Chapter Nine
S utton settled into the soft leather interior, comforted by the heated seats. Kendrick gave her a bottled water, which she happily accepted. The refreshing liquid soothed her throat, and then the man who seemed to be a mind reader passed her two Ibuprofen. If she hadn’t already been infatuated with him, he’d have sealed his fate right then and there.
Through the tinted windows, her eyes tracked his movements. He and King were of similar build, and good lord, they were both commanding men. The first time she’d met Ayesha, she’d wondered how the woman could put up with a man who was bossy as fuck. Although he’s shown her nothing but kindness and been gentle, there was steel and a whole lot of command underneath those smiles and soft touches.
The knowledge should have her throwing up walls and spiked rails. Instead, she found herself dreaming of candles and soft music, followed by silk sheets.
“Get yourself together, Sutton James. A sophisticated man like Kendrick Calderone might want you for a night or two, but at the end of the day, he’ll return to his life and leave you with a broken heart.” Could she live with herself after a fling with him, knowing any man afterward wouldn’t measure up? The real question was, could she live with not knowing what it was like to be with him?
The door next to her opened, letting in the scent of salty sea air. Kendrick filled the doorway, his green eyes studying hers. “King thinks you need to return to the clubhouse and see the doctor.”
She didn’t miss the slight growl as he said the words. As if King’s suggestion of taking her anywhere pissed him off. “Tell him I’m fine. I know people think medical professionals are the worst patients, but I promise I'd be the first to go if I needed to see a doctor.”
Her ankle hurt, but she didn’t break it. All she needed was to wrap it with a compression wrap, which she could grab almost anywhere. As for the rest of her aches, they would ease after some rest.
King’s form appeared behind Kendrick. “Ayesha would feel better if she saw you in person. I know you’re all doctor-like and shit. But could you do me a solid and allow my ole’ lady this one thing? She needs reassurance you’re going to be okay. This attack happened on our watch.” He raked his hand over his head and looked away. “Please.”
The fact that he’d whispered the please did it for Sutton. The big bad president of one of the most notorious MCs never asked. He ordered. She looked at Kendrick and saw a little grin twitch his sexy-as-sin lips before it disappeared.
“Okay,” she agreed. She had a fleeting thought that King might be using Ayesha to get his way, but in the end, she was too tired, and honestly, if it kept the others from stressing, she’d go with the flow.
“We’re almost finished here. You good?” Kendrick asked. He looked at the water and then her.
“Yeah.”
The two men didn’t say another word as the door shut, leaving her inside with her thoughts. She closed her eyes and cradled the water between her fingers. Time passed, and then she felt Kendrick’s arms lifting her again.
“What’s going on?” she asked sleepily.
“We’re here,” he said in a calm, soothing voice. The massive white and black modern-looking farmhouse King and Ayesha called home sat in front of the vehicle. The back entrance showcased a three-tiered deck with an outdoor kitchen and enough seating for over two dozen people to hang out. A massive in-ground pool sat off to the side with the deck spanning it but gated off, so the kids couldn’t access it without supervision. However, large trees shielded the home from the road and on the opposite side, creating a sense of privacy and a fairytale atmosphere Sutton loved. No doubt, Ayesha masterminded the architecture of the home and outside space.
“I thought you were taking me to the clubhouse?” She tensed, wondering if they’d be disrupting Ayesha and the kids.
“King led the way, and this is where he stopped. He told Andre to follow him. Look, here comes Ayesha.”
Sutton expected him to put her down, but the man’s arms tightened slightly as he climbed the steps. Ayesha met them at the top.
“Oh my god, Sutton. Thank the lord Kendrick found you. Well, thank all our men. Are you okay? Are you hungry? Come inside, let’s get you checked out,” Ayesha said, each question fired at Sutton like a general on a mission.
Sutton grinned. It was impossible not to love the petite woman.
“See, I told you she would be impossible to live with if I didn’t bring you here.” King held the door open for them.
Kendrick kissed her forehead, shocking any words she’d have said from her mind.
They filed in, with Andre standing guard at the door. She peered over Kendrick’s shoulder. “Is he not coming in?”
“He will stand guard,” Kendrick growled.
Sutton growled at the anger in his voice.
“I’m sorry, Passerotta. Keeping you safe is my priority. We got royally lucky to find you tonight before...well, I’ll not risk anything else happening on my watch,” he soothed.
The large modern farmhouse definitely ticked all her boxes on what she envisioned for her own.
Kendrick carried her up through the mudroom into the kitchen. His breathing even like she weighed nothing.
“I can walk.”
“And I enjoy having you in my arms. Allow me to carry you.”
Inside, she expected him to put her down in one of the chairs around the table, but he followed Ayesha. They moved through the house until she stopped in the great room. An older man she recognized as Doc got up from a recliner.
“Hello, Sutton. How’re you doing?”
Kendrick surprised her by settling them onto the vast sectional with her still on his lap. His hand lifted her legs, helping her straighten them so that they stretched out onto the cushions to the side of them.
“She hurt her ankle and was drugged, Doc,” Kendrick said, a deep rumble rattled his chest.
Sutton placed her palm over his heart. “I’m fine. A little banged up, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
“Doc, for all of our sakes, don’t listen to her. Do your thing, and after you ensure she’s fine, I plan to see that she rests for however long you say she needs to.”
