My Salvation (27 page)

“No, you’re going to sleep in our bed. You need
to be comfortable and a couch isn’t it.”

Bending, he gently picked her up. She felt a
sharp jolt of pain and held her breath until it passed, knowing it
wouldn’t last. Going rigid against her, he must have noticed her go
still. “It’s okay. You’re right, the bed is the best spot. Now get
me up there,” she said.

He moved up the stairs with a smooth ease, she
knew trying not to jostle her. She barely felt any movement. Once
they reached the bedroom, he laid her on the bed very carefully.
She sunk into it, feeling relaxed to be back in their shared
bed.

The guys came in behind him, carrying her items
from the hospital. The flowers were spread throughout the bedroom.
She could see the look on Ethan’s face as he took in the space.
With a smile on her face, she said, “Owen, why don’t you give Ethan
a tour of the house.”

“Cali, I need,” he said, but she cut him
off.

“I’m fine. Getting tired from the little bit of
movement I did and am going to close my eyes. Go, show your brother
the house.” She knew he wasn’t going to want to leave her side, but
Ethan was there for the first time and she wanted them to spend
some time together outside of a hospital room.

“All right.” He turned to Erik. “Stay nearby in
case she needs something.” Erik nodded.

Everyone left the room including Erik who no
doubt would stand just outside to give her a little privacy. “Erik,
wait.” He turned and took a couple of steps toward her.

“Owen told me he offered you a permanent
position. I’m very happy you accepted, but that doesn’t make you my
nurse or my maid. Owen is being overprotective and you don’t need
to stand guard outside of the door in case I need a drink or
something from the dresser. I can move around on my own. It’s a
little hard at times, but doable. I know how to sit and stand in a
way that minimizes the pain.”

“Cali, I’m here to help you in any way. I don’t
mind getting something for you or helping you stand. Please, let me
help.”

She could see the tortured look on his face and
knew what he was feeling. “You have to stop blaming yourself for
what happened. I don’t blame you. Owen and Steven don’t blame you.
Please, for me.”

“I’ll try to stop blaming myself if you agree to
let me help you when you need it.”

“Agreed.” She would do just about anything to
get him to stop thinking if he would have moved faster he would
have been shot instead.

She was getting tired and didn’t lie when she
spoke before. Reaching for the blanket to cover herself, a stabbing
pain made her stop. Erik saw what she was trying to do and reached
to get the blanket for her, but allowed her to pull it all the way
up.

She didn’t realize how often her stomach muscles
were used to move until being shot and trying to get around after
surgery. He slipped out of the room as her eyes started to close,
but knew he would be close by if needed. The bed was warm and
comfortable, making it easy to fall asleep.

Later, she woke to a dark room. Rubbing the
sleep from her eyes, she noticed a light near the window. Once her
eyes were able to focus, she saw Owen sitting in one of the chairs
with his laptop on. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”

She shook her head and attempted to sit up. The
pain shot through her and she let out a noise causing him to jump
and come over to the bed.

“Let me help you,” he said as he held onto her
arm to gently pull her up.

She hurt badly. “What time is it? I wonder if I
can take something for the pain.”

Before leaving the hospital, he went to the
pharmacy the hospital had in-house and filled a few prescriptions
the doctor had given her. He checked the clock and went to her bag,
grabbing a pill bottle from inside. Bringing her a glass of water,
she swallowed the pill.

“Are you hungry? Adeline made homemade soup and
baked bread today before you came home. I can go downstairs and
heat it up for you.” Her stomach rumbled at the thought of
Adeline’s cooking.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Cali smiled at him. “I would love that. Thank
you.”

He kissed her forehead before leaving for the
kitchen. A minute after he was gone, Erik popped his head in.
“Erik, you should be at home.”

He shrugged and said, “I don’t mind. I’m going
to leave in an hour or so, but I’ll be back on Monday before Owen
leaves for work.”

