HisMarriageBargain (27 page)

Autumn almost wept in relief as his movements stilled
altogether. She sucked down deep breaths and forced her hands to uncurl from
the sheets. Her fingers ached, but it was so worth it.

“Holy shit,” Sammi gasped first.

He ever so carefully laid her back on the bed, their bodies
still joined. She pulled him down on top of her, taking his mouth in a
devouring kiss. The muscles in his arms and back quivered under her touch, so
she reluctantly let him go.

They both sucked in a breath as he slid out of her slick
channel, which was hypersensitive from the never-ending orgasm of death.

Sammi discarded the condom in the bathroom before shuffling
back to bed. He flopped down next to her, lying crosswise on the bed.

“That was the longest orgasm of my life,” Autumn blurted
out. “How long was that?”

Sammi peeked at her with one eye. “At least a few minutes.”

“Oh. My. God.” Autumn laughed and rolled toward him,
throwing her arm across her back.

“That felt fucking amazing.”

“I don’t know, it did, but that was a lot.”

“Was it good?”

“Oh hell to the yes.” She kissed his cheek. “Be careful, I
might come to expect that from you.”

“Noted.” He yawned and she snuggled closer.

Maybe there were other new things they could discover
together. Focusing on him, them, for now wouldn’t be a horrible way to spend
what time they had together.

Autumn squeezed Sammi tight. It wouldn’t always be like this
though. There were dark days ahead, which made moments like tonight all the
more special.

* * * * *

Autumn stared at her phone buzzing on the kitchen counter.

Kellie’s name flashed on the screen.

Shit.

Autumn wiped off her hands and swiped the Answer button.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Kellie answered.

What did she say?

Hey, I know I bailed on work. Again. But do you want to
think about maybe bringing me back on?

That would not go over well.

“How’d the tournament go this weekend?” Autumn asked to fill
the silence that was growing awkward.

“Good. Good. Mouse made it to the finals but that ear
infection he can’t seem to shake really fucked his game up. His opponent took
him out with a wicked kick to the head and he went down, out cold.”

“Ouch.” Autumn grabbed the side of her head in sympathy
pains. “How’d Jacob do?”

“Better than we thought. He was distracted because his wife
kept calling every damn ten minutes. He made it into the finals, but he did
exactly what we told him not to and let it go to a judge’s decision.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Autumn had listened to Kellie explain
time and time again how mixed martial arts bouts were scored, but it never
really stuck.

“Okay, knocking someone out means the other guy won. That’s
easy. Well, every hit a guy lands is worth a certain number of points and it’s
up to the judges in order to award those points. The panel is averaged and each
person gets a score.”

“Oh, I think I get it.”

“Yeah, Jacob got beaten by a very narrow margin. It was
fucked-up, but if he’d had his head in the game he could have done a lot better.”
Kellie sighed and the familiar sound of her squeaky chair sounded in the
background. “So about last week.”

“Yeah.” Autumn winced and cradled her forehead in her hand.
“I can explain.”

“I know you can. It’s always a good excuse, but Autumn, we
can’t work as a team if you don’t communicate to us.” There was a tense moment
of silence during which Autumn could see Kellie’s grim expression in her mind.
“Pandora and Carly explained what happened. How’s your mom?”

“She’s back to hating me, but she also hasn’t tried to leave
the rehab center, so I guess that’s good.”

“This sucks, Funshine Bear.”

Autumn laughed in spite of the depressing circumstances.
Years before, Autumn and Kellie had gone on a crazy weekend tear to drink as
much tequila as they could and wound up watching
Care Bears
at three in
the morning. It hadn’t been one of their better moments, but they’d spent hours
giggling like loons over the Care Bear Stare.

She touched her hip where she’d conned Kellie into tattooing
her with a cluster of Care Bears. One for each of the girls, and even one for
Carly she’d added a few months back. Could she really make it without So Inked?

“It does, Wish Bear,” Autumn replied.

Kellie blew out a breath. Her reluctance to tell Autumn what
was going on only made the sense of dread heavier. “I’m going to have to stand
behind Mary’s decision right now. Between what you have going on and all Mary’s
drama, it’s too much. Let’s take a step back and let the dust settle. Maybe we
can figure something else out in a few weeks.”

