“Daddy!” Kinsley yelled as she flew into my arms.
Lifting her high in the air, I said, “Hey there sweet thing. What have you been up to today?” I planted kisses all over her cheeks as she giggled.
“Teaching Aaron how to kick and dance. Look.”
Aaron was wheeling around the kitchen, holding his stuffed monkey, and laughing as his legs did their funny kicking motions.
“I think that’s his specialty run, polka.”
“I think he’s gonna be an Irish dancer like me. He wants clicky shoes. Marnie got me some today.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, but they have to get here.”
Marin clarified things a bit. “I signed her up for classes. They don’t start for another six weeks and the kind instructor gave me the link to the website where I could order the shoes.”
Kinsley jumped up and down. “Yay. I can’t wait. I’m gonna practice every day. And so will Aaron.”
“Honey, I don’t think Aaron will be able to dance. Remember what I told you earlier? He’s too young,” Marin said.
Kinsley ran up to Aaron and grabbed his hand. “It’s okay. I can teach him myself. He doesn’t have to come with me.”
Marin and I shared a look and I shrugged. “Whatever you say, Kinsley. Will you watch your brother a minute? I have something to discuss with Marin.”
“Are you gonna kiss her again?” Kinsley asked.
“Maybe. Do you want me to?”
“Yeah. I think she likes it.” Then she puckered up her lips and kissed the air.
“I’ll do my best. We’ll be right in the next room, okay?”
“Okay.”
I took Marin’s hand and we went into the den.
“She was filled with all sorts of questions about kissing after you left.”
I pulled Marin against my chest and pressed my lips to hers. “I probably shouldn’t have done that. I put you in a bad position. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. Is this what you wanted to discuss with me?”
“Actually, no. I have something to ask you. I’ve been asked to speak at a conference in Vienna at the end of next month. It’s a pretty big deal and I’d love for all of us to go. That is if you’d be willing to come along. I wouldn’t be able to take the kids, obviously, if you don’t come too.”
“You want me to come to Vienna? As in Vienna, Austria?”
“Yeah. Is that something you’d be interested in? We could make it into a vacation. The conference is only a day and a half. My talk is only an hour long so I wouldn’t be tied up for very long.”
“And you could get away?” she asked.
“Sure. The practice has things in place for conferences. I would get someone to come in and take my calls. Not to mention, it’s over a month away, so I have time to plan. Please say you will.”
She clapped her hands. “Yes! I think it would be great for the kids too. Aaron won’t remember much, but Kinsley would love it.”
“Great!” I hugged her. “I’ll let them know and then make all of our reservations. Do you have a passport because I have to get the kids theirs?”
She touched my arm. “Yes, I do and Grey, I’m honored you asked me.”
“I’m honored you accepted. I wouldn’t have gone without you.” I kissed her again on the cheek and we went back into the kitchen to find Kinsley trying to teach Aaron special kicks.
“Do you think she’s ever going to give up on this?” Marin asked.
“Only when he can talk and tell her to stop.”
The knocking on the back door surprised the two of us, but I went to answer it. When I looked out to see my parents, I was even more surprised.
“Mom, Dad, what are you two doing here?”
“That’s quite a greeting,” Mom said sourly.
“No, it’s just that I didn’t know you were coming.”
“We’ve been out of town and knew Aaron had been sick. We wanted to check on him since we just got back.”
“Oh, right.”
Mom rushed over to pick him up and Aaron smacked her on the cheek. “He must’ve made a nice recovery,” she said, smiling.
“Yeah, but he was pretty bad. Thank God, Marin was wise enough to get him to the hospital when she did.”
“Oh, Marin, how can we ever thank you?”
“Mrs. West, there’s no need for thanks. I only did what I thought was best.”
“Your mother said she’d never heard you sound so worried.”
“I was. It was awful. But all is well now, as you can see for yourself.”
Mom’s eyes bounced between Marin and me. One thing my mother wasn’t was stupid. She was very perceptive and I was fairly certain she was picking up on certain cues. By this time, I didn’t give a shit, so I walked up to Marin and put my arm around her.
“Marin did a stellar job and if my cell phone hadn’t fallen out of my pocket, I would’ve been there to help her. But I wasn’t, so it was all on her shoulders.”
Mom continued to absorb the scene for a moment. Then she smiled. “Well, I’m happy to see you two getting along. For a while there, I was sure you were going to kill each other.”
“Yeah, that’s over, isn’t it, Marin?”
“I hope so.”
I pulled her against me. “It is.”
“Gammie, I’m gonna take those Irish dance lessons and wear those clicky shoes.”
Mom bent down and said, “You are? That’s fabulous. Maybe you can teach me how to do it?”
“Nah, you’re too old. But I’m gonna teach Aaron.”
Mom laughed. “You can’t fault her for her honesty.”
My parents stayed a little while and then wanted to know if they could bring us some dinner.
“I’ve made dinner already, Mrs. West. Would you like to stay?”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you. But I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“It’s no intrusion,” Marin insisted. “I’ve made plenty of chicken casserole. The kids have already eaten. Please stay.”
