CHAPTER25
Kim’s eyes fluttered open. Light was streaming through the curtains. She stretched, then sat up, looking around her room. The other side of the bed was empty, but the crinkled sheets confirmed he’d stayed. She paused to listen and heard the faint sounds of movement in her kitchen.
Swinging her legs around, she lowered her feet to the floor and stood. Her brain felt full of fog. She glanced at the clock to see how late it was and was shocked to see it was after eleven. She’d slept for nine hours. That wasn’t like her. A solid seven and she was good to go.
After another good stretch, she threw on a robe and crossed the hall to the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face, brushed her teeth, and took care of business before going in search of Justin.
The smell of coffee hit her and her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten anything since before they’d gone to Serpent’s Kiss.
He heard her and glanced up from where he sat at her kitchen table. He was dressed in different clothes than he’d worn the night before. She frowned. Hadhe gone home last night? “You changed?”
Justin looked down at his clothes, then back at her. “I keep a change of clothes in my trunk in case I get grease on them. I never know when I need to be presentable in front of a client.”
“Oh. Okay.” She padded to the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee.
The sound of a chair scraping across the floor was followed by the feel of him behind her. His breath tickled her ear. “You thought I left?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t think so, but then I saw your clothes.”
He turned her around to face him. “I wasn’t going to leave you alone last night.”
Suddenly, coffee wasn’t as important as feeling his arms around her. She collapsed into him, circling her arms around his waist. “Thank you. I’m so glad you were there with me last night, even though we had to keep our distance.”
He rested his cheek on her head and held her close. “Ali’s right. We aren’t going to be able to hide our relationship for much longer.”
“We said we’d give it a month.” She met his gaze. “It’s only three more weeks.”
She saw something flash across his face, but it was gone too fast for her to get a read on what he was thinking. He kissed the tip of her nose and took a step back. “I made breakfast.”
It was then she noticed the eggs and sausage on the stove. “It smells good.”
Kim twisted to get a mug from the cabinet and resumed getting her coffee. The caffeine hit her tongue and she sighed. After a few sips, the fog dissipated and she could think clearly again.
As she sat down with her eggs and sausage, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d upset Justin with her response. Was he ready to announce to her family that they were together? Did he no longer care about Mark and her parents finding out? Was she?
After her brother’s reaction last night, Kim was afraid of how he was going to take the news. She was hoping since he knew Justin, trusted him, that it wouldn’t be bad, but she wasn’t holding her breath.
She took a few bites of her food, making her stomach happy. “Does Mark know about you being a Dom?”
Justin set down his coffee. “Yes.”
Pressing her lips together, she met his gaze. The food she’d already eaten began to churn in her stomach. “How much does he know?”
“Enough to want to kick my ass when he finds out you’re my submissive.”
She wanted to disagree about Mark’s likely reaction, but she knew Justin was right. It wouldn’t be the first time her brother had laid someone out on her behalf. He’d done it once before when they were in high school. She’d been a freshman and one of the senior football players had cornered her in the hall outside the boys’ locker room. She’d been there waiting on Mark to drive her home. Her brother had come out to find Toby Green snaking his slimy hand up her shirt right there in the hallway. Mark had broken Toby’s nose and gotten suspended for a week. He’d viewed it as a win, though, because Toby hadn’t bothered her again after that.
Kim finished the rest of her breakfast and her coffee. “I’m gonna call Mom and check in.”
“I’ll clean up.” He stood and went to the sink and began rinsing the dishes.
Making her way out of the kitchen, she realized her phone was still in her coat. Rushing over to the closet, she fished her phone out of her coat pocket and saw she had three missed calls. One was from her mom, one from Ali, and one from her brother.
Crap.
Taking her phone into her bedroom, she dialed her mom first.
“Good morning, honey.” Her mom sounded tired.
“Is Dad okay?” Kim asked, concerned something may have happened overnight.
She could hear movement through the phone before her mom answered. “Nothing much has changed since you and your brother left last night. The surgeon came in to see him early this morning. They’ve scheduled the surgery for this afternoon at three o’clock.”
Kim glanced at the clock again. It was noon already. “I’ll be there soon. Did you want me to pick up anything on the way?”
“Would you mind swinging by the house and bringing me a change of clothes?”
“Sure.” Kim glanced at herself in the mirror and ran a hand through her hair. She should have taken a brush to it earlier. “Did you want me to grab anything specific?”
“Just a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a sweater. It’s been a little chilly in at times.”
“No problem.” Kim picked up her brush and began dragging it through her hair. “What about food? Have you eaten anything?”
