I heard not only the heat and desire in his voice but also the concern. I fought to relax and ignore his body pressed against mine. I kept as still as possible. I could feel his hard cock pressing into my lower back. I didn’t know if I’d ever get a wink of sleep like this. He began to slowly rub my back and hip. As he did and I concentrated on it, my eyes grew heavy. I could feel my body relaxing more and more.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but I was almost over the edge into sleep when I felt his lips brush mine and he whispered, “Get some sleep, my hellion. I’m here. I’ll always be here.” It was the last thing I remembered before dropping off into dreamland.
I didn’t know how long I was asleep before the dreams started. In my head, all I could see was Daisy and the gun she had on Jessica. She was determined to get Jessica away from the compound. I knew just by looking in her eyes, that she was going to kill her and her unborn child. I couldn’t let that happen.
I’d been carrying a gun ever since I could remember. Even before I got my concealed carry at twenty-one, I’d had one in my car and at home, which was legal in Tennessee. To be honest, I’d have done it anyway. The world was too damn messed up not to, in my opinion.
I knew some people would frown on the idea of a doctor carrying a gun. Wasn’t it my job to save people, not take their lives? The answer was yes, unless taking their lives saved mine or someone else’s, then all bets were off. It was one thing I was so thankful I’d done when I turned eighteen. I’d gone and taken a gun safety class and even had a few lessons on how to shoot one. I wanted to be sure to be able to protect myself. I’d heard of women on my college campus being taken and raped. I didn’t want to be one of them. That’s why I had also taken self-defense courses for years.
Why I was recalling all this as I dreamed about Daisy, I had no idea. It was all rolled together in my head. I watched in slow motion as Daisy came to the decision to shoot Jessica right in front of us. The horror on the others’ faces was obvious, though I only saw it from my peripheral vision. I had eyes only for Daisy.
My purse was hanging down off my shoulder. Luckily, it hit about at my hip, so my hand was naturally close to the opening. I tended to keep it unzipped. Good thing because I knew I’d only have a second or two to pull and shoot if I could get her to look away.
I got that chance when Jocelyn started to yell and plead with Daisy. She’d looked over at Jocelyn and, in doing so, the gun had moved away from Jessica’s head. I didn’t wait or think. Instinct took over, and I slipped my hand into my purse. I drew and shot, almost all in one motion. I knew it would be a perfect shot. I’d practiced enough to ensure I hit what and where I wanted. I aimed for her head. I couldn’t go for a torso shot, since Jessica’s body blocked hers, and aiming for an arm could still get someone else shot.
As she fell to the ground, I struggled not to run over to her and render her aid. That was the doctor in me. However, no one was going to survive a nine-millimeter bullet to the frontal lobe of their brain, not at that distance.
I felt the anxiety growing as my mind started to worry. She was going to get back up and kill all of us. There were babies in this room. I tried to move, but my legs seemed to be rooted to the floor. To my horror, Daisy sat up. I opened my mouth and screamed to warn the others. I tried to lift my gun again, but my arm weighed a ton. I was going to be too late.
I came awake to Demon gently shaking me and calling my name. I gasped for air and my whole body shook. Sweat coated my body and my heart raced. It took me a moment or so before I realized I’d been screaming and fighting. I’d obviously called out and woken him up. I swallowed the bile at the back of my throat. Demon leaned over me with a look of distress on his face. I couldn’t deal with it or him right now. I sat up and threw back the covers.
“Where are you going, babe?”
“To the bathroom,” I told him curtly, as I went across the room and into my bathroom. I shut the door and locked it. I didn’t need a witness to what was going to happen. Maybe if I stayed in here long enough, he’d take the hint and leave. Yeah, not likely, but I could wish.
I turned on the shower and stripped. I felt sticky. As soon as I could stand the temperature, I got under the spray. At that point, I let the tears loose. I sobbed out my terror, pain, and sadness. I was able to stifle them enough, the water should drown them out. I didn’t want him to know I was crying.
