Candy Apple (12 page)

Almost as one unit, they looked up when the three of them
entered, clearly alert for anyone entering the room.

“Uh, guys, this is Nathan, my cousin and this is Tasha—” He
paused, looking again at Nathan. Nathan kept his face blank. “She’s Kiah’s
girlfriend.”

All the men in the room stood up as Tasha walked in. She
shivered at the overwhelming mass of male bodies.

One in front who looked a little older and a little bigger
than the others stepped forward. “I’m Elliot Johnston, miss. I’m Kiah’s
captain.”

His huge hand enveloped hers making her feel tiny, which was
something she rarely did. “Tasha.”

“He’s talked about you.” He glanced at Nathan and she knew
Elliot was aware of the unusual relationship between the three of them. “He’s a
strong man. He’ll pull through this.”

A lump formed in her throat as she realized how serious this
really was. “Thank you.”

“Have a seat. We sent someone for real coffee. It should be
here in a few minutes. You tell us if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” she said as she lowered into a seat. Once she was
down, the others seemed to turn away, leaving her less the center of attention.
Nathan stood, wavering like he might be thinking of leaving or walking
somewhere. She tugged on his hand, pulling him down next to her. No way was she
going to sit in this room with a bunch of strange men and have to talk to them.
He wasn’t leaving her there alone. No way.

Whether to comfort her or needing that comfort for himself,
Nathan wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her close. His strength and
heat surrounded her and she realized how cold she was.

He didn’t say anything and she could tell his thoughts were
with Kiah. They fought—though that had also eased a bit in the past three
weeks—but they were still family as Nathan would say.

“So, tell me about his name.” She bumped Nathan’s shoulder
with her own. “Hez?”

A little smile formed on his lips.

“Linc couldn’t say Hezekiah when he was little, so Kiah
became ‘Hezzie’ and eventually ‘Hez’. Of course that was before Kiah was big
enough to tell the world he wasn’t going to go by Hezekiah.”

“And what about Nattie?”

He looked down and she could have sworn he blushed. “You can
thank Linc for that one as well. My full name is Nathaniel.”

“Wow. Your family goes for classic names.”

“You know my father and Kiah’s were twins, right?”

She nodded.

“They love each other as only twins can but there was always
a little competition between them.”

“Hmm, so that’s where you and Kiah get it from.”

Again Nathan revealed a soft smile. “Yeah, probably. I was
born first, and my dad named me, wanting something noble and brave for the
first grandson born. Kiah was born a month later and his dad tried to outdo my
dad with an even nobler name.” He shrugged. “At least that’s how my father
tells it.”

Tasha leaned on him, holding his hand, using his strength as
they waited.

They’d only been dating about two months but it had been an
intense two months. For some reason, she always imagined it would take a long
time for her to fall in love. Kind of like when she’d dated Jason. Only now she
realized, she hadn’t fallen in love with Jason…she’d merely become used to him.

The other firefighters came and went. Some of them stopped
by and chatted with her and Nathan. He seemed to know a fair number of them.

Three hours—and four cups of coffee—later, the doctor came
in. Linc waved Nathan over and Nathan brought Tasha along.

The doctor very calmly explained that Kiah was still in
critical condition but he was hopeful. Kiah’s physical strength would help him
along.

And now they had nothing to do but wait.

* * * * *

Kiah floated back to the awareness of faint pain and
fuzziness. He knew the sensation. He’d experienced it before. It usually meant
heavy-duty pain medication.

He took a shallow breath. Clean antiseptic air. A hospital?

Not knowing what he might have hurt—and having no memory of
what put him down—he didn’t move, just letting his eyelids flutter open.

The dim light gave him just enough illumination to see.
Keeping his movements to a minimum, he glanced to his left. Nathan lay curled
up in a chair, asleep.

“Hey,” Kiah called. His voice sounded like a gravel road.
Nathan didn’t move. “Nathan. Hey.” He tried a little louder.

This time, Nathan blinked and looked up.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Nathan came to the side of the bed.

“Yeah.” Kiah relaxed onto his pillow, tension easing from
his body. Despite his battles with Nathan, he trusted his cousin. Kiah licked
his lips. “What happened to me?”

