by Dahlia Rose
He laughed softly. “Such a nice way to say pilfer.”
She slapped at his ass and ran back upstairs while he went back out to the car. In a matter of minutes, she was walking quickly from around the back side of the hospital instead of the front door. She carried a medium, yellow plastic container that looked suspiciously like a bedpan, but he wasn’t going to question it. She was doing him a favor by trying to help his brother. She slid the container into the back seat and before he reached over and opened the passenger door.
“I had to take a detour; Matron Potter was snooping around,” Nina explained as she got in the car. “I don’t know how she ends up on our floor when she works in the palliative care ward now. Anyway, I got banana bags to give him a constant IV, we use it for people who come in fall-out-the-rocker drunk. I have Zofran patches for behind his ear to help with nausea and to dry up some of that mucus he will be making. I don’t want him to be miserable so I had a friend in the pharmacy give me something so we can keep him resting.”
“Thank you,” Mac said gratefully, but he was still worried. “I don’t want you in trouble because of me or Donnie.”
“I’m not on hospital grounds what I do on my own time they can’t say a thing.” She patted his hand. “Besides, they won’t know. I have people I can trust.”
He nodded. “Okay, well, let’s get him back on the right track. The police are looking for him because of things Bouchey had him do. I’m trying to keep him off the radar until that’s taken care of.”
“You said this was all for a girl?” Nina questioned as he pulled away from the hospital and merged into traffic to drive to the safe house.
Mac explained exactly what had gone on that day and where they'd found Donnie. She was outraged to learn what Bouchey was making the young women do for profit. He also mentioned their plan to shut him down for good.
“We have to get Zeva in on this,” Nina said firmly. “They are going to need proper care and resources, so they don’t end up back on the streets and being pimped out for a living.”
“I agree,” Mac answered. “But one thing at a time.”
At the safe house he watched as Nina gave Donnie an examination with a gentle but firm hand as he lay on the bed. He was already sweating profusely, and the heroin sickness was making him retch. There was nothing in his stomach to bring up, because junkies feed the high and not their stomachs half the time. But she got an IV into his arm and gave him the medicines she'd brought. Mac saw his brother start to rest more comfortably.
“Can you please fill the pan I brought with warm water? I need a washcloth and some soap to bathe him down,” Nina ordered. “There’s nothing worse than trying to fight withdrawal in sweaty clothes and sheets.”
“I can do that,” Mac said instantly.
“It’s nothing I’ve never seen before. You asked for my help, let me do my job,” she gave him a curt look. “This is my life every day, Mac, I can be quicker and more efficient, plus I know how to get him undressed without pulling the IV in his arm. Just get me what I need and some clean stuff for him to wear.”
“Yes ma’am,” Mac said, sufficiently chastised, and left the bedroom.
She did let him help when it came to getting Donnie moved and the bedsheets changed. Together they re-dressed him, and Nina pushed the dark curls away from his face as he slept.
“Poor thing,” she murmured. “You’ll come out on the good side of this, Donnie. I’m sure of it.”
She stood and left the room, and Mac followed. Outside the door he pulled her into his arms and then buried his face in her neck.
“Thank you, love,” he said huskily. “He would be suffering right now if it wasn’t for you.”
Nina wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m here for you both.”
“Get a room,” Haile said from the door. In his arms he carried bags. “Mrs. H. sent food, told you both to eat it.”
“I won’t ever refuse her food,” Nina moved away and took the bags.
Nina unpacked the food, and Haile moved closer to speak to Mac. “Jerry said he could come watch him tonight, he’s a medic so he knows about the IVs. Since Donnie has proven to be a runner, he will definitely keep an eye on him so you can go sleep.”
“What time will he be here?” Mac asked as he looked at his watch.
“Be at least ten-thirty when he gets out of work,” Haile explained.
“Mac will be coming back to my flat so he can rest and be close by,” Nina said firmly, and her eyes dared him to say no.
