Hoss’s Limits (House of Lustz #2)

Cady Chapter 15

Our weekend passed too fast for my liking. We spent it holed up in his house, exploring our newfound relationship. Part of that consisted of completing our discussion about what we wanted and forming the contract, which we signed Sunday evening. The rest of the time, if we weren’t asleep, was filled with getting to know more about each other in general and the hottest sex ever. Even when I ended up being punished, ultimately, it was worth it.

We had so much going on that I didn’t think about the quote Iker was supposed to send me via Hoss. That was until after he dropped me off at the clinic. Yeah, he insisted on driving me there and back. He was determined I’d stay the night with him again. Since I wanted to be with him, I didn’t object.

It wasn’t until I was in the building after Hoss checked to be sure it was safe and everyone arrived to start our day that I recalled the quote. I wanted to call Hoss immediately and ask if he had it and, if so, to send it to me, but I was hesitant. He had meetings this morning, and I didn’t want to interrupt. His work was important, just like mine, so I hung onto my patience.

Due to Friday’s cancelations, I had a jam-packed day ahead. Not all those canceled were slated to be seen today, but several were. The rest were worked in for the remainder of the week .

I didn’t get a chance to sit or catch my breath until lunchtime. I had twenty minutes, so I went to my office and sat down. I was hungry, but I needed the rest more. A tap on my office door had me opening my eyes. Dottie stood there, giving me a sympathetic smile. She walked in and held out her hand. In it was a bowl. The aroma coming off it was divine.

“I knew you wouldn’t eat. Here’s some stew I made. I brought plenty, so don’t say no. You need to take better care of yourself, Cady. I don’t think that man of yours would like it if he knew you’re not eating.”

I gave her a grateful look as I accepted it. I waved for her to have a seat, which she did. I took a bite and hummed in approval. It tasted as good as it smelled. Once I chewed and then swallowed, I commented on her remark.

“What Hoss doesn’t know won’t hurt me.”

“It will if I narc you out. If it’s the only way to force you to take care of yourself, I’ll do it,” she warned.

“Hey, you work for me, remember? What if I fire you for narcing me out?” I fake threatened.

She laughed. “Good luck finding someone to put up with this bunch who can also keep this place running smoothly.”

She had a point. If she didn’t do what she did, I’d lose my mind and kill people. I gave her the middle finger, which made her laugh harder. I wouldn’t have done that to the others, but Dottie and I had a closer relationship.

I gobbled down the stew. Even when it burned my tongue, I kept going. She seemed content to sit there and watch me eat. When I was done, I sighed.

“That was wonderful, Dottie. Thank you. How’s it going out front? Anything I need to know or address?”

“Nope. Just getting people in and out as quickly as we can. It’s been quiet otherwise. I didn’t see your car this morning in the lot. Did your man bring you to work?”

“He did. He said it was silly to both drive when I was going back to his house tonight.”

“Oh, so you’re sleeping over. I hope you’re doing more than just sleeping.” She winked. I threw a crumpled piece of paper at her.

“Pervert, I’m not telling you!”

“You just did. The look on your face and that flush, yeah, he’s giving you the anaconda.”

This made me burst out laughing. She joined me. By the time I got myself under control, it was time to see the next patient. I shoved her playfully out of my office. Boy, she had no idea how true it was.

The afternoon was humming along. I was happy with how well it was going—that is, until Dottie came to find me. She seemed flustered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“That man is here again. He’s asking for you and says he’s here to work.”

Immediately, I thought of Flint, but he’d have no reason to say he was here to work. “Which one? Not Flint.”

She shook her head. “No, not that prick. I mean the one Hoss had come and check over the place. You know, Iker.”

That explained why she was flustered. Something about him got to her. However, it didn’t explain why he was here to work. A sneaking suspicion entered my head. Surely, Hoss hadn’t told him to come install the new alarm system and cameras? I hadn’t even seen what they would cost. I left the empty treatment room and followed her. She took me to my office. He was sitting there. When he saw me, he got to his feet. Dottie didn’t hang around. I saw his eyes follow her.

“Hey, Cady. It’s good to see you again. I’m here to start the new installation,” he said cheerfully.

