Healing His Heart Page 6

"I don't know," he said as his face turned red. "Maybe we can have a rematch on that poker game."

  "I kicked your ass." I loaded the belt with our groceries. "You really want a rematch?"

  "Any day." I looked around to make sure nobody could hear me. "I'd like to see that curvy waist of yours again."

  "How you doing, Tyler?" The cashier interrupted me, and I winked at Patrick before turning to her. She asked about Harry and my recovery, then we beat a hasty retreat.

  "Do you need help up the stairs?" Patrick asked when we pulled up to the back stairs. "I can help you up then come back for the groceries."

  Rolling my ankles and clenching the muscles in my legs, I considered how tired they felt after walking around the grocery store. "I think I can walk it."

  I knew they'd let him stay because I had another seizure, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I didn't need the help. I loved the company, but as we spent time together, I realized I'd rather have him there as my friend, not my nurse.

  Especially when I thought about how sexy he'd looked the night before.

  I made it to the top of the stairs at the same time Patrick did, after loading his arms up with groceries. Harry started prancing and barking at the door beside me as I tried to unlock the door for Patrick. The silly dog was moving around so much I had to let go of his leash so I could keep my hand still enough to get the key in the door. As soon as it was open, he pushed his way inside, barking ferociously. I hurried in after him, Patrick on my heels, and heard a crash from the bedroom.

  Patrick dropped the plastic bags in the middle of the floor, and we rushed to the bedroom in time to see Harry jumping at the window.

  The open window. Rushing to it, Patrick and I pressed ourselves together to look out. A man dressed all in black hopped off the bottom rung of the ladder that usually lived in the shed behind the building. From our angle, we couldn't see anything about him. He wore a black ball cap. Pressing himself against the back of the building, he hurried around the corner and out of sight.

  "We gotta get a look at him." I headed for the door, but Patrick was much faster. He and Harry disappeared at the bottom of the stairs as I got to the top. Unfortunately, my energy evaporated before I managed to get halfway down, and my legs started shaking. Sinking down onto the closest stair, I waited to see what happened, cursing myself for not being stronger.

  "Harry!" Patrick shouted. "Heel!"

  When Patrick didn't appear, I counted to thirty. Still no Patrick, so I stood and started back down the stairs, no idea what the hell I'd do once I got there. Why hadn't I grabbed the phone? I would've been more help getting Brady or another officer over here as soon as possible.

  Finally reaching the bottom, I peeked around the corner to see Patrick holding Harry by the scruff of his neck. Harry's tail wagged like a maniac, so Patrick wasn't bothering him in the least. Brady stood in front of Patrick, the two of them talking as if I wasn't waiting in the stairwell, about to piss myself with anxiety.

  "What the hell happened?" I exclaimed.

  Patrick started and let Harry go, but he ran to me. I walked over to a bench on the front porch of the diner and sat down. "Come over here and tell me what happened." Looking down at Harry, I didn't exclude him from my chiding tone. "Sit."

  He sat.

  They joined me in the shade of the porch. "Well, what happened?" I sat back and waited for the explanation.

  "By the time I got around the corner he was gone. He must've had a car waiting right here on the street. Brady was in the diner and saw me run out but it was too late."

  "I've already called the staties. They're setting up a roadblock on both sides of the highway." Brady looked around. "Didn't you two set up some cameras?"

  I hung my head, ashamed of myself. "We did. They came, but I never got around to installing them. I'm guessing the reason for the ladder is because we changed the locks. He couldn't get in this lock for some reason."

  "You sure you didn't recognize anything about him?"

  I looked at Patrick and shrugged. "I could only see black clothes and a black ball cap. You?"

  "No, the angle was bad."

  "Okay, boys, you call me if you think of anything, and get those cameras set up. I'm going in to see if Daisy's cameras were framed right. Based on what I remember from watching them after your accident, they're not facing in the right direction. Can you two make yourselves scarce for a while? I'll get my deputies over to fingerprint again."

  "Yeah, we'll go to my place," Patrick said. I looked at him in surprise. I'd never seen his home. Brady nodded at Patrick and me, then walked into the diner.

