Somewhere in His Arms (52 page)

             
Lucy held her breath and sobbed softly as he lowered her onto his turgid sex. He impaled her, stretching and filling, and then the warm pull of excitement was ruined by the familiar pinching ache. “Ouch!” she winced and whimpered in pain. “Alec!”

             
Alec swore and sat up quickly. He'd been afraid of this. She was so damn little, he was always afraid her body would reject him. Unlike most men, he hated the size of his cock. It wasn't extraordinarily large by any means, but he supposed the working term would be “well -endowed.”  He pulled out slightly and spread soothing kisses over her face and neck. “I'm sorry.”

             
Lucy kissed him back, hating herself. He was halfway out of her, and she wanted all of him. “Don't be sorry,” she whispered, smoothing his face and hair with trembling fingers. “It's not your fault.”

             
He kissed her softly, his tongue caressing hers lovingly. His cock ached in protest at having been so rudely interrupted, and he glanced down to where it was half in and half out of her glistening folds. “What do we do about the fellow?” he breathed against her mouth. “He's still hungry.”

             
She grinned against his lips. “There's always the true and tried method of you on top. It doesn't hurt as much.” Lucy wiggled her hips and he groaned into her mouth.

             
“Hold on to me,” he muttered, and she held on tight as he moved and in one quick movement, pinned her beneath him. “Better?” he whispered. She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Alec could feel the tension easing from her body. He slid out and she whimpered a protest, but he shushed her and eased back in. He braced himself above her on knees and forearms and began to move.

             
She moaned with pleasure. The pain had ceased, and the only discomfort she felt was his cock stretching her full with each deep plunge. Her breath came in little hitches and his mouth drank greedily from hers. Lucy kissed him back eagerly, grabbing onto his body, and relishing the feel of him stroking hotly within. She raised her knees and they both cried out at the sensation of him surging upward within her. Delicious heat unfurled within her belly and she arched her hips desperately against his, savoring the sensation of his harsh breaths against her throat. Lucy's hands wandered possessively over him and slipped between his ass cheeks to press him deeper. He cried out and increased his pace.

             
Her head fell back beneath his crushing mouth and pleasure mounted within their sweaty bodies. Alec was the first the feel it. His cock was ravenous for it and swelled painfully before that first torturous shattering. And he groaned, thrusting into her with frenzied strokes, his body suddenly swamped with excruciating rapture, and gasped at the bittersweet agony of it. His cock kept stroking within her until he could feel her clenching around him, and her eyes flew open in shock, staring up into her husband's scorching blue ones as she came.

             
It was the most loving and sensual moment of her life. 

             
Lucy's body quivered with rippling aftershocks and Alec stilled above her, his body pressing its loving weight into hers. She lay panting, feeling the soft brush of his lips against her hair and ear, and her hands stroked lovingly down his damp body, lingering over his back. She allowed her fingers to trace over scars and was relieved when he didn't flinch from her touch. “My wife,” he sighed happily, settling deeper within her.

             
“Husband,” she sighed back, kissing his shoulder.

             
Alec finally raised his head to peer down into sated brown eyes. A soft smile curved the swollen mouth. “Are we still going out?” she asked innocently.

             
He put his brow to hers and laughed. “If you can peel me off the floor, wife,” he whispered against her lips, “then you've got a date.” She giggled and kissed him back.

             
“I'll give you thirty minutes to put yourself back together.”

             
“Is that all?” he grumbled, lightly nipping her chin. “I'm going to need a few weeks at least.”

             
Lucy shushed him, giggling at her silly man, and closed her eyes.

              She was in the kitchen, struggling with the food processor Alec had bought for her. Apparently one needed an engineering degree to figure it out. Lucy finally gave up and hauled the ball of dough out, slammed it onto the floured counter, and began to pummel the thing into submission. “Alec?' she called to him in the living room. “Are you in there?”

             
His dark head popped up from the sofa where he'd been lounging. “Of course, my love,” he laughed. “Where else would I be?”

             
“Very funny!” she said, wiping her hands on a towel and dropping a kiss onto his brow. “Dinner is going to be late. I have to throttle the living daylights out of the dough the old-fashioned way.”

             
“I thought the processor was supposed to do that for you,” he said, sitting up.

             
“It's made in China, so it decided not to be agreeable.” Lucy slid her arms around him and kissed his ear. “What are you watching?”

             
“Alien,”
he muttered. “I couldn't sleep for a week the first time I saw it.”

             
“I used to check under the bed and closets!”

             
“No!”

             
“Uh-huh. But after a while, you figure out it's just some guy in a rubber suit.”
              He grinned up at her. “I'm going to the store, need anything?”

             
“A loaf of French bread and some wine.”

             
Alec stood up and gave her a look. “I thought we agreed not to drink.”

             
“Non-alcoholic, silly!” She put her hands on her hips. “What's fresh pasta without red wine?”

             
He fetched his keys and gave her a kiss as he headed out the door. “Don't do too much, I'm not picky about my pasta.”

             
“So I've noticed!” Lucy giggled and launched a pillow at his head. “Be careful!”

