Tragic Desires (11 page)

This man is a godsend. I place my hand on his arm and thank him. “This is so kind of you. You can’t know how much I appreciate this.”

He nods and leaves the room as I head for the shower. My excitement soars at the thought of scrubbing off the day’s grime. My muscles quickly relax under the hot water. When I’m done, Drex is standing outside the bathroom, holding sweats and a T-shirt for me.

He surprises me and I can’t help the gasp that escapes.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. I just was going to leave these for you.”

“Thank you.” It’s an awkward moment, one that I wish I could smooth over.
Instead, I grin. What I’d really like to do is kiss him again, but I don’t want to be that bold twice.

“How’s your nose?” he asks.

“Good.”

“Good? It looks like it’s sore. You have two black eyes and bruises on your jaw from where they hit you. I wouldn’t exactly call that good.”

“It’s way better than a migraine,” I say.

His
gaze scours me and my body heats. “I’d better go before I do something we’ll both regret,” he murmurs.

“I don’t think there’s anything you could do that I would regret.” Where is this assertiveness coming from?
I’ve never acted like this before.

We exchange scorching looks
and I freeze as a fire sparks within. He walks up to me, puts his hands on either side of my face, and slowly kisses me. He groans into my mouth and everything that was on my mind before this fades away and is replaced by all that is Drexel.

T
his is not
good. I know better than to start this, but something pulls at me from down deep and for once in my life, I’m not in control of my actions. Oh, I suppose I could stop. But that’s the last damn thing I want to do. Her long hair is nothing but wet tangles hanging down her back. Her gorgeous black fuck-me eyes stare straight into mine and I want to tumble head first into them and never crawl out. And don’t even get me started on her mouth. When her tongue flicks across her lower lip, there’s no doubt I have to taste her again. Oh, fuck me now.
Please
.

She’s in my arms and her mouth is on mine before I can think twice. There’s no hesitation
, either. It’s me, her, and nothing but the skimpy scrap of cloth between us. And that’s where I have to draw the line. I don’t want to. God, I don’t want to. I’d like nothing more than to jerk that towel away from her and see what lies beneath, but I refrain. It would be wrong on all kinds of levels, but God help me, it’s all I can think of right now.

And
then she lets the damn thing go to put her arms around my neck so I know that with one tiny movement, it would fall at our feet. Give me some damn strength because I sure as fuck need it.

My
cock is nearly busting through my jeans and I’m kissing her with a ferocity I need to tame. But it’s impossible because her passion matches mine. It’s like I’m back in high school again, hormones raging, making out with my latest girl. But this is way more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately, my need for oxygen necessitates that I break off the kiss. When I do, I rub my cheek against hers and move my lips close to her ear.

“Goddamn, Onyx. I need a minute here.” My breath com
es in rough bursts. Her fingers tighten in my hair and I feel her tug, so I lean back to look at her. “Everything okay with you?” I want to make sure she’s good with this.

“More than okay, I’d say.” Then her hand moves to my cheek in a tender caress, her thumb tracing my brow. She looks as though she wants to say something but isn’t sure if she should. Then that same thumb travels to my lips and she traces my lower one until I capture it with my teeth and give it a gentle bite.
She studies me intently and finally says, “I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

“Like what?”

She shakes her head a little. I’m not sure if that means she doesn’t know or if it means something else.

Then she lets out a tiny laugh and says, “I don’t know. I guess so thoroughly. Or maybe so passionately.” And then she kisses me and we’re at it again. And I know that I want this girl.
I want inside of her. I want her on top of me and underneath me. But I won’t take her. I can’t. At least not here or now. My dick is not happy about this, but too bad. I can’t let her go just yet, so I hold her even tighter and move my hand into her wet hair as I cup the back of her head. I imagine what it would feel like to sink my fingers into the cheeks of her sweet ass.

Our tongues twist and play as we discover all the hidden secrets of each other’s mouths until we’re both breathless once again. Of all the women I’ve ever been with, she has the power to brand me with just her soft touch and her mouth. Oh dear God, that mouth of hers. I know it will be the only thing I can think of for days on end
… how those lips would feel wrapped around my dick and her tongue working me over. That, and how I want to be inside her.

When we break, I say, “Don’t move, Onyx, or you’ll be naked.”
Why do I have to be such a fucking gentleman now?

Her
sigh is so damn sexy, I want that towel to fall away, just so I can glimpse her. “Thanks for reminding me.” Her voice is breathy and my damn pants grow tighter, if that’s possible.

“Gemini, I wish I could photograph you right now because I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.”

At first she gapes and then lets out a hearty laugh. “I’m a mess! My hair is lopsided. I didn’t brush it. I have bruises all over my face. I must look awful.”

“No
, you don’t. Awful doesn’t exist when it comes to you. You look sexy as fuck, bruises and all.” I take her hand and put it on me. “See what I mean?”

She stills and our eyes meet. “I
… I think you’re sexy too.” Her voice is so husky, my dick jerks when she speaks.

“I think you need to get dressed
because if you don’t, I may stop acting the gentleman.”

Her face falls. Was that disappointment? I hope so because I don’t want her to get dressed. I want her naked as hell.

My arms tighten around her for a second and then I kiss the top of her head, right before I lift her chin. “My men should be here any second.”

“Oh! I forgot all about that.”

I take her hand and put it on her towel. “Hold on to this unless you want me to see you naked.”

“I don’t mind if you see me naked. I’d love to be naked with you, Drex.”

Damn, my guts jumble. “Onyx, I can’t think of anything more I’d rather be than naked with you.” I cup her cheek and give her a quick kiss. “But I think we need to get our asses downstairs.”

“Right.”

