blood test to come back. It shouldn’t be too much longer."
Noah nodded as relief flooded him. Then paused…
They aren't sure what’s wrong with her?
"Can I see her?"
"I'm sorry sir. But I can't, because you are not family. I'm not even supposed to tell you what I have. But, I wanted to let you know she's stable." He informed politely before taking his leave.
Noah frowned. Fuck being family! She's my...my...
What Kane? The devil on his shoulder snarled sarcastically.
"Don't worry sir, I've called in a favor." Mack spoke quietly beside him.
And seconds later, the nurse Mack had talked to, called them over.
"Mr. Kane."
He looked at her. She was pretty, short with dark hair, eyes and skin. She had an exotic look to her. Noah raised an eyebrow to Mack and he blushed. It was laughable. But she caught his attention when she told him to follow her.
She ushered them into a room. As Noah entered the room, he saw what favor Mack called in.
Alexis!
She was hooked up to a monitor, eye's closed and still very pale. She looked beautiful, serene and innocent. And she was alive!
A breath he didn't know he was holding released, deflating him. Noah didn't realize just how scared he was until that moment. He walked over to her and grasped her hand. It was so cold. And it took him back to that day!
"Mommy, mommy, wake up..." Noah shook his head, hard, forcing the memory away.
I don't want to go there. Alexis is alive. Breathing. That’s all that matters.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, gazing down at her. Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at me. Please.
"Mr. Kane, please come over here." The nurse ordered softly, after a moment.
Noah turned his head to look at her and his eyebrows raised when he saw her holding an IV drip attached to a water bag. He turned to look from Mack to the nurse and back. Mack shrugged his shoulders.
"You could use it and..."
"I don't need..."
"...be able to stay in here with Alexis." Mack finished, unperturbed.
Damn it. He's right. Again!
Noah nodded. "But here. In this chair. I want to be close to her when she awakens. She might need me."
She might kill you, you mean. The devil on his shoulder laughed out. And Noah was afraid the little nuisance was right, this time. She would be livid with him...
“I’ve admitted you for alcohol poisoning, so you shouldn’t come across any issues for being in here,” the nurse smiled, hooked him up to the IV bag and proceeded to flush the alcohol from his body.
Hours later, Noah was the first to see Alexis move. He’d been watching her like a hawk circling it’s prey…or rather like a vengeful angel guarding the heavenly gates.
Alexis’s throat itched terribly as she tried to pry her eyes open, but they were so heavy. She could hear voices close to her; she knew three of them, but, the fourth was unfamiliar.
"Please, only family at the moment," The unfamiliar voice said.
"But he's not family!"
Ryan!
"Ryan, please. She's ok, we'll see her when she wakes up."
Cadence!
Alexis heard footsteps and then a door closed. They had left.
And then she heard MacKenzie's worried voice. "Are you sure she's okay?"
"Yes, she's just sleeping." The unfamiliar voice articulated and she left too.
Alexis struggled to understand the conversation. Where was she? Why were her eyes so damned hard to open?
And then she remembered. Noah, the girls, the music, feeling sick and falling.
She moaned and pried her eyes open, meeting MacKenzie's worried face, close, practically touching nose to nose.
"MacKenzie, too close, my eyes." Alexis voiced, sounding terribly faint.
"Oh Alexis! You scared the living crap out of me! What happened? Mr. Kane said you just passed out!
My God, tell me what’s wrong with you! You better not die on me. I just couldn't bare..."
Alexis sighed, "Kenz, I'm fine. It was probably because I didn't eat breakfast...or lunch."
A growl captured Alexis’s attention on her left and she twisted her head in the bed...and then she saw him.
Noah.
The breath left her body in a rush.
He looked every bit of the prince of darkness, dressed in a black shirt and black jeans. Yes, definitely a good name for him. He was currently attached to an IV...that he just ripped out of his arm and stalked toward her. Oh!
"Noah what...”
"You haven’t been eating? Why? What were you thinking woman? Are you trying to kill yourself?" He scowled down at her.
Alexis ignored his questions. "Kenz, this is Mr. No..."
"We've already met, Alexis. Please answer my question. Why haven't you been taking care of yourself?" Noah’s voice took on a softer tone, his eyes pleading with hers. He looked so distraught, so worried.
She decided to not tell him all of the truth, "I have been, I just forgot to eat. I've been really busy."
His eyes narrowed on hers. She knew he didn’t buy her excuse for one second, but he didn’t say anything else about it. And Alexis was saved from answering any more of his questions, when her doctor came back in.
