I presumed from the way our “meeting” ended that there was no way I was being let out of my fucking prison anytime soon. But it didn’t stop me from hoping. I was trapped somewhere thousands of miles away from the one person who needed me, and it was literally driving me crazy. If I didn’t have a reason for being in this fucking hospital to begin with, the fact that I was here would soon give me one. Each time I looked at the view beyond the glass of my window, anger rose inside of me. I was definitely the type of person that thrived outdoors, and the sooner I could get there the better. But I was reliant on a woman who couldn’t fucking make up her mind what she wanted in her own life, so how was she going to be any help in mine?

As soon as Kelly popped into my head again, I realised I couldn’t get the sexy smell of her out of my mind and wanted nothing more than to relive the encounter over and over. I had a nice memory to take into the shower with me later that day, and as I let the hot water slide down my chest and over my stomach, I imagined her mouth on me. Licking and sucking her way down my abs until she reached my favourite body part. I gripped my hard shaft in one soapy hand and pinched my nipple with the other, but my forceful stroking was a poor replacement for her mouth; and as I let my thumb roll around the smooth skin at the tip, I realised that my imagination was in no way good enough to create the sensation of what her tongue would feel like swirling at the head of my cock, but it was all I had and so I made the most of it.

As images of Kelly’s wide-eyed stare turning into half-lidded bliss rampaged through my mind, I remembered the way her pussy tensed around my fingers as pleasure overtook her. My movements became faster. Harder. Fuck, I needed to be inside her. And then it hit me. I needed to be inside her. And need was a hell of a lot deeper than want. Why the fuck was she getting to me so much? I decided to close out every single negative thought and concentrate on working my cock as I imagined Kelly, soft and naked beneath me. Me pounding hard inside her slick clenching body, and I came with a deep, sated growl.

Once my latest Kelly fantasy had come to an end—pardon the pun there—I dried myself off and I sat by the window with my latest book. It was another classic, but my head wasn’t in it right then. The scenery through the glass mocked me as the early evening sun highlighted the distant mountains and bounced off the water as it descended. I placed my book down and watched the sky change from pale blue to orange then red and finally a deep, dark blue dotted with tiny specks of silver. Fucking beautiful. I wanted so much to be out there breathing in the chill of the evening. As I watched the stars appearing, I wondered if Rosa was out there looking up at those same stars somewhere. Was she missing me? Was she wondering why the hell I’d abandoned her? Suddenly the need to be outside, to escape from my confines, was almost overpowering. I stood and leaned on the window ledge, closed my eyes and hung my head.

“Hang in there, kiddo. I’ll figure it out. I promise.” A lump lodged in my throat, and I hated that my emotions were getting the better of me again. I had to figure a way of at least getting outside. The air inside was stifling, and doing nothing was more tiring than I had expected. I crawled into bed just after sundown with a heaviness in my heart and worry about my little sister niggling at my brain. I was determined to browbeat Kelly or Dr Clayton until one of them agreed to me getting some fresh Scottish air. Escorted or not, I didn’t care. So long as I was outside.

Eventually, as I lay in bed with my eyes closed, my traitorous mind began to taunt me again. Worry about my kid sister was replaced by more images of Kelly… naked. Then it was Kelly in sexy underwear. Lace-top stockings with garters, no panties, and a bra that pushed her lush breasts up for my greedy gaze to devour. If only the images were real. Fuck… now there was a sight I would give my right arm to see.

Did she dress like that? I wanted to know more about her. I knew very little. In fact when I actually put my mind to thinking I knew nothing. Did she have a boyfriend? I didn’t see a ring on her finger, so I guessed there was no husband. Nah… she didn’t seem the type to be unfaithful. But then again, she didn’t seem the type to get hot and heavy with a patient. Just goes to show you can’t judge a book and all that crap.

I began to imagine the type of guy she could be with, and my stomach knotted. Why the fuck did it bother me so much to picture her with another guy? I guessed any guy worthy of her would be smart… another doctor maybe. He’d be all clean-cut and free from tattoos. He wouldn’t cuss, nor would he be so bold as to push her up against a wall and stick his hands inside her underwear. Yeah… he’d be the total fucking opposite of me.

And he’d deserve her.

Why the hell my train of thought was taking me down the woe-is-me track I honestly don’t know, but when I drifted off to sleep it was with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach…

The road ahead of me was long and there were red-tinged rugged mountains on either side of it. My heart was beating so fast and the sense of urgency was at an all-time high. What if they had harmed her? I would never forgive myself. I guess they didn’t take my news too kindly. But after what happened on the weekend, there was no way I could be involved anymore. No, that was just a step too fucking far. And now this. If anything was going to confirm that I needed out, this would be it.

