The General's Desire: San Diego Social Scene Book 2

by Tess Summers

  Kyle saw him too and told Danielle he had to go. They both approached the doctor at the same time.

  “How is she?” Ron asked with an urgent tone.

  “Well, she’s in a lot of pain at the moment. We put her shoulder back in place but couldn’t give her any pain medication because we’re evaluating her for a concussion. I’d say based on the vomiting and incoherent speech, chances are pretty good she has at least a mild one.”

  Fuck me. Putting her shoulder back in place without pain meds? She has got to be in agony.

  Kyle asked, “Can we see her?”

  The doctor shook his head. “Not yet. She’s undergoing a CT scan right now. As soon as she’s done, I’ll send the nurse to get you.”

  They each offered their thanks and sat down in the uncomfortable green, vinyl chairs.

  Ron hadn’t quite been able to figure out what Kyle was doing at the beach house. He had just picked Brenna up from the stairs when the man rushed through the door, like he already knew she had fallen.

  “Did you know she was hurt before you got there?”

  Kyle was texting on his phone but stopped and looked over at Ron. “Yeah, that’s why I was there. She called me after Zona knocked her down the stairs.”

  She called Kyle for help.

  Kyle.

  Not me.

  “Do you have keys to her house?”

  “No.” Kyle shot him a look that seemed to say, “Why the fuck would you ask me such a question?”

  “The door was locked when I got there. That’s why I was asking.”

  Kyle chuckled. “So how did you get in?”

  Ron hoped he didn’t sound as smug as he felt when he answered. “I have a key.”

  He wasn’t sure how he was expecting Kyle to react, but a simple nod of the head and a smile was definitely not it.

  “Are you Brenna’s brother? Danielle called you Uncle Kyle.”

  Kyle chuckled again. “Nope, definitely not her brother.”

  What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

  “Danny’s brother?”

  The other man’s expression took on one of sadness. “No. Danny was my best friend. We played ball together.”

  That’s where Ron recognized him. Kyle Montgomery. He and Danny were the dynamic duo of the Padres in their glory days.

  “Shortstop, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kyle nodded and looked down at his buzzing phone. “Christ, my goddaughter is as relentless as her old man was.” Putting the phone to his ear with a smile, he said, “Sweetheart, we still don’t know anything. She’s getting a CAT scan as we speak.”

  Kyle closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to Danielle on the other end.

  With a sigh, he said, “Danielle. You’re a grown woman, and you can do what you want, but I feel confident telling you that your mother would not want you to come.”

  The former shortstop furrowed his brow at what Brenna’s daughter was saying on the other end.

  “I know her better than you think.”

  Oh really? Please explain what that means.

  “Dee, I’m not going to argue with you about this. Do what you want, but when your mom is pissed off that you’re here, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  She said something, and Kyle’s eyes flew to Ron. “Yeah, he’s right here.”

  Pause.

  “Probably because we don’t know anything yet.”

  Pause.

  “I just told you why.”

  Another pause and Kyle sounded exasperated when he said, “I have no idea.”

  Kyle put his hand over the phone’s microphone. “She wants to know when you’re going to call her. She won’t listen to me.”

  She is her mother’s daughter.

  Ron pulled out his phone and fired off a text to her: Waiting to hear the CT results before calling. Listen to your uncle.

  The Marine got up and walked over to the vending machine. He brought back two cups of coffee and handed one to Kyle, who was finally off the phone.

  “Thanks,” the blonde-haired man took the Styrofoam cup from him. He blew on the hot liquid before taking a sip. “I appreciate you having my back with Dee.”

  Ron shrugged. “I think you’re right. Brenna wouldn’t want her to come all this way.”

  Kyle sighed. “Dee is not only beautiful like her mother, she’s as damn stubborn, too. The Roberts women know how to dig their heels in. They have been the source of many headaches these last few years.” He laughed quietly, “And they’ve made me happier than I knew was possible. Both of them.”

  Whoa, buddy. What are you getting at?

  A nurse stood in the waiting room calling, “Brenna Roberts?”

  “Goddammit,” he heard Kyle mutter.

  Ron cocked his head, not understanding why Kyle was upset.

  “The whole goddamn place doesn’t need to know she’s here and who is waiting for her. Be prepared to have your picture in tomorrow’s gossip section, along with a terrific story about how she’s in a love triangle with us and collapsed from the stress of it all. And that’s if we’re lucky.”

  “And if we’re unlucky?” Ron asked as they moved towards the waiting nurse.

  “One of us pushed her down the stairs.”

  That oughta be good for his promotion.

  “Great,” Ron said sarcastically. Walking by Kyle to follow the nurse, he added with a smirk, “I hope it’s you who pushed her.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ron

  Brenna did have a concussion and was going to be released, with the stipulation that she couldn’t be alone and had to be woken up every three hours.

  Kyle looked at Ron, hesitating for just a second, before stating, “She can stay at my place.”

  Brenna nodded her head, grabbed Kyle’s hand, and looked up at him with a meager smile.

  Yeah, fuck that.

