Steele (8 page)

Whenever they’d been locked in their rooms for some minor offense, she and the staff, much bigger than it was now, would sneak them food and water. For days on end they would be locked in their rooms, until one of the parents would remember that they had the children and have them set free. That’s what they called it too. “Go and set them free.” Izzy hated them as much as she loved the children.

When it had come out that Bennett the senior had murdered those women, none of them had been overly surprised. Not even when it came out at the trial that Mrs. Bennett had helped him with the bodies. What did surprise them all was that they’d murdered the children of those women. Having an affair was one thing, but there was no reason to murder an unwanted child.

The closer Izzy got to the cemetery the more worried she became. There was a small bundle on the ground, and she just knew it was her little Kari. Running now, she pulled out her cell phone and called Steele. When he answered just as she reached Kari, she knew that she was frantic.

“It’s her. Oh my, Steele, she’s not breathing.” She felt her pulse as he asked her several times who. “She’s got a heartbeat. My little Kari. Oh, Steele, you have to come here. Right now. I don’t think she’s going to make it.”

He told her to tell him where they were. He was still working with Ray, and she knew that he was far away, too far to help the little lamb. Izzy told him that she’d found her at the graves and that she was cold. It wasn’t until she rolled her over that she saw all the blood.

“She’s cut herself. Real bad too.” He told her to hang up and call an ambulance. “Steele, are you coming here? Will you hurry home?”

“I’m coming. Tell her…ask her not to die on me. Tell her I’m coming.” She felt tears run down her face. “Tell her that I love her.”

“You tell her when you get here.” She ended the call and dialed the police. As calmly as she could, she told them where she was and how to get to her. “And please hurry, she’s so cold.”

Next, she called her husband. He was so calm that his soothing voice calmed her a little. The tears continued to flow because she knew as surely as she was holding her cold hand that the girl wasn’t going to make it. She was simply too weak.

“I’m bringing blankets to you. The truck too. Maybe if we meet the medics in the yard they can get to work on her sooner.” She wasn’t sure if moving her was a good idea, but her husband was being so reasonable that she couldn’t argue with him. “She’ll be fine, love. Master Steele won’t let her die on him. Not when he’s just found her.”

Izzy hoped he was right.

The ambulance pulled up just as she was ready to call them again. When the door opened, her husband spilled out of the vehicle and Izzy ran to him. He said that the truck wouldn’t start no matter what he did. He’d hitched a ride with them out to where she was, and held her while they worked on Kari.

She never moved, never made a sound as they worked at saving her. The medic, a man that had been a little boy that had played with the Bennett children when she could sneak him in, looked at her gravely. The shake of his head had her crying against her husband’s chest. It was too late for them both.

“I got a pulse.” The men and woman around her worked twice as hard now. They’d brought her back, used the paddles of life on her, and now they were working to keep her breathing. Her phone rang twice, neither time could she bring herself to answer it. But this time when it rang, she was able to talk to Steele.

“She’s…they lost her, but she’s breathing now. Not on her own but…but…. Oh Steele hurry.”

“I’m boarding now. I’ve had to buy another chopper, but I’m coming.” She wondered why he’d need to do that, but he spoke before she could ask. “Stay with her for me. Tell her that I’m on my way.”

“I will.” He asked her what had happened. “I don’t know. She left me in the kitchen nearly an hour ago, and I went out to take the trash out. Her things were lying by the garage, and I knew she’d not leave them. I went looking for her. She was lying on Aster’s grave with her hand over the stone.”

She talked to him as they waited on the life flight team to arrive. Jake directed them to the pad on the property as she continued to give Steele updates on Kari’s condition. Kari wasn’t doing as well as they had hoped and she told him that. She didn’t want him to be surprised when he got there because she had lied to him.

“I’m coming now. We should be landing in about fifty minutes. I’ve made arrangements to be dusted at the hospital.” Dusted, he’d told her once what that meant. He was going to be dropped out of the chopper while it was still a few feet in the air. “I’m going to be there in an hour. Tell her that. Tell her that I’ll be there soon.”

She told him she would. As they loaded her onto a gurney, Kari opened her eyes. They looked glazed and bloodshot. One of the medics leaned down to her and then turned to her. Izzy moved to him when he motioned for her to come.

