Midnight Heat (Black Phoenix Book 2) (24 page)

The rock god stood, stepped away from the noise, bringing him closer to where Rebecca and Karmen sat. He fished his phone out of his pocket and punched a number into it. Then he looked at them and flashed a crooked smile while waiting for whoever he’d dialed to pick up.

Karmen grabbed Rebecca’s knee and squeezed.

“Easy girlfriend,” Rebecca whispered with a chuckle. But even she got a little flutter when that deep, heavily accented voice took on a tone that bespoke intimacy.

“Hey, Sunshine…that is, if I have the right number. I had to use a bloody mirror as the wankers wouldn’t read it to me. Why do you have a computer greeting as your mobile message? I was hoping to hear your voice.” Tucking the phone back into his pocket, he smiled again before dropping back into his seat. This time when he picked up the guitar he started to sing. With more growl than Noah used, just as Dominic said. Someone handed their guitar to Noah, who soon joined in.

Karmen squeezed again. “Have I mentioned how happy I am that you’re my best friend? I can’t believe this is going to be your life. You’re going to invite me over all the time, right?”

Rebecca laughed, happy to have her there to lighten the stress.

“We should probably call security.” Someone new entered the room, drawing Rebecca’s gaze. Karmen looked too, then mumbled, “Holy shit, never mind.”

He was a large man, tall, broad and built with a capital B.

Joe stopped singing and greeted him. “Hey man, glad you made it.”

“I hit the road the moment I heard from you. There’s someone else claims to be looking for this group.” He motioned over his shoulder as another man stepped in. This one just as large. The first had brown hair trimmed military short and the most beautiful mocha skin Rebecca had ever seen. The second was bald with a blond Fu Manchu mustache and arms covered in tattoos.

“Dad.” Isabeau stood, making her way over the sprawled legs and empty guitar cases to the bald one, who immediately wrapped her in his tattooed arms and pulled her against the broader of the two chests.

“Dad?” Karmen whispered.

“You’re okay?” Isabeau’s father asked after he released her.

Isabeau nodded. “Yes.”

“How about my grandchild?”

Isabeau settled her hand on her lower abdomen in the way mothers instinctively did. A move that spoke of love and protection all in one motion. “Perfectly healthy.”

“You’re expecting?” Rebecca asked.

“You’re pregnant?” Joe said at the same time. Then stood and slapped Noah on the back. “Congratulations!”

Noah moved to stand at his wife’s side. Where he was immediately pulled into a brief hug from Isabeau’s father.

“Thomas,” Noah said, ending the embrace in that pat on the back men tended to share. “Your doppelganger there is Gary, friend and bodyguard to Joe here.” He pointed to Joe who was still next to Isa.

Thomas nodded. “Joe and I met at your wedding.”

Rebecca stood as Isabeau motioned to her. “This is Rebecca Dahlman, Dominic’s fiancée.”

“How?” Rebecca startled. How did she know? She’d been in Tahoe for days and Dom hadn’t even asked yet.

“The rock is hard to miss,” she replied with gentle smile.

“So, he finally pulled his head out of his ass, did he?” Thomas asked in a tone that had Rebecca’s spine snapping straight. Then he flashed a charming smile and wrapped her in a bear hug. “He’ll pull through,” he said softly, his words indicating the depth of his feelings.

“Yes,” she muttered against his chest. Discovering a comfort she never expected in this stranger’s arms, she returned his embrace then stood there for a moment soaking up his strength. It felt like a father’s hug should. Something she hadn’t ever gotten from hers.

“Wait,” Noah said. “Joe, how did you beat Gary here? You’re supposed to be in what, Ohio, touring?”

“Uhhh…”

Isabeau nodded.

“I was already in California when I get your message. Here for the birthday party your wife is throwing you, mate.”

Isabeau shrugged in response to the look on Noah’s face. “Early birthday party as it’s the only way I could keep you in the dark about it.”

“So the photo shoot we have scheduled later this week?”

“Is actually your party,” Isabeau confirmed.

“Dr. Dahlman?” The room went silent as all eyes turned to the newest arrival—a nurse from the surgical intensive care unit. “He’s awake and asking for you.”

