His Dark Desires: A BWWM Billionaire Romance (7 page)

L
ights blinded
me as I faded in and out.

My body felt so heavy, my head was pounding, and my fingers were numb and tingly. I moved them back and forth to make sure they still worked.

I couldn’t remember anything that had happened. But I do remember that I wasn’t scared.

I think that’s so weird, how I wasn’t afraid, even though I had no idea what was going on. It’s as though I had some sort of sixth sense—even in my injured state—that I was being taken care of.

Or maybe I knew that there were worse things, just waiting for me, outside of the hospital.

Through blurry tunnel vision, I could see nurses flocking to my side here and there. It seemed like seconds had passed, but it must have been hours because then it was dark again.

I heard soft voices, and they were whispering. To me? To each other? It was so hard to tell. And then the voices were loud and intrusive. I just wanted to sleep and my eyelids were so weighed down.

Then a hand on my hand, a soothing stroke down my arm, a kiss on the forehead—all the things that should make me feel comforted for the time being actually made me feel comforted.

By the time I was able to fully awaken and open my eyes, it was another day. The brightness woke me up again, but this time, the sun was the culprit. I turned my head to look outside, convinced that what lay beyond the window harbored the answers to my existence there. Because the room I was in told me nothing. It was cold and empty. And deafeningly quiet.

I shivered and pulled the blanket up all the way to my neck.

“Audrey? Oh thank you, Jesus.”

Mom?

She had been sitting in a chair so far behind my hospital bed that I hadn’t been able to see her. She stroked my hair and my face, smiling broadly at my return to consciousness. I still didn’t remember all that had happened over the past few weeks. I only knew that I was so happy to see my mother.

“Oh, my sweet little girl,” she said, leaning in close to me. “How are you feeling?”

I tried squeezing the sand from my eyes and mumbled, “okay.” I really
was
feeling pretty okay, other than the fact that my arms and legs felt like led weights. I also felt like a little girl again, like I was ten years old and I was stuck in the nurse’s office at school. Only this was much more serious than the nurse’s office. I guess I needed to be nurtured.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked.

“He went to get some coffee. Should be back in a few. He’ll be so happy to see that you’re awake.”

I nodded and felt a small knot form in my stomach. There was tension there. I wasn’t sure why, though. I wrinkled my brow and drew in a long breath. My lungs were starving for air.

“You want to sit up, sweetheart?” Mom asked.

I rolled my head around. I was pretty stiff. I guess lying in a hospital bed for… how long had I been there?

“What day is it, Mom?”

“It’s Friday, why?”

Friday. That told me nothing about how long I had been in the hospital. I cleared my throat. It was so dry, and my head started throbbing again.

“Here, let me adjust your pillows.”

I sat up slowly, feeling like I was being dragged through cold molasses, and I let Mom adjust the bedding. The sound of her fluffing the pillows brought up a memory of lying in bed with James.

Of course! James! How could I have forgotten about him? The love of my life, the…
father of my child…

The weight of all the galaxies slammed into my chest at that moment.

I was pregnant.

I shifted my body around and asked Mom to pour me some water. Things were quickly beginning to trickle back into my memory, and I wasn’t sure if I could count on my mother to give me a full status report.

I recalled the argument I had with Daddy and him kicking me out of the house. Everything. It all came back in a matter of seconds, but I couldn’t remember what I was doing there. I wanted to ask but I was suddenly scared.

My door creaked open slowly, and I saw my father’s feet step into the room. It only took him a couple of seconds to register that I was back among the land of the living. Mom handed me some water as he walked over and joined us.

“She’s awake, Isaiah. But she’s very tired.” That was my mother’s way of saying not to start anything with me. I couldn’t believe that my dad would even dare to lecture me at that point, but as I quickly recalled, he had become pretty unpredictable in recent days.

“That’s wonderful,” he replied, before walking over to my side of the bed and taking me by the hand.

I could barely look at him. And I could see in his eyes that he was not one hundred percent thrilled with me. Though maybe he was just worried. Sometimes worry and disappointment look the same to an outsider. No, there was definitely a hesitance, a resistance to acknowledge me or my current condition.

