Nobody's Hero (55 page)

He laid his hand on her chest again and this
time felt her heart beating wildly. She drew another breath,
sharper this time. “Just relax. I’m going to press here, but tell
me if it starts to hurt.”

He applied even less pressure than he had
before and she cried out in pain.
Fuck
. He let her go. Why
hadn’t she felt the pain before? Shit. Did that mean she had a
broken rib? Suddenly, he remembered the phone and picked it up.

“Doc? You still there?”

“Yeah. I was about to disconnect, figuring
one thing was about to lead to another until I heard that scream. I
think you'd better get her to the ER, Damián. They need to check
for internal injuries and they can probably give her something for
pain.”

“We have a couple problems with that. One is
that we need a babysitter.”

Savi held up her hand. “No! I’m not going
anywhere and even if I did, I’m not leaving Mari with
strangers.”

“Doc, do you have any friends who can provide
a medical assessment without leaving a paper trail?”

“What the hell is going on there?”

“I haven’t a fucking clue, but it’s the only
way I’m going to get her to cooperate.”

“Let me call a friend and see if he’ll open
up his clinic tonight for you to take her there. But as soon as you
find out what’s going on, I want a full report. This had better not
be anything illegal, either.”

“No, nothing like that. Just call me back
PDQ.”

He disconnected the phone and just stared at
Savi. “He’s going to try and find someone to take a look at that
rib. Do you want to lie down with Mari and rest a little?”

“No. It hurts too much to lie down. I’m
fine.”

“You’re
not
fucking fine, Savi.”

She cringed at his tone and he knew he needed
to cool it, but if she said everything was fine one more time,
he’d…scream. Damn it. What was going on here?

“Who are you running from? Who did this to
you?”

No hesitation this time.

“My father.” She held her hand over her
stomach as if the words had made her nauseous.

“What?” What kind of father would…aw, hell.
After Teresa, he didn’t have to ask what fathers could do to
daughters.

“He tried to take Mari from me. I guess he
saw me on the news footage from Julio’s arrest and tracked me down
after all these years.”

News footage? Damián hadn’t even known there
were media there. But Savi and Teresa had been outside while he’d
given his police report.

“I can’t let him anywhere near her. That’s
why I came to you.”

Damián was still reeling from the shocker
that her father had beaten her like this, but had no clue what had
made her trust him.

“The way you took care of Teresa. The way you
were ready to kill Julio. We need that kind of protection right
now. Will you help us?”

* * *

Adam placed the box under the tree. Thank God
the jeweler also did gift wrapping, because the job he’d done on
the other box was pretty pitiful. He’d let Karla sleep in, since
he’d had her up half the night, chained to the bed. He hadn’t
gotten rough with her, even though she’d goaded him to a few times,
so far he’d managed to retain the upper hand on her brattiness.

His dick got hard just thinking about her
bright pink ass.

He looked out the picture window at the snow
falling softly. A deer wandered up to the feeder Karla had placed
out there last weekend, saying she was worried that the poor dears
weren’t finding enough to eat. She had such a soft heart and
probably wanted to make amends for killing one of them, he
supposed.

Soft arms wrapped around his waist. “Merry
Christmas, Master Santa.”

He chuckled and turned around to greet her
sleep-riddled face. The lines of her pillow still creased her
cheek. He reached up to trace the lines before grabbing her hair
and pulling her head back and lowering his mouth to hers, open and
waiting for him.

His tongue delved inside and did a tango with
hers as his hand skimmed over her shoulder and down to her breast.
When he squeezed her swollen nipple, she gasped and pulled away. So
sensitive. He smiled.

“How’s your stomach this morning?”

Her smile told him all he needed to know.
“First time since last month that I haven’t said good morning to
John before anyone else.”

His hand covered her abdomen, still
relatively flat, but he thought about the baby growing inside her
and his heart filled to the point of aching. His baby. What better
present could she give him? Well, becoming his wife had been even
better. Now he hoped to make her his in another way. He hoped he
wasn’t rushing things too quickly, and, once she was ready to
commit firmly, they would have a public ceremony. But for now, this
was between the two of them, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“I’ll start the fire. Why don’t you get
dressed, harem girl, and meet me here in a few?”

