The mantra sound corresponding to the fourth chakra is the sound YUM. A special mantra to help expand love and compassion is OM MANI PADME HUM. You can repeat this mantra in meditation to gain greater access to these qualities.

The rest of the weekend came and went. Atlas and I agreed that he and Mila would go back to their home and I’d stay with the girls until Kyle was caught. I had a security guy come and change the locks and begin implementing a full-home system complete with alarms and panic buttons in every room. Monet balked at that, but she finally let me have my way. When I say let me have my way, what I mean was I wrangled her into her room, slid down her pants, went to my knees, lifted a thigh over my shoulder, and ate her until she acquiesced.

My woman was hot for my mouth, and I figured out real quick that I could basically get her to agree to anything when an orgasm was within reach. Not gonna lie, that was a fat fucking plus in the perfect-woman column. So far, Monet was turning out to be everything a man like me could ever want. To hell with want… She’s the woman men dream of having long term. The whole package.

I’d moved my schedule around so that I could be with Monet and Lily all week. Next week would be another story, but I’d talked to the guys. Trent, Dash, Atlas, and Nicholas from Lotus House would all be on point for a day or two to stay with Monet when I had clients. With that psycho on the loose, she couldn’t be alone. And that included when she went back to work. Trent offered to hire a bodyguard, and I had to admit the idea held merit, but right now I wanted her protected by men who cared about her and Lily.

Lily was another concern. I put the smackdown on her going to daycare. That was not happening, which Monet agreed to pretty easily. Her daughter’s welfare was more important than her own. Even if Monet was the target, we both knew that Kyle was unstable, and we couldn’t put anything past him. We decided to take Lily into school this week and pick her up directly from the teacher’s classroom. Monet had a talk with the principal and the teacher to give them a heads-up on the situation and insisted that no one except Mila, Atlas, her, or me was allowed at any time to pick Lily up from school.

I met the security guys first thing in the morning on Monday to continue work on the house. They were up on the situation and knew to keep the house on lockdown as they worked. We had to take Lily to school and then go directly to Monet’s doctor for the removal of the stitches. I was not looking forward to watching my girl in pain. There were a fuck of a lot of stitches that needed to be removed.

I finished up the rest of the dishes for the pancakes I’d made Lily. Monet was too nervous to eat, which rankled my nerves, but I let it go. The protective side of me wanted to make sure she ate, but I also had to cut her some slack. She had a big day ahead of her, not to mention this would be the first time she’d be leaving the house since the hospital stay. I didn’t even hear the bastard’s words to her, and I knew she was hearing them over and over in her head. Made me positively violent thinking about the threats he’d made to her and Lily.

“Done, King Clay.” Lily pushed her plate toward me.

“Come on over and wash your hands, sweetie.”

“No need.” She methodically put each finger into her mouth one at a time and licked them. “See, all clean!” She smiled.

I shook my head, wet a washcloth, and came around the counter. “No, they’re not clean.” I grabbed each of her little hands and wiped at them until I knew for sure there wasn’t any syrup on them. Then I leaned forward and kissed each one while she laughed hysterically. They still smelled of syrup, even though there wasn’t a trace left.

There was something special about this little girl’s laugh that struck me in the chest and filled me with such glee. Now that I had it, I couldn’t imagine not hearing it regularly, and I didn’t plan on ever going without it. It was my job now to see that her face was filled with smiles every day. Same with her mother’s.

Speaking of my goddess, she entered wearing a purple tank and a bulky gray knit cardigan pulled around her shoulders. A worry line appeared deeply etched into her forehead between her brows. I went over to her, cupped both cheeks, and kissed that line. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I’m going to be there every step of the way, beautiful. You’re not alone. You got me?”

She nodded, her chin trembling as she bit into her bottom lip. I rubbed along that lip with the pad of my thumb and then kissed it.

“Time to go. Lily’s eaten, I’ve made her lunch, and we’re set. Car’s in the garage so we don’t have to go out the front door. We’ll take my SUV, yeah?”