“I’ll meet you down there. I’m going to take a shower.” And I don’t tell her it’s going to be an ice cold one. I have a raging boner that needs taming.

She gives me a funny look and I nod. So she knows after all.
I head into the bathroom and when I’m finished, Gemini is waiting on me.

“I didn’t want to go down without you since I don’t know them.”

“Shy, are you?” I ask.

“
In certain situations.”

She’s trembling and I notice
goosebumps on her arms. “Hey, no need to be nervous. You’ll really like Huff. He’s a great guy. And so is Blake.”

“I’m not nervous, Drex.”

“Then …”

“Drugs.”

“You need something?”

“I want to get off them,” she tells me.

“But your headaches. What will you do?”

“I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

Turning to face her, I put my hands on her shoulders. “You need them for the pain. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never seen anyone in agony like you were. I don’t want to see you like that again.”

“You will. In the morning.”

That’s something I don’t want to hear. “We’re gonna get this thing figured out, Gemini.” I take her hand and we go downstairs.

Huff and Blake Strickland, another of my employees, sit at the island with Jeff. They rise when Gemini and I enter. I make the introductions and fill them in on what’s going on. As we discuss the situation, they agree that Austin is the place to be.

“So, for tomorrow, one of you will need to get the Lady Belle refueled,” I say.

“We took care of that before we landed here
,” Huff says. “Took a side trip into the airport in San Angelo.”

“Great thinking. Then I’ll need one of you with me and one of you to drive the car
back.”

Blake volunteers to drive.

“On the way back to our hotel, Blake, I’ll need for you to get Gemini a wig. Short hair, light brown, big sunglasses, and some baggy clothes. Maybe a bohemian dress or something. Can either of you do fake tattoos?”

Jeff says, “I can. I have some here. What are you thinking?”

“Something visible, maybe on her neck or forearm. I want it to be identifiable so that if they see her, they automatically discount her.”

“Yeah, I can take care of that. No problem.”

“Great. Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning.” I look at Gemini and see she’s not doing too well. We share a look and she shakes her head. Then I think about her headaches and the morning hours. “Gemini, if you have a migraine in the morning, we’ll delay departure until it’s gone. Okay?” She nods.

When I explain her headache situation, they agree that would be the best plan. Then Huff makes hotel reservations for us near the University of Texas.
It’s so hectic there, it’ll be ideal for us to be coming and going. One more glance at Gemini tells me I need to get her upstairs.

“Jeff, I need a glass and then we’re going to catch some sleep. I think Gemini’s feeling a headache coming on.”

“Sure thing,” he says.

Once we’re upstairs, I ask again if she needs pain meds and she tells me no. “
Gemini, it’s not a good idea to cold turkey this stuff. Tapering is what you need to do. You can end up in lots of pain and right now, the last thing you need to deal with is the complexity of withdrawal. I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, but I don’t think now is the right time.”

She chews her lip and crosses her arms over her belly
, hugging herself.

“What are you feeling, babe?”

“I’m nauseated and my stomach is cramping. And I’m freezing.”

“Are you going to be sick?”

“I don’t know.”

She needs a pill.
At least one. So I go and get one, along with some water. When I get back to her, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed, rocking back and forth.

“
Here. Take one.”

She downs it. Then I tell her to stand so I can pull back the covers. She gets in
to bed and I get in behind her. Her shivers are so fierce, the bed shakes. My arms find their way around her and I pull her against me, leaving no space between us.

“Drex, can you
lie on me?”

“Is that what you need?”

“Y-y-yeah.”

Her body shiver
s so badly, every part of her is in a massive shakedown. I lie on top of her, but since I’m so much larger than she is, I don’t want to crush her. I support most of my upper body weight on my elbows.

“N-n-no.
Lie on me.”

It worries me that she won’t be able to breathe
, so I say as much. But she burrows into me like a small animal searching for warmth. After a bit, her trembling evens out and her breathing eases.

“Better?” I want to make sure she has enough space to breathe.

“Mmm. Thanks. I think the pill is kicking in too.”

Raising myself to my elbows, I look at her and say, “Gemini, you can’t fucking do that anymore. I get that you want off those things. But, I need you centered. I need your mind to work alongside mine. I can’t solve this thing and help you if you’re not lucid or physically capable of helping me. Understand?”

She scrunches up her face. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

My heart contracts with the sincerity of her words. She wants to be off the drugs and I don’t blame her. “You’ve changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just a little bit ago
, you wanted to shoot yourself. Now you want to get off your meds.” I shake my head.

“You act like that’s a bad thing. And I’ll want to
shoot myself again, when another one hits. It’s not that I have a death wish … it’s just that the pain gets so bad, I think sometimes that’s the only thing that will get it to stop. If these would go away, I would never think that. I didn’t use to be this way.”

The look on her face
twists my guts. I slide my hand in her tangled hair. “Well, it’s not a bad thing to want to get off those meds. We’ll get you through this. I’ll help you. I promise.”

She puts her hand on mine
. “I want to believe you; I really do. But I don’t think there is any help for this. They’ve tried everything, Drex.”

“You’ve never seen my friend, Brady. The neurologist. I know he can help you. Brady Griffith is a genius. He’s helped more people with
post-concussion syndrome than you can imagine. He works with military guys that have been victims of IEDs. I’m going to figure out how to get him here.”

The doubt linger
s in her eyes, but that’s a promise I make to myself.

“You can’t be charging off and trying to do these things for me. Don’t you have a business to run and a life somewhere else? You need to get back to all of that. But I want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”

There’s something about this girl that nudges my heart. She’s different than the others I’ve known. She’s probably the one who needs me the most, but the one who asks the least of me. I find that so unusual.