RUIN - Part Three (The RUIN Series Book 3) (6 page)

"I have to go." He pulls his boxer briefs on before he stumbles against the bed in his haste to get his pants back on. "Shit, Kayla. I'm sorry."

I nod. I'd watched all the color drain from his face when he answered his cell not more than two minutes ago. He'd barely responded after listening to whatever the person calling said to him. "Is it work?"

"No." He reaches over the bed to pull his shirt from where it landed when he'd stripped his clothes off after tenderly undressing me. "It's just…"

"Ben?" I'm on my knees on the bed now, the sheet lazily wrapped around my nude body. "What is it? Is it Noah or Ron?"

His eyes scan my face. "Get dressed. I need you."

I don't hesitate at all as I jump to my feet to pull my jeans and sweater back on. I push my feet into my flats quickly and before I have time to run my hand through my hair, I'm chasing him through the bedroom door.

"I need my bag." He pushes his cell phone into my palm. "Hold this for me."

I reach for the phone, tossing it into my purse as I watch him fling open the door to a closet. He rummages through it quickly, pulling out a black overnight bag. "We need to find a cab now."

He's out the apartment door before I have time to ask any questions. My eyes settle on his keys. They're still sitting atop the desk where he threw them when we first arrived hours earlier. I snatch them into my fist as I race out the door, locking it behind me before I dart into the waiting elevator.

He holds out his hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I push myself up to my tiptoes to graze my lips across his cheek.

"I need you so much." His hand rests on my back, nudging me closer as he settles his lips against my hair. "I really need you."

He scoops my hand into his as the elevator chimes its arrival in the lobby. I can barely keep up to his wide strides. We breeze past the doorman who takes one look at Ben before he's on the curb, whistling for a cab. He knows. The doorman has seen him like this before.

I don't say a word as Ben pushes me into the backseat of the taxi with a knowing nod to the doorman who leans in the passenger side window to give the driver an address I don’t recognize. I hold tightly to Ben's hand as his legs shake and he slaps his other hand against the seat next to him.

"If you avoided the park altogether, we'd get there faster."

The driver doesn’t acknowledge the words but judging by the quick and unexpected right turn the car takes, he gets the message loud and clear. The taxi races through the crowded streets as we sit in utter silence.

"Pay him, Kayla. Please, pay him." Ben pulls his wallet from the pocket of his pants as he opens the car door when we finally come to a screeching halt. "Meet me inside."

I pull a few bills from the wallet as I watch Ben sprint through the doors of a dark building on a tree lined street. I hand the money to the driver telling him to keep the change. I reach behind me to grab my purse. My heart is racing. Ben's disappeared inside the entrance to the building and I have no idea what awaits me when I follow him in. The only thing I do know is that I have no choice.

***

The moment I pull open the curtained glass front door I know what I'm stepping into it. Children's voices pierce through all the other noise in the building. Two youngsters race past me at break neck speed. A woman nods in my direction from where she's perched on a wooden rocking chair, an infant nestled tightly in a blanket in her arms. The faint purple hue of a lingering bruise covers the entire left side of her face.

"I'm looking for Dr. Foster," I say to her because beyond this point I have no idea which direction I need to take to find Ben.

"Dr. Ben?" A little boy with brown hair and blue eyes pops up in front of me. "I can take you to Dr. Ben."

I accept the tender, unspoken, invitation to grab his tiny hand in mine. He pulls his feet along the tile floor to a room in the corner. "Dr. Ben is in there."

The faint sound of crying greets me as I push the wooden door open. I see him. Ben's next to a stretcher where a teenage boy is resting. He's talking to a woman in Spanish. Even though I can't comprehend the words, I can hear the comfort in them. He's consoling her. She's nodding fiercely as she stares down at the child.

"Kayla." He turns when he hears the creek of the old door as I shut it. "Come."

I walk slowly to where he's standing.  "I've called for an ambulance. I'm taking Peter to the hospital."

I glance down at the boy. He's awake but his face is awash with pain. He's hooked up to an IV. Ben's bag sits atop the foot of the bed. "What's wrong?" I ask, not because I'll have any grasp of the details Ben will offer, but because I can see the sheer fear in the boy's face and in the face of his mother who is clinging tightly to Ben's hand.

"It's his appendix. It needs to be removed." He taps his hand against my thigh. "I'm ride in the ambulance with him. Can you bring his mother to the hospital in a cab?"

I nod. "Your hospital?"

His eyes dart to the mother before they settle back on my face. "No. There's a community hospital a few blocks from here. We're taking him there."

The boy raises his hand to get Ben's attention and he turns towards him. I watch in silence as he speaks to the boy in Spanish, his hand caressing the young man's forehead.

