Relentless (31 page)

Her head came up. “Hold me,” she panted. “Help me come.”

He didn't dare touch her. Not like this. He was so close to the edge.

“Please.” Her lips trembled.

No way he could ignore her plea. His hands shook when he brought them out from beneath his head and placed them reverently on the curves of her narrow waist.

If he thought it was torture before, it was a thousand times worse when she slid her hands over her breasts, playing with her nipples. Then she brought one hand down between her thighs to stroke the swollen flesh there. “Oh, God,” she whimpered, moving faster. “Rhys, you do it... ”

He could hardly breathe or see, but he instantly slid his hand between her legs and stroked his thumb over her wetness. She cried out and closed her eyes as she swayed above him, her expression a portrait of erotic bliss. The feel of her gloving him so tightly and the knowledge she derived so much enjoyment from his cock almost killed him.

Her supple body trembled with helpless, overwhelming pleasure when he caressed her. Sweating and shaking, he gripped her hips with his free hand and helped her with the motion, loving each breathless moan that tore out of her. But he couldn't stay still anymore.

Hanging on to the last vestiges of his control, he thrust up into her depths. Relief slid through him when she let her head fall back on a cry of rapture. He wasn't gentle, but at least the thrusts didn't have his full weight behind them, and she seemed to love it.

Above him, Neveah sobbed and moved faster, up and down in that mind-numbing glide while she played with her beaded nipples. Her soft cries got closer and closer together, all of her muscles drawing tight, her breathing choppy. Then her spine arched tight, her breasts jutting out as her orgasm hit, pulsing through her in waves that he felt in the inner muscles clenched around his cock. Her throaty cries of ecstasy almost took him over the edge with her.

When it was over, she brought her head up and eased down on him with a satisfied sigh. Her thighs trembled on either side of his hips as she gazed down at him, and the love in her eyes made him want to bury his face between her heaving breasts and never let go. Still wedged deep inside her, his cock strained painfully, swollen to bursting.

With a naughty smile, Nev rocked forward. Rhys gasped and clenched her hips, praying he wasn't hurting her. She licked her lips. “You feel so... ” Her eyes closed in enjoyment when she impaled herself on him, slick and tight. “Mmm, so good inside me... ”

The heavy-lidded, erotic look on her face almost destroyed him. She was still hot with arousal, reveling in it. Ready for more. He wanted to shake his head, beg her to stop, but he couldn't speak for the lump in his throat.

“Don't hold back,” she whispered above him, eyes devouring him exactly as they had in his fantasies. She moaned and sank down on him again, obviously loving the feel of his cock buried inside her. “You don't need to with me.”

A growl of denial shot out of him. She had no idea what she was saying. He wanted to flip her onto her back and drive into her so bad... Do things that were probably still illegal in most states of the Union.

Don't even think about it, asshole.

She kept rocking, bending down to capture his face in her hands, covering him with kisses soft as the brush of butterfly wings. To his horror, he felt the sting of tears in his eyes as the pleasure killed him.

Fuck, he was losing it, was going to explode. But she kept pumping, filling up every empty place in his soul with her love and tenderness. The orgasm built, pulling every muscle taut, his heart thundering in his chest. Agonizing pleasure intensified with every heartbeat, the friction of her body around his blasting through his restraint.

On a tortured roar, he threw his head back and came in wrenching spasms that went on forever, so hard the tears he'd struggled to hold back trickled from the corners of his eyes.

Completely shattered, he came back to earth and threw an arm over his face to allow himself a few minutes of privacy to collect himself. Nev wasn't having any of it, however, and pulled his hand away from his eyes. Her smile was so full of love and acceptance it made his heart turn over in his chest.

“You are the most amazing man I've ever met in my life.”

Rather than risk speaking, he grabbed her and brought her full length atop him, holding her as close and tight as he could without hurting her. She kissed the side of his jaw and sighed sleepily. Within minutes she was asleep, her whole body relaxed.

Savoring the warm weight of her in his arms, Rhys stared up at the ceiling. He was never going to be the same again.