  “No. I’ll take her home so she can sleep in her bed, and she doesn’t have to worry about Zona,” Ron said with authority. The tone in his voice suggested it would be unwise to argue with him, and yet, Kyle did it anyway.

  “It’s really okay. I can spend the night at her place, I forgot about Zona. You probably have to work in the morning. I’m retired, I can make sure to wake her every three hours like the doctor said, and be with her all day, no problem.”

  Ron shook his head. “No, I don’t have to work tomorrow, and I will be taking her home.” With a smartass grin, he added, “Besides, your car is going to smell like puke.”

  Kyle dished it back. “At least I have a car here.”

  “I do, too. And a driver.”

  Kyle raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

  Ron shrugged his shoulders. “Perks of the job that I rarely take advantage of.”

  True to his word, there was a car waiting to drive Ron and Brenna back to the beach house.

  Ron helped maneuver Brenna with her sling into the backseat. It bothered him that she did not nestle in next to him, even though he put his arm along the headrests, indicating she should.

  No, that doesn’t work.

  He slid over next to her and put his arm around her, careful of her shoulder. He was painfully aware they hadn’t spoken while she was coherent, other than her responding when he asked if she was feeling better. The doctors had finally been able to give her some pain medication so she indicated she was.

  He kissed her temple and he pulled her closer to him.

  “You okay, darlin’?”

  She shook her head no as tears began to fall.

  “Are you in pain?”

  Again, she shook her head no. That’s what he thought.

  “Are you upset with me?”

  She nodded. “What were you doing at my house?”

  “You said you were going to Sullivan’s Island in the morning. I needed to see you to talk you into staying. Or taking me with you.”

  “But why? You haven’t wanted to see me since you got back.”

  He lowered his v
oice, cognizant of the driver possibly overhearing him. “Things have been chaotic, Bren.”

  She seemed to understand he didn’t want to talk about it there, and didn’t say anything more. But the tears continued to stream down her face until they pulled up to her house.

  He carefully walked her in the front door and helped her up the stairs into her room. Once there, he spun her around to face him.

  “It was a rough mission. I lost two Marines, and had three others who were wounded pretty badly, and I have been processing it. It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, I just knew I wouldn’t be very good company.”

  She sighed before lifting up on her toes to kiss him, stroking his jaw with her good hand.

  “I wouldn’t have cared how good your company was, I just wanted to be with you,” she whispered. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too. I’m sorry I was such an ass.”

  “You’re here now, so you’re forgiven,” she said with a smile.

  He put his forehead on hers. “Thank you for understanding.”

  She closed her eyes and nodded.

  “We need to get you in bed.”

  “I think I have puke in my hair,” she said with a wrinkled nose.

  Ron checked her hair over. “I don’t see any.”

  “I can smell it,” she said as she gestured for him to help unbutton her blouse.

  He tried to hide his grin when she asked if he would help with her bra.

  His arms came around her and pulled her body into his. Her skin was cool to the touch. Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he kissed her temple and undid her bra. He hoped she didn’t notice he was getting aroused when he slid it off her and looked at her perfect tits.

  He did, however, notice her goosebumps and stiff nipples.

  She had already disappeared into the bathroom when Ron realized why she wanted help with her bra.

  Knocking on the door, he said loudly so she could hear through the wooden barrier, “Bren, I don’t want you showering unless I’m in there to help you.”

  *

  Brenna

  Brenna knew she was poking the bear when she turned the shower on, but she was willing to risk it. She not only wanted to get the smell out of her hair, but she also wanted to see how he would react to her defiance. She was intrigued and nervous, but mostly turned on. She had missed him these last couple of weeks, and he was finally here -and apologetic. And once again, her hero. He was so damn sexy, and his care and attention to her, combined with his alpha personality, made him irresistible.

  Now if only he would let her in his life.

  The drugs they’d given her at the hospital were outstanding. She knew he thought she was in pain, but she was feeling nothing but fantastic at the moment. And after being held in his arms again, horny.

  She thought about locking the door, but then realized that wouldn’t be any fun. She tried to keep from giggling at the thought of Ron’s expression when he discovered she had deliberately disobeyed his edict on not showering unless he was with her.

  He seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and she jumped with a startled gasp when she saw him in the shower entrance.

  “What did I say about showering?” he growled.

  “You like it when I’m clean?” she replied in mock confusion.

  He was naked and behind her in what seemed like one motion; his arms around her waist and snarling in her ear, “No, sugar. I like it when you’re dirty.”

  That made her toes curl.

  “But you need to rest, so I’m going to help you wash your hair and then you’re going to bed. To sleep.”

  We’ll see about that.

  She turned to face him and reached down with her good hand to stroke his cock that was flying at half-mast. Grabbing her by the wrist, he turned her away from him to face the shower.

  “I mean it, Brenna.”

  He poured shampoo into his hand and started lathering her hair, while she pushed her ass back against him and wiggled.

  “Evil temptress,” he muttered and gave her a swat on the bum with his sudsy hand.

