One More Time (MMG Series Book 3)

by Hilliard, R. B.

  “I don’t care…”

  He cut me off before I could finish. “But I do. I have to clear the air before we start our lives together. I have to tell you what I did and I have to know you are okay with it. I need this for me.”

  A wave of relief washed over me as more tears escaped. “Okay, Dillon. We’ll do whatever you need to do,” I told him.

  He squeezed my hands again and rested his head back on the pillow. “Are Bobby and Cas in the waiting room?”

  “Yes, everyone is there.”

  “Will you please go get them? I need to tell them what happened while it’s still fresh in my head.”

  “Are you sure? It can wait until tomorrow.” I was worried he was going to over exert himself.

  “I promise I’m good. They need to know.”

  As I stepped out, the orthopedist was coming down the hall.

  “Do I need to be here for the consult?” I asked Nurse Becky.

  “I’ll let you know what they decide,” she answered.

  Wanting to be back in the room with Dillon, I hurried to the waiting room to fetch Cas, Bobby and Tut. I quickly explained to everyone what was happening. Then I gave Piper and Ellie a hug and assured them Dillon was okay. Before heading back to the room with the boys, I made sure Sally would help Sarah take care of Amelia for me.

  The orthopedist was leaving when we arrived back at the room. They needed to do x-rays and scans of his shoulder before completely clearing him. Apparently the x-ray technician was backed up, so we had to wait.

  “Hey babe, while I talk to the guys will you please call Adam and fill him in.”

  Crap! I had completely forgotten about Adam. As soon as he gave me Adam’s number, I stepped out into the hall to call him. Adam was understandably upset. I didn’t have much to say, as I didn’t really know anything except he was attacked and they had two of the four in custody. Adam said he would head to Charlotte first thing in the morning.

  When I finished with Adam, I stepped back in the room and listened to Dillon explain in detail what he could remember of the incident. It was late when we finished talking and everyone was exhausted, especially Dillon. The guys left with promises to touch base with the police and to keep us posted on any and all news. The nurses were kind enough to set me up a cot. I didn’t have any of my things, but I didn’t care. I was with Dillon and he was alive and breathing. After three doses of pain medication, he finally drifted to sleep. I, however, did not.

  * * *

  One Week Later

  “Please tell me he has released me from this hell.” Dillon stated, yet again.

  “They are working on it,” I repeated for the hundredth time.

  “I’ve done everything they asked me to. I’ve eaten every meal, passed gas a hundred times, crapped in the toilet, pissed in every cup they have handed me and made a thousand laps through the halls. What else do they want from me?”

  If there was anything I had learned this week, it was that Dillon Whitaker was a crappy patient. The x-rays and scans showed no tears or breaks to his shoulder. He got the sling off on Wednesday. However, due to the possible internal bleeding and concussion, they made him stay for the week. This was a trying time for the both of us. Not only were we stuck in a hospital, but we had had zero privacy and therefore had not been able to properly clear up any of our issues. The stress and the lack of sleep upset my stomach. I was beyond exhausted. If Dillon wasn’t begging me to hop on and ride him, he was begging me to go home and get some sleep. Not only did I not want to get caught having sex in a hospital room, I didn’t want to leave him alone. The last time I left him, he’d almost died.

  On a positive note, Dillon’s friends visited every day. I even got to meet Doctor Parker. It was sweet to watch everyone fuss over him. A few times, however, Ellie, Joss and Piper had to stop me from throttling my stubborn man. For instance, Cas, Bobby, Tut, Max, Gage and Kurt showed up with the police the afternoon after Dillon was attacked and Dillon made me leave the room. I did not want to leave. Dillon needed to heal, not worry about what the police were doing. Of course, he wouldn’t listen to me. When Adam arrived, he made me leave again and I almost lost it. Thank goodness the girls were there to talk me down. I knew Dillon was keeping things from me and I didn’t like it. I decided not to push him about it until he was released and I had him safely at home.

