Dark Kiss (The Two sides of me Book 1) (11 page)

Chapter 15

“No Ordinary Love” by Sade

Eyes closed but awake I feel warm…no…
hot
, and something is seriously cutting into my leg. When I open my eyes I realize where I am and a little burst of butterflies flutter in my tummy. I’m in his bed… Evan is still asleep, breathing soft and steady, holding me close to him. He has turned himself slightly toward me, cast propped on pillows, that cast…that’s what’s cutting into my leg, which is slung over his good leg and pinched by the plaster. Shit! I need to move my leg off of his cast, I try to move and his arms tighten around me.

“I was wondering how long you would sleep.” His voice is gravely with sleep.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you but I need to move my leg off of your cast, it’s cutting into mine.” Sliding my leg off and hitching off of him I try again to get up.

“Don’t…I want you right here.” Pushing his hip up and brushing his morning thick length against my leg, I can feel him smile into my hair…I knew this was bound to happen after sleeping next to him, I tip my head back, bringing us face to face.

“Evan, we can’t…. “He cuts me off. “I’m not going to lie Mia, I want you. Badly. But we need to take this slow, I understand now.” Oh great, he’s going to treat me like glass now that he knows, the absolute worst reaction, confirming to me that he does realize I’m damaged goods.

“I don’t want your pity,” I respond bitterly, twisting to get away from him, again with no success. He sighs, rolling his eyes and then looks directly into mine. “I am
not
pitying you, I want to breathe you in, feel your soft skin against mine your warmth, I want to be so deep inside of you that you don’t know where I end and you begin. You’d tempt a saint Mia, there’s no pity here, just understanding.” I open my mouth and close it immediately after I see the honest sincerity in his eyes.  Snuggling down into the crook of his arm, I believe him, and honestly there’s no place I’d rather be right now or ever… How can I feel this way about a man I hardly know? He feathers his fingers along my arm as we lay entwined together; no more advances, just closeness and I am completely tranquil when he speaks again. “Mia now I need to get up.”

“Oh. Of course, bathroom?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” He loosens his grip on me and I crawl out of bed. Crutches stand propped against the wall next to the bed, where did those come from?  It seems like someone is always one step ahead here, anticipating all of our needs. I look at Evan, eyebrows raised in question. “I have a very efficient staff.” He shrugs, and now those people know that I have slept with Evan. Great.…”I see that, well let’s get you up then.” Shit, I realize the slip in words before they are out of my mouth and he chuckles. “I won’t say it.” He smiles his movie-star smile, and I grab the crutches and take them to him, we make it up and into the bathroom, “Can you handle it from here?”

“Yes Mia, I can handle
it
just fine.” Oh brother, this guy is fond of puns… I roll my eyes and turn my back to him. “I’m going to get dressed and make an appointment for your MRI and CT today.” He grumbles something about not needing a scan and I scoot to the room next door, retrieving my clothes from the floor and discovering a full set of clean things laying on the bed… jeans, lavender silk boy short panties and matching bra and a thin, cream sweater with tiny buttons up the front, all my size. This guy doesn’t miss a beat, how does he arrange all of this while held up in bed? I grab the clothes- who am I to say no to clean things? After I shower and dress, I pull my hair into a messy knot at the base of my neck, it’s wet but who cares? I dig in my purse for my phone, only to find that it’s dead. Great. I’m sure mom has been trying to reach me, not to mention Lilly and Sage. Shit. I made plans to see the kids, I really need to call her. Maybe Evan has a charger; I think he has the same kind of phone. Back in his room I hear the shower… how is he showering with his cast… damn it I left him alone for 20 min! I crack the door. “Evan…do you need help, how are you showering with your cast?”

“Come in here, fuck I hate needing help,” he’s cursing and sitting on a stone bench in the most elaborate shower I’ve ever seen in my life, with at least ten shower heads spraying in various directions. He has a bag taped around his cast. Well at least he thought to do that.

“Why didn’t you wait for me? That’s what I’m here for!” Suddenly I’m all too aware of his nakedness. I’ve seen almost every inch of him bathing him in the hospital but I’ve been missing out on the best part! He is glorious, a bronze Adonis, as soon as he catches sight of me he hardens, with no shame and no inhibitions, sitting in the shower with water running down every defined muscle on his body and an impressive erection pointing right at me…. I look away and my heart pounds in my chest.