Early Sunday morning

Nev's eyes flew open in the darkness, heart beating fast. As her gaze focused on the digital clock next to her, she remembered where she was. Oh, in the hotel room, with Rhys's warmth curled around her spine and hips. One of his hands was tucked tightly around her ribs, and the other was stroking the crown of her head. That's what had woken her.

“Rhys?” she whispered, pushing up onto her forearm and turning over. “What's the matter?”

“Nothing.” His voice was clear. Without a trace of grogginess, like he'd been awake for a while. Maybe he'd been awake the whole time.

She must have missed him taking a call. “Is it Luke? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Her brain was having trouble turning over. “Can't sleep?”

“Don't want to.”

Okay. So why had he woken her from a sound sleep then? He must have something on his mind. Rolling onto her side, she shifted so she faced him, their heads resting on the same pillow. “Why don't you want to?”

His caressing fingers moved over her face and throat. Her body began to heat up, a liquid warmth pooling low in her belly.

“I need to tell you something.”

Alarm rushed through her bloodstream, her heart skipping. “What? Did you get called out while I was sleeping?” She must have been nearly unconscious not to notice he'd taken a phone call.

“No.” His touch remained unhurried, almost reverent, and she felt the smile on his lips as he kissed her. Then he rolled her onto her back and came up over her on an elbow to smooth the hair back from her forehead. In the faint light seeping through the crack in the curtains, his expression was filled with adoration and tenderness. “I love you too.”

Her heart squeezed, then doubled its speed. “Oh... ” She couldn't believe he'd said it. Hearing those words was beyond her wildest hopes because she knew no other man could ever have been so sincere. Even if he'd said them because of everything that had happened, it didn't matter. He loved her, and he'd been lying there thinking about it all this time.

“Yeah. Thought I'd better tell you.”

A totally sappy smile spread across her face. “I'm glad you did.” Oh, man, she was going to cry... She cradled his face between her hands. “But maybe you should show me, just so I don't forget.”

His arms slid around her and gathered her up tight against the heavy muscles of his chest. “With pleasure.”

A few hours later once they crawled out of bed and got ready, Rhys drove her over to VGH to see Luke. She found him in the recovery room, already awake within twenty minutes of being sent there. He offered a smile when he saw her, the clarity of his eyes assuring her everything had gone well.

“You almost look like you're ready to get up,” she remarked, rounding the bed to stand at his shoulder and shake the hand he offered. His grip was warm and firm, but still careful, as though he didn't want to bruise her. Her smile widened. He wanted the world to think he was such a badass, and he was, but few people got to see his softer side. No wonder his ex-wife was still hung up on him. “Your color's good.”

“Feel great.”

“No blurred vision or dizziness?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Haven't gotten up yet, though.” His gaze strayed to the nurses busy doing paperwork over at their station.

Nev tucked her tongue beneath her lower lip for a moment. “Lemme guess. You tried and they gave you shit, right?”

His white teeth flashed, a devilish twinkle in his dark eyes. “Maybe.”

“Medical staff can be such a pain in the ass, huh?”

“Except you, of course.”

She raised a brow. “Don't you dare try to charm me. I'm immune.”

“Is that a fact?” His knowing gaze seemed to probe into her mind, and damned if she didn't respond to his intense stare with a tingle of feminine awareness.

Snickering, she shook a finger at him. “Okay, I'm mostly immune, to everyone but you and Rhys. Don't tell him, okay?”

“ ‘Course not, sugar. I'm a gentleman.”

“You're a charmer, and that's not the same thing.” She eyed his bandages. “I hear everything went as well as could be expected.”

“That's what the doc said. I'll be outta here in a day or two.”

His eyes were already bruising a bit underneath. “So long as you take it easy for a couple weeks after that, they might let you go.” His innocent expression made her want to roll her eyes. She glanced over at the nurses. “His vitals are good. You guys okay if I take him back upstairs?”

A young blond nurse waved her hand. “Go ahead. Try and get him to lie still if you can.” She returned to her paperwork with a muttered, “Good fricking luck.”

Neveah released the brakes and took her place at the head of his bed, then pushed him toward the elevator on the far wall while the wheels squeaked on the linoleum. Rhys had let her come down alone since he had an undercover cop stationed on every floor next to the elevator doors. After what had happened the night before, she was glad to know they were there. “Feeling nauseated at all?” she asked Luke.

