Second Chances (28 page)

Paul smirked. "I hope you recognize the yawning pitfalls opening in front of you there, Brian?"

Brian chuckled and shook his head. "Better to know this stuff going in, Paul."

The quartet laughed, and the conversation continued on, lighthearted and pleasant.

When it was finally time for her medication, Karina was sore and tired. She'd done a good job hiding it, but now, even that was beyond her.

"You're going to have to excuse me. I need to take my medication and lie down." Karina slowly rose, maneuvering her way into hallway.

"Do you want me to come up and help you?" asked Susan from behind her.

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. I just want to sleep for a few hours. Are you two staying?"

"No. We're going to head back. I'll give you a call tomorrow, okay?"

Karina hugged Susan gently, grateful for her understanding. She wearily continued on to her bedroom. Her cats jumped up on the bed as soon as they saw her.

"Hey, you guys! Are you two all right? Come here, my sweethearts."

Karina carefully stretched out on the bed, cuddling with the cats. Unfortunately, that movement alone sent lightning bolts of pain through her body and hot rivers of tears burning their way down her cheeks. Before too long, the medication finally, blessedly, took her under and away from the pain.

The sky was dark when she opened her eyes. Her stomach gurgled in outrage. Too bad. She had no plans to move. The sleek cats were still stretched out beside her. She'd missed them this last while. They'd always slept with her. Then again, she hadn't slept in her bed at all this last week. With a start, she realized that she'd returned to
her
room, not Brian's. Her subconscious obviously thought the situation had changed. The reason how eluded her and made her uneasy at the same time. Surely, this situation should bring them closer, not separate them. What would Brian see in her instinctive choice?

Limping carefully, she made her way to the bathroom only to stop in horror at the sight of her in the mirror. Her face wasn't bad after the simple wash in the hospital but there were still dirt and bits of leaves hiding in her hair. God, she was a mess. This called for a hot shower. And that meant help.

"Brian?" she called over the railing.

"I'm in the kitchen, Karina. Hang on, I'm coming up."

She watched him run up the stairs, two at a time.

"Did you have a good sleep, honey? How are you feeling now?"

He gently wrapped her in his arms, rubbing his cheek against her hair.

"How can you even stand to hold me? I'm filthy. Could you help take off my bandage, please? I desperately need a hot shower."

"I'll take it off, but you're still going to need help. You can hop in while I get a new one."

A few painful minutes later, she stepped under the cascading warmth. She leaned against the shower room wall to steady herself. Trembling set in halfway through, making her wonder if it had been such a good idea after all.

She never heard the door open or the gentle voice calling out her name, but relief overwhelmed her as Brian's caring hands gently rubbed the soap over the rest of her body. One muscled arm slid around her ribs, supporting her. Gratefully, she leaned into his strength and let him take care of her.

When she was completely bathed and rinsed, Brian reached out and turned off the taps. Still supporting her, he opened the door and reached for a large towel. Within minutes, she was bundled up like a fragile parcel. With a second towel, he quickly dried himself. There was no warning, just the sight of the room tilting as he picked her up and carried her through to her bed.

"Let's get a new bandage on."

"I can get dressed." She struggled out of the oversized bath sheet when his voice stopped her.

"Don't move." He was standing in front of her, his hands full of bandages and ointments. She lowered the towel on the one side.

"Not feeling too good yet, are you?"

"No." Weary tears clogged her voice.

Finally, he was done. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to hurt anymore. Here, let's get you into your nightdress." Once again, he took over, dressing her capably.

"I'll bring you up a light dinner. I don't think you're ready for much more than that, are you?"

She smiled at the loving tenderness. A woman could get used to this. "No, I won't eat much tonight."

Just over an hour later, she was fighting to stay awake. Even though she was safely tucked into her own bed, her mind wouldn't stay quiet. Unpleasant memories filled the shadows and made her uneasy. The new dose of medication in her system should have knocked her out but it wasn't having the desired effect.

Brian came into the room to check on her, and the tension in her chest instantly eased. He held her close for a minute before kissing her gently, then turned to leave.

"Brian?" she murmured.

"Yes?" He turned, silhouetted by the hall light.

"You're coming back to sleep here aren't you?"

"I had thought to leave you alone to heal. I didn't want my tossing and turning to aggravate your wounds." He came back to her side, gently reaching out to stroke her cheek.

Her stomach clenched at his words. "That doesn't matter. I want you to stay. Please don't leave me alone…not tonight."

***

Ian waited patiently to be left alone. One nurse kept puttering around as she flirted with the guard standing at the doorway. He normally stood outside the door, only coming inside the room when anyone came in to check him or perform some other task.

Of course, Ian was handcuffed to the bed.

Like that would stop him. He couldn't believe just how good he felt. A part of him understood it was the drugs. Another part was the realization that he had several more days here to heal before he was to be moved to the local jail. According to snatches of conversation he'd picked up, he should have been moved already but they had a crowding issue, and given his medical needs, law enforcement had decided to keep him here for a few days longer.

And then they'd move him.

That was when he'd make his move. After several more days of healing he'd be that much stronger, and that only improved his plan.

As part of his plan, he'd been deliberately friendly and excruciatingly polite with everyone, playing his part to show remorse for his actions. As difficult as that was for him, it was also necessary. He needed them to see his actions as those driven by passion and the loss of his wife. A man who'd lost his sense of right and was driven to these drastic actions by his anger and pain.