             
He ducked, laughing at his wife, and strolled out to the car. Alec settled into his seat and started the engine for the twenty-minute trip.

             
At the store, he picked out a crusty loaf of bread, some fresh Parmesan cheese, and a bottle of non-alcoholic Chardonnay. The cashier stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. But then Californians were sensitive about their wines. Alec left with his purchases and hurried home.

             
Traffic was picking up and he turned on the radio while he waited for the light to change. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he eased forward through the intersection and didn't notice the young man on a motorcycle following a car behind him, his camera flashing brightly in quick succession. The car was honking angrily at the man and swerved evasively, speeding up, and barreling past Alec and slamming into a pickup truck two cars ahead of him in the opposite lane. The drivers slammed on their brakes, and Alec had no time to react as the sedan smashed into the rear bumper of an SUV. His body whipped back viciously from the impact.

             
The airbag deployed and he knew no more.

Chapter Thirty

Lucy was getting worried. Alec should have been back by now. She dialed his phone and panicked when it went to voicemail. Then she called Rudy
, who said he probably got caught in traffic. That didn't do much to ease her mind, but she thought he was probably right. Glancing at the clock, it was nearly seven. Lucy chewed her nails nervously and sat down, she was a wife and wives always knew if something was wrong.

             
And
something
was terribly wrong! She just didn't know what.

             
She turned on the TV and tried not to give in to her irrational fears. But if he wasn't back by seven-thirty, she was going out to look for him---on foot if she had to. “Alec, where are you?” she muttered to herself.

             
There was a sudden knock at the door and she jumped. Hesitating a little, she opened it slowly and found a police officer on her doorstep. It was something no wife ever wanted to see. “Mrs. Barrington...?” the officer began in a booming voice. “There's been an accident.”

             
Her heart fell into a black pit and her legs seemed incapable of bearing her weight. “Where's my husband?” she whispered in a voice papery with mounting dread. The police officer tipped his hat and called out to his partner who got out and went to the passenger side of the patrol car. The officer was escorting someone wearing a neck brace and had his arm in a sling. Lucy's mind was simply unable to comprehend that it was her husband.

             
Alec stood before her with two black eyes, a broken nose, sprained wrist, and severe whiplash. “Hello, wife,” he said ruefully, trying to smile through the pain. “I'm a little late for dinner.”

             
Lucy burst into tears and flung her arms around him, weeping hysterically. Alec put his good arm around her and tried to console her. “There, now.” His own voice was thick with unshed tears at how close he'd come. “You're not getting rid of me so easily. We're supposed to grow old together, remember?”

             
The two officers cleared their throats awkwardly.

             
She pulled away slightly and tried to compose herself. “What happened?”

             
“A car ran through the intersection, miss.”

             
“What?”

             
“A pap on motorcycle was chasing Stephan DeHaven and didn't care who got killed,” the officer grunted in disgust. “Your husband was lucky he was wearing his seatbelt. He would have gone clear through the windshield....” the man stopped at the look of horror on Lucy's face and mumbled an apology.

             
“Was anyone else hurt?”

             
“A woman and her newborn baby weren't so lucky,” Alec said mournfully. “They didn't know what hit them.”

             
“My God, Alec!” she wept and turned to thank the officers. “Thank you for bringing him home to me.”

             
They flushed red. “The hospital wanted to keep him for observation, but he wouldn't hear of it since he said he was married to a nurse.”

             
Lucy peered up at her husband and held three fingers up. “How many fingers am I holding?”

             
“Six!” he said, squinting. She paled and he rushed to reassure his wife that nothing was scrambled permanently. “Three!” he chuckled. “I'm teasing. It's just whiplash,” he winced, and decided he really
was
worse for wear. “I
had
to come home. I knew you'd be worried sick.”

             
“Why didn't you call?” she demanded.

             
Alec showed her what was left of his cell phone. “It took the brunt of the airbag.”

             
“I'm glad it did.”

             
“Well,” the officers cleared their throats, “your wife will take care of you, Mr. Barrington. And if you remember anything else about the accident give us a call.”

             
Alec shook their hands. “I will. Thank you!”

             
They left and Lucy snapped into nurse mode, tears forgotten. “But I want to eat first,” he pouted. “I'm starving!”

             
“I'll bring it to you!” She pointed to the bed. “Get in there, right now!'

             
“You're so bossy, wife!” he grinned. She removed his trainers and positioned a pillow for him to rest his arm on. “The car is totaled and so is the wine,” he quipped.

             
“Never mind that!” She went to fetch his dinner and came back with it on a tray. She placed a napkin over his chest and proceeded to cut his pasta into bite-size pieces. “Open,” she commanded none too gently and forked some into his mouth.

             
“I'm not a baby!” he grumbled after a swallow. “I can feed meself!”

             
Lucy glared at him. “You'll do as I say! Now open your mouth and eat this pasta like a good little boy!”

             
Alec wasn't quite sure he liked his wife when she was channeling her inner Nurse Ratched, but he figured he kind of deserved it since he almost made her a widow. He ate the pasta and sipped Coke through a straw. When he was finished, she cleaned him up and gave him a Valium. “No! I'm not taking that!” he protested to no avail.