“No, you’re not. I haven’t seen your quote yet, so I didn’t approve you to do it.”

“Hoss didn’t speak to you?”

“No, he didn’t. When did he tell you to do this?”

“Uhm, I got an email this morning saying it was a go. I assumed you two had discussed it.”

“No, we didn’t. I’m sorry you wasted a trip for nothing, but until I go over the quote, there’s no way I’m letting you install anything. And even if I say yes to some of it, I have to get with my landlord to ensure it’s alright. I don’t own this property, Iker. I can’t make changes without his approval. Hoss shouldn’t have told you to do it. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave. I’ll have a talk with Hoss so he doesn’t get upset with you for not doing the job.”

“Cady, I’ve known Hoss for a few years. He’s a very decisive man. When he sees a need, he fixes it if he can. You’re his lady. He sees that you’re not safe here. If you believe he’ll let you go without because of money, you don’t know him yet. He won’t.”

“Well, that may be so, but Hoss isn’t the boss of me. He doesn’t run my life. We need to discuss this, not for him to make a unilateral decision about it and expect me to go along with it like an airheaded bimbo.”

I was losing my cool and didn’t think venting my anger with Hoss on Iker was fair. “Forgive me. I’ll deal with this. You’re free to go. Thank you for coming over. I’ve got to go. I have more patients to see before the end of the day.”

I was able to hustle him to the front and out the door. Dottie was nowhere to be seen. I was seething but couldn’t do anything about it right then. I hadn’t lied. I had more animals to see. When I had spare moments for the remainder of the day, I thought of what I would say to Hoss about this whole thing. Undoubtedly, Iker would tell him I kicked him out, and Hoss would be ready to defend his choice.

When five o’clock arrived, I was glad to send the staff home. When Hoss dropped me off this morning, I told him not to come to pick me up until six, so I would have time to chart and restock the rooms for the next day. However, I was too upset to concentrate on anything, and I wasn’t willing to sit around waiting on him either. I didn’t have my car, so I did the next best thing and called for a ride.

I was in luck. There was one nearby, and I only had to wait ten minutes. Locking up the clinic sans worthless alarm, I got in the car and gave the driver my address. Maybe it would be better for me to stay at my place so I have time to calm down. I’d wait until I got there to text Hoss and let him know.

It was a quarter ‘til six when I was dropped off. I wearily unlocked the door. It seemed like it had been weeks since I was here. The apartment was stuffy, so I opened a couple of windows to air it out. Going to the fridge, I checked to see if there was anything in it that I could eat for dinner. The few items in there were past their expiration date. I had items in the freezer and pantry, but the thought of thawing or going through a bunch of steps wasn’t worth it. I gave up and went to my bedroom. Stripping off my clothes, I turned on the shower. Maybe a hot one would help me feel better. Right before I got in, I sent off a text to Hoss.

Me: Don’t bother to pick me up. I’m staying at my place. I need to be alone. I’ll let you know when we can talk.

As soon as I sent it, I turned off my phone. Childish, maybe, but I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him. I wanted quiet. My head was pounding. I knew it was stress. Perhaps I’d take my medication tonight. I had some for migraines. It put me out when I did. A good night’s sleep would do me good.

I stayed in the shower until the water turned cold. Stepping out, I briskly dried off and rubbed some lotion into my skin before walking to my bedroom. I didn’t bother to put anything on. I face-planted on the bed and closed my eyes. The ceiling fan was on, circulating the cool air from the window I had open. It made a faint humming sound that acted as white noise. I found myself drifting off despite my headache.

I had no idea how long I drifted just under the surface before I was jarred alert by the loud pounding on my door and Hoss’s voice calling out. “Cady, I know you’re in there. Open the goddamn door,” he shouted.

Anger flared inside me as I got off the bed and stomped to the door. I unlocked it and then flung it open to glare at him. His eyes flashed. The next thing I knew, I was being pushed backward, and he came charging into my apartment. He slammed the door behind him and flipped the lock.

“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing, Hoss? You have no right to barge into my home or to push me!” I snarled .