“She said that he needs his mom.” Izzy didn’t know what that meant and shook her head. “‘He has to see his mommy’ is what she said.”

Izzy moved back when he asked her to. She called Steele back and told him what Kari had said. “Do you think she means her mom? I’m not sure where to even being to find her.”

“No. She said ‘he needs to see his mommy.’ I think she means you.” He started cursing, and she had to smile. “Steele, where did you learn that language from?”

“I can’t see her. Never. She’s not…I can’t do that.” The connection was lost, and she was left with no way to tell him that he’d better. If not for him, then for Kari. It was more than likely going to be her dying wish.

By the time she and her husband arrived at the hospital, Kari was already in surgery. The nurse at the desk asked her a few questions and told her that Mr. Bennett had already called them.

“We’re giving Mrs. Bennett the best care.” It took Izzy a second to realize that she meant Kari. “And we’ve brought in a specialist that he requested. I’m glad he told us of her special needs.”

Izzy sat down. She had no idea what sort of special needs Kari had, but she was glad she was getting the best care. When she told Jake what she’d said, he whispered that she was a panther. Izzy felt silly.

“That’s not a special need. I’ve a good mind to tell her that too.” But he told her that it was being seen to, and she should just wait for Steele. She would, but she wasn’t happy about it. By the time Steele got there, they still had no word on her condition. But Steele said he’d get it, and she had no doubt that he would.

Chapter 7

Steele never left her side. When he wasn’t talking to her or holding Kari’s hand, he was curled up beside her on the big bed he’d brought in for them. Every time one of the nurses came in to take her vitals, he was right there, marking them on his own sheets to keep track. According to his notes, there had been no change in three days.

They were very worried that her heart had stopped twice and what damage it might do to her brain. It had been minutes the second time, but only a few seconds the first. They said that she’d been almost too weak to fight off the infection, and it seemed to them, him included, that the medication they were giving her wasn’t doing much either. When the door opened, he turned to see which nurse it was this time. But it was Ray.

He’d been coming in and out since he’d gotten back from the scene. Twice he’d brought him lunch or dinner, and one time he’d convinced him to go outside for a quick walk. It had done him a world of good, but he was in no mood to leave her today.

“They said her vitals haven’t changed.” Steele took her hand into his and held it while he told Ray no. “I have a friend that I was talking to. He said that—well, you’re not going to like this—but he said you need to take her.”

“Take her where?” When Ray didn’t answer, he turned to him. The man’s face was bright red and he wasn’t looking at him. “Ray, take her where?”

“Sexually. He said…Christ, the things I do for you. You’ve never let her have you, not since the first time.” He asked him what he meant. “Are you using condoms? Have you bitten her yet? She bitten you?”

“You know that we haven’t. I didn’t want her to be mated to me or whatever it is. Now…well, now it’s too late.” He turned back to Kari. “Just go away please. There has been no change in her and they don’t expect her to live.”

“You’re going to let her die.” Steele turned and stood up. “You’ll fight me for her, but you won’t do the one thing she needs from you. Her cat is dying. That’s what this is. Not the infection, not her being underweight. Her cat is starved for you. Until you let her have you, all of you, she’s going to continue to starve her, her cat will, until they’re both dead.”

“And how the hell do I have sex with her now? Just jump up on the bed and fuck her until she’s better?” Steele wiped at the tears that had been flowing for days. “I can’t help her if there is no way for me to.”

“There are other ways than just intercourse.” Steele felt his own face flush with that. “Yeah, I can see you know what I mean. That’s what she needs. Sex from you. And if you don’t do it soon, all is lost. The cat will take her with her.”

Steele looked at Kari, his Kari, and wondered if this would work. He’d been nothing but a selfish bastard to her, and now he was going to have to have unprotected sex with her, after having oral sex with her to make her live. It was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard.

“How do you propose that I do this? And I don’t mean details. I can work that part out. But she’s unconscious, in case you didn’t notice.” When Ray didn’t answer him, he was almost afraid to look again. When he did, Ray was watching Kari.

“She needs this from you. Then when she’s awake—and she will wake the moment you take her into you—she will need for you to empty yourself inside of her.” Ray flushed brightly again. “I swear to Christ, if you tell anyone that I had this conversation with you, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I won’t.” Steele sat down again and tried to think. Oral sex with a woman who was dying. Christ, if anyone found out, he’d be dead.