Not that he ever would; lying next to her warm body was the only pleasurable thought at the moment.
“I have more surveillance on Bouchey now,” Haile also told him. “Wayne won’t say shit, but I will give him the head's-up when we bring the hammer down, so he’s not caught up. He’s a good guy, a bit daft in the intelligence department but dependable. I’ll find him new work.”
“Sounds good,” Mac answered as he moved toward the table. “Are you eating?”
Haile didn’t follow; instead he went to the door. “I’ve got to get home to Mari; I’m worried about this constant morning sickness.”
“Isn’t her doctor doing anything?” Nina asked.
Haile made a disgusted sound in his throat. “That old idiot keeps telling her she’s fine, just power through, women do this all the time. Then he makes it seem like she is being overdramatic because she is my wife and I’m there. We’re changing doctors to the midwife center over in Allendale, but we can’t get an appointment until next week.”
“I’ll come by tomorrow and take care of her,” Nina said. “One of the female doctors at the hospital won’t have any problem getting her a prescription for medicine and an IV filled with yummy vitamins to get her system happy again. She is probably going to end up dehydrated and in the hospital at this rate.”
“I basically told Dr. Bryant if anything happens to her or my child, I will take it out on his sixty-year-old ass,” Haile said and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Mrs. H. has been making her light broth—that stays down—and plenty of ginger ale.”
“Stop at the market and get some lemon drops or candied lemon rind,” Nina advised. “Also give her a cup of hot tea with lemon, something about the tartness helps with pregnancy nausea.”
“I’ll stop at the market on the way,” Haile promised. “Thank you.”
“Send her both our love,” Mac said as Haile stepped out the door.
“Will do,” he promised and closed the door behind him.
Mac settled at the small table with Nina, and together they ate the fish and chips from the pub. There was also some of the very same broth in the bag for Donnie in case he was able to eat. His brother slept while they were there and continued to slumber when Jerry showed up. They finally left around eleven, and instead of driving out to the cottage at the manor house, Mac did what he was told and climbed the stairs to Nina’s apartment over the pub.
Mac looked around, recalling when it was an empty, dusty hideout for him and his friends. Or when he needed a place to lie low after the cops got on his ass. Haile used to bring him food when it was too hot to be on the streets, including the time Mac had beaten his father into unconsciousness for laying hands on his mum. Well, this had been his home for a week where he slept on a dingy, old sleeping bag and listened to the radio to escape the hopelessness and silence that surrounded him.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Nina moved closer to slip her arms around his waist.
“Nothing,” he smiled down at her and pressed a soft kiss against her full lips. “Memories.”
“Good or bad?” she questioned.
“A little of both,” he admitted. “But right now, holding you like this, they seem to melt away.”
“You have a very charming mouth,” she teased.
“Enough to warrant another kiss?” Mac asked hopefully.
“Better than that,” she said with a wink. “How about a shower and a massage? You’ve been wound so tight, I swear a
ll the muscles of your neck are bunched up to your ears.”
“I won’t refuse that,” he murmured. “I must warn you, it may lead to other kinds of rubbing.”
“Oh, I’m hoping,” she purred and pushed him toward the bathroom. “There are towels in the small pantry next to the sink.”
Mac took a shower in the small bathroom that seemed smaller than he remembered; even the tub made him feel like a large, clumsy oaf. He came out wearing only his boxers, and as she slipped past him to take her turn under the hot spray of a shower Nina smacked his ass. He couldn’t help but grin. She made him happy, with her tart mouth and saucy attitude. She didn’t take shit from anyone—even him. Nina had no problem calling him on his shit when he tried to be a complete asshole and would accept nothing less than respect. It terrified him that she had become so completely immersed in his life in such a short time that he couldn’t think about not being with her. But there was more to discuss, think about, and plan for. He didn’t know which way he was going as yet. Is it fair to ask her to travel an uncertain road with me?