“I’ll tell you what gives me the right. I find my woman has gone off in a tizzy and has shut her fucking phone off, so I can’t talk to her. When I show up on her doorstep to figure out what the fuck is wrong, she answers the motherfucking door naked! Anyone could’ve seen you, Cady. And my damn name is Magnus,” he snapped.

I’d forgotten I was naked, and I wouldn’t usually have answered it without any clothes on, but since I did and I was still pissed at him, I went with it.

“So what? If I want to let the whole world see me naked, I will. I’m a free woman. I can do whatever I please. And what I please is for you to leave and let me sleep. I’m not in the mood for you or your shit, Hoss.”

“Call me Hoss again and see what happens,” he threatened.

“Go to hell. You know the way out, Hoss,” I said before turning my back on him and walking off. I was headed back to bed. My head was worse. I was starting to get other symptoms, which told me I was in for a killer migraine. Spots and lights danced in my peripheral vision, and my stomach churned.

My only warning was a growl seconds before I was hoisted in the air. I was clutched in his steel-hard arms. I kicked back, but my foot landed harmlessly on his shin. It hurt my foot more than his leg. I wiggled as I demanded. “Put me down!”

“Not on your life. We’re talking, and you can be a brat and throw a temper tantrum all you want. It won’t do you any good,” he said as he marched to my bedroom. He went to the bed and sank on the edge, placing me on his lap. I tried to elbow him, but again, I hurt myself more than I hurt him .

“You want to tell me what has your nose out of joint?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You know exactly why I’m mad.”

“Don’t tell me this and running off from the clinic is all because I sent Iker to change out your security system.”

“Damn right, it is. You had no right to do that. It’s my business and my decision.”

“Babe, no one said it wasn’t your business. As for it being your decision, it would be, in most instances, but I knew you’d say no. You’d say it was too expensive. It’s not optional, Cady. You need to be safe there.”

“When will you get it through your head that I needed to determine whether I could swing it? And if I could, I still had to ask my landlord if he was okay with it.” I wiggled so I was sitting sideways. It allowed me to see his face as we argued. I fought to ignore the erection that was growing under my ass.

“If your landlord said no, I’d handle him. As for the cost, I can afford it. When I become your silent partner, these would be things I’d do anyway.”

“You aren’t becoming my partner.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because!” I shouted.

“Because why?”

“Forget it. You can’t understand, Hoss.”

“I warned you,” he uttered. Then, I was flipped and rolled so I was positioned face down across his lap. Before I could move, a hand came down hard on my bare ass. I cried out in shock and pain.

“Stop!”

He didn’t listen. Instead, he spanked me three more times. “That’s one for each time you called me Hoss. Are you ready to behave and talk to me like an adult, or do I continue?” he asked.

Tears pricked my eyes. I fought to contain them. I refused to cry in front of him. The churning in my stomach increased, and I knew I was about to vomit.

“Let me up,” I mumbled.

“Not until you agree to talk.”

“No,” I mumbled. Another smack landed on my stinging ass cheeks.

“Kiwi,” I sobbed.

He instantly eased his hold on me. “Babe, I didn’t think—” I rolled off his lap, stumbled to my feet, and then ran for the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before I was throwing up. As I heaved, I whimpered.

Hands pulled back my hair and held it out of my way. After bringing up what little was in my stomach and bile, I dry heaved a couple of times before I weakly hung over the toilet bowl. Hoss flushed it after moving my head to the side.

“Here, let’s rinse your mouth,” he said softly. He stood up and went to the sink. I stayed where I was. He was back in no time with a glass of water. When I took a drink, I found it had mouthwash in it. I eagerly swished and spit several times until the nasty taste was gone. He took the glass away.

“Do you think you’re done?” he asked.

“I think so.”

He slowly lifted me and then carried me to the bed. This time, he put me on the mattress. I curled up on my side. I felt the bed dip, and then he was behind me, spooning me. His hand came up to push my hair away from my face .

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I sure as hell didn’t mean to make you sick. I had no idea spanking you would do that. Say you forgive me.” I heard the worry and pain in his voice. He truly thought my vomiting was his fault. There was no way I’d let him believe that, no matter how mad at him I was.