“Are you sure?”
Marin insisted and they ate dinner with us. I told them about the Vienna trip. They were excited we were going to take a vacation. Dad suggested a couple of places to stay if we couldn’t get accommodations at the hotel where the conference was. He and Mom had traveled there a few times over the years and always said it was one of their favorite places.
“Marin, you must visit the catacombs under St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It’s quite interesting if you love a bit of dark history.”
Marin’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s a definite yes,” she said. “Would it be okay for the kids?”
“I don’t see why not. You can’t really see much down there. The story about them is fascinating. You should also see the Schonbrunn and Hofburg Palaces. There is so much to see there, Marin. And the shopping—oh, you’ll love it, but the children may get bored. However, they will love the Prater, which is a large park and the Tiergarten Schonbrunn, which is the Vienna zoo.”
“Oh, they love the animals.”
Kinsley shouted, “Yay. Do they have llamas because Marnie doesn’t like llamas.”
Everyone turned to Marin whose cheeks had already turned crimson. “The llamas sort of spit on me when I took the kids to the zoo. I’ll stay clear of them the next time.”
“Ewwww, it was icky,” Kinsley said, shaking her head.
“I can imagine. We’ll make sure there’ll be no llama visits on this next trip to the zoo,” I said. I wonder why she never mentioned that to me.
Marin shuddered. “Either that or I’ll wear a plastic raincoat.”
Mom said, “Rick and I just love Vienna. Maybe we can dig up some of the places we toured so you can see.”
Dad said, “Great idea, Paige. I’ll see if I can find those files I kept.”
“Thanks, Dad. That could be helpful.”
After we bathed the kids, Marin refused to sleep with me that night. I tried my best to persuade her, but she wouldn’t
cave. There was nothing I could do so we went to our separate bedrooms, me with an erection that would have to be tended to … alone.
When I was in my room, I sent her a text.
You’re cruel. I haven’t been this uncomfortable since I was a teenager. I’ll text you after my hot, soapy, and very lonely shower.
The only thing I received back was a laughing emoji. Guess she didn’t feel too sorry for me.
It didn’t take long for me to rub one off, seeing as I was stone hard. Jesus, it seemed like ever since Marin moved in I was spending more time jacking off than I had since before Susannah. Since Susannah had died, and even before then I hadn’t had much of an urge. Marin was triggering all sorts of desires in me that I’d thought had ceased to exist long ago. This was certainly an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
I dried off and before climbing into bed, I grabbed my iPad so I could catch up on my medical journals. I was a bit behind on my reading. Midway through the first journal article, my phone pinged with a text. When I opened it, it was a picture of Marin, offering up a sexy smile.
Miss you already.
Glad she was thinking of me, I hit her back with— You could always fix that, you know.
When she didn’t answer, I assumed she fell asleep. We’d been up late last night after all. I finished reading and turned the light off, even though it was still early. But then I heard my door softly open and close. The sheets lifted up and she slid in next to me.
“I guess you broke your own rules, didn’t you?”
“Before we do anything, set your alarm for five thirty. I’m not getting caught again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I did as she asked and before I could finish, she was straddling my hips.
“Someone is very eager.”
“Yes, someone is. This girl didn’t get a hot, soapy shower to relieve herself.”
“What happened to your rabbit?” I was very curious about that.
“My rabbit doesn’t compare to you,” she whispered. Even though it was dark, the moonlight revealed her clear blue eyes as they penetrated my own and suddenly I was at a loss. I wanted to grab her and do all sorts of things to her … fuck her, lick her pussy, kiss her until we were both senseless. But then her fingers whisked over the skin on my abs, and I sucked in my breath. Blinking, the spell was broken.
I brushed the back of my hand over her nipple. “And here I thought I was nothing but an old geezer.”
“You are. But that doesn’t mean you don’t know what to do with your, um …”
“My what?”
“You know.”
I pulled her down to press my mouth up to hers. “I want you to tell me, Marin. I want you to say filthy things to me, just as I want to say them back to you.”
“Uh, what kinds of filthy things?”
“You first. What doesn’t your rabbit compare to?”
“Your cock.”
“What do you like about my cock?” I whispered against her lips.
“Everything.”
“Be specific, Marin.”
My thumb massaged a circle on her neck and I felt the motion of her swallowing.
“I like how it—”
“No it. Refer to it as my cock.”
She swallowed again. “I like how your cock makes me come.”
“Is that all?”
“No.”
“What else?”
“I like how it, um—”
“Don’t close your eyes. Look at me when you tell me how much you love my cock.”
Her startled eyes stared into mine. She was turned on by this. Her dilated pupils and damp skin told me what her words didn’t. I ran my tongue over my lower lip because more than anything I wanted to taste her. I wanted my tongue between her thighs.
“Go on,” I prodded.
“I like it when your cock is deep inside of me.”
“Why?”
“It turns me on. The friction of it. It hits so many places that … I don’t know. I, uh, it’s just that, it’s fucking amazing.”