I can't distinguish much of what transpired between Ben and the doctor in the ER at the community hospital we just arrived at. I'd hailed a taxi as they were loading Peter into the ambulance and the driver saw the thrill in a good chase so we were on the ambulance's bumper almost the entire way here. The emergency room in this place is swelling beyond its capacity. If it's even possible, it's busier than the hospital where Ben works.

I'll never understand medical jargon and as Ben explains in Spanish what is happening to Peter's mother I stand to the side watching him trying to calm her down.

"Dr. Foster?" A woman carrying a clipboard approaches all of us from the left. "We need to talk."

He glances down at Peter's mother. His hand flies through the air towards the waiting room as he says something quickly to her. She nods in response and turns on her heel in search of a chair in the over cramped, obviously, under-funded small space.

"What is it?" He turns back towards the woman with the clipboard.

"Insurance?" She cocks a brow and dots the tip of the pencil in her hand against her tongue. "I need that for the patient you just brought in."

"No." It's curt and direct.

"No?" She parrots back. "He doesn't have any?"

"Where is Melody?" He looks past her to the reception desk where several women are trying to quell the growing line of people waiting to see a doctor. "I usually deal with Melody."

"She's left for the day." She taps her foot against the tile floor. "You need to deal with me today."

He turns towards me without notice. "Kayla, I need my wallet."

I reach into my purse and pull it out, handing it to him without question.

He opens the billfold and yanks free a credit card. "This will take care of it."

"You're paying for his surgery?" The woman stares at the credit card. "Is this even going to cover the entire cost?"

Ben's head snaps in her direction. "Use the credit card, get me a lab coat and get out of my way."

"You don't work here." She's on his heels as he walks towards the reception desk.

He turns swiftly to face her, his expression a mixture of anxiety and frustration. "I volunteer here. Melody knows that. You'll learn it."
She doesn't say a word as he turns back towards me. He walks right past her, grabs my shoulders in his hands and leans down to kiss me gently on my mouth.

"I'll be here all night, Kayla." He whispers against my cheek. "I thought we'd be able to get back into my bed so I could finish what I started, but they need me here."

I run my fingers over his chin. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"Thank you for everything," he says softly. "Go home. Sleep. I'll call you tomorrow."

***

My eyes dart to where my phone is perched atop the pillow next to mine. I reach for it, pushing my hand against the screen to wake it from its sleep. It's just past five in the morning. I'd finally fallen asleep less than an hour ago. The adrenaline high I was feeling after watching Ben race to help that boy had stolen any chance I had to get a good night's rest. My mind and my heart have been on overdrive ever since I left the hospital.

I hear the faint knock that woke me again. This time I'm certain it's not my neighbor's door that is being assaulted, it's my own. I pull a robe around my nude body before I walk into the hall. The overhead light takes a few seconds to flicker on after I hit the switch.

"Who is it?" I call through the heavy wooden door. It's not the first time this has happened. It's actually the third. A trio of middle-aged frat boy wannabes lives in the apartment above mine. Late night pizza and beer deliveries seem to be the bane of their existence. If I can get rid of the delivery person without having to open my door to subject them to the horror of my messy bed hair, my day will start on the right foot.

"Dr. Foster." His voice calls through the silence. "I'm making a house call."

I unhinge the dual locks that keep me somewhat safe from the outside world. I swing the door open quickly and pull him inside.

His lips are on mine in an instant. His kiss is a sweet mixture of peppermint gum and coffee. "You stole my keys."

I laugh into his mouth. "You gave them to me."

It hadn't even crossed my mind to fish Ben's keys from my purse before he kissed me goodbye on the curb in front of the hospital after hailing me a taxi. I'd like to think that it was my subconscious mind wanting to hold onto more of him, but it was so late and I was beyond tired.

"You came all this way to get them?" I lean into his body, relishing in the feel of his strong arms around me.

"No. I came here to fuck you. I'll need those keys back though, although…"

I stop him with a kiss. I didn't get past the point where he said he wanted to fuck me. My sex had been aching since last night when he brought me to the edge with his mouth. We hadn't made love before the entire night shifted into a rescue mission.

"Keep the keys." He pulls back far enough that the words linger on my cheek. "I want you to have the keys."

"No." I shake my head against his. "Not yet."

"They're just keys, Kayla." His hands are on my robe, pulling it open. "You can hide them in the bottom of your purse or a drawer here. I just want you to have them."

I work on the buttons on his dress shirt. "Do you want a key to my place?"

"I want your wet cunt around my cock." His hands drop to his pants, undoing the belt and zipper quickly. "It's been so long since I've been inside of you."

"The bedroom," I whisper into his neck. "Take me to my bedroom."

He scoops me up in one easy, graceful movement as his lush lips take over my mouth.

"Stop moving." He pushes against my mound with his hand. "Kayla, Christ, just stop."

I arch my back up, pulling my chest away from his. I'd ridden his beautiful, thick sheathed cock to an orgasm already. Now, I'm sitting atop his trembling body, feeling him pulse within me. "I want you to come."

