Magnificent Ruin (Everlasting Series Book 2) (21 page)

“Hey,” I say. “Your head might explode if you keep this up.” I glance up at Jesse. “Doc said we can’t stay long. And I’m Taylor.”

Jesse nods. “Where are you staying, Taylor?”

“Staying? Right here at the hospital.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Jesse says. “We’ll have to get you a hotel room. You need rest, too.”

I can’t even imagine how terrible I must look. I haven’t even brushed my hair down or taken off my makeup. I steal a glance at Tomas who’s already dozing off.

As we leave the room, I exhale long and loud. Only now do I realize how exhausted I am myself. On the brink of collapsing really.

Standing next to Jesse Keller who looks so much like Tomas and yet so different at the same time with his brown hair and eyes and his refined manners is too much to take right now.

“I’m going to find my friends,” I say. “I’m glad you were able to come.”

I extend my hand to him but instead of taking it, he gives me a quick, emotional hug. “You have broken through some serious barriers with that bulldog in there,” he says. “I’m the one who’s glad.”

He walks with me and I don’t know how to escape his company or even if I want to. We find Nathan and Grace at the cafeteria, leaning against each other, their eyes heavy with fatigue.

“How’s everything?” Nathan says.

“It all looks good,” I say. “He’s asleep.”

“You should all get some sleep,” Jesse says. “I will stay with him.”

“Are you sure?” Nathan says. “He gave us all a good scare.”

“I’m sure,” Jesse says. “We have some catching up to do.” He takes a card out of his pocket. “There’s an affordable motel right off the metro station. My agent got me a room. You could crash there for now.”

We shake hands before we leave him to get to the motel. The street is busy with traffic, pedestrians and street vendors selling everything from donuts to jewelry to pirated CDs. We wait patiently for the green light to walk across to the motel.

“Isn’t Jesse hot?” Grace says out of the blue.

“Yo, I’m right here,” Nathan says, slapping her butt gently.

Grace ignores him completely. “He is single,” she says, all excited.

“But you’re not?” I say, confused.

“You’re as dumb as Nathan. I was thinking of Ashley.”

Well, that was unexpected. Ashley and Grace used to butt heads all the time at the aromatherapy shop. “Ashley? Since when are you two such besties?”

“Since we were held at gunpoint?” Grace says, rolling her eyes. “A thing like that kind of changes your priorities.”

“Okay, my bad. There’s this small inconvenience. Jesse lives in Paris?”

Grace’s eyes get revived at the sound of my words. “That’s the best part. He said he’ll come back to LA to spend some time with Tomas and visit old friends,” she says, rubbing her hands like an excited little girl. “It’s perfect.”

It would be perfect if Jesse and Ashley fell in love on cue because Grace suggests it. Grace has turned into a mushy dreamer. Although, who knows? Love has done stranger things in this world. I’m living proof.

“He’s a painter, by the way,” Grace goes on. “He has his own studio and has done tons of exhibitions in Europe.”

“He’s also a hermit of sorts,” Nathan tries to warn her but Grace is too happy and scheming for such trivialities. Fatigue works on her in reverse. It becomes a stimulating tonic.

The hotel is cozy with old fashioned décor and furniture. It possesses a strong scent of lavender and aloe soap.

“Want me to share a room with you?” Grace says. That girl is too sweet.

“You’re such a doll,” I say. “Don’t be silly. Stay with your poor man. I’ll be asleep the moment I hit the pillow.”

But I don’t fall asleep so easily. I keep replaying all the shit that went down during the last twenty-four hours. It all feels so unreal. It’s a mystery even to me that I found the courage not only to go to De Luca’s villa by myself but to sneak in and somehow get Irina out.

Grace insisted we call the police.
We had no other play
, Nathan said.

I turn to my side with a sigh. It’s not done yet, not by a long shot. Tomas will survive physically but I’m not so sure about the emotional part. I know that he’s been self-destructive for a long time. How easy is it to alter that cycle? And how do I help him?

Giving way slowly to exhaustion one question obsesses me.
How do I take his hand in mine and step out of all his chaos and into happiness?

Chapter 25

W
alking into the hospital room doesn’t feel so bad anymore. Tomorrow will be a week since Tomas was rushed in on a helicopter, fighting for his life as the doctors feared he was slipping into a coma. Tomorrow he will be released and we can finally make plans to go back home. But today is the last day I’m visiting him here and I come bringing coffee, donuts and fresh strawberries.

Every day is a good day now.

I find him standing by the window, dressed in a blue robe, the IV stand next to him. His eyes sparkle when he sees me. “There are fifty stray cats and kittens roaming the area,” he says. “I’ve been counting them every day. The number never changes.”

“You could say you’re old acquaintances by now,” I say, placing the coffee and food on the table. It’s the first time I’ve found him standing on his own since his head injury. No more wheelchair. If I don’t watch it, he’ll notice how emotional that makes me. Today has to be all about him.

“Wait,” he says, “I think that’s a new one.”

I go to the window to glance at the kitty cats below. “Which one?”

