Chapter 41
Skylar
He thrusts into me, and this time, hits a spot inside of me that sends vibrations up my spine.
My arms tremble, and I have to hold onto the edge of the bench to stop myself from overbalancing.
Not that he’d let me, for he has his fingers around my throat in a possessive clasp.
The stone is smooth under me and cold to my overheated skin.
Then he pulls out, rises to his feet, and once again, maneuvers his body so my one leg is bent with the foot placed on the bench, the other is flat on the ground.
In this position, he has my legs spread and can reach my pussy, which he does right away when he stuffs two fingers into my slit.
I groan and squeeze my eyes shut, then gasp when I feel his cock once again at my back entrance.
He pushes aside my hair with his chin and presses a kiss to my neck, up to my ear, and when he nibbles on my earlobe, everything inside me melts. That’s when he impales me again.
I’m lubricated enough for him to slip all the way in, and when he hits my A-spot, then adds a third finger inside my pussy and works them in and out of me and hits my G spot, I see stars.
The orgasm crashes over me with no build up.
My limbs shake, my toes curl, and even the ends of my hair seem to feel the sparks of heat and lust and sensations that sweep through me.
I’m faintly aware of him groaning as he empties himself inside me.
And then my knees give way as I allow the darkness to swallow me up.
I sense him pulling out, then he planks over me.
The heat from his body pours over me, and beads of sweat pop on my forehead.
He straightens, only to lift me up, and carry me.
Then the softness of the sheets cover me.
I snuggle into the pillowy softness, but before I can let sleep overcome me, I mumble, “The statue of the Starling… Did you—”
“Have it installed because it’d remind me of you? Yes.” There’s a touch on my forehead, and I know he kissed me. I smile and drift off. When I open my eyes next, it’s still dark. He sits next to me on the bed.
"Skye, baby, wake up."
"Hmm?" I yawn. "What is it?"
"How are you feeling?" He reaches over and switches on the lamp.
I wince as my eyes adjust. "I’m good." I yawn, then wince again when every muscle in my body protests.
"Maybe a little sore." I sit up, then take the glass of water he hands me.
I chug down most of it, then return it to him.
He places it on the bedside table, then holds out my phone.
"It vibrated while you were sleeping, and kept vibrating over and over again, so I took the call. "
"Oh?" I look at the screen and notice the missed calls and the voice mails. I raise the phone to my ear and listen to the first one, then the next, and the third. The blood drains from my features. "Hugo, I need to go to him."
"I’ll take you."
"Apparently, he became violent, threw things around, attacked an orderly, then collapsed." The doctor’s gaze flicks to the man standing silently next to me, then back to my face. "He’s stable now."
The scent of antiseptic stings my nose. The fluorescent lights from above bounce off the walls and hurt my eyes.
A headache begins to drum at my temples, and I rub at them.
Nathan drove to the hospital in record time.
I’m sure he broke a few speed limits, but we weren’t stopped by the police.
Evidently, even the law bends to this guy.
Or luck was on our side. Not that I’m feeling very lucky standing in this hospital corridor.
"I don’t understand. Hugo has never been violent before. In fact, I’ve never seen him display any form of aggression, and he was doing so well."
The doctor’s gaze grows sympathetic. "There are lots of things we don’t understand about a traumatic brain injury. The brain has enough neural pathways that, sometimes, they fire in a way that causes this kind of behavior that doesn’t follow a pattern."
I try to follow along with what he’s saying, and my headache increases in intensity. "And you’re saying he collapsed?" I move my hand to the back of my neck, trying to ease the tension.
"We’re not sure exactly what caused it. We may never know, given how the brain works.
" He raises a shoulder. "All we can do is eliminate possibilities. There’s nothing we can pinpoint as a cause for what happens.
We have, however, changed his medication to better manage his symptoms, and hopefully, prevent such an outburst from happening again. "
I glance past him into the room where I can make out the prone figure on the bed. At least he’s not surrounded by tubes or machines. But for the fact we’re in a hospital, he could simply be asleep.
"So he’s going to be okay?"
"There’s no change in his current condition," the doctor replies.
So that’s not a no, but that’s also not a yes.
A shiver runs up my spine, and when Nathan wraps his arm around my shoulders, I move into the warmth of his chest. It’s the first time I’ve had someone to lean on in such a situation.
All this time taking care of Hugo, I didn’t realize how lonely I felt, how overwhelming the situation really is.
Just having someone here with me while I’m talking to the doctor gives me that reassurance I didn’t realize I needed.
The doctor looks between us again. "There’s a waiting room down the corridor. We’ll let you know as soon as he regains consciousness."
"I’d prefer to stay with him in his room, if that’s possible, so he sees me as soon as he wakes up." I lock my hands together.
The doctor nods, then turns and leaves.
Hugo was violent. Does that mean the care home wouldn’t want him back? I hope not. "I… I need to call the care home."
"Probably best you call them in the morning. Also, why don’t we move to the waiting room? You’ll be more comfortable there?"
"No," I say with more force than necessary. "I want to make sure I’m here for him." I can’t be there for my brother through whatever hell he’s going through on his tour. Surely, I can do this much for Hugo?
