One Hot Momma (7 page)

He snorted. It hurt; she could tell because he put his hand up to his ribs.

“When you’re better, if you don’t want us here, we’ll leave. I have my aunt in Texas…”

“That’s not fair.” He looked at her. His brown eyes were sad, frustrated, and painful. “I want
them
here.”

“It’s a packaged deal.” She sighed. No point in putting him through the emotional gauntlet while he was hurting physically. “For now, I am your nurse, your housekeeper; whatever you need I am just a bell ring away.”

She nodded toward the bell on the table. “So do you want to eat soup or not?”

“I can’t hold a spoon.” He showed her his cast as if she couldn’t see it herself.

“Again, that’s why I’m here.” She picked up the bowl with one hand and the spoon with the other. “Open up.”

Rafe
narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth. He was hungry. His stomach rumbled from the need for real food. It was the worst kind of punishment his family decided to enact on him. Sending
Layla
to be his keeper, knowing he was trying to get away from her in the first damn place. What had he done to make them so? He knew what he had done. He scared them, and he had been a complete jackass for at least three months. Now he was going to take his punishment like a man, and she was going to regret taking him on. He wasn’t finished being mad at her, not by a long shot.

After eating the bowl of soup and a few crackers, he did feel better. In fact, he thought it was a fine time to break her in as his new personal assistant. He rang the bell.

Layla
appeared in the doorway, pleasant, unusually so. “Yes?”

“I want some water.”

She nodded and left the room. When she returned, he had her hold the water, though he could hold it in his left hand if he chose to. When she left, he gave her five minutes then rang the bell.

“I want to watch the news,” he said smugly and watched her walk to the television hanging on the wall across from the foot of his bed and
turn
it on. She found a news station and brought him the remote.
Damn remote.

He did that for about an hour; then she brought him his medication. Against his will, he was sleepy again.

“
Rafe
?”
A small voice came from the doorway. “Can we come tell you goodnight?”

“Come on in, baby-girl.” Savannah and Brice made their way, quietly and slowly toward him. “Come on this side.” He patted the bed on the left side. They both climbed up in slow motion. “It’s okay. I’m not going to break.”

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Brice said and looked at his foot still propped up on the pillows.

“You won’t, cowboy. Don’t worry,” he reassured him. They both looked unconvinced. “You know what you could do though?”

They shook their heads no.

“You could read me a story. I’m pretty sleepy myself.” He
yawned
a genuine yawn.

“I’ll go get the book.” Brice lit up.

“Hang on.”
Rafe
grabbed the bell, and
Layla
appeared in the doorway. Before she could get onto them for being on the bed again, he said, “I told them they could get up here. They want to read me a story for bedtime.”

“I’ll be right back.” She left to get the book.

Instead of leaving him with the two children and the book,
Layla
stayed. She sat on the left side of the bed and helped Brice sound out his words.
Rafe
remembered this was what he had asked for, prayed for, and now he had it, just not the way he thought he would get it.

After the story was over, Savannah gently hugged his arm and then slid off the bed. Brice was a bit less delicate, and he squeezed a lot harder.

“I’m glad you’re not dead,” he said as he slid off the bed.

“Me too, cowboy.”
Rafe
laughed. That made his ribs hurt, but he didn’t care.

“I’m going to go tuck them in. Do you need anything?”
Layla
asked before walking out the door. She stopped, turned,
then
said, “You have a urinal bottle if you need to do number one, but if you need to do number two, I will have to call your brothers until you can handle some of your own weight again.”

He knew his mouth was open. She had just shocked him right to his core. How had he been using the bathroom the past three days? Had he been using the bathroom? Was she going to have to clean up after that, too?
No, no, no.
He was more determined than ever to do one thing on his own. It hurt like hell to sit up completely. It really hurt when he stood up, and his ankle gave way, and he went right back to a seated position on the bed, which in turn made his ribs hurt. Fighting back tears of pain, he looked at the bottle she had set out on the nightstand and then at the bathroom door just a few feet away.

A stream of profanity was coming from his bedroom as
Layla
entered the hallway. She ran to see what had happened and found him trying to sit in one of the chairs his guests had been using to sit in while visiting him the past few days.
“
Rafe
!”