“Mia! Don’t look away from me damn it, you’re very aware of my attraction to you, but I really need some help here as much as I hate to admit it.” I pull it together and remind myself that I’m here as a professional… yea right. I’m here because I can’t drag myself away from this man, can’t stand the thought of anyone else touching him. I reach in and redirect several of the shower heads to spray away from me, grab his shower gel and squirt some on his loofa and begin to work at washing every amazing part of him. All the while, his eyes sear into me and I avoid his gaze purposely and direct him to turn so I can get his back. When his back is clean I help him turn back toward me. Kneeling, I start washing his feet and work my way up his calves until, his smooth silky erection is right at eye level with me, no way around this.

“Um, do you want me to …?” He nods and I drop the loofa, my breath coming in short pants, heart racing, I am so nervous, but suddenly I take him in my soapy hand and stroke his impressive length base to tip, a guttural moan from him encourages me on. “Use both hands,” he instructs through gritted teeth, and I eagerly bring both hands around his cock, stroking and twisting in opposite directions, the motion coming naturally to me. I look up at him. “Like this.” He moves his hands to cover mine and glides one over the head of his cock and back down to the base repeating the motion until I have a rhythm going. He releases my hands to grip the stone bench, I continue, and then he leans forward suddenly, grasping me behind my neck with one hand to kiss me with force, smashing my mouth with his, nothing tender or gentle about it. I’ve lost concentration; he stops and removes my hands from him. My breath coming quickly, knees aching from the hard stone floor as I look at him silently, questioning his action. “Not like this…I want you first.”

I’m stunned…. how can he be so close and stop like that? “But…I want to, I’ve never done this before.” This bit of information genuinely surprises him

“Never?” I shake my head.

“You’re very good at it.” He smiles with a glint of pride in his eye,
now
I blush; where was that 10 min ago! He takes my hands and supports me so I can stand, grabbing his shampoo and massaging his scalp while he sits obediently, hands to himself, rinsing and shutting off the water. I towel him off and help him out, one arm draped over my shoulder. I’m really not much help to him, he’s so big that if he went down I’d go right with him, but I attempt to steady him while he hops to a leather stool near the shower. I remove the plastic and tape; he’s’ still at full mast and I’m not sure what to do next, so I glance around nervously.  He did say he didn’t want me to finish so what now? “My closet is in the bedroom around the corner, just grab me some jeans and a sweater,” he says, with such an even unaffected tone. What super power enables him to go right to the brink but not over the edge? He catches me wondering. “I’m trained well in discipline, don’t worry about me. That felt fucking wonderful Mia; I just want to pleasure you first. Anticipation is the best aphrodisiac you know.” He winks at me I stand there staring like an idiot.

“Ok…” Who am I to argue about that?  I choose his clothes and help him dress, shave and walk into the dining room.  We work together to elevate his leg on a chair with pillows and Cecelia serves us breakfast. “I need to charge my phone.”

“Next to my bed there’s a charger, didn’t you find the one in your room?  I told Mr. Saint to make sure you had everything you might need.”

“Oh, no I didn’t even look, uh did Mr. Saint bring me these clothes?”

“No, you can thank Cecelia for that, she knows your size and what I like.” For some reason that reminds me of Isaac. “Where’s Isaac been, I haven’t seen him since the hospital?” “I sent him to Milan, I usually travel once a month to a different Dominus, I sent him this time.”

“How did you get started with the restaurant thing?” I ask, pushing my food around on my plate. I’m still curious how he’s become
this
wealthy. Money’s not really my thing. It’s nice, but all I ever wanted was to support myself, live comfortably, pay the bills and have a little savings. All of which I’ve achieved, anything beyond that seems extravagant…. and Evan is the epitome of extravagant.

“I was born and raised in Spain, technically I’m a Duke,” he says that while wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

“Duke, like of Spain or something?”

“By lineage yes, I have no real ties or responsibilities, just the title. Anyway, my aunt taught me to cook, my mother wasn’t much for feeding her children,” he says with disgust. “I’m quite good at it actually, when she died she left me everything she had, and she had a lot. It allowed me to open Dominus but that wasn’t enough. She was everything to me and I wanted nothing more than to continue honoring her with my success. I expanded all over Europe and then to then the U.S.” “My aunt was blind, she couldn’t see with her eyes but she always saw me with her heart,” he says quietly, with reverence, his eyes an unfocused gaze. I’m so taken with the adoring way he refers to his late aunt that my heart aches in my chest, when he reaches across the table and takes my hand in his with a little squeeze, an electric zing passes through our fingers while we continue to eat. We finish in silence and Cecelia removes our dishes as I help Evan to the couch, arranging him comfortably in front of the fireplace.

“Comfortable?” I ask.