"No." He drops his cheek into the sheet. "I want to feel this. I just want you to stay like this so I can be inside of you."

I push back slightly so I can feel the pressure of his crotch against my clit. "It's so good, Ben. Please just let me fuck you."

"You need to stop talking." He laughs aloud. "Seriously, your voice is ridiculously hot when you say things like that."

"Things like what?" I clench myself around the thick root drawing out a loud, slow moan from deep within him.

"Fuck, please." His hands leap to my thighs. "You're so vocal when I'm fucking you. I love it."

"You love when I say how much I like your cock inside of me." I push back so I can trace my index finger over my clit. "You want to hear me tell you how wet I get when I know you're going to fuck me."

He stares at my hand, watching me trace lazy circles over my own desire. "I want to watch you get yourself off. I want to watch you finger your beautiful cunt."

I moan from the pure shameless of his words. "You want me to do that now?"

He pushes me back slightly. A small rush of air escapes him as his cock slides out of my body.

"Ben, no," I whimper. "I want it inside of me."

"Touch yourself," he commands as his large hand circles his cock. "Touch it and show me."

I lean back and pull my right hand through my folds. I stare at his cock, my body still feeling bereft from the loss of its thickness and length. I moan from the sight of his hand around it, stroking it slowly.

"You're so beautiful, Kayla," he growls the words. "You're so fucking beautiful."

I lean back farther and close my eyes, losing myself in not only the feeling of the approaching orgasm but the sound of his deep, sweet voice. "I'm close," I whisper into the air. "I'm so close, Ben."

"Let me see you come." His hand covers my own. "Open your eyes. I love your eyes."

I look at him under the cast of heavy lids. I call out his name as I dive into the depth of my desire.

"Fuck," he says softly. "God. You're so amazing."

I rest my hands on his muscular chest as I come down from the high. My hair is a matted mess on my shoulders. The mist of perspiration he's pulled from me resting against my skin.

"I need you." His voice is low and deep as he pulls me closer to him and in one easy movement flips us over.

He enters me swiftly and hard. I cry out from the bite of flashing pain. He's so deep. I'm so tender from coming already but my hips don’t betray my body's lustful need for him. I push my feet into the bed and push up to match his every stroke as he takes my body again.

"Fuck, fuck, Kayla, fuck," he spits out the words in a quick progression as his body rushes towards its own release.

***

"I have to go to the hospital." He buttons up the same wrinkled shirt he's been wearing since I first saw him outside his building yesterday afternoon.

"Which one?" I look at his reflection in the mirror behind me. I'm just freshly showered. The invitation I'd offered him to join me had been interrupted by his phone. He answered it quickly, speaking in Spanish.

"The one I work at during the day." He leans forward to kiss my shoulder. "I have a split shift there today."

"You haven't slept, Ben." I turn around to kiss his mouth. "You can't do this to yourself."

"I'm very good at functioning with little sleep." His eyes wander over my nude body. "You have to agree."

I blush from the reminder of what we just did in my bed. It's not out of embarrassment. I love sharing my body with him. It's out of desire. I've never come more than once when I've been with a man before. Ben can draw more pleasure from my body in thirty minutes than I knew was even possible.

"I still owe you an entire day in my bed." He takes the towel I'm holding from me and carefully blots it against my hair. "We can plan that when you have a day off."

I sigh at the gentle reminder that I have an actual job I need to get to. "I wish I could change jobs."

"You can." He reaches to pick up my hairbrush from the counter.  "You don't like your job?"

"It's so boring," I giggle at the understatement. I've been close to falling asleep most days lately. Vivian's incessant need to get me to take care of her personal tasks has resulted in my organizing her family pictures onto flash drives. It may be interesting if every person she's related do didn't bear an overwhelming resemblance to her.

He carefully runs the brush through my hair, stopping whenever he reaches a knot. "Why don't you look for something else?"

"They'll pay for my master's degree," I begin. "I mean they'll cover part of my tuition which would be a big help."

"I can pay for that." He doesn’t hesitate as he makes the offer.

"No." I stall his hand with my own. "I won't take money from you."

"You can work it off." He wraps his arms around my shoulders. "Or it can be a loan if you want."

I don't want to ever be financially dependent on a man. I was that way when I first moved back to Boston to live with Parker. I'd actually taken a job at Star Bistro then, a college coffee shop, so I could make enough money to buy my own things. That was one of the reasons I still hoped to get the damage deposit from the old apartment back at some point. My savings account balance was nothing to celebrate.

"I'll figure it out." I smile tenderly at him in the mirror. He really is the most generous person I've ever met. Watching him hand his credit card to the woman at the hospital last night had only punctuated that fact in my mind. It goes beyond money though. His desperate need to get to that homeless shelter to save that boy's life and his willingness to volunteer at a hospital because they are understaffed is the core of who he is.

"I know you will. You're the smartest woman I know."