Chasing the Cure

by Brooke Shelby

  Sayid blinked, his eyes shining. “Yes, Robin. I know. I will make sure that he never thieves again. But he probably won’t need to anyway. With the generosity of Mr. Dale, we can be upstanding citizens now.” He gazed at her with such admiration that she burst into laughter, and leaning over, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

  Sayid blushed. She could see it even through the darkness of his skin. But before she could tease him about it, Dale grabbed her hand. “Come on. The others are waiting and will be falling over themselves to find out what happened.”

  With another round of goodbyes to the brothers, they walked towards customs. Dale gripped her hand, pulling her harder. He never wanted to let her go.

  * * *

  Robin sat back in the seat, gazing out of the plane window. They had been flying for hours. Very soon they would be landing, and the whole adventure would be over.

  She gazed back, staring at Mason and Audra. They had been agog, firing questions at them for half the flight. But now, with the darkening of the light over the clouds, they were finally sleeping. She could see Dale’s long legs stretched out, not moving, and she guessed he was trying to sleep as well. Her eyelids fluttered. She should sleep too. She had been running on adrenaline for hours, ever since the showdown with Thompson, and it was catching up with her.

  She closed her eyes, and was just drifting off, when she sensed a presence. She opened them to find Dale standing over her, staring at her, his intense blue eyes inscrutable.

  She opened her mouth, but he laid a finger over his own, entreating her to be quiet. And then he took her hand, pulling her up out of her seat. He didn’t say a thing. He just turned, pulling her along, until they reached the bathroom. Without a word, he opened it, grabbing her and waltzing her into it. He locked the door firmly behind them.

  “What the …” she whispered, slowly smiling.

  He still didn’t speak. He gazed at her for a long time, his eyes trailing over her face. And then he lifted his right hand, his fingers trailing where his eyes had been. He reached her lips, caressing them roughly, until she opened her mouth and he inserted one finger, leaning towards her frantically.

  She gasped, sucking his finger. A slow sweetness flooded her, and she could feel the warm wetness opening her up. He grunted, pushing her against the wall of the cabin. Suddenly, he grabbed her, his hands everywhere. She leaned into him, smelling sweat and cologne. A fierce stab of desire threatened to overwhelm her.

  He already had her panties down, and now he inserted a knee between her legs, lifting her higher on the wall. She gripped him, winding her legs around him, and finally he was inside her. It felt so good, and so right, that she just couldn’t suppress a moan.

  “Shhhh,” he whispered into her ear.

  They moved together, slowly at first, then with increasing speed. He thrust her into the wall, causing the thin partition to shudder. She gripped him tighter as he raged against her body. She could feel the thin sheen of sweat that suddenly broke like a fever on his skin, and then she was drenched too. And she was so close to a thundering climax that she almost couldn’t stand it.

  They came together, gripping each other tightly, desperately trying to smother their cries of ecstasy. And then she was sliding down the wall. He released his grip on her, panting heavily.

  They unraveled themselves, staring into each other’s eyes. And then, suddenly, they were both gripped with laughter. Almost undone with it. Robin stared around the cabin, taking in their unkempt appearance in the overhead mirror.

  “We look a sight,” she whispered, still giggling.

  He leaned over, kissing her neck. “That was incredible.”

  Robin smiled. “It was, wasn’t it?” she whispered back, nuzzling him. “And now I am a bona fide member of the mile-high club. It must be a day for firsts.”

  * * *

  Later, after they had cleaned themselves up, they sat side by side. Audra and Mason were amazingly still asleep, undisturbed by their bathroom antics. Dale sighed deeply, picking up her hand and kissing it.

  “Thank you,” he said slowly. “For your incredible courage and bravery tonight.” He stilled. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

  Robin smiled. “It was pretty hair-raising, wasn’t it? But at least the nanites are on their way back home now, safe and sound.”

  He smiled too. “Robin, I’m not going to lie to you.” He took a deep breath. “It’s going to take a while for me to be able to trust fully again. Carlotta did a number on me, and I’m still reeling from it. But I’m willing to try, if you are.”

  She stilled. “What are you asking me?”

  He kissed her hand again. “I want you by my side. I can’t let you go, even if it’s taken me too long to realize it.” He hesitated. “I think I love you, Robin.”

  Robin exhaled slowly. “That’s funny, because I was just thinking that I do believe I love you too.” She paused. “But you’ll have to be patient with me too, Dale. I’ve never been in a proper relationship before. I don’t know the ground rules.”

  He smiled slowly, his eyes full of joy. “We can work out our own rules together. We don’t have to rush into anything that we don’t want to.” He paused. “Or maybe we do. But that’s something we can work out together as well.”

  The pilot’s voice came suddenly over the intercom, telling them they were about to land. Robin felt a gradual dip in the plane.

  She was almost home. But she wasn’t the same person who had left. Not by a long shot. She reached over towards him, and they kissed. Slow and long, and full of promise of what was to come.

  30

  Dale opened the briefcase. And there they were. The little machines that had caused him so many trials. It had taken bloodshed, suffering, and a ton of money to get them back, but it was going to be worth it.

  He stared out his office window for a moment, contemplating it. His first mission was to send them to complete human trials. His second was to reprogram some to help Audra and Mason heal from their wounds completely.