Her eyes sparkled and she giggled, causing
him to throb.
God love her.

He’d barely gotten the fire roaring before
she was back, wearing the red harem costume, her feet bare and her
Christmas-red painted toenails gleaming after the spa treatment
he’d insisted she take while he went back to the jeweler’s two days
ago to pick up the gift he’d ordered special made. They’d worked on
it night and day, the artisan said, to finish in time. It was a
work of art. He couldn’t wait for her to open the box. Well, both
of them.

Adam trailed a finger over her collar bone.
“Why don’t we have our Christmas first?”

“Wait! There’s something I need to add to the
tree.”

She went back into the bedroom and soon came
out carrying the angel tree topper Joni had tucked away in the box
of treasures for him. Adam’s gaze searched her eyes, seeing only
love.

“I found this in your office.”

He nodded, too choked up to say anything.

Karla touched the wings of the angel. “We
would never have gotten together if not for Joni, so I owe her a
special debt of gratitude for entrusting her Master to me. I don’t
ever want to replace her—as if I ever could! But I do think she’s
ready to move on now.”

Adam nodded again, still unable to speak, but
he'd gotten the same vibe since before the wedding, as if she’d
accomplished her mission and needed to get on with more important
things.

The tree was only six feet tall. Because they
hadn’t brought any decorations with them—except for Joni's
angel—they'd simply decorated it with strings of popcorn and
cranberries, some paper snowflake ornaments Karla made, and an old
bird’s nest she’d found during one of their hikes week before
last.

He steadied her as she stood on tiptoes to
place the angel carefully on top, arranging the champagne-colored
skirt over the top boughs of the tree.

“Sorry the lights didn’t work.” They’d bought
some twinkle lights at the drug store when they were in town, but
must have gotten an old batch.

“No worries, Adam. She’s perfect just the way
she is.”

Connect the angel light to the tree,
jarhead.

“What did you say?”

“I said she’s perfect the way she is.”

“No. After that.”

“Oh, you mean about connecting the angel to
the tree, jarhead?”

“Yeah. You could have asked more nicely.”

“I didn’t ask, Adam.”

“Then who…?”

Adam looked up at the angel. It had sounded
like Joni—but that would be ridiculous. If it were her… “How did
you hear her?”

“Oh, Joni has been talking to me for more
than nine years.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

She giggled and felt his erection press
against her butt. “From that day she told me to follow you on your
walk and watch over you. To when I was in my loft apartment in New
York with no clue what to do and she told me to go to you. You
could help. There have been others. She sent me to you in the
shower when I was in subdrop and didn’t know it.”

“I told her to always come to me when she was
in subdrop. I guess she hasn’t forgotten.”

“She said she talks to you, too.”

“Yeah, well, I guess so. Usually telling me
I’m a jarhead and fucking clueless in not so many words.”

“I guess she knows you can’t torture her for
being a brat where she is now.”

Adam chuckled and reached up to find the
light socket on the angel and brought it together with the cord on
the tree. The clear lights burst shiny and bright from boughs to
angel wings, illuminating the room.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” He came back to stand
behind Karla. “This ghost stuff is just between you and me. Anyone
else would say we’re friggin’ nuts.”

“She’s more a spirit on a mission. Not to
worry, though. She’s leaving soon. Said three’s a crowd. Joni told
me to bring the angel, by the way. She said it would help her to go
toward the light and to seek another land.”

“The poem.”

“Poem?”

“Yeah, she left me a poem called “If You
Forget me” and that was one of the lines—'to seek another
land.'”

“Well, she knows you won’t forget her, but
said she’s glad you’re finally ready to set her roots free so she
can fly.”

