Stitch by Jaime Lewis
Chapter Fourteen
Mia started to stir. She felt as if her body and mind were playing a game. Her mind said it was time to wake, but her body seemed to disagree. At the moment, she felt secured and at peace. Her mind might have been a little fuzzy, but she recognized right away that she wasn’t in her bed. Her mattress was nowhere near as comfortable as the one she was curled up in.
She let her eyes adjust to the little bit of sunlight peeking through the slats in the wood blinds. The first thing that caught her attention was a picture on the table next to the bed. She couldn’t help the small smile that formed. It was a picture of Stitch in uniform standing with what she assumed were his parents. Stitch carried both his mom and dad’s features.
Her eyes slowly moved about the room. It was very homey—calm and peaceful, just like Stitch. The contrast of the dark logs that made up the house's interior and exterior, along with the wildlife photos blended with the military pictures and decor, made her smile because it was what she would expect from Stitch. Even the wood frame of the bed matched the color of the logs. She may live in the city, but her blood ran country, and the look and feel of the room made her feel right at home.
She snuggled further into the down pillow that smelled like Stitch, but that teensiest movement set off a chain reaction of pain throughout her entire body, bringing tears to her eyes. Parts of last night started to come back to her. She remembered meeting the Sheriff, and he had driven her to the cabin. Her brother and Stitch had shown up with a few other people. She recalled talking to them—about what she couldn’t remember, because she had been out of it. Her mind wasn't firing on all cylinders between the pain, adrenalin crash, and pain medicine. She did recall a doctor had examined her.
Suddenly she let out a gasp and touched her lips. Had Stitch really kissed her last night?
Before she could put any more thought into it, she groaned, feeling the need to use the restroom. She was content and didn’t want to move, but her bladder was going to burst if she didn’t relieve herself soon. She could see the bathroom door just a short distance away, but with the way her body felt, it may as well have been a mile away. She wasn’t even sure if she could walk. But if she didn’t find a way to get her ass out of bed, she would have a messy and embarrassing situation on her hands.
Slowly, and with a lot of small movements, along with a few expletives, she was able to get her legs over the edge of the bed. Trying to use her core muscles to sit up was another story. She tried to channel happy thoughts while battling through the pain and agony until she was in an upright position. She even gave herself a weak fist pump for the little feat, though it felt as if she just conquered the world. The impromptu celebration quickly faded to a thing of the past when she realized the bed was so high off the ground. Her feet didn’t even reach the floor. She hadn’t remembered the bed being this high when she got in it, but then again, last night had been a complete blur.
Her mouth dropped open when her eyes landed on the clock sitting on the nightstand. She had slept almost the entire day. In the next hour or two, it would be getting dark and time for bed again. Not that she would complain, because she still felt exhausted.
Scooting her butt closer to the edge of the bed, she damned her bladder. She just wanted to curl back up in the warmth of the fluffy comforter and go back to sleep. Once she got far enough off the edge and her toes touched the hardwood floor, she pushed off. She had no chance of standing as her legs felt numb and gave right out from under. She crumpled to the floor with a hard thud. “Sweet baby Jesus,” she whimpered when the pain erupted through her body. Tears filled her eyes.
She wasn’t sure how long she had laid on the floor, trying to calm her breathing and racing heart, but she gasped when a set of strong arms lifted her. She was cradled against a warm, broad chest. Without opening her eyes, she knew it was Stitch. His scent gave it away.
◆◆◆
Stitch and Blake were putting away the groceries that Stitch had ran out and picked up. Ace and the others had left around noon to head home, and since Mia had still been asleep, he decided to make a quick run to the store to pick up some food and fill the prescription that Doctor O’Neal had left for Mia. Sheriff Prescott had stopped by to see how Mia was doing, and since he was there and wasn’t on call per se, he offered to stay at the cabin while Stitch ran out to the store.
“I told Tink to let his Detective friend in New York know that if I can be of any assistance to reach out,” Blake said to Stitch.
Stitch stopped what he was doing and turned toward him. “I appreciate that. I just want to find out who was responsible and make them pay. They need to be caught.”
“I agree.”
Suddenly, there was a loud thump from upstairs. Stitch dropped the box of noodles he had in his hand, and both he and Blake took off running, taking the stairs two at a time. When Stitch got to his bedroom, Mia’s sobs from inside the room ripped through him. When he pushed the door open and found her on the floor, he rushed to her side.