I set my water down on the bedside table and smiled weakly at him. I really didn’t have anything to be happy about, not yet anyway. I was happy to be alive, but I wasn’t sure about the baby, and I was petrified to bring it up with my parents. Would it set Dad off? Would they lend a sympathetic ear if I had lost the baby? It was just too much to process. For the time being, I put the thought out of my head. I would ask the doctor when I was alone.

“Your mother and I and the whole church… we have been praying for you, Audrey. The Lord answered our prayers.” Dad leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. “We are so glad that you’re all right.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” I mumbled. “What exactly happened?”

Mom rubbed her hands together before answering. “What do you remember, sweetheart?”

I took a breath and closed my eyes, remembering briefly the hotel and getting in my car at James’ house, then the diner and how someone was supposed to have met me there. Kristin maybe? And then I left, but that was all I could recall.

“Was I in an accident?” I asked.

“Yes, Audrey,” Dad answered, taking me by the hand. “You were in a car accident because you got involved with someone you shouldn’t have.

“Please don’t fill her head up with garbage like that, Mr. Braxton.”

James was standing in the doorway and was visibly upset with what my father had said. Although I could have done without the sword swinging, it made me feel warm and fuzzy to hear the man I loved stand up for me, even if it
was
against my own father. If you’ve ever heard the two men you love more than anything in the world fighting with each other, you know how painful it can be.

“I’m filling her head up with the truth,” my dad argued.

James took a few steps inside the door. “Her accident had nothing to do with our relationship,” he stated. “As a matter of fact, if you hadn’t kicked her out of her own home, this whole incident wouldn’t have occurred.”

My stomach clenched again and my mom dropped her head in her hands. It was obvious that she was about as sick of this as I was. She took a few steps towards the chair and rested her hands on the back, keeping her gaze focused on the floor. I felt so sad for her.

And so angry with my father for being such a jerk.

“Well if
you
hadn’t gotten her pregnant…”

It was apparent that this was just never going to end.

“I don’t think,” I interrupted, “that either one of those issues is relevant right now.”

Both the men looked at me and then at each other, both with guilt covering their faces.

“I’m sorry, love,” James said. He then walked to my bed and leaned in for a kiss. I could feel the disapproval emanating from my dad as he turned away from us and walked to the window. Mom stayed put.

“How are you feeling?”

My body relaxed at his touch, but I was still uncomfortable being around him and my family together. I wondered if that would ever change.

“A little out of it, but okay I guess. Mostly I’m weak. From head to toe.”

James swept the loose strands of hair away from my forehead and gave me another peck on the cheek.

“That’s understandable.”

I looked into his eyes, searching for an answer to the dreaded question about the baby. I don’t know why I thought I would be able to see it on his face, but I did. The only thing I saw, however, was relief.

But was that relief that I was okay, despite me losing my pregnancy? Or relief that we were
both
okay? It was impossible to tell.

“James?” I whispered. “Is the baby…?”

Tears formed in the corner of my eyes, and I couldn’t even finish the question. I couldn’t get the words out. The nurse had just walked into the room. She was really loud and spoke with the thickest southern drawl I had ever heard.

“Well, hey there!” She yelled. I’m sure she didn’t really yell, but it sure sounded like it to my drugged-up ears.

“So glad to see you’re fine’ly awake, sweetheart!”

Everyone in the room scattered like rodents. I got the impression that this nurse had a reputation that preceded her.

“Thank you,” I muttered while wiping my eyes. She flocked to my side and pulled down the sheets. I guess to make sure all the probes they had hooked up to me were still attached and that my IV was still intact.

“Everything looks good, honey. My name’s Cindy, by the way” she said, saying her name as a three-syllable word. “I’ll be taking care of you until this evening. All your vitals look good, and we have you on a morphine drip. You just let me know if you’re in any pain or if you need to go to the bathroom, okay, honey?”

