by Amanda Wylde
"Yeah," he says staring at me as his eyes well up.
"Oh my God. What happened to you?" I ask trying to hold it together.
"They didn't tell you when they called?" he asks. "It's been on the news a few times already. I got shot during a foot chase."
He starts to tell me the details about it even as he's overcome with emotion. How he didn't even realize he was shot until it was all over and he'd caught the guy. He pulls me toward him when I'm close enough, then to him. "Kiss me," he says and I have no choice but to peck him softly on the lips.
"I'm still sick," I say in an attempt to pull away before he can kiss me deeper.
He pulls me to him again. "You don't look it," he says kissing me again but thankfully stops to say more. "And I don't give a shit about that virus anymore. It's kept you from me long enough. Looks like I'm gonna be laid up for a while anyway. Being able to kiss you again will be totally worth it."
He tries to deepen the kiss but I pull away –too quickly—too noticeably flustered. He stares at me for a moment before his brows pinch. "What's wrong with you?"
"Travis—" I shake my head as his eyes widen and I feel like a complete idiot. "I mean Kris, I'm still in shock."
"Travis?" He asks both brows lifting.
"I was just thinking I have to call Travis and let him know as soon as possible." His expression softens just slightly. "I can stay with the boys tonight but I can't take too much time off work."
"You don't need to call him," he says pulling me to him again, an air of suspicion still in his eyes but not as bad as moments ago. "I'll be home by tomorrow. I'll call him. I may not be able to do a lot of things right away but the boys are self sufficient. As long as I'm there to run the ship they'll be fine. No need to have him come down more often than he already said he'll be doing."
I gulp nodding then kiss his forehead. "I'm so glad you're okay."
I really am but that mountain of guilt is once again crushing my chest. He's just been through something horrific and all I can think of is what would Travis say—do—if he saw me comforting my injured boyfriend with some affection. He tells me about some of the guys from his precinct stopping by to see him and busting his balls that he's barely been on the job for a few months and already he got shot. They all said he owes them a round of beer for each bullet he took from those thugs.
After practically admitting I was thinking of Travis, I have no choice but to give in to his kisses. Each one has me thinking the very thing I was thinking when I inadvertently blurted out Travis's name. That he'll be livid if he ever catches wind of this. As hypocritical as that may sound I know I'd be if I knew he was still kissing Elsa—beyond livid.
Luckily there are many people in and out keeping the kissing to a minimum. Fellow cops come to see him. Some come to interview. Local media wanting a statement and many doctors and nurses until they finally move him into his overnight room and I use the excuse of having to get to Trace and Trevor and manage to leave while there are people in the room still so there is no long goodbye.
Chapter 18
Travis
"We have to hold off telling Kris and you're going to be staying there—with him—in his fucking bed?"
I run my fingers through my hair as I pace in my living room. No way is this happening. I won't let it.
"He can't do anything," Remi says urgently. "He's injured and I'll make sure he knows I'll have no part in injuring him further. He already knows I won't budge on that."
"Why," I stop in the middle of the room as the fire inside me becomes an inferno. "Did he try something?"
"Travis, baby please try to understand. To him we're still a full blown couple. Of course he's gonna try. But you need to trust that I won't allow anything to happen."
The grenades inside me are still going off as the visual of Kris trying things with Remi assaults me: visuals of him touching her, possibly kissing her. But I pace the room again reminding myself why we have to wait to tell him. Remi said my aunt was hysterical when she called to give her the news. My aunt was this close to leaving my grandmothers deathbed to come back and take care of Kris. The only way Kris had been able to convince her to stay by her mom's side was by assuring her she didn't need to be here. My aunt then made Remi promise her she'd look after Kris until she could get home to him. Remi did and now feels utterly compelled to follow through. If we tell him now he'll never allow Remi to continue to care for him.
