So she’d cut her sleep short by an hour, got up, and run around her apartment tidying the place up before running out for Brody’s favorite beer to go with the Thai food. It took three stores and an hour longer than she’d planned, but the rushing around to get ready was worth it to make him smile. She’d just taken a quick look in the mirror when the doorbell rang.
She adjusted her sweater to drop off one shoulder and pulled open the door. “Hey . . . Mom? What are you doing here?” She stepped back to let her mother into her tiny apartment.
Her mom brushed past her, stopped next to the dinette table Denise had set for two, complete with candles, and made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. A sure sign Denise was in for a lecture.
“I was going to ask you the same thing. Now I see you’ve blown off your sister for a date with Brody, I presume. You are still seeing him, correct? Or have you broken his heart again and replaced him with someone else already?”
Denise crossed her arms in front of her. “Yes, I’m having dinner with Brody, and no, I didn’t forget my sister. Elysia threatened me with permanent diaper duty if I came over today. Mom, you know she and the babies will be fine right?”
“Not if she doesn’t slow down and take care of herself. Bill’s working long hours and Xander’s a handful. Your sister isn’t getting the rest she needs. It wouldn’t hurt you to lend her a hand.”
Why bother arguing? Nothing Denise could say would have satisfied or made her mom happy, and quite frankly, she was tired of trying. “I’ll go over tomorrow,” she found herself saying, wanting to beat her head against the wall for having caved.
“Fine.” She headed for the door, then stopped with her hand on the knob. “I assume you’ll be at Dena Nichols’s wedding on Saturday.”
“I’ve been invited.”
“Do me a favor? If you’re going to break up with Brody again, try not to do it this week.”
As her mom shut the door behind her, Denise muttered, “I’ll try not to, but no promises.” She had no control over the future or over Brody and how he might react to her full confession. She just knew she couldn’t keep the information from him any longer. A few seconds later there was another knock on her door. Cautiously, she opened it, in case her mom had forgotten something, only to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness it’s you,” she said to Brody.
“Were you expecting the boogeyman?”
“Close. My mom.”
“Ah, gotcha.” He set the yummy smelling bag on the table and turned to her. His lips brushed once, twice, three times across hers before he took the kiss deeper, driving away her frustration. When she melted against him, he pulled back to hold her. “And what is on the lovely Helena’s mind today?”
“You know, the usual.” She snuggled in close, wrapping her arms tight around him, never wanting to let go. “I’m letting my sister down, and her, and not to screw up your mom’s wedding. Same old, same old. Let’s forget it. Dinner smells amazing and I’m starving.”
She stepped back but he stopped her, his hands firm on her upper arms.
“How are you supposed to wreck my mom’s wedding? Planning to run off with Doc Kev, are you?”
Despite her mother’s visit and her less-than-cheerful comments putting a damper on the excitement she’d woken to, Brody made her smile. With him, she could put the negative visit behind her and move forward. Focus on the man in front of her and their relationship.
“Well, you know, he is kind of cute with those half glasses he wears, and he sort of reminds me of Santa. It’s kind of tempting . . . free toys, a flying sleigh, magical elves, and reindeer.”
Brody slid his arm around her back and tugged her into his body. “So that’s my true competition for your heart? Jolly Old St. Nick and not a certain Irish architect from the Windy City?”
Denise smiled and brushed her lips over his. “How was your time with Roan? Did he like Providence?”
As much as she loved the feel of his arms around her, ten hours between meals was an eternity and the aroma of the food called to her. At the table she pulled each carton out of the bag and set them on the table. It took everything she had not to dig straight in. Her stomach grumbled at the wait. “There’s beer in the fridge.”
Brody’s long legs ate the four steps to the kitchen and back. After popping off the tops, he set a bottle down for each of them and joined her at the table.
“Roan said he could see himself living here.”
Denise paused with her bottle suspended in front of her mouth. “Really?”
His eyes narrowed at her tone and Denise realized for the first time that the green-eyed monster had control of Brody where Roan was concerned.
“Would you like it if he moved here?” Brody nonchalantly filled his plate with rice, samosas, and curried chicken.
She did the same, taking care to keep her voice casual. “Sure. He’s a great guy, you two are good friends, and Jenna calls him McHottie Pants.” For a moment, she toyed with the idea of letting him stew in his jealousy, but after what the show had put him through, she couldn’t do it.
His bark of laughter brought a smile to her face and they settled into an easy silence as they ate the sweet and spicy food.
“Any interesting cases come into the ER this week?” he asked as they cleared the table and put the leftovers away.
Now’s my chance to bring up the fellowship.
“Mostly random acts of stupidity. A nail gun accident because two coworkers were arguing and one got pissed and shot the other in the foot. A guy with a broken nose from a bar fight. A mom with a broken arm from falling off her kids’ trampoline; she was trying to show them a double somersault. Then there were a couple of teens with concussions and various bumps and bruises obtained while trying to jump over garbage cans on their skateboards. Or, as their moms put it, ‘showing off for their girlfriends.’ ”
“Sounds kind of tame and quiet.” They were still standing in the middle of the postage stamp–size kitchen. Not exactly how she planned the night to go.