“Yes, we need to plan out our day though. I need to go to Dominus and check on things while Isaac is out of town.” I open my mouth to argue and realize it’s futile; he’s smug, knowing that I have finally caught on to how things work around here.

“And we can fit in an MRI and CT scan right?”

“Yes Mia, I always keep up my end of a bargain.” He’s not happy about going to the hospital, but I could care less, I feel something deep for this man and I need to protect him, even if it is from himself. 

“What’s with the fireplace anyway, it’s so huge!  You could cremate someone in there?” I say, trying to lighten the mood.

“I do everything big Mia, may as well get used to it.”

Yea well, after his shower this morning I’d have to agree with him. “I’m going to charge my phone and make your appointment, can I get you anything?” Oh, the smirk is back with a slight head tilt this time, my belly flutters deep down and I’m wishing we could get to the ‘me first’
part now!
Face flushed, I turn to go charge my phone and he calls out after me, “Oh Mia, how I love watching your beautiful ass.” I shake it just a little for him and I hear him chuckle a little. Is there such a thing as death from anticipation? If so I’ll be in the ground by noon!

Chapter 16

“Demons” by Imagine Dragons

“I’m a Bad Bad Man” by Bobaflex

Shit! After my phone has charged a tiny bit, text messages start chiming, one after another. Mom, Sage and Lilly… there are multiple from each of them. I call Sage first and apologize for not showing up to see the kids, explaining the situation and she gives me a fair amount of shit for taking a leave of absence from my job for a perfect stranger. If she only knew. I reassure her it’s all been taken care of legally with the hospital and that I am fine working with Evan. She’s not buying it, but doesn’t say anything more- she knows how stubborn I am. On to mom and another explanation of my new temporary life situation, she quizzes me about Evan’s full name, occupation and address, I know she’s going to hang up and Google him immediately, and probably call a private investigator knowing her! She won’t be finding much, been there and tried that. Satisfied that I’m alive, although suspicious of the situation, she lets me go on the condition that I promise to keep my phone charged and within my reach.  She adds a reminder of the emergency 911 buttons on the phone…oh my God, mother! Then, with dread, I dial Lilly. She’s furious and overwhelmingly concerned, over the top as usual. “You moved in with him?!!” she shrieks.

“I just explained it to you Lilly. I’m doing home health care for him
temporarily
,” I assure her.

“This guy is hot isn’t he? What’s his name again? I have to look him up and see what kind of fire you’re playing with. Don’t get me wrong; I’m over the moon that you’re involved with someone, but you really need to be careful. I can’t believe you
quit
your job!” she continues in her hysterical tone.

“You’re not hearing a word I’m saying Lilly! I’m his nurse, it’s a professional relationship, and I didn’t
quit
my job, it’s a
leave of absence.”
I attempt to explain to her again. “Fucking A Mia! I just Googled this guy! HE. IS. SO. HOT! Are you kidding me with the professional relationship shit, really I’m insulted that you think I’d fall for that! Have you fucked yet?  Is he good?  I bet he’s a machine. Wait, didn’t you say his leg was broken?  How do you do that with a broken leg?” And on and on she goes, asking questions like I’m not there. I try to slip in an answer once and a while but she’s on a roll, so I just lay on my back on the bed and stare at the gauzy mesh draped around the canopy of my bed. I listen until she has apparently worn herself out.

“You finished?” I ask, exasperated with her lengthy onslaught.

“Yes… no…I don’t know. I’m so blown away Mia this is so not YOU!” Blessedly, she pauses and I begin to answer her questions.

“Well first of all yes, he’s very handsome, and yes he has a broken leg, that’s why I’m here, no we haven’t
fucked
so I don’t know if he’s a
machine.
I wasn’t trying to insult you I was telling you the truth.” Well, not really but I’m afraid if I’m honest with her she may have a stroke or a heart attack. I’ll wait until there’s something more to tell, give her a chance to get used to the information she has so far. I love Lilly, we’ve been friends since high school, but she’s super high maintenance and very overbearing. We hang up, and I call the hospital and pull a few strings, not that I really needed to. People know who Evan Lawson is. He’s donated a lot of money to the hospital. The appointment is made for this afternoon. Returning to Evan, I inform him of the appointment time.

“Then we need to go now to Dominus before lunch starts.” He opens his phone and calls Mr. Saint, requesting that a car be brought to the front of the house in 15 min.

“You do remember you have a broken leg right?” I remind him with a little of my trademark sass. “Oh, I was wondering where that smart mouth had gone. And yes, of course I remember. Mr. Saint will drive and my car is quite spacious, I can stretch out in the back.” Smart mouth, really?