“Mia?” He questioned as he lifted her into his arms and sat on the edge of the bed. Her low gasp and tense body signaled to Stitch that she was in tremendous pain. He felt bad for making her hurt worse, but dammit, what had she been thinking trying to get out of bed by herself. Doctor O’Neal told her she needed to take it easy and let others help her.
“Mia.” He said, brushing her hair from her face. “Talk to me, Mia. What happened?”
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. The agony that filled her showed in her eyes. He adjusted her body as she leaned against him.
“Ow, ow, ow.” She whispered in a raspy voice.
“How can I help?” Stitch asked.
“I don’t know. Everything hurts.” Her body was tense, and he could feel her holding her breath. When he looked down, her face was all scrunched up, and she had closed her eyes again.
He pulled her close to his chest, and soon he felt her body start to relax as her warm puffs of air could be felt through his shirt. When he brushed her hair off her face, her cheeks felt a little warm, and he wondered if she could be running a low fever.
“I’m so sorry that you’re hurting,” he told her as he looked into her brown eyes.
“I can’t move a muscle without something hurting.”
Blake cleared his throat, and when Stitch looked up, he was standing in the doorway. Stitch didn’t miss the slight twitch of the former Marine’s lips before the man nodded his head and left them alone. Blake was the one person who Stitch had confided in about his attraction to a certain woman, though he never revealed who the woman was. They had been out having a few beers when the subject was brought up about Stitch settling down. Apparently, the alcohol that night had been truth serum.
He turned his attention back to the beauty in his arms. When their eyes met again, the rope around his heart tightened even more. He hadn’t lied to Ace when he told him that he was in love with Mia. What started as a crush quickly morphed into love the more time he spent with her. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but she wasn’t in the mindset for that proclamation. He gently wiped the tears from her red-stained cheeks, and she flinched. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his anger at bay. He didn’t want her to think he was angry with her.
“I can’t believe that I slept all day.” She said in a husky but sexy voice that totally turned him on.
“You need the rest.”
She nodded again, then laid her head against his shoulder. One of the many things he was taught during his lengthy combat medic training was to keep the injured calm, even during the midst of a battle. And, Christ all mighty was this a battle.
◆◆◆
So many emotions filtered through Mia’s head, making it hard for her to think straight. Her brain didn’t want to cooperate. That was probably from the drugs the doc gave her. Being in Stitch’s arms grounded her. He was full of warmth, and his presence gave her the sense of protection she was seeking. She moved just slightly and felt the ache in her ribs, then as if right on cue, the pressure on her bladder increased. She looked up at the handsome man embracing her, and she felt her cheeks flush. Jesus, woman, get your shit together. You need to pee.
Stitch chuckled, and she saw the amusement dancing in his warm eyes. He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Before you ask, yes, you said that out loud.”
She ducked her head in complete embarrassment. Her brother used to make fun of her when they were kids because she would talk to herself, or ‘think out loud,’as she liked to call it.
“I really need to use the restroom, but I don’t think my legs want to work.”
“No worries, sweetheart.” As if she weighed nothing at all, he stood with her and walked to the bathroom. He set her feet down on the cool tile floor in front of the toilet and held her hips to help steady her. “Can you handle this by yourself?” He asked, nodding his head toward the toilet. She should have been embarrassed by the situation, but right now, she couldn’t care less. All that mattered was emptying her bladder.
“I think I can handle it—alone.” She watched him as he studied her, probably asking himself if she was telling the truth. Once he seemed satisfied, he nodded his head. And, thank god, because she really didn’t want to tinkle with him watching and listening. Before he left, he told her to holler when she was finished, and he’d help her back to the bed.
Once he closed the door, she exhaled. He was so intense, and though he smiled here and there, she sensed his edginess, but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. Turning toward the mirror above the sink, she gasped at the reflection staring back at her. Her face looked like a big discolored blueberry with all the bruising and swelling. Her arms were covered with black and blue finger marks. She was sure she would find the same types of marks and colors on her legs and torso. No wonder Stitch wouldn’t stop staring at her. She looked like someone’s science project.
She grabbed the edge of the vanity and lowered herself to the toilet. It was a painful process. As she did her business, her eyes spotted the jacuzzi tub sitting in the corner. It was as if a spotlight shined down on it. It was surrounded by windows, and even had candles around the edge of it. Oh man, she’d do anything to be able to soak her body in that thing. The candles gave it an intimate setting, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Stitch had brought women up here before. Not that she thought he was a saint, but the vision of him with another woman caused a slight ache in her chest. An ache that she didn’t need to have right now because she had enough bumps and bruises to deal with for the time being.