I nodded my head. I already had to go to the bathroom, but I really wanted my parents to leave so that James could help me with that. I didn’t want any strange nurse to watch me pee, and I sure as hell didn’t want my mom or dad in on that excitement.

“Dr. Hutchins will be in shortly to talk with you, okay sweetie pie?”

Good grief, I thought. I’ve heard of good bedside manner, but this particular nurse’s sweet nature was going to send me into a diabetic coma if she didn’t knock it off. And what was the doctor going to talk to me about? I was suddenly anxious.

“Um, Cindy, am I going to be okay?”

I felt awkward addressing this in front of the family, but lying injured in a hospital bed tends to strip away at least some of your dignity. No matter how much pride you have.

“Well, you were in a car accident, and we had to treat you for a mild contusion, but you seem to be okay now. It’s just standard procedure for the doctor on staff to update the patients when they first wake up from something like this. But yes, sugar, you’re okay.” And then
Cee-yun-dee
smiled as sweetly as anyone has ever smiled. Then she walked around to the other side of the bed to fiddle with something over there. I don’t even know what exactly she was doing.

“Excuse me, Cindy?” my dad asked.

She shot up like a buck from where she was hovering over the back of my bed.

“Yes, sir?”

“My understanding is that only family is allowed to visit in the ICU, isn’t that correct?”

Cindy rubbed her hands together and smiled that killer smile again.

“Way’ull, technically, yes. Only family is supposed to visit. But that’s not really enforced. Besides, based on the way our patient looks, she’s probably going to be out of the ICU within the hour.”

“Uh-huh,” my dad grumbled. “Well, I’m getting ready to ask you to enforce it.”

Oh my God. Seriously, Dad?

I couldn’t believe what measures he would go to. He pointed at James.

“That man right there, is NOT family, and I’d like him gone, STAT.”

The smile drained from Cindy’s face, and James crossed his arms over his chest. I couldn’t believe my dad was going to have him removed. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wasn’t sure if he was still the father of my baby because I wasn’t sure if there was even still a baby. No one had even answered my question yet. I hadn’t had a chance to even
ask
the question yet.

“Yes, of course, sir,” Cindy answered in her best southern I’m-so-sorry-to-have-inconvenienced-you accent with a fake smile from here all the way to Texas.

And then she looked at James. “I’m sorry, but we do have to enforce the rules if there’s a problem.”

Without batting an eyelash, James leaned down and kissed me on the lips. The tears were streaming down my face. I didn’t want him to leave, but at the same time, I was a tiny bit relieved. But only because I just couldn’t deal with the tension anymore. I had never felt so conflicted in all my life. I think I was too tired and too drugged to really be able to process my emotions all that well.

I really wanted my parents to leave, though, not James. I wanted to get the nurse alone so I could be free to speak my mind and feel whatever I needed to feel or say what I needed to say without fearing recrimination.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” James spoke in a normal voice before changing to a whisper and adding, “I’m only doing this to keep the peace. I’ll have you by my side again as soon as possible. And that’s a promise.”

I watched him leave and the nurse followed him out. I imagined they exchanged words outside of the door. Probably Cindy apologizing profusely for having to ask him to leave.

“Now, sweetheart,” my dad said. “You can get the rest you need without that man here to interfere.”

My blood began to boil. I knew in his own mind, he thought that he was protecting me, but his behavior had become maddening.

And now, it was my turn.

“Daddy, I know you’re trying to help, but James is not interfering.” I chewed my bottom lip for a few seconds, getting up the courage to say what I needed to say.

“You and Mom need to leave now. I’d like to be alone.”

You’d have thought I was asking him to murder his best friend.

“Of course,” he said solemnly. “Your mother and I will get some dinner and be back for one last visit tonight.”

I shook my head and gritted my teeth. I didn’t want them to come back but I couldn’t get into an argument then. I needed answers to questions. And I needed my parents to be gone. And why had they gone from practically disowning me to completely crawling up my ass? It made me sick to think that the reason they had come back around could have been because I was no longer “with child” as my dad had put it from the start.