Pausing after several minutes, he stepped forward to assess her skin. A light pink, it was warm to the touch. He was going very lightly, taking it slow and easy, exceedingly mindful of her still recovering body.
“Where are you, Lexie?”
“I’m green.” Her answer was a husky, broken exhalation.
“More or would you like me to fuck you?”
“More, harder and then fuck me, if it pleases you, Master.”
His girl liked the new flogger. Never one to be overly eager for impact play, with Lexie, he had a new appreciation for the art. Combined with his ropes and restraints, she was aroused to a fever pitch. She was so perfect for him and he thanked heaven he had found her and later been allowed to keep her. He had promised himself he would always take care of her, relentlessly, until the day he died. God, how he loved her.
Getting back to the task at hand, he stepped it up a little, throwing the falls just a bit harder, though still light and teasing across her skin. At the top of each stroke, after it whooshed through the air, he would stop. The momentum would carry the falls toward his target, but the velocity would change, allowing a soft brush of the tails on her bottom. That did the trick. The sound tricked her brain into feeling what she expected, when it was actually a much lighter stroke. She reacted as if it had been harder. Amazing how the psychological forces played into the physical aspects of the game.
Lexie’s constant groans turned sharper as he landed a few light, upward strokes right along her weeping pussy. She canted her hips backward, asking for more, and he delivered. The flogger zinged over her inflamed nerve endings until she shattered, crying out in a beautiful release.
The flogger left his hand—forgotten. In one plunge, he was inside her, his arm snaking around her waist to keep her in place while he enjoyed her exquisite heat and softness. Her muscles tightened around him with each subsequent thrust of his hips. He slid his free hand up her spine and buried it in her hair, feeling overwhelmed by the carnal need to possess his woman and watch her yield to him beautifully, as always.
Their skin began to slap together as he built to a faster rhythm, the sound reminiscent of the leather so recently striking her skin. Tugging her head to the side, he latched onto the exposed skin of her throat as he immersed himself in her, the taste of salt on her skin, the smell of her shampoo, the scent of her passion, all for him. Moving faster, the tingling and tightening in his balls signaling his orgasm was ready to blow. He hated for it to end, each time with her even better than the last. He rode her then, his need rampant as he relentlessly plunged into her open and willing body. Finally, he roared his release as he felt her once again convulse around him. She quivered and cried out as he filled her, coming deep and hot inside her. Lexie eagerly accepted all that he had to give.
Chapter Twenty
The next day, she was finally free to go about her regular activities in moderation. She wondered if her doctor would consider moderation another round with Jonas that morning and three more orgasms. Afterward, she ate breakfast and then napped; the man had simply worn her out. She refused to stay in however. When Jonas asked what she had planned for the day, she said she was calling her Aunt Joanna and if she was busy, every friend on her list until she found someone who wanted to go out with her. Somewhere…anywhere, she didn’t care. She simply refused to stay at home. Period.
Thankfully, Joanna was free. Warning her sternly not to overdo, he also cautioned her to obey her bodyguard no matter what. She of course agreed to it all, anxious to get out no matter what promises and precautions she had to take. If he required her to be carried around in a sedan chair and fanned with palm fronds, she’d do it and without complaint.
He’d laughed when she told him that and tongue in cheek, told her that unfortunately the sedan chair was out for cleaning and that Joanna’s Jaguar would have to do. He’d kissed her and still laughing, left for the day.
Joanna arrived not long after that and was informed by Lexie that their first order of business was a visit to Mara. Unlike the twins, Joanna was okay with her plan to support the woman who had saved her life. Soon they stood on Sean’s front porch waiting patiently for someone to answer the door. When it swung open, a familiar handsome face looked at them through the wrought iron security door.
“Kyle!” Lexie squealed.
He threw open the door and pulled her into a huge bear hug. “Lexie, how are you? I’ve been so worried about you.”