“I had a muffin and some fruit this morning from the cafeteria.”
“That had to be hours ago, Mom. I’ll pick you up a sandwich on my way.” She reached for a tie to pull her hair back. “I should be there before one.”
“Don’t rush. Your dad and I are just watching some television while we wait.”
After saying goodbye to her mom, Kim removed a pair of jeans and a sweater from her closet and grabbed a bra and underwear from the dresser. She put her phone on speaker after dialing Ali’s number and began getting dressed.
Her friend answered on the second ring. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” Kim stepped into her jeans and pulled them up her legs and over her hips. She told Ali about her dad’s surgery and that she would be heading to the hospital soon.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Ali asked.
Kim retrieved her most comfortable shoes and sat on the edge of her bed to put them on. “I don’t know how long the surgery is going to last. Don’t you have to work tonight?”
“I called Katrina this morning and let her know what was going on. She knows I might not be there.”
Justin appeared in the doorway as Kim finished tying her shoes. “Was she upset?”
Her friend snorted. “No. Of course not. Why would she be upset?”
“I don’t know.” Kim didn’t really know Mistress Katrina that well, but the woman intimidated the hell out of her.
“What time are you heading to the hospital?” Ali asked.
“Soon. I have to stop at Mom and Dad’s first and get Mom a change of clothes. Then I told her I’d stop and get her a sandwich.”
“I’ll stop and get some lunch for all of us. You just worry about the clothes,” Ali said.
Kim’s gaze met Justin’s. He was leaning casually against the frame of her door. “Thanks.”
Disconnecting the call, she lowered the phone into her lap. He strolled into the room and sat down on the bed beside her. “How’s your dad?”
“His surgery is at three. I need to pick Mom up a change of clothes, and then I’m going to head to the hospital.”
He nodded. “Your brother just called me. Asked if I knew where you were because you weren’t answering your phone.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him you were probably either sleeping or on your way to the hospital.” Justin sighed. “I don’t like lying to him.” He paused. “To any of them.”
“It’s only a little longer. We still don’t know if it’s gonna work between us.” As soon as she said it, she regretted the words, but it was too late. They were out there, and she couldn’t take them back.
His gaze lingered on her face before he averted his eyes and stood.
Kim knew she’d hurt him, and it tore her up inside. She felt as if she’d been punched in the gut. “I didn’t mean—”
Justin held up his hand. “I know.”
Not willing to let it go, she went to him. “No, you don’t.”
He looked at her and she could see that same look in his eyes again. It was a mix of sadness and hurt. She knew she had to fix it. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to be with him.
Circling her arms around his neck, she pulled herself up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his. He placed his hands on her waist, holding her to him. “I want us to be together. For so long I’ve dreamed about being yours and the reality is so much better than any of my fantasies.” She licked his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue. “But this thing between us isn’t that simple.”
She felt his cock growing against her belly and her body was warming, preparing for him. But they didn’t have time for that. Not now. Still, she wasn’t willing to let him think she wasn’t sure about them.
“You deserve someone who can be everything you need and I’m still not sure I can.”
He frowned and she knew what was coming. “You’re submissive. You just need time and training.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe.” He crushed her against his body and kissed her hard, holding the back of her head. “If we didn’t need to get to the hospital, I’d show you exactly what I mean, but that would take more time than we have. Plus, I don’t want your brother getting any ideas and showing up on your doorstep.” He kissed her again. This time, she could feel it all the way down to her toes. “Go to the hospital. Be there for your family.”
“You’re not coming?” she said when he stepped back, putting distance between them.
“I told your brother I’d be there around two.”
Kim nodded. They needed to talk more, but he was right. This wasn’t the time.
Justin hated to leave her, but it couldn’t be helped. Unless they were going to make their relationship public, they had to arrive separately and act as if they weren’t more than longtime acquaintances. It fucking sucked.
Mark wasn’t exactly in the best mood when he’d called Justin that morning. A night of sleep hadn’t helped to calm his friend down. When he’d caught up to him at the hospital, Mark told him about the marks on Kim’s back. He was convinced they weren’t from her leaning up against something as she’d told him...that instead, someone had done something to her. It was an awkward conversation where Justin felt like he was dodging arrows aimed directly at him.
After kissing Kim goodbye and promising to see her at the hospital, he drove back to his house, showered, and changed again. He didn’t really need to take a shower, but it was something to pass the time and it kept him from dashing off to the hospital.
