Their Improbable Mating [Paranormal Protection Unit 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (6 page)

Nodding, Talon looked pointedly at the military men and lifted a brow up high. Only when Jackson waved them out did they reluctantly leave the room. Turning to look at his men, he pointed at them. “All entrances to be guarded. No one interrupts them, period,” he said. “Doctors are permitted but only if they have the correct clearance, ditto on nurses. Anyone without it, hogtie them.”

“And no one to just check her fucking vitals either,” Jackson added. He looked to Talon and said, “Make sure that gets around to the doctors and we will all be good.” He walked out with Talon at his heels, turning off the light as he did so.

Jackie sighed and appeared to relax even more. “Better,” she whispered quietly and closed her eyes. “Just what I needed.”

“You should be sleeping, sweetheart,” Allister murmured quietly. Knowing likely what it was that she had needed, he shifted. “Shh,” he whispered when she protested. Kicking off his boots, he eased her over in the too-small bed and then settled in facing her. “Come here, Jackie,” he said, gently slipping an arm under her head and the other around her body.

Jackie wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his shoulder. Letting out a sigh, she closed her eyes. “Better,” she whispered and held him tightly. She didn’t know why this felt so right, didn’t know how she trusted so easily, but she did. She felt safe, and trusted him, so she let it go as that.

She felt Allister wrap her up tight in his arms, burying his face in her neck and breathing her in. Nipping lightly, he nuzzled her skin gently. “Sleep now, darling,” he murmured gently. “I’ve got you and I’m not letting you go.”

“That’s a good thing, because I think I would float away if you did.” With all the drugs that were still in her system, she had a feeling she would fly away. Yawning, she brushed her cheek to his chest and then within seconds was sound asleep.

Releasing a breath, Allister took her scent, not yet clear of the drugs but definitely much better, into his lungs. His Dragon wasn’t happy about the taint to her smell, but it could much easier get a sense of who she was and was definitely liking what he sensed. Soon, soon he’d have her to himself, without others loitering around, and he’d have to break the news to her, about so much.

* * * *

Several hours later

“I need to pee,” she whispered. “I hate to say that so bluntly but I really do need to go pee, really badly,” she told him softly. “Think you can help get me with this rigging to the potty, please?” “All right,” he murmured, getting untangled from her and slipping from the bed. Stretching, he cracked his back and immediately felt a hundred times better. “Puny beds,” he muttered darkly. Getting her IV unwrapped from around her and her various flip-flops during her sleep, he took her hand. “You want to try walking?” he asked softly.

“Yes, please.” She needed to move again, needed to get on her feet and moving because it was always the best way to get past any illness, getting up and moving as soon as humanly possible. With his help, she got up and out of the bed. Holding onto him, she closed her eyes and cracked her back. Sighing, she said, “Ah, better.” And it was so much better. “All right, if you will just walk alongside me and make sure that I don’t fall I would really appreciate it, Al.”

Rolling his eyes, he took her arm gently, wrapping his other arm around her waist. “It’s Allister,” he told her softly. “I’ve never liked that shortening of my name,” he murmured. “My brother gets away with it because he’s an idiot and does it to annoy me. Talon does it because he’s my boss and likes to rub my nose in it from time to time. He’s got a slightly odd sense of humor though, and I’m pretty sure he’s had serious mental damage, so I’ll let it slide until I have evidence otherwise.”

“Sorry, Allister,” she said and then grinned. “But just so you know, I will from time to time call you Al just to get under your skin. It’s good to keep each other on our toes.” She felt an immediate connection to him, one that she had never in her life felt. Jackie was one of those weird women who went with her gut and her gut was telling her that he was it for her. She had to accept and keep that in her mind because it would be the one and only way that she would find happiness. She paused and then looked up. “Just don’t call me Jacqueline. If you call me that, just know that I will call you Al,” she added with a smirk. “Jackie. That’s the name that I prefer.” She preferred her name shortened and he not, which was something that she actually really liked about him, the opposites.

