Unbind My Heart (12 page)

“I’d like to know that as well, Sunshine.”

They all turned to see Jonas standing in the doorway of his hospital room.  He had his jeans on, but that was it, the bulky swath of a white bandage a stark contrast to his tanned chest.  His penetrating gaze was zoned in on Lexie, who walked into the embrace of his one good arm when he held it out to her.

“Baby,” he whispered into her hair as she sobbed against his chest, “let’s get out of the hallway, then you are going to tell me exactly what this is all about.”

Between shuddering breaths, she sat next to Jonas on his bed and managed to tell her story, sugar coating it as much as possible out of concern for Jonas’ reaction.

“Let me understand this.  He threatened your job in exchange for sex.”

“Yes, specifically kinky sex.  He heard what you said in the trauma room.”

“Jeff Atworth is on the board here.  You want me to take care of this?” Dex offered, letting Jonas make the call. 

“I want him gone, Dex.  Then call T and have him pick me up at my place in an hour.  I want to take care of the good doctor personally.”

“No!  Jonas, you’re injured.  That’s why I didn’t want you to find out.”

“Hush.  I am not going to let this slime ball get away with threatening you or your job.  We’ll review our previous discussion about withholding and omitting information from me, later.”  He pressed his index finger against her lips when she started to argue.  “No, Lexie.  This is not open for discussion.”  After he’d gained her compliance, he looked at Sean.  “Can you bring the car around, bud?  I’m ready to get out of here.”

***

Lexie paced back and forth across Jonas’ living room, checking the clock every few minutes.  Where were they?  It had been hours since he’d left with Lil T.  She couldn’t believe he had gone out to beat someone up at all, let alone within 24 hours of being shot. 

A key sounding in the lock had her rushing into the hallway.  Jonas entered, followed by Lil T and a woman who looked vaguely familiar.  She was surprised to see the man bringing up the rear.  It was Jeff Atworth, the hospital board member they had called on for a favor.  She recognized him from hospital social events that he’d attended a time or two.

“Jonas?”  Rushing to him, she ran her hands over his chest, sliding aside his jacket, intent on checking his bandage.

“I’m fine, baby.  You can poke and prod to your heart's content after our guests have left.”  With his hand riding low on her back, he guided her toward the living room.  “Let’s sit for this discussion, shall we?” 

Jonas settled onto the couch and pulled Lexie down next to him.  She saw his grimace and mumbled, “Stubborn man, you need to be in bed resting.”

“Lexie . . .” His tone clearly stated his patience was already wearing thin.

Mr. Atworth spoke up then.  “We’ll keep this short, Ms. Berry.  We know Master Jonas has been up all day dealing with this.”

Master Jonas?  Her eyes flew to the other woman.  Dex had said Mr. Atworth was a club member; was the woman as well?  She didn’t have to wonder long before Jonas explained.

“This is Kellie Atworth, Jeff’s wife and submissive.  They’re both club members.”

Was everyone in San Antonio into this kinky stuff: her friends, old classmates, co-workers, who else?

Jeff spoke up next. “Dr. Benson has been recommended for termination to the board.  They will be meeting this week, until then, he has been placed on suspension pending full investigation of his sexual harassment toward many of our nursing personnel.  You aren’t the only one to have been propositioned.”

“With all due respect, Sir, it was more than a proposition.  He threatened to expose my private life if I didn’t have sex with him—that’s blackmail.  He’s been doing this kind of thing for years and nothing has been done.  What’s different this time?”  Her tone was cool.  After working all night, she had been up all day worrying about Jonas.  She was going on thirty-six hours without sleep and had lost her filter long ago.  Enraged, she spoke on behalf of the other victims whose voices hadn’t been heard.  Just because she had connections with powerful men now shouldn’t make a difference.  She decided she had gotten her message across and it was best not to add anymore to her statement, especially when she felt Jonas’ hand squeeze her thigh in warning.

“Let him finish, Lexie.”

She nodded, her expression no less severe.

“This is the first time these allegations have been brought to the board.”

“How—” she was stopped again by Jonas. 

“If you don’t let him finish, Lex, we’re gonna be here all night.  I’m on the last of my energy reserves, so I want you to wait until he’s done.”  His voice was even, without a hint of anger, but she could hear the underlying steel. That meant he was serious.  Fatigue was clearly visible in his drawn features.

