Chapter 52
“What are you doing?”Mia asked.
I stood. “Going to the bathroom.”
“Let me help you,” Mia said.
“I don’t need help,” I protested.
“Bones told us we weren’t allowed to let you out of our sight,” Logan said.
“No, we are not doing this,” I stated.
“Not doing what?” Willa asked.
“I’m not letting you treat me like I’m constantly on the verge of fainting,” I stated. “Bones is already overprotective. I can’t handle that from you guys too.”
Doc pointed to my head. “Are you forgetting about your stitches? Of course he’s going to be overprotective.”
I doubted any of them knew Bones’ history. And I wasn’t going to share it with them. I knew why he was overprotective, but I wasn’t going to live my life having the people close to me constantly watching me.
“We care,” Mia said. “Don’t take it as anything more than that.”
I nodded.
“I’ll stand outside the bathroom,” Charlie said as she got up off the floor. “And if you feel like you’re going to faint, you yell.”
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, but I stopped protesting.
The only way I was going to get Bones to back off and stop hovering—and to get him to stop including the Old Ladies in his desire to keep me in a bubble—was to prove to him that I wasn’t going to collapse at any minute.
After I did my business, I opened the door. Charlie stood by and shot me a lopsided smile. “Be grateful you have so many people in your corner. It’s a good thing.”
“What’s he going to do when we have kids?” I asked.
She blinked. “Kids? You’ve talked about having kids?”
“Yes. We’ve talked about having kids.”
“Like, soon?”
“Like, if it happens it happens,” I said slowly.
She placed her hand on my arm and stopped my trek back toward the living room. Charlie pitched her voice lower. “What are you saying—that you’re trying to get pregnant?”
“I’m saying I’m not, not trying,” I said. I stared at her. “You think I’m crazy.”
“As a fox,” she agreed with a nod. “This is like the worst time in the world for that. You just got involved with your father’s company. Your stepfather tried to have you killed—twice. You’ve been with Bones for a hot minute. And you want to add more stress to your life? When you have a condition that is brought about by stress?”
She stared at me in confusion. I didn’t blame her.
“I know it’s crazy,” I said. “I know how it sounds. But I…what am I waiting for, Charlie?”
“I don’t know, maybe for your life not to be in danger?”
“I’m always going to be in danger,” I said quietly. “Don’t you get it? That’s life. One minute you’ve got your entire life ahead of you, the next you die in a ski accident. None of us are safe. None of us know when the timer is going to go off. I don’t want to waste any more of my life hiding or being scared. I don’t want to waste any more time worrying about things I can’t control.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know the intricacies of how to run a billion-dollar company. But so what? There are people all around me at Spencer Pharmaceuticals who do. Dad made sure of that. And you know what I do know? I know what his vision was. We talked about it for years while I was growing up. And now I’m in a position to direct the people who know how to make it work that way. The rest? I’ll figure it out. I’ll figure out the life stuff too. I just—for the first time in three years—I want, Charlie. I want it all. I want to live, and I want to live with Bones.”
She took my hand and gave it a squeeze. “Then live.”
I smiled.
“I don’t get it,” she admitted. “Not the living part—that I get. The baby part. That I so don’t get. They’re messy.”
“Yep.”
“And loud.”
“Yep.”
“Did Bones like, hotwire your ovaries or something?” she asked.
“Oh, absolutely.” I grinned.
We finally made it back to the living room and I took my spot on the couch.
“What were you doing in there? Writing a novel?” Mia teased.
“So, what are we talking about?” Charlie asked.
“Mia and Boxer’s new bar,” Doc said. “It’s coming together.”
“With Logan’s help,” Mia said. “She’s a design genius. We were supposed to have a cocktail night. I have all these recipes I want to try, but my pool of loyal tasters are off the sauce.”
“Sorry, we’re growing humans,” Willa said with a laugh.
“What about mocktails?” I asked. “I’m always happy when restaurants include mocktails for us non-drinkers.”