"I'd never forgive myself if because of my selfishness his mom leaves Sicily and misses her own mother's last living days. After what I'll be doing to her son, it's the very least I can do to help clear my conscious the tiniest bit."
If I didn't feel so indebted to them as well for keeping my brothers all this time maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty too. I've since talked to my aunt as well. She called me begging me to tell her the truth and that we're not holding out on the severity of his injuries just to keep her from flying home. I of course assured her we weren't toning down his injuries. She wasn't easy to convince either. I had to tell her where she could find the updated story online where it even states he's expected to make a full recovery. Then she said to me he very thing she told Remi.
"I thank God for Remi. Her being there with my son is the only thing getting me through this. I know she'll take good care of him. We're so blessed she's a nurse. You have no idea how much that comforts me."
My aunt also went on to tell me how much she loves Remi. How happy she is that Kris has her in his life; how even Riley has gotten attached to her. How the fuck am I supposed to insist Remi not do this? That we tell him already? When this is all over I'll be taking her away from all of them. The least I can do is agree to let Remi help them get through this before I drop the bomb on all of them.
I exhale loudly. "Can't you balk at sleeping in the same bed because you're afraid of hurting him?"
"I can try but I already know he'll argue and Travis you were right. I do get the distinct feeling he's noticed a change in me. I don't want to make it so obvious."
The idea of Kris's hands on her, touching her in a way a boyfriend would, makes my skin crawl. It always has but I had no choice but to accept it then. Things are different now. I can't stomach it. I'll have to be around them this weekend again and even before last weekend when I reclaimed my Cherry, I could barely stand being in the same room with them knowing he'd be slipping in kisses and touching her.
"I won't say anything yet but I can't promise—"
"Travis please. We need to do this. It's the least we can do. I promise he's in a lot of pain. He can barely stand or move. This is not a romantic situation."
The hell it's not. We're talking an injured cop being nursed back to health by his beautiful nurse girlfriend. "I'll do my best."
It's as much as I can promise. Remi promise's to make things as painless as possible. She reminds me she won't be there too often when I am. She'll take advantage of my being there to help him around while she puts in a few shifts at the hospital and gets sleep—at her place. Since she'll work night shifts and it'll be too noisy at Kris's house to sleep in the day. This might work but I still have my doubts.
I've only been here a few hours and already I've felt like breaking things more than once. Walking in to see them holding hands on the sofa was my first clue I might bust a vein and just blow our cover before the end of the weekend.
To my horror, since Remi's off today she's spending the night. I know it's a long shot but I try it anyway. "You can sleep in my aunt's room. I'll take the sofa for tonight."
"Nah, she's cool in my room," Kris says before Remi can even respond. "You can take my mom's bed."
Something beeps in the kitchen and Remi stands up. "That would be the chicken Alfredo."
Even that pisses me off. "You made chicken Alfredo?"
Remi laughs. "Well, if you call me opening a box and popping it in the oven making it, then sure I'll take the credit."
"Frozen chicken Alfredo," I say shaking my head but I'm relieved t
hat she didn't prepare a fancy, time consuming dinner for Kris. "My mom's turning in her grave right now. I'm gonna grab another beer," I say anxious to get Remi alone then turn to Kris. "You want one, man?"
He frowns. "Can't. I'll be taking pain meds in a few."
I tsk when I remember. "That's right," I say as he winces from just moving his arm then I walk out of the room.
As soon as I reach Remi standing at the counter in the kitchen, I'm reminded of the day I reclaimed her right there almost in that very spot. I rub her ass and slip my hand between her legs making her yelp in response. She flinches away looking back at the kitchen door.
"Jesus Christ," she hisses. "Not here. Anyone could walk in, even your brothers."
"Rem?" Kris calls out from the front room. "You okay?'
She glares at me as I frown throwing my empty bottle in the trash. "Yeah, I just burned myself on this stupid thing but I'm fine."