“That black and white one. I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

“It’s a he?”

“Absolutely. See how long and lean his body is?”

“How’s the dizziness?” I say, taking his hand and resting my head on his shoulder.

“Almost gone. I was even able to pee standing this morning.”

“Wow, that’s a good boy,” I say, messing with his hair.

He walks back to the bed and lies on top of the blanket. I sit on the edge, offering him a cup of coffee. All swelling is gone from his face now, the bruises and lacerations fading little by little.

Tomas takes the coffee cup but makes no attempt to drink. “Nathan told me something a while ago,” he says.

“About?”

“You.”

“So you talk about me behind my back? Was it good or bad?”

He finally brings the cup to his lips, cautiously, and sips. “Just the way I like it,” he says.

“So what did Nathan say?”

He takes a long, hard look at me before he responds. “Nathan told me you were madly in love with someone else. Your high school sweetheart. Almost obsessed is how he actually put it.”

Out of all the things he could have possibly said, that was the last I expected to hear. It takes me a while to respond and I know the delay must look really bad.

“Lord,” I say finally. “Why does everyone think that? It’s not true. I was not obsessed with Cody. I was holding onto something that was never real. But that’s because of how screwed up my head was, not because I was in love.”

“How do you know?” His eyes are on me, observing and examining every reaction, every blink and every breath.

“I know.”

“But how? Because from what I understand, you suffered over him, you sacrificed your integrity to steal a few moments with him, you could not let go for years, even when you found out he was going to marry someone else.”

“Gee, Tomas, I just know. You weren’t there, I was.”

“Just tell me how you know.”

“I know because I never felt for Cody what I feel for you.” I shout the words out and I have exactly zero regrets about it.

“What you feel for me?” he repeats my words.

I nod, a sudden exhilaration filling my heart and lungs. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a few days since I came to believe I could lose everything. “Yes, that’s what I said.” My hand runs up and down his leg, tickling him.

He grabs my hand to stop me. “What
do
you feel for me?”

My heart’s pounding and I get baby butterflies in my stomach. He wants to hear me say it. “I love you,” I say simply, staring into his eyes. “I’m in love with you, Tomas Keller, and you don’t even have to say it back. I’m just happy to finally be able to tell you. It’s liberating.”

He says nothing. He studies my face with his hypnotizing green eyes. I have no idea what’s behind them, what thoughts go through his head.

“What?” I say, finally. “Cat got your tongue? Which one was it?”

His hands find my face, pulling me closer, so our noses touch. I think he will kiss me but then he changes his mind. His lips find my ear and his hands grip both my wrists.

“I’m just trying to decide whether I should spank you or make you come right now for being so reckless and going to the villa by yourself. What were you thinking?”

I fight to free myself from his grip but he won’t have it. Instead, he increases the pressure on my wrists.

“That’s right, little girl, I know everything. A little bird filled me in on all the details of how Irina was rescued. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Busted
. “Was Nate the little bird? More like an eagle. I wanted you to recover first. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Taylor?”

“All right, I also knew you would get mad at me. I don’t like it when you’re mad at me.”

“I’m not mad,” he says, his hands returning to my face. “I know by now that nobody tells you what to do. I just get a chill at the thought that something might have happened to you and then I wouldn’t be able to show you how much I love you.”

His lips land on mine, his right arm gently wraps around my shoulders. I melt into his kiss, drifting off to a place where our souls meet and we become one—we become everything.

Our lips stay like that, every hungry swirl of his tongue in my mouth drawing warmth and happiness from my insides.

Maybe I am truly happy for the first time since I was a child. Someday I will have to tell him about the terror that stole my ability for happiness and how he was able to restore it with three simple words.

“Say it again,” I whisper when our lips part.

“I love you,” he says with the sexiest grin. “I think I fell in love with you that day in Pasadena when you told me I was annoying in a really cool way.”

“That’s all it took?” I say, laughing and kissing his cheek. “If only I knew you were that easy.”

He pulls me to his chest, kissing my neck.<3 “I’m not easy, I’m hard.”

“Okay, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Was what Nathan said about Cody part of the reason why you acted like you had no romantic interest in me for so long?”

He considers my words. “Yes, I guess it was. One of many parts. I’m not going to lie, Taylor. I’ve always known it would be best for you if I stayed away. Look at the mess that follows me. Look at what almost happened. I wasn’t sure I would be able to make a safe place for you in my life.”

“And now?”

“Now,” he says, brushing a finger against my lips, “now you are my life.”

My heart swells with a sweet ache that penetrates every cell and every pore in my body bringing forth sensations I didn’t know existed. I sit closer to him, resting my head against his shoulder. It’s getting hard to breathe in, like I’m newly born and have to learn the basics of survival all over again.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop that force that was taking over me,” Tomas says in a whisper. “But I went ahead and planned to be around you every day anyway. The pull you have on me, I’ve never felt it before.”

If we’re being honest, I shouldn’t hold anything back. “Not even with your first love?”

