Silken Desires (3 page)

Jonathan and Linda trekked around the
airport looking for Roxi. He was supposed to give her a ride home,
but they couldn’t find her. After trying to call her phone and
texting her, he gave up thinking she went off on her own. They
stopped to get an order of food to go, and planned to grab a table
overlooking the runways while they ate.

Heading away from the restaurant, they
noticed a commotion off to one side of the hallway. The medics
pushed their way through the crowd when Linda heard on someone’s
radio that there was an injured woman from the flight they just
departed. “Oh, I need to go see what’s happened.”

Jonathan led her through the crowd and he
couldn’t believe what he saw. Roxi vomited and when she lifted her
head he saw her battered face. “What the hell?” He pushed away from
Linda and made his way toward her.

“Roxi, what happened to you?” He stood
nearby while she hunched over leaning on her knees.

“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to step
back.” An older woman, one of the medics, ushered him away.

“She’s with me. I’m her ride home.” He
didn’t take his eyes off Roxi.

“Then maybe you can give us some history on
her injury. Do you know what time this happened exactly?” The woman
held her notepad, a pen in hand, and ready to write.

“No, no I can’t answer that. We got
separated and I’m just now finding her. I didn’t know she got
hurt.” He shook his head over the fact that he hadn’t been there
for her. Instead he was with Linda, and that made his gut twist in
anxiety.

“All right, well, we’re going to need to get
her to the hospital and have her checked out. She’s showing signs
of a concussion.” The lady handed him a business card. “This is
where we’ll be taking her. You can meet us there.”

He wanted to tell Roxi he would meet her
there, but she puked into a bucket while Sherry held her hair out
of the way and rubbed her back. That should’ve been him helping
her. He realized he had been foolish, and anger toward himself
boiled through his veins.

“Yes, yes. I’ll be there.” He shoved away
from the crowd and headed to the door for the parking area, but he
froze before exiting the building. Turning around to look for
Linda, he spotted her where he last left her, and he gave a shrug
of his shoulders. She waved her hand indicating he should go.

Jonathan and Roxi had parked in the
long-term lot which was a far distance to walk, but it would take
even longer to wait for the shuttle service to bring him to his
car. He picked up his pace and practically ran to the lot. He
arrived out of breath, but that didn’t deter him from digging in
his carry-on bag for the keys. He wanted to get to Roxi as quickly
as possible.

He drove as fast as he could without getting
pulled over by the police. Pulling off the worst park job ever, he
ran into the hospital and immediately went to the information desk.
They sent him to a waiting area while the doctor examined her, and
said someone would be out to speak with him shortly.

Not a patient man, he paced back and forth
with his hands laced behind his head. He couldn’t figure out what
happened, and grew agitated with the thought that someone had
harmed her. But in a public place like the airport? Someone had to
have seen what happened.

Nearly forty-five minutes later, Sherry and
Dan appeared in the waiting room. Sherry came over to him and
patted his hand. “She’s definitely got a concussion. They’re
keeping an eye on her. They might keep her overnight for
observation, but she’ll be fine.”

“Do they know what happened to her?”
Jonathan’s voice waivered.

Sherry looked at her husband and he nodded.
“Tell the boy.” Dan’s voice sounded harsh, and came from a clenched
jaw. When Sherry hesitated, Dan jumped in. “Roxi tried taking her
bag out of the overhead compartment. It was too heavy for her, and
it fell on her.” Bitterness laced his voice.

Jonathan’s hand flew to his mouth. His
stomach churned, and he couldn’t have felt worse. Dan had every
right to take that tone with him. Hell, he would be beating himself
up over this for a long time to come. He sank down in a chair for
the first time since he got there. He put his face in his hands and
felt the urge to cry. How could he have totally forgotten her like
that? He knew when he put that bag in the overhead that she
wouldn’t have been able to get it down. He knew he needed to remove
it for her, and yet he just blew her off and left with Linda
without giving her a second thought.

He felt like shit, and made a silent vow to
help her get better. “Should I call Jake and Kristy?”