She used the vanity to help her stand. She couldn’t pull her eyes from the tub. She could fill that monstrous bathtub with piping hot water and soak her aching body until she shriveled up like a prune. The only problem she saw with that idea was how she planned to get herself in and out of it. She could hardly walk, much less maneuver herself in and out of that thing.
She felt so emotional. She was completely helpless and vulnerable right now. Those feelings didn’t sit well with her because all her life, she was taught to be strong, confident, and independent.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there in a complete daze when she felt those familiar arms come around her waist. She looked at her reflection again in the mirror and saw Stitch looking at her as he stood towering behind her, and she met his eyes. “Look at me. I look awful.”
He pressed his body closer against her backside and moved her hair off her right shoulder. Ever so gentle, he pressed his lips against her bare shoulder. She closed her eyes from the intimate and tender gesture and relished in the feeling of his firm lips pressed against her skin.
“You are the most beautiful woman I know, even with the bruises, and those’ll fade over time.” His words brought a slight smile to her face and made her heart beat a little faster. His fingers brushed against her sides where her shirt had lifted. His touch added to the sexual sensation flowing through her.
“How can I help you?” He whispered in her ear.
◆◆◆
She looked at him then glanced over her shoulder at the bathtub. “I’d love to soak in the bath. But I don’t think I can get in and out of it on my own.”
Stitch had already been thinking that a nice warm bath with some Epsom salts would be good for her body and help her relax. Now, whether she was up for his idea was a different story. But he wasn’t leaving her alone in the tub when she could hardly hold herself up.
“How about if I sit with you in the tub? You can lean on me instead of the hard porcelain.” He wanted to laugh at the look she gave him. Even with the bruising on her face, he could see the blush running through her cheeks. “Hear me out. So, for neither of us to feel awkward, I’ll wear a pair of shorts, and you can wear one of my t-shirts.” He knew his shirt would probably come down to her knees, so she would feel comfortable and be covered.” When she agreed so easily, he wanted to pump his fist in the air.
Stitch started the bath then helped Mia into one of his shirts. Seeing her bruises again along her ribs and back made him angry. He stepped quickly out of the bathroom and stripped down to his boxers, and pulled on a pair of his PT shorts. He was seriously rethinking his genius idea now. Now he would have to bear the punishment of having her body wedged between his legs and pressed against him. He ran his hand down his face. Keeping his hands to himself wasn’t going to be easy.
She called out, letting him know that the tub was getting full. He shook all the naughty thoughts whirling through his mind and got his game face on. He needed to be a professional about this. Yeah, that was it. He would treat this like it was any other mission. This was about Mia’s recovery. So quickly, he sighed in defeat. Yeah, try telling his dick that, because right now it wasn’t cooperating, and the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass himself or scare her off.
He walked into the bathroom, and she stood there, holding onto the vanity for support. She looked sexy as hell in his clothes. She tried pulling it down even lower though it already came to her knees. He swallowed hard. Fuck being professional.
“Are you okay?” She asked him as she nibbled her bottom lip, pulling him from his inner thoughts.
“Yeah,I’m good. You ready?” She nodded her head.
“Put your arms around my neck. That’s it.”
He lifted her, stepped into the large tub, and sank in the water. Once he got Mia positioned and comfortable in between his legs, she relaxed back against him. She let out a soft hiss, then moaned, and dammit, his cock stirred, and there was not one fucking thing he could do about it. It had a mind of its own when it came to Mia.
“Comfortable?” He asked through his gritted teeth.
“Perfect, this is just what I needed.” She replied, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Her arms were perched on his bent knees that were caging her in. The feel of her dainty fingers on his skin was seriously testing his patience. He didn’t know where to put his hands, so he rested them along the side of the tub and made himself relax as well. She was right; it was perfect.
After about a good thirty or so minutes soaking in complete silence, the water started to cool, and he ran his hands up her arms and gently squeezed her shoulders.
“How about we get you out of here and into some warm clothes, then I’ll make us some soup for dinner. You need to get something in your belly.”
“Okay.” She sleepily agreed, and he smiled as he carried her from the tub to the bedroom.
He set her feet down on a towel and told her to hold onto the chair to steady herself and avoid putting any pressure on her bad ankle. He noticed it was pretty swollen, but she hadn’t iced it at all since she had been sleeping most of the day. He would need to remember when they got downstairs to get an ice pack for her.