“I’m not pissing in a bottle.” He growled.

“Okay.” She stood there, uncertain what to do. “Should I call one of your brothers?”

“No.” He glared at her. “Just give me a damn minute. I can do it myself.”

“Fine.”
She took a step back and watched him push out of the chair using only his left arm. His chest and forehead were glistening with sweat. His pajama bottoms hung low on his hips, and for the first time since the accident, she looked at him in an appreciative way not like he was fragile and helpless. Under all the bruising, he was still all lean muscle and determination. That was the stubborn man she knew and loved. He staggered. She moved under his left arm and unwillingly he allowed some of his weight to rest on her. He was a heavy man. “Just let me help you in there okay?”

He cursed a blue streak, but he didn’t tell her
no
.

“Shit,” he said as they finally got to the commode. “I can’t use my right hand.”

“You want me to hold it for you?” He couldn’t see her face, but she was blushing, that much he knew for sure.

“You wish.” He growled. “I need you to undo my pajamas and help me turn around. I can pee sitting down.”

“Really?”
She didn’t mean to sound so surprised but she was. This whole conversation was scandalous.

“Pants.”
He shifted his weight from her to the wall. His left side was going to be as sore as his right if he wasn’t careful.

Layla
quickly undid his pants, tugged them past his knees, and helped him turn around.

“I can take it from here. I’ll call you when I need to go back. I need to rest a minute.” He sounded so out of breath and defeated as she left him.

Layla
closed the door to the bathroom and took the opportunity to fix up his bed again. She fluffed the pillows, pulled the sheets tight, and tried to clear a path from the bathroom to the bed without moving the large sturdy chair too far away in case he needed to stop again on the way back. She knew this was hard for him. His pride was bruised more than his ribs right now, but what else could she do?

Once back in the bed he fell right into a deep sleep.

He vaguely remembered her bringing him something to drink in the middle of the night. He definitely remembered Jack helping him to the bathroom this morning when
Layla
had taken the kids to school. He was grateful his brother was there. He didn’t want to have too many trips to the bathroom with
Layla
as his keeper.

“What’s that?” he asked as she brought in a square tub and set it on the tray table.

“Sponge bath.”
She shrugged. “You can’t get in the shower, or the bathtub, so…”

He let a stream of curses fly under his breath.

“You know I don’t care that you have taken to cursing like a sailor in my presence, but please don’t do it in front of Savannah and Brice. They will join you as foul mouthed crew members in no time.” She rang the cloth out and stepped toward him.

“I… I won’t. It…” He knew it hurt but also knew he would never curse like that in front of children. He had never cursed in front of
Layla
before now.

She pulled back his sheets and noticed he was in boxers. “How did you?”

“Jack came over while you took the kids to school.” He watched her as she uncovered him completely. Never in his wildest dreams was
Layla
his servant. In most of his fantasies, he had been the one rescuing her, taking care of her, driving her wild with lust. Now here she was, in a pair of jeans and a well-fitted T-shirt taking care of him.
Planning to give him a sponge bath no less.
He made a sound of irritation at the thought.

“What?” she asked as the warm cloth made contact with his skin.

“Nothing.”
He closed his eyes so as not to be betrayed by his face. Of course, he was sure other parts of his anatomy were going to be harder to control.

She let it drop. He tried to think of something, anything other than
Layla
touching him. She spent extra time at his neck and shoulders, and that relaxed him too much. It was useless to resist her effect on him. She caressed him everywhere but where he wanted her to touch him by the time it was over. His cock strained against the boxers he now tented.

She made no mention of his erection. He was sure she noticed. His brain was functioning on a whole different level now. Nothing, not the pain, the frustration, the fact that he was not supposed to like her anymore, or the fact that technically she was being paid to take care of him mattered. She put the cloth back in the tub and started to pick up the whole thing to leave.

“
Layla
.”
She hesitated. He smiled. Then he drew his face to a scowl. “You’re not done yet.”

