Combust: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (5 page)

He lets out a deep sigh and walks out of the house. I consider going after him, but I know it is better to give him some time. I know he loves me and wants the best for me, but he has to learn to let me make my own choices… whether they’re right or wrong.

Chapter 7

Sheppard

The conversation I had with Ana’s father keeps replaying over and over in my head. Everything he said made sense, but I’m not sure I can follow through. News of the shooting at Calvert City had made the newspapers, and it didn’t take much for him to figure out that I was involved. Even after I explained what I could, he was still concerned. He was worried that I might bring trouble for Ana, so he asked me not to contact anyone while I’m here.

“She’s all I’ve got. I’ll do anything to protect her,” he’d said as tears filled his eyes. It gutted me, and I knew then that I had to agree to his request. I couldn’t guarantee that our troubles with the Black Diamonds were over, so I agreed not to contact my brothers. I couldn’t risk putting her in danger after everything she’d done to save my life. Besides, I’ve decided that I like the thought of being here with her until I get back on my feet. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.

“Ana!” I call out. I’ve been lying in this bed for hours, and now I have to go to the bathroom. I am in desperate need of a hot shower, and I’m dying to get the hell out of this bed. I know she’ll give me hell about it, but I can’t stand it any longer. “Ana!”

“I’m coming,” she shouts from the room beside me. I can hear her knocking around, and I wonder what the hell she’s doing.

“Ana!” I demand once again.

“HOLD ON! I said I’m coming!” she shouts as she rushes into the room. Her hair is wet and falling all around her shoulders. She’s forgotten to fasten a few buttons on her pale blue shirt, and my eyes are drawn to the hint of cleavage it reveals. “What?”

I clear my throat before I say, “Need help getting out of this bed. I need to go to the bathroom and want to take a shower.”

“Can you give me a few minutes? I need to get things set up to make it easier for you,” she explains.

“You aren’t going to fight me on this?” I ask her.

“I don’t see the point. You’re just going to keep pestering me until you get your way. Just let me make sure you don’t hurt yourself while you do it,” she sighs.

“I can go along with that,” I reply.

“I’ll be right back.” She leaves the room but quickly returns with a tall chair. I hear her bang it into the wall as she drags it into the bathroom. She leaves the room again, only to return with plastic wrap and new bandages.

“Okay, I have to make sure you don’t get the stitches wet,” she states as she drops everything on the bed beside me. “Do you need help taking off your shirt?”

“Yes.”

Her warm fingers brush against the sides of my waist as she reaches for the hem of my shirt. She slowly eases the shirt off of my body, trying her best not to hurt me. Once she tosses the shirt to the end of the bed, she begins securing the clear plastic wrap over my bandages.

When she’s done, she asks, “You ready?”

I nod and drag my legs to the side of the bed. I cringe when the pain wrenches through my gut, but I don’t let it stop me. I continue to inch my way over to the edge of the bed, and once I get there, I look over to Ana. She walks over to me and sits down, reaching for my arm. She slowly brings it up to her shoulder, and leans into my side, taking some of the burden of my weight. I let out a deep breath as we slowly stand together. She brings her other arm around my waist to help guide me into the bathroom.

When we finally make it to the sink, I grab the counter and use it as support. I look over at her and smile with approval. I am impressed. I’d doubted that a woman her size could help get me out of that bed, but she proved me wrong.

Her cheeks become bright red when she looks down at my boxers and asks, “Umm… do you need any help with those?” I mean, the woman’s basically a doctor. I know she’s seen naked men before, so I can only assume her reaction is for me. That thought brings a smile to my face.

“I got it,” I tell her with a smirk.

“I’ll give you a few minutes before I come back to help you get in the shower,” she tells me as she backs out of the door.

Getting those damn boxers off hurts like a bitch, but it’s worth it to finally use the toilet like a normal human being. After a few seconds, Ana comes back into the bathroom. Without saying a word, she reaches into the shower and turns on the water, holding her hand under the faucet until it's warm enough.

“Ready?” she asks as she awkwardly stares at my chest. I know she’s trying her best not to look at my dick, but that’s going to be damn near impossible when she helps me get in that shower.