Autumn bit her lip. She’d always acted first and thought
later. Consequences sucked toes. She sucked in a deep breath and held on to her
dignity. Kellie wasn’t saying her time at So Inked was over, just on hiatus.
That was something.

“Yeah, that works for me. Thanks.”

“I’d say no problem, but you’re putting me in a bind.” The
sound of shuffling papers in the background filtered through the phone. “You
have a long list of clients who only see you, and several appointments this
week who have prepaid. We’ll have to figure this out. I can cut you a check for
your part of it, but I’m not sure tattooing here is a good idea. Any chance you
can get a spot somewhere?”

“I hadn’t even thought about it.” But she was married to the
man who owned a huge chunk of Dallas real estate. “Let me talk to Sammi and
figure something out.”

“Okay. That works for me. I don’t want this to be ugly.”

“Yeah, me neither. How’re Mary and Sam doing?”

Kellie groaned. “Not good. Sam is refusing to answer to Sam.
He insists his name is Jesus now and he’s running with a bunch of other Cuban
guys that are up to no good. Mary wants to keep him a little kid, but he’s an
adult now. She can’t control him anymore.”

“Damn. Anything we can do?” Autumn had stayed far away from
the drug world, but it was an inevitable part of their job that they came into
contact with people from all walks of life. Druggies, dealers and gang members
included.

“No, but you’ll shit your pants about this. Mr. Ricky? That
teacher who was trying to fail Sam to keep him in school for some wacky reason?
Apparently he picked Sam up the other day and brought him home. I’m sketchy on
the details but can you imagine how much she’s got to hate this old man? You
should have heard her the next morning.”

“Times infinity.” Autumn laughed despite the severity of the
situation. Mary’s hatred for the old man was something intense.

“Hey, I need to get up front, but keep me posted on how
things are going. I don’t want you dropping off the face of the planet on me.”
Kellie’s show of sentiment was uncharacteristic of the hard-ass woman she’d
become, but even the strongest people needed friends.

“I will.”

“I think we’re going to do a BBQ in a week or so. You should
come. Bring Sammi.”

“Sure, I’d like that.” It might take Kellie and Mary a
little while to relax around Sammi, but he was easy to like. Her heart swelled
at the thought of him, the things he did to her inside and out. Hell, she could
still feel him between her legs.

Kellie’s voice grounded her back in the moment. “Maybe by
then the three of us can sit down and talk about bringing you back in, but I’m
not promising anything.”

“No, seriously, thank you.”

They hung up, and while Autumn felt the urge to cry and
break something, her lifeline to So Inked wasn’t completely cut off. Not yet.

* * * * *

Sammi slid into his Escalade, which felt more like an oven
rather than the luxury vehicle it was. He cranked the engine and flipped the
air conditioner to high. Sweat beaded along the back of his neck and he
unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt.

He dug his phone out of his pocket. It had vibrated several
times over the last hour, and he hadn’t dared glance at it.

Text messages. All from Autumn.

Just talked to Kellie. I’m still fired, but we’re going
to talk about it.

There’s a bruise on my left boob. Did you bite me? I
might like it. Hurry home so we can even me out.

I have some tattoo jobs to do, but I’m going to need to
find a place to do them. Know anywhere?

Pretty sure I miss you being inside me already.

What did the doctor have to say?

The last one made him wince.

Movement in the corner of his eye arrested his attention. He
glanced up at his mother, who had stepped out the front door and waited for her
car to be brought around. She lifted her hand in a wave he hastily returned.

He needed to get out of here before she twisted his arm into
driving her somewhere.

Sammi shifted the car into gear and pulled out on the
street, guilt eating at him.

When Autumn had asked if he wanted to have lunch, he’d
scrambled for a reason to keep his promise to his mother without letting Autumn
know. Claiming a doctor’s appointment was the first thing that came to mind.
Only now he had to back that up.

Despite the cooling air in the vehicle, he was feeling
hotter and hotter.