“I… I don’t understand.” She turned to look at him, set the tub down, folded her arms, and waited. He looked to his tented shorts then back to her. Her eyes rounded, and her mouth opened into a perfect little ‘O’. “I thought since Jack was here he would…”

“Jack can’t do what I need you to do.”
Rafe
bit his lower lip and watched her expression. Heat crept up her neck and spread over her face. He loved to see her blush.

“But, I thought…”

“Oh, I’m still mad at you for several reasons.” However, he was having trouble at the moment recalling any reason other than her rejecting the marriage proposals. “But I am also right handed, and I can’t take care of that with my left,” he lied. “So I need you to do it.”

“You want me to…”

“You’re here to take care of me right, do what I can’t do. Well, I can’t do that, and I will be in more pain if you don’t. Do you want that
Layla
?” It was dirty and down right rotten of him to do this to her, but at the moment, he didn’t care. He needed to keep her emotionally at a distance, but he desperately wanted her physically closer to him.

Layla
looked at the scoundrel who had possessed her
Rafe
and wondered exactly how hard he had hit his head in that fall. It was a challenge. He was daring her to take this over the line. An internal war began at once. The part of her that wanted to be with him for the rest of her life wondered why she stood there gawking when she had wanted to touch him the moment his boxers began to rise. The other part didn’t want to feel like a hooker. She was being paid to look after him after all. Her teeth clenched and released over and over again. He waited. His brown eyes were challenging and mischievous. If he were better, she would lunge onto him and show him exactly how well she could take care of all his needs. She looked at the door. He had regular visitors.

“I need to lock the door,” she squeaked out.

“Fine,” he said in a flat tone, but his cock twitched. He wasn’t oblivious to her, and maybe, just maybe, she could take this time to not only show him that she could take care of him and the children as a wife and mother, but she could also work her way back into his heart and ultimately remain in his life for the rest of hers.
If she could just get him used to having her around…

Rafe
watched
Layla
walk to the door. Something was different about her. Maybe it was the meds. Maybe it was the way she became more like a predator the moment the door locked and she turned to look at him with that same hungry expression he remembered from the picnic.

“Do you want me to do it my way, or would you rather give me directions?” She moved to the left side of the bed and gently climbed in. She looked at him with those dazzling blue eyes and waited.

“It’s a simple stroke up and down.” He wanted to sound less out of breath, but his heart was thumping and his self-control was waning.

She didn’t hesitate. She slid the elastic band of the boxers over his hips and half way down his thighs. He was completely exposed to her. In the morning light, she could now see every last bit of his naked body. Her breath caught, and her right hand slid around his shaft.
Rafe
couldn’t believe how much relief a simple touch could bring. She held him entirely too loosely. The gentle strokes she made were more teasing than effective.

“Harder,” he whispered and watched her hand on him. Her grip firmed.

“It’s not very slippery.” She was breathless, and he wondered if she was as turned on as he was. In the moment, he wished he wasn’t injured. He wished he could… nope, that was exactly what got him in trouble to begin with, and thinking about taking her over made him spout silly things. It was better if she did this, and he did nothing but let her.

“Then make it wet.” He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillow. It was better that he didn’t look at her while she did this. Her blue eyes could unarm him. They made him weak the moment he met her.

He could feel her shift around on the bed. She was cautious not to disturb his propped up foot. “
Rafe
,” she whispered.

He grunted a reply.

“I really like doing this to you.”

He didn’t get a chance to respond. It would have been useless anyways. He couldn’t put together a sentence right now to save his life. Her mouth was so fucking sweet. Warm, wet, and the way she let her tongue tip hit the rim as she reached the top had him taking deep breaths to hold out as long as he could.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as long as he hoped it could last. “
Layla
, I’m gonna…”

“
Shhh
.”
She hushed him and went back to her mission.

He hoped she understood what she was getting herself into. He tried to warn her, but as her mouth drew tightly around his dick, there was nothing else to do but spend.

His body trembled, his legs shook, and when he opened his eyes, she was smiling at him. He went to say something…

“No mess.” She shrugged and slid off the bed. She walked over to the water and twisted the cloth.

“You don’t have to…”

The cool cloth ran over his chest, down his abs avoiding the bruised ribs, and then around his spent cock as it began to return to its normal size. Without saying another word, she simply pulled his shorts back up, pulled the sheet back over him, and turned on the television with the remote. “If you need anything else, just ring.”

