Let Love Live (The Love Series #5) (40 page)

“Can I see her?” My voice wobbles in relief and immeasurable gratitude.

“I’m afraid she won’t be ready for visitors for a few hours. She’s in recovery now and then we have to make sure she’s stable before we move her. You could come back–”

Knowing what he’s going to suggest, I cut him off. “No, I’ll wait. Please come get me when I can see her.” Dr. Young stands and nods, agreeing to take me to her no matter what time it is.

After he leaves, Maddy and Reid stand, making sure there’s nothing else they can do for us before they leave to pick up Braden. “Thank you, both, so much for coming.” They let us know they’re never more than a phone call away, if we need anything and then they’re gone.

When it’s just me and Dylan in the room, I collapse into a chair, letting the weight of the last twelve hours fall away. Tears of relief burn in my eyes as I hang my head in my hands. “Come here.” Dylan pulls me into a tight hug, his arms banding around me, taking away some of the pain that had built up in my heart throughout the day.

When the tears turn into a full-blown cry, his hand combs back my hair. With a calming touch and soft words, I relax into him, so thankful that I have him with me. “Thank you for being here,” I mutter against his tear-stained shirt.

With his lips pressed to the top of my head, he says, “Nowhere I’d rather be.”

We stay like that for a long time, both of us eventually dozing. When a nurse comes in to get me a few hours later, she lets me know that I can finally go and see Rachel. Like the pillar of support he’s been all day, Dylan tells me he’ll be right here waiting for me when I get back.

“Now, I don’t want you to be too shocked,” the nurse whose nametag reads Diane, tells me as we stop outside of Rachel’s ICU room. “She’s heavily sedated and very swollen. I know it doesn’t look like she’s doing well, but even in the short amount of time she’s been up here, she’s improved. Take five minutes, hun, but then let her get some rest.” Diane offers a sincere smile and opens the door for me.

Fear clogs my throat, making it almost impossible for me to speak. Though she’s right here in front of me, I can’t battle back the terror of almost losing her. With soft footsteps, I approach her bed. “Hey, Rach.” I hold her hand in mine, immeasurably thankful for its warmth. “You made it,” I whisper against her skin, a single tear tracking down my cheek. “You get some rest. I’ll be back in the morning.” Careful not to disrupt the IV in her hand, I give her one more kiss and tell her I love her.

When I get back into the waiting room, I catch the tail end of Dylan’s phone call to Reid, telling him that Rachel is fine and that we’ll be heading home soon.

He collects the bag that Reid brought in earlier. On the short elevator ride down to the main floor, I rest my head on Dylan’s shoulder, exhaustion taking up residence in every square inch of my body. “What’s in the bag?” I ask through a huge yawn.

“I wasn’t sure how long we’d be here, so I asked Reid to stop at my place and grab a few things in case we stayed the night.” It’s a simple gesture, one I’m sure he didn’t even have to think about twice. But to me, it means so much.

Pulling his face to mine, I say against his lips, “I’m so lucky to have you.”

“No,” he kisses me softly, filled with more emotion than an innocent kiss should ever have, “I’m the lucky one.”

Taking in every inch of tanned, hard muscle currently sprawled across my bed is my new favorite way to wake up. With an arm tucked under the pillow and the other stretched out across my chest, he’s damn near perfect. It’s impossible not to follow every ripple and curve of his strong arms with my fingers. The lightest of touches makes him stir. His hand flexes on my chest. With a light graze of his short fingernails across my skin, a wave of goose bumps races everywhere.

With a thickly drowsy voice, he mumbles, “Morning,” as he slides closer to me, resting his head on my shoulder.

I press my lips to the top of his head, inhaling the lingering scent of his shampoo. “Sleep okay?”

He nods. “Woke up even better.” A warm, sleepy smile graces his face before he presses a soft kiss to my neck. “Thank you for everything these last few days.”

Lightly combing my fingers through his hair, I look down at him. “Of course. I was able to move some meetings and sessions, so I have the rest of the week off to be here for you and Rachel.”

His arm bands around my waist, pulling me tightly to his side. On a long yawn-turned-sigh, he says, “I should get up.” Propping himself up on an elbow, he adds, “I need to get to the gym before I go to the hospital. Peter’s been great, but there are a few new staff members coming in and out today and I want to make sure he and Eddie have everything taken care of.” As he rolls out of bed, I miss his warmth immediately. “Gonna grab a shower first.”

His boxer-brief covered ass struts out of the room, making my mouth go dry. My mind wanders – Conner all soapy and wet, slick and hot. Thoughts of water cascading in between the ridges and planes of his sculpted body do nothing to calm the raging erection that’s currently tenting the sheets at my waist.

His boxers land next to me on the bed. “You gonna join me or what?” His laughter fills the room; his naked body is framed by the bathroom door, accentuating the piece of art he is.

Not needing to be asked twice, I leap from the bed, strip out of my shorts, and join him in the hot water. “You’re in a good mood this morning.” It’s impossible not to notice. He’s pulled me into his arms, trailing kisses and bites along my neck.