“That’s a great idea,” Mia said.
My phone buzzed with a text.
Bad to the Bones
Old Ladies still there?
Me
Yes.
Bad to the Bones
Good. I’ll be home in a few hours.
“I know that look,” Logan said.
I glanced up from my screen. “What look?”
“The look that says you are planning on seducing your husband.” Logan grinned. “Aren’t ya?”
“I might be,” I agreed. “He won’t be home for a few hours though. Just enough time to spin my web and trap him like a fly.”
“Hmm. I think he’s happy to be trapped.” Willa winked.
“We should go,” Mia said.
“Thank you for coming over,” I said to them.
“The rest of the reserves will show up over the next few days,” Mia said. “Hope that’s okay.”
“That’s more than okay,” I assured her.
One by one, they leaned down to hug me. They all left, but Doc stayed behind.
“I’ll call you about the dog for Cam,” I said.
“Perfect,” she said. She shuffled from one foot to the other, her brow wrinkled.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve just been mulling over your…condition.”
“Yeah? What about it?”
“You said it started right after your father passed.”
“Yes. It did.” I nodded.
“And stress brings on the episodes.”
“Uh huh.”
“And they can’t find anything in your MRI or CAT scans.”
“Correct again. Doc, what are you getting at?”
She glanced at Charlie. “Can you give us a second?”
“Ah, sure.” Charlie took her phone and headed for the dining room. Without asking if we wanted privacy, she shut the doors and gave it to us anyway.
Doc sat down on the couch. “I don’t think your condition is related to anything physical.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, I think you went through something really traumatic, and your body hasn’t released it yet. I think your body is still holding onto it. The body stores things.”
She was silent for a moment and then she spoke again. “I had something bad happen to me. Something I don’t talk about unless it’s in therapy.” Doc cocked her head to the side. “I was seeing a therapist for months, but I wasn’t getting any better. Talking about what happened wasn’t helping me process—it was just keeping me stuck in that place. That dark place. I had to take sleep meds and I could see how this was going to go.”
When I didn’t say anything, she quickly went on, “I started doing some research. Looking for an alternative path because the traditional path wasn’t working. I saw an acupuncturist, an osteopath, and a reiki practitioner to start.”
“And did any of those other avenues work?” I asked, intrigued.
She nodded. “Yes. They helped immensely. I sleep without the meds. I’m down to one therapy session a week. And,” she held up her hand that was riddled with angry scars, “it’s helped this.”
“Oh, wow,” I murmured.
“I’m not telling you what to do,” she insisted. “But I just thought, well, if what you’ve tried isn’t working, maybe it’s time to try something else.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I said.
She squeezed my hand and then stood up and headed for the front door. “Oh, question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“I know you said Cam needs a dog. But does your talent include cats?”
“I’m not a cat person, so I’ve never really tried. Why?”
“Lily.” She smiled. “She’s been begging for a kitten. Even before Darcy died.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I promised.
After the Old Ladies had left, Charlie had stuck around for another hour, but then I’d urged her to go live her life. She’d resisted, but I was adamant. Eventually, she relented.
“If Bones tries to yell at me for leaving you?—”
“I’ll handle him,” I assured her with a smile.
“You’ll handle him?” Her grin was devious. “You mean distract him with sex.”
“Tried and true method. It’s worked for women for eons. It’ll work for me, too.”
“Especially if you wear that new lingerie the Old Ladies got you.” She winked and flitted out the door.
I locked up after her and set the alarm.
And then I took the pistol Bones had left upstairs with me so I could get ready for him.
Now, I was sitting on my heels in the middle of the bed as I waited. My hair was curled, the candles were lit, and I was wearing my new lingerie.
I’d texted him to warn him the house was empty and that the alarm was set.
He left me on read.
No doubt he was angry that I wasn’t sitting on the couch, surrounded by people who could take care of me if something happened.
I heard the front door open, followed by the disarming of the alarm.