  "Well, now what?" I asked with a laugh.

  "Now, we take the rest of the groceries in my car to my house until the police clear yours." He handed me his car keys. "Wait here."

  Patrick jogged into the diner, then back out. "I asked Brady if I could go put the groceries away, but he said he'd do it as soon as he finished looking at the cameras."

  "Why'd you give me your keys?" I chuckled as I handed them back.

  "Oh, I was going to send you to my car while I put the groceries away. So you and Harry could get out of the heat."

  For the first time since we'd come outside, I noticed the heat. Smiling to myself, I walked in front of Patrick to his car. I couldn't think of a time when someone had been so considerate of my comfort.

  Besides my mom, of course.

  10

  Patrick

  My apartment was a royal mess, I was sure of it. We were going to walk in to the biggest embarrassment of my life. I looked at Tyler out of the corner of my eye, wondering if I could get him to wait in the car while I went in and tidied up.

  "Where do you live?"

  "Have I never told you?" We'd talked about a lot of things, from our favorite foods to the surgeries we'd had. Of course, I knew all his from his medical records.

  "No, not that I recall."

  I pulled onto my street. "My parents, they've got money. When I dropped out of college, they cut me off."

  "Why'd you drop out?"

  That was a subject hard for me to talk about. "It's complicated."

  "You got something else to do?"

  I looked at Tyler sharply, but he just stared back at me with an eyebrow raised.

  "No, I guess not." I sighed as we pulled into my driveway. "I started off, did a year. They wanted me to be a doctor, but I'd always wanted to be a nurse. My father is a doctor. Pediatrician. I spent my childhood in his office. My mother was his office manager."

  Tyler's face lit up like a lightbulb. "Dr. Hunter is your dad?"

  "Yeah, why?"

  "He was my pediatrician. I loved Dr. Hunter." Tyler grinned. "I hated having to switch to an adult doctor."

  "It's nice that he was so great to you. But I just saw him as dad. The one that kept pushing me to follow in his footsteps."

  Turning off the car, I turned to Tyler to finish the story. "I insisted on being a nurse. I saw the office. The nurses ran the show. Sure, Dad gave the official orders, but the nurses, they were the ones that really knew what they were about."

  "How'd he react to that?"

  "Well, he didn't beat me or anything like that." I chuckled. "No, it was worse. He was disappointed in me."

  Tyler clutched at his heart. "Ouch. Right in the feels."

  "Exactly. When I went to nursing school, they were disappointed. But when I dropped out, deciding to take a year off, they flipped. Cut me off, no more money, no more college fund."

  "What did you do?"

  "What any self-respecting trust fund baby would do," I said with pride. "I called my grandmother."

  Tyler burst out laughing. "That's fantastic."

  "She gave me my inheritance early. I bought a house, which ate up most of it, but I figured that would be the smartest investment of the money. Roof over my head, paid off."

  It was part of the reason why I wasn't freaking out about taking a week off of work. "Then, I got a job at the hospital
. I had some nursing school. They put me through classes to get my certified nursing assistant certificate. I just had to work with them for another year to pay off the classes. Now, I'm taking a few online classes to work toward my LPN degree."

  "Is that what you want?"

  "Very much so. Eventually, I'll get my nursing degree. It's still what I want." I tapped the console between us for emphasis. "But, I'll do it on my own, on my terms."

  I didn't know if I'd forgive my parents, but that was a problem for another day.

  "Come on," I said, praying I'd neatened up before leaving the last time I was there. "Let's get out of the heat."

  I let Harry out, and he proceeded to run around sniffing my small yard. The house wasn't anything grand, but I'd made it my own. I loved it.

  "So, this is the house you chose?" Tyler grinned at me. "It's so perfectly you."

  "How do you mean?"

  "Neat and tidy. No frills, but nice."

  What did no frills mean? "Care to clarify?" I asked as I walked toward the front door, pulling my keys from my pocket. "No frills?"