  The only time the whole Dillon leaving me incident came up was on day three. Sally had dropped off Amelia for a few hours. She and Adam went to Piper’s to get some of Dillon’s things and pick up burgers for us. Amelia had just started sitting up on her own, so Dillon and I had her performing like a circus clown on the middle of his hospital bed.

  “I have missed so much,” he said.

  The sad note in his voice made my heart hurt. “She just started doing this last week. You haven’t missed that much,” I assured him.

  “I want to come home. I want to sleep in our bed and wake next to you each morning. I want to see our baby girl grow up while it’s happening, not a week later.” He grabbed my hand to get my attention. “Please say yes?” he pleaded.

  “O-of course you can come home. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told him.

  Hearing my slight hesitation, he said, “I’m not leaving again, Ibbs, I swear.” The conviction in his voice let me know how serious he was…but still, I was afraid.

  “Okay, Dillon, I believe you.” I glanced down at Amelia and smiled. “We both want Daddy home, don’t we? Daddy is the best doody diaper changer isn’t he?” Amelia’s squeal made us both laugh and the tense moment was over.

  Max and Ellie had come by yesterday right as Adam was about to head back to Charleston. They invited us to the first annual MMG Fourth of July party this coming week. Adam agreed to come back to town for that, which made Dillon happy. Poor Adam. Dillon had been pushing him to sell their aunt’s house and move to Charlotte all week.

  We were now at day five in the hospital. Both of us were chomping at the bit to leave.

  As if reading my mind, the doctor walked through the door.

  “Mr. Whitaker, I hear you are getting out of here today?” he announced.

  A blinding smile appeared on Dillon’s face. “Thank Jesus,” he said.

  For the next ten minutes, the doctor went over instructions on how to care for his abdominal wound. After that, Dillon signed release papers and we could go home. Dillon Whitaker was a very lucky man.

  The drive home was uneventful. I had been to the house earlier this morning and had everything set up for Dillon’s return. All he wanted was a home cooked meal and a beer, both of which the doctor had approved. I, however, needed answers. After our meal and beer, Sally was going to take Amelia and I was going to finally talk to my man.

  We arrived home right at dinner time. By the time I got us unloaded and Dillon settled on the sofa with dinner and a beer, it was late. After dinner, I helped him up to the bedroom. It was obvious his side was hurting and we were both exhausted. I no longer wanted to talk. I just wanted to curl up next to my guy and sleep. Dillon brushed his teeth and took a pain pill while I went to check on Sally and Amelia. As I pulled all of the pillows off the bed, I heard him let out a groan of pain from the bathroom and I felt sorry for him. By the time I finally settled into bed, he was already asleep. For the first time in what seemed like ages, I fell asleep with a full heart instead of an empty gaping hole in my chest.

  Sometime later I awakened to a tongue on my neck and a hand in my panties. It was pitch dark in the room and all I could hear was heavy breathing behind me.

  “I need you,” Dillon whispered in my ear. I could feel his hard cock pressed tightly against my lower back. As he slowly pumped his hips up and down, it rubbed against the crease of my ass, making me wet and very wanting.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” I panted. His thumb and forefinger clamped down on my swollen clit and I moaned.

  “Does it feel like I’m in pain?” he rasped.

  His hands were turning me
into a frenzied ball of lust. “I need you, too,” I panted.

  “On your stomach,” he quickly commanded. His hand lost purchase between my legs as I started to roll onto my stomach, and I wanted it back. Before I could tell him so, he shoved two pillows under my stomach and had my panties halfway down my legs. I tugged them the rest of the way and opened for him. His solid warmth blanketed me from behind and he licked the shell of my ear. “Please forgive me for hurting you,” he whispered.

  “Yesssss,” I hissed. I felt him start to enter but then pull back.

  “Dillon!” I whisper-shouted.

  “Tell me you don’t want Zane,” he said.