She nodded again but didn’t say anything. Her silence worried me. Still, she needed to deal with her thoughts in her own way.

Before I moved away, she wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her forehead against my chest. I hugged her and propped my cheek on the crown of her head. “Monet…”

“Thank you for being there for me…for us.” Her words broke as she took a calming breath. “I don’t know what I’d do if we didn’t have you here…” She stopped there.

“Good thing you’re never going to have to worry about that. I’m here, Monet, and I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever.” I made the statement, and more than anything, I meant it. Believed it with my whole heart. Shit like this didn’t happen to me. Feeling for a woman the way I felt for Monet, for Lily… The only thing that had ever come close was Stacey. What I had with them was so much more. It didn’t even fucking compare, and at one time I had thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with that woman.

Lily slammed into our legs, hugging us both. “Love you, Mommy. Love you, Clay.”

Monet stiffened in my arms.

“I love you too, Lily,” I declared loud and fucking proud, because I did. And if I wasn’t such a pussy, I’d admit that I was falling for her mother too. Far faster than I thought possible.

Only problem was that I’d been in this position before and I wasn’t going to spill my guts if Monet wasn’t right there with me. No, we needed more time. Time to just be together as a couple without the threat of her ex hurting her or her daughter.

“How’s about you grab your backpack, sweetie, and we’ll head out, okay?”

“Pack pack. Got it.”

I chuckled and so did her mother, breaking the tension of the moment.

“Back. Pack, sweetie. Backpack,” I corrected.

She grabbed her backpack off the couch and twirled, fire in her eyes. “’S’wat I said. Pack pack! You didn’t listen to me!”

“Go get in the car, Your Majesty.” I grinned, wrapping an arm around Monet.

She stomped toward the garage. “No one listens me,” she continued to grumble on her way out of the room.

“Seriously, Monet, I love that kid,” I admitted, holding her close.

“She loves you too. Really loves you.” She frowned and then pursed her lips.

“And that’s a bad thing?” I wanted her to really think about it.

Monet lifted up on her toes, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me softly. “No, it’s a very good thing, provided you’re staying around.”

I tunneled my hand into her silky tresses. Fuck, I loved her hair. “I’m here, aren’t I? I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”

She looked down and let her arms fall. “Yeah, that’s what Kyle said when he promised to love me forever. Now he wants me dead.”

Man, I wanted to hurt the bastard. Smash his jaw with my bare fists as many times as I could until the anger at the torment he’d put Monet under abated in my mind. Letting those thoughts simmer for now, I reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m not Kyle.”

Her gaze lifted to mine. Worry and fear were coating the happiness I’d seen the past couple days since we’d taken our relationship to a more physical level.

“No, you’re not. You’re better. But you leaving Lily—leaving me—after the past two weeks would destroy us. Please think about that. Really think about that before you commit to me, to what we have started.” She let go of my neck and helped her daughter get settled in the car.

Instead of a witty comeback or a quick retort, I held my tongue. I would think about it, long and hard, but I didn’t see anything changing. I wanted this. A family. Monet and Lily. Wanted it more than I wanted my next breath. I’d just have to show her, prove it to her, to Lily, to every-fucking-body. I was in it to win it, and they were my grand prize.

---

Dropping off Lily was easy. I met her teacher and the principal, and Monet signed some forms and confirmed the instructions they’d discussed late last week. They knew about the threat and would keep an extra eye on Lily and the classroom. The teacher promised she’d never leave her sight, though I didn’t think it would be an issue. Kyle hopefully wasn’t stupid enough to kidnap a child from her school. Moreover, the day after Kyle’s call, we met with the detectives about what had happened. They promised they’d have a patrol car circling the school and Monet’s house for additional protection, as well as make it known they were on the lookout for Kyle. It gave Monet and me some semblance of peace. It would have to be enough until he was caught.