“You didn’t make me sick. I just need to sleep. Go. We’ll talk later about this.”

“Cady, I’m not leaving you here alone, especially when you’re mad at me and sick. We’ll talk about what upset you later, but for now, I’m taking care of you. Do you know what caused you to throw up? Was it something you ate? Or are you coming down with the stomach flu?”

“If I’m coming down with the flu, you should leave so you don’t get it.”

“Not happening. Is that what it is?”

I sighed. “No, it’s not that or something I ate. I’m having a migraine. When they get bad, I throw up. I’ll take some of my medicine and go to sleep. It’ll be fine by morning. There’s no need for you to stay and watch me sleep.”

He cuddled me closer. I admit, it felt good to be held. His lips landed on my temple, and he kissed me. “Tiny, I don’t want to be away from you, period, let alone when you’re not feeling well. If all you do is sleep, then so be it. I’ll be here to keep an eye on you. What if you get worse and need medical attention?”

“If that happens, then I’ll call an ambulance.”

“Is that what you did in the past? Did none of your boyfriends bother to take care of you?”

“Magnus, I can’t talk to you right now about this. I need to take my medicine,” I let him hear the pleading in my voice. I didn’t want to end up throwing up again.

“I’m sorry, you’re right. Tell me where it is, and I’ll get it for you.”

“It’s the only prescription bottle in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.”

He eased off the bed. I hated to lose his warmth. However, he was back in no time with a pill and a glass of water. I hurried to swallow it. Sitting up made my head hurt worse. He put the glass on my nightstand when I was done.

“Anything else you need?”

“If you’ll make sure the blinds are fully closed on the window, that’ll be good. Light makes it worse.”

He did it while I lay down again. I heard him making rustling noises, and then he was back in bed. When he drew me to him, I gasped. His hot, naked skin was against mine. I tried to roll over, but he held me in place.

“Shh, go to sleep. Relax. I’ve got you.” He kissed me before snuggling me to him.

I let his warmth and the comfort he was giving me lull me to sleep. I was out in no time.

When I woke up, I knew hours had passed. The room was pitch dark, and there was no sunlight peeking out along the edge of my window blind. I was alone in the bed. I guess he must’ve left after all. Disappointment filled me, but I shook it off. It wasn’t like I was used to a man helping me anyway, other than Carver.

I got up and went to the bathroom. I used the toilet, splashed cool water on my face, and brushed my teeth. Before I went out to the kitchen, I threw on a nightgown. Opening my bedroom door, I saw light coming from the living room. I guess he left a lamp on for me. As I entered it, I was shocked to find Hoss sitting on the couch. He had the television on mute with the closed captions on.

He came up off the couch and hurried over when he saw me. I was slightly disappointed to see he was wearing his suit pants, although his naked chest wasn’t anything to sneeze at. His arms came around me as he brought me close.

“Cady, you should’ve called out. I would’ve gotten you whatever you needed. How’re you feeling?”

“I didn’t know you were still here. And I feel better. The medicine worked.”

“Where else would I be? I told you I won’t leave you alone. Do you think you’re up for some food?”

“It’s not worth the hassle. I’ll eat in the morning. Besides, everything in the fridge is old or expired.”

“It’s no hassle. You’re hungry, so you eat. Sit and rest. I’ll warm you up some dinner.” He guided me to the couch and lowered me to it.

“Where did you get dinner?”

“I made it. I figured you’d be hungry once this passed, and I didn’t want you to worry about fixing food. I came out here after you fell asleep so I wouldn’t disturb you. I found the ingredients and threw together a casserole. I hope you like chicken, rice, and broccoli casserole. It’s nothing fancy, but I think it’s filling. Since you had all those ingredients and the others, I assumed you liked them.”

He was taking out a large casserole dish and scooping food onto two plates as he talked. I was stunned. No guy had ever cooked for me and they sure didn’t wait on me. They expected me to do it for them. When I didn’t answer, he stopped.

“Babe, do you want something else?”

“No, no, that’s great. I was just shocked, that’s all.”

“Shocked at what?” He went back to preparing it.

“Well, that you stayed and then cooked. I’ve never had anyone do that. Now, you’re waiting on me.”

