Strangers with Benefits (Siren Publishing Classic) (27 page)

“Yeah, they don’t have any home training.” He chuckled.

“So they didn’t get any of your bad attitude?”

He scoffed. “Nope, saved all of my vinegar and piss for you, dear.”

“Ugh. I want a shower and my night clothes. Now.”

He nodded at the group of chattering people. “I can tell ’em to get out. It’s been like this for about two hours anyhow.”

“Please?”

Den put his fingers up to his mouth and gave a quick whistle.

The handful of people looked at him. “I’m alive, appreciate the visit, the cake was good and thank you for the flowers. Now get out.”

All of them laughed.

One of them even had the nerve to say, “Tell your old lady that I’ll take care of her while you get better. I hear that she makes a lot of noise.”

Sidonie narrowed her eyes, but didn’t say a word. But a second glance at the man led her to realize that she had met Jackson before, the night she started sleeping with Den. She didn’t talk to him much that night, but he looked like an entirely different person in his blues.

She didn’t have to say anything as Den had it under control. “Jackson, I don’t care how many bullets I’ve taken, I can still kick your ass from here to kingdom come.”

“Okay, okay, I’m just kidding.” Jackson chuckled. “Have a good night.”

Anna popped her head in the door as the officers left the room.

She shook her finger. “Do you have to make so much noise?”

“You know you like that I make a ruckus. Keeps you awake.”

“Me and everyone else on this floor, half of who actually need their rest to heal.”

Den looked abashed. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, but next time? It’s the clapper for you, see.” Anna laughed at her own joke all the way out of the door.

Sidonie couldn’t help it, she was laughing, too.

“You don’t have to cosign that. Supposed to be on my side.”

“I am at your damn side. Get it? Side… Side?” She motioned to the distance between her ribs and his with her hands.

“You must be a liquid gold digger with your cheesy behind.” He grabbed her dress front with his good hand and pulled her over the rail.

She pushed away. “Stop before you hurt yourself.”

“You hurt me worse by pulling away. Come here, Sidonie.” She let him pull her close to him and their lips met.

He tasted like sugar and slippery sin.

And home.

Hunger Strike

Den felt a little irritation that he wouldn’t have Sidonie’s company for the rest of the day after she left. His mother picked up on it. Despite how hard he tried to hide it, his attempts were less than successful.

“I like her,” his mom said no sooner than Sid walked out of the front door.

His dad gave a grunt that confirmed his mother’s point of view.

“So how long have the two of you been
dating
?” She stressed the latter so skillfully, he didn’t know whether to outright confess or try and bluff his way out of it.

He doubted Sidonie would have said anything, but his mother was intuitive. She was the one that gave him the deductive skills that he used as an officer. She could perform an inquisition without the target even getting suspicious.

No doubt she had plumbed Sid for information left and right while he was doped out of his gourd.

“A month or thereabouts.”

“Okay. So have you met her children yet?”

“No. She is protective of them and wouldn’t bring just anyone around them.”

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“I dunno.”

“Boy, after thirty years on a farm supervising animal mating, you think I won’t know when humans have done it?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He couldn’t get anything past her.

His mom was the sharpest tool in the drawer. “So is it one of those friends with benefit things like the movie?”

“Not quite.” It wasn’t.

Even if that is what it started out as, the last while their
friend
ship had evolved. But then again, he knew when he saw her that he wanted her. And he hadn’t wanted in a long time.

Not the way he craved her, like he could devour her every night and talk to her all day, then still want more of her time. More of her.

No matter how often he touched her, how often he tasted her, how often he fucked her, it wasn’t enough.

He didn’t think it was possible to get enough.

“You love her.” His mother looked at him seriously, no bullshit. No chaser.

Den looked at her eyes, the ones he’d inherited from her. “If I don’t, it’s not far off.”

“Good.”

His mother sat down and started tatting, a habit she tried to get into for something to do, but she was truly terrible at it. His mom hadn’t finished a single viable piece of lace since she started a class three years ago. When his parents left for his place, he knew that he was going to be bored as fuck.

But he wasn’t.

Within a half hour of his parents’ departure, the room began to fill with people. Officers came by to see how he was. Others came by to offer unnecessary advice.

He knew how to jump out of the path of a moving vehicle thank you very much.

He knew that his brothers and sisters were concerned about him. Officers tended to be like an extended family that could bug the hell out of you, but most would take a bullet to save another officers life.

An attack on one was an attack on them all.

Not to mention, always taken personally.

It was little surprise that the perps were caught. The entire force would canvass the city until they were found.

Oohrah.

When Sidonie arrived, all he wanted was the chance to look at her, be silent with her.

Be still with her.

He was a goner.

She washed her face and put on a little pink nightgown that was all granny with polka dots. She even had a little scarf atop her head.

“Like the nightgown, makes me horny,” he muttered.

“Not wearing lingerie in the hospital. Not even for you.”

He slid over gingerly.

“Get in bed.”