Chapter Twenty-One

It was the pain that first assured Dominic he was alive. Clawing at him, sinking its teeth in and wrenching him from sleep. He looked around the room, at the machines hanging on the wall near his head, beeping softly, the LED screens so bright they hurt his eyes, and discovered he was alone.

“Rebecca?” he managed to croak. What the hell? It felt like someone had set fire to the back of his throat. “Rebecca,” he said again because she was all he wanted.

Still no answer.

Shifting on the bed sent a wave of nausea over him. He broke out into a sweat. An alarm sounded.

Someone pushed through the door.

Finally.

“Becca?”

The hand that touched him was cold. The breast dropped within inches of his face as the alarm was silenced, too small. She didn’t smell right.

Not Rebecca.

He closed his eyes against the pain.

“Mr. Price, my name is Alice. You’re in the surgical intensive care unit after being shot. Do you remember getting shot?”

Of course he remembered it. He’d been in the ER, looking at the most beautiful woman in the world, wondering how she would react to his proposal when a crushing force hit him, taking him to his knees. He’d tried to stagger to his feet, but his legs wouldn’t work.

Jesus!
Struck with panic, Dominic tested his legs. Severe pain shot across his lower back, but thankfully they moved.

“Mr. Price, are you in a lot of pain?” Her voice sounded matter-of-fact, like it didn’t matter to her one way or the other.

What kind of question was that? Of course he was in pain. No one found themselves in hospital to take tea.

“I’ll alert your surgeon. He can—”

“That’s not the doctor I want to see.”

Alice smiled down at him. “I understand she’s in the waiting room with quite a few of your friends. I’ll make sure she’s knows you’re awake.”

Dominic closed his eyes and must have drifted off, for he awoke to warm hands. One stroking the hair away from his face, and the other resting atop his left hand. “Rebecca,” he whispered, then opened his eyes to her beautiful smile.

“For an orphan, you sure do have a lot of family.”

He grinned weakly. At least he tried to. “Who’s all here?”

“Alex and his girlfriend.”

“Tammy?”

“I’m pretty sure he called her Karen.”

“Figures,” he mumbled.

“Nick and Tracey. Thomas—”

“Isabeau’s dad, really?” Surprising.

“He’s…”

“Intimidating, I know.”

“Huge,” she corrected. “And…sort of sexy.”

Dom’s eyebrow went up.

“There are a few more—musicians from what I gather. Joe Campbell, your manager, and of course, Noah and Isabeau, who you failed to tell me are expecting.” She sighed. “They’re a noisy group. Thankfully the waiting room is pretty isolated.”

“They can be,” he admitted. It hurt to talk, but there was no way he would tell her that. So he lay on the bed, holding her hand, thumb smoothing back and forth over his ring. On her finger. God, he was a lucky bastard. Not just because he had survived.

“Every time I look up, there’s another one walking in. There’s nowhere left for anyone to sit down, but it doesn’t stop them. They’ve been entertaining me with stories about you.”

He could only imagine the stories they were sharing about him. “Bloody wonderful.”

“They are,” she agreed and he smiled even though that’s not what he meant. “They all love you so much.”

Even though it hurt, he raised her hand, brushed his lips across her knuckles. The ring, she still hadn’t mentioned. But, damn, it looked good on her finger.

“Is your life always like this?”

“I can’t say as I’ve ever been shot before, so no.” He looked closer, at the dark bruising that circled her eyes. “You’re totally knackered, Rebecca. That motoring mouth of yours is probably the only thing keeping you awake. Why don’t you lie down? I’ll shift over so you have room.”

She touched him. She kept doing that, touching him, his arm, his face. Not that he was going to complain. Hell no. Her touch was calmly reassuring. “There’s nothing I would love more than to crawl in that bed with you, Dominic. But there are time limits to visits in intensive care. Any minute someone will be coming in and shooing me out the door.”

He tightened his hold on her hand. “You just got here.”

“And already you can’t keep your eyes open. You’re in pain. Admit it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Dominic,” she warned.

“Don’t go, Rebecca. Just…stay with me.”

“I’ll only be as far as the waiting room. I’m not going to leave you.” She leaned forward, touched her forehead to his. “I’ll stay right her as long as they’ll allow me to.” The hand that cupped the side of his face trembled. Her voice dropped an octave, cracked as she whispered. “God, I thought I’d lost you.” There were tears in her eyes. She blinked and one fell to his cheek.