“No. Let them enjoy their honeymoon. Roxi
will be okay. They did a scan and there’s no bleeding, she just
bruised her noggin real good. Dan and I can take her home and look
after her for a few days.” Dan and Sherry linked arms.

Jonathan inhaled a deep shaky breath. “No
need, I’ll take her to her place and stay with her.”

I’m sure she’ll be more comfortable in her
own bed.” Jonathan ran his hand through his hair. “It’s the least I
can do. Besides you guys would have to take off of work. I don’t
have a schedule this week to be concerned with.”

“Are you sure?” Sherry asked.

“You aren’t going to leave her side are
you?” Dan used his protective Dom voice. The couple hadn’t known
Roxi long, but with her no-nonsense attitude, she had a way of
growing on people.

“I’m positive.” Jonathan gave a curt nod of
assurance.

“Very well.” Sherry’s brows furrowed. “I
think her own bed would do her some good. But watch her like a
hawk, and don’t let her do anything for a few days. You do
everything. Can you handle that?” The woman stared at him hard.

“Sherry, I can handle it. I promise. I’ll
call and let you know how she is tomorrow.”

“And the day after?” Sherry put a hand on
her hip.

“Yes, the day after, and the day after that
if you’d like.” He raised his eyebrows.

Sherry smiled at him. “I know you care for
her.” She sighed. “But I also know things aren’t great between the
two of you. If things don’t work out, please call me.”

“I will.”

Fifteen minutes later, Sherry and Dan walked
him to the door of Roxi’s room. Sherry stopped him before he went
in. “They only let us in because we arrived here with her. We told
them you two were a couple, lived together, and you’d be her
caregiver. So they’ll release her to you, you just need to show ID
and fill out some forms.” Her fingers wrapped around his arm and
gave a comforting squeeze. “Don’t turn the lights on. She is
sensitive to the brightness. Thanks Jonathan, take good care of
her.”

He nodded, hugged Sherry and shook Dan’s
hand. “I’ll make this right.”

Roxi couldn’t be sure where she was, other
than lying in a bed. All she knew, her head throbbed, and nausea
rolled through her stomach. In the dark room she could hear quiet
beeping from some sort of machines. Fatigue washed over her, and
all she wanted to do was sleep.

A door clicked open, and when she looked
toward the noise, a bright flash of light shot a bolt of pain
through her head. She flung her arm up over her face.

“Roxi baby, it’s me, Jonathan.” The door
closed, pitching her back into darkness. “You awake?”

Roxi groaned. “Jonathan?”

“Yes, I’m here.” He sat in the chair next to
her bed and took her hand. “I’m sorry. I—I didn’t mean for this to
happen. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you.” His hand tugged
hers gently, and his lips warmed her knuckles.

Relief washed over her; Jonathan was there,
she could hear his voice. A sleepy haze blanketed her, and her
heavy eyes closed.

“Is she okay to go home? She still seems out
of it.” A few hours later, Jonathan held Roxi’s release papers in
his hand. His nerves were in a bunch about her leaving the hospital
in her condition.

“She’s fine to go home, sir. I assure you.
We wouldn’t let her leave unless we knew she was all right.” The
nurse took Roxi’s hand to help her into a wheelchair.

“Then why the wheelchair?” He motioned
toward it.

“We give everyone a ride to their car when
they visit us. It’s hospital procedure.”

Jonathan nodded, and glanced over the
paperwork. “There sure are a lot of instructions for a bump on the
head.” His voice sounded uncertain, and he felt overwhelmed.

“Do you have any questions? I’d be happy to
go over them again with you.” The nurse looked at him with a
furrowed brow.

He held up the paperwork. “No, I’ll just
look these over every so often to make sure I don’t forget
anything.”

“You’ll do fine. I see how much you care for
her, and if you have any questions our phone number is at the
bottom of her discharge paper.” The nurse’s face relaxed and she
gave him a warm reassuring smile.

He brought the car around to the front door,
and the nurse helped him get Roxi into the car. Once buckled in, he
reclined the seat and she settled in, closing her eyes. It was
evening, but the lights under the overhang on the building were
bright.

