Claimed By The Devil - Joanna Blake Page 0,39

my face and went to check on Mom. Both girls were snoozing peacefully. I sat in the rocking chair in the corner to keep watch.

My mind wandered as I sat there. I thought of all the things Melissa would need in the coming weeks and months. The support and the physical things too. I knew how much this place meant to her. A plan of attack started forming in my head. I would make her mine on paper when she was ready. And I would help her save this place, too. I had big ideas. But most of all, I thought about what had just happened in the stables and plotted in great detail what I would do with her delicious body the next time I had her alone.

I was smiling the whole time.

Oh, yes, I had big plans for Miss Melissa.

I could hardly fucking wait.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Melissa

It was already getting dark when I woke up alone in my bed. The house was quiet. I sat up in a panic, realizing Mom was alone and I had apparently passed out after Nick had done . . . that to me.

Oh, my.

How was I ever going to face him again? He’d had his face right freaking there. And he’d done such deliciously wicked things to me with his lips and tongue. I felt heat pool in my belly just thinking about it.

I was embarrassed but I also really wanted to do that again. And more. I wanted to lose my virginity to him. That was nothing new. I’d dreamed about Nick being the one for years, long before he ever knew I was alive. But now I was ready. I wanted to lose my virginity to him soon.

Very, very soon.

I knew it was selfish. A self-serving impulse. I had my mother to think about. Still, maybe Nick was right. I hadn’t missed any time with her. We’d just had a moment and I’d taken a nap.

Apparently, having a moment with Nick was very, very relaxing.

I covered my face with my hands and then shook it off just as quickly. Mom needed me. And Nick was somewhere in this house, holding down the fort.

You're a grownup, Melissa. You can do this. You have to do this.

I shuffled to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. I took a good, hard look in the mirror. I saw a nice enough face. A little rounder than I would've liked. But I'd always liked my eyes. They were definitely my best feature. Even back in my pimple-faced teenage years, I'd had one feature I felt good about.

I stopped in to check on Mom and found Nick sitting with her as they chatted companionably.

My heart filled up. Just like that. It didn’t matter that he looked like a model and I . . . didn’t. He liked me. More than a little. He wanted to be here.

And I thanked God for it. I thanked God for him.

“How was your nap?” my mother asked. I did my best not to be too obvious. I stole a glance at Nick and saw the smoldering look in his eyes. I was pretty sure my whole body blushed.

“Sorry. I guess I was tired.”

“Of course you were, sweetheart. You’ve been doing too much. Isn’t that right, Nick?”

He nodded in agreement.

“No more burning the candle at both ends. Especially now that Dana is here.”

“Dana? She’s here already?” I asked, looking around. I noticed a tray on the dresser. It had neat rows of medication and an open binder. I stepped over and saw that it had a list of Mom’s medications and a chart with times. Several of the times were already filled in for the day.

“I’ll show you everything,” Nick said softly from behind me. I stared at the binder, horrified.

“I should have been here when she did this.”

“It’s not a big deal, sweetheart,” he said. But it was. It was a big deal. I looked around again. The oxygen tank had moved up by the bed. Mom wasn’t using it. But I wasn’t even sure how to operate it if she needed to.

My eyes blurred as I stared at the page in front of me. There were drugs on here I hadn’t known about. A word jumped out at me.

Morphine. My mom was taking morphine. She must be in so much pain . . .

I forced a smile and excused myself, running for the kitchen. The sun was getting low in the sky. I should make dinner.

I was careful