Two Guardians for Little May Read Online Free Page B

moment. She
berated herself for refusing to allow that heart-throb of a doctor to touch
her. Indeed, he was one gorgeous piece of man-flesh, with unruly, short brown
hair, warm blue eyes and lips that were ripe for kissing.
      The other one, Layton, was just as
handsome, but boy-howdy, he annoyed the living crap out of her! She took in a
deep breath, easing the onslaught of anxiety that frequently slipped into her
mind when she contemplated the existence of the opposite gender. They both
seemed genuinely concerned for her well-being, even Layton. They were not the ones who hurt me , she
reminded herself. They are Lyle's sons
and he trusted them to take care of me. I don't have to be so suspicious of
every man that comes my way.
    Easier said
than done. May bent her head between her knees and practiced her breathing.
Anger and fear still controlled her life, ever since that horrid night. Would
she ever recover from that fear? Her face had mended quickly from the bruises,
and her dislocated shoulder seemed to be back to normal. Even the way she had
been violated—the tearing of her delicate flesh—had healed. But the
external injuries had left scars on her heart and in her mind, and the
slightest thing could trigger her into a panic. And then there was the dark.
Night was a time of horror, and she dreaded every sunset.
    May
looked at herself in the mirror. The wide-eyed, doll-like visage staring back
looked like a stranger. The eyes were haunted, the cheeks gaunt, and hair in
disarray. The rape had changed her, and May felt completely out of control with
not knowing how to resurrect herself from the ashes of who she used to be. Lyle
had told her it would take time, and promised everything would get better. She
hadn't expected him to go and die on her.
    "You
can't keep running, sweetheart," a voice said from behind. May spun to see
Caine entering her room, uninvited. He sat next to her on the bed. "I want
to help you if you will let me."
    The
softness of his voice took her by surprise. Lyle had been gruff and
opinionated, much like Layton, but it had left her with an odd sense of
comfort. This man, though, threw her for a loop.
    "Why
would you do that?" Her accent was sharpened by the tightness forming in
her chest. "I'm just a little piece of shit that needs to be tossed to the
hounds."
    "I
don't know who said that to you, but they were wrong. You are a sweet, lovely
young lady, who deserves to be protected and cherished," Caine said
gently. He did not touch her, respecting her need to keep a physical distance.
"Give old Layton and me a chance, May. We're good people."
    "Layton
is the last person I would tag as good. He's a mean, bitter, nasty old
fart."
    "My
brother has his moments. In fact," Caine chuckled, "he takes my
moments and about five other people's as well for his own. Regardless, you will
never find a better friend and protector in this world. He's a hard-ass, but
that's because he tends to care too much and it scares the jeepers out of
him."
    "Jeepers?"
May cracked a little smile.
    "I've
had to clean up my vocabulary. Laboring moms don't need to hear their doctors
swearing as much as they do." Caine laughed heartily.
    "So
you really are a doctor?"
    "One
of the best, if I say so myself," Caine responded with a grin. "I'm
very humble, too."
    "I
can see that," May giggled. "What do baby doctors know about
cuts?"
    "Well,"
Caine carefully tore the material away from her injured thigh and tenderly
probed it, "we can clean it up and then kiss it and make all better. Will
you let me?"
    "Is
it going to hurt?" She felt strangely young and child-like in this man's
care. It felt nice.
    "I'll
be as gentle as possible."
    "No,"
she shook her head. "I don't want your help."
    "Very
well. We are going to get back home. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Please
clean that as best as you can in the shower and soak it with Epsom salts."
    "I
know how to take care of a little scratch."
    "Please
just do that. For me?" His dimples made her