He frowned disapprovingly at Noah and Alexis had an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh. "Mr. Kane what are you doing in here? Only Ms. Monroe’s..."
"I’m not leaving so you might as well get on with whatever you have to say."
The poor doctor looked stunned for a moment, “I assure you sir, I will not get on with..."
"It’s fine doctor. He can stay." Alexis told the doctor, who looked from Noah to her and shook his head. Clearly he did not like Noah. And she wondered what Noah did to earn his displeasure.
"Fine. Ms. Monroe, there were toxins found in your blood..."
"Toxins? Like drugs?" Noah asked, perturbed and then looked at her in confusion.
Alexis was just as confused.
"What do you mean by toxins, doctor?' Kenz asked in a stern voice, all doctor-like. Yes she'd be a great doctor one day.
"No, no, not drugs. If you’ll let me finish…,” He frowned at Noah for interrupting him. “It's a toxin, a poison, that's found in many things, mostly overseas. Have you come in contact with anything recently that you normally don't see, Ms. Monroe?"
Alexis tried to think of something, anything that could have possibly been poisonous and came up with nothing." Not that I could think of."
The doctor nodded, "Well, if you find out what it is, dispose of it immediately and use gloves. We’ve administered a drug that will reverse the affects but, I'd like to keep you overnight for observation if that's ok with you."
Alexis shuddered. She didn't really want to stay overnight. She hated hospitals. She hadn't been to one since her mom died.
Noah must've seen the look on her face because he started to say something, but, MacKenzie beat him to it.
"She'll be coming home with me, doctor. She'll have plenty eyes on her, pushing her toward a speedy recovery, I assure you."
The doctor looked like he wanted to protest, but gave in when Kenz leveled a look that said 'Don't even'.
"Ms. Alexis and Mackenzie Monroe, I’ll be back with the discharge papers." The doctor said and left out the room. He didn't even acknowledge Noah. But Noah didn't seem to care.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go home just yet Alexis. The toxins could be there. And I can't look after you because I have mid-terms in two days and need to get back home to study." And then Kenz turned to Noah, "Maybe you can watch her. You brought her h
ere safely, so I trust that you can see to her comfort and safety?"
"Wait...No." Alexis protested, but, they didn’t seem to hear her.
Noah and Mackenzie both nodded and then looked at Alexis.
She narrowed her eyes at Kenz. What was Kenz doing? She knew how Noah was. Alexis told her everything. Why is Kenz doing this to me? And she doesn't even know what’s happened today.
"I'll take good care of her." Noah said slowly, turned and smiled his 'charm the panties off a nun’ smile at Alexis. And she couldn't help it, her heart began to thaw.
Noah walked MacKenzie to the door. She was such a bright young woman with a hell of a future in medicine. And a wicked right jab. She told him in no certain words that if he hurt her sister's heart, she’d cut his dick off and feed it to the sharks.
Yup. And with the prettiest, innocent smile ever!
He had laughed when she said it and then she landed a right jab right to his stomach.
He’d felt worse, but it still took his breath away.
Note...do not mess with this Monroe sister.
"Call me immediately, if anything goes wrong. Anything... And thank you for looking after her." She said as Mack opened the door for her.
"It's my pleasure, MacKenzie. And good luck on your exams."
She gave him a look that said 'You better behave' and then she left with a flick of her hair.
Shaking his head, Noah walked back into the living area where he’d laid a sleeping Alexis down and now watched her sleep.
You've turned my world upside down since you left ...and now you return to me. How can I let you go again?
"Sir, is there anything you need?" Mack posed from the door.
Noah turned to tell Mack that he didn't need anything, when the flowers caught his attention. They looked oddly familiar, which was weird considering he hated flowers. He never allowed any in his home. Every hair on his body stood on end and the darkness took him back to that day.
"Mommy, mommy, wake up. Mommy your cold. I will warm you up."
Noah groaned in pain and fell to his knees.
Yes, that's where they were! They were there with her. On the tub next to her! I remember!
"Sir?" Mack came rushing to him, but Noah shook his head.
"I’m ok." Noah stood once more and looked at Mack, "Who sent me those flowers?"
Noah’s brain scrambled. It could've been any one of the girls that were here. He was too drunk to know who brought it.
He was so stupid! How could he have gotten as drunk as to not to recognize those flowers?
"No one did sir. Ms. Alexis brought them with her."
Noah turned to the sleeping Alexis.
She brought me flowers? Why these flowers? I need to know!