  "You're not a lot of drama." He turned to the yard. "Come on, Harry." Climbing the two steps onto my porch, he peeked in the front window. "No muss. I like that. I feel like I can trust you with any secret, and you'll guard it, and not cause a fuss."

  He might as well have punched me in the gut. I unlocked the door and went in without a word, snatching up a stray jacket from a chair in the living room as he followed.

  "Sit down," I said, pointing to the couch. "I'll go get the groceries."

  My mood was shattered. Not that it had been that great to begin with, but hearing that Tyler trusted me and thought I was no drama was enough to make me want to cry. "Be right back."

  I took my time walking back out to the driveway. How could I have lied to someone I cared so much about? Did that mean that my feelings weren't true?

  No. They were real. As I slammed the trunk shut, I made a decision. I was going to tell Tyler the truth. I'd enjoy the last few days with him, then on my last night with him, I'd tell him. Me leaving would give him some time to process, and hopefully forgive me.

  It wouldn't be right to start a relationship on a lie. Tyler was right. I'd never been full of drama, and I had no intention of starting now.

  After dinner, we sat in my living room to watch TV and wait to hear from Brady. He'd texted Tyler once, before dinner, to let him know they hadn't found the guy.

  A few minutes into the movie, Tyler snuggled in beside me, to my absolute delight. I curled my arm around him and tickled his neck, twirling his short, soft hair around my finger. I had no idea what movie we watched. I didn't look at the screen once. My entire attention was on Tyler. His legs tucked up beside him, the part in his hair. He had two crowns on the top of his head.

  "What are you doing?" he asked, lifting his head from my chest and looking up at me.

  "Just thinking about you. That okay?"

  He smiled, fluttering his lashes. "Yeah. I'm okay with it."

  When he didn't turn his head back down, I focused on his lips. He saw the subject of my gaze, clearly, because he licked them, slow and sensual.

  "Patrick," he whispered.

  I wasn't sure if he intended to say more, because I captured his lips before they moved again. Cupping his cheeks, I kissed him with all the love I had for him in my heart. I didn't know if he'd forgive me, and I was damned if I'd let him go without showing him how much I cared about him.

  He moaned, spurring my actions. Sliding my hands down his neck, I continued down until I found the hem of his shirt. He pulled back when he realized what I was doing, and I inadvertently let out a little gasp when his lips left mine. I didn't like being parted from him.

  "Let me see that beautiful waist," he said after pulling his own shirt off. I sat up and obliged, straightening my spine so he could see what I'd worked so hard to shape. The waist trainer wasn't easy to endure, but I loved the result so much I continued to wear it.

  Tyler stood, then grabbed my hands and pulled me up. He moved his hands to my waist, smoothing them up and down my side. I giggled, jerking away. "I'm sorry, it tickles," I said through my laughter.

  He didn't laugh. Tyler stepped toward me, looking down at me with serious eyes. He closed the distance between us, capturing my mouth. I lifted my arms, wrapping them around his neck, and this time when his hands slid down my sides, I didn't feel the slightest ticklish twinge.

  I moaned and pressed myself against him. Tyler's dick pressed into my stomach, and mine rubbed against his hip. He moved his hands around my back and leaned forward, curving my spine into a dip. Gripping my ass, he lifted, pulling me onto my tiptoes, and evening out our heights. My aching cock pressed against his, pulling another gasp from me. "Tyler," I said into his mouth.

  He smiled, his tongue stroking mine, and let me fall back onto my flat feet. My hands rested on his chest, and as he unbuttoned my pants, I dug my fingertips into his pecs, squeezing and releasing before rubbing in a circle and then doing it again.

  My pants slid down my thighs with a little help from Tyler, my erection hitting the cool air. I ached for Tyler to touch me. He didn't make me wait long, wrapping his long fingers around my cock and stroking me at an excruciatingly slow pace.

  After taking a moment to enjoy the feel of his hand on my dick -- finally, I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down, freeing him. Immediately, I grabbed it, unable to wait to touch him. "I need to taste you," I said as Tyler squeezed me a bit tighter.

  Tyler kicked off his shoes and the pants around his ankles before sitting on the couch and spreading his legs so I could settle between them.