She groaned knowing Owen asked him to come over
to help take care for her. And she had no doubt Adeline would also
be in the house all day. Shifting again, she tried to move her legs
to hang them off of the bed. She needed to stand, but it was easier
said than done.

Erik came to her side. “Cali, whatever you need
let me get it for you.”

Blushing, she said, “You can’t really help me
with this.”

She tried to slide off of the bed, but the pain
was intense and she decided that she could use Erik’s help. “Could
you please help me stand?”

“Of course.”

He clasped her behind the elbow and she did the
same to him. The arm she was holding had a large muscle that she
felt flex and realized he was bigger than originally thought. He
still didn’t compare to Owen in her mind though. After helping her
stand, she stayed in place for a minute holding him, breathing
through the pain.

Owen came in while she was standing, holding
onto to Erik. She saw him lift an eyebrow to question what was
going on, but didn’t say anything. Releasing Erik, she walked to
the bathroom and shut the door.

She heard them talking outside, but didn’t care
what was said. She took care of what she needed to and brushed her
teeth. After washing her face she went back into the bedroom,
knowing she wouldn’t want to get up again once in bed.

Deciding it would be easier to sit in a chair,
she took a seat next to the window. She gently eased into the chair
on her own even though Owen offered to help. She wanted to do it on
her own if possible and really didn’t like the idea of Erik having
to help on Monday.

Owen brought the soup and bread over to the
sitting area. The soup smelled amazing. Her mouth was watering as
she scooped up a spoonful of noodles and carrots. The hospital food
wasn’t awful, but it was nothing compared to Adeline’s cooking.

“Mmm … so fucking good.”

Owen smiled, taking a seat next to her. Leaning
into the chair, he brought his laptop over and began typing.

“What are you working on?”

“Nothing really, just catching up. I’d rather
get through some email now rather than face it all on Monday.”

“Will you come to bed with me when I’m done
eating?”

“You couldn’t stop me. I’ve missed laying next
to you.”

She nodded, she missed it too. The comfort and
warmth of his body was something she craved. She finished her soup
and started getting drowsy.
The pain meds must be kicking
in
, she thought.

He must have seen how tired she became, because
he took the soup from her and helped her stand. She didn’t even
protest. He helped her get into bed, lifting her feet and gently
laying them on the cool sheet. His shirt came off and he climbed
into bed, bringing the blankets to their chests, covering them.

She felt him move close, spooning her. He didn’t
wrap an arm around her waist as usual, but did put his head right
next to hers. His breath tickled her ear when he spoke. “I’ve
waited all week to lay next to you, to have you in our bed. I love
you, Caliana. If you need anything during the night, wake me. I’ll
do or get whatever you need.”

Turning her head slightly, she noticed how close
their lips were. “Thank you, Owen, for everything. You’ve been
incredible through all of this. I love you, too.”

Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, he rested his
head to hers. She pushed into his chest even though the movement
hurt a little, wanting to feel his body next to hers.

~ 26 ~

TWO MONTHS LATER

Owen was on edge, pacing the floor of his
office, waiting for the work day to be over. It was Friday
afternoon and was the day of the last appointment Cali had with the
surgeon. The day she was to be released and free to do everything
she used to do. She healed really well and he didn’t doubt she
would be given the green light.

They hadn’t had sex in two months. Two months of
minimal contact. They had each stroked the other to orgasm a few
times, but wasn’t what either ultimately wanted. She had begged him
to go further and it took all of his restraint to say no. He hated
denying her anything. Not knowing how he did, but knew he didn’t
want to injure her further. That had been enough to keep his cock
to himself.

That brought him to the present, pacing the
large office. His cock was rock hard, painfully pushing against his
pants. Thinking about what he was going to do to her once he was
home wasn’t helping the situation.

He wanted to go to the appointment, but she
insisted he go to work, saying she didn’t want him missing a day
and getting behind. What she failed to realize was that he didn’t
give a fuck if he missed a day. She was his priority.