“Duchess!” Bones called, his tone laced with anger. “Where the hell are you?”
“Up here,” I yelled back.
I heard the heavy tromp of his motorcycle boots that he hadn’t bothered taking off. His steps were slow on the stairs and my heart tripped in fear.
He pushed the bedroom door open and came to a stop. His gaze traveled from the top of my head down my body, eliciting shivers as he went.
Bones placed his forearm on the doorjamb and leaned against it. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“I thought it was obvious.” I rose up on my knees.
“You decided seducing me was more important than worrying about your own health?”
When I didn’t reply, he went on, “You could’ve passed out—by yourself—and no one would’ve known.”
“I’m fine, Bones.”
“Are you?” he demanded.
I nodded.
He pushed away from the doorjamb and stalked toward the bed. “How am I supposed to believe that?” His gaze skittered across the stitches on my forehead. There was no way to hide them. Not unless I’d wanted to give myself bangs.
“I’m not going to let you steam roll me on this,” I stated. “Otherwise, you’ll never let me be alone again. And I can’t live my life with you hovering. I’ve got to live, Bones.”
“I’m pissed.”
“I see that,” I said lightly. I thrust my breasts forward. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Punish you.”
His tone was dark and gravelly, and it made my nipples pebble against the lace. It drew his attention.
Bones slowly removed his leather cut and set it on the back of the chair in the corner of the room. And then he took a seat. He leaned forward and placed his forearms on his thighs and stared at me.
Stared at me for so long I grew nervous.
“Bones?”
“Crawl to me.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I want you to crawl to me.” His stare was unyielding. In our short time together, Bones had never given any indication that he was into something like this.
“Duchess,” he rasped. “Get on your knees and crawl to me. Show me how sorry you are for scaring the shit out of me.”
My chest filled with understanding. This wasn’t about me kicking the Old Ladies out and wanting to be alone. This was about him finding me on the bathroom floor, forcing him to relieve the terror of finding Iris in a similar state.
I slid off the bed and got on all fours. And then I crawled toward him. I kept our eyes locked as I came to him. He might’ve commanded me, but I came willingly.
The soft rug slid against my skin as I crawled toward him.
His expression didn’t change, not even when I was within reach.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what next, but something told me to remain silent.
“Turn around,” he commanded. “Stay in that position.”
My breath hitched as I slowly did as he bid. I looked at him over my shoulder.
“Eyes front.”
I whipped my head around.
“Spread your legs. I want to see my wife’s gorgeous pussy.”
I shivered at his crude words, even as I spread my legs.
“More,” he commanded. “And place your head on the floor.”
The position angled my body so that he could see all of me. I closed my eyes and breathed through the rapid beating of my heart.
I heard him rise and then felt the heat of his body behind me.
“God, this really is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he murmured as he dragged a finger through my folds. “And it’s all fucking mine.”
He slid his finger inside me and I quivered around him. He thrust it gently for a few beats before pulling out.
I lamented at the emptiness.
His hand smacked my ass. I whimpered in surprise more than pain. And then his hand smacked my other cheek.
“My wife likes that,” he stated. “You know how I know?”
He teased my entrance again.
“You’re fucking drenched. I bet I could slide right in. Should we find out?”
“Yes,” I gasped.
“Hmm. No, I don’t think so. I don’t think you’ve been punished enough.”
He grasped my cheeks in his huge hands and gently pulled them apart, baring me to him. And then his tongue was lavishing my clit and I curled my fingers into the rug.
I couldn’t see him, I couldn’t watch him, all I could do was feel the pleasure he chose to give me. And it wasn’t enough, so I leaned back into his mouth. My stitches began to throb, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t let him stop.
“My wife is so fucking greedy. Aren’t you?”
“Yes. Please, Bones…”
“Please, what?”
“Please make me come.”
“Not yet.” He slipped a finger inside me, but then he didn’t move.
“Bones,” I snapped.
“Hmm?” He added another finger, but still didn’t move them.
“I’m going to kill you.”
