Breathe (47 page)

Malachi didn’t answer. Sondra looked to Faye then to Chace then she moved slowly out of the room.

Chace took a step toward the bed but stopped when Malachi’s eyes shot to him and his body stiffened.

Faye noticed it too. She came up fully out of the chair but stayed bent to him.

“He’s okay, honey. Chace is a good guy. I promise. He’s a good guy.”

Chace forced his voice to very quiet when he said to the both of them. “I’m good right here. Malachi can tell me when he’s okay with me bein’ closer.”

Faye had turned her head his way and she nodded then she looked back at Malachi.

“See? Chace is a good guy, honey. You can trust him but he’s such a good guy, you can take your time doing that and he’ll be patient. Promise.”

The nurse came in and she was smiling at Malachi. “Well, look at you, awake and showing us your pretty, brown eyes.”

Malachi watched her warily as she approached his bed until Faye straightened and his eyes cut back to her in a way that made Chace’s body get tight.

“I called the doctor,” the nurse said. “She’ll be in soon and, I’m sorry but we’ll need room, Malachi will need privacy and visiting hours –”

“It’s okay,” Faye cut her off. “We’ll give you what you need.”

She leaned back down to Malachi, Chace braced and it happened when she told him, “I’ll be back tomorrow to read –”

His body knifed up, his bandaged hand darted out and batted at the book in her hand which fell to the mattress then he lunged toward her and rounded her neck with his arm with such force, he took her torso into him at the bed.

“Fuck,” Chace whispered, starting toward the bed but the nurse was on them and looking at Chace.

“Get another nurse.”

Chace turned instantly and moved to get the nurse, not wasting any time and when they rushed back, Faye was sitting on the bed, bent deep into Malachi, his arm still tight around her neck and she was murmuring to him.

The other nurse approached immediately.

“Maybe you can explain this attachment,” she whispered.

Chace didn’t delay. “She’s been feedin’ him and keepin’ him in books. They met five minutes ago for the first time but that doesn’t mean she’s not the only thing he’s got.”

“Right,” she whispered and moved toward Faye and Malachi.

Chace approached cautiously and was careful to stop where he’d stopped before, no closer.

“I’ll be back, buddy,” he heard Faye whisper. “Tomorrow. First thing. I promise.”

Malachi didn’t say anything and kept his arm tight around her.

The nurses stared over the bed at each other, clearly uncertain whether to intervene or allow Faye to pull it off.

“Okay,” Faye whispered. “This is what I need, honey. I need you to look out for yourself a little while longer and right now that means I’m worried about your hands. I don’t want you harming yourself. You have to let me go so the nurses can look after you and the doctor can see you. I need that from you, Malachi. Tomorrow, I promise, honey, swear, cross my heart, I’ll be back. Until then, you… are…
safe
. Totally safe, Malachi. I wouldn’t lie to you about something as important as that. Promise. Do you believe me?”

No sound, no movement, everyone was still for several long moments then Malachi’s arm relaxed and he lay back in bed.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Faye whispered then moved to her feet while stretching her arm out to put the book on the nightstand and Malachi became agitated again.

His eyes on the book in Faye’s hand, he banged his elbow repeatedly in the bed while his legs shifted under the covers and strange, animal-like noises sounded low from the back of his throat. The nurses moved, one to put a hand on his shoulder, one to put hers gently to his legs.

“What, buddy?” Faye asked and he shook his head back and forth, slamming his elbow into the bed, continuing to make those noises. “Malachi, please, honey, stop doing that. You’ll hurt yourself. Calm down and talk to me. What?”

Sheer intuition made Chace move swiftly. Not closing in on the bed, he rounded Faye at the back, pulled the book out of her hand then leaned into her, taking her with him, using her as Malachi’s shield against him as he shoved the book under Malachi’s flailing arm and tucked it to his side.

Malachi’s arm instantly stopped moving but shifted to trap the book tight there and he settled.

“You want your book,” Faye whispered.

Malachi took in a deep breath, his eyes locked to Faye.

Then he nodded once.

Jesus, this kid had been fucked up.

Jesus.

A feeling he did not like gnawing at his gut, Chace straightened away from Faye and caught the gaze of one of the nurses.

“Do not take that book away,” he ordered and she nodded instantly.

“You see,” Faye said quietly to Malachi. “You’ll have that until you have me again. Okay?”

Malachi held her eyes and didn’t move.

She ignored this and whispered, “Okay.”

Then she lifted her hand and ran it through his hair before she straightened away.

“See you soon, honey,” she said softly.

He swallowed, his eyes darted to the nurses then back to Faye.

Then he nodded.

“My brave Malachi,” Faye whispered, reached out a hand, touched his bicep then she looked through the nurses, bent, grabbed her purse, smiled at Malachi and, finally, her hand found his and closed around it so tight, he felt pain.

“Later, buddy,” Chace murmured and Malachi looked to him but said not a word.

They passed Dr. Hughes who was hurrying in and so intent to get to Malachi, she only jerked up her chin at them on her way. Faye didn’t notice. She walked out, her neck twisted to look back at Malachi.

She finally lost sight of him and looked forward but she didn’t speak.

Chace led her to her parents. The instant they stopped close, Silas spoke.

“Rosalinda’s. My treat. Liza, Boyd and the boys are meetin’ us there.”

Chace stayed silent, letting Faye decide their evening plans.

“Sounds good,” she said quietly.

There was her decision. She needed family.

So she’d get it.