“Why don’t you like the name you were given at birth?” he asked, confused. He loved his name. It was a name of honor and value, one his mother and father had chosen with care and great thought. He and Aiden both loved their names. They were good, strong names that came from their roots and the place of their birth.

“Honestly?” At his nod Jackie sighed. “It reminds Daddy and my brothers of my mom. She died when giving birth to me and Daddy chose to name me for her. I was raised in a house full of men that had loved my mother to absolute distraction and my name was just another constant reminder to them that I killed her.” She knew what a horrible-sounding statement that was, but there it was, the truth. A truth she never told anyone.

“You didn’t kill your mother,” he told her honestly as they walked toward the bathroom slowly. “No child born can harm its mother. There is neither the will, the intent, nor the ability. Complications, absolutely, but no child is ever to blame for the death of a mother during birth. Have they ever once blamed you? Would he have named you in her honor had he felt you killed her?” he asked quietly.

“No,” she said with a sigh. “They have never once blamed me for anything. They have never once even held me accountable, but from time to time they would all get this look in their eyes when they spoke Mom’s name, and it was one that ached me to my very soul.”

“Remembrance, treasured memories, thoughts of a time you never got to share in,” he said, pushing the door open. Turning the light on, he eased her into the large room. “They don’t blame you, sweetheart. You are the only one that feels guilt about it. They likely feel guilt because they aren’t sure what to say or how to share the memories without you feeling sad and to blame.” Touching her cheek, he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be right outside. If you need me just yell and I’ll be right in.”

“Thank you,” she told him with a grin. “See you in a moment. Can you kinda please close your ears?” Otherwise she would never be able to pee. She was a shy pee-er and wouldn’t be able to use the bathroom if she knew that he would be able to hear her. When he closed the door, she made her way to the toilet and, after a time, was finally able to go.

Washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. “Holy crap, I look like hell.” She shook her head and began to try to tame her hair. Opening the door, she looked to Allister. “Do you think that you can rustle me up a brush and toothbrush?”

“You look perfect,” he told her, holding up the two items plus toothpaste. “I thought you might want to at least brush your teeth. Drugs tend to leave a nasty pasty feeling in your mouth.” He made a face. “Go ahead and brush your teeth. I’ll help you with your hair.”

“I could just kiss you right about now.” She held up the toothbrush and paste and grinned. “And if you are game for it, I totally will after I’ve brushed my teeth.” Oh yes, a kiss from that big man would definitely put a perk in her step.

Smiling slowly, he nodded. “I think I can manage to kiss you senseless for a minute or ten,” he murmured. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her as she brushed her teeth. Letting his eyes move over her slowly, he grinned when she caught him. “Just enjoying the lovely view. I have to tell you, you have a really cute ass.” Especially with it sticking out of the gown she had on.

Jackie wiggled her ass for him and shot him a look. “You could always give it a good smack if you want to,” she told him happily. “Just sayin’,” she told him with a wink. After finishing with brushing her teeth, she turned to look at him and cocked her eyebrow. “Well, did you wanna give it a good swat? Did you wanna give it a good smack to feel how nice it might feel for you, or would you like to kiss me, or both?”

“I think that I will cup it as I kiss you,” he murmured softly. Moving closer, he set the brush down and pulled her into his arms. Lowering his head, he kissed her gently, sliding his hands down to cup her ass and hold her up against him.

As he pulled her up and against his body, she felt just how hard he was, all over, and whimpered against his lips. She never whimpered. She didn’t make girly sounds like that, but when she moaned she knew that this man was doing that to her. He was making it all right. Healing her fully. When they pulled back from each other, she looked up at him and whispered. “I can’t wait until I’m feeling well enough to take this far farther than we just went.”

“Me as well,” he murmured, brushing his nose to hers. “But only when you are fully healed,” he said quietly. Setting her down on her feet, Allister stared down at her. “We also have to discuss a few things as well, sugar, before we get any further in the relationship. First though, we are going to brush your hair out and get you tucked back into bed so you can hopefully eat something and then sleep some more.”