Ray left him a little after noon. When the nurse came in to give Kari a sponge bath, he started to leave. Then he asked if it was possible for him to do it.

“Give her a bath?” He nodded. “I suppose so. I’ve never had a person ask me for that before.” She told him she’d be back, and he had an idea she was going to run it by her boss. He could almost see the headlines now. Billionaire rapes woman in hospital. But when she returned, she had a large sponge and a few towels.

It took her an hour to set it all up. She showed him how warm the water was to be and what to do with the linens when he was finished. His heart was pounding when she turned to him again.

“You’re a wonderful husband for doing this for her. If she were awake, she’d tell you that too.” After she left him, he walked over to the door and locked it. He’d asked her if that would be all right and she nodded at him sadly. As much as he hated to do this, he was getting really excited to have his Kari back.

The first thing he did was take off his shirt. He had no idea why he needed to do that, but it seemed surreal enough with what he was about to do. Then he took off the sheets and blankets. As she lay there, he started having second thoughts. Then thirds and fourths. But he had to try.

The gown gave him more problems than he’d thought it would. He tried to pull it over her head and realized that it was tied on her. Then when he’d gotten it off of her, he was startled by how…nude she was. And so thin.

“I’m going to talk to you while I do this.” He dipped the sponge in the water. “It will feel more like you’re here, and I’m not some pervert having sex with you while you’re out.”

She didn’t move when he rubbed the wet sponge over her hand. Then he moved it up her arm to her neck and wiped there. She tilted her head slightly, and he had an overwhelming urge to bite her.

Burying his face between her chin and shoulder, he licked the warming flesh. She tasted delicious and he found that he wanted more. Nipping gently at her, he lifted his head when he heard a sound. He thought that she’d moaned.

“It would be so much easier if you were awake.” He felt stupid for saying that and told her he was sorry. “What I should have said was that I should have bitten you earlier. Drank from you.”

He had to adjust his cock twice before he hurt himself. As he washed her breast, her nipple puckered up and he leaned down to nibble. This time he heard her moan. This might work, he thought, and moved the sponge over her other breast.

“You taste delicious. I can’t wait to lap at your pussy.” He moved the sponge over her belly and then licked her navel. “There are so many delightful places to play with, and I’ve been a real ass and ignored them all.”

As he washed her long leg, all he could think about was taking her into his body. Not that he had to, but because he wanted to, needed to. He rubbed the sponge over her thigh, then down her legs twice before he opened her up. Her scent hit his nose like a freight train.

“Christ, you smell wonderful.” Steele spread her lips open and saw her tiny clit. It was swollen and hard, and all he could think about was nipping at it. As he washed her, rubbing the sponge over her again and again, he heard her moan, and watched her body rise up off the bed as he moved over her.

He leaned down and ran his tongue over her nether lips. Her juices were so warm that he licked again and again until he couldn’t stand it any longer. Steele moved up on the bed and spread her legs wide before looking up at her again.