As the microwave heated the food, he leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed. He was scowling. “Do you mean to say no one has ever cared for you? I know Tajah has to have done it.”

“Oh, yeah, she has. I meant a man.”

“Not even Carver?”

“Carver has, but in a different way. I meant any other man. I don’t know how to react.”

“Fucking useless bastards,” he muttered. The microwave beeped, which had him turning back to it. A minute later, while his food heated up, I was presented with a plate, fork, napkin, and a drink. He put it on the table in front of my couch. “Anything else you need?”

“No, this is perfect. Thank you.”

“Go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me,” he said.

“I’d like to wait.”

It wasn’t long before he joined me. I took my first bite. I moaned. It was delicious. “If you cook like this on top of everything else, tell me why you haven’t been snapped up long ago?”

“Basically, because I hadn’t found the woman right for me. Sure, there’s been women who wanted me for my wealth, sex, and the kink, but they didn’t want all of me.”

“I wasn’t referring to your money or possessions. I meant you’re caring nature. I hope you don’t think I’m with you due to your money. I’m not.”

“You’ve made that very clear. In fact, it seems to be a sore point with you. One I’d like to understand. I get the feeling there’s a story there. Just like there’s a story behind why you’re a brat.”

I kept eating. He didn’t push me to answer. When I was done, I put my plate down. I swung my legs up on the couch so I could face him. I knew what I was about to say wouldn’t be easy for me. I hoped I’d be able to make him understand why I didn’t want him paying for things like the alarm system.

“It is a sore point, as you call it. My reasons for being a brat are tied to it, now that I think about it. You know Carver is my brother, and he’s my only sibling. Neither one of us had what you’d call a loving, happy childhood. In our house, there was constant yelling, anger, and accusations between our parents. And those spilled over onto us. We tried to stay under the radar, and when things got bad, we tried to stay out of the way, but it didn’t usually help.”

I paused to swallow. Recalling it made a knot develop in my throat. He inched closer and took my hand. “Go on. Tell me. You’ll feel better once you do. And after you tell me your story, I’ll tell you mine. More about why I’m a handler.”

“Our parents never acted as if they liked each other, let alone loved one another. I found out as I got older that they married because Mom got pregnant with Carver. Why they had me, I don’t know. Maybe another accident? Anyway, they’d fight all the time. Dad was never faithful to her, and she’d scream at him about it. He’d verbally attack her and say the only reason she got pregnant was to trap him because of his money. ”

Hoss groaned hearing this. I kept going. Now that I started, I couldn’t stop. “Dad came from a well-off family and worked in his family’s business. We had a lovely house, cars, you name it. I would’ve given it all up to have loving parents and peace. They would fight and throw things. Carver and I early on tried to get them to stop, but we’d then be in the line of fire. As we got older, the accusations about ruining their lives and only wanting his money were thrown at us.”

“I was lucky that I befriended Tajah. She knew what my home life was like, and I spent as much time as possible at her house. Tamara was who I consider my real mom. She’s the total opposite of mine. Tajah’s dad was great, too. Carver would hang out at some of his friends’ houses to get away. We hated it when we had to be home. It was demanded when Dad and Mom wanted to trot us out to pretend we were the happy, perfect family. See, they didn’t want Dad’s family to know it wasn’t. They were very hardcore family-oriented and believed that once you married, you didn’t get a divorce. Dad emphatically believed if they did divorce, he’d lose his inheritance and job. So instead, they lived in misery and made us miserable with them.”

“When you say they took it out on you guys, was it only verbally, or did they hit you?” he asked.

“There were slaps, and sometimes we’d be locked in our rooms. It could’ve been worse. They could’ve neglected our needs, beat us, or worse, sexually assaulted us. But it still hurts, and I guess I developed my brattiness as a way to cope and get a rise out of them. When I turned eighteen, I moved out. Dad threatened to cut me off if I didn’t go to college and get a degree he approved of. He thought being a vet was stupid. We’d never been allowed to have pets. He didn’t like animals. Fortunately, I had a small inheritance from an aunt who died. I used it to pay for the bulk of my education, and I worked to earn the rest. I had to work in order to have a place to live. Carver had an inheritance from the same aunt and used it to pay for college and law school. I was so jealous that he got out five years ahead of me.”