He stepped away for just a second to grab a dry towel for her, and when he returned, she was breathing heavy, and her lips were quivering as if she were fighting back the tears. Concerned, he rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong?”
A tear slipped out of her eye, and she shook her head.
“In the bath, I felt so relaxed, but now I ache so bad. I just want it to go away, dammit!”
“Aww, baby.” As gently as he could, he wrapped her up in his arms and pressed her close against him. He kissed the top of her head. “If I could take the pain away from you, I would.”
She sniffled, then shivered, and he realized she was still standing there soaking wet. The cabin's temperature was kept around seventy degrees, so he knew it had to be chilly for her.
“Let’s get you out of this wet shirt and in some warm clothes, yeah?”
“You’re going to have to help me wrap my ribs again. Doctor O’Neal did it for me last night, and there is no way I can do it myself.”
He smiled softly, trying to mask his worry, knowing the pain she was in. He pushed a strand of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear. Despite what she went through and the injuries she sustained, she was a trooper. He promised Ace he would take care of her, and by god he would even if it killed him to see her perfect body and not touch it intimately. At least not until she healed.
◆◆◆
“Whatever you need, I’m here to help,” Stitch told Mia as he released her. She felt the loss of his touch and wanted to scream for him to come back. She wasn’t usually a needy person, but she felt safe and content wrapped in the comfort of his arms. She watched him disappear into his closet, then reappear seconds later dressed in a pair of black sweatpants, and she swore her tongue rolled out of her mouth like those cartoon characters.
He said he would help with whatever she needed, and she wondered if that included helping with the ache she had between her legs. Him standing there with his upper body full of muscles on display made her pussy ache just about as bad as her ribs felt. Her body temperature skyrocketed, and she damned her libido at a time like this. Being with Stitch in the bathtub felt so good and so right. Thank god he sat in silence and didn’t want to talk, because she wasn’t sure she would be able to concentrate on what he was saying when all that she could focus on was his erection pressing into her back.
Stitch walked over and picked up some shopping bags she hadn’t seen by the door, and she wondered where they came from.
“Alex picked up a few things for you. She wasn’t sure what you needed, so I told her to get you whatever she thought you’d need between clothes and personal items.” He dumped the contents of the bags onto the bed then looked at her.
“Why do you look flushed?” He asked her, and she damned her traitorous body.
Probably because of the naughty thoughts she was thinking. Not that she was going to tell him that. She looked at the items on the bed and noticed a couple of pairs of sexy thong panties laying right on the top of the pile of stuff he had just dumped out. He must have noticed because he looked down at the panties, then looked back at her and gave her a devilish smile. “Nice.” She swore her face must have turned fifty freaking shades of red.
He picked up the black lace undergarment lying on top, walked over to her, and squatted down. “Put your hands on my shoulders.” The tone of voice was deep and sexy sounding. She focused on his handsome face, and then her eyes traveled to his shoulders that he wanted her to hold on to. Was he out of his mind? If she touched those muscles of his, she wasn’t going to want to stop at his shoulders. She heard him chuckle and looked back into his eyes that were twinkling and full of mischief.
“I would love to know what you were just thinking about because your cheeks are so rosy right now that it is downright sexy and cute.”
She cleared her throat and rolled her eyes, trying to act unaffected while gripping his shoulders. “Let’s just get this over with.” When he laughed, she could feel the muscles jump under her fingertips, and she bit her lip to keep from moaning as he slid the panties up her legs and under the towel, letting his fingertips glide over her skin. It was intimate and oh so stimulating. She was going to kill Alex when she saw her. Well, she may thank her first before she killed her.
She jerked when his hands patted her ass before he stood up, towering over her short frame. She wasn’t sure what to think right now. She was frazzled and sexually aroused that she wanted to pop a pain pill, wait long enough for it to kick in and throw him onto the bed and ride him into the sunset or until the pill knocked her out. Holy shit balls, being isolated with him for who knows how long was going to be agony if she couldn’t get her hands on him.
“Now, the shirt.” He told her as he carefully and skillfully maneuvered the wet shirt over her head while she clutched the towel to her body. Standing in just a towel and a thong, she should be cold, but considering how turned on she was, the heat flowing through her veins was enough warmth to ward off the chill.
“What do you want to wear to bed?” He held up some tops that Alex had gotten, but they were camisoles, similar to what she wore last night. They were fitted, which meant they would cling to her body. She was going to have her ribs wrapped, so she wanted something loose. But nothing in the pile of clothes on the bed looked to be loose-fitting. She looked at Stitch and shook her head. “Can I wear one of your t-shirts?”
