Sucker Punch (TKO #4) (16 page)

Chapter 32

Austin

Paige’s mom hugs me one more time as we inch closer to the front door. Darla has already said her goodbyes and she’s currently involved in a bowl of ice cream. Something about this dinner tonight has truly eased my mind. I had already told myself I was definitely okay with Paige having a kid, but meeting her parents and seeing them all interact, well, it made me want to be a part of it all. If this isn’t fate slapping me upside the head, then I don’t know what is.

So much has changed in my life over a short period of time and the changes are nothing less than welcome right now. I can honestly say I am happy with where I am in life, even if I only have one arm.

Paige and I walk to the car and as we both sit and buckle our seatbelts, she turns to face me. “So, do you want to stay the night with me?”

I notice her voice is a little shaky. She’s not used to this at all and it’s pretty damn cute. “If you want me to.”

“I asked, didn’t I?” She looks at me before she puts the car in reverse. Her eyes are sparkling and in this moment, I really want to kiss those soft, plump lips of hers, but I contain myself.

“You did, and I’m telling you yes.” I grin.

Relief washes over her face. My guess is she didn’t think I was really going to say yes. Why wouldn’t I, though? “Seriously, Austin?”

“What?”

“You could have just said yes.” She laughs.

“Where’s the fun in that? Drive, woman, I’m ready to kiss you.” I point in the direction she’ll be heading.

Her laughter fills the inside of the car and I laugh alongside her. She just may be the perfect woman for me.

She turns up the radio a little as we drive to her apartment. A damn Taylor Swift song comes on and I groan at about the same time she starts singing along. Her head whips in my direction and she glares at me.

“Eyes on the road, Paige!” I slightly raise my voice. Her eyes widen and quickly shift back to the road. I feel like an ass, I shouldn’t have done that. “I’m sorry, babe, I just get a little nervous since my accident.”

“No, I’m sorry. It was just a reaction to look over at you. I didn’t know if my singing was terrible or something.”

“No, that’s not it at all. Actually, it’s kinda a funny story. Lance is obsessed with Taylor Swift and she’s all he talks about sometimes. He drives me a little crazy with it all, that’s why I groaned,” I explain.

“Oh.” She chuckles. “Well, that explains it. I’m sorry for scaring you. I promise to keep my eyes on the road from now on.”

“Have I told you you’re the best?”

“You just did.” She smiles as she pulls into the apartment complex.

I open the door and get out following her. She unlocks the door and we both walk inside. My first thought is to wrap my arm around her and consume her completely but I watch as she grabs two cans of soda from the refrigerator.

“I’d offer you a beer, but I don’t have any,” she says, handing me a drink.

“It’s okay, I probably would have declined it anyway,” I tell her.

“Really? A guy who turns down beer?” She chuckles as she pops the top on her can.

“Okay, I probably would have taken it. Come here.” I set the drink down after I take a sip and beckon her closer.

She inches closer to me and when she’s close enough, I finally wrap my arm around her and crush my lips against hers. My dick instantly grows hard. I try to keep it hidden but it’s literally pressing against her thigh. Her soft moan as we kiss nearly sends me over the edge. I want her and I want her now. I miss having both arms because I just want to pick her up and set her on the counter. Instead, I break the kiss and gaze into her barely open eyes. “Let’s go to your room.”

She grabs hold of my hand and slowly leads me to her bedroom. The light is off but the faint light from the moon guides us to her bed. Slowly, I lay her down, hovering my body over hers. I watch as her chest rises and falls with each breath she takes. I want this girl more than I’ve wanted anything in my life and she’s all mine. I lick my lips as I place my hand under the fabric of her top. Her bare skin is so damn soft. I continue to raise the shirt up and with a little help from her, it comes off.

“Take your bra off,” I whisper with a husky voice.

She sits up slightly and with one flick of her wrist, the bra falls to the bed and her bare breasts are revealed. “You’re so damn perfect,” I whisper as my mouth envelops one of them. She moans loudly. Damn, I love that sound.

Her hand reaches down to my jeans and she cups my dick. Fuck. I take my mouth off of her breast and remove my shirt before undoing the button of my jeans. I slide them off as quickly as I can. As I try to move back over her, she grabs my side and attempts to roll me onto my back. I comply and watch as she slides her pants off and climbs on top of me. She slides down until her mouth is hovering over my dick. She opens and slowly takes me in. I moan as her mouth begins sliding over the length of my cock. This feels too damn good and I’m afraid I’m going to come in just a moment. It doesn’t take long before I can feel my balls tightening. Her mouth is fucking heavenly.

“Paige, baby I’m about to come,” I tell her in case she doesn’t swallow. She doesn’t move, though, and as I begin to ejaculate, she drinks every ounce of me.