So maybe I’m assuaging my guilt for leading my life as normal while my brother puts his at stake so I can be safe, but right now, I’m going to do what feels right. Which is staying with Hugo. I march inside the room, Nathan on my heels.
I take in the pale features of the young man on the bed.
He’s thinner than when I last saw him. There are hollows under his cheekbones.
He’s tall enough to fit the entire length of the bed.
The result: he looks like he’s made of all gangly arms and legs.
And he looks so young. The headache begins to knock at the backs of my eyes.
I rub my forehead and allow Nate to guide me to a chair next to Hugo’s bed.
"Oh, Hugo,"—I place my hand on his—"I’m so sorry."
A tear squeezes out from the corner of my eye, and I swat at it. I’m not going to cry for him. Hugo’s going to be fine. He has to be. "With a little bit of help, he could be back to baking daily. It’s the one thing he’s still good at. His talent is being wasted."
"Perhaps it’s time to move him to a facility with those amenities, where he’ll get a better quality of care.”
“I looked into it, but all of the good ones in the city have waiting lists of up to a year.” I rub the back of my neck.
“I’m sure I could make a few calls and find him space in the best one among them.”
I look at him over my shoulder. A gooey feeling unfurls in my belly.
“Also… Weston happens to know the top brain surgeon in the country.”
“He does?” Hope bubbles in my chest.
Nate nods. “I’m sure he’d agree to examine Hugo and come up with the best route to speed up his progress.”
My heart contracts in my chest. That gooey feeling in my stomach combines with that euphoric feeling in my chest and spreads to the rest of my body. “You’d do that for Hugo?” I swallow.
His gaze is intense, and when he looks into my eyes, I’m sure he’s touched my soul.
"Of course. I’d do it for you; I know how much it would mean to you.
And there should be some benefit to being a Davenport, right?
” He quirks his lips. “Being part of this family opens doors, and if it can help Hugo—”
I release Hugo’s hand, only to jump up to my feet, turn, and throw my arms around Nate’s shoulders. I stand up on tiptoe and tip up my head, which still means I can only reach his chin, which I manage to kiss. “Thank you. You didn’t need to offer to do that, but I’m glad you did.”
I must take him by surprise, for he stiffens, then places his hands on my hips.
He pulls me in, so my breasts are crushed to his chest, then lowers his head so our lips meet.
Then, he proceeds to devour my mouth. I’m aware that we’re in a hospital and Hugo’s sleeping on the bed, but I seem unable to stop my body from responding.
My nipples harden, my thighs quiver, and I’m so drenched, I’m sure my panties are soaking wet.
When he finally releases me, I sway. He steadies me.
“I’ll arrange a time for us to take Hugo to see the specialist right away. ”
“But your job—”
“Is not more important than you. Nothing is more important than you and anything you hold dear.”
A pressure builds behind my eyes. “Don’t be so nice to me, please.”
A strange look comes into his eyes. “You deserve this, Starling. You deserve every good thing to happen to you. You deserve this, and so much more.”
I sniffle. “You’re being too generous.”
“You should know, I did not deposit the money in your account as a favor to you.”
“No, you did it because we had an arrangement.”
“And if you’d refused to marry me, I still would’ve transferred the money.”
“What?” I stiffen. “Why would you do that?”
He cups my face. “It’s what your business is worth. I see a lot of potential in your bakery. There’s no reason why you couldn’t expand to a chain across the country, and beyond. Soon."
I laugh. "Hold on. One step at a time. And first, I need to make sure Hugo’s taken care of."
That strange look is back on his features.
"What?" I scowl.
He shakes his head, "You’re so fucking generous. You always think of others first. You should learn to take care of yourself first."
"Isn’t that what you’re here for?"
His lips quirk. "That’s the only job I want in my life. Speaking of…" He pulls out a strip of pills from his pocket and hands it over.
“Is that my migraine medication?” I take in the familiar packaging.
He nods. “I could tell you sensed one coming on.”
"You could tell I was getting a migraine?" I manage to choke out the words.
"You were rubbing your forehead, baby—a clear sign you had a headache coming on. I make sure to carry your medication on-the-go, in case you need it."
My head spins, and this time, it’s not the migraine. It’s the fact that this man noticed something only my doctor knows about me. The fact that my 'marriage of convenience' husband made it his business to carry around my medication, should I need it.
"I know it’s best taken while the migraine is in its early stages. That way, it fades faster." He heads out into the corridor and returns a few minutes later with a juice box.
"What else are you carrying in those pockets?" I joke.
"Only my love for you." He punches the straw into the hole and hands it to me, and my heart… It melts. Literally. He urges me to take the medicine, and once I’ve swallowed the pill, he sits down in the chair, then pulls me into his lap. I curl into his chest, and he strokes my hair.
"I’d have never guessed you were so tender, so thoughtful, so caring, so everything." I rub my cheek against his jacket. It’s more erotic than the orgasms he pulls from my body. It denotes a level of intimacy I never thought I’d have in my life. He kisses the top of my head, and I close my eyes.
The next thing I know, I hear Hugo’s soft, "Sky Pie?"