“I also spent time observing on the maternity ward.”
He leaned back against her counter, the white of his dress shirt showing the grime buildup on the once-white counters. She’d need to break out the cleaning supplies tomorrow.
“Are you changing specialties?”
She leaned against the sink on the opposite side of the room. “Not really. I mean, I’ve never picked a specialty. As a general emergency physician, I’m trained to handle a multitude of injuries and illnesses, but I’m a master of none. I’ve been offered a fellowship. It last a year, and at the end of that time I’ll be the main doctor to handle most of the women’s health patients who come in.”
“I’m sensing a but coming.”
“It’s a big-time commitment. On top of the rotation shifts, there’s a ton of studying I’ll need to do.”
His brows drew together as he processed her words, and God, she hoped he didn’t think this was her way of dumping him because it wasn’t. If he pushed and she had to choose between the fellowship and Brody, she wasn’t about to walk away from him again.
“We’ll make it work, Dee.” He reached out, hooked a finger in the waistband of her jeans, and pulled her to him with a wolfish grin on his face. “As a matter of fact, in a few weeks I’ll be able to cut back on my hours. I hired an associate, Timothy Dev. Very sharp, and eager to impress his new boss. Once he’s up to speed, I’ll be freed up to have dinner with you on your breaks, go out on your days off, do the laundry—”
She leaned her head back to look into his near-black eyes. “You’d do my laundry?”
“If it meant we had more time for this,” he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss, “then yes.”
“Mmm, I could get on board with this. First, though, we need to talk—”
“You know what I think? I think you’ve been working too hard and need a little R and R.”
He skimmed his hands up her back and down to cup her
butt as he closed the gap between them. Bending down, he nibbled his way along her shoulder, edging her sweater aside.
“You need to lose this, Dee. It’s in my way.”
Thankfully, the sweater was loose and slipped off with a few quick movements. Glad now that she hadn’t chosen the blouse she had initially picked out, with the three little buttons in the back. Brody pulled back long enough for her to dispose of the offensive garment and trailed his fingers, singeing her bare skin in their wake.
“Mm-hmm, royal blue looks good on you. Are the bottoms lace and satin too?”
“Maybe.” She swallowed. “You’ll have to wait and find out.”
His eyes flared with desire. “Don’t make the wait too long. I’ve missed you, Dee.” His voice had turned sandpaper rough.
Cupping her breasts in the palms of his hands, he casually ran his thumb back and forth over the already sensitive nipples that puckered and begged for more, more of his touch. Of his taste.
“You’re so beautiful.”
His eyes were hooded as he gazed down at her, taking his sweet time as his slow caress drove her nuts and he made no attempt to move them to a more comfortable location. And she knew by the bulge pressed against her stomach that he was as aroused as she.
“You have on too many clothes. Ditch the rest.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, catching the way his eyes tracked the rise and fall before she dropped her gaze and tugged at his shirt.
“I think we should even the odds first. You have on more than I do.”
“No, it’s even. Three to three.”
Her brows rose at his calculations. Who could do math at a time like this? The air around them thickened, filled with desire, and her breath caught as he yanked his shirt up and over his head.
“Better?” he asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
He was gorgeous. The perfect male specimen, and as a doctor she should know. Toned, sculpted muscles, lightly tanned from their time away and sprinkled with dark brown hair. The calm, controlled lawyer whose labored breath said he was anything but right now, all hot and bothered for her. The ultimate compliment, and he was hers.
“Your turn,” he said.
She reached behind herself, knowing the movement thrust her breasts upward toward him, slowly unhooked the bra clasp, and let the skimpy material drop to the floor. She heard his quick intake of air and then he dropped to his knees in front of her.
She laughed in delight.
This man made her happy—beyond happy, ecstatic—and she loved him. She was pretty sure he felt the same, even though neither had said the words.
Instead of doing what she expected, he lay his ear against her chest and held her.
“Brody, honey. What are you doing?” She ran her fingers though his silky brown hair and wondered if he’d hit his knee wrong or wrenched his back.
“I’m listening to your heart beat. I love how when I touch you it speeds up and your skin flushes. And when I do this,” he circled her nipple with his tongue, “you get all breathy.”
“All normal reactions during the arousal stage,” she said, breathing out.
He circled the other nipple before drawing it into his warm mouth. With each deep pull, heat pooled deep and low inside her, until she wanted to cry out. He switched sides to feast with his tongue and to nip with his teeth. Exquisite pleasure and pain shot through her and she arched into him for more.
Taking the initiative, she slipped her hands along his jaw and tilted his head back before stealing his breath away with her kiss. He dipped his fingers into her waistband and popped the button open.
“Um, Brody. Maybe we should move this R and R session to, say, the bedroom?” Not that she wanted to stop for even a minute, but they were in her kitchen, which wasn’t really big enough for one person to move around in, much less for two adults to do other things.