“Oh, I could eat something,” she told him with a smile. “I really and truly would love to eat something. Something light would be lovely, but anything would be good.” She was hungry now, starving actually. “I think that I’m already starting to feel more myself, more of the drugs pumping out of me, so that’s an excellent thing actually.”

“I’ll get someone to get you something to eat and while we wait, I’ll brush out your hair,” he said with a smile. “Come on,” he encouraged her, grabbing the IV tower and wheeling it along with her, back to the bed. “Climb on up and get comfortable,” he said, heading to the door to request the food for her.

Climbing up into the bed, she ensured that he had plenty of room there with her and smiled. “I want to feel you close. I very much want to get you to holding me because I rather love it.” And she had a feeling she would love having him brushing her hair and pampering her.

Returning to her, he climbed up behind her and shifted so his legs were on either side of her. Pressing a kiss to her neck as he pulled her hair back, he smiled. “If I tug too hard let me know, sweetheart. I really don’t want to hurt you, love.” He only wanted her to know pleasure and happiness.

“I know. Trust me, with the brothers that I have I’m totally not a tender-headed person.” She had grown up rough-and-tumble, completely. “I’m not a very girly person.” Well, except for her hair. “I have a fairly nice rump, I hope, but I have next to no boobs.” Which was why she had been able to pose as a teenaged girl.

“You have a gorgeous ass and you are shaped just as you should be. You are built how you should be for who you are,” he said, brushing another kiss to her neck. Leaning back slightly, he began to work at the ends, slowly moving up her hair. His brother came in with their food and left without a word but with a suspiciously smug little smirk on his lips. He was up to something but keeping it entirely too quiet for the brasher of the two twins.

Finally she leaned back against him and closed her eyes. When the brush began to run smoothly through her hair, she sighed happily and then, “I really like that a lot. Do you think that now we can eat? Please?” And then he could hold her. That would be wonderful.

“Absolutely,” he said, running the brush through her hair a couple more times just to be sure he’d gotten everything and then quickly braided it and put a tie on the end. Flipping the end over her shoulder, he tossed the brush onto the side table and leaned forward to draw the rolling table in to them. “Eat whatever you want and can, sweetness.”

Seeing the spread that was laid out before her, she grinned. “Goodness gravy, you got me a little of everything, didn’t you?” Reaching out, she took one of the cups of soup and lifted it. It wasn’t until that moment she realized she was still a little shaky, but that was fine. She didn’t mind. Taking a sip, she sighed. “That’s nice.” She looked back at him and smiled. “Thank you, Allister, for combing out my hair and braiding it for me.”

“You are welcome,” he said quietly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Stealing a sandwich, he took a big bite and chewed while she sipped at the soup. Smiling, he brushed back a few stray hairs from her face. “I have to say, I know a lot about you, including your age, but you have a timeless quality that absolutely transcends age, you know.”

Blushing, she leaned into him and sighed, winking at him then. “I really and truly like that,” she told him happily. “I happen to rather adore you as well. I think that you are truly amazing. I love that you are so big.” And that he made her want to be the girl of a twosome. Odd but true. Granted, relationships weren’t something she did, mostly because no one ever made her feel feminine enough for a relationship, but he did.

Chuckling, he slid his arm around her and gave a light squeeze. “I can’t help how big I am. That’s just good old genetics,” he murmured. “But I have to admit I like how tiny you are, though I do worry I might hurt you and not realize it.”

She snorted. “Darling, you won’t hurt me. I know very good and well that no matter what you do, you will not hurt me.” She trusted him on that, one hundred and ten percent. “Besides, I don’t break easily.” At all. She was tough and knew it, most times. Sometimes.

“I hope you’re right, sweetness,” he whispered, still worrying about it, nonetheless. He likely always would. “Eat up. You need the nutrients and calories. It will help clear out the drugs, too.” Or at least he hoped it would.