Tymber Dalton - Pinch Me

To my Hubby, the love of my life, who makes it possible for me to pursue my dreams. And to Sir, whos taught me more than I ever thought possible. Cheese!

This ones also for Scudder, who was the inspiration for Doogie. Well always love you, Buddy-butt. Youll always be part of our pack. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge with the others and say hi to them for us. Well see you all again one day.

While the books in the Suncoast Society series are standalone works, the recommended reading order to avoid spoilers is as follows:

1.Safe Harbor

2.Cardinals Rule

3.Domme by Default

4.The Reluctant Dom

5.The Denim Dom

6.Pinch Me

Tony is also a minor character in Domme by Default and The Reluctant Dom. Tony and Shayla are featured in The Denim Dom. Tony also makes a vanilla appearance in Two Geeks and Their Girl. Sully, Mac, and Clarisses story is told in Safe Harbor. Seth and Leah are the focus of The Reluctant Dom. Tilly and her men are featured in Cardinals Rule.

Pain dragged her from the comfort of blissful, velvety dark unconsciousness. She didnt dare move, not even to open her eyes. Muted, distorted sounds wound their way to her brain seemingly from down a long hall. Her throat hurt, inside and out, painful and scratchy.

Something moved next to her, startling her. Before she could think she turned her head. Fireworks of pain blossomed behind her eyes.

Fade to black

Is she awake?

The nurse glanced up from her charts to the man who had stepped into the room. Not yet.

Rob looked past the monitors, the IVs, the respirator standing silent sentry next to the bed. At first, he had a hard time remembering if it was Monday or Tuesday.

He glanced at his phone.

Nope, Tuesday.

For the first three days, Laura had been intubated, the respirator breathing for her. The neurologists thought it best to keep her in an induced coma to allow the brain swelling to subside.

She still might not wake up for a while. The nurse tried to sound kind, but she was a professional, had seen too much. Knew the odds. She also knew Rob could handle the truth.

Paramedics were all too familiar with the effects of trauma.

I know. But Laura had startled when he bent down next to her earlier. She was there. The monitors proved it. They had all gone off, recording her sudden agitation.

He leaned over the bed again and gently stroked the unconscious womans cheek. Please, baby girl, he whispered. Come back to me. I love you.

Im afraid visiting hours are well past over, the nurse gently said. You know I would normally let you stay, but Im putting my foot down. You look horrible. You need to go home and get some real sleep. Youre going to collapse if you keep this up. That wont do Laura any good. I promise well call you immediately if theres any change.

Rob kissed Lauras cheek and left, nodding to the deputy standing guard outside her ICU room before turning toward the elevators. It was after nine in the evening. Despite the late hour, on the way home he stopped by the sheriffs office on the off chance Det. Thomas was in.

He wasnt. There was nothing else Rob could do but go home and wait.

And that was all hed done for the past four days.

He was sick of waiting. He couldnt help Laura, and the police had yet to catch the sadistic fuck whod attacked her last Friday.

Glimmers teased her minda dogs tail impatiently flicking, a loud splash and muffled sounds like she was underwater, the gentle caress of a mans touch and his tender words, the feel and sound of a hand smacking against bare flesh

Her eyes snapped open and she couldnt stop the scream. It came out sounding more like a croak. She tried to sit up, bringing new bursts of agony from all over her body as well as renewed screams, of pain instead of fear this time.

An older woman dressed in white ran in, shouting something she didnt understand. Every movement brought new pain, and now she heard alarms going off.

A man. Where was the man whod hurt her?

Where am I?

She should know this.

Another nurse and a man wearing blue scrubs ran in. He wasnt the man, but she shrieked and thrashed, hitting at him, pulling away from him in instinctive, primal terror.

The first nurse wrapped an arm around her and she finally collapsed against her, crying.

She was awake, she hurt like hell, she didnt know where she was, and worse

She didnt know who she was.

When Det. William Thomas cell phone rang at 4:00 a.m. Wednesday morning and jolted him from sleep, he suspected it wouldnt be good news.

He grabbed it on the second ring. Thomas.

Det. Thomas? This is Dr. Singh from Charlotte County Regional Medical Center. Laura Spaulding woke up twenty minutes ago. You instructed us to call you.

Now he was more awake. It wasnt as bad as he thought it might be. Can she talk?

Shes still crying. She wont let go of one of the nurses. Male staff cant get within twenty feet of her. She nearly took my eye out when I tried to examine her.

He scrubbed his face with his hand and sat up on the edge of the bed. When can I question her?

You should wait a couple of hours. Maybe until later in the morning. Hopefully we can get her calm and stabilized by then. Wed rather avoid sedating her considering she just awoke from a coma.

Okay. Ill be there in a little while and wait for you to clear it. Nobody, and I mean nobody, except medical staff and my deputies, gets in to see her until I get to talk to her.

Not even Rob?

Is he there?

No. The nurses ordered him home last night to sleep.

Has anyone called him yet?

Hes my next call.

Hold off. Ill call him myself in a few minutes. Ill make sure a female deputy gets sent over.

He wont like it, but okay.

Thomas hung up and dialed dispatch to get a female deputy sent over to the hospital. His second call was to Rob Carlton, Lauras fianc.

Ill be right over.

No, you wont. Shes upset and combative and they dont want to sedate her again. Meet me there at six.

An ominous moment of silence followed. Shes my fiance.

Yes, and shes also the victim of a violent crime. You want us to catch the animal who did this to her, then you need to not go barreling in there and scaring her.

I can talk to her, calm her.

Maybe, maybe not. But if you love her, youll wait. And if you dont wait, Ill call over and make sure they take you into custody if you try to get into that room. He felt for the guy, he really did. However, Rob had to get it through his head that being emotional right now wasnt in Lauras best interest.

He waited for Rob to speak next.

All right. Fine. Ill be in the ICU waiting room. Rob hung up on him.

As Thomas got up and headed for the shower, he knew he needed to get over to the hospital even sooner. Rob wasnt the kind of guy who would tolerate being kept from the woman he loved very long. The last thing he wanted was to have the guy arrested.

When she finally calmed down, the nurse asked her if she wanted a drink of water. She nodded, and another nurse brought it. Her throat still hurt, the cold water setting off a coughing spell that made her ribs and stomach explode with agony.

She felt like passing out, but held on until the pain abated a little.

The second nurse took the cup from her while the first propped her up with some pillows. It took her three tries to get her swollen tongue to actually form coherent words.