The temperature gauge only read one hundred and two. It was
bound to get a few degrees hotter before the day was over, yet the way he was
beginning to sweat was more as if he’d run a marathon.

A gas station coming up was a welcome respite. He parked to
one side of the building in the shade and went inside to grab a drink. Two
bottles of water later, he sat back in the driver’s seat of his SUV, the
familiar nausea taking hold.

He reclined his seat just a bit. There was no harm in
waiting out the worst of it. He had some time before he needed to be at the
office.

Monroe—A piercing that mimics Marilyn Monroe’s iconic
mole.

A hard knock next to Sammi’s head startled him from restless
dreams. He blinked the bleariness from his eyes, glancing around, confused by
his surroundings.

“Hey. You okay in there?” A man wearing a logo polo shirt
knocked on his window again.

Sammi rubbed his eyes and sat up, slightly dizzy. The fuel
light dinged, alerting him to the fact that the SUV was still running. He
glanced at the clock.

“Holy fuck.”

“Sir?”

Sammi pressed the window button and it coasted down.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” he croaked out to the gas station
attendant.

“You’ve been here for a few hours, man. You sure you’re
okay?” The attendant eyed him suspiciously.

“I’m good. Just need gas after my nap.” He shifted into
reverse more to get away from the scrutiny of the attendant than the need for
fuel.

He got the SUV to a pump and slowly got out, his legs
shaking as his full weight came to bear on his muscles. There was a very real
possibility his leg muscles were giving out on him. Panic spurred adrenaline
into his system and he got the gas pumping so he could lean against the
driver’s seat.

Around one he’d left his mother’s house. It was now close to
eight. The sun was setting and he’d passed out for most of the day.

The drive home was a blur of shaking calves and hesitant
driving. By the time he pulled into his own driveway he was trembling.

Was this the beginning of the end?

The front door opened, silhouetting Autumn and everything he
stood to lose.

She came out to meet him, arms around herself.

“Where have you been?” He couldn’t see her face, but he
heard the worry in her voice.

Did he brazen through it?

“I fell asleep at a gas station. Woke up not very long ago.”
He pulled her against his chest.

“Oh my god, Sammi, you’re soaking wet.” She placed her hand
against his brow. “You’re a little warm too. What did the doctors say?”

“Let’s get inside. Give me a hand?”

Between them they got his things inside. He went straight to
the bathroom, stripping as he went and got in the shower stall. Now that she’d
pointed out how much he’d sweated, he could smell himself.

The pounding of cold water on his body brought him fully
awake. His stomach churned and his whole body ached.

“Sammi?” Autumn stood on the other side of the door.

“I’m just washing up.”

“Can I do anything for you?”

“Tell me how your day was.” He needed something normal,
something to hold on to. He grabbed the soap and scrubbed a layer of skin off
his body.

“Unpacked some more of your stuff. Went grocery shopping.
Ran a few errands.” She paused. “I’ve been worried about you.”

Sammi leaned against the tile wall, too exhausted to turn
the water off. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m glad you’re here now. Let me know if you need
anything.”

He briefly considered asking her to turn the shower off, but
that was ridiculous. Mustering his strength, Sammi turned the water off and
stumbled out of the shower. Autumn handed him a towel and wordlessly watched
him.

“You’re worrying me,” she said after a few moments of
silence.

“I know. I’m worried too. Think I need to lie down.” He
grabbed a clean pair of boxers from the dresser on his way to the bed and
stepped into them in the process of flopping onto the mattress.

Autumn followed, crawling over him and lying down next to him.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

He wrapped an arm around her, holding her as tight as he
could. Even his arms felt as if they were giving out on him.

“I’m sick, Sunshine.”

“I know, but I didn’t think you’d get bad so soon.” Moisture
gathered on her lower lashes.

There wasn’t anything comforting he could tell her.

He was dying.

It was just happening on a faster timetable than he’d
expected.

* * * * *

Autumn peeked into the den, assuring herself for the tenth
time that morning Sammi really was settled into the recliner. Her heart hadn’t
stopped hammering since his explanation last night for the disappearing act. If
he was losing hours at a time, what was next?