“I’m great. I was released by the doctor yesterday. What are you doing here?”
“I returned to work this week. Cap is going easy on me, though, and gave me this babysitting job. Come on in. Maybe you can cheer Mara up. She hasn’t gotten many visitors since she came home.”
They found Mara in bed. Although she greeted them with a smile, her usually sparkling green eyes were lackluster, and her mood seemed flat and depressed. Lexie was appalled by her appearance. Aside from the external hardware, which to a non-medical person would be shocking and quite frankly nauseating due to the screws affixed from the outside rather than within, she looked wan, lifeless and a good ten pounds lighter than the last time she’d seen her.
“Mara, honey, how are you?”
“Lexie,” she said quietly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” A tear tracked down her cheek, quickly followed by another.
“Good God, Mara,” Joanna cried. “You look like hell.” Rushing to her bedside, her maternal instincts rose to the forefront. She pressed her hand against Mara’s forehead, checking for fever.
“I’m fine, Joanna.” She smiled at her old friend. “You look wonderful. How long has it been?”
“It’s been two years at least. I haven’t seen you since your club days. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. Some friend I am.”
“I’m persona non grata at The Club these days, so why should you be any different?”
Lexie and Joanna shared a look. She was right. Everyone had taken Sean’s side after the separation. He was the injured party whose wife left him suddenly and with little explanation other than she wanted out. Now with the pictures surfacing and her association with Shelby, everyone was keeping their distance.
Lexie didn’t think it wise to get into all that past drama so she focused on what was going on with Mara now. “You don’t look well at all, honey.” As she sat next to her on the bed, she reached for her wrist, automatically beginning to assess her health status. “Who’s taking care of you? Sean? If so, he is doing a lousy job. You’re pale, look dehydrated and undernourished.”
“I haven’t seen Sean in weeks.” Mara looked down at her restless hands, seemingly unaware that she’d been nervously worrying the edge of her blanket since they arrived. Lexie, always observant, noticed her distress.
“He got me a full-time nurse and left. I don’t know where he’s staying. All I know is that it’s not here.”
“Have you been to the doctor?”
“I’m supposed to go at the end of the week. I haven’t heard from Sean so I don’t know how I’m getting there. My nurse was going to call him, but I’d rather she didn’t.” She looked at her two old friends and asked hesitantly, “I know it’s a huge imposition… could one of you take me?”
“Absolutely,” Joanna stated immediately. “I’m also taking you home with me. Sean should be ashamed for this neglect.”
Mara shook her head sadly. “He hates me, Joanna, and I don’t blame him one bit.”
Lexie agreed with Joanna’s plan whole-heartedly. The injury, isolation and the stress of dealing with an asshole for an ex-husband was obviously wearing on her. “Mara honey, why didn’t you call me?”
“Lexie, how could I call you? You almost died and I know you haven’t been up to taking care of yourself, let alone anyone else. Besides, I don’t have a phone.”
They gasped. “That bastard left you here with the hired help and no way to contact the outside world.” Joanna fumed. “It’s like you’re a prisoner. What did he feed you, bread and water?”
/> “He’s seen that I have the necessities.”
“How generous of him,” Joanna scoffed snidely.
“It’s not like you think. He didn’t have to do any of this. I’m not his responsibility anymore. I’d be in a nursing home, if he hadn’t taken me in.”
“You became his responsibility when he brought you here, honey.” Lexie squeezed her hand, trying to make her see that Sean wasn’t the poor put-upon hero she was making him out to be. His neglect really was indefensible. “He shouldn’t have taken you in if he wasn’t going to see that you were cared for properly. To leave you isolated, without even a way to call out? It’s plain reprehensible.”
“Who would I call? Before that awful day, I hadn’t seen you in weeks, not since you left the ER. I have no family, no friends for that matter. I haven’t lived here all that long, so I don’t have anyone to ask. It’s pathetic I know, but that’s how it is.” Leaning back on the pillows, she sighed heavily as she whispered, “I’d be grateful to stay with you, Joanna. I don’t deserve your kindness, but I appreciate it all the same.”