“You’re thinking so hard, you have those lines in your forehead,” Nina commented as she walked into the bedroom, drawing his attention to her. She had braided her hair and piled the thick plait on her head before securing it with one of those colorful scrunchie things. She wore short shorts with a hibiscus print and a tank top that allowed a peek at the chocolate skin of her torso. His eyes traveled from the tips of her purple-painted toenails up her legs to thick thighs then to her generous hips and tiny waist. Her full breasts enticed him, and Mac’s thoughts were forgotten as desire kicked in for his curvaceous beauty.
“You have my complete attention,” the words smoothly left his lips because it was exactly the truth.
“Good,” she said and sat on the edge of the bed and opened a drawer. “Turn over and let me work those shoulders.”
“Should I ask why you have massage oil in your bedside table?” His voice was partially muffled by a pillow.
Mac felt her straddle his lower back, and he could feel the warmth between her legs as she sat on his ass. Nina bent over and whispered in his ear and spoke in a teasing whisper. “Maybe I like a little extra lubrication when I touch myself.”
“Oh wow.”
Mack groaned at the mental image, and the little squeeze she gave him with her thighs. There was no doubt his hard cock was pressed into the mattress of the bed as she began to work his shoulders with soft circles using her fists, the oil giving her enough range of motion that she could glide her palm easily over his skin. He closed his eyes in pleasure as her touch not only inflamed him but released the tension that he didn’t even notice had tied his muscles in knots. Mac sank into the sensations of her touch as she ran her hands down to his lower back and began to ease the tension there as well.
His mind turned from the sweet pressure of her hands to fucking her until they both couldn’t walk afterward. A surprised cry escaped her when he turned, and she toppled off his back. Mac was there to pull her against him before she fell to the mattress, and he was kissing her ravenously. Mac took her hand and slipped it into his loose boxers so she could take his thick phallus into her grasp. Nina wrapped her fingers around him and stroked, causing a guttural noise to rumble from his chest.
“Did I even mention I love your dick,” she said and trailed a light touch over the smooth tip.
“Jesus,” he muttered. “You keep saying things like that and it will be over before it begins.”
“I know your sex game, Mackenzie Black, you never leave me unsatisfied,” she said and bit his chin. “You just slip in me nice and slow, and I’m already coming.”
“Fuck.”
Nina's words drove him to the primal place in his mind where the thought of being buried between her legs consumed him. Her hands roamed over the strong contours of his shoulders while their lips met in short, sweet kisses that soon turned heated and filled with need. Her touch inflamed him as each caress was like fire against his skin. He gathered up the ends of her tank shirt and pulled it overhead, freeing her from the confines of the material. He filled his hands with the smooth globes of her breasts and watched as she arched into his palms.
“You're so bloody responsive; it’s like your body craves my touch,” Mac murmured with awe and assuredness in his voice. “Do I arouse you, Nina?”
“In every possible way,” she whispered.
He chuckled when she squirmed on the bed to get her shorts off. One thing Mac loved about Nina: She never wore panties if she didn’t have to. It was an ongoing puzzle in his head wondering anytime he saw her if she was going commando under her clothes. And that usually led to a hard-on. Her hands at his shorts brought his attention back to the present, and he helped her remove the last piece of material that separated skin from skin. Nina pressed hot kisses again on his chest and then bit his nipple wickedly.
“You can play now, but you’ll be screaming my name later,” Mac teased.
Nina winked. “Promise?”
The thought excited him as he watched her with growing desire when she pushed him back on the bed and took his cock in her grasp. He was hard and aching, engorged. Mac held his breath anticipating her next action as she knelt in front of him. Nina looked up at him with sultry, wicked eyes and stroked him, making his hips rise in response. She bent over and licked the tip of his length, and he was unable to hold back a groan as he clenched his fist into the coverlet beneath him. He wanted to feel her lips around his shaft and her tongue as she tried to milk him dry with her mouth.
“How does that feel?” Nina murmured.