“Becca.” Dominic slid his eyes closed again and swallowed past the lump in his throat. For a while there, he thought she’d lose him, too.

“Every time I close my eyes I see you there. Bleeding. Dying.”

“I didn’t die, Becca.”

She sighed then her hand was on him again, swiping her tear off his cheek. “There’s something you need to know.” She didn’t wait for his response, just kept talking. “All of the people waiting on you, your friends and family? They all think we’re engaged.”

“Do they?”

She looked down to where he continued to hold her left hand, his thumb moving back and forth over her fingers, toying with the emerald he’d had in his pocket as he walked into the hospital…how long ago was that now?

“I didn’t want to lose it.” She smiled and his breath left him. “Jesus, Dom, could it be more ostentatious?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I love it,” she admitted reverently.

He raised her hand into his field of vision and smiled. “I stood in that store and suddenly knew exactly what had possessed Noah. I knew why he wanted bold capital letters.”

“Why is that?”

“It sends the perfect message. You see, I’m a bit enamored with you,” he admitted.

She swallowed then brushed her mouth across his.

He took a moment to catch his breath. “I guess this means you’re not opposed to marrying a disreputable rock and roller?”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. I love my disreputable rock and roller. His ridiculous music and his earring, his too long hair.” She brushed her hand over his hair, pushed it out of his eyes. “That long-legged, arrogant, too-hot-to-handle stud with the heart of gold? That’s who I fell in love with.”

“Too-hot…Jesus.” He closed his eyes, opened them. “That man you speak of?”

“Yes?”

“He didn’t come from much.” Even though he was in pain, he wanted to make sure she knew of his origin, understood what she was saying yes to.

“I don’t care where you came from, what’s important is who you are. If I didn’t already know just what kind of man that was, that room full of people would tell me.”

“Rebecca.”

She touched him again and his eyes drifted closed. “I’ve tendered my resignation. How do you feel about starting a family?”

His breath hitched, his body tightened. Bad move, as it set off an ache across his lower back. And an alarm on the monitor. “Afraid I would disappoint right now.”

She reached over him to silence the alarm. “Stop it,” she said, the order softened by smile on her face.

“Lost too much blood to get it up.”

“You could probably do it. You’d just pass out when all the blood left your head for—”

“My other head?”

A laugh burst out of her. “Yes.”

“Let’s wait then. I’d like to say I was conscious during my child’s conception.” His mind was spinning, and not just from the thought of procreating with her.

“Probably a good idea. Besides, we should think about a house before…Dominic?”

He tightened his hand around hers. Definitely one lucky son of a bitch. “How do you feel about London?”

“I’ve never been there.”

“I’ll take you. How soon…will they release me?”

“Not until you can have a conversation without gasping in pain.”

“Which is why it’s time for you to go, Rebecca,” a voice said from the doorway.

Dominic opened his eyes. He glanced over, his joy fading to irritation. “What are you doing here?”

Nathan advanced further into the room. “I’m your doctor.”

“Tell me he didn’t—”

“Save your life? Yeah, that would be me.” There was no mistaking the smugness in his voice.

“Arrogant prick,” Dom muttered.

The arrogant prick smiled.

“I want a new doctor.”

“I don’t blame you, but she can’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s so caught up in the fact that you’re alive she’s failed to see just how much her presence is hurting you.” He glanced at Rebecca before settling his gaze back on Dom. “On a scale of one to ten, where would you put your level of pain, twelve?”

Rebecca looked closer at him. “Jesus, Dom.”

“And the doctor returns,” the prick stated sarcastically. “Go home, Rebecca, get some rest. You look nearly as bad as my patient.”

As she stood to move away, Dominic reached for her, “Wait.” He gasped, unable to catch his breath as pain snaked throughout his entire body.

“Stubborn bastard,” the prick muttered.

“Bloody wanker,” Dom fired back. Too bad it didn’t have the bite he’d been going for as he couldn’t seem to catch his breath.

“Dominic?”

“Rebecca,” the prick warned.

“Just give us a damn minute, will you?” Dom managed, never taking his gaze off Becca. “There’s something we need to clear up.”

“What?” she asked.