"I thought maybe I was gonna have to kick Travis's ass or something,"
Her eyes go wide as she glares at me again. I roll mine and grab a beer from the fridge. "If it were anything I did you would've heard moaning not yelping."
"Stop it!" she hisses again.
"Funny guy," Kris says then adds. "Rem can you bring me my bat on your way back?"
Remi laughs nervously giving me a look again. "You won't be swinging anything for a while, mister."
"I got one good arm," he replies then in a lowered voice but still loud enough that we can hear, he adds. "Asshole."
"You see," she whispers. "Stop it please. No more even just playful stuff. I'm telling you, I'm sure he's picked up on something already."
As tempted as I am to kiss her I won't risk getting slugged in the gut, and she really does look anxious now. "I fucking hate this," I say but blow her a kiss anyway before walking back into the front room.
Kris eyes me and it's true. If I didn't know better he's wondering just what the hell I might've said to his girl in there. So I smirk to show him I was just playing with him. "Looks and smells pretty good actually," I say taking the seat kitty corner to where Kris is sitting. "Can't wait to taste it now."
"You better be talking about the pasta, asshole."
I spit out my beer and laugh. I hadn't even thought of what that might sound like. Kris actually smirks so I think we're good. "You're an idiot," I say shaking my head. "Of course I am."
I bite my tongue and keep any other smart remarks to myself. Like, that I know what every part of my Cherry's body tastes like. Except for a few other infuriating moments when I'm forced to watch Remi peck Kris and hold his hand, the rest of the night is uneventful.
Then I have to say goodnight knowing she'll be spending the night in his bed. I lie in bed for hours that night taking deep breaths and reminding myself that this is my injured cousin who's been looking after my brothers. They've told me about the caving they've done with him and how he showed them how to change a tire. He throws the football with them for practice and goes over their plays with them and I'm fucking his girl behind his back.
I need to have some patience here. Already I've caught a couple of instances that made the hair on my neck stand when he tried to kiss her a little longer and she pulled away. The guy was an honor roll student. He plays the piano which can't be easy. He's not a stupid guy. It's just a matter of time before he picks up on something if he hasn't already. I can only hope Remi making sure she took her time clearing up the kitchen then even took a long shower before heading for bed after he'd taken his pain meds made him drowsy enough so he'd be good and out of it by the time she got in bed with him.
I freeze in place and every muscle in my body goes taut, when I walk into the house and see Remi helping Kris out of the bathroom in a bathrobe. His hair is wet and it's clear what they've just finished doing. Remi is in her scrubs but there's no doubt what's just happened.
I'd accepted that she'd be nursing him back to health and even after the nightmarish weekend I spent around them last week I thought I'd been through the worst. I'd been forced to watch her not always successfully dodge his kisses, and see his hands caress her legs and thighs. There were moments I thought I might blow but this does it.
"Travis," she says when she sees me and her eyes plead because I'm certain she sees it in my face. I'm about to blow. "I made the boys pancakes this morning but there's plenty left. Help yourself, we'll be right out."
I swallow hard as my eyes go from her eyes to his. "Hey Travis," he says as he puts his arm around Remi's neck. "How long you here for this time?"
Remi holds him up as he leans into her. "Just for the weekend again."
I thought I picked up on something from Kris by the end of last weekend but I can't be sure. He lowers his hand down Remi's back and she stops him before he can squeeze her ass. It takes everything in me to not throw my hands in the air and just say enough! But Remi turns to me again with the same pleading eyes as when she first saw me.
"Go help yourself to Remi's pancakes," he says kissing her on the temple. "We might be a while."
They disappear into the hallway toward the bedroom that was once mine and I start the countdown in my head. No fucking way am I waiting out here while he's in there doing something to my Remi. I start at ten and I'm down to three when she rushes into the kitchen.
"You bathed him?" I ask through my teeth trying to stay calm.
"I'm a nurse, Travis. I bathe patients all the time."
"This is different and you know it."