And he needed them to view him now as a man who'd finally come to his senses. Someone who now understood the damage he'd caused.

They'd ease back the security then. Ease back on the careful vigilance around him. Ease back on their concern that he'd try to escape.

That was when he'd take them out.

And take care of Brian and his bitch forever.

"S
weetheart, are you sure you want me here?" Brian asked. "I didn't want to hurt you during the night, which was presumably why you came to this room to be alone."

"I wasn't thinking clearly when I came up. Besides, my cats were here and they needed comfort as much as I did." Karina smiled sheepishly at him.

"Then I'll finish up downstairs and come to bed. I'll be quick, I promise."

Just like that, he was gone.

Relieved, Karina curled up on her good side. She really didn't want to face the night alone. Besides, he belonged with her.

She was almost asleep when she felt the bed sink down beside her. "Brian?" she murmured sleepily.

"Shh. Go to sleep, I'm here. There's nothing to worry about."

"Thank you." Her drowsy whisper faded from her lips as sleep overcame her once again. That night was bad. Several times, she woke in pain. Each time, Brian woke too, wanting to help. Unfortunately, in the early hours of dawn, Brian rolled over and accidentally hit her shoulder as he tried to snuggle closer. Karina woke up screaming, tears streaming down her face.

He'd apologized several times, but even though she said she was fine, he wouldn't listen. Eventually, Karina fell back asleep. She knew he was still awake when she did.

The next night Brian lay down beside her until she fell asleep. She woke up to go to the bathroom to find herself alone. She'd asked him about it that morning. She understood his explanation. He'd hurt her once and couldn't take the chance that he'd do so again. She understood it, she even accepted it, but there was no way she liked it.

Another reason to get better and resume a normal life.

Brian drove her to the store the following day.

"Susan. Hi!" Karina burst through the doorway leaving Brian to bring up the rear. By the time he arrived, the two women were deep in excited conversation. Both Mark and Sandra joined the melee at lunchtime, and in between serving customers and scoffing bites of food, the group caught up on their lives.

It was also Thursday and Brian's lecture night.

Karina stayed behind. She was still too sore to sit through an entire evening. He hadn't wanted to leave her behind, so they'd compromised—Sandra and the twins were coming over for dinner and to spend the evening.

Afterwards, the soreness in her back increased nearly double, and Karina sheepishly admitted to herself that her half-day outing had almost been too much.

Still, she was anxious to resume her life. Their loving relationship had stalled into a state of waiting, presumably, until she was fully healed. She
was
healing. Not enough to play any sports, of course, but maybe healed enough for gentle loving. It was Brian's fear of hurting her that started the unexpected distancing between them. She didn't know how to bridge the gap. Since they'd started sleeping apart, she felt awkward and uncertain. Neither of them had voiced their feelings and now it felt as if a chasm had developed between them. With Ian safely locked up, there was no longer any need for her to stay at Brian's house. She considered moving back to Sandra's again. It wasn't what she wanted, but she wondered if it was what they needed. On top of that, she didn't know if Sandra had plans to rent out her old suite. Not that she couldn't find another place, but she really didn't want to leave.

Brian obviously felt guilty about her injury. With the distance growing between them, she had to wonder if he even wanted her to stay.

Karina was still wondering what to do when the next evening rolled around. This was the first night that she wasn't completely exhausted at bedtime. It was also the first night that she was fully aware of the loneliness deep inside. She wanted to return to their earlier closeness.

She loved him so much. Her feelings at the first seminar now seemed to be so school-girlish and superficial. The pain and horror of everything they'd been through had helped her feelings mature and deepen. Now, she saw so many different sides of him and she loved him that much more.

That thought brought one more on its wings. Her erotic letter. It still sat hidden in her night table…waiting for that perfect moment.

It occurred to her that if Brian thought she wasn't physically ready, there's no way he'd touch her. He'd be afraid of her getting hurt again.

It was up to
her
to show
him
that she was ready.

But how? He should be asleep already; after all, it was past midnight. Maybe she could crawl into his bed and surprise him. That would be fun. She went hot at the thought of what she could do to his luscious, sleeping body. A sneaky grin crept across her face. Too irresistible. She flung back the covers and headed down the hall.

Karina entered stealthily. The moonlight shone on his sleeping form, illuminating his masculine body just enough to let her appreciate it. Carefully, she slipped naked into his bed. Brian didn't move. She grinned wickedly to herself as she shifted closer. She'd done it! Her breath was ragged with nervous excitement.

Lord, it was good to be with him. He shuffled comfortably, naturally accepting her presence. She wrapped herself, spoon fashion around his muscled length. A tiny giggle escaped. This was so unlike her. However, with his overdeveloped sense of protectiveness, it was going to take forever for him to get the hint and make the first move, especially after accidentally hurting her that first night.

Now, how to start? Hm. Well, that was easy. With their two bodies entwined, it was much too hot. She eased the sheet down to his hips and traced a pattern of kisses on his back. His body was so different from hers. Strong where she was weak, hard where she was soft, large where she was so small. She stroked and enjoyed every inch of his back and buttocks, before moving onto other interesting areas.

From a kneeling position, she slid the sheet down, to uncover the rest of him. Dark, curly hair covered his thighs, leading the way to his groin. Gently, she nudged his leg over. He willingly shifted onto his back. She smiled. God, he was so perfect.