The Commitment (The Unrestrained #2) (16 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

In the morning, Drake slipped out of bed before I did, without waking me up, and was standing naked in the bathroom brushing his teeth. He looked delicious.

"You're up early," I called from the bed.

He finished brushing and rinsed his mouth. He came to the side of he bed and looked at me, his expression amused. "You were sleeping like a baby. You tossed and turned until pretty late, so I figured I'd let you sleep in."

With that, he leaned down and kissed me.

"Are you coming back to bed?" I brushed a strand of his hair from his eyes. He really needed a haircut, but I liked it when his hair was a bit wild.

"No can do. The oncologist called and left me a message. I have to get my test today. What are your plans?" he said as he retrieved his shirt from the closet and buttoned the top button, then adjusted his tie.

"I have absolutely nothing to do," I said, planning on surprising him with the painting when it was done.

"Don’t forget to take your meds. Even though we might not be going for a while, you should build up your levels. Text me so I know you're OK. Malarone can have side effects, especially for people who've had previous periods of clinical depression."

I nodded and smiled at him. "Always the doctor."

"You know it." He sat on the bed beside me and leaned over to kiss me.

I smiled when he pulled away. "I'll miss you."

He smiled back, that look in his eye. "I'm not used to having a woman in my bed. I think I should have woken you for a quickie. You look very delicious, lying there all warm and naked under my covers, Ms. Bennet."

"You should have. I might just have to look at dirty pictures on the web and do myself." I grinned at the look on his face.

"You'll do no such thing, you
tease
," he said and leaned closer, a look of mock affront on his face. "You are
not
allowed to masturbate unless I'm watching."

"What you don't know will please me," I said, only fooling.

He frowned. "No, Kate. I'm serious. When you're mine, I own
all
your orgasms. No masturbation unless I'm watching. Do you understand?"

It wasn’t that I was really thinking of masturbating. "I can't masturbate unless I'm with you?"

He nodded, his expression serious. "I thought you understood. You're
mine
sexually. Would you like it if I was to masturbate when we're apart or would you prefer that I save it all up for you?"

I shook my head. "No. I understand. I was kidding."

He exhaled. "I don't want to be overly possessive, Kate. But this is important. I'm very jealous and want every orgasm you have to be mine."

"I understand. I was making a joke, teasing."

He nodded. "In a D/s relationship, there can be no hiding things from your Dom. Anything to do with sex, with our relationship, you have to be completely honest and open with me. You have to trust me and I have to trust you or this won’t work. That means, as hard as it may be at times, complete honesty."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to be as honest and open as I can."

He tucked a stand of hair behind my ear. "I
love
you, Kate." He kissed me once more, the nice mood dissipated, his frown remaining.

"I love
you
," I said, warmth for him spreading through me, making my throat choke a bit. "I wish you could stay."

"You know I want you, but we'll have to hold that thought."

"I understand."

"This won't take long. They'll take some blood and then we'll meet in his office. I expect he'll run through the procedures in case I'm a match."

"I hope you
are
a match."

He nodded, his face grim. "Liam has a very rare mutation. I probably passed it to him. If we're a good-enough match, he'll have the best chance at survival without as many problems with rejection."

"How long before you know?"

He sighed. "We'll try to speed up the process. I know a technician and can probably pay the tech to stay late and run the test. I wouldn't bump anyone out of line. Physicians have these ins with technicians that we can sometimes use when we need fast results."

"If it was me, I'd do the same thing."

"Money talks."

I nodded and slipped my arms around his neck. "A parent will do anything for their child."

He made a sound, like a harrumph of disgust. "Not all of them."

I thought again about his mother leaving him, his father neglecting him.

"
You
will."

"I
will
." He stood and pulled on his trousers. "It may be the only thing I
can
do for him."

I slipped out of bed and stood naked, watching as he finished dressing. When he was done, he pulled me tightly against him.

"I'm sorry to be dragging you into all this. I'm sure you didn’t expect a lot of drama when you signed the agreement, but that's what you've got."

"I signed up to be with
you
– because I wanted you. I love you, remember?
This
," I said and kissed him. "This
drama
comes with the territory."

"I love
you
." He lifted me up and off the floor, pressing his face in my neck, and it was such a sweet show of his emotions that it made my breath hitch in my throat, and my eyes well up. He kissed me once more, the kiss passionate, needy, and then he let me slide down his body so that my feet were once more on the floor. "Sweet
sweet
Ms. Bennet with the overly-big heart."

"Sweet sweet Drake who can't keep his potatoes from mixing with the gravy." I smiled up at him and brushed a hank of his too-long and wild hair from his face. "I wish you didn’t have to leave."

"Me too, especially with you looking like that."

I grinned, still not entirely comfortable walking around nude. When he left the bedroom, I grabbed one of his shirts from the closet and pulled it on. I followed him to the kitchen where he stopped at the window and grabbed his cup of coffee, drinking down the last drops. I threaded my arms around his waist from behind. "I look forward to our morning surprises."

"Here at Morgan Enterprises, we aim to please, Ms. Bennet" he said and chuckled, pressing his butt against me. "But I just can't offer my services this morning."

"So you
did
you read those books," I said, with mock surprise.

"What books?" he said, feigning innocence. He turned to face me again. "You mean, Dale Carnegie on how to win friends and influence people?"

"You know very well what books."

"The first one. I think pretty much every Dom I know read some, to see what the public might learn about the lifestyle."

"And?"

"I claim the Fifth," he said. "Romance isn't my thing. But I will say I have several things in common with the hero."

"Such as?"