He smacked my ass with his other hand while his fingers were still inside me and I clenched around him.
“Yeah, Duchess. Just like that.”
He clapped my ass again.
“You know what I can’t stop thinking about?” he asked as he finally—finally—began to thrust his fingers.
My moan was my answer.
“I can’t stop thinking about fucking this ass.”
He squeezed my cheek as he continued to tease me with his fingers.
“I can’t stop thinking about you taking all of me, inch by inch. And while I’m buried in your ass, you’ve got a toy inside you. So fucking full you can’t think straight. Would you like that?”
When I didn’t answer, his fingers stopped. “Would you like that?”
“Yes, you bastard,” I huffed. “I want that.”
He slowly dragged his fingers out of me, so achingly slow, I choked on a sob from the pleasure.
I heard the sound of his zipper and then the crown of his shaft was teasing my swollen flesh.
“You want my cock inside you, Duchess?” he asked.
“Please.”
He slid inside me and we both moaned.
Bones was big, and from this angle I wasn’t sure I could take all of him, but he inched inside me until he was buried to the hilt.
His hands clasped my hips as he began to thrust, pounding into me until tears of pleasure slid down my cheeks and coated my lips.
When I began crying out my release, he pulled out quickly.
“No!” I yelled at the absence of him, my orgasm disappearing.
He flipped me over onto my back and while I stared up at him with languid eyes, he quickly removed his clothes. Bones palmed his erection and then guided it back inside me, keeping his gaze locked on mine.
Bones tugged the lace over my breasts to free them. He grasped a nipple between his fingers and tweaked it.
I arched my back, trying to get closer.
Oh, God.
“Eyes on me, Duchess,” he growled. “We’re coming together. I want to see you come.”
He let go of my nipple and slid his hands beneath my ass and angled my body, his shaft hitting the perfect place inside me.
“Bones, I’m going to?—”
“I know.”
He ground into me and my orgasm raged through my body.
My veins filled with fire and I combusted around him, squeezing him tightly inside me.
“Fuck,” he roared as he filled me with his seed.
We didn’t speak for several seconds as our hearts and breaths calmed. Finally, Bones lifted himself off me, his tender expression morphing into one of concern.
“What?” I asked, looking up at him.
“You’re crying.” He cradled my cheeks and swiped the tears away from my eyes.
“Because it was so good.”
His mouth met mine in a torrid kiss. “I didn’t hurt you?” he asked when he pulled back.
“No.”
“Did I scare you?”
I took a breath. “A little. But I kinda liked it.”
“It wasn’t too much?”
“I would’ve told you if it was too much.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I believe you.” Bones nodded and then lifted himself off me. He gingerly slid out of me, causing me to tremor in his wake. “I’m a fan of the lingerie.”
“You can thank the Old Ladies for it,” I quipped.
“I’ll send them each a fruit basket.” He grabbed his T-shirt and handed it to me.
I stuck it between my legs and then climbed off the floor. “Are you still mad at me?”
He sighed. “I wasn’t mad at you.”
“I know you weren’t mad at me.”
“Then why did you ask if I was still mad at you?”
I shot him an amused look. “I wanted to know if you knew you weren’t really mad at me.”
He grabbed his boxer briefs and pulled them on. “I don’t like that I can’t protect you all the time. Even from your own body.”
“I know,” I said softly. “But we won’t have much of a life together if you’re always watching and waiting for me to collapse.”
“I know that. On some level, I know that.”
“But the other level, the primal, alpha male, I must control everything level, it doesn’t register. Is that about right?” I asked.
“Hmm. Yeah, something in my lizard brain stops functioning.” He shot me a boyish grin. “Be patient with me, yeah? While I work through this.”
“I’ll be patient,” I said. “If you promise to punish me like that more often.”
“You know what I love?”
“What?”
“That you’re no longer shying away from your kinks. And that you feel safe enough to explore them with me.”
“Hmm. I think that’s what we call true intimacy.”