“No. You take up most of it and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You can’t hurt me worse than I’ve already been hurt at this point.”

‘But I could roll over and—”

“Sid. I was shot twice and dragged behind a moving car.”

“B–but…”

“You packing a gun in that granny gown?”

“No.”

“A car?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what more can you do?”

“Fine. But when you wake up hurting, don’t blame me.”

“I blame you for everything, Sid. You’re my scapegoat, so suck it up.” He winked.

Sidonie rolled her eyes, but she crawled into the bed with nary a word and he tossed his childish replacement into the bed side chair.

Her head laid on his good shoulder and for the first time in the last three days, Den slept without replaying what happened the night he was shot.

When he awoke, he didn’t open his eyes because he wanted to pretend that the way he felt, as if everything he knew happened was only a dream, was real. Even if he knew it was a delusion, he wanted to foster it.

This was the first time he’d ever had to be taken off rotation due to injury, although he’d seen other officers on desk duty after shootings or stabbings.

Both were fairly common and usually there was at least one person that had to spend a convalescence riding as desk jockey. Now it was his turn to knuckle under lady luck.

Didn’t mean he had to like it.

But with his eyes closed and Sidonie’s soft warmth next to him, he could pretend as if this was their normal weekend sexploits and that he would be returning to work the next day.

She yawned and rolled slightly, but unlike her usual sprawl, she remained contained to his shoulder as if even in rest, she worried about hurting him.

The woman loved him.

She had to.

There was no way she would have taken his parents to dinner if she didn’t care about him.

She may have showed up at the hospital and checked on him. She may have even ran an errand or two. But she wouldn’t have stayed the night, especially considering that she had obligations that carried more weight than he did.

Then he wondered if she would even let him near her children. He wasn’t a bad man, but he didn’t have much experience with kids.

But that was a question for another day.

He clicked the remote and checked the time. He was pretty sure that she wasn’t going to spend the day with him and she would likely need to get up. “Sidonie?”

“Hmmm?” she mumbled.

“What time are you leaving?”

“Ahhhh…”

“Sidonie?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Get up.”

“Huh?” She jerked awake all at once.

“I think it’s time you got out of bed.”

“Whattimesit?” she slurred.

“Six thirty.”

“Oh.” She wiped her mouth and there was a wet trail beside her lips that probably matched the one she left on his shoulder. He cocked a brow and she looked down at the drooled on spot. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine.”

“I have to leave. God, I’m still tired.” She whined, but slid out of the bed and limped to the bathroom.

He had to go, too, but he knew she didn’t have the time to help him get out of bed. Den hated the idea, but he could call the nurse for help if he needed it.

When she walked back out of the bathroom, she looked way more alert than she had just a few minutes before.

“You wanna go to the bathroom before I leave?”

“Yeah.” She helped him stand up, and then they made way to the bathroom.

Once he finished, Sidonie grinned when she helped him back into bed and jetted with her bag under one arm faster than he could blink.

Den knew that he needed to go to the bathroom before he could go home, but he was having some difficulty. The pain medication had left him terribly constipated and he was irritated about the lack of success he had when he tried it.

By the time the afternoon came around, he was a bit frustrated and ready to do any damn thing he had to so he could leave the damn place.

If he had to spend one more night outside the comforts of his own bed, he was going to sign himself out.

That would be an issue for his workman’s comp, but damn, he’d had enough. By the time he was able to actually go, it was close to two.

Den sent Sidonie a message before he opened the bag his mom had brought him to find what it contained.
Hey, Bonnie its time to break out Clyde

She must have been waiting as her response was immediate.
Really? You ready?

He pulled out an old western style shirt with cut off sleeves and a pair of blue jeans. There were flip flops included.
Will be in a few. Changing into some clothes ma brought me yesterday

All right on the way, Neanderthal

He chuckled.
You have a lot of junk to talk while a man is down

It’s the only time I can get away with it

Wasn’t that the truth?
Aint getting away with it now. Punishment is forthcoming

Then you better get another ride home

He laughed outright this time.
You better not leave me here or youll regret it

Dare me

Knowing her, she would do it out of spite if he dared her. She would show up, but either so late he was ready to go bonkers, or something else equally outrageous.
Not joking

Instead of responding, a few minutes later, she popped her head in to the door.

“Ready to go, white bread?” He didn’t know whether to be offended or to find the statement funny.

“How the hell am I supposed to respond to that?”

“Since you’re riding with me? You don’t.”

“You drive a hard bargain, woman.”

“A hard bargain is better than none,” she quipped.

“I’m going to spank your ass purple,” he spat back.

Her expression was a perfect picture of innocence as she winked. “I’m counting on it.”

When the doctor came to check him out, he was definitely going to find out how long it would be before he could make good on his promise. Maybe if he used the left hand, he could do it tonight if he was lucky enough to not have a set of hovering parents about.

Or he might could use one of those paddles he’d seen in the toy store he had wandered into for the couple’s treasure chest.

Either way, his sharp tongued minx was in for it. And she didn’t even know it.