Kim wanted to stick to their original agreement and even if it killed him, he’d respect her wishes. She said it was her uncertainty about being a good submissive for him, and even though he believed her, it still hurt. He was tired of hiding. He’d been burying his feelings for her for too long already. They could never get that time back.
At one-forty-five, Justin arrived at the hospital and sent a text to Mark. Hey, man. I’m here.
In Dad’s room. -Mark
Justin pocketed his cell phone and made his way to the elevator. The ride up to the sixth floor was slow. He stood toward the back of the elevator as people entered and exited on their way to see patients. By the time he reached Davis’s room, Mark, Kim, and Belinda were all standing out in the hall.
Concern that something may have happened caused his chest to clench. “Hey.”
Kim’s gaze met his and Justin ached to hold her. It had been less than two hours, but the worry was etched on her face. He almost said screw it, but he held back because he knew that was what she wanted.
Belinda embraced him, and he held tight to the woman who had been a second mother to him. “Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He released her and met Mark’s gaze. “How is he?”
“They’re prepping him for surgery. We’re going to follow him down to pre-op, and then it’s a waiting game.” Mark looked calm on the surface, but he knew his friend better than most. He was worried.
Any additional conversation was cut short when the orderly rolled Davis into the hall. Justin hung back, letting Belinda, Mark, and Kim go first. They all made their way down to the second floor, where they were forced to say goodbye to Davis and were directed to a nearby waiting room.
The surgery would take one to two hours, so they had time to kill. Ali texted Kim not long after they got to the waiting room and Kim went to meet her friend and bring her to join the rest of the group.
It was a long two hours. Ali stayed by Kim’s side and Justin kept an eye on Mark as he hovered over his mom.
“Mom.”
Belinda looked over at her daughter, then followed Kim’s gaze across the room. Davis’s doctor ambled toward them, looking relaxed. Mark must have noticed it too because he felt some of the tension ease from his best friend.
The doctor approached all of them and they stood. “Everything went well. He’s being moved to recovery, and once he’s awake, they’ll take him back to his room.”
“When can he come home?” Belinda asked.
“If all goes well tonight, he should be able to go home tomorrow. He’ll have to take it easy for a few weeks, but everything should heal just fine.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Mark extended his hand to the surgeon.
The doctor shook Mark’s hand and nodded. “You might want to take this time to get some dinner. He’ll be in recovery for at least an hour.” He looked directly at Belinda. “We have your number if we need to get ahold of you.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Mark said. The doctor walked away, and he turned his attention to his mother. “Come on, Mom. Let’s get you something to eat.”
Justin thought she was going to argue—it hadn’t been that long since they’d eaten the sandwiches Ali had brought—but she nodded and gathered her things to leave. They didn’t end up going far. One of the nurses had recommended a restaurant within walking distance from the hospital.
They were seated at a round table, so Justin made sure to take a seat next to Kim. Ali sat on her other side, next to Belinda. It wasn’t as if they were close, but he felt better knowing Kim was at least within reach.
Mark sat on his other side, keeping a very close eye on his sister. Now that they knew his father was going to be okay, Mark’s attention returned to Kim. Instead of addressing her, though, his gaze fell on Ali. “We haven’t seen you that much lately.”
“Life has been a little crazy. Work is keeping me busy. And, of course, my mom was in town for a while.”
Belinda took a drink of her water. “Has she moved out already?”
Ali shook her head. “Not yet. She met the love of her life.” She made quote marks with her fingers. “At a bar on Wednesday night and he’s going to take her on a road trip to see The Grand Canyon. She wants to make love under the stars. They’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Davis and I went there before you kids were born.” The look on Belinda’s face said more than her words.
“Mom!”
“Way to go,” Ali said with a grin.
Mark scrunched up his nose. “Ew, Mom.”
Justin chuckled. “I think it’s great.”
“Yes, well...”
Luckily, the server arrived with their meals and everyone focused on their food. When the conversation picked up again, it changed to Davis’s recovery. He was going to need help getting around for a while. A plan was made to cover showers, dressing, and keeping up with things around the house. Even though Justin and Ali weren’t technically members of the Langley family, they’d both eagerly jumped in to offer to do their part.
Kim laid her fork down on her plate and pushed away from the table. “I’m gonna hit the bathroom before we head back.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Justin stood and followed her to the front of the restaurant. As soon as they disappeared around the corner, he reached for her hand and squeezed. She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder for a few seconds.
They walked the rest of the way to the restrooms holding hands, separating at the last minute. He waited until she went into the ladies’ room before ducking into the men’s.
He was washing his hands when Mark strolled into the bathroom. “Something’s going on with Kim and I think you know what it is.”