There’s a twitch above his left eye as his mouth drops a little. “How would you even know about that?”

“I’ll tell you if you promise not to get mad at anyone.”

“This should be good,” he says. “How many people are involved?”

“In a nutshell, Jesse told Nathan who told me. You were in the ICU when he told me. We didn’t even know if you would make it.”

He nods, staring down at his hands. “How much did he tell you?”

“All of it. The amnesia, the girl you loved, your memory coming back gradually. Her moving on.”

“Far worse things happen to people every day, bright eyes. Don’t feel sorry for me. It worked out wonderfully for me in the end.”

“I could never feel sorry for you, Tomas.”

“Good,” he says, “cause that’s not how I roll.”

“I’m just so glad you are safe and here with me.” Even as I say this my eyes get watery.

“Baby, I never meant to hide this story from you. I would have told you eventually.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him. “People keep secrets all the time. They hide their lovers and they hide their weaknesses. It’s what makes us human. I have a painful secret, too.”

He looks at me raising an eyebrow. “A secret, angel?”

“From the time when I was still a child. I will tell you when I get the courage.”

“You weren’t—”

He doesn’t finish his sentence but I know what he’s thinking. “No, I wasn’t abused,” I say. “It’s not that at all.”

“Good,” he says, pulling me closer, arms around me. “You can tell me when you’re good and ready.”

“It’s a silly thing really. Maybe telling you will set me free from the painful memories.”

“Some things hurt,” Tomas says, kissing the little freckles on my shoulder exposed by my strappy tank top, “but you can’t let them define you.”

I smile at him. “Do you know everything?”

“I know I’ve missed your body,” he says, cupping my breast, his hot breath on my shoulder.

I slap his hand away. “You can’t have sex in here, you irritating man. Look at all the needles and the wires that are glued on you.”

“These are just a precaution now,” he says. “I can remove them.” His hand goes straight for the needle in his vein.

“You’re not removing that IV yourself,” I say, panicking.

There’s a glimmer of pure evil in his eyes. “I won’t if you do as I say.”

“We’re not having sex and that’s final,” I say, trying to throw him my most evil glare.

“I need to taste you, that’s all,” he says, hungry greed in his voice. “I need to taste your juices and feel you quiver on my tongue as you come.”

Son of a bitch. How’s a girl supposed to stay good with words like that being thrown at her? “You’re so crude,” I say, pulling his earlobe. “We’ll have to remedy that.”

“Please, baby. I’m dying here.” His hand gets under my skirt, finding the elastic band of my panties.

“You’re being released tomorrow,” I remind him, weakly. “This can wait.”

“Tomorrow might never come, sweetheart. Let me moisten that little slick flower right here, right now. Let me make you so wild with passion, you forget everything.”

“It’s not possible,” I say, running out of retreats. “A machine will blip, a nurse will come running.” All my strength abandons me as his fingers stroke my inner thighs gently, lighting a tingle fire on my skin.

He winks. “Everything’s possible.” He lies on his back, gently rolling me on top of him. “On your hands and knees,” he says flipping me around, “and bring that tiny pussy to my lips.”

I blush from head to toe as I realize what he wants me to do. “What if anyone walks in?”

“Well, then, it’ll be their lucky day. Your ass is like heaven. Those doctors will have a memory they won’t soon forget.”

“You’re deluded, thinking everyone’s attracted to your girl.”

“Shut up and do it.”

“No,” I say. And then I give up. “All right, but you better make it quick.”

I do as he says, excitement and fear making my heart pound faster and harder. He immediately lifts my skirt over my hips and pulls my panties down, throwing the blanket over my lower body to cover my exposed bottom
e

exposedbottobutt
, yanking my hips closer to his face.

As soon as his tongue starts exploring my oversensitive flesh, I lose all common sense. “Oh god, I missed you,” I say in a loud whisper.

“Shush,” he says, “Not so loud.”

I writhe and I pant under his velvety tongue as he goes straight for the kill, catching my aching nub in his mouth and pushing against it, licking it, owning my body. It doesn’t take long before the entire universe explodes around me, lightning spiraling up and down my belly.

My knees and arms tremble so intensely, I just let my body collapse on top of him. My cheek touches something hard inside his pajama pants. Iron-hard and warm and ready to jump out.

“Was that fast enough?” he says, chuckling.

I know he didn’t ask for it, but I slide my hand under his waistband anyway, taking his hot cock out. I feel the muscles in his stomach and thighs go rigid immediately as if in complete shock. Before he has a chance to say anything, I take him in my mouth. I can only hope the intensity won’t kill him.

Licking and sucking the head, I take his hardness in a little at a time. He gasps so loud, arching his body, I worry I’ve caused him terrible discomfort. I look back, worried. “Did I hurt you?” I say.

“
Fuck
, baby, no. Since you started it, go ahead and finish it. Suck my cock rough, angel. Make me feel alive again.”

I oblige happily because there’s nothing in this world I want more than to give him everything he needs. I increase the speed to wicked levels and make him swell and surge and beg until…