My Beautiful (The Beautiful Series) (19 page)

“We dominate strength…”

He kissed my throat, and I inhaled.

“And we protect what’s ours…” He licked a trail up the crevice of my jaw and dipped to the side of my ear. “And we give our women pleasure until they scream our names,” he promised in an erotic voice.

My heart raced. I was so completely turned-on. I smiled up at him, willing to play his game.

“You’re cute when you’re jealous,” I teased.

“Cute?” He held my eyes with a look, pretending to be offended. “Men are not cute.” His head motioned from left to right. Then, pausing, he grinned wickedly. “We’re fucking hot…and sexy.”

“Oh, definitely sexy.”

I drank in the sight of him. The soft light from the lamp on the nightstand glowed, only brightening his gorgeous features. I licked my lips in approval, my arousal growing by the second.

“Show me just how sexy you can be, sexy alpha
of mine,” I dared.

Kyle did not need to be told twice.

Round two started out full of heat and passion as our bodies twisted and turned. We wanted more and more of each other as if we could never get close enough.

Somewhere along the way, it became slow and tender. We needed to savor and love one another, feeling every touch and memorizing it. Each loving embrace revived me and made me his. His gentleness and hunger for me made my heart squeeze and overflow with so much love.

The need to be claimed by him was strong and overpowering. He made me feel loved and cherished, and I knew that I would never be alone again. I needed Kyle and his love. Now that I had it, I never wanted to give it up.

“I love you,” Kyle said with sincere emotion just as I was silently thinking the words.

He pulled me closer, and I turned into his embrace, knowing I would never tire of him bringing my body near his.

“I love you, too,” I whispered tenderly, meaning it from the bottom of my heart.

To love and be loved was one of the greatest gifts in life.

For a Friday at almost ten thirty in the morning, sleeping in should have felt like a treat, but it didn’t. Instead, I felt like a horrible friend. I should have been at the hospital hours ago.

I jumped out of bed. “Shit!”

Kyle was already awake and reading the paper at the small dinette table in our room. He glanced at me in question. “What’s wrong?”

I ran into the bathroom and let my voice carry out. “We need to get to the hospital! Why didn’t you wake me up?”

When he came into the bathroom, my thoughts died on my tongue. He stood before me in a white pair of Calvin Klein briefs hanging off his hips in that oh-so sexy way. My eyes roamed over each muscle and curve of his chest as I slowly made my way back down his body to take a second peek at those delicious briefs and the definition in his toned thighs. I was hypnotized. I did not want to look away. He was hot and gorgeous and beautiful.

When I finally forced my eyes back up to his, he smirked. It instantly reminded me of the first time I’d laid eyes on him at the beach. I had tried to focus on my writing, but the man had been a distraction even then. I had felt mortified at being caught with my virgin eyes, but I sure was happy now to be catching up for lost time.
What is that saying about a hot man? Oh yeah, sex on a stick. Sex on a stick, meet Kyle.

“You were saying?” Kyle asked. His eyes burned into mine. He could apparently read my thoughts very clearly.

My skin felt hot, and I was flustered. “Huh?”

He chuckled, and his chest vibrated slightly from the movement. “You are very easily distracted, Lily.” He took a step toward me with the graciousness of a panther stalking his prey. His eyes looked like they had last night when he had done sweet, delicious things to me.

“Maybe I like distraction,” I countered.

“I think you do, too.” He kissed my forehead gently and sighed. He must have showered because his hair was damp. “But you need to get to your friend.”

I exhaled, knowing he was right.

Kyle turned on the water and gestured to the bag on the sink. “I don’t know if you’ll like these, but I figured it would be better than the hotel ones.”

The bag contained Rusk shampoo and conditioner along with many other toiletries. I turned and smiled at Kyle. He was thoughtful and cute whether he wanted to admit to the cute part or not.

“They’re perfect. Thank you.” I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He kissed my forehead with his soft lips and pulled back. “You’re welcome.” His hand came down playfully on my behind. “Get in the shower now before I change my mind and take you up against the bathroom door.”

My heart sped up a few beats. “That. Sounds. Wonderful.”

Kyle let out a sharp laugh and shook his head. “Shower.” He couldn’t stop chuckling. “You’re insatiable.”

***

Walking into the hospital was easier the second time around. I was still a bundle of nerves since I didn’t know how Luke was doing, but I had to believe that he would pull through this.

Jim was sitting in the waiting room by himself. We approached him and said our hellos. I couldn’t help but be saddened by the look on his face. His eyes were full of pain and regret.

I quietly took a seat next to Jim, and Kyle sat on my other side.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Jim?” I asked sympathetically.

Of course, I knew I couldn’t really help. His son was in a hospital bed, fighting for his life, with no guarantee of the outcome. It was a parent’s worst fear come to life.

“Unless you can erase twenty-six years of wrongdoing, I don’t think so, my dear.” His voice was small and filled with guilt.

He tried to hide his pain with a fake smile, but his eyes told me everything I needed to know. It was disheartening to see. This was not the man I had known and immensely despised for three years. This was a man hurting over his son.

Kyle respected our private moment and averted his eyes to the TV across from him.

“You can’t undo the past, Jim, but you can show Luke how much you love him and support him for the next fifty years.” My words hid my underlying meaning
. You never showed him any love or support when Luke branched away from the family business to become a doctor, and Luke desperately wanted it. All children deserve unconditional love from their parents.

“I always admired your friendship with him. You were able to see the fun, loving side of Luke that we had chased away.” He turned to face me. “You brought happiness into his life. You saved him.”