The tears she’d been fighting all morning redoubled their
efforts, blurring her vision. She tipped her head back and stared into the
light. Loving him hadn’t been her plan, but he made it easy. For the first time
in her life someone made her feel as if she was special, and he did it without
even trying. There hadn’t been any flowers, no overt gestures, it was the small
things. The concern for her comfort. Accepting her past. Treating her like a
normal person. Standing up for her.

She wasn’t ready to lose him. Last night had driven home
just how little she knew about his condition. Hell, she didn’t even know the
phone number to his doctor, something that might come in very handy in the
future.

Autumn took a deep, calming breath. She couldn’t hide in the
kitchen forever.

She pulled a steaming cup of soup that was more broth than
anything else out of the microwave and set it on a tray along with some water,
crackers and fruit.

The missing item, her smile, was a little harder to put into
place. She closed her eyes, collecting each emotion and tucking it away. Sammi
needed her strength and cheer right now. There was no way she could fall to
pieces.

“Ready to try eating something?” Autumn asked as she carried
the tray into the den.

Sammi peeked at her with one eye. “Actually, yeah.”

She settled the tray across the plush arms of the recliner.

“Soup?” Sammi wrinkled his nose. “Come on, I can eat more
than this. I’m actually starving.”

“Eat it and I’ll get you something else when you prove you
can keep it down.” She didn’t like to think about how little he’d been able to
retain. Wasn’t his illness supposed to be related to his muscles and ability to
move? Again, she didn’t really know.

Sammi muttered under his breath and crumbled the crackers
into the soup.

“You want to say that a little louder so I can hear?” Autumn
asked in a sweet-as-sugar voice.

“No.” He spooned the soup into his mouth and turned his
chair to face her. “You not eating?”

“I will in a bit.” Truth was, eating when he might display
amazing digestive pyrotechnics wasn’t appealing in the least. “How’s that
taste?”

“Bland.” He wrinkled his nose and glanced up at her. “I’m
sorry I’m ruining your day.”

“Ruining it? Please, being here by myself is pretty damn
lonely. I almost pulled my hair out yesterday.”

Sammi glanced up from the bowl of soup that was nearly half
gone. “Don’t do that. I like your hair.”

“Thanks.”

“What about—” He hurriedly wiped a bit of broth from his
chin. “What did that text say? You had tattoos to do?”

Autumn shrugged. “Yeah, but I have to find a place to do
them, and I can figure that out when you go to the office.”

“What kind of a space do you need?” He wiped his cheek again
and tucked into the fruit with gusto.

“Nothing fancy, just someplace with an outlet. A sink and
bathroom are a bonus.” Maybe there was another shop where she could rent a
spot. Some places did that, but it was Greek to her.

“No, I mean do you have to follow any kind of codes or
anything?”

Autumn shook her head. “I think you’re expecting the state
to regulate tattoo artists more than it does. I mean, you can get a license to
operate out of a specific location. I’m not sure how hard it is, but I’ve
tattooed out of many homes, my apartment, conventions. As long as there’s
electricity and someplace to wash my hands, that’s all I need.”

“Use the back room then. What do we need for a license?” He
glanced down at the tray and his brows rose as if he was surprised to find it
empty.

The back room was perfect. It had its own bathroom, external
entry and was removed from the rest of the house. She just hadn’t thought it
was an idea that would fly with Sammi. If she could tattoo in-house and still
be with Sammi when he needed her, hell, it was perfect.

“Are you serious?” she asked to be certain.

Sammi shrugged. “Why not? You aren’t going to put a sign out
front, are you?”

“No, just some appointments I already had scheduled.” She’d
broach the subject of future work later.

“Can we set it up today?”

She eyed him still in pajama pants and t-shirt. “How are you
feeling?”

“Hungry.” His color had improved remarkably with a little
food.

“Good.” That was a relief. She took his tray and made her
way back to the kitchen. Now what did she feed him? “Did you call the doctor to
ask about the—episode—yesterday?”

“Called. Haven’t heard back. Probably exhaustion or
something.” Sammi ambled after her, using a cane to steady himself. She hated
the sight of it, but it was going to be a necessity.