“You’re taking pain meds before we go, I won’t take no for an answer. You haven’t had anything since we came home and moving around all day is going to make it worse.” “For you, but I don’t need it. I’ve told you before, pain is familiar to me. My tolerance is very high, but if it makes you feel better I’ll take something.” He shrugs and I wonder for the second time what the hell he’s been through. A mother that didn’t want to feed him, comfortable with pain, nightmares, and sleeping pills…I sense he’s told me more than most people, but only scratched the surface. I’ve opened up about my own experiences, my baggage. I can only wait for him to trust me more.  It’s a delicate balancing act, sharing demons, and I sense he has just as many as I do, maybe more…. I hold out two Percocet with some water, and he rolls his eyes at me. “Aren’t these bad for me if I’m having black outs?” he asks, and he really has a point.

“Well the sleeping pills didn’t kill you so may as well not be in pain,” I quip, and he laughs at me and brushes my hand away, refusing the pills.

“Help me up, we can start heading out.” I offer him the crutches and we make our way slowly toward the front doors. The car waiting in the circle drive is
so
Evan…I’ve never seen a car like this before “What. Is. That?” I ask.

“A Maybach Landaulet convertible, you like it?”

“Huh?” The huge, pearl-white sedan is parked, waiting for us at the door, ridiculously extravagant, just like the man himself…

“It has more room than any of my cars, and I actually prefer it most of the time.”

“How many cars do you have?” Open mouthed and staring I cannot fathom why anyone would need another vehicle when they had this one, and he has to think a while about how many he has, oh my God…really?

“Six I think…well no, 5 I guess since one of them is underwater.”

Shit, I wasn’t thinking about that connection. “I’m sorry Evan, I didn’t mean to bring it up.” He passes over the subject and moves to the car. I help him into the back, he sits and pulls himself in effortlessly with his arms and fills the back seat completely, all six feet five inches of him. “I’ll sit up front with Mr. Saint,” I say, after assessing the back of the car, he nods with a sigh. He wants me back there with him, but there just isn’t enough room. Closing the door I slide in front with Mr. Saint, who acknowledges me with a curt nod as we take off. I realize why Evan was disappointed about not sitting together, and I tend to agree- the front of the car is completely separated from the back with a dark window, which would provide total privacy to the occupants in the rear. Mr. Saint catches me checking out the window and presses a button that opens the window so I can see Evan, and he me. I wish I could reach him, touch him, hold his hand; it’s such a small amount of separation between us, but it feels like the distance between the east and west coast. It’s irrational, crazy, unreasonable, insane…. But it is what it is, and I see it in his eyes that he feels it too.

“Stop the car,” I command and Mr. Saint looks at me like I’m nuts, and maybe I am. But right now I don’t care what he thinks. He pulls over to the side of the road, I’m out in two seconds, crawling into the back with him. Understanding the need for contact, Evan lifts his casted leg and I slip under it, sitting on the seat with his leg in my lap. It’s heavy but anything is better than sitting up front where we can’t touch. Smiling, he takes my hand and the two magnets connect. I see Mr. Saint’s shocked face in the rearview mirror briefly, before he closes the partition, leaving us alone. We ride in silence to Dominus.

“Sir?” I hear Mr. Saint over some sort of intercom.

“Around back,” Evan answers, and we drive a bit further, stopping at what must be the rear entrance to Dominus. It’s a cold, wet day like the other 300 days of the year in Seattle Washington, we make our way out of the car with the crutches and into a dark hallway that leads to an office with a massive mahogany desk in the center, typical Evan style. “I’d give you a tour, but they’re setting up for lunch. We can go out when they’re done, before the first reservation arrives.” Gesturing to a couch for me to sit on, he sits behind the desk and Mr. Saint follows, bringing Evan’s laptop and efficiently setting it up in front of him, he then exits, closing the door behind him.

“I have a couple of things I have to tend to, do you mind staying with me and waiting?” he asks.

“Of course, I hadn’t planned on leaving you alone.  I’m yours for twelve hours, knock yourself out,” I say.

“Twelve hours, hmmm? I’m going to have to let you go home at some point aren’t I?” he mutters. 

“Well yes, my family and my best friend are freaking out about this arrangement,” I say the words but I’m realizing that I can’t imagine being away from him for any amount of time. I couldn’t even sit in the front of the car without him for God’s sake, what am I going to do?

“Tell me about your family.” As he sits back in his chair, I realize his leg isn’t elevated and I look around for a stool, moving to retrieve one near the desk and propping his leg as I fill him in.