She sits up, licking her lips. Fuck, I may blow a load again if she keeps doing that. I’m trying to catch my breath; she really worked me over. She slides her body forward, inching closer to me, but stops. “Do you have a condom?”

“I do, it’s in my wallet.”

She moves over so I can sit up and grab my jeans. I reach into my wallet and grab the condom, ripping it open with my teeth. I slide it on and move towards her when she asks me to lie back down. She’s so beautiful, I’d be a fool to tell her no. She hovers over me again as she guides my cock inside of her. I moan as she lowers herself onto me.

She begins to move her body up and down, tossing her head back as she finds her rhythm. I’m not ready but damn she’s going to make me. Before I can come, I grab her by the waist and raise her off of me. It’s her turn to be on her back. With the condom still on, I lower my body and bury my face between her legs. She’s so fucking wet and I love it. She moans loudly with every flick of my tongue.

I stop for a second and almost laugh when I hear her groan. “You’re all mine, Paige,” I tell her.

“Yes,” she moans. “I want you, please.”

“I like it when you beg,” I tell her as I begin to finger her. “Tell me how much you want me.”

I must hit the right spot because as she gets ready to speak, her words are replaced with moans. “Tell me, Paige. I’ve got all night.”

She finally speaks. “I want you so bad.” I remove my fingers and bury my face again.

She screams my name as she comes. She’s writhing in the bed but I maintain control over her legs, keeping her still as I lick her. When I finally stop, she’s panting for her next breath.

“You want more?” I ask her.

She nods. “Yes.”

“My mouth or my cock?” I raise my eyebrow.

“Your cock,” she whispers. I sit up and move close enough to drive my cock into her.

It doesn’t take long before we are both utterly exhausted, lying on top of each other. I don’t want to go to sleep. I just want to lie here with her. I only get up once to throw the condom away and wash up. After that, we just lie entangled in each other.

I listen to her breathe as I play with her hair. “Paige?”

“Yeah?” She looks up at me.

“If I told you I love you, would that scare you?”

“I thought it would, but no,” she replies.

“Because it’s true, I love you,” I tell her. “You don’t have to say it back right now. I just need you to know how I feel. Love is a big deal for me, it’s not a word I throw out there. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever genuinely been in love.”

“Why me, then?” Paige asks.

“Of course, you’re a woman. I should have known you’d ask something like this.” I chuckle. “You’re everything to me, Paige. I knew I felt something for you that day in the hospital and well, something brought us back together. You accept me for who I am.”

“You definitely make me feel better than I have in a long time,” she tells me. “I haven’t felt this way about anyone since Darla’s dad.”

“Did you love him?” I ask her.

She nods. “I did. So yeah, I guess you could say I do love you.”

“You guess?” I raise my eyebrow.

“What I should have said is, I know,” she corrects herself.

I pull her closer and kiss her long and hard. My dick starts getting hard again, but I disregard it. I just want to kiss and hold her right now.

Chapter 33

Paige

Love. What a crazy word. Being in love can be great, but then it can be lethal. The love Brendan and I had turned lethal but this love with Austin, right now it’s great and I hope it stays that way.

My alarm just went off, reminding me I have to work this morning. It’s a little after five in the morning and I’m utterly exhausted. Austin and I didn’t go to bed until about three in the morning. We stayed up just talking and getting to know each other a little better. Okay, so maybe we didn’t just talk. There were several more times we made love. I asked about his family and he told me how his parents sent him down here to get away from the path he was going down. The last time he saw his mom was at the hospital for his accident.

I slowly climb out of bed, trying not to wake him just yet, but I nearly jump when I notice he’s looking at me. “Morning, beautiful.”

“Morning, did I wake you? I wasn’t trying to,” I tell him.

“No, you didn’t. Truth is, I haven’t been able to sleep. I’ve been awake off and on since you fell asleep.” He climbs out of bed and puts his jeans and shirt back on. Man, I was really enjoying the view.

“Do you want some coffee?” I offer as I put on a clean pair of scrubs. I toss my hair into a messy bun and begin to walk towards the kitchen.

“Oh, that sounds amazing,” he sighs, following me.

I get the coffee brewing, then walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth and finish getting ready. When I get back into the kitchen, Austin has two coffee cups filled and waiting. I notice he’s already put the creamer inside.

“Thank you,” I tell him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He turns to where our lips meet.

“You’re welcome, baby.” He grins as he grabs his cup.

I bring the cup to my lips and enjoy the savory taste of the coffee. This is one of those mornings I wish I had the day off to just lie in bed with him a little longer. I glance at the clock and remember I need to drop him off before I can go to work. We finish our coffee and then I reach for my keys.

“I wish I didn’t have to work today,” I groan as we talk towards the front door.

“I wish you didn’t have to either. I was so comfortable holding you,” he tells me.

