37. Raphael
Raphael
37
Turns out that being stabbed in the shoulder and then drowning takes a toll on the body.
By the time we make it back to shore, I’m on the verge of passing out from the blood loss. Once I’m resting on Lily’s lap in the back of the car, my adrenaline crashes, and I surrender to the black.
The next time I open my eyes, I find Lily fast asleep in a chair pulled up to my hospital bed, her head resting next to my hand. My other hand is tightly bound to my chest, and I assume that’s to ensure my injured shoulder remains immobile. I’ll have to wait for the doctor’s report to confirm, but if my arm is still present, it means Xiao’s knife hit nothing critical. But I would happily sacrifice my arm if it meant Lily and Mei stay safe.
The harsh LED light highlights the bruises on her cheek and catches on the cut to her lip. They’ll heal, and it will be the last time she ever suffers the same abuse because if I ever raise a hand to her, it’ll be for pleasure and nothing more.
Lily stirs, raises her head, and yawns wide, covering her mouth with her hand. She hasn’t noticed I’m awake yet. Watching her now feels like I’m getting a rare glimpse into the habits of an elusive, magical creature.
When she finally looks at me, her eyes go wide as she shrieks in surprise. “You scared me!”
“And you saved me.” I smile softly at her, just happy to take her beauty in.
She appears somehow lighter…freer. As if the weight holding her down has finally been cut free. Which, in a symbolic way, it has been. By now, that weight is decaying at the bottom of the ocean floor.
She drops her eyes to my hand. I flip it over, and she slides her hand into mine. “I almost didn’t. You were medically dead there for a moment longer than I liked.”
Every day, I dance on the edge of death, and the thought of surrendering to eternal slumber has never fazed me…until now. Until Lily and Mei entered my world and gave me something more to fight for.
“I’m sorry. That was not my intention.”
“I know.” She looks up, and tears slip free from her beautiful blue eyes. “It’s not fair of me to ask this because I know what you do is dangerous, but if you can try not to die again? My sanity would appreciate it.”
“Just your sanity?” I tease.
Lily chuckles through her tears and uses her free hand to wipe them away before rewarding me with her brilliant smile. “Fine. Mei’s too.”
Before I can tug her to my chest and convince her sanity to appreciate other more…devious things, a knock on the door breaks the mood.
Mom and Dad enter, followed by my brother and Rose, and then Enzo with Evie, who holds Mei in her arms. The sight of them all gathered here serves as a harsh reminder of Dominic’s absence. The sadness lingers, but his death has been avenged at last.
Evie puts Mei down, who then rushes over to her mother. Lily picks her up and sets her down next to me on my hospital bed.
“Thank you for saving us,” Mei says to me softly.
I reach out my hand, and when she doesn’t shy away, I push her hair back so I can see her face. She looks at me through her bangs, her blue eyes so much like her mother’s. A vivid image of a baby boy with the same eyes flashes through my mind, but it vanishes as quickly as it appears.
“Always, Mei.”
Children wear their emotions on their sleeves. So it’s easy to watch the nerves melt off her shoulders as confidence fills her again. Mei scoots forward and gives me a big hug, which, for her small arms, barely circles my chest. I hug her back before planting a quick kiss on the top of her head.
Rose approaches. “Come on, little one. The men want to talk, and I think ice cream sounds better. Don’t you?”
“Yay! Ice cream!” Mei jumps into her arms.
Lily squeezes my hand before she follows Rose and Evie out of the room.
Once gone, the atmosphere grows tense the moment the door clicks shut.
“What is it about my sons and their incessant need to nearly die?” Dad asks with a raised brow.
Michael bows his head to hide his smile because he was in the same position as me not long ago after saving his family.
“Michael started it,” I point out, knowing I’m playing with fire.
“And you will be the end of it,” Dad snaps with a frown. “No more. It’s upsetting your mother.”
Dad knows we can’t make any promise of the sort because death is a thin line we walk every day...but... “We’ll try our hardest.”
I peer around, noting an absence. “Where’s Uncle Leo?”
Dad’s frown deepens as he crosses his arms over his chest and exhales harshly. “Drinking himself into an early grave.”
I catch Michael’s eyes, and we share a look of concern. Losing a loved one is never easy on anyone, and while his ways of coping are understandable, our uncle has a way of taking everything he does to the extreme.
“And Emilia?” The taste of her name on my tongue is bitter, as her actions replay in my mind.
“On her way back to her father with her tail between her legs,” Michael answers with a grunt.
“He has apologized for his daughter’s actions,” Dad says.
“He’s lucky we didn’t just kill her for what she did,” Michael cuts in.
Dad shoots my brother a sharp glare for interrupting him, but continues. “And is forever grateful for sparing her life. He has also given me his word that she won’t set foot in Miami again.”
Good. What she did is unforgivable, and I never want to lay eyes on her again.