He wasn’t happy, but finally agreed. The only
condition was Erik had to drive her. She didn’t have a problem with
that since he insisted when she left the house, Erik was to go.

The threat to her was over. Mia was dead and the
other two in jail awaiting trial, but Owen still worried. He knew
eventually he would have to let her go out by herself. Now wasn’t
the time, though. Everything was still too fresh in his mind.

He promised he would work a full day. Looking at
his watch, he saw it was four-thirty and thought
fuck it, he
was leaving
. Like a caged animal, he needed to be set free and
only one woman could do that.

Steven had the day off and that meant he could
drive as fast as he wanted. Although, he was cursing himself for
his choice of vehicle. He brought the pick-up to work and it didn’t
move like the Benz did. Using it to bring some of Cali’s furniture
to one of the local foundations, hopeful someone in need could use
it. He loved that she always thought of others.

When he pulled into the garage, he was happy to
see the Jeep was sitting inside.
At least she got home before
me
, he thought. He whipped the door to the house open so hard
it hit the wall.
Shit. I need to get a hold of myself.

He did a quick lap of the lower level, not
finding her. Running upstairs, he took them two at a time. Seeing
the bedroom door was shut, he stood before it, trying to calm his
racing heart. Stepping forward, he clasped the knob and turned.

Walking in he noticed candles were lit
throughout the room. Sitting on the bed was Cali and she took his
breath away. Her back was propped against the headboard.

She was wearing a dark pink teddy with tiny
black flowers and vining leaves all over it. It had a small black
ruffle at the top just above her breasts, accentuating them. She
had on matching dark pink panties and black stockings that came up
to her mid-thigh, with a small bow at the top of each leg. Her
slender legs were bent, showing the bottom of her ass where it met
the sheet.

He stalked toward the bed as his eyes roved over
her body, stopping when he reached the side. He was breathing hard
and nothing had even happened yet. The anticipation was killing
him. Given the outfit she had on, he knew the green light was
given, that she was completely healed.

She didn’t say anything, but sat up on her knees
and moved within inches from his face. Without hesitation, he
grabbed the back of her neck, crashing his lips to hers. He could
feel her melt into him.

His tongue met hers with a raw passion. Moving
his hands over her body, he couldn’t get enough. He needed to touch
every part of her, feel her every curve. It had been too long since
he was able to let go and make love to her.

His hands finally settled on her ass and he
pulled her close. He knew he was being a little rough with her, but
he couldn’t help it. The internal battle to not be too rough
wavered and he barely stayed in control.

Reaching down, she untucked his shirt and lifted
it over his head. She placed kisses along his jawline, to his neck,
collarbone, and abs. He felt her tongue snake out and go over the
ridges of his muscles.

He felt his cock twitch due to her nearness.
Undoing his button and zipper, her hand went inside and enveloped
him in warmth. His hips jerked forward at her touch. He was
fighting not to come in her hand.

Her lips found his again, while her hand
continued to stroke him. Unable to wait any longer, he grabbed her
legs behind her knees and pulled them out from under her. She fell
to her back and stared up at him.

He hooked his fingers into her panties and tore
them from her body, material ripping, him not giving a shit. The
panties went flying over his shoulder. He took off his pants and
boxer briefs before crawling into the bed and on top of her.

“I can’t wait. I have to have you. Now,” he said
in a husky voice. “But this is only the beginning. I’m going to
lick, touch and love every part of your body. I want you dizzy with
pleasure.”

“Owen, shut up and fuck me.”

Anything he was holding back snapped at her
words. He positioned himself at her entrance, pushing the head of
his cock in, but pulled it back out. He took hold of it and used
the head to spread her wetness over her mound. She was so wet, he
knew he would glide right in.

He slid his length back down and slammed into
her. She cried out when he was completely sheathed and he felt a
slight tremor run through her. Backing out slowly, he drove home
again. Over and over he did that, fucking her hard. She was
writhing beneath him.