I double check and make sure everything is locked before heading to the car. The ride to his apartment is quiet. We’re both exhausted. I just hope this day goes by quickly so I don’t have time to think about how tired I really am. I pull up into his apartment complex and sadness takes over me. I’m really not ready to see him go.

He unbuckles his seatbelt and leans over to kiss my cheek. “I had a great night with you. I can’t believe it’s already time for me to be home.”

“I know, it went by way too fast. It’s not fair.”

“I love you, Paige. I hope you have a good day.” He smiles like a kid despite my frown.

“I love you too,” I reply boldly. “You going to the gym today?”

“I am. I’ve got that match coming up so I need all the practice I can get. They’ll probably kick my ass easily today,” he jokes.

“Just be careful.”

“I always am,” he tells me as he opens the door to get out. “I’m going to lie back down for another hour or so. I doubt I will even fall back asleep.”

“Well, maybe you should try to catch a little nap before the gym. Call me later, okay?”

He leans back into the car and kisses me one more time. “Of course I will.”

I watch as he closes the door and heads towards his apartment. I miss him already and I just dropped him off. Already in the back of my mind, I’m counting down the minutes until I get to see him again.

***

I drive up to the hospital, barely able to hold back a yawn. I’m going to need lots of coffee today. I don’t regret last night, though, not for a single second. My phone rings and I notice Brendan’s name. What is he calling this early for?

“Hello?” I answer as I turn my car off.

“Hey Paige, what are you doing?” Brendan asks me.

“I just got to work. Is everything okay?” It’s weird he’s calling me this early in the morning, especially since he knew Darla was staying the night with my parents.

“I need to talk to you about something important.” His voice sounds shaky, but I could also be thinking this because of how tired I am.

“What is it?”

“I’m having open heart surgery today,” he whispers.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” I’m suddenly wide awake. No way did I just hear him correctly.

“My heart has been monitored. I, uh have some arteries that need to be replaced.”

“Brendan, why are you just now telling me this?” I’m horrified.

“I didn’t want you to worry, plus I’m going to be at your hospital. It’d be kind of odd for you to run into me and I kept this from you. I’ve put you and Darla through enough hell over the past few years.”

“This is why you had a change of heart, isn’t it?” I ask him. “This is why you decided to be in her life?”

“Going through this made me realize I need to straighten my life out and I’m glad I did. I hate it took something bad happening to me to learn this. I was just going to have the surgery and tell you later, but I decided you needed to know before.”

“The surgery is today?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll check on you when you get to ICU, okay?” I tell him. I’ll make it a point to go in his room.

“Okay. Just, say a prayer for me, because I’m scared.”

Brendan has never been scared of anything in his life, so hearing him say that brings a tear to my eye. “I will, Brendan. You’ll be fine. This hospital has the best doctors.”

“Thanks, Paige. If something happens to me, Darla is my beneficiary. I changed my will the other day.”

“Brendan, don’t talk like that.”

“I’ll let you get to work. I guess I’ll see you later?” He’s quick to change the subject.

“Of course you will.”

I hang up the call and stare blankly ahead. How am I supposed to function today when the father of my daughter is going to be undergoing heart surgery in the same hospital I’ll be in?

I walk inside and go straight to the breakroom. Nora is already here, big surprise. She notices my ashen face and comes immediately to my side.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“I don’t know,” I reply blankly. I begin to explain the phone call from Brendan to her. Her jaw drops much like mine did when he told me.

“Holy shit. Well, keep me posted on him.”

“I will. I’m going to keep an eye out for when he gets to ICU.” I tell her as I place my things in my locker.

I walk numbly to my area and begin my walkthrough. Half of the day my mind is solely on Brendan and his surgery. I had been wondering what made him suddenly come around, and now it makes perfect sense. I keep praying the surgery goes well and he’ll be okay. Darla just met her daddy and she loves him so much.

My shift is almost over and I notice he hasn’t been moved over here yet. I don’t know how long that surgery lasts, but in the back of my mind I keep thinking he should have been in here by now. I walk up to the head nurse and begin to ask her questions, and when she raises her eyebrow in concern of why I’m curious, I explain.

She grabs the phone and dials an extension. She talks for a moment, then gets placed on hold. I watch as her lips press together and she nods. She says something quickly, then hangs up the phone. She looks down before meeting me with sad eyes. My eyes widen and I already know what she’s going to say, but I can’t help but ask.

“I-is he okay?”

“He didn’t make it, Paige,” she whispers. “His heart wouldn’t start back up.”

Tears blur my eyes and my knees give out beneath me. No, this can’t be fucking happening. What the hell am I supposed to tell Darla now? The head nurse kneels beside me and holds me as I cry.

All the hell he put me through and all the hate I had for him suddenly vanishes. None of that matters anymore. He made a complete turnaround and things were going so good, too good, and now even that is gone. There’s no way I can face my daughter today. I can’t break her heart.