“Why didn’t he take you with him?”

“He couldn’t. He tried, but our parents wouldn’t allow it. He offered to stay, but I told him no. I escaped most of the time to Tajah’s, so it wasn’t too terrible. By then, I knew how to handle it.”

“And that’s why you are so adamant about not allowing me to pay for anything.”

“It is. I can make it on my own. I don’t need to be bolstered or to take your money. It’s not why I’m with you. I don’t want you or anyone else ever to think I am.”

He reached over and gently pulled me to him. He arranged me on his lap so we were staring into each other’s eyes. “Cady, I’m happy you shared this with me. It helps me to understand you. But I want you to know that I have never and will never think you’re with me due to what I can give you monetarily. I know you’re not. As for others thinking that, if they do, then they don’t know us and aren’t our friends, so who gives a fuck what they think? As long as our friends and we know the truth, they can go to hell. Now, let me tell you about me and what drives me.”

“Okay. please.”

“I grew up with overall loving parents and a younger brother, Maxwell. He’s two years younger than me. We weren’t rich, but we were comfortable. Our parents didn’t fight like yours or take out their anger on us. I had a pretty happy childhood until I was fifteen. That’s when we discovered Max was getting high. He was smoking weed with his friends. Mom and Dad tried to say it was a phase and he’d get over it. Dad admitted he’d smoked some in his youth, and he turned out fine.

“I wasn’t convinced because the crowd Max was hanging with was into a lot more than just weed, and he was a follower. He’d do whatever he thought would get them to like him. I tried to tell our folks that, but they waved it off. As the years passed, he got worse and into harder and harder drugs. I continued to argue with our parents. I wanted them to put him in rehab. They denied it was serious enough to warrant that. This was despite the fact he was now stealing from them to feed his habit.

“I guess for me, I went to the opposite end of the brat spectrum because I wanted responsibility and control and, in a way, the attention. They were always making over Max and claiming that he was misunderstood and it was hard for him to make friends because of x, y, and z. They made every excuse they could for him. I was more extroverted and independent. They enabled him by denying his problem and letting him steal from them. It got worse, and they began to give him their money, and there was no limit to what they’d do. It cost them their savings, most of their possessions, and their home years later. As for Max, he’d get upset when they didn’t have the money and tell them if they loved him, they’d help more.”

“Are they still doing it?” I asked.

“No, they died when I was twenty-five. There was a car accident. I helped them as much as I could but never by giving them money because I knew they’d hand it over to him. I went to college early and graduated at twenty. I started my business in my bedroom, and as soon as I could, I moved out. When they died, there was nothing to leave Max. He was on his own.”

“Do you have contact with him?”

“Only when he comes around looking for a handout. I don’t know why he does it. I never give him anything. I’ve offered to pay for his rehab numerous times, which he refuses. He says he doesn’t have a problem. He tries to guilt me by saying family takes care of family. I anticipate every year, I’ll get the call telling me he finally overdosed. So you see, my family shaped me. Despite not helping Max, I need to help those I consider family and love. When I offered to pay for the alarm system and other upgrades, it was due to my need to make you safe, Cady. I don’t know what the hell I’d do if you were hurt or killed.”

“This thing between us is moving fast. Your offer is wonderful, but I can’t pay it back, or not anytime soon.”

“It’s fast in some people’s books, but not mine. I don’t expect repayment. I know I’m risking it all telling you this, but the truth is, I’m falling in love with you. If I weren’t, we wouldn’t have talked about a future and marriage. I’m in it for the long haul. With time, I pray you’ll love me, too.”

His declaration stole my breath and made my heart pound. I should tell him he was crazy, but if I did, then I’d have to admit I was as well. Taking a deep breath, I confessed. “Magnus, if I weren’t feeling the same thing for you, then we wouldn’t have talked about those things, nor would I have signed the contract with you. All I ask is that you be patient with me, and I’ll do the same with you. Alright?”

He grinned, and then I was kissed as if his life depended on it. I gave myself up to it. We’d figure this out.