Sutton leaned back, narrowing her eyes to stare up at him. With her pointer finger, she poked his chest. “Listen, I can speak for myself, and for your information, I happen to know better than anyone whether I’m injured.”
KENDRICK LIFTED SUTTON’S finger to his lips, biting the pad. “Are you trying to get spanked for being a brat, Passerotta?” he tossed the question at her, enjoying the heat flaring in her eyes.
Sutton’s cheeks turned a beautiful shade of pink. She licked her lips, making his dick jump in his slacks.
“If the two of you can hold off on the spanking until I check Sutton out, that would be amazing.” Doc’s words interrupted them.
“Don’t let me stop you, Doc.” Kendrick kept his arms around Sutton. There were only a couple of things that would get him to release her. None included the Doc inspecting her ankle. From the things he’d taken note of while in that dirty room, he didn’t think the fucker had raped her.
“You know, the taking a look at my patient is a lot easier when said patient isn’t sitting on—oh, forget it. I’ve dealt with enough men like King to know when I’m wasting my breath.” Doc shook his head. He turned toward a table and grabbed a leather bag.
“Here you go, Doc. Brought you a rolling chair so you could have a seat while dealing with men like my brother.”
Kendrick looked up to see a man who could pass for King.
“Thank you, Duke. Now, if everyone would clear out except for the man holding Sutton, that would be good. I think this is breaking all kinds of doctor-patient shit as it is,” Doc sighed.
To Kendrick’s surprise, the man named Duke and everyone else moved out of the large room, leaving the three of them alone.
“Wow, you have a superpower there, Doc. I’m impressed.” Kendrick eyed the older man with respect.
“Oh, don’t let them fool you. They’re all probably hovering within hearing distance. Alright, let me take a look at your ankle first.”
Sutton tensed in his arms, and for the next half an hour, the doctor impressed the hell out of Kendrick with his professionalism and thoroughness. He’d adjusted Sutton in his arms, allowing her to stretch out sideways, giving Doc access to check her vitals and the ability to inspect her for injuries. It was a little more than a cursory checkup, but probably not as in-depth as the good doc would’ve liked to have done.
Kendrick grit his teeth while she retold the ordeal. She gripped his hand like she didn’t want to let it go for even one second. Her voice may have shook, but it was strong. He placed his arms around her, offering her comfort while plotting the death of every fucker who had their hand in the abduction. His heart beat a steady rhythm, hoping it gave her comfort.
“Okay, all done. I want you to apply ice to your ankle for twenty minutes at a time, several times a day, for the next three days. That’ll help keep the swelling down. Try to keep your foot elevated, and for god sake, don’t do any activities that aggravate the pain. I also want you to keep it wrapped. I’ll leave some extra wraps so you can change the one I did. This will also help with the swelling. If your ankle isn't getting better after a few days, especially if you can't bear weight on it, or you experience significant pain and swelling, have tenderness along specific bony areas of the ankle, you should seek medical attention and potentially get an X-ray to rule out a fracture. Generally, this means seeing a doctor within a week of the injury to assess your symptoms and determine if further imaging is necessary. I’d suggest you go in immediately, but I know that will fall on deaf ears.” He eyed Sutton and Kendrick but shook his head.
“Thanks, Doc. My guy Andre will take care of your payment.”
Doc waved his hand. “That isn’t necessary.”
Kendrick didn’t waste words. Doc would get money from him to take care of Sutton, one way or another.
Sutton was too quiet. Kendrick gripped her chin, turning her face to look at him. “Are you hurting?”
She shook her head and tried to lower her face. When that didn’t work, Sutton closed her eyes.
“Hey, don’t hide from me.”
“I feel so stupid,” she whispered.
Neither of them noticed when Doc slipped out of the room, leaving the two of them alone. Kendrick could see the turmoil brewing in her dark eyes. She appeared strong, yet even the strongest people needed holding, and sometimes, they needed to be taken care of by others. He would be the one who stood in front of Sutton or beside her. Whatever she needed, he wanted to be that for her.
“Come on, baby. You need a bath and bed.” He shifted them forward and stood with her in his arms.
“I don’t want to go home.” Her arms wrapped around his shoulders like they’d done earlier.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want, Passerotta. Right now, all you have to do is let me take care of you. Nothing and nobody will hurt you. That is a promise.” There wasn’t a truer vow he’d ever made or more important. As he looked down at the woman in his arms, he knew he’d kill for her.
As he exited the great room, he nodded at King. “Thank you for letting us use your home.”
“We have a guest house on the other side of the property if you’d like to use it. It’s a newly remodeled, four-bedroom, three-bath casita that Ayesha recently finished redecorating. We’ve been buying up land around us for our...growing families,” King said. He and Ayesha moved aside as Kendrick and Sutton walked out.
He looked at Andre, getting the nod of agreement he searched for. “Thank you. Andre will go to our rental, grab our things, and return with them after he drops us off.”
“I’ll have one of our prospects show you the way. Ayesha stocks all the empty houses with things guests need besides fresh food.” King hugged his ole’ lady against him.
“There’s food in the freezer you can pop in the oven and plenty of things you can throw together in the pantry. Let me know if you need anything,” Ayesha said. Her eyes were shiny with warmth.
Sutton gave a nod, her head lying on his shoulder. Kendrick turned, heading toward the back entrance where they’d parked. The sooner they got to the house, the sooner he could get her into bed. His dick gave a little jerk, but he forced his mind to forget thoughts of claiming Sutton until she’d gotten some rest.