As the tears increased and the shaking got worse, I sank down to sit on the bench in my shower. I hung my head and let them flow even more. Not only were they a reaction to Daisy, they were also the result of knowing this thing with Demon wasn’t going to work, whatever it was. Hell, we weren’t really anything, but God did I want us to be.
Hands lifting me up had me coming out of my pity party. I automatically lashed out. He stopped my blow with his hand. Demon stood there in all his naked glory, and he was tugging me into his arms.
“Baby, don’t cry. You did the right thing. She would have killed Jess and maybe more of you,” he whispered as he hugged me to him.
“Demon, what the hell? Get out of my shower. How did you get in here? I locked the fucking door!” I ranted. I needed to concentrate on something other than his nakedness against mine. Hell, my nipples were already hard from the brief contact with his chest. I pushed on his chest to get away, but it was like trying to push against a brick wall.
“That door is a joke. You need a better lock. I’m here comforting my woman. She’s had a terrible day. Let me help you with this.” His lips grazed my cheek. I pulled my head away more.
“This isn’t going to happen, Demon. Get out and let me finish my shower. You and I need to talk.” I gave him my sternest look. He looked at me for a couple of seconds, like he was contemplating whether to do it or not. I breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped back, only to catch that breath, as I saw all of him.
His body was that of a god. He was tall, muscular without being overly bulky. His chest and arms were covered in tattoos. His stomach was flat. He had at least an eight-pack, which led to his equally impressive cock. I tried not to look, but it was impossible not to with him standing there hard. He was more than average from what I could tell. Not that I had a lot of experience, but I was a doctor. His lips edged up into a smirk as he saw me looking at him.
“See anything you like, Doc?”
“No, I see someone who’s used to getting what he wants and leaving. Sorry, not interested. Now, please leave so I can finish my shower.”
He frowned as he turned and got out to dry off. His backside was just as impressive—wide shoulders, also tatted, trim waist, and an ass I itched to smack. It really was unfair to be that damn beautiful. I could see some scars here and there, but they did nothing to detract from his attractiveness. In fact, they enhanced it for me.
I fought to turn my back on him and not watch. I hurried to wash my hair and body. I knew it was still early, but I would go ahead and get ready for work. No way was I going to be able to go back to sleep. It was going to be a long-ass day.
Five minutes or so later and I was done and drying off. I grabbed the robe off the hook behind the door and tied it securely around me. I’d wear it out to grab my work clothes, then come back to change. I should have thought this out better with him here. My mind hadn’t been working when I escaped into the bathroom.
I walked into my bedroom to find him sitting in my bed with his back against the headboard. He had the covers over his lap. I prayed he wasn’t naked under there. I ignored him and went to my closet. I pulled out my scrubs and then went to the dresser to get a pair of panties and my bra. I’d turned around to go back to the bathroom and ran right into a hard chest. I closed my eyes.
“Zara, come over here and sit down. We need to talk. I didn’t want to do this until later, but there seems to be a misunderstanding. One we need to clear up.” He took my hand and started toward the bed. I dug in my heels. The thought that at least he was half-dressed flitted across my mind. He was back in those gray sweats.
“Demon, I need to get ready for work. We can talk another time. Since I’m not going back to sleep, there’s no need for you to stay any longer. Thank you for staying to make sure I was okay. It wasn’t necessary but thank you.” I tugged on the hand he had in his. He didn’t let go. He looked back at me. His face was set in a stern look.
“First, let me make something clear. When it’s just you and me, I want you to call me Luca, not Demon. That’s my road name and what I go by with my brothers and everyone else. When it’s just you and me, I’m Luca. Understand? And you don’t need to go to work yet. It’s two-thirty in the morning, Zara. You don’t have to be there until six. Even if you can’t sleep, you need to rest. I didn’t stay to be nice. I stayed to make sure you were cared for when the nightmares came, which they did.”