“I love you. With all my heart. And I hope that someday, someday soon, you’ll forgive me for this. Or at least let me do it to you when you’re wide awake.” He started to eat her, taste her until she woke, but he moved off the bed again and stripped down. Ray said he’d have to take her fully as soon as possible. To him that wasn’t soon enough. Steele climbed back up on the bed and leaned down to her. His first taste had him wanting more. So much more.

~~~

Kari felt her body tighten up. As she tried to think what was happening to her, she felt… she felt on the verge of something amazing. Then she heard someone moan and she realized it was her. She also realized she wasn’t alone, and that it was someone else moaning.

“Come for me, baby.” She looked down her body to see Steele between her legs. He lifted his head, and she nearly came from seeing him like that. Her juices dripped from his chin, and he was smiling at her. “Come for me. I need to be inside of you, but I want to taste you first.”

Nodding at him, she gripped the rails on the bed when he ate her. Christ, he was going to gobble her up if he kept this up. Every time he touched her clit with his tongue or mouth, she moaned. But it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough for her to let go.

“I can’t. I can’t come.” He smiled at her again, this time with his eyes as he wrapped his hands around her thighs to her pussy. As she watched him, he spread her wider. She could see her clit and knew that he was going to bite her. “You’re marking yourself.”

I know.
His voice rang in her head, and she cried out when he did bite her.
Come for me. I want to taste all your sweet cum when you release for me.

She felt his fingers enter her, and her hips lifted up off the bed as he fucked her hard with his tongue and fingers. She was so close, so very close that she was begging him to drop her over the edge, to finish her. As soon as his finger moved over the tight hole of her ass, Kari nearly screamed. Then when he entered her, fucking both her ass and pussy with his fingers, she came. It was as if she’d been held in a tight hold for so long, only to be dropped down quickly as she came.

Her body roared through a climax three times before she was able to catch her breath. Steele never stopped eating her, lapping at her clit and pussy over and over as she felt her climax build again. But he lifted his head up and started up her body. She whimpered when he touched his mouth to her navel.

“I’ve tasted you here. Now that you’re awake, I can tell you that it’s a place where I’m going to drink champagne from when we get out of here.” He moved further up her body, biting and kissing her as he went. Her breasts were laved with his tongue, her nipples chewed on like a toy. All she could think about was his cock and how close he was to her entrance.

“Fuck me.” He shook his head, and she whimpered. “Please, I don’t have a condom, but I need you inside of me.”

“I’m going to make love to you.” He moved his cock over her clit, and she nearly came. “You’re so close again, aren’t you? Ready to come all over my cock when I bury it deep inside of you?”

“Yes, please. Take me.” He moved over her clit again and again, and she grabbed a handful of his hair and brought his face to hers. “Take me.”

He slammed forward, and she cried out. His cock, his wonderfully naked cock, was moving along her sheath like it was meant to be there. As he moved in and out of her, slowly, she wrapped her legs around his thighs and moved with him. She knew on some level that they needed to be quiet, but the thought of him filling her nearly had her sobbing. When he touched her sweet spot, the special place that had her grabbing him before she flew away, he leaned to her mouth and kissed her. As soon as he lifted her ass up to his strokes, she came screaming around his kiss.

Bite me.
His voice stirred in her head and her cat moved over her.
Take me into you. Please, baby. Bite me so that I belong to you.

Her mouth seemed to swell with the need to complete this. As she felt his cock pound harder into her, she knew that she had to bite him soon. When she licked his neck, she felt his pulse against her tongue. And when he slammed forward the next time, she sank her teeth deep into his flesh.

His cum touched off a reaction in her that had her screaming again as she came. There was no way for him to pull from her without hurting him, but when she tried he told her not to stop. As he roared out his climax she tore at his skin, tasting his blood as it filled her mouth. Kari came again, this time slipping away from him as her cat moved along her skin. Kari had no idea why the sudden thought of being alive came to her then, but she knew it was true.

Steele was lying beside her when she woke. She knew that she was in a hospital, but was not really sure why she was there or how she’d ended up there. All she knew was he was holding her to his body, and she felt better than she had in ages. When he kissed her head, she turned her face to look at him. He, however, looked terrible.

“You haven’t been sleeping here, have you?” He said he had. “Whatever for? I’m sure you have a bed at your house.”

“This is where I wanted to be. This is where you were.” He kissed her on the mouth, and she moved so that she could look at him better. “You almost died on me.”

“My cat was ill.” He nodded and pulled her close again. “Steele, you do know that I’ve marked you. And that you’ve marked me. We can’t do this again if you want me to go away.”

“You’re not going anywhere. And I’m well aware of what I’ve done. It was the only way to save you.” For whatever reason he’d had to do it, this one hurt her. When she tried to pull from him, he pulled her back. “I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was, I needed to mark you because I’m in love with you. I needed you to be alive and a part of my life.”

“No. That’s not right. You just wanted sex. There is no reason for you to try and pretty it up with telling me you love me.” He smiled at her. “I don’t want you to love me. Why on earth would you want to anyway?”

“Why do I love you? Or why do I need you in my life? Because to me they’re the same thing. I love you. I hope that someday you’ll love me, but for now, I can be happy just to have you in my life.” She stared at him and he laughed. “Have I shocked you to silence? That’s a new one.”

“You’re not funny. And it’s not necessary for you to say you love me just to save my life.” He pulled her to him, and she felt hurt. “Just from now on if you want to have sex, we’ll use protection.”