“Yeah,” I tell her. I take a few steps towards her before my knees give out, causing me to drop down on top of her. She wraps her arms around my waist, supporting me until I get my footing.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just lost my balance.”

“I’m going to step in with you and help you get into the chair,” she explains as she leads us over to the shower door. “When you’re ready, I’ll leave you to it.”

I nod and try to concentrate on making it to that damn chair without falling on my ass like a fucking idiot. I’m beginning to regret this whole plan of mine. Every inch of my body is on fire, and I don’t know if I will have the strength to get back to the damn bed. Ana gently lowers me into the chair. She holds me close to her until she knows I’m okay. I immediately miss her touch when she releases me, and I fight the urge to pull her back into my arms. She stands in front of me with her wet shirt clinging to her breasts, showing off her perfect tits. Even in a haze of pain, my cock jumps to life when I realize that she isn’t wearing a bra. Amazingly, she is totally unaware of the effect that she’s having on me as she smiles bashfully and steps out of the shower.

“I’ll be right back. Just holler if you need me,” she whispers.

I close my eyes and let the warm water run down my body, relieving some of the tension that was building in my aching muscles. By the time I finish taking my shower, the entire room is clouded with steam. I shut off the water and reach for the towel Ana had left on the rail and place it over my waist. “Ana?” I call.

“Coming,” she yells. She quickly opens the door and heads over to me. A small smile spreads across her face when she notices the towel I placed across my lap. “Ready?” she asks as she grabs an extra towel from the cabinet and places it around my shoulders.

Without answering, I place my hands on her shoulders, using them to help pull myself up from the chair. She eases me out of the shower, being careful not to pull any of my stitches. After I tighten the towel around my waist, we slowly make our way back over to the bed. Each step is filled with excruciating pain, but I’m determined to get back to that damn bed without falling. I need to start building my strength so I won’t have to rely on her so much next time. When we reach the bed, she takes the towel from my shoulders and uses it to dry me off.

“Do you want a fresh shirt?” she asks.

“Not yet,” I tell her as I slowly lower myself to the edge of the bed. Once I’m sitting, she innocently kneels down between my legs so she can begin removing the bandages. I try not to let my mind go where it wants to go, but fuck it’s hard. When she reaches up to remove the first bandage, her breasts press up against me, begging me to reach out and touch them. Fuck. She has to be messing with me. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I look down and watch as she peels back the first bandage. I am relieved to see that I didn’t cause any damage to the stitches during my shower. “They still looking okay?” I ask.

“Yes, but you’re going to need some fresh dressings. If you lay back, I’ll change them for you.” She puts her hands behind my shoulders, helping me lean back onto the pillows, and then she helps bring my legs to the center of the bed.

She leans over me and begins applying the new bandages on my chest. I am totally mesmerized as I watch her lay each piece of gauze carefully on my chest. A few loose strands of hair fall in her face, and I gently tuck them back behind her ear. Touching her sends a jolt of need through me. Her breathing instantly becomes irregular and her hands tremble as I continue to watch her every move. When she starts to bite her bottom lip, I can’t take it anymore.

I reach up, taking her face in my hands, and gently pull her over to me. Something inside of me ignites the minute her lips touch mine. A fire is set deep inside me, and I know in that instant that I’ll never get enough of her. A light moan escapes her as my tongue brushes against her bottom lip, fueling my need for more. I lower my hands to her neck and pull her closer, needing to feel her body against mine. I want her… all of her. I ignore the gnawing pain in my side as I take my time claiming her mouth with my tongue… warm and wet. Fuck. I’d give anything if I could spend the night exploring her perfect mouth. Even with the exhaustion taking over me, I have to have more of her. I want to know what it feels like to be inside her, know every fucking inch of that perfect little body of hers. I am totally lost in her touch when she begins to pull away from me. Fuck, I don’t want to let her go... but she’s leaving me no choice. She places her hands on my chest and frees herself from my embrace. I growl with disapproval and reluctantly let her go.

“I don’t think….” she starts.

“Don’t,” I interrupt.

“What?”

“You know what,” I say, pulling her back over to me. She doesn’t protest as she gently lays her head on my shoulder. I put my arm behind her as she curls up next to me and waits quietly for me to fall asleep.