"Well, for starters," he said. "One
very
inquisitive sub who asks a lot of questions and who makes him lose control of scenes because of her impertinence..."

"
Impertinence
."

"But I'm an old man compared to him, and not a self-made boy genius billionaire so you must be disappointed."

"Oh,
terribly
," I said and kissed him, not at all disappointed and he knew it. The kiss was warm and soft, his arms squeezing me, pulling me closer. When he ran his hands up my back, he ended the kiss and pulled away, frowning.

"What's with the shirt? I thought I made it clear that I wanted you to always be naked when we were alone here."

I laughed. "In case you didn't notice, what with your incredible hotness and all, it's cold in your apartment. But you'll keep me warm," I said and pulled him against me firmly.

"You'll make me late if you keep that up," he said playfully.

"That's the idea…"

"If I had time, I'd say yes," he said. "You all hot and bothered is my greatest desire. But I can't this morning."

"How long will you be?"

He rocked me in his arms for a moment. "It should take about an hour. Then I have to go to the Foundation and do some paperwork, and
then
I have to drop in at the business office to sign some papers. If the meeting this morning doesn't take too long, I should be back for dinner. Then I want us to meet back here."

He left me standing in the kitchen.

Later, while I fixed a second cup of coffee, my cell rang. It was my father. I was glad he called as I had meant to call him and let him know the news.

"Hey, sweetie," he said, using Facetime. He was at his desk as usual. "What's up?"

I told him about Liam, recounting the call Drake had received and the events of the previous evening.

"Oh, that's terrible," his voice betraying genuine concern. "How's Drake taking it?"

I sighed, remembering Drake's response.

"As well as could be expected," I said, a catch in my throat. "He's shaken. He's going to be tested this morning to see if he's a tissue match and can donate his stem cells. He's willing to do anything to help Liam."

"Of course he is."

I told him what Drake had told me about the whole transplant preparation.

"Tell Drake I'll be thinking about Liam. My prayers will be for success."

"Thanks Daddy," I said, emotion filling me. "I'm sure he'll appreciate the sentiment."

I spent the day working on my sketch, getting lost in the study of different parts of his body. When Drake returned late that night, he wasn't all that interested in doing any kind of scene. Instead, we sat on the couch and ate some takeout Thai food he picked up on the way home.

He was subdued, laying on the couch with his head on my lap, watching news while I ran my hand affectionately through his hair. He turned onto his back about ten o'clock and looked up into my eyes, one hand going to my cheek.

"I'm sorry I'm not up to too much," he said. "I'm a bit exhausted for some reason."

I leaned down and kissed him. "You've had a huge shock. It's understandable."

"Do you mind if we just go to bed to sleep tonight?"

I shook my head. "Of course not."

I forced a smile, understanding completely that he was a bit down after the news of the previous day.

We went to bed soon after, lying in each other's arms, but Drake took a long time to fall asleep, unlike his usual practice of sleeping almost as soon as his eyes closed.

I lay awake in the darkness, my heart heavy for him, determined to be whatever he needed me to be through this ordeal.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next morning, I crept out of bed early, went to the kitchen and sat at the table, examining my work. I liked sketching, but I really wanted to paint Drake rather than just use pencils. His skin was so perfect and his coloring so attractive, I itched to try out some acrylics.

I decided to text an old friend of mine I met in a art class I'd taken in my junior year. He was a real artist, and was currently in the Master of Fine Arts program. He had a studio of his own in Chelsea and had offered to let me work there if I ever needed space and resources. From a really wealthy Texas family, he had everything he could ever need and despite his wealth, he was absolutely the least materialistic person I'd ever met.

I took out my iPhone and searched my contacts for his number, then sent off a text.

Hey, it's me – remember? I was wondering if I could rent some space in your studio. I've got a project and need solitude and some great lighting for a new painting. Let me know.

He texted me back almost immediately.

Katie McD – where have you been, sug? Sure. Come on by and check the schedule. There's one small room open this month so you can take it if you want. Just buy me some weed and I'll be fine. Glad to hear from you.

I was really excited to start the painting, needing something to keep me occupied while we waited for the transplant and to see how Liam responded to the treatment.

I put my sketchbook away and went to the bedroom but noticed that Drake was gone. He was up showering, the sound of the water and his contented hum filtering in from the bathroom. I went back to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. When it was done, I poured a cup and went to the window overlooking the street. Snow had fallen in the night and the neighborhood was covered in white, thick layers of it coating the bare limbs of the trees, drifts against the curbs and on top of parked cars. It was really quite beautiful, covering up the grime of the city.

Drake emerged from the bathroom, a towel around his waist, his hair damp and wild, his skin still a bit moist. He looked –
delectable
. In that moment, I wanted to kiss him all over, but he wasn't into being the object of a woman's attention. He was the one giving attention to the object of his desire. Maybe one day, he'd relax enough with me that he'd want me to be the one to seduce him. He saw me standing by the window and came to me, smiling.

"There you are," he said, pulling me into his embrace. "I have a meeting with the oncologist about my test results. My tech promised me he'd work on the test last night so he should have finished the tissue study and sent the results over by now."

"How certain is it? As his father, are you more likely to be a tissue match?"

He shook his head. "Not necessarily. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the roll of the genetic dice. Identical twins are the best source, and then siblings, but sometimes a perfect stranger can be the best match."

I leaned against him, my cup of coffee on the windowsill. "If you are a match, how soon before they start the procedure?"

"Hopefully, right away. Depends on how the oncologist wants to proceed. I won't be feeling too well for a week or so, while they stimulate my bone marrow, so I hope we can do our scene tonight when I'm done with all my meetings."