“I’m sorry, Jonas.”  Her concerned gaze flew to his face.  He was in obvious discomfort.  “Of course, I’ll shut up so I can get you in bed.”

He chuckled.  “Sweet words, rotten timing, Sunshine.”

The others smiled at the pink hue that colored Lexie’s cheeks, but they didn’t say anything, letting Jeff finish.

“The HR Director has also been terminated.  Both men have been covering up Benson’s ongoing harassment.  We are sickened that this was going on beneath our noses.  Believe me, Lexie, there are going to be measures put in place to prevent this kind of abuse of power by anyone in the future.  Unfortunately, word got out before we could intervene.”

“That’s why I am here, Lexie.”  Kellie Atworth was a petite blonde who looked like a porcelain doll.  Her skin was clear and luminous, and she had big, baby blue eyes.  She was the kind of woman who made Lexie feel like a hulking Amazon.  “I’m actually
Dr.
Kellie Atworth and I run a free clinic in Southtown.  Although we treat all comers, it has gained the reputation of being mostly a women’s clinic.  I have been looking for an associate for a while, and with your emergency experience, I thought you would be perfect for the job.  I know in the ER that you handle walk-in clients with everything from runny noses to gunshot wounds.  While we don’t usually get traumas in the clinic, we get just about everything else.”

“You’re offering me a job?  What about the hospital?  I owe them a 30-day notice and would have to pay back a significant sign-on bonus.”

Jeff quickly responded, “I can speak for the hospital, which is willing to waive both of those commitments to avoid legal action.”

“It’s up to you, Lexie,” Kellie added. “Jonas said you have been under a lot of stress at work lately, even before this incident with Dr. Benson.  This is a clinic mostly for women, run by women.  In fact, I’ve been considering putting a ‘no boys allowed’ sign on the door.”  This she said with a little wink, before continuing.  “Since we’re not an emergency room, we close at 6 o’clock and have very limited weekend hours, and there are no holidays.  I brought you a salary quote and a list of benefits.  We currently receive grant funding for the indigent care we provide and we also take most insurance plans.  As a non-profit, we are actually looking at operating in the black this year.  I’d love to upgrade our diagnostic lab and X-ray equipment.  Ultrasound on-site would be awesome and I—”

Jeff placed a finger over her mouth and waited.  Her eyes connected with his and her cheeks flooded with a becoming rosy glow, enhancing her fair complexion.   

“I did it again.  Didn’t I?”

“Yes, sweetheart, but I love how passionate you are about your work.”  Jeff looked at her with such affection that Lexie was captivated by the overtly loving pair.  She made an instant decision.

“I’ll take the job.”

Kellie was shocked.  “Are you sure?  Don’t you want to look at the benefits or ask me questions?”

“No, I trust Jonas.  He wouldn’t support this decision if he didn’t trust you in turn.  I also am a fairly good judge of character.  I’d love to work for someone who is passionate about her work.  I don’t know why I thought I would find it in County’s ER with that vile Dr. Benson as head of Emergency Services.”  She shuddered as she visualized him.

“Worst comb-over ever!”  Kellie added, seeming to read her mind. 

The women laughed, already forming a bond.

“Great, now that we’ve settled it, I’m going to have to ask you two to leave.”  Jonas leaned heavily against Lexie—exhausted.  That didn’t stop him from teasing her some more. “I think I’m in need of the expertise of my hot private duty nurse.  Nurse Berry, I think it’s time.”

“For a pain pill?”

“No, Sunshine, for my sponge bath.”

Jeff laughed loudly, and Lexie knew she turned at least seven shades of red.  Kellie, who tried valiantly to be supportive of her new colleague, failed miserably and ended up joining in on the laughter. 

Not to be outdone, Lexie fired back.  “Yes, Mr. Mitchell, Sir.  We’ll get to that straight away.  Right after I complete a full head to toe assessment, which might entail a rectal core temperature or an enema.”

Kellie giggled at that, while Jeff warned, tongue in cheek, “Watch out, Lexie.  Knowing my kinky friend over there, he might just take you up on that offer.”

“Hm . . . The medical role play and anal ideas have merit, but the day I’m the patient will be the day pigs fly out my ass.”  Grabbing Lexie’s hand, he tugged her up off the couch with him, heading for his bedroom.  “Lock the door behind you, Jeff.  Come along Nurse, I’m ready for my bed, a back rub and a high colonic, but not necessarily in that order.”