He grinned, then walked into the closet again and came back with a dark green t-shirt. He helped her put it on, and once the soft, well-worn shirt was in place, he stepped back, and she watched as his smile grew.
“Fucking perfect,” he said, staring at her chest. Okay, she had boobs, but they were nothing to hit home about—at least in her book—but when she looked down and read what the shirt said, she couldn’t help but smirk.
“Watson’s Property”
She looked back toward him and raised an eyebrow. “Nice, Stitch. Do you have a stockpile of these you give to all of your women?”
He frowned as if she had hurt his feelings. “I only have one of those, and you’re wearing it.”
She felt bad for insulting him. She was just trying to be funny. “Stitch, I’m sorry.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m not mad.”
“No, but you’re upset, and that wasn’t my intention.”
“Mia, I swear I’m not mad or upset.” He winked at her. “You look good as my property.” She grinned, and he walked back over to the bed and grabbed a pair of loose-fitting pajama pants and held them up. “How about these?”
“Perfect.”
“Yes, you are.” He replied, then bent down to help her as she stepped into them, again making her blush.
◆◆◆
Dinner was a quiet affair, and Stitch was glad for the silence. Again, he was forced to hide his anger. Before they had come downstairs, he had wrapped her ribs, and the discoloration along her mid-section infuriated him. He had broken ribs before, and seeing the damage to Mia’s skin and thinking that Doc said he didn’t think any were broken was a fucking miracle. He was disturbed at the sight of her injuries. The bruising on her skin looked so angry. The red, blue, and purple marks covered most of her upper body, front and back, including her shoulder blades. He hoped that Tink and Derek’s detective friend got a lead soon because the fucker responsible was going to pay.
Mia put her spoon down and yawned, and he knew the pain pill he had given her before dinner was working its way through her system. Not only because he could see her getting sleepy, but she also seemed less tense, as if the pain wasn’t as bad as when he first brought her downstairs. She patted her belly.
“That was the best tomato rice soup I’ve had. Is that your recipe?” She asked him as she wiped her mouth with the napkin.
He nodded. “Well, it’s my mom’s. She used to make it for me when I would come inside from playing outside in the cold as a kid. It goes along great with a grilled cheese sandwich.”
She smiled. “You have to love a mom’s home cooking. I miss my mom’s cooking. She tried to teach me, but cooking was one of those things I wasn’t interested in learning. Now I kinda regret it. Most of my cooking either comes in a box—frozen or dry with instructions.” She lifted her glass of water to her lips. “But I will say when it comes to macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes; I am the master at making those from scratch.”
“Well, you will have to make them for me one night.”
Mia giggled. “That would be the dinner of champions. A starch and carbs fest.”
“Who cares. I love them both, and now you’ve piqued my interest, so you’ll have to make them. Once you’re better, that is.” He said, giving her the eye saying she better not push it.
They talked a little longer while he cleaned up the kitchen. She argued with him when she tried to tidy up the table and wipe it down. She didn’t win that battle. He explained that Tink’s contact at the NYPD was looking into her abduction and assault and filing a missing person’s report to see if that produced any leads. He really wanted to press her to see if she remembered anything she hadn’t mentioned last night, but her eyes were already getting droopy. When she yawned again and wobbled in the chair, he knew it was time to get her back upstairs and into bed.
He removed the ice pack from her ankle, set it on the table, then bent over, ready to scoop her up. “Grab on,” he said to her and smiled when she did without any hesitation. Once he had her cradled in his arms, she laid her head on his shoulder. From the time it took to walk from the kitchen up to the bedroom, her eyes were already starting to close. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Sleep tight, sweetheart.”
He was just inches from her face, and her eyelids fluttered open, just enough to peek at him.
“Where are you sleeping?” She asked in a whisper, and he glanced at the chair next to the bed.
“This is your bed,” she told him.
He grinned. “And you belong in it.”
“Stitch, it’s big enough for both of us to share.”
Jesus, she was really testing his patience tonight. The thought of sharing his bed with her made his dick harden. “The chair is fine. For now.”
Thankfully she didn’t argue. He stood there and waited as she tried to fight the sleepiness, but eventually, her eyes slowly closed, and within minutes, her breathing evened out, indicating she was fast asleep and would be for hours. He had some paperwork he needed to catch up on. He was heading up part of a new training the base was conducting. He’d work on that for a couple of hours before he’d try and get some sleep himself.