Adam realized he hadn't been able to let Joni
go because of his guilt and remorse for not loving her well enough.
But he had loved her and she'd known it. Karla had waged war on his
heart and finally shown him he'd known all along how to love fully
and honestly. For the rest of his life, he intended to make sure
she never doubted his love.

He wrapped his arms around Karla’s midriff
and rested his cheek against hers as together they stared up at the
angel. He hadn’t seen the angel on a Christmas tree in more than a
decade. He would never be able to place it on a tree without
thinking of Joni. But he was glad she didn’t plan to haunt them
forever. As usual, Joni was right. Three’s a crowd.

For the first time in years, he was caught up
in the Christmas spirit, too. He couldn’t wait to see Karla’s face
when she opened her gifts. He hoped she’d accept them.

She had turned his rudder in a totally new
direction. He knew he and Karla wouldn’t always see eye to eye on
everything. Hell, maybe not even on most things. But they’d always
be there for each other.

“Thank you for…everything, Karla. I love you
so much.”

Her hands covered his and he felt her smile
against his cheek.

“Hearing those words…that’s the best
Christmas present ever.”

He broke away and turned her around to face
him. “Oh, you’re not getting off that easy.”

Her eyes gleamed in anticipation. “I can’t
wait for you to open my gift.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything. Just
having you…”

“Nonsense. Um, Sir.” She looked contrite. He
just grinned back at her. “It’s just a start, but I hope you like
it.”

Curious now, he watched her go back to the
tree and pull out a flat square package with holly-leaf wrapping
paper and a tiny red bow.

“Let’s go sit by the fire.” He picked up the
two gifts for Karla and carried them over to the sheepskin rug and
pillows he’d positioned in front of the native-stone fireplace.
Patrick had done a phenomenal job restoring the cabin, but keeping
many of the original features, like this fireplace. He could
picture Johnny Montague, and maybe even Kate, hauling the stones to
create it as they built their home together.

Karla knelt beside him. “Open it!”

“Okay, okay. Hold your horses. Anticipation
is good for Doms, too, you know.”

“I know, but it’s hell for us subbies. I
can’t wait to see what you think.”

Adam ripped the paper where it had been taped
down and revealed a CD with a cover showing the Shibari suspension
scene they’d done in October when she’d gone into subspace. The
words “Touch Me” and “by Master Adam’s Kitten” were in bright red
letters on the cover. He felt his throat grow tight and looked up
at her.

“You wrote this?”

She nodded, tears shimmering in her blue
eyes. She cleared her throat. “For you. Here,” she said, taking the
CD from him, “let me put it on the laptop so you can hear it.”

She cranked up the speakers and he heard a
soft Goth-rock beat, most likely a concession to him that it wasn’t
the hardcore stuff, and her beautiful voice began singing about all
the places she wanted him to touch her. Not just places on her
body, but places like the floor, the table, the shower, conjuring
up memories of some of the places he’d already touched her. His
dick responded to the visceral images in the lyrics.

I see you wet your lips

You know I can’t resist

Just want a little taste

So, there’s no time to waste

You know I like it rough

I just can’t get enough

Not feelin’ no shame

when I’m screaming out your name!

As the music continued to play, he pulled her
on top of him, gripped her hair in his fists and pulled her mouth
to his. When the song ended, he released his grip and she sat up,
straddling him and staring down. She waited for his response.
Hadn’t he already shown her? He grinned.

“Don’t ever sing that song on stage or on any
of your future CDs.”

She drew her brows together. “You didn’t like
it, Sir?”

“Oh, I liked it—too much.” He pushed her body
down to his crotch where his hard dick pressed against her ass.

She grinned, her eyes sparkling. “I see, Sir.
Well, that one will be just for us.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her eye.
“Kitten, I am so proud of you for writing and recording a song for
me. You’re going to be a huge success when you start selling your
music online—your other music.”

Her smile grew wider. “Thanks for having
faith in me, Sir.” She bent down to brush her lips against his.

“I think it was you who had the endless well
of faithfulness, kitten, especially when it came to me.
Semper
Fi
.”