“Jonas!”  Lexie’s voice was rife with alarm as he pushed her up against the back of the bedroom door.  Swallowing with an audible gulp she asked, “You’re not really into enemas are you?”

“I was joking.  However, I’ve always had a naughty nurse fantasy.”  Leaning into her, he managed to rally enough to spread kisses along her throat and jaw.  “So tell me, does a man gotta get shot to get you into a sexy nurse’s uniform—garters, white stockings, heels—the works?  We could use the medical play room at The Club.”

“I can do the uniform, that’s hot.  Are we talking about stirrups and speculums, too?”

“Damn straight.”

“Remember the pigs flying out your ass, Jonas?  That goes double for me.”

Despite his pain and exhaustion, Jonas laughed and pulled her tight against him, in need of the special brand of TLC that only she could provide. 

Things seemed to settle down after the shooting.  Anderson was no longer a threat, and Lexie was settling into her new job.  The shorter workdays had her home every evening for supper, and she had almost every weekend off now.  With Jonas on medical leave following the shooting, this meant they had a lot more time to be together.  Well, in theory, this was true.

Jonas had other ideas for his forced reduction in workload.  Lexie soon found out that medical leave, according to Jonas Mitchell meant no fieldwork for Rossi or DM duty at The Club. Otherwise, it was business as usual.  He still ran his dojo, went into the office every day or worked in his fully equipped home office. 

Lexie was not in favor of this strategy, of course, but he hadn’t listened—stubborn man.  In fact, they’d had their first argument over this issue.  She’d fussed at him initially, insisting that he needed to rest and get his strength back, but he’d ignored her—obstinate man.  She’d continued to protest until he’d gotten annoyed, making it clear that with the judge’s deadline from the blackmailer looming, he wasn’t going to let a scratch on the shoulder sideline him.  When she’d persisted, he’d lost his patience, threatening to either fuck or spank her until she stopped carping at him, maybe both.  He’d gone on to explain that both activities could result in further injury, and she didn’t want to be responsible for him popping a stitch—now did she?  Since Lexie had already told him there’d be none of that activity until the stitches were out, she’d had no leg to stand on—exasperating man.  And so, after taking only one day off, barely enough time for Lexie to fuss over and pamper him as she’d liked, he’d been back at it—infuriating man. 

Lexie considered it a blessing that he’d scaled back his activity as much as he had.  She found out later it was only due to Cap and Dex restricting his assignments.  Otherwise, he wouldn’t have slowed down at all.

Despite the investigation, Jones did carve out some time for her.  Even if he was working, he took time out for dinner at her place, most nights.  Afterwards, they’d spent time in quiet activities, such as watching TV or sitting outside talking and watching the swans.  She suspected it was because his shoulder bothered him more than he cared to admit. 

Tonight, she was going to his place and Jonas was cooking. He’d also told her to pack a bag and to plan to spend the night.

“It’s been eight days since the shooting,” he’d said adamantly, “my convalescence is over.”  Evidently, he’d decided his medical-induced abstinence was over, too. 

As instructed, Lexie pulled her Toyota into space #19 marked for guest parking and turned off the engine.  She felt intimidated by Jonas’ Merc parked on one side and the Porsche Boxster on the other.  Nowhere in the parking lot had she found a Ford or Chevy, and the only SUVs she saw were a Lexus and several Cadillac Escalades. 

She sat in her car for a moment thinking about her new—what did she call him?—boyfriend, lover, Dom?  He’d used the word—relationship—but they hadn’t exactly defined it yet.  She was hoping they could get to that tonight.  Peering out her windshield at his building, she was suitably impressed.  The Vistas was an exclusive community with luxury homes and condos.  She’d heard about it, but never had the opportunity to visit.  And even though he only lived a few miles from her condo, when she drove onto the property, she felt like she’d left San Antonio far behind and entered a ritzy section of Beverly Hills or the Hamptons. 

Gathering her purse and small travel bag, she walked to the entrance and entered the security code he’d given her.  Jonas’ unit was on the third floor.  When he let her in, she was surprised to see the open stairway leading to an upper floor.  She looked at him in question, “This is huge.  Don’t you get lost rattling around in here all by yourself?