  “What? Please tell me you’re kidding,” I glanced back at him and huffed. I could tell from his tense muscles he was dead serious. I also knew he wasn’t going to give it to me until I answered. “Fine! You already know the answer to this, but no, I do not want Zane. I never did.”

  His muscles unlocked as he relaxed and he slowly entered me from behind. It had been too long. I was tight and greedy for him to give it to me but I didn’t want to hurt him. Once in, he gently pulled out and languidly pushed back in. In and out he pumped, setting a slow, easy pace and I wanted more. As if sensing my need, he dropped down onto his elbows and sped up his thrusts. His hand slid back between my legs and I gasped in bliss. It felt so good, almost too good.

  “Fuck, I’m there,” he grated between thrusts. Those three words were all it took and I was coming.

  A minute or so later, he pulled out and groaned.

  “You okay?” I asked, rolling onto my side.

  He nestled in behind me and kissed my shoulder. “Never been better.”

  “Do you really think I would choose Zane over you?”

  “No. I just wanted to hear you say it right before I had you.”

  His Tarzan comment had me rolling my eyes. “You do realize you didn’t use a condom, again,” I stated.

  I felt his lips turn up into a smile against my shoulder as he answered, “Yep.”

  His nonchalance about the whole thing surprised me. I turned my head to look at him. “You’re okay with that?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “I want a boy this time,” he sleepily said.

  It was my turn to smile and I did… big time.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dillon

  ‡

  After two weeks of total hell, I am finally home with my girls. I had already been up twice this morning, once to take three Advil and the second time to check on Milly. As I stared down at a sleeping Ibby, I couldn’t help but give a mental thank you to whoever was watching out for us. A lot of bad had happened in a very short period of time and both of us were still alive and breathing. According to Cas and Bobby, it was all behind us now, but I wasn’t so sure I believed them. Something still didn’t feel right and I had nothing to go on but my gut.

  “What are you chewing on up there?” Ibby sleepily asked.

  I leaned down and touched my mouth to hers. “Good morning, beauty,” I said against her lips. She smiled and wrapped her hands around my neck as she deepened the kiss. When I pulled back, she pouted. “As much as I want to go there with you right now, we need to talk.”

  Her expression instantly sobered. “Are you okay?”

  “Stop worrying about me. I promise to tell you if I’m anything but great, okay?”

  Her expression softened. “Okay,” she said.

  “Sally has Milly. You head to the bathroom and I’ll get you a cup of coffee,” I told her.

  “You are still recovering. I can get the coffee. You stay right here in bed.”

  “Ibby,” I growled.

  “Jeesh! Okay, please get my coffee!” she exclaimed with exasperation.

  I laughed as she stomped off to the bathroom muttering about me being hard headed under her breath, and went to get her coffee. When I returned, she was waiting on the bed for me. I couldn’t help but be reminded of how thankful I was to be back home. Handing her the coffee, I piled onto the bed beside her. “There’s a lot to cover, but I want to start first with my childhood,” I told her. Before she could respond, I launched into growing up and what happened with my parents. I managed to hold it together until the very end. This time, when I broke, it wasn’t Piper there to comfort me, but Ibby. This was a big step towards healing those wounds and, instead of feeling shame, like when I told Piper, I felt relief.

  A while passed before either of us could speak. Finally, needing to get the rest out, I hit her with part two, my trip to Charleston and what Adam and I discovered there. Since I had already worked through most of this with Parker, I could now emotionally distance myself. This made it slightly easier to tell. As it was Isabella’s first time hearing it, she took it hard.

  “Oh my God!” she screeched. Then she jumped off the bed and began pacing back and forth across the foot of the bed. “So, for two weeks you have been carrying this around,” she stopped and threw up her hands, “And you didn’t tell me?”

  “Baby, for two weeks, I have been working through it, and no, I didn’t tell you.”

  “Why?” she shouted.

  “Because I was afraid,” I answered.

  Her face fell and she started crying, again. “You were afraid of me?”