Monet was quiet as we waited for the doctor to come into the room and remove her stitches. She was instructed to lie on her belly in a flimsy gown that left the back open. I sat next to her, petting her back up and down where there wasn’t an injury, to hopefully soothe her.

Next to the bed were a couple pairs of surgical scissors, tweezers, a bottle of hospital-grade alcohol, cotton balls, gauze, medical tape, and a few other things. I’d been stitched up before when I’d cut open my arm pretty good mountain biking at New Melones Lake a couple years back, but I only received twelve stitches, not eighty.

The doctor entered, dark hair with sprinkles of white dotting his temples. He had a salt-and-pepper short-cropped beard to match, kind eyes, and a soft smile. He bent over toward Monet’s face and placed his hand over hers.

“You ready to get the stitches removed?” he asked softly as a petite blonde with pink scrubs entered with what I guessed was Monet’s medical file on a tablet.

“Are you doing the removal?” Monet asked.

He nodded and went over to the in-room sink and washed his hands. “With this large a wound, I’d feel better doing it myself. Mandy here will assist.”

“You’re in good hands, Dr. Holland,” the nurse added and then washed her hands as well.

Both medical professionals donned gloves. The nurse went behind the table closest to where the tray was. I moved out of the way toward the front of the table where there was a bit more room. No fucking way was I not going to hold her hand or pet her hair while they tended to her.

I tucked the small chair next to her head and put one hand on her hair and the other on her hand. She gripped it firmly as the doctor poked and prodded at her back, checking the wound.

“Looks really good, Dr. Holland. I see you’ve heeded our instructions. The seal looks tight, but I’ll remove the stitches and then we’ll place some adhesive strips in strategic locations that might be at a higher risk of opening when you’re moving around and more active. You’ll still want to be careful for the next couple weeks, but you should be able to continue normal movement, go to work, resume sexual activities…” He glanced at me and then back to the wound.

Monet’s cheeks pinked prettily. I kissed her temple, letting her know the embarrassment wasn’t just on her. I squeezed her hand and stroked her hair.

“All right, Mandy, let’s clean the entire area.”

Mandy opened the alcohol and poured a healthy dose onto a stack of gauze. She ran the wet gauze all over Monet’s back. Instantly gooseflesh prickled against her skin.

“Are you in pain?” My heart pounded and I held her hand firmly.

“No, just cold.”

Mandy used the smaller cotton balls on the stitches, wetting and cleansing them at the same time.

“Okay, Mandy, hand me the scissors. Dr. Holland, I’ll snip them all first. Then both Mandy and I will ease each stitch out from the knot side and do our best not to tug too hard or open the wound. Everything looks really great and your healing process is stellar. I don’t anticipate any problems.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

With every snip I flinched. Eighty fucking times. Monet, on the other hand, held perfectly still and stared at the wall across the room. I wanted to do something for her, say something that would make this easier. I was at a total fucking loss.

The doctor and nurse started at opposite ends of Monet’s wound with their tweezers and scissors, snipping and tugging each string out.

Monet’s eyes closed tight.

“Hey, let’s try Dara’s chant. Om Mani Padme Hum. You know that one?” I asked softly.

Her eyes flickered open. “Yeah, okay.”

“First, breathe with me, beautiful. In for four beats and out for four like in Dara’s classes. Okay?” We both knew the yoga breathing process from taking regular classes at Lotus House. I’d taken Dara’s meditation classes a few times but never thought I was any good at letting go of the monkey mind. Still, chanting helped get me in a better headspace. For Moe, I’d try anything to get her to stay relaxed and not focused on the procedure.

Monet followed along with my breathing, pairing our breaths. I placed my face directly in front of hers and ran my fingers through her hair. Her gaze stayed on mine as we breathed together, our faces only a scant few inches apart.

I inhaled long and full before letting out the words along with my breath. “Om Mani Padme Hum…” I let the last word run long, humming until all the breath inside my lungs was gone. Then together we breathed in again and continued to chant softly. “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Every so often she’d wince and lose her place, but I’d bring her back to our combined meditation and she’d relax into it once more.