The edge of Nathan’s mouth kicked up. “A house fell on you.”

Kiah’s laugh came out as a cough. “Well, that’s good because
that’s how I feel.”

“Yeah.”

Nathan’s face grew serious. Kiah ground his back teeth
together. He didn’t want to hear it but he knew he had to.

“How jacked up am I?” At least Nathan would give it to him
straight.

“It’s not good. You’re pretty banged up. You fractured a
vertebra. A couple of broken ribs. Broke your left leg in two places. Your
right hand has some damage.”

“Am I going to be able to—” He couldn’t bring himself to
ask.

“Play the piano again?” Nathan offered. “Probably not,
because you sucked when you tried before. Having a broken hand isn’t going to
make that better.”

That Nathan was trying to joke with him gave Kiah some
comfort.

“Asshole,” he muttered.

Nathan took his hand and gave his fingers a squeeze. “Right
now, the doctors can’t see anything that would stop you from making an almost
full recovery. Whether you’ll be able to go back on the job, that’s something
they won’t commit to.”

“That’s bullshit,” Kiah muttered as he let his eyes droop
closed.

“That’s what I told them. I said if Kiah can walk, he’ll run
and pretty soon he’ll be running into burning buildings carrying a shitload of
stuff on his back.”

His eyes were too heavy to open again but he smiled, letting
Nathan’s voice guide him back to sleep.

The sound got closer and Nathan whispered. “There is one
problem though.”

“Hmm?” Kiah heard the laughter in his cousin’s voice and
smiled, waiting.

“Yeah, you’re going to have a couple of scars on that pretty
face.”

“Asshole.” Kiah found the strength to answer that. “You
think that means you get Tasha full time because I’m not going to be pretty
anymore.”

He didn’t really believe that. Not really.

Nathan huffed out a soft laugh. “I wish. She thinks they’re
going to make you look dashing and dangerous.” Nathan patted his hand. “Go back
to sleep. The nurse will be by in a few minutes to wake you up anyway. And
Tasha will be in for the morning.”

Taking that happy thought with him, Kiah let himself drift
back to sleep.

Nathan sighed as he sat back down, wide awake now, staring
at Kiah’s beat-up face. Despite the doctor’s predictions that Kiah would
recover, Nathan felt better having talked to his cousin.

They might fight but they were still family, practically
brothers, and the thought that Kiah might not be there—Nathan shook his head.
He didn’t want to think about it.

He’d spent too much time in the past two days thinking about
it. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Tasha and Linc saying Kiah
had woken up on his own—the nurses had woken him up before but he didn’t seem
to remember that. This time, he’d been truly awake.

Awake. Nathan sighed and relaxed for the first time in two
days.

* * * * *

The next time Kiah woke up, it was daylight, and Tasha was
sitting beside his bed. She looked tired but smiled.

“Hey. Nathan said you opened your eyes last night.”

“Yeah.” He fluttered his hand, wanting to touch her but not
quite sure what he could move without pain. She seemed to catch his meaning and
stood close to the bed, taking his hand in hers.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a house fell on me.”

Her smile surged into his chest like a warm spring. “They
are going to bring you breakfast in a few minutes.”

“It won’t be as good as yours.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Sure I do.” He smiled and closed his eyes but didn’t
release her hand. “I’m sure the nurses here don’t serve breakfast wearing
nothing but red panties.”

She gasped but the sound was more laughter than shock.

“No.” She leaned in, pressing her lips to his ear. “And they
are candy-apple red. I’m wearing them now.”

His heart skipped a beat.

“Oh damn, baby, you’re going to kill me before I can get out
of here.”

* * * * *

Tasha flipped open the newspaper. In the two months since
the accident, she’d spent a lot of time in waiting rooms. Between her, Nathan
and Linc they’d taken Kiah to his doctor’s appointments and physical therapy
appointments. She’d learned to bring along something to read while she waited.

It wouldn’t be long now. The doctor had cleared Kiah to
drive…and to have sex.