“What can I say?  I like my space and privacy.  Not as secluded as a house in the country,  at least I found a corner unit. With my bedroom upstairs, I have fewer thin walls to worry about.”  He winked at her as he took her bag.  “Dinner won’t be ready for about twenty. How about a tour?”

His two-story condo was absolutely beautiful.  There was marble flooring mixed with areas of gleaming hardwood.  It had a neutral color scheme with taupe walls and white trim, the rich earth tones giving it a masculine feel.  Lexie loved everything about it, from the living room with its wraparound windows and the enormous private balcony beyond, to the luxurious master bath with a sunken tub big enough for two.  Her favorite spot had to be the main bedroom with its six-section door wall that opened onto another private balcony. It overlooked the community’s 700-acre wildlife park and the Texas hill country beyond.  They stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the railing, silently watching the sunset over the plateau until Jonas’ phone alarm interrupted their peace and quiet.

“That’s my cue to check on dinner.  C’mon.”

Hand-in-hand, they walked downstairs to the dining room where Jonas had the table all set.

“Wine, beer, margarita—name your poison.” 

“You made margaritas?”

“None of those sweet girly drinks for me, I’ve got a rep to uphold.  For you, there are margaritas.  I’m having a Corona.”

She laughed.  “I think you could wear a pink tutu and glitter and no one would question your masculinity, dulcedo.” 

His head popped up over the refrigerator door, and he shot a surprised look her way.

“What?  The pink tutu remark was too much, huh?”

“No baby, ‘dulcedo,’” he said softly, emerging from the fridge with a Corona and Mike’s Hard Margarita in one hand, a bowl of guacamole and jar of salsa in the other.  Her eyes locked onto his large hands, easily carrying it all, such beautiful hands. 

Dragging her eyes away, where were they?  She retraced their conversation—dulcedo. 

“Well, you call me ‘sunshine’ and ‘baby.’ I decided to try out a nickname for you.  What do you think?”

“Mm…”  He set everything down on the table. Suddenly, Jonas was at her side, threading his hand through the hair at her nape.  He tugged gently until her head fell back and she was looking directly up at him.  His other hand grazed her exposed throat, sliding up until his palm cupped her jaw.  His searing gaze met hers before he proceeded to lay a hot, wet, mind-altering kiss on her.  When he released her mouth, minutes later, he murmured softly, “I like it,” then took his seat across from her. 

Distracted, she blinked a few times, trying to remember what they were saying.  His kiss had robbed her of all coherent thought.  “What—” her voice cracked. She cleared her throat, trying again.  “What do you like?” 

“You calling me sweetness.”  He smiled, obviously amused.  “It’s cute.”

“You know Latin?”

“A little.  I took it in high school.  Some must have stuck, lux solis.” 

Lexie sighed, blown away.  He’d called her “sunshine” in Latin, and she melted even more. 

“While being called sweetness doesn’t help my rep as a badass Dom, it's better than some of my other nicknames.”

Eyeing the width of the table between them, she breathed deeply, settling herself.  With distance came clarity where Jonas was concerned, and she finally remembered where this had all started.  “Like C4?  Why do the guys call you that?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Sean called you that in the ER.”  She laughed when he pulled a face.  “That’s mild compared to what you said.  Morphine makes you very chatty.”

“Nothing too graphic, I hope.”

“Don’t worry, only Sean was there for the really embarrassing parts and those mostly involved me.”

“You’re forgetting Benson.”

He was right.  How could she have forgotten that so quickly?

“I opened you up to that slime ball, Lex, with my uninhibited tongue.”

“That was the morphine talking, Jonas.  I don’t hold you accountable for that and I don’t want to talk about Benson anymore.”  The mere mention of his name made her shudder.  “You didn’t give away any top secret information that I could tell, only your PIN number.”

“What?’

“And you gave one of the nurses the security code for your condo.”  Unable to keep a straight face, she giggled. 

Seeing him rise from his chair, she put out her hands.  “Wait, Jonas, I was just teasing.  You really only gave up the combination to your safe.”

He bore down on her, and as he tickled her mercilessly, her giggles turned to squeals and pleas for mercy.  When she was close to tears and begging him to stop, he captured her hands, intertwining their fingers.  Moving their clasped hands to the small of her back, he held her immobilized as he lowered his head, as he kissed her sensitive neck. His lips and tongue explored, instead of playfully tickling, his actions now sensuous and wonderfully erotic.