It felt like the process took hours when it probably was only twenty minutes or so.

“Now we’re going to apply the tape. As you know, it will fall off on its own. Don’t help it. Just take normal showers and let it ease off over time.”

“I will,” she whispered.

For another ten minutes, the doctor applied the tape and inspected the wound. “Looks really good. You’ve been a great patient. If you have to wear a bra over the next week, I’d suggest something really light with no elastic.”

“You could try those camisole bras. Those are pretty good,” the nurse offered.

Monet nodded, her eyes still pained and weary.

“We need to remove the ones from your neck now. Can you sit up?”

I helped Monet get up and twist her legs around to the side.

The doctor grabbed a light hanging near the wall, flicked it on, and adjusted it near Monet’s upper body. “Almost done.” He looked at the neck wound as she lifted her head.

“This will be quick. The wound is perfectly closed, though tugging on the sutures will hurt a bit since the area is so thin and sensitive.”

“Please, let’s just get this over with. I’m fine. Carry on.”

The strength she manifested was staggering. In that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud to call her mine. Strong, gorgeous, intelligent. This woman absolutely had me by the balls.

The doctor did the neck on his own after his nurse cleaned the wound. Monet didn’t move a muscle, but she held my hand so tight I worried she was in more pain than she let on. Still, the doctor moved quickly and efficiently. He applied a couple of butterflies and then gave her an antibiotic ointment to put over the entire area for a couple days.

“Vitamin E will be best to fight off the scarring.”

“We’ll get her some right away.” I patted her hand.

“Good man.” The doctor removed his gloves and washed his hands again. Once done, he shook Monet’s hand then mine.

The nurse typed notes on her tablet and they both took their leave.

Monet’s shoulders fell as she stared at her feet.

“Baby, I’m so proud of you.” I cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. “So damn proud. A grown man would have teared up, and you were so strong.”

A tiny smile slipped across her lips. “That sucked,” she deadpanned. “It stung, it hurt, and it just…sucked. But it’s such a relief. It actually feels better without the constant tug of the thread.”

“Good. And now it’s over. Oh, and bonus!” I smiled wide. “You can take a real shower.”

Her coal-black eyes lit up for the first time all day. “I can.”

“And I’ll be there to wash your hair for you.” I grinned wickedly. “And other things.” I waggled my brows comically.

She chuckled and placed her hands loosely around my waist as I shimmied in between her spread thighs. The loose drape she’d worn dropped down to display her bare breasts. I groaned and tightened my hold on her thighs at the sight.

“Will you?” She dug her fingers into the tender skin around my ribs eagerly.

Not being able to help myself, I licked my lips and sucked a brown tip into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it until it tightened into an erect peak. Fuck, so good.

Wanting more than anything to keep my mouth on her pretty tips and her mind off her experience, I continued playing our game. “Oh yeah. Someone has to make sure your back is washed and these tits are tended to.” I kissed my way to her other breast and wrapped my lips around it.

She hummed, arched into my luscious kiss, and scratched her fingernails through my hair. “We really shouldn’t be doing this here,” she murmured but didn’t lessen her hold on my head.

I bit down on her nipple and flicked my tongue against the tip. “Yeah, but it’s a really great way to celebrate your accomplishment.” I grinned around her nipple, shifted her ass toward my cock, and rubbed my hardness against her crotch.

She moaned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Clay…” she whispered dreamily.

“You want to come, beautiful, right here in your doctor’s office?” I bit down on her other nipple and she moaned enthusiastically. We were both losing our minds, but after what she’d just endured, she needed to feel good.

A little something I’d learned about my woman was that she was all lady on the street and a freak in the sheets. The lithe beauty had a sensual and sexual side that rivaled my own. We hadn’t had full-on intercourse yet, but one thing I noticed after this past weekend was her stellar libido. I liked to think my mad skills were the culprit, but not even those could bring out such a vixen.

“Oh yeah…” She thrust her hips against my pelvis.