  She let out something that sounded like a mix between a moan, a shriek, and a whimper.

  Ron continued washing her hair, and she reached behind her to try to fondle his cock again. She was met with another smack on her ass, but she had been expecting it this time, so she didn’t make a sound.

  The sting on her wet skin felt oddly erotic.

  He turned her back around to face him as he rinsed her hair. She sighed like she’d given up and leaned her head against his chest.

  “Good girl,” he whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair, making sure all the shampoo was rinsed.

  Hardly.

  Brenna started to softly kiss his neck, pushing her tits against his chest as she did, her stiff nipples caressing his skin. She reached behind his neck and pulled his face toward her.

  He only hesitated a second before his lips met hers. She loved kissing him. He was amazing at it; how he coaxed her tongue to tangle with his, the pressure of his mouth, the intensity… all of it. It felt like they were in sync–every time.

  Except this time.

  She grabbed a handful of his wet hair to intensify things, and he pulled away–breathing heavily.

  “Damn you,” he sputtered and shut off the water.

  Grabbing a towel, he coarsely ran it over himself before wrapping it around his waist and tending to her. With a much lighter approach than he’d just used on his body, he dried Brenna from head to toe, all the while refusing to look at her face.

  His rejection stung, but the fact that he seemed mad at her pissed her off.

  He held open her robe, indicating she should slip it on, but she ignored the gesture and glared at him as she walked her naked body past him on her way to the bedroom. She continued glaring when she sat on her bed but refused to get under the covers. She was chilly and really wanted to snuggle under the blankets, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. She wanted him uncomfortable at having to look at her naked.

  Ron walked over to the bed. The way he reached down, she thought he was going to caress her, but instead produced a tee-shirt to put over her head before helping her into her sling again. He still hadn’t looked at her face.

  What the hell?

  If she hadn’t been so offended and pissed, and frankly, her pride wounded, she would have asked why he was upset with her. But right now, he could fuck off.

  “Do you need anything?”

  He barely had the words out when she cut him off with a “Nope,” and lay down, rolling onto her uninjured side, which fortunately, meant her back to him.

  She felt him hesitate, then the covers were tucked around her, and she heard him move away.

  A tear streamed down her cheek.

  Then another.

  She needed to sniffle but there wasn’t a chance in hell she was going to let him know she was crying.

  Why was he being like this?

  “If you start hurting and need your pills, I’ll be right over there on the chaise.” His voice was distant.

  She frowned, rolling onto her back to face him. “You’re staying?”

  “Of course I’m staying. You can’t be alone.”

  “So why are you sleeping over there?” It was the closest she’d come to asking why he was upset with her.

  He came back to her bed with a sigh and sat down next to her. Finally, he looked her in the eye and touched her nose with his fingertip. “Because you need to rest, and I’m not sure I could keep my hands off you if we were in the same bed. I’m not going to be the guy who fucks his girlfriend while she has a concussion.”

  Oh, that’s what his problem is.

  She started to protest, but he cut her off. “I’ll wake you up in three hours like the doctor ordered.”

  Brenna decided to try again and caressed his thigh with her index finger. “I really do feel better. It’s okay. You don’t have to sleep on the lounger.”

>   He pretended not to hear her and grabbed a pillow from the bed before pulling a blanket from a closet shelf and slipping on his boxers.

  She was pretty sure he’d gotten hotter since she last saw him. The V at his waist seemed more defined, and his chest and arms more muscular. Or maybe it was because she hit her head. Or she was horny. Regardless, he was sexy as hell.

  “Goodnight darlin’,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek, then shut the light off.

  It was a moonless night, so the room was pitch black, and she heard him curse when he ran into something on his way to the lounger by the balcony doors.

  “Are you alright?” she asked in the darkness.

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  That made one of them.

  It was torture, knowing he was merely feet away from her but she couldn’t touch him. How could he expect her to sleep? She had missed him so much, and her anger and hurt had lessened when he revealed he came to her house to talk her into staying, or at least taking him with her to Sullivan’s Island. She understood, sort of, why he hadn’t reached out to her until tonight.

  Brenna tossed and turned. The painkillers were still working wonders, but what she really wanted was to feel his cock against her ass and his arms around her. The fact that she could hear him moving around was not helping.

  She let out a big sigh and heard his voice in the darkness. “Are you in pain?”

  Yes, my body is aching for you to touch me.

  “No, I just can’t seem to get comfortable,” she said softly.

  “I can get you some pillows to prop your arm, that might help.”

  She decided to play a little dirty.

  “It might be because I’m not wearing underwear. I’m kind of chilly, feeling the cool sheets on my body with nothing in between.”

  The silence hung in the air.

  Finally, he asked, “Do you want me to help you put panties on?”

  “No, I kind of like how it feels. My nipples are poking through my tee-shirt though.”

  She knew she’d just given him a nice visual and suppressed a giggle

  Once again, she was met with silence.

  Breaking the quiet, she rustled around in bed and let out a tiny moan. Tracing her tits over her shirt, she murmured, “Mmm, goodnight Ron.”