Her plump lips were less than an inch away and I had to taste them, feel them against my own. I crushed mine to them, greedily exploring the rest of her mouth. She ground her pelvis against mine, rocking into me, she was soaking wet. I flipped her onto her back and wasted not one more minute.
When I was between her legs, I said, “I’ve thought of this all day. I love your pretty pussy, the taste of it, your scent. I can’t get it off my mind. And it’s a damn good thing you like my cock.” My mouth latched onto her and she cried out. Only once. When she came, and I lifted my head, I realized why she’d been so quiet. She’d put a pillow over her face.
This was something we’d talk about later. Right now, I wanted to fuck her.
“On your knees.”
She scrambled to obey. She just came and her swollen cunt begged for more. I placed her hands on the headboard and widened her legs. The curve of her hip, the arch of her back, beckoned to me. I slowly entered her from behind and I heard her suck in air. Even though I’d rubbed one off earlier, I was more than ready to have her tight pussy wrapped around me.
“Tell me if this is good.”
“Yeah,” she answered, her breath ragged.
At first, I moved slowly, then a bit faster. Pulling her hips closer to mine, I picked up the pace. In and out, in and out. She was tight, so damn tight. I slipped my fingers around in front of her and pinched her clit, working it between my thumb and forefinger. Her low moan told me how much she wanted that. I pushed into her harder and lost myself.
“How close are you?” I asked. I needed to orgasm so badly. I wanted to feel her tensing up on my cock.
“Now. I’m going to come.”
Her ass bucked against me when it hit, and her muscles clenched down on me in a rhythmic fashion. That’s when I let go. It was unreal pumping into her, feeling her gripping my cock that way. When it was over, we toppled over on the bed, both of us covered with perspiration.
My arm was still around her, my fingers on her clit, pinching it.
“Have you ever had a multiple orgasm?” I asked.
“Ha. I barely had one before you. If you don’t count my rabbit-gasms that is.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged it off by saying, “My sex life wasn’t that epic, to be honest.”
I shifted to my elbow so I could look at her. “All I can say is it wasn’t because of you.” I kissed her gorgeous mouth, tugging on her lower lip with my teeth.
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t say it otherwise.”
Then she graced me with the most amazing smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now I think it’s time we get some sleep.”
“Yeah, I agree. And don’t forget about the alarm.”
“It’s already done, remember?”
My phone rang then. I picked it up and saw it was the hospital. “I wonder why they’re calling. I’m not on call tonight.”
“Maybe they got confused.”
“I better take this.” I answered the phone. “Dr. West.”
“Dr. West, it’s the Heart Center. We thought you might want to know that your father has just been brought in.”
“Shit. I’m on my way.”
Marin was already sitting up.
“It’s my dad. He’s in the hospital.”
“Go. Let me know what’s going on.”
“I will.”
I dressed in record time and prayed that Dad would be okay when I got there.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Marin
* * *
Grey left and I threw on my robe and went to my own room. Before I got into bed, I put on my pajamas and said dozens of prayers that everything would be okay. There wouldn’t be any sleep for me because I was worried sick about Rick. He looked fine when they were here tonight. I wanted to call Paige but didn’t want to disturb her. I called my mom instead.
“Marin, what’s wrong?” It wasn’t even that late, but I could tell I’d woken her up.
“Mom, I wanted you to know that Grey got a call. Rick was taken to the hospital. You may want to give Paige a call.”
“Oh, no. Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know. Grey is supposed to call me.”
“Okay, I’ll call her. She may need someone there if Hudson or Pearson can’t get there.”
“Great idea because Grey will be with Rick.”
“Thanks for calling, honey.”
This waiting game was terrible. If I didn’t have the kids to care for, I’d be at the hospital too.
I pulled out my iPad and tried to read but ended up reading the same paragraph a dozen times and couldn’t remember anything about it. An hour later, I was downstairs watching TV when a text from Grey came in.
Dad has heart block which means he needs a pacemaker. He’ll be fine. Waiting for the EP to get here since I can’t do the procedure.
Why can’t he do it? Doesn’t he do those types of things as an electrophysiologist?
Why can’t you do it? I wasn’t sure I’d get a response. Then I added Thank God he’s going to be okay.
I could see the little blinking dots, so I waited for his answer to come in.
I can’t do procedures on family members.
Dang. I was aware of that. I didn’t want to sound stupid, so I just texted Right. Please keep me posted. I added a heart emoji not thinking about the heart thing.
Cute was his response. Then he sent one back.
Not much later, Mom called.
“Rick is going to be fine. He has some sort of heart rhythm thing and has to have a pacemaker. And I’m angry with you.”
“With me? Why?”
“Paige was glowing over how you and Grey were all lovey-dovey. You haven’t mentioned a word about this to me. And I’m your mother.”
“Er, well, we’re not all lovey-dovey and it’s sort of new.”
“All I can say is she’s over the moon about it.”
“Over the moon?” I repeated.
“Hello. She never thought Grey would take an interest in another woman for as long as that man breathed air after what he went through. And now here you are, and according to her, all he did was stare at you.”
From Ashes To Flames (A West Brothers Novel Book 1) Page 21
