Extreme Measures

by Brenda Harlen

  "Are you sure?" He wanted to believe her, but he couldn't help thinking that his lack of fathering skill was somehow responsible for the onset of his daughter's illness.

  "I'm positive. There's some kind of virus going around, and Carly picked it up."

  "I took her to the park. She must have got it from one of the other kids there."

  "It wasn't your fault," Nikki assured him.

  He wasn't convinced. "How is she now?"

  "Sleeping," she said, and stifled another yawn.

  "You should be, too," he told her.

  She shook her head. "I just need coffee."

  "You need to rest."

  "I need to be with Carly, in case she wakes up and wants something."

  "I'll stay with her," Colin offered. It was the least he could do.

  "Carly's not in any shape for a visit right now," she told him.

  "You're not in any shape to fight with me," he pointed out.

  "Why are you doing this?"

  "So that you can get some rest. The last thing you need is to pick up Carly's bug because you've allowed yourself to get run down."

  "I've been taking care of myself for several years now," she told him.

  "I'm sure you have," he agreed. "But I'm here, and I'd like to help out." It wasn't quite how he'd planned to spend the day, but it was an opportunity to prove to Nikki that she could count on him.

  "Why?"

  He sighed. The woman was too stubborn and independent for her own good. She couldn't just accept help when it was offered; she had to make everything into a battle of wills. Well, this was one battle he had no intention of losing. "Go to bed, Nikki."

  She scowled at him.

  "I'll sit with Carly. We'll watch TV, eat some chicken soup."

  He could tell she was tempted but still reluctant to give in.

  "Please," he said, "let me do this. Go have a nap. When you wake up feeling better, you can boot me out."

  That, at least, earned a small smile.

  "If you need anything—"

  "I'll manage," he interrupted.

  Still she hesitated. "Are you sure? She's been throwing up on and off for the past ten hours."

  Okay, so this revelation took the edge off his enthusiasm, but he was determined to do this. To prove himself as a father, to prove himself to Nikki. "Does she have a bucket?"

  Nikki nodded.

  "Then we'll be okay."

  She continued to look skeptical, but she nodded. Of course, she went into the living room first, checked Carly's temperature, and pressed a kiss to their daughter's flushed cheek before heading up the stairs to her own bedroom.

  Nikki hadn't planned to sleep more than an hour—all she needed was a quick nap to rejuvenate her system. But she was almost asleep before her head hit the pillow, and the next time she opened her eyes it was two o'clock—nearly four hours since Colin had shown up and shooed her off to bed.

  She knew she should check on Carly, but she figured if there were any problems Colin would have woken her. So she took a quick shower, put on clean shorts and a cotton sweater, and was feeling a lot better by the time she ventured back downstairs.

  She tiptoed through the living room, where Carly was asleep on the sofa, and into the kitchen where the scent of fresh coffee greeted her. There was no sign of Colin anywhere. Nikki pulled a mug out of the cupboard.

  Surely he wouldn't have gone back to his apartment and left Carly alone, even if she was sleeping.

  She poured herself a cup of coffee, then followed the sound of running water to the laundry room. What she found there made her wonder if she wasn't still dreaming, and what a fantasy it was!

  Broad shoulders, firm pectorals, rippling abs. Olive-colored shorts sitting low on narrow hips, over long, muscled legs lightly dusted with dark hair. Above the flawless body, a face that women would sigh over and men would envy.

  And he was doing her laundry.

  Ironing, in fact. Even she didn't usually bother pressing her blouses but hung them up as soon as they came out of the dryer. The image of Colin, so strong and blatantly masculine, with an iron in his hand, was something she'd never forget.

  "He makes great coffee and he irons," she said.

  Colin's head jerked up, then he smiled. "How are you feeling?"

  "Much better, thanks." She gestured to the ironing board. "That's not necessary."