“No. I'm good.”

She got him into the elevator and punched the number for the neurological floor. An elevator would be an ideal place to hide from a shooter, she decided. Just get the doors closed and take off so they couldn't reach you. Behind the steel doors, a person would be safe enough. Letting that strange thought go, she focused on Luke again. “Dec and Rhys are upstairs. Bryn's going to stay with you.”

He angled his head up to see her face. “Where's Emily?”

She might have imagined it, but she thought she detected anxiety in the question. “Ben picked her up to take her to the airport.”

“She flying home?”

“I'm not sure. Bryn will know.” Tense seconds ticked past while the elevator climbed to the neuro ward. She didn't know the whole story behind him and Emily, but there was definitely some strong, unresolved emotions there. For both of them. How many women would stay cramped up on a hospital pullout so their ex-husband wouldn't be alone?

The elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Nev swung the gurney around and pushed Luke back to his room, catching a whiff of food as they passed the kitchen. “Looks like we can get you some breakfast if you're feeling up to it.”

“Good Christ, no. I'd rather go hungry than eat that crap.”

“Oh come on, don't be a baby. Some oatmeal or cream of wheat would taste just fine, and I'm sure you've had way worse than whatever the cooks here can dish out.”

Dec and Rhys were talking outside Luke's room and stopped the instant they saw them.

“Hey, look who's back from the dead,” Dec said, holding the door open.

Luke held up a good-natured middle finger as they passed by.

Inside, Bryn set down her paperback and greeted him with a bright smile. “You look fantastic! I wasn't sure what shape you'd be in when they brought you up.”

“Did Emily fly home?”

Bryn faltered for a moment at the jarring change of subject, and met Neveah's eyes before looking at him again. “Yes. Ben drove her to the airport so she wouldn't miss her flight. She'd already delayed it once because she refused to leave until she knew you were going to be okay. She asked me to give you this back,” she added, holding out what looked like a gold chain and medallion in her palm.

Luke went still a moment, then muttered, “Ah, shit,” under his breath before taking it from her.

Nev took a step toward him. “What's wrong?” His expression was almost defeated, as though he'd just lost a battle or something. Obviously the jewelry was more significant than she realized.

“Nothing.” His fingers were clumsy as he fastened the chain around his neck, and he pinned Bryn with a meaningful look. “Is everything okay with her?”

Again, Bryn's eyes darted over to her, this time for confirmation. “Uh, yeah. She's fine.”

Nev didn't know what to say.

Luke's gaze hardened. “If you know something, Bryn, you'd better tell me.”

Bryn's spine straightened and her hands clenched in her lap. “She... She had something to take care of.”

Nev processed the words in silence. That didn't sound good. Not at all.

“Dammit, tell me what the hell's going on,” Luke practically growled.

Bryn swallowed. “I-I'm not exactly sure. She said something about having her own... demons to face.”

Luke closed his eyes, and Nev's stomach dropped. Shit, it had to be bad. After the lengths Emily had gone to for Luke's sake, she would never have left him if it wasn't serious. What was it? Her health? Someone was threatening her?

God, could Tehrazzi know about her? Nev's stomach did a slow roll, but then Luke swallowed convulsively and started panting through his mouth like he was about to throw up.

“Whoa,” she said, grabbing a bowl from the table and holding it in front of him. He pushed it away.

“She didn't seem scared really,” Bryn quickly added, as though that was supposed to reassure him. “Just kind of... sad.”

More sad than she had been? Neveah pondered the possible causes for the hasty departure and the fact that Emily hadn't even told Bryn the real reason for it.

As the silence thickened and held between Luke and Bryn, Nev became uncomfortable. “I'll just let you two have some privacy,” she said, adjusting the IV pole before turning away.

“No,” Luke said, meeting her eyes. “Bring the guys in here, will you? I want to get an update.”

She exchanged another questioning look with Bryn. One glance at the other woman's face and Nev was certain Bryn knew what had happened to her at the hotel, but an update was the last thing Luke needed right now. Especially if he was stressed out about Emily.