“I’ll get Kyle to carry her to the car,” Lexie said as she headed for the door.
“I’ll pack up your things,” Joanna offered as she moved to the closet.
Lexie heard Mara mutter forlornly, “That should take all of ten seconds.”
***
They had Mara ensconced in one of Joanna’s guest bedrooms within the hour. Lexie was heading to the kitchen to make her some lunch when the doorbell rang. She opened the door to a fuming, irritated giant of a man. Like all the Rossi men, Sean was terribly intimidating. Lexie was pissed, however, and therefore not impressed by his macho bluster. They weren’t at The Club. She had no obligation to treat the man with anything other than the disdain she felt he deserved.
“Do you need something, Sean? We are in the middle of getting Mara settled.”
“Don’t take that tone with me, Lexie. You know why I’m here. What do you two mean by dismissing her nurse and hauling her out of my home without a word?”
Lexie blocked the door, not an easy task since he both outweighed and outmuscled her. She wasn’t about to let him come in and start something with Mara, who was already weak and distressed. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at him coolly. “Since you hadn’t been around in weeks, we didn’t think you’d notice.”
Sean’s cheeks flushed, his Irish heritage clear in his reddish brown hair and ruddy complexion. Whether from anger or guilt, Lexie couldn’t be certain.
“Are you going to let me in so we can discuss this?”
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Lexie, what’s this about?” The familiar deep voice came from directly behind Sean. Because of his bulk, she hadn’t seen Jonas or her Uncle Peter walking up the sidewalk behind him.
She didn’t have to answer because Joanna stepped in front of her and poked Sean in the chest, pointing at him accusingly. “You should be ashamed of yourself. That girl is sickly and pale, and from what Lexie could tell, malnourished. What has come over you, Sean? I have never seen you be so cruel to a woman. Even with a whip in your hand and them begging for it, you have never been this punishing. Is this some kind of revenge?”
“Joanna! That is enough!” Peter’s voice was controlled but commanding. “Let’s move this discussion inside so we don’t entertain the neighbors any more than we already have.” He pushed past Sean and through his front door, snagging Joanna by the arm as he passed. “Try to keep a civil tongue in your head while we sort this out, darlin’.”
Her grumbled response was inaudible to the others as the general escorted his angry wife down the hall.
“We’ll discuss this in the living room,” he called over his shoulder, not stopping to see whether they followed. Used to command, he expected it to be so.
Jonas stepped around Sean, who still stood in the doorway. Lexie noticed that his face was now pale and he looked a little green around the gills. Although she was angry with him, she expressed her concern. “Are you all right, Sean? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
He just shook his head and started down the hall. At the end, he paused and looked to the stairs on the left. Jonas rushed after him and reached his side just as Peter stepped in front of him. Nose to nose like a drill sergeant with a green recruit, the general ordered Sean into the living room.
“I may not be your C.O. any longer, O’Brien, but this is my house and if you don’t want to be thrown out on your ass, you’ll do as I ask and have a seat in the living room.”
They stared at each other silently for several minutes. Lexie wondered whether Sean was weighing his odds against the general. His eyes flicked to Jonas, who stood at the older man’s side. Lexie didn’t know which way Sean was leaning, but with Uncle Peter still a badass even at sixty and Jonas’ black belt, if she were a betting woman, she’d bet against Sean coming out the winner in this showdown.
“Fine, but I am going to see her before I leave her.”
“Self-righteous indignation after all these weeks, Sean, really?” Joanna’s tone was acid as she stared daggers at Sean, arms crossed, one peep-toed pump tapping in agitation. “Seems like a bit of too little, too late if you ask me. Don’t you think, Lexie?”
“That will do, Joanna,” Peter warned. “And don’t bring Lexie into this and earn her a punishment to match your own.”