Noah brought a hand to her face, tracing the line of her jaw with his fingertips. She leaned into his hand automatically and rubbed her face against it, much like a kitten and it made him smile. His innocent Alexis. But how innocent? Did she know that my mother got these flowers the day she died? And if so, why would she bring them here? Is she that mad with me, to taunt me? His shredded heart screamed in denial, but his brain couldn't rule it out completely. He needed to talk to her. Right now.
"Alexis, wake up sweetheart. Alexis?"
She moaned and batted his hand away, "Let me sleep, Noah."
"Alexis, I need to ask you something. It's important to me."
She groaned again, but her eye's fluttered open. "What?"
He swallowed hard, his Adams apple bobbed, as he formed the question. "Why did you bring these flowers here?"
She frowned, "Noah, you sent me those flowers. And I was just coming to give them back and to tell you that I will not be meeting you tomorrow. That I'm not at your beck and call!"
His whole body went cold.
"Alexis...I didn't send you those flowers."
Her eyes widened as she nodded, "Yes, you even put your initials, N.K., on the card."
And she reached in her pocket to pull out the card and handed it to him.
Mack came forward, intercepting the card and read it aloud.
Dearest Alexis,
Please forgive me. I'd like to meet with you tomorrow night at Finley's Warf, if you aren't too busy. I have a surprise for you. I hope you truly love the flowers, I heard they are worth dying for.
Yours Truly,
N.K.
Fuck! Double Fuck!
"Sir, if my hunch is right, these flowers are poisonous. I'll get rid of them immediately and you both need to wash your hands thoroughly."
Noah nodded and Mack rushed toward the flowers, taking it outside with the card.
And then he realized something. Something that he struggled with every waking moment of his life. Something that lurked in every dark shadow of every corner of every room. Something that haunted him in every dream he’d ever had.
Maybe I didn’t kill my mother.
"Poisonous? Why...who would…I don't understand." Alexis sputtered, her breathing escalating.
Oh no!
Noah shook his head to clear it and raced to her side, but doesn't touch her. He didn't want the poison that could've been on the card to get anywhere else.
"It's ok. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. You'll stay here until we can figure out what's going on. I promise, you're safe here. Now let’s wash our hands and get you out of those jeans."
Alexis’s eyes widened further.
Wrong words, wrong time.
"Not like that Alexis. Not that I don't want to...but, I meant because the card was in your jeans. They're contaminated. We need to get rid of them."
“Oh.”
She visibly relaxed and it irked him just a bit. Then he shoved that away and focused on the task at hand. They needed to decontaminate themselves.
A half hour later, Alexis merged from his room, hair wet and in a pair of his pj's.
Of course she chose his favorite pair. But Noah didn't mind. She looked hot in his clothes. Just like she did before, two weeks ago. He hardened instantly, painfully.
Fuck!
He just finished taking a cold shower. It didn't help cool his desire for her one bit. When he noticed she was not wearing a bra, he groaned and looked away.
She’s not feeling well damn it! Calm yourself.
The next few days or however long it would take to find out who sent her the flowers, was going to be another type of hell for Noah, which would take all of his strength to endure.
A hell where he couldn’t give into the sinful flesh his body craved, wanting more than one night.
A hell made from want, passion and desire that called to the very heart of his being.
A hell he would have to be in, in order to restrain himself from the carnal sin that plagued him.
My carnal sin of pure lust.
For her.
Only her.
My Alexis Monroe.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you so much for reading Carnal Sins of Noah: Lusting! I truly hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. It would mean a lot if you could leave a review- -feedback is so very important to independent authors like myself.
WATCH FOR
S.K. ERVIN’S
NEXT SIZZLING
ROMANCE!
Carnal Sins of Noah
Book 2: Longing
Having tasted the incinerating passions of her
Prince of Darkness, Noah Kane,
Alexis Monroe vows to have more. One taste isn't enough.
Not even when someone makes an attempt on her
life, just to get to him; which ultimately lands her
right where she wants to be. Now under
Noah's penetrating gaze and lustful looks,
Alexis tempts and tests him, knowingly pushing
his boundaries, until he gives in...
And she vows that he WILL give in.
With the recent threat on Alexis's life, Noah
refuses to let her out of his
sight; even if it means a
certain torture for him...a longing to shed his inner
demons and take what he truly craves.
Will he remain strong and be able to stick to his "one
time only" pact? Or will Alexis be too much of a
temptation for his piece of mind...and just maybe his
salvation?
Carnal Sins
of Noah:
Book 2: Longing
Coming July 2016
Preorder Now
On Amazon!