I knew that coming close to losing a loved one made people see a whole new perspective, but this stunned me. His parents had never approved of our friendship. They had taken one look at my lack of guidance and figured I would never be successful because I had no one telling me how to live my life and make the correct
choices.

Luke’s parents assumed I had been behind his decisions to officially turn down his father’s requests to take over the family business and to instead apply to medical school. At first, they had thought he would never get in, and he would come running home eventually. When he received his acceptance letter, they had blamed me, claiming that I was making him act childish and irrational. They had lectured him about being more grounded and levelheaded.

I sat there, completely speechless, until I was able to make my brain function again.

“You know, Luke saved me, too,” I admitted quietly to Jim.

“I thought so. You seemed like you came from a bad place, and we figured you were up to no good.”

I ignored his soft-spoken insult. Kyle’s head turned our direction, but I waved him off. I was used to Jim’s degrading comments even though this was not one of those times he meant it. He was hurting, so I was trying to be the better person by overlooking his implication.

I wasn’t sure why I wanted to explain myself, but I felt right now could make a difference. “My parents and sister died in a car accident three years ago,” I said, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Jim’s eyes widened in astonishment, but I continued, finding the strength somewhere deep within myself.

“I was alone and in complete and utter misery. I couldn’t bear to be around everyone in my hometown, so I moved to Florida. Luke was the first person I met. He accepted me with open arms and without any judgment. He knew I was grieving, but he never pushed me to talk more than I was willing. He helped me get back on my feet, and he became a dear friend of mine. Luke saved me with his unconditional friendship.”

Jim pondered a moment. He seemed lost in thought as he processed my words. I had opened myself up to tell my story to a near stranger and half-enemy. The vulnerability made me feel a little sick. However, having Kyle by my side made it much less scary. As always, he gave me strength, and I wanted to pass that strength along to Jim in his time of need.

Jim looked up into my eyes. His expression displayed a great amount of remorse. “I’m so sorry, Lily.” He reached out and gently put his hand on top of mine. “I never knew that.” He shook his head. “Luke never told us. I have misjudged you and treated you harshly. I’m very sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Luke doesn’t know,” I confessed to Jim. “I presume he has put some of the pieces together but not all of them. I’m not sure why I never told him. Until recently, I believed that if I closed myself off from the pain, I could focus more on surviving each day. I’m still working on it, but I have faith that I can heal and move on.” I paused, contemplating his question. “As for forgiveness, I promise to forgive you…if in return, you forgive yourself for your relationship with Luke. You need to be honest with him. Just move forward and start fresh.”

Jim dropped his head in defeat. “I’m not sure if Luke will ever forgive me…or if he’ll want a relationship with me again for that matter. I did him wrong, Lily,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think he’ll ever forget that.”

“That’s Luke’s decision, not yours, Jim. Give him the choice and the chance to decide. He needs you more than you know. Your strained relationship impacts him a great deal,” I said truthfully.

“Your wisdom is beyond your years, dear. I’m very glad Luke has found such a great friend.”

I smiled fondly, thinking about my dear friend, who was fighting for his life. “I don’t know about that, but I do know that I am forever grateful for your son’s friendship.”

Just then, Caroline walked out of Luke’s room. She had dark circles around her eyes, and the sadness in them matched Jim’s. The nurse came out of the room behind her and then headed off toward the nurses’ station.

“The nurse said his vitals look good but no major improvements,” Caroline said in a small voice. She took a seat next to her husband.

They both were wearing the same clothes from yesterday, and they looked worn-down. I tried to think of something to say to lift their spirits. I wanted to help in any way I could.

“Why don’t you two go home, get some rest, eat, and come back later? Kyle and I will stay here for the afternoon. That way Luke won’t be alone.”

“I guess we could do that. Some sleep and food does sound nice.” Caroline smiled kindly at me. “Luke will be so happy that you came, Lily. I know that you are very dear to him. Will you call us if anything changes?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

Jim and Caroline each hugged me tightly as if I were a lifeline, and I hugged them back, praying I was strong enough for us all. Before they left, they also thanked Kyle for his support.

Kyle and I took our seats again.

Turning to me, Kyle’s face displayed a deep sense of pride. “What you just did, Lily, was amazing,” he said in awe. He kissed my forehead and then my lips.

“I wanted to help. They looked so tired and wretched. It was breaking my heart.”

“Not that.” He shook his head. “Well, that, too, but what I meant was your conversation with Jim. You gave him hope for fixing his relationship with his son. You made a difference, and he’ll be a changed man for it. What you said also gave me a better understanding of your friendship with Luke.”

“I hope so.”

“I’m so damn proud of you right now. I want to find a storage room and show you just how much.”

I blinked in complete surprise and then laughed. “Well now…I’m glad to see I turn you on.” I grinned. “But in all fairness, hot stuff, I believe you left me hanging this morning,” I teased.

“Hot stuff?” Kyle questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I grinned. “Very hot.”

“I like to make
you
hot.” Kyle grinned, his tone deep and hoarse. “Later tonight, I’ll have to make up for leaving you high and dry,” he promised.

“I look forward to it.”

He kissed my cheek and draped his arm around my shoulders. “And where do you come up with this stuff?” he asked in wonder.

“Come up with what?” I asked, leaning my head back against his arm for support.

“Hot stuff? Sexy alpha?” He chortled quietly, bending over to kiss my cheek.

I felt his breath on my skin.

“I think you even called me mountain man?”

“I believe I said mountain boy.” I grinned slightly, angling my head in his direction. “But you changed it to mountain army man,” I corrected.

“Damn right I did.” Kyle snorted. “A guy’s nickname has to be manly.”