Pulling away from me, I notice some of the worry lines that had creased his brow since Rachel’s surgery a few days ago are gone. “Yesterday was a good day.” Now, that’s an understatement. Some of the swelling reduced and the doctors were able to lower her sedation meds. Right before we were ready to leave last night, Rachel actually opened her eyes. She was even able to recognize Conner and me and have a very short conversation with us before she fell asleep again.

Lathering up a handful of body wash, I massage the bubbles into his shoulders. “You want me to help you out down at the gym today?” He moans, leaning into my touch. Rolling his neck to the side, I rub away the built-up tension.

“No,” his word is near breathless. “It’ll do me good to get down there for a bit.” He turns around to face me, his face slack and dotted with droplets of water.

“I’ll meet you there later, then?” My question mingles together with his moan-of-an-affirmation and I run my soapy hands across his chest, tracing down the deep-cut V of his abs.

As my hand wraps around the thick bulge of his cock, he’s rendered speechless. A nod is all I get as my fingers glide over every veined, hot inch. His forehead falls to mine, the hot steam of the shower billows around us, mixing with the heated gasps of pleasure falling from Conner’s mouth.

“I love hearing you moan, driving you crazy.” I pull his mouth to mine and push my tongue in his mouth in perfect sync with the rhythm of my stroking. We turn so his back is to the water, blocking the spray from falling on me as I drop to my knees. Though the water is scalding, the heat of his dick sliding past my lips is even more so.

His hand cradles my face, splaying out across my jaw, tracing the outline that the wide crown of his cock makes against the thin skin of my cheek. “Fuck… Dylan… your mouth…” His hips gyrate, pushing deeper and deeper, as he fucks my mouth. I reach up and tweak a pierced nipple, smiling around his dick as a low grumble falls from his mouth.

Conner pulls me up and crushes his mouth to mine, reaching between us, and taking both of our cocks into his large hand. My fingers wrap around his and we stroke ourselves in some kind of erotic tandem motion. “Condoms,” I slur against his lips. “We need condoms.”

He doesn’t release his grip as he looks me pointedly in the eyes. “I’m clean. Was tested after my last relationship.”

“Me, too,” I breathe, pulling his lower lip in between my teeth. As his hold on our dicks, and his control weakens, he presses me up against the wall. A thick digit probes at the ring of muscle of my ass. Loosening quickly, he adds another as he continues to jerk me with his other hand.

His teeth sink into my shoulder at the same time that his cock sinks into my body. Attuned to everything about our lovemaking, my body relaxes instantly, opening to him, reveling in the feel of his fullness. “God, you feel amazing. So fucking huge, Con.”

His grunts rumble against my neck as his fingers dig into my hips, pulling me onto his rock-hard dick as he pushes it deep inside. With a soap-slickened and wet hand, I stroke myself, to the beat of him fucking my ass.

What were once smooth and measured thrusts become erratic and frenzied. “Coming…” he calls out, nearly making the glass on the shower door shake with his booming voice. Miraculously, I’m able to hold back. His motions slow, but before they stop, I turn him around, pressing him up against the wall.

“My turn,” I lean my body against his and he looks at me, a triumphant and satisfied grin on his kissed-swollen lips.

His thick legs slide open as my fingers graze over his ass. Spreading his cheeks, I probe my cock at his puckered hole, pressing slowly. Never fully entering or leaving the heat of his body, I tease him – back and forth, in and out, slow and steady, until my own control hangs on by no more than a thread.

With one hard and fast push, I bury myself in him. The heaviness of my sack slaps up against his turned-pink-by-the-hot-water skin. “Fuck…” His head hangs low, nestling against my neck once again, but his body instantly relaxes, pulling me even deeper into him. With a white-knuckled grip on his shoulders, I pound into him, my orgasm building at the base of my spine, pulling my balls tightly against my body.

On a loud roar of pleasure, I come, throbbing and pulsing on my final move. Despite having just woken up and being in a soon-to-be-too-cold-to-stand-it shower, a satisfied and sedate feeling washes over my body. Resting my cheek against Conner’s heaving chest, I press a kiss there. “That was incredible.”

He takes a deep breath and pulls me into his arms. His eyes dart around my face, almost like he’s only seeing me for the first time. His mouth opens and closes rapidly, like a tossed out of the water fish gasping for air. Droplets of water spray my face as he runs his hand through his hair. “I’m trying, but I just… I can’t… I mean, I don’t know how to put to words what I want to say.” His words shred me, melt me, and then somehow, magically put me back together again.

“I feel the same way.” I smile, crooked and ridiculously happy. We stay under the water just long enough to rinse off before we both start to freeze, despite never being more than an inch away from one another.

About half an hour later, we’re walking out of my building to go about our day. The familiar sound of his motorcycle rumbles in my ears as I pull out into traffic and off to the office to take care of a few last minute details.