“Now that you know my methods of interrogation, you will tell me the truth, my naughty nurse.  What secrets did I divulge while you had me drugged and at your mercy?”

“No PINs or passwords, I swear.”  Breathing heavily beneath his warm lips and tongue, Lexie confessed.  “You only leaked a few national security secrets and your grandmother’s recipe for apple pie.  Bet your nana’s gonna be pissed.”

With his lips on her neck, the vibration of his chuckle made her giggle.  Soon they were both rolling with laughter, which continued unabated until they collapsed against each other, breathless from their silliness.

A buzzer went off.  Jonas lifted his head and gave her a lip-smacking kiss.  “Enchiladas are ready, baby.  Let’s eat.”

As he bent to slide a pan from the oven, Lexie grinned, shamelessly ogling his backside as his jeans hugged him tight.  He had a dynamite body, which reminded her... 

“Hey, you were going to tell me why they call you C4.”

“No, I wasn’t.”  He placed the casserole dish on the table before continuing.  “That’s an old war story that isn’t suitable for retelling over dinner, or ever.”

“Hm . . .” There was a good story here without a doubt.  Lexie made a mental note to come back to the subject later. “The military is big on nicknames, aren’t they?  Remind me what else did they call you.”

“Tech, for the computer work.  There’s also pretty boy, half-pint, and JB.”

“Oh, yes, Sean told me those first two, both made sense, especially pretty boy; you’re very handsome.”  She smiled as he pulled off his oven mitts and brought her hand to his lips, kissing it in a silent thank you.  “I can even understand half-pint; although you’re not small by any means, the other guys could play O-line for the Cowboys, they’re giants.  What’s JB about?”

Grimacing, he gave her hand a last squeeze before grabbing the spatula and serving up dinner.  “That came from Lil T.  Pretty boy wasn’t good enough so he likened me to Justin Bieber one day in front of the guys, and it stuck for a while.  Thankfully, another tag came along and they forgot about it.”

She snickered, unable to help it.  The name irritated him, but she thought it was funny.  “Sorry.”  She tried to control herself by taking a sip of her drink—it didn’t help—as a giggle burst free before she howled with laughter.

“I like that, too.”  He watched her, a little smile curving his full lips.  “Your laugh is infectious.”

They chatted non-stop throughout the meal, at ease in one another’s company.  She praised his mother’s recipe and his execution, as well as the guacamole he’d made fresh.  For dessert, he brought out her favorite, New York style cheesecake.

Leaning back with a groan, she patted her full belly.  “I’m stuffed.  Good thing I don’t eat like this every day.  You’d be looking for a skinnier model, or be reinforcing your rigging, for sure.”

“Don’t put yourself down, Lex.  I don’t like it.  You’re perfect.”

“That’s sweet, Jonas, but I know my flaws.  I have an old-fashioned hourglass figure and I’m fine with that.  I just don’t want my booty getting any bigger.”

“I’ll keep an eye on your booty, have no fear about that.  I’m rather partial to the curvy pinup girl look.  Any man worth his salt would choose fifties era Marilyn Monroe or Bettie Page over Twiggy any day.  I like tits and ass and you suit my taste just fine.  So remember what I said.”

“Okay, no negative comments about my big butt.”

“That right there is pushing it, babe.” 

Lexie carried the dishes to the sink while he popped the lid on the casserole and slid it into the fridge.  Carrying both of their drinks, he moved toward the doorway. “Let’s head out to the balcony.  There’s always a nice breeze this time of night.”

Twilight had set in and the woods had come to life with chirping crickets, croaking frogs and the occasional whistles and trills of an owl, as well as other wildlife sounds.  She could hear crickets at her apartment at night, that was about it.  When she stepped toward the balcony, Jonas cut her off.  Catching her hand, he tugged her down onto the thick-cushioned rattan love seat.  Propping his feet on the table in front of him, he leaned back, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.  The plush seat and his arms were so inviting that she ignored his high-handed manner and put her drink aside, eagerly curling into his side and sighing as her head came to rest on his chest.

“This is nice.  I bet you spend a lot of time out here.”

“Not nearly as much as I’d like.  I work a lot. Of course, with your sweet softness to curl
up with, I think I’ll make the time from now on.”