She snagged her lower lip between her teeth just thinking
about it. And knowing that he’d likely be on her the moment they got back to
the house. Except his leg was still in a half-cast so she would likely have to
be on top. Hmm…she liked that idea.

Not that she’d gone without. Nathan and Kiah had somehow
bonded over the fact that she needed to be fucked.

Because of Kiah’s mobility restrictions, Nathan had been the
one taking her to bed most nights but Kiah was often present, either watching
or directing.

Her cheeks heated up as she remembered Saturday night this
past weekend. Kiah relaxed back on the couch, instructing Nathan how to fuck
her.

With Kiah’s voice filling her head and Nathan’s cock in her
pussy, she’d come screaming. And dang if Kiah hadn’t looked almost as satisfied
as Nathan when they’d finished.

“You bastard!”

She smiled as Kiah’s curse floated through the air. She knew
from experience that meant they were almost done. Kiah was determined to get
back to work as quickly as possible so, surprisingly, he was a good patient at
PT. But when he started swearing at his therapist, that was the sign he’d
pushed beyond his limit.

She still had a few minutes and straightened the paper,
scanning the weddings and engagement sections. Since Heather was a wedding
planner, Tasha had heard of several of the couples.

Her gaze stopped on the photo at the bottom of the page.

Webster-Hiner Become Engaged.
She looked at the
picture. Jason’s smug face stared back. She barely noticed the woman sitting
beside him.

They’d broken up less than four months ago and he was
marrying someone else?

You’re sleeping with two men, her conscience pointed out.

Yes
, she mentally countered.
But I’m not marrying
them.

Because neither has asked me.

Would they ever?

Dreams of her white-picket-fence life disappeared as she
stared at the photo.

Sure, Heather and Cait seemed to be making it work—having
two men as lovers—but they didn’t want what she wanted. Tasha had always
dreamed of a home, a few kids running around.

The door opened and Kiah rolled in. He didn’t use the
wheelchair much, but after a heavy session at PT, he needed it.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, pushing up beside her.

“What?” She shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” She
stood up and tried to smile at him and Jeremy, his physical therapist.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said to Tasha.

She nodded but her thoughts were far beyond the doctor’s
office. She stumbled out into the hall, having enough focus to hold the door
for Kiah. The elevator arrived just as they approached. Kiah rolled on board.

“Tasha, honey, what’s wrong?” He reached out and grabbed her
hand.

Tears tightened her throat. She squeezed his fingers and
tried to smile.

“Nothing. I’ve just got some stuff to do so I’m going to
drop you off.”

“Damn, baby…” The back of his hand skimmed across her thigh.
“I was hoping you could stay for a bit.”

Her heart dropped. “Sorry. Can’t today.” The elevator doors
blessedly opened and she rushed out, calling to Kiah she would bring the car
around. She needed to get away from him and Nathan while she thought this out.

* * * * *

“What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Nathan
demanded.

Kiah straightened in his chair and glared back at him.

Damn, it still shocked him to see his strong, arrogant
asshole of a cousin sitting in a wheelchair. Usually by this time at night,
Kiah had given it up for the couch—with Tasha tucked against his side.

“I finished my PT appointment. She drove me home and dropped
me off. Literally dropped me off. She probably wouldn’t have gotten out of the
car if she hadn’t had to get my chair.”

“What did you do?” Nathan asked as he grabbed his cell
phone, tapping the screen marked with Tasha’s name.

“I didn’t do anything,” Kiah defended. “Everything was fine
when we went there. The doctor even approved me for sex. I thought I was coming
home to some afternoon delight.”

“Maybe that’s it.” Nathan threw a pillow at Kiah. “Maybe she
didn’t want to fuck you.”

Kiah glare just deepened.

The ringing in Nathan’s ear stopped without Tasha picking
up. Instead, he got her voicemail.

“Tasha, babe, are you okay? I was a little worried when I
got home tonight and you weren’t here.”

“Oh that’s good. Be passive aggressive,” Kiah said.

“Shut up,” Nathan snapped. “Sorry, babe. It’s Kiah.” He knew
she would understand the sentiment. “Just give me a call tomorrow. Let me know
everything’s okay.”

He hung up and looked at his cousin.