  “No. I was afraid once you knew I was a murderer, you wouldn’t want me anymore,” I told her.

  The next thing I knew, Ibby was on her knees in front of me, both hands on either side of my face and staring deep into my eyes. “You are not a murderer. Do you hear me?” The conviction in her voice was a complete turn on. “You were a kid, Dillon. Your mother should have protected you. Your father should have let her go. You were just a victim of their fucked up circumstances. Our children will be worshipped and adored, no matter what happens between us. I swear it.”

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  She gave me a soft smile and whispered, “I love you, too.”

  Our lips met and, right then and there, I had to have her. I worshipped her body with my hands and mouth as I stripped her bare. Not wanting to waste another precious minute of time, I shoved down my briefs and entered her.

  “Promise me it will always be this good,” she moaned.

  “Tell me you love me, again, and I’ll grant you your promise,” I said between thrusts.

  “I love you,” she panted.

  “I promise it will always be this good,” I rasped.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “One more time,” I commanded.

  “I love you!” she shouted.

  I powered in one last time and, when I felt her quivering underneath me, I let go.

  I was so fucking happy to be home.

  After we cleaned up and were back on the bed, I started back up. “I need you to know, the night before I left had absolutely nothing to do with Dana.”

  “I know,” she quickly responded.

  “You sure?” I asked.

  She let out a sigh. “I admit, at first I questioned it, but Sally explained everything and then Dana showed up with her scary friends at Dragonfly and was so ugly to us and I just knew. You wouldn’t be with me if you cared about her or vice versa. You aren’t that kind of guy.”

  I gave her a hard kiss. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For believing in me.” She smiled and I let out a sigh of relief. Then I explained what Garrett and the guys found out about Dana and how guilty I had been feeling.

  “Have they arrested her yet?” she asked.

  “They have issued a warrant to bring her in for questioning, but I haven’t heard anything other than that,” I told her.

  “Is this what they talked to you about in the hospital?” Before I could tell her no, she gasped and grabbed my hand. “Did she pay to have you beat up?”

  I scowled at her. “What makes you say that?”

  “Because she’s nuts and that’s so something a nutty person would do,” she replied.

  I swallowed deep and
answered, “No, Ibbs. That wasn’t Dana. That was Jimmy.”

  Her face turned white as a ghost. “What?” she breathed.

  I hated upsetting her, but it was time she knew what was happening. “You remember when we were told about Jimmy moving money in and out of client’s accounts?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Well, it turns out there was a reason he was doing this.” When she didn’t respond, I continued. “You remember Garrett saying they were turning the information over to the South Carolina State Bar, correct?”

  “Yes. They wanted the State Bar to open a criminal investigation,” she replied.

  “Well, they did and they found something.”

  “Oh God,” she gasped, “What did they find?”

  “They discovered while Jimmy was in his second year of law school, he was involved in a hit and run. It appears he was out drinking and hit a woman walking in the street on the way home. Instead of stopping and checking on her, he left her for dead and drove away. The next morning, he took the car to a body shop and had the front end repaired. Being that the shop was less than reputable and he paid with cash, it wasn’t reported. Nor was it easily traceable.”

  “Go on,” she prompted.

  “The woman did not die.”

  “No!” she dramatically exclaimed and I fought a smile.

  “No,” I repeated, “but she was messed up for a long time. Long enough for Jimmy to graduate, get a job at a top tiered law firm and relax.”

  “Please tell me she found him.”

  “Two and a half years later, she found him,” I confirmed. “But, instead of calling the cops, like she should have, she cut a deal with him. No one would ever know about what he did if he paid up and paid big. Jimmy didn’t have that kind of cash, but he knew if he didn’t play ball, he would go to jail.”

  “She must have had him by the short hairs,” Isabella said, “because, I’m here to tell you, Jimmy is c-h-e-a-p. What?” she asked at my grin, and I couldn’t help but bust out laughing.

  “You are f-u-n-n-y,” I spelled.