Why did it seem like she was getting the best of this situation? He scowled at her triumphant little smile. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of a thank you though she deserved
an applaud
for that performance. Instead, he turned his head toward the television.

* * *

Once safely out of the room,
Layla
made all the faces she wanted to make the moment ejaculate hit her tongue. She was prepared for what was going to happen, but she had no idea what a full load of sperm would taste like. Not that it was bad, it was just different and something to get used to. Always cautious in her adventures she was certainly trying new things with this man.

She walked to the bathroom and emptied his bath. Then she swished a bit of mouthwash and got back to work. Changing his sheets daily in addition to two children and her clothes meant a nonstop cycle of laundry. She also needed to see if Chance had his requests for dinner this evening. He didn’t seem to care what the kitchen was cooking for the entire ranch; he also didn’t care what she had planned to cook for herself and the children though they usually ate what Chance made in the dining facility as well.
Rafe
made sure to come up with something he was sure she didn’t have ready.

It was a personal game for him. He was punishing her. She knew as much by the way he waited for her to get out of the room before he would ring the bell again. She headed down to Momma’s Kitchen and hoped he didn’t ring while she was gone. She asked Heath if there was any other communication device he could get so she could also take care of things outside. She expected the walkie-talkies this afternoon. Maybe she could get some work done if
Rafe
would sleep. He seemed worn out after that blow-job. Maybe that was another way to knock him out, her lips curled into a mischievous smile of their own.

“Hi Chance,”
Layla
said as she walked into the kitchen area of the dining hall.
“Hi
Malina
.”

“Hey,” Chance replied and kept working on her current masterpiece, a cake of some sort that looked like she should frame it rather than allow someone to cut it.

“What he wants today?”
Malina
took the list and scoffed. “Who does he think he is the king of England?”

Chance laughed. “What is it today?”

“Ridiculous. I think he hit his head harder than that doctor said. This is not
Rafe
, not my
Rafe
!”
Malina
tossed the list in the trash.

Layla
went to get it out, but Chance said, “Leave it.”

“But...”

“Leave it.” Chance turned to face her. “I don’t care what that man has on that piece of paper… ouch.” She twisted and started messing with her pants.

“Are you all right?”
Layla
stepped forward. “Is it the baby? Should I call Heath?”

Chance laughed again. “No, it’s these damn maternity clothes my sister gave me. I wanted to wear them, but she had my niece so long ago, and I’m too fat for my regular pants and not fat enough for these.”

“I can fix them.”
Layla
nodded. “I mean I have my sewing machine. I may need some other supplies, but I could fix all of them if you want me to.”

Chance quirked a brow at her.
“How?”

“I, uh, was in design school when I got the children, one class away from graduating. I had an apprenticeship at several New York design houses through the years. I loved all aspects of fashion.” She looked down at herself and added sadly, “Of course I am a long way from fashion week now.”

“Well, I don’t know about fashion week, but if you can fix my maternity clothing problems, honey, I will pay you. I will pay you in money, food. You want me to go rip
Rafe’s
stitches out of his eyebrow and put them in his lip…”

Layla
laughed with her. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll fix them because it will give me something I love to do, and it will be my way of saying thank you for taking the children camping, and for everything else you’ve done.”

“Okay.” Chance nodded, and
Layla
was grateful the woman understood she couldn’t take any more money from this family. The money Bethany was paying her now was more than enough, though it would also come to an end when
Rafe
was better.

“I do need my list back though. He’ll be mad if I don’t find duck for him.”
Layla
frowned.

“He’s not getting duck.
Rafe
doesn’t eat duck, and you are not wasting time and money on something I know for a fact he is going to complain about, so he doesn’t have to eat it because he doesn’t eat it in the first place!” Chance was so animated. Her fiery red hair was pulled back and tucked under the chef’s hat, but it definitely suited her personality.

“What doesn’t he eat?” Jan asked as she entered the door. This was
Layla’s
least favorite person; his little sister thought
Rafe
did no wrong. She would probably agree he not only needed duck, but that
Layla
should go and kill one herself if that’s what it took to get him one.