“Right,” Silas muttered, taking all that was Faye in carefully as Sondra silently did the same then Silas looked up to Chace. “Liza and Boyd have hit the road. So should we. Meet you there.”

Chace nodded, got a clap on his arm from Silas, a smile from Sondra after she kissed her daughter’s cheek. They followed them to the elevator and walked out to the parking lot together.

Sondra and Silas separated from them to head to the Wrangler and they both did this on waves.

Chace jerked up his chin as Faye waved back and he walked with her to the passenger side of his Yukon.

“Beep, honey,” she muttered, her eyes on the door but Chace used his hand in hers, his other hand going to her waist to assist and he turned her, back to the truck and moved in.

Her surprised eyes lifted to his.

“Assure me you’re all right,” he demanded.

“I –”

“He’s fucked up, Faye, and that was intense. But he’s nine. He’s got you, he’s got me, your parents, your family, a doctor who I’ve been told is highly skilled and gives a shit and nurses who handle him with care. Once he’s outta there, he’s got everything when he had nothing. He’s young enough that no matter what fucked up shit he’s endured, he can be guided out of that into trusting something good. It’s new. He freaked. He’s latched onto you. But that will subside, darlin’. We’ll work it and he’ll be okay.”

“Chace, I’m fine. Just hungry.”

He blinked at her words and calm tone after her hand nearly crushed the bones in his then he studied her face in parking lot lights.

After he did this awhile, he told her, “You cannot keep shit buried. We got a long row to hoe with this. You give him strength, you unload on me the shit that causes in you so you can give it to him. Starting now. Deal?”

She leaned into him, got up on her toes and whispered, “Chace. I’m
fine.
”

“Baby –”

“Except I need a burrito. Stat.”

Chace stared at her.

She lifted her hand and curled it around the side of his neck.

“Two days ago,” she said softly, “not knowing where he was and the state of him, I was
not
fine. Now, he’s messed up but he’s safe and I know where he is so, I promise, honey, I’m…
fine.
”

She held his gaze as he tried to read hers.

Then she stopped giving him time and stated, “Feed me. If you don’t, all the way to Rosalinda’s, I’m explaining the entirety of the history of Angel, the vampire with a soul given to him by gypsies as punishment for him killing one of their own. This history will range from
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
through to
Angel,
his own TV show. I’ll also add my opinions on why they should never have cancelled
Angel.
I’ll tell you now, this is multi-part and doesn’t all have to do with the fact that David Boreanaz is hot. And, if you delay, I might even have time to get into why I think Joss Whedon should be recommended for sainthood.”

She had her moment.

Now she was fine.

So Chace dug into his jeans, pulled out his keys and beeped the locks.

Faye grinned.

Chace bent his head and touched his mouth to hers.

They heard a short honk of a car horn and they both turned their heads to see Sondra and Silas in the Wrangler driving past, Sondra giving them a wave.

Faye waved back as Chace reached around her to open her door.

He closed it after she climbed in.

Then he rounded the hood, folded in and took his woman to have a meal with her family.

* * * * *

She was finding it even though Chace was going slow, gentle, loving the feel of her, the smell of her, the sounds she was making.

But he knew by the noises, the way her body was shifting under his, the way she was tilting her hips with each stroke to get more of him and the fact that she wrapped one leg around his ass and pressed the inside of her other thigh against his hip that it was building.

He slid his lips from her neck over her jaw to take her mouth in a deep, slow kiss as his hand found her arm, slid down and wrapped around her wrist to pull it from around him. He twisted his hand, linked fingers with hers then pressed their hands into the bed, also moving so his forearm would take his weight.

He kept kissing her, thrusting deep but sweet and slow as he moved his other hand to find her arm and pull it from around her. Sliding his hand down to hers, he shifted it to her side, pressing her hand flat against her skin, gliding it up, in, up then, his hand over hers, he cupped her breast with it.

His thumb moving hers, he rubbed it tight over her hard nipple

And he got it. Her hips jerked, she gasped against his tongue, her leg tightened around his ass and she came.

Fuck, he loved that about her. Fast and hard or slow and sweet, she found it with just his tongue, her nipple and his cock.

Sometimes just his tongue and cock.

He moved faster, kept kissing her, thrusting harder and she took him, tipping up for him, giving him all of her as she kissed him back until he thrust deep, stayed planted and poured himself inside her as he groaned down her throat.

Fucking magnificent.

When he came down he found she was running the tip of her tongue along his lower lip, something he liked, something he liked to do to her, something he taught her.

Then again, he’d taught her everything.

She was his in every way she could be, his in a way most men never got a shot at.

His.

Yes.

Fucking magnificent.

His tongue gently pushed hers back into her mouth so he could kiss her deep, slow and long before he let her mouth go and trailed his lips back to her neck.

She’d wrapped her arm around him again and she moved her foot that was in the bed in order to wrap her leg around the back of his thigh.

Their hands were still linked in the bed beside her.

He’d fucked a lot. He’d also made love. It couldn’t be said there weren’t women he’d cared about that he’d shared quiet moments like this with, as close as they could get.

But none of them felt like Faye. None of them smelled like her. None of them tasted like her. None of them curled their fingers between his quite as tight. None of them felt nearly as sweet wrapped around him, their soft bodies pressed under his, taking his weight. None of them, after taking her, made him feel clean and like everything was right in the world as long as her body was in his bed.

Not one.

Not even close.

“So, debriefing way late, dinner with your family went good…” he paused, “both times.”