When I wake up, she’s gone. I wish I could say that the kiss was the start of something between us… that since she’d had a taste of me, she only wants more. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Over the next couple of days, she is cold and distant, playing the part of a doctor perfectly. I am fed up with it, though, and tonight that shit is going to end.

Chapter 8

Ana

Why the hell did he have to go and kiss me like that? The spark that shot through me when his lips touched mine went straight to my soul. It’s the only thing I’ve been able to think about, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. I’ve never felt like that before, and since it happened, I’ve been trying my best to avoid him. I go in to give him his meds and check his vitals, but I leave before he really has a chance to talk to me. I feel so silly acting like this, but I can’t stop myself. I don’t know how to act when he’s sitting there with that sexy smirk on his face. It’s like he’s enjoying the effect that he’s having on me. I try my best not to look at him, but I can feel the heat of his stare scorching my skin when I walk in and out of the room.

I’m being ridiculous. It was just a kiss, and I’m acting like a freaking idiot. I need to get my shit together and help him get back on his feet. A man like him isn’t going to want to wait around here much longer. The thought of him leaving makes my heart drop deep into my chest, but I know it’s only a matter of time before he’ll be ready to get back to his life. I’ve got to stop acting like a fool and do whatever it takes to get him ready to go home.

I gather up his lunch and head down the hall. His back is propped up on several pillows, and he’s watching TV. As I glance over to him, my eyes take on a life of their own and slowly roam over his body. He’s all rugged with his three-day-old beard and tousled hair. Damn. He looks so good sitting there wearing those plaid sleep pants and that old faded t-shirt. When I finally stop ogling and look him in the eye, the TV goes mute. The expression on his face lets me know that he has something on his mind, but I’m not sure I’m ready to hear what he has to say.

Trying to calm the nervousness that I feel growing in my stomach, I turn to him and say, “We’re under a winter storm warning, so I’m going to need to get some groceries before it gets here. Is there anything you want me to get while I’m out?”

“How about a movie or something?”

“I can do that. What kind of movies do you like?” I ask.

“Just pick something you’d like to watch. I don’t care what it is. I’m up for anything,” he says with a smile.

My heart begins to beat faster as I realize he wants to watch the movie with me. “Hmm… okay. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” I tell him as I head towards the door.

“Ana?” he calls.

I turn back to him and say, “Yeah?”

“Grab some popcorn or something, too.”

I smile at him before I head out the door. When I get into town, I realize that everyone must have had the same idea I did. I can barely even find a parking place, and the store is crazy crowded. Everyone is loading up their shopping carts like they’re preparing for the apocalypse, and by the time I make it down the first aisle, I’m ready to get the hell out of there. I grab a few of the basics like bread and milk, and then I go hunt for the popcorn. Once I have everything we’ll need for the next few days, I get in the longest line in history. Everyone looks disgruntled and eager to get out of there. Of course, I pick the line that has the slowest cashier, but I do my best to be patient. After forty-five minutes of just plain torture, I finally make my way out of the store.

Thankfully, the movie store isn’t very crowded. I take my time roaming up and down the rows of movies trying to find something I think he will actually like. I have no idea, so I just grab a bunch of the new releases, hoping that one of them will spark some interest. After picking out a few extra snacks, I check out and head home.

On the way, I notice a black sports car following close behind me as I turn off on the old country road that leads to my house. At first, I don’t think much about it, but then they take every turn I make. Panic begins to set in when the car follows me onto my last turn, trailing just inches away from my bumper. No one really ever comes down this road, so I know something isn’t right. I start to drive a little faster, hoping to get rid of them, but they won’t budge. I don’t want them to follow me home, so I take the back road to my dad’s. I panic as I notice that Dad’s truck isn’t in the driveway, but thankfully they don’t follow me to his house. My heart races as I peer out my window, searching for the person who was following me. It’s hard to see anything with all the trees blocking my view, so I wait there long enough to make sure they are really gone. When I feel certain I’m alone, my nerves finally begin to settle. I ease my car into reverse and head back home, constantly checking my rear view mirror to make sure they don’t come back.