My grip on the handlebars of the Harley tightened as my mind tortured me with images of my kid sister being harmed by those vicious bastards. I knew they were monsters because I had been one of them. They had taunted me in the message they had left on my bathroom mirror in what looked like blood. I hadn’t waited around to check if I was right. After running through the house calling her name to make sure it wasn’t some sick, fucked-up joke and she was nowhere to be found, panic set in.

They hadn’t taken her to the clubhouse. They wouldn’t be so obvious, but I still made that my first port of call. The place was rarely empty, but I found it locked up. No, they were making me work for it. And so here I was, ten miles out of town on my way to a fucking derelict water tower and warehouse. Talk about fucking cliché. My only hope was that I arrived before they hurt her. Well… that and the fact that I hoped I could convince them to let her go…

I had an unusual spring to my step on the way into work in spite of the fact that it was actually my day off—and these were few and far between. Goodness knows how I was so chipper, when the events of the last few weeks had taken me on a roller coaster ride that I never anticipated. I had decided I was going to conduct an extracurricular meeting with Cain today but out in the open as he had requested it. There was a park that lay equidistant between my home and the hospital that we would be going to. It wasn’t exactly what he had requested, but he really had to be crazy if he thought I was willing to accompany a volatile and potentially dangerous man—who was almost twice my size—to a place out in the middle of nowhere where anything could happen.

I had decided that this session would really be about relaxing and breathing in some fresh Scottish winter air. We couldn’t exactly discuss his case in public, and so today I would simply grant his wish to be outdoors.

Patty had reluctantly agreed to bring a coat of her son’s from home that would fit Cain and had texted to say she would leave it at the nurse’s station. She was evidently disapproving of my plans. This had been obvious the day before, judging by the way she shook her head as she walked away from me following my request for the outdoor attire. In all honesty I couldn’t blame her. It was a stupid plan. But despite the unsettling facts that had been unearthed about his past, the less tangible aspects of his personality I’d come to know during our sessions told me that he wouldn’t hurt me.

Once I’d made myself a coffee and chatted to some of the nursing staff briefly about their excitement over plans for a night out—well, it was my day off and I didn’t take those lightly—I found Cain sitting in the communal day room with the other patients. The large, brightly lit and clinical room was multipurpose, acting as a dining space at one end and a leisure area at the other. He had his nose in a book, and I have to admit that I found that very attractive. I walked toward him, but he was so engrossed that he didn’t even look up. Clearly Moby Dick was an enthralling story. After a few seconds of standing there, I cleared my throat and his attention was finally on me.

“Oh… hi, Kel… um… I mean Doctor Darrow. Sorry… great book.” He nodded toward the thick paperback in his grasp.

I smiled and shook my head. “No worries at all. I’m glad you’re finding something to occupy your time. Look… speaking of occupation… I thought we could… maybe go for a walk.”

His face lit up, and the grin that spread wide across his features almost made my heart stop. How could one man be so gorgeous? Surely he had the fair share of looks belonging to at least five other men. Somewhere in the world, there were five poor guys who were seriously lacking in the X-factor due to Cain being overloaded.

He sat up straight and placed his book down on the table beside him. “Yeah? Seriously?”

I nodded. “Seriously. Come on, let’s get out of here for a wee while.”

He leapt to his feet and followed me to the nurses’ station. I was relieved to find the area empty this time and I collected the beige, fleece-lined jacket from behind the desk. Bless her. Patty had even brought a scarf. I told myself I would thank her later with flowers or Highland toffee, her favourite sweet treat.

Once we were inside my office to collect my own coat, doubt set in. I turned to Cain with a very serious expression. “Can… can I trust you, Cain?”

A line appeared between his brows. “What do you mean?”

“Look… I’ll be honest… I’m having second thoughts about this. What if you… what if…?”

He stepped toward me and placed his large hands on my shoulders, squeezing gently. “Kelly, if you’re worried I’ll bolt when we get out of here, don’t be. I wouldn’t do that to you. I wouldn’t jeopardise your career by disappearing on you when you’ve helped me so much. Okay?”

The fact that he had me all figured out was both disconcerting and impressive. I was beginning to wonder which of us was the shrink. But reassured at his sweet and calm reaction, I swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay. I can’t believe I’m doing this. But technically you’re not a danger to yourself… or to anyone else from what we know. You’re not wanted for criminal activity at the moment and—” I stared at the floor as I tried to convince myself I hadn’t made a monumentally bad decision.

He stared hungrily out the window then placed a finger under my chin and lifted my face. “Look, if you don’t think we should go, then that’s fine. I don’t want to put you through this. It’s not worth it for a little fresh air.”

Even now, even here, he put the needs of others before his own. His consideration made my heart melt, and my mind was made up.