“I want more.” His thigh muscles flexed as she continued to stroke him. “Taste me.”
Nina trailed her mouth along his shaft, and that was almost his undoing. Mac tried to pull her to him and roll her beneath him to fuck her. But Nina slapped his hand away and raised a finger. “Have a little patience, honey bun.”
Her mouth was around the smooth head of his cock, and she used her tongue to swirl around the sensitive tip, teasing him. Shit! Mac closed his eyes as his balls tightened, and he forced himself to calm down so he wouldn't release his load on her lips. He arched his head into the pillow and gave himself over to the hot, sucking motion of her mouth, which she combined with the corkscrew action of her hands. Her saliva added lubrication, a sensation that made him burn hot. Mac buried his hands in her hair, thrusting his cock deeper between her lips but pulling away suddenly when he felt the first hints of come building at the base of his cock.
He pulled her eagerly against him and kissed her, and as their lips clung together Nina pushed her undies down her legs in haste. Their lips dueled with greedy abandon, and he tried to control the savageness of his kisses, but it was impossible. The part of him that craved her took over while he slipped his hand between her legs. Nina whimpered into his mouth as he caressed her, and her hips jerked in response. God, she felt so damn good, slick and moist as he teased her clit and when he slid his two fingers deep inside her, she swallowed her cry of pleasure. Mac’s own groan echoed from his chest, the hot walls of her sex clenched around his digits as he inserted and retreated from her aroused pussy. He grunted in satisfaction when Nina spread her legs wider, and she undulated on his fingers.
Mac watched her, the kiss ended, and her head was thrown back. Enthralled by the carnal lust on her face, he loved hearing the soft noises of passion that escaped her parted lips. He sat up and anchored her, ceasing her movements by wrapping his free hand around her waist. Mac fucked her with his fingers while he teased and feasted on her nipples. He ached to be buried within her, and she was so fucking wet that it ran down his fingers. Nina was fire, molten lava, a water nymph in the way her body moved, and she had claimed him down to the fabric of his soul.
“Come for me, love,” he demanded of her softly. “Give it all to me.”
“Yes, oh Lord, now!” Nina cried out.
Her body trembled, and she leaned against his shoulder biting the flesh under her l
ips. A hiss escaped him, and the sting left by her teeth only seemed to enhance his pleasure as he felt every tremor that rolled through her body. It was all he could take, Mac moved so she was on the mattress and positioned her so he could fuck her from behind. Needing her so deeply was indescribable, he gritted his teeth while he ran the head of his shaft over the wet slit of her sex and she wiggled trying to take him in. A low groan escaped him as he thrust deep. Mac fought against the assault of pleasure coursing through him and trying to take him under too soon.
The only way he could describe it was that she pulsed around his cock, the walls of her pussy seemed to clench around his engorged length each time he drove himself into her depth. She was like liquid satin as she moved her hips, pushing back until his hips collided with her firm ass. With his hands at her waist he let go of the last constraints of his control and fucked her like a man possessed. Nina was on her knees now with her arms around his neck so she wouldn’t fall. Mac reached around and cupped her breasts as they raced toward the ultimate end of their coupling.
“I’m so close,” he groaned out, his breathing harsh. “I want to . . . make it last . . . ah, fuck!”
Nina was on her knees and elbows, the curve of her body and ass even more accentuated from this position. “Don’t you stop, Mackenzie Black, make me come all over your dick!”
“I love when you say things like that,” Mac couldn’t stop watching her, and he ran his hands down the curve of her back while he pumped into her. It ravaged his senses.
He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him hard, loving the wet slapping sounds their bodies made with each deep connection.
“I’m going to come,” she whimpered and arched sensuously.
It was sheer pleasure, primal, a driving force that raced them toward the end. He vaguely understood that the animalistic grunts and sounds came from him, and when he reached around to tease her clit, Nina’s orgasm took hold and he closed his eyes in pleasure.
“Ahhh, fuck!”