  He stood up, elation ebbing through him. Yes, it had cost him a lot. More than he had bargained for. But it had also given him so much. If it hadn’t been for the theft of the nanites, he would never have met her. They would be strangers, destined to never enter each other’s worlds. Robin. The woman who had helped him get the nanites back, and who he couldn’t imagine ever living without now.

  Briefly, he thought of Carlotta. He vaguely remembered that he had loved her, but he couldn’t feel it anymore. It was gone. Not that it had ever been real in the first place. How could you love a phantom?

  There was a knock at the door. One of his undersecretaries walked in. “The courier is here, Mr. Michaels.”

  He nodded, walking back over to the briefcase. He picked it up, staring at it. “Go well into the world,” he whispered to it. “I’m counting on you.”

  * * *

  Six months later

  Dale opened the door to his harborside mansion, hearing the thump of bass through his six-thousand-dollar speakers. He grimaced slightly, clutching the wine he had just picked up from the cellar down the road on his way home from work.

  He opened the door to the spacious living room, overlooking the ocean. She was dancing around the room, clad only in a towel, a hairbrush in hand. Sighing, his eyes trailed over the mess she had left in her wake. Cans of soda, an upended bin, and a pizza box thrown haphazardly on the floor.

  He found the remote for the stereo, hitting mute. She stopped suddenly, mid-twist, turning to gaze at him.

  “Where are your headphones?” he asked mildly, placing the bottle of wine on the coffee table.

  Robin grinned, running across the room and launching herself on him. He reeled back, laughing. The towel slid to the floor. He ran his hands over her naked body, aroused as always by her, before stepping back. Now wasn’t the time. Later, he would drag her to the bedroom and make love to her for hours, but he needed to speak to her.

  “What’s up?” she gri
nned up at him. “I’ve been waiting for you for hours.”

  He grinned back. “Go and put some clothes on and I’ll tell you. I’ll pour us both a glass of wine.”

  She gazed at him quizzically, then left the room. He walked to the kitchen, taking out two wineglasses. He had already poured them by the time she came back, wearing a tatty T-shirt and shorts. Handing her a glass, he contemplated all the designer clothes he had bought for her, most hanging unworn in the wardrobe with the price tags still attached.

  Robin would never change, he thought suddenly. But he didn’t care. He had bought them for her because he loved her, but she wasn’t a trophy wife, and never would be. She was stubbornly herself. Her messy, quick-tempered, crazy self.

  And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  She sipped her wine. “Okay, spill the beans. There’s stuff I want to tell you too.”

  He grinned suddenly. “It’s working, Robin. I got a detailed report on my desk today. The nanites are self-replicating and they are successful. They are zapping cancer cells like it’s a Space Invaders game.”

  “Oh my God,” she squealed. “You’ve done it! You’ve freaking cured cancer!”

  He laughed. “It would seem so. But we have to be vigilant. Those cancer cells are tough little bastards. They could mutate and figure out a way. But for now, the world is rid of the scourge.”

  She blinked back tears, then held her glass up high. “For your mom.”

  He swallowed a lump in his throat, raising his own glass. “For Mom.”

  They drank slowly, savoring the moment. When he had first started down this road, he would never have believed it possible. A cancer-free world.

  “What’s your news?” he asked, staring at her.

  She grinned, tossing him a newspaper on the bench. “Read the stock report.”

  He scanned it, then slowly smiled. “Thompson’s stock has plummeted.” He whistled. “The company is going under.”

  “Ha!” She fist pumped the air. “That prick is going down … way down.” She picked up her wineglass again. “And I have made a motsa off it. I shorted it, paying for computer parts.”

  “What?” He was dumbfounded. “Robin, why would you do that? It’s not like we need the money.”

  She shrugged. “Just because I wanted to. Just because I can.” She stared at him. “Just because it feels good. I get bored, sitting around this house all day. I have to keep the old gray matter working.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Why do I even ask?”

  “Why do you?” she fired back. “You know you wouldn’t want me any other way.”

  He put down his wineglass, slowly and deliberately. Then he reached for her, pulling her towards him.

  “I wouldn’t want you any other way,” he said softly.

  She gazed up at him, curling into him. He inhaled deeply. She still used the same shampoo; it smelled like lemons. He remembered the first time he had smelled it, in his office, after she had gone home to shower. How he had known how much he wanted her but was fighting it so badly he almost killed himself in the process. And it had all been for nothing in the end, anyway. Robin had been inevitable. Kind of like the sun rising in the east each day.

  His eyes trailed over the mess she had left. Yes, there were days he still wanted to throttle her. They sometimes had screaming matches that shook the house. But they quickly made up, and then it was over. No lingering bad feelings. When he compared it to the sanitized life he had led with Carlotta, he knew what he would choose. Any day.

  They kissed, slowly and deeply. Her hands wound into his hair. Then he pulled back, picking up both their wineglasses. He couldn’t wait any longer. They had shared their news; now it was time to put the world away and exist only for each other. His skin tingled in anticipation at the thought of the long, slow lovemaking that was ahead. Robin was a passionate woman, and she gave as good as she got. But he knew it wasn’t just about that.

  It was love, pure and simple. And after the lovemaking had ended, he would take her and hold her in his arms, spooning her. In those moments, he never wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

  He grinned. He had just found out he had cured cancer. He could probably afford to call it a day and curl up with his woman by his side. At long last.

  THE END

  Signup for my mailing list to get the latest news on all my new releases!

  BrookeShelby.com