  On my knees, I pulled his dick straight, and wrapped my lips around his head, swirling my tongue around the tip. Tyler moaned and slid his fingers through my hair. He liked my mouth on him.

  I closed my eyes and relished the moment. I finally had what I wanted, the man I loved bare in front of me, open for me to give him all the pleasure I could.

  Drawing Tyler fully into my mouth, I pushed down as far as I could, which was only a little more than halfway down his shaft. He really was impressively long.

  Every time I moved downward on his dick, I made it a little farther down, until I had to suppress my gag reflex in order to be able to take him all the way.

  As I pulled back, my gag reflex triggered, and I choked. Pulling up and off of Tyler's cock, I had to sit back and compose myself.

  Tyler stroked himself as he watched me. "I don't know what it is about watching you choke on my cock, but all I want to do now is fuck your mouth."

  Fuck. I nearly nutted all over my living room floor when he said that. "Well?" I asked with a challenging look on my face. Rocking back on my heels, I gave him room to stand. He did, looking down at me as I rose onto my knees and opened my mouth.

  Gripping my hair, he held me still with one hand while guiding his cock into my mouth with the other. Moving both hands into my hair, he held me still and rocked his hips back and forth while I tried to hold my mouth so that his strokes wouldn't hit my teeth.

  That would be no fun.

  He moved slowly at first, mostly just moving his head in and out, but after I moaned my excitement, he sped up. I curled my tongue, angling it so he didn't go all the way down my throat, and it created a tighter hole for him to fuck.

  His thrusts became wilder. He'd liked the tongue movement, so I pushed upward, sucking as he moved.

  With a grunt of pleasure, he came, squirting his hot cum down my throat.

  As soon as he finished, he pulled me to my feet, kissing me with abandon. "Fucking hell, Patrick, you've got the mouth of an angel."

  "Somehow, I don't think angels do that very often," I said.

  "Sit."

  I fell back onto the couch, watching Tyler get to his knees and smile at me. He grabbed me, stroking me and looking at my cock. His gaze made me squirm, wondering if his mouth felt as good as he described mine.

  It didn't take lon
g for me to learn. He sank his mouth onto my cock, and I couldn't hold myself as quiet as he did. I moaned loudly, unable to hold in how good it felt. He moved faster, holding his hand at the base, squeezing as he moved his head down, and releasing as his mouth moved off of me. Then, repeat. My moans increased in volume and desperation as I felt my orgasm build.

  Being mouth-fucked by Tyler took me high, fast. I couldn't hold the orgasm long, coming in his mouth, shooting a huge load down his throat with a throaty yell.

  I pulled him up when I was finished, sitting him beside me and snuggling myself into him the way he had me before. I wrapped my arm around his waist and breathed deep, memorizing the moment, the smell of his body, the softness of his skin.

  I'd stolen a moment, one I didn't deserve, not yet. If it was going to be our only moment, I wanted to enjoy it as long as possible.

  11

  Tyler

  "Brady said we can go back," I said after checking my phone. "But he says if we can stay here, it would be better."

  "Well, of course we can stay here." Patrick shifted under me. I'd curled up on him, both of us totally naked, after our little bout of fun. Now that we'd calmed down and the sweat dried, the awkwardness set in. "I'm going to get dressed," I whispered. "I'm sleepy."

  "Come on. You can stay in my bed." Patrick stood after me, putting his underwear back on. "I'll sleep on the couch."

  "No, there's no reason we can't both sleep in the bed." I looked toward the back of the house, that I still hadn't seen. "Unless it's a twin?"

  He laughed. "No, I can't handle a twin. It's actually a king."

  “See? We can both sleep in the bed.”

  Patrick had a spare toothbrush, so I brushed my teeth while he let Harry out in his back yard. We settled into bed, facing each other with a large span of bed between us. "This is so strange," Patrick whispered as we looked at each other in the moonlight streaming through his window.

  "I agree. I can't believe someone is breaking into my house. I don't understand why."

  "Could you have something they're looking for?"