  He lifted his broad shoulders in a shrug, and it was all she could do not to drool as the muscles across his chest flexed in response to the action. "I was just waiting for the dryer to finish."

  "Is your shirt in there?"

  "Yeah. Carly had a little accident."

  "Just one?" Nikki asked, hoping to hear that their daughter was over the worst of whatever ailed her.

  But Colin shook his head. "Only one missed the bucket."

  "How long has she been asleep?"

  "Almost two hours." He slipped her blouse onto a hanger, expertly fastening the top button with one hand.

  Nikki lifted her mug to her lips, sipped. He did make great coffee, and it was safer to concentrate on his skill in the kitchen than to let herself remember how he'd unbuttoned her clothes with the same practiced ease. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" she offered.

  "I'll get it," he said, and bent over to unplug the iron. The motion caused his shorts to stretch enticingly across his buttocks.

  Nikki quickly retreated to the kitchen. She seated herself at the table and watched Colin move around the room as if it was his own. He found a mug for himself and filled it from the carafe.

  "Are you hungry?" he asked.

  "Starving," Nikki admitted.

  "Do you want me to make you an omelette or something?"

  "It's my house," Nikki reminded him. "I think I can find something to eat. And I think I'm feeling well enough to kick you out now."

  "You're going to kick me out without feeding me?"

  Nikki sighed. "I guess I do owe you some lunch."

  "You don't owe me anything," Colin said. "But I wouldn't mind a sandwich, if you're so inclined."

  Nikki found some cold meat and cheese in the refrigerator and busied herself making sandwiches. She would feed him, thank him again and send him on his way. There was no reason to feel all hot and disconcerted just because Colin was looking at her as though she were on the menu.

  She cut the sandwiches, set two on a plate for Colin, one on another for herself.

  He picked up a piece of sandwich, grinned. "Quarters?"

  "Habit," she explained. "That's how Carly likes hers."

  "I'll have to remember that," he said, then took his first bite.

  Nikki nibbled on her own sandwich, finding her appetite for lunch stifled by a stronger appetite for the man seated across from her.

  The buzzer on the dryer sounded just as Colin was finishing his sandwich. When he returned from the laundry room a few minutes later, he had his shirt on again. Nikki felt a pang of disappointment that his fabulous chest was covered, but he still looked too sexy for his own good. Too sexy for her peace of mind.

  She pushed away from the table to gather up their plates.

  "Do you mind if I hang around a while longer?" he asked.

  Nikki hated herself for weakening at the obvious plea in his voice. "Are you telling me you don't have anything better to do?"

  "I was planning to spend the day with you and Carly," he reminded her.

  "I'm sorry your plans were ruined," she said.

  "They weren't ruined, just amended."

  Nikki laughed softly. "Now that's an understatement if I've ever heard one."

  He smiled. "Isn't this part and parcel of what it means to be a parent? The good, the bad, and the vomit?"

  "Yeah," she agreed, then smiled.

  "Mommy?" The call was thin, weak.

  Nikki dropped the plates into the sink and hurried into the living room, where Carly was lying on a mound of pillows on the sofa.

  "How are you feeling, baby?" She touched the back
of her hand to Carly's forehead, relieved to find that the fever seemed to be subsiding.

  "I'm thirsty," Carly said.

  Colin, having anticipated her complaint, came into the room carrying a plastic cup of ginger ale with a flexible straw. "Here you go, Squirt." He handed the pop to Carly.

  She took the cup and drank thirstily.

  Then promptly threw up all over herself and the blankets wrapped around her before she could reach for the bucket. And she started to cry.

  Nikki stripped off Carly's pajama top, then pulled her onto her lap for a cuddle. Colin scooped up the soiled blankets and clothing and took them to the laundry room while Nikki carried their daughter upstairs for a quick bath.

  When Carly was dry and dressed in clean pajamas again, Nikki took her back downstairs. Colin was picking up the crayons and papers that were scattered on the coffee table. She smiled when she heard the faint whir of the washing machine in the background.