"Nothing happened," she assures me in a lowered voice and I know she's willing me to lower mine then goes on. "It's only been a week, Travis, and already he's feeling better. This will be over sooner than we thought." She turns back toward the front room when we hear a noise but there's no one there then turns back to me. "Please be patient for just a little longer."
She walks toward the stove as she explains she just got off of work and is going home to sleep. I'm on Kris duty until tonight, so I won't have to endure the shit I had to last week. At least not until tonight when she comes over to make dinner for the boys and put Kris to sleep. She'll do the same thing she's done all week. Give him his meds then make time before crawling in bed with him so he'll be out or ready to knock out by the time she does.
"Who's at your house right now?" I ask.
"No one," she says as her tensed expression softens because she knows why I'm asking.
I breathe in deeply; the thought of having her in my arms soon is the only thing that calms the anger building in my gut. "I'll meet you there in a few."
She nods walking past me and I have to refrain from pulling her to me. She says she's telling Kris she's leaving and I watch her walk out of the kitchen and back into his room. This is fucking torture but the only thing getting me through it, is knowing I'll be with her soon. As much as I love being around Remi, leaving last week was a much needed and welcome break from this. But despite hating to have to deal with seeing her around him, I could hardly wait to get back here, to her. My cock's already swelling at the very thought.
Remi waves at me as she walks out of the hallway and toward the front door. Not five minutes later I start through the front room and toward the front door.
"Where you going?"
I stop when I hear Kris's question. I turn to look at him as he wobbles out of the hallway using a crutch. "I have some errands I need to run but I'll be back soon. You need anything?"
He shakes his head but peers at me. "You ran errands last week too. What kind of errands you running out here?"
He makes his way to the sofa slowly and I think fast. Remi and I haven't discussed telling him even this yet but I figure we're going to eventually so it's no big deal if I tell him this much already. "My dad and I are thinking about moving out here. Trying the flipping thing here in Atlanta. The market in Philly's getting a little crowded so I've been checking out a few places each time I come out."
"You mean moving here for good? I thought you said Elsa would never move away from her fami
ly?"
I shrug feeling stupid that I'd forgotten mentioning that to him. "It's still all up in the air. I'm just gathering numbers and stats right now."
He nods as he flips the remote on and I exhale, relieved he doesn't ask more. I tell him I'll be back in time to grab us something for lunch and rush down the porch steps to my rental. I drive the short distance up the block and around the corner to Remi's place. I jump out of the car and rush to her door.
Remi meets me at the door in her bathrobe again with a big smile. "Fastest shower I've ever taken in my life."
I pull her by the robe toward me and kiss her frantically. The visual of seeing her walking out of the bathroom with Kris makes me kiss her a little harder then nip her bottom lip. "I don't know how much longer I can do this."
"He's already talking about going back to work on light duty," she says as she tugs me along into her bedroom. "He says he can't stand being home all day. It won't be long now, baby. Just hang in there a little longer."
I pull her robe off as we reach her bed then spin her around. "Get up on the bed, on all fours and spread those hot ass thighs for me, baby."
She does as she's told and as soon as her beautiful bare ass is up in the air for me I dive in licking from her pussy all the way back. She's cleaned up good for me because all I taste and smell is soap and the taste of Remi's hot flesh and sweet juices. I pull out of my pants because my throbbing cock is so ready for her. Normally I'd like a little more foreplay but right now I need to rid the visual and thoughts of her bathing Kris.
I tease the rim of her tight hole with the tip of my cock. "Relax for me, baby," I say as I play with her pussy with my fingers then use her own juices to lube her sweet hole.
She does and I start to slide into the very tight entrance. "Deep breaths, Cherry babe. That a girl." I squeeze my eyes shut as I slide in deeper and a little easier and it feels so fucking good, even she's moaning now. "Good girl," I say as I slide all the way in her and stay there for a moment reveling in the unbelievable feeling.