“Uh! What did I do? I wasn’t the one who starved the poor girl down to a bag of bones.”
“I didn’t starve her,” Sean bristled in his own defense. “I had licensed nurses taking care of her under a doctor’s orders, for Christ’s sake.”
“Even home care nurses need some supervision, Sean,” Lexie added softly. She had walked up to Jonas’ side, watching the drama play out. “Sometimes unscrupulous people go into that line of work on purpose because of the loose supervision. When they have a vulnerable patient with little family support, they can take advantage, or neglect their jobs or worse.”
“I trusted them. They are licensed and accredited.”
“Abuse goes on all the time, often with the infirm or the elderly. You have to supervise the staff even if the agency doesn’t. I’m not saying that’s what happened here. Mara seems depressed and that could be the reason for the weight loss, still, her nurse should have picked up on that and reported it, to her doctor or her supervisor at the very least.”
He flushed again and Lexie recognized his guilty look. “And to me.”
“No, not if Mara didn’t give her permission.”
Joanna didn’t look sympathetic. “Well, you don’t have to worry about supervision, or nursing staff, or groceries for the poor girl anymore. I’m taking it from here so you are no longer responsible for your ex-wife’s care.”
“You mean wife.”
“What?” This came from Jonas, who until then hadn’t said a word. “I thought you two were divorced.”
Sean shook his head. “I never filed the paperwork.”
That stunned them all. They watched as the defeated man walked across the living room and sat heavily on the couch. Leaning back, he rubbed both hands across his face, clearly distressed by the situation.
Joanna followed him, although she still looked pissed. “What do you mean you never filed? You’ve been going around for almost two years fucking everything in a skirt and telling everyone you were divorced when you weren’t?”
Peter moved to her side and whispered something in her ear, obviously not pleased by her tone or the f-bomb she’d let slip. Lexie wasn’t surprised; she’d lived with her aunt and uncle and had watched them for years. They had a deep love and were committed to each other. After over thirty years, they were still affectionate and romantic, and from what she’d heard, they still played together at The Club. Uncle Peter was a stickler for decorum and expected ladylike behavior, both sadly lacking in Joanna at the moment.
She blushed prettily and nodded at his whisper. “I’m sorry, Peter. I’ll try to watch my
mouth, but I’m terribly upset by this. Wait until you see her.”
“I realize that honey, and it is the only reason you’re standing here instead of lying over my lap in our room. Just tone it down.”
Nodding, she looked at Sean, still pissed. “I’m sorry for cursing at you, Sean. I’m supposed to let you say your peace before I tear you a new one.” Cheekily, she glanced at her husband and asked, “Did I get that right, honey?”
A hand landing on her bottom made her jump. She looked stunned that he’d done that. Her eyes flying around the room showed she was even more shocked that he had done it in front of their company.
“Keep it up and they will see more than a love tap, darlin’. I mean it.”
“She deserves a paddling for her lip, Pete, but she’s right about the other.” Sean’s fingers furrowed through his hair as he sighed heavily again. “I have been acting like a prick. Mara hurt me, badly. The short time we spent together when I brought her here was enough to show me I still have feelings for her. I don’t want to. I couldn’t bear losing my heart to her again. It nearly killed me the first time.”
Looking up at them with tired eyes, he continued, his voice strained. “I couldn’t stand the thought of her at a nursing home. Rehab facilities wouldn’t take her because she had weeks in that hardware and couldn’t really do any therapy per se. Therefore, I brought her home, set her up with what I thought was a quality home care agency, and left it to them. I kept in touch with the nursing supervisor at least twice a week who assured me she was doing well. This is the first I’ve heard anything about weight loss or depression, I swear.” He looked from Joanna to Lexie, the more sympathetic of the two, and said, “I fucked up. I swear I’m really not such a prick that I would have purposely ignored her health.”
Unbind My Heart (Club Decadence) Page 27