  Both Nikki and Colin sat with Carly to watch one of her favorite videos, then they fed her some chicken soup and a few soda crackers. By the time Carly fell asleep again, both her parents were almost ready to drift off, too.

  "Hopefully she'll have a better night tonight than last," Colin said, after Carly had been tucked into her own bed.

  "Hopefully," Nikki agreed.

  "I should take off, so you can get some rest, too."

  She nodded, although she was no longer as anxious to get rid of him as she had been earlier. She wouldn't have asked for his help, but she'd appreciated it. It had been nice to share her worries and concerns with the father of her child. "Thank you … for being here today," she said. "And tonight."

  "I'm glad I could be," he said. "I imagine you've been through far too many days like this on your own."

  "A few," she admitted.

  "I wish…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'll give you a call tomorrow to see how Carly's doing."

  Nikki nodded. "Okay."

  She walked with him to the door, wondering what he'd wanted to say, and why he'd changed his mind. Had he wished he'd been there for his daughter? Would things have been different if he'd known about Carly?

  She gave herself a mental shake. He was right. It didn't matter. The past was just that, and wishes couldn't change anything.

  Colin traced beneath her eye with a fingertip. "You have shadows here." He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek, tucked it behind her ear. "Your hair's standing up." His fingers trailed down her arm, then laced with hers. "And you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

  Oh God, how was she supposed to keep her heart intact when he kept battering away at her armor like that?

  She pulled her hand from his, turned to unlock the door. Even as she knew their relationship had been inevitably moving toward intimacy again, she needed to maintain some level of control. She wasn't ready to give him everything. Not this time. Not yet.

  And that was why she needed to get him out of her house.

  Now.

  Because her emotions—concern for Carly, gratitude for Colin's help and support, lust for his body—were threatening to drown out the rational part of her brain that was supposed to keep reminding her why a relationship with Colin was a bad idea.

  When she turned around again, Colin was right in front of her, her back against the door.

  "I have to kiss you," he said.

  She put her hand on his chest. "You have to go home."

  "Not until I kiss you."

  It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes open and focused. She couldn't let him kiss her. If he did, she knew she'd be lost. "Now," she said, hating the unsteadiness of her voice.

  "Right now," he agreed.

  That wasn't what she meant, and he knew it. But his lips were already on hers, and she was unable to protest any further. His mouth moved over hers, firm yet gentle. Intoxicatingly familiar. She heard a soft moan and knew it had come from somewhere deep inside of her. As much as her head knew she needed to keep her distance from Colin, her body and her heart had entirely different ideas.

  She needed to pull away from him. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't do this. Then his hands slipped under her sweater and up her back, and she melted against him. No one else had ever made her feel like he did. No one made her want or need like he did. She knew he'd be leaving again; she couldn't allow herself to hope that he might stay this time.

  But he was here now.

  Would it be so wrong to take what he could give her while he was around? They were both consenting adults, and so long as she kept her eyes open, so long as she didn't delude herself into thinking that they had a future together, there was no harm in letting this attraction between them follow its natural course.

  So decided, when he eased his lips from hers, speaking the next word seemed more natural to her than breathing.

  "Stay."

  Chapter 11

  Colin's breath strangled in his throat.

  Had Nikki just asked him to stay?

  As if responding to his unspoken question, she tilted her head to look up at him. "Stay," she repeated, her soft gray eyes unwavering.

  Okay, maybe he was an idiot, but he wanted to be sure what she was asking. He wanted to make sure that she knew what she was asking. "Why?"

  Her teeth sank into the fullness of her bottom lip. "I didn't think I'd have to spell it out for you."

  "You want to have sex with me?"

  "Yes."

  Her quick, unhesitating response should have pleased him. Instead, it left him feeling oddly disappointed. "No."

  "No?" She looked stunned, then hurt.