Autumn frowned. That wasn’t a very good diagnosis. “Maybe I
should have your doctor’s number in case of emergency. Is it written down
anywhere?”

“Uh, yeah. In the office,” he said slowly.

“You sure?” She pulled the fridge open and considered their
food options. “Sandwiches okay? I can grill them.”

“Sounds delicious. Now back to setting up a tattoo studio.
What do you need?” He was a dog with a bone, all business and seriousness. She
liked it, even though she knew he should be resting.

The muscles in her abdomen tensed as she laid out the
components for their lunch. “More than I have money for right now. I’ll have to
wait for Kellie to cut my last check.”

“Use our bank account.”

Sammi had given her a debit card she’d promptly tossed in a
kitchen drawer. They might be married, but she didn’t want to rely on him for
money. She hadn’t needed it, but her bank account was getting low and rent was
coming due on her apartment.

“What’s that face for?” he asked as he dragged one of the
barstools over to the island.

“Trying to remember where I put the card.” She pulled a
drawer open at random and glanced inside. Empty. Half the storage in the
kitchen was unused still.

“Remember? What have you been using then?” His brow
furrowed.

“My money,” she replied slowly, taking intense interest in
slathering bread with butter and stacking it with all the things Sammi liked
best.

“You haven’t used the account at all?”

“No.”

“Well, why not?”

“Because I have money. And I had a job.” She set one
sandwich aside and started the other.

He didn’t speak for a moment and she hunched her shoulders.
Autumn hated the need to rely on someone else for her well-being. Hated, with a
capital
H
.

“I’m not going to fight you on this, but you can use that
account for whatever. I guess I should have realized the balance wasn’t going
down. Think about it at least?”

“Sure.” Autumn nodded and finished putting the sandwiches
together.

Sammi moved between her and the counter, taking her face in
his hands. She didn’t meet his gaze, but felt the words he wasn’t saying as if
they were invisible fingers caressing her skin.

He wanted to take care of her. Give her something he
perceived as being better than what she had. All while building something new
that wouldn’t last.

Sammi kissed her forehead, her cheek and then her lips. She
leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and opening her mouth to
him.

It would be easy to let him take care of everything, but did
she dare go down that road? The last time she’d relied on someone else to take
care of her she’d wound up getting breast implants and losing her virginity.
What would the cost be this time? Could she afford to pay it?

* * * * *

Sammi clenched the arm of the recliner covered in plastic.
He didn’t think he would ever get used to the fiery sensation of the needle
running across his flesh.

“Breathe, Sammi, breathe.” Autumn’s breath was hot on his
arm. “Almost done, I swear.”

“You said that like half an hour ago,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, well, that was before you answered your phone.” She
chuckled and swiped the area she was working on with a paper towel soaked in
green soap, a sterilizing solution used by medical professionals and tattoo
artists to disinfect skin.

Though they’d purchased all the furniture she’d need to set
up her shop, getting tattooed in his recliner was about the best thing ever. He
got to prop his feet up, watch a recorded baseball game and spend a little time
with his woman. Except his arm fucking burned.

He couldn’t make out the full design, but it was
predominantly black with little hints of color.

“Tell me when it’s over.” Sammi shut his eyes and leaned his
head against the back of the chair.

Just a few more minutes
, he chanted.

The minutes dragged on, but at least the pain in his arm was
something he could identify and explain. The rest of him was a mystery. Some
days he felt fine, others were agony. He didn’t know if life was worth living
this way, except then he’d see Autumn.

Sammi peered at her from the corner of his eye. She wore her
glasses, her lip caught between her teeth, totally concentrated on him.

If she could go on, so could he. For a little while longer.

“All done,” she proclaimed.

“Finally.”

“Don’t move yet.” She laid the machine down on the TV tray
she’d set up as her work station and proceeded to clean up the tattoo, wiping
away excess ink and blood. “Okay, go take a look.”

Sammi pushed out of the chair and headed for the master
suite, Autumn close on his heels. He stepped into the bathroom and froze,
standing sideways so he could get the full impact of the tattoo. Autumn wrapped
her arms around his waist, cheek against his shoulder, smiling.