“We have news about the auctions,” Enzo shares, changing the subject.
“Before we sank the yacht, we found evidence confirming what Xiao told us,” Michael explains. “He had books recording every auction with lists of victims.”
“Did you find the list for Rose and Lily?”
“Yes. I can show you Lily’s, but there’s not much to go on.”
“Evie’s checking, though,” Enzo adds. “In case we missed anything.”
I nod my thanks to my friend.
Dad steps forward and rests his hands on the railing at the bottom of my bed. “We’ve also found money transactions going to the same account. It seems our late friend wasn’t lying about this boogeyman character. Xiao was probably just a manager, and we’re looking for the fucking CEO.”
“Can we track the money?”
Enzo frowns. “We’ve hit a lot of dead ends, but we’re not giving up.”
“Good. We need to find him,” I say with certainty. “Before the bastard hurts anyone else we love.”
“I like when you order around the medical team,” I admit to Lily once we’re alone. “It’s kind of hot.”
Lily blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t mean to. I just want to make sure you get the best care possible.”
I won’t tell her that my father already made sure of that by bringing in the best of the best to oversee our care.
An idea comes to mind when I kiss the tip of her nose. “You know, Doctor, I am in a bit of pain.”
Lily sits up in alarm, her eyes frantically scanning my body and vitals. “What? Where? Is it your shoulder? I’ll go call a nurse.”
She tries to slip off my bed, but I wrap my good arm around her waist and keep her close. When she sees the playful smirk on my lips, she relaxes, realizing I’m not being serious.
“Oh, really? Where does it hurt?” she asks in a teasing manner. Leaning forward, she hovers her lips over my cheek as she whispers, “Here?” She gives me a peck before moving up to my ear. “Here?” This time, she nibbles on the skin there, causing me to hiss at the sharp but pleasurable pain. I squeeze her waist tighter as she comes back to meet me face-to-face, our lips nearly touching. “Or here?”
I press forward and capture her mouth, exploring every inch meticulously and thoroughly. She moans and melts into me, eagerly handing over the power to command her pleasure. It feels like a cherished gift every time she does it, and I can’t help but love it.
I reach down and tap her hip, pushing her to climb on top of my lap.
She breaks away and looks at me with a furrowed brow. “Are you sure?”
“It hurts there too, Doctor,” I tease, falling into the role-play. “And aren’t you supposed to help me feel better?”
Lily tugs her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes scanning my face before her lip pops free, and she swings her leg up and over, settling on my lap. She rocks immediately against my hard cock with a deep moan that I mirror.
“Here?” she whispers before kissing me.
I hate only having one hand to guide her, but it doesn’t seem to bother her. I thrust my hips up at the same time she rocks down. If we were naked, I’d have slipped inside easily. A problem I can easily solve.
“Yes,” I groan into her mouth. “And there’s only one cure.”
“What’s that?”
“Being buried in that glorious pussy of yours.”
Lily raises up on her knees and bunches up my hospital gown, revealing my throbbing cock. Never thought hospital gowns could be so useful. Lily raises her skirt, flashing me her bare pussy.
“You naughty girl. Did you come here with expectations?”
Lily chuckles and tosses me a sinful grin. “Maybe. A doctor is always prepared.”
I capture her lips, swallowing our moans when I slide home, filling her completely. Lily finds her rhythm, riding my cock and chasing her pleasure. I wrap my arm around her hips and hold her to me. Since I’m down an arm, I have to improvise. At this angle, she’s able to rub her clit against my pubic bone.
“Oh fuck. Oh…fuck.” Her body tightens up, her breaths shorter and faster. “I’m close.”
“I can feel it,” I grind out, my heartbeat racing.
Lily’s body freezes, thrusting her chest forward and her head backward. Her pussy tightens harder than ever before, pulling my orgasm free along with hers.
“Holy shit, Doctor,” I murmur into her sweat-lined neck. “Best medicine ever.”
Lily giggles, and the sound makes my heart flutter. I want to hear that every day for the rest of my life.
Suddenly, the door bangs open, and a team of nurses and doctors rushes in. They freeze when they see the sight before them. Lily squeaks and tries to move away, but my arm prevents her. I’m still buried in her and have no desire to move. In fact, I’m almost ready for round two.
However, I don’t care much for their eyes on Lily while she’s on my lap. Even if she’s clothed. So I reach for the blanket and toss it over us.
“Can I help you?” I ask nonchalantly, as if striking up a normal conversation with a girl impaled on my cock is an everyday thing.
One nurse steps forward, her face beet red. “We got an alert that your heart rate was high.”
“Oh my God,” I hear Lily groan into my chest. “I forgot about the pulse monitor.”
With a soft chuckle, I set my hand on her hair and say to the waiting medical team, “For good reason. But as you can see, all is fine. In fact, why don’t you ignore that alert for the rest of the night? I plan to do some cardio.”