  Coin shook his head. "I'm not going to have sex with yen." He slid his hands over her ribs until they rested just below the curve of her breasts. "But I will make love with you."

  She raised her eyebrows, as if to suggest that the distinction was irrelevant. But they both knew it wasn't. She'd been holding back from him for the past couple of weeks, and he wouldn't let her hold back any longer. He wanted her to open up to him completely: body, heart and soul. He wanted to make love to her slowly, endlessly, until she could no longer deny that they were meant to be together.

  "Forget it," she said. "It's late anyway, and Carly will be up early in the morning."

  Her response didn't surprise him. She was running scared—unwilling to admit the strength and invincibility of what was between them. "What are you afraid of, Nicole?"

  "I'm not afraid. I just don't want to make a big deal out of something that isn't."

  He ignored the quick stab of pain her words evoked. He understood that she was lashing out in an effort to protect herself. "Making love is a big deal," he said, his voice low and husky with promise. "And making love with you is an incredible pleasure."

  Her brows drew together in a frown. He lifted one of the hands that spanned her waist and gently rubbed his thumb over the scowl until the lines smoothed out. Her eyes, when they met his, were dark with emotion. Desire. Temptation. Need. And underneath it all, wariness.

  "I want to keep this simple, Colin."

  "Then we'll keep it simple," he promised, before his mouth covered hers again.

  It was a kiss filled with passion and promise, and she softened, yielded, in response. His lips skimmed down the column of her throat, and her head fell back in surrender, her sigh no more than a whisper. He stroked his tongue over her skin, savoring the taste of subtle seduction that was uniquely Nikki. His hands moved slowly over her now, drawing out her response rather than demanding it. And respond she did, with dreamy kisses, soft murmurs and gentle caresses.

  "Are you sure this is what you want?" It nearly killed him to pull back enough to even ask the question, but he needed to be sure. He didn't want her to have any regrets after the fact. "I don't want to rush you, Nicole."

  Her breathing was labored, her eyes smoldering as they met his. "If I was any more ready, I'd explode."

  He grinned against her lips. "I'm co
unting on it."

  He started to lift her sweater.

  "Bedroom," she panted. "Upstairs."

  "Upstairs," he agreed, and lifted her off her feet as he headed toward the staircase. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, and held on as he carried her up the stairs, continuing to tease her with his lips, his tongue, his teeth.

  "First door on the left," she told him, gasping the information between kisses.

  He pushed open the door with his foot, then shouldered it closed behind them, still tantalizing her with his kisses. He flipped on the light switch, illuminating the two lamps that flanked either side of the Queen-size sleigh bed. Later he might appreciate how thoroughly seductive the setting was. Now, his only concern was getting Nikki naked and on top of that bed.

  He unwrapped her legs from around his waist, and as she slid down the front of his body, the soft curves of her body rubbed the hard angles of his own. He was helpless to suppress the groan that rumbled deep in his throat.

  "We don't need the lights," she said, reaching toward the nearest lamp.

  He caught her hand, turned it over and pressed his lips to her palm. "Yes, we do," he said. "I want to see you."

  He finished unfastening the tiny buttons on the front of her sweater, and slipped it from her shoulders. Beneath it, there was nothing but Nikki. He cupped her breasts in his palms, heard her soft gasp of pleasure. He stroked his thumbs over her nipples, felt them pebble in response to his caress.

  Clothing fell away quickly, and they came together again, flesh to flesh, seeking, demanding, responding.

  He lowered her onto the bed, knelt over her, continuing to cherish her with his hands and his lips. He touched her with infinite care and tenderness, arousing her slowly, completely. He reached out to her, with his body, his lips, his heart. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew she wasn't ready to hear the words. She wouldn't believe them. So he showed her instead. With every kiss and caress, he showed her how much he loved her, needed her.

  He felt her body shudder beneath him as the first orgasm ripped through her. He swallowed her cries of pleasure, continuing to touch her, driving her toward the peak again.