I grinned and turned on the filthy talk. “Then you need to be quiet while I dry hump you.”

Her fingers tightened in my hair, and she rubbed along my length in desperate strokes. She was close already, and it hadn’t taken much. Then again, she’d been in pain; her endorphins were already high.

“Fuck. My woman likes the idea of getting caught with her top off, her man’s mouth on her pretty titties, and her legs wrapped around my hips, doesn’t she?”

Her body jolted, she sucked in a hard breath, and her legging-covered crotch grated wildly along the seam of my jeans.

“Clayton…” I knew that tone. My girl was going to come and come hard.

I wrapped one hand around her ass and ground into her over and over as hard as I could offer without making a racket. With my other hand, I pinched and plucked at her elongated nipple, working her into oblivion.

“Come for me, beautiful. Hurry up. You don’t want to get caught,” I said, reminding her where we were.

Her eyes flashed with heat, and her mouth opened. I knew she was going to scream through her orgasm. My woman was not a quiet lover, which I considered a goddamned blessing to the highest degree. However, no one but me was going to hear her climax. No one.

I slammed my mouth over hers and swallowed her cry as she trembled in my arms. I rubbed her long and hard, digging my hand into her ass, pressing her against me. Still, I wouldn’t allow myself release. Not here. This was about her letting go. Getting a good memory from something necessary but downright unpleasant.

Eventually, her body calmed, but she still clung to me, arms and legs wrapped around me like an octopus. I chuckled against her neck and then kissed my spot until she relaxed.

“You going to fall asleep?” I whispered in her ear.

She sighed happily. My woman just got eighty stitches removed from her back, another dozen from her neck, and she was smiling. Yeah, my job was fucking done and done right.

“No. But I am sleepy and hungry.”

I pulled back, kissing her long and slow before grabbing her tank and helping get it over her head. Next, I eased the sweater over her arms.

“How do you feel otherwise?”

“Mmm, yummy.”

Again I chuckled and helped her off the table.

“No, babe. I mean where they removed the stitches?” I asked while leading her out of the office.

We didn’t run into anyone on the way out, which meant no questions as to why it took so long to leave the room, and I thanked the big man above for the small favor. She didn’t need to feel embarrassed after what was a priceless moment for the both of us. I’d never forget getting her off in the doctor’s office, and I didn’t think she would either. Mission accomplished.

“I think I feel pretty good. Of course, it’s sore and it did hurt, but afterward was pretty darn great.” Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. I’d pay good money to see that blush on her face regularly.

“Darn great?” I laughed while buckling her into my SUV then rushing around the other side.

“Yeah, darn great.”

I maneuvered my body over the console and kissed her long, hard, and so wet she sighed sleepily when I finished. When I pulled back, I focused on the dreamy quality in her gaze and opened my heart to her.

“I am so into you.”

Her return smile was huge, bright, and so fucking brilliant. “I’m into you too, Clay. Very into you.” She beamed and then blushed again.

God, I loved that look on my woman. Pretty and pink.

“Where do you want to eat? Anywhere. Fancy, expensive, you name it; I’m buying you whatever you want because I’m so proud of you taking on that procedure the way you did. Blew my mind, beautiful.”

She placed her hand over mine. “Honestly, I was thinking a bowl of soup and a sandwich at Rainy Day Café followed up with a treat from Sunflower Bakery would be awesome.”

I put the car in gear and headed to the normal haunt near Lotus House. I shook my head.

“What?” she asked, a smile to her voice.

“I offer you anything and you want to go to a café where your entire meal won’t even cost fifteen bucks, and that includes the treat at Sunflower. And that’s if they charge you.”

“I love Rainy Day and Sunflower.” She shrugged. “Why go overboard when simple is just right?”

“Why indeed? Well, what my girl wants, she gets. We can even pick up some glittery cookies for the queen to have when we pick her up. She’d like that.”

I glanced over when she squeezed my hand. “So. Very. Into. You.”