“I have one sister, Sage, who is three years older than I am, she’s married with two children that I love like my own.  My mom is a gymnastics teacher and my Dad a veterinarian, pretty normal family, nothing exciting really.”

Evan looks thoughtful “Did she teach you gymnastics?” he asks, with a teasing tone. “Why yes Mr. Lawson, she did, and I can deliver a calf and give a
huge
injection of penicillin thanks to my father so you better watch yourself,” I answer, with chin up and a quick nod.

“Well nurse Mia, I’ll remember that when I have a pregnant horse or a massive infection.” He chuckles and I hear people shuffling around outside the door to his office. Before I can return questions about his parents and family, he begins to work and just like that I’m once again dismissed. I wonder about this habit, is it him being rude, or is something else going on? I wish I felt comfortable talking to someone who knew him before the accident, maybe Cecelia- if I can get her to loosen up, that is.

“Do you have a restroom nearby?” I interrupt.

“Yes, out the door to the left,” he answers absentmindedly, and I go to search it out. So it’s ok to be away from him as long as he’s guaranteed an immediate return. I store that tidbit away. Entering the restroom, I stop in my tracks inside the door. Wow, I immediately feel underdressed, if these are the facilities for the staff I can’t imagine what the public is treated to. Black and white everywhere, glossy black counters with raised sink bowls, white stone walls, stalls separated with black pillars, and it’s all so clean you could eat off of any surface, almost clinically clean like an O.R. I enter a stall just as two women come in, unaware of my presence. I overhear their conversation. “Did you see the car?” A woman with a Spanish accent speaks first.

“What, no, who’s car?” The second answers with note of caution in her scratchy voice, like someone who has smoked for a long time.

“The beast is back, I saw them pull around in the Maybach, I can’t believe he’s out of the hospital so soon!  Cameron died in that accident, God rest her soul!” The Hispanic woman complains.

“They let him out? Oh never mind…knowing him he probably just left.” Wow, they know him well. “I thought he was in a coma, I was actually a little relieved, it’s been nice around here with him gone.”

“Yea, I haven’t had to iron my panties or scrub my hands with a Brillo pad for 10 days!” The smoker giggled. No way am I letting them know someone is in the bathroom, I want to hear more about
the beast
as they called him. Maybe I’ll learn something about his personality pre-accident. Slowly and quietly, I press my hands to the sides of the stalls cool stone walls and lift my feet to the toilet so no one can see them under the door. Not breathing, I perch on the toilet edge and continue to eavesdrop. Twenty-two years of gymnastics is coming in handy today, thanks Mom! 

“Isaac isn’t much better, but at least he doesn’t time our breaks to the second and threaten us with death if we sneak out to smoke,” Accent says. “Or make you clean your area with a toothbrush for hours…oh wait, never mind Isaac made me do that once too, he’s a mini beast.” The women chuckle and take care of business in the restroom; coming out of their stalls to the sink, they continue their conversation.

“If the pay here weren’t so damn good I’d fuckin’ be out of here right now,” scratchy voice says. Shit was he really that bad?

“Did you know Carly says he’s in the Spanish mob or something? You ever notice people that he fires are never around again, like I mean never around anywhere, ever?” Accent says.

“Mob, like you think he’s having them killed? Carmen, you’re nuts- he’s awful, horrible even, but murder…. No way!”

Accent snorts, “You’re so naive Kate, in my country people are killed for much less, life has no value in Columbia. You’re just a warm body here to do what the boss wants, and if you’re lucky you get to go home to your family at night.” Wow, Carmen is full of educational information. Note to self, never fucking go to Columbia, and where have I heard that comment about being a warm body before? Must be a speech Evan makes regularly, and not just to me.

“Well, that’s Columbia not Washington, and nobody’s going to kill me if I get a new menu item wrong. I just don’t believe that shit.”

“Suit yourself, but if I ever disappear, you pack your bags and run far away, I’m telling you,” accent says, very seriously. Scratchy doesn’t respond and I imagine her mouth hanging open in shock at the thought of her friend being murdered. They finish up, taking a
long
time washing their hands and drying them. Either they’re stretching out a break or the beast has the idea of cleanliness burned into every fiber of their being. God they wash a long time, my legs are actually starting to become numb. When they exit I let myself down and pee, while I try to make sense of this new information. Mob. Maybe it’s just denial but I’m with Kate. No way is Evan in any mob, is there any such thing as a Spanish-based mob? He does have an awfully extravagant home though. No. He said his aunt left him money, and I choose to believe and trust that explanation. I wonder where Aunt Sophia got her wealth; I’ll have to ask Evan.