He shook the nurse’s hand awkwardly. “Thank
you for everything.”

“It’s my job, no need to thank me. Just call
if you have any questions.”

During the drive home, he made sure to keep
things quiet. He turned off the radio and dimmed the lights on the
dashboard for her comfort. It was no surprise that when they
arrived at her place he found her asleep. Drowsiness was a symptom,
one he had to watch for.

Roxi lived upstairs in an apartment over her
brother’s gym. Jake and Kristy lived across the hall from her, but
since they were still on their honeymoon Jonathan needed to call
someone for help. He called Roy who thankfully worked the front
desk inside of the gym. Roy was Jake’s buddy and co-owner of the
gym.

“Jeez, what happened, Roxi?” Roy asked when
he saw her face illuminated by the interior overhead light of the
car. Jonathan shushed him and shook his head.

Roxi groaned, and shooed them away with her
hands, but they proceeded to help her out of the car anyway.

“Tell you later,” Jonathan said, quietly.
“Please help me get her upstairs to her place.”

On either side, they walked her through the
office and up the stairs. Once they reached her door, Jonathan
rustled the keys out of his pocket. He’d found them in her purse
back at the hospital.

In the apartment, they guided her to the
bedroom. Roy pulled back the covers and Jonathan sat her on the
edge of the bed. He knelt in front of her and removed her shoes,
and then lifted her legs onto the bed. He tucked her in and kissed
her forehead. She snuggled into her pillow with a small smile on
her lips.

“Can you watch her for a minute while I get
our luggage out of the car?” He pointed over his shoulder.

“Sure man, take your time. The gym is slow
tonight.”

To make one trip of it, he made sure he got
all of her things and all of his. His hands, arms, and shoulders
were full, but he managed. Once back in the apartment, Jonathan
called Roy out to the living room. They sat on a black leather
couch and he filled Roy in on everything from the wedding to the
hospital visit.

“That’s rough man, to have a great trip like
that marred by an accident.” Roy shook his head.

“Just lucky it wasn’t something worse, but I
take full blame.” Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Sounds like an accident. Those just happen.
No one’s to blame.”

Jonathan stood to go check on Roxi. “The
accident wouldn’t have happened if I stayed with her, like I
should’ve. I knew she needed help, but I was thinking with my dick,
and now she has to pay for it.”

***

“It’s gonna be all right. She’s tough and
will heal fast. You wait and see. Then the two of you can go back
to fightin’.”

Jonathan openly stared at him. “What?”

Roy lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “Don’t
look so surprised. I know you. I know her. You guys aren’t happy
unless you’re fightin’ one another.” He stood. “Anyway, been up
here long enough, I gotta get back downstairs. Call me if you need
anything.”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks, man.”

Roy was right, they did argue. A lot. Not so
much as children or teens even, but as adults they’d get into it
something nasty. They couldn’t help themselves, perhaps the two of
them were coming into their own, and fighting the fact that they’d
become different people, and in turn fighting each other.

A sly grin spread across Jonathan’s face as
he remembered the best thing about fighting with Roxi was the
make-up-fuck. Most people would have make-up-sex, but not them;
they would fuck like tomorrow didn’t exist. A strong primal need
between the two of them fueled it, and maybe that in its self was
the reason for all of the fighting.

And that’s exactly how they reunited after
she’d been gone for over a year. They went back to his place to
“talk”. They didn’t even make it beyond the front door and he had
her pinned against the wall. Hands over her head. Nipping and
biting her skin. She didn’t argue when he ripped her pants down and
shoved his hand between her legs. In fact, she moaned grinding her
hips into his palm, and he lost all interest in “talking”.

Jonathan had walked her over to the table in
the entryway and shoved the decorative items off to the floor. Then
he bent her over it smacking her ass hard. Pissed at her for
leaving, and yet so turned on at the sight of her. He wanted to
punish her then fuck her, and that’s exactly what he did.

Without any words spoken between the two of
them that day, they dressed and he drove her back to her brother’s
place in total silence.

They never did have
the
talk, but it
was about time they did. He headed to the bedroom with every
intention of discussing things.