He stood up, taking her with him, with his arms wrapped around her waist so that his mouth was at the same level with her breasts. Glancing up, he gave her a mischievous smirk and a salacious waggle of his eyebrows. “A man could die happy like this.”
She wrapped her legs around his waist and held on for the short ride to her room, the whole time feeling his erection pressed against her core. When they reached their destination he lay her gently on the bed.
“I believe we were in the middle of divesting you of your garments.” He reached for her jeans and she scooted back.
“To keep it fair, I say we both ditch what’s left at the same time.”
“Whatever the lady wants.” With quick movements, he had his shoes and socks off, followed by his jeans before she even had hers to her knees.
“Commando?”
“Laundry day.”
She tossed her jeans and hooked her thumbs in the bands of her bottoms when he stopped her.
“Allow me.” He replaced her hands with his and inched the material down, placing soft kisses in his path. By the time he flicked them across the room her heartbeat had kicked it up a couple of notches to pound in her ears.
He nuzzled his way up her legs until he reached her thighs. He settled in, spreading her wide and vulnerable. “I don’t know how I went so long without you. I can’t do it again, Dee. I won’t. There’s no walking away this time. No letting work or family pressures come between us.”
What was he saying? How was she supposed to think or follow along when her brain was all fuzzy and her body wanted to explode? They needed to talk. She needed to tell him everything, but God, there was no way she could stop now. Besides, once he heard what she’d gone through and why, he’d understand, and it wasn’t like they didn’t have options.
He nipped her inside thigh and her whole body responded before he drew the spot into his mouth, laved it with his tongue, kissed it, and moved on. Moved closer to her core. His mouth closed over her and she screamed out as the first wave of pleasure hit her, swept over her, and pulled her under.
Her hands clutched the sheet as she rode the wave. Brody reached up and laced his fingers through hers, reminding her that he was there with her, always there sharing the joy and sorrow, the easy and hard swings life threw at them together.
He rose up to his knees, lifted her legs, and entered with one swift motion. A moan escaped from his lips and he held still, his eyes closed, letting her adjust, letting him adjust. With their hands linked again, he began to move, taking her on the sweetest dance in time, working in unison.
She called out his name on a whisper. She was so close and she wanted him closer, to feel his skin against hers, to taste him as love consumed them both. He responded with a kiss and swallowed her scream as the next wave hit, this time taking them both over and under together.
After, Denise lay awake, running her fingers through Brody’s hair as he slept with his head on her chest and his arm around her middle. Working the night shift meant that even on her days off her mind and body refused to settle during the night. Too used to the constant adrenaline rush of the emergency department. Normally, she’d clean her apartment or study a medical journal or lose herself in a TV binge session on these types of nights. But Brody had to work in the morning and she didn’t want to wake him.
He said they’d make it work.
Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling as he slept, she wondered how. Sure they could do dinner together before she headed into work. She’d kiss him good morning before he left for work and they’d repeat as often as they could. But really, what kind of a relationship would it be with an hour a day together and, if they were lucky, a day or two off every couple of weeks at the same time.
Was that really a meaningful relationship?
And could they really sustain it for the next year?
The more she thought about it, the more she doubted they could make it work. Damn it. She wanted her cake and to eat it too. Why couldn’t she? Elysia got the whole package—the career of her choice, a great guy, and wonderful kids. Chel would have the same thing in another
year when she got married.
There had to be a way for her to have it all too.
Of course, she still needed to clear the air with Brody. Tell him everything that had happened the first time around and why she’d walked. She didn’t want there to be any misunderstandings this time around. And maybe, just this once, she’d listen to her mom and wait until after Saturday to talk about the past. Give them time to get used to being together again, get past his mom’s wedding, and give herself time to figure out work.
“I can hear your brain whirling in my sleep. Stop worrying. Everything will be fine,” Brody mumbled against her bare skin.
“Sorry, this is my daytime. I’ll go into the living room, do some studying, and let you sleep.” She attempted to scoot out from under him but he wrapped his arms around her and rolled so she was on top.
“I have a better idea.”
He shifted to line them up and she scooted back until he pressed against her sensitive core.
“You’re going to be tired tomorrow in court. You need rest.”
“I need you more than sleep.”
He slid into her and all worries about work and life slipped away.
Chapter Nineteen
She took his breath away today. His mom had to be the most beautiful bride he’d ever seen. Smiling, laughing, totally in love with her new husband.
As he scanned the community center room, he couldn’t believe that a little over a year ago it had been in ruins. Somehow—and he imagined Cherry and Tawny had had a lot to do with the transformation—this place had gone from kid zone to ballroom. With the nuptials over, the food served, and the cake cut, everyone was either kicking back talking or on the dance floor, like his mom and stepdad.
Wow. That seemed so odd to even think, much less say.
But, yeah, he had a new dad. And siblings and two nieces.
Before the ceremony, Kevin had brought them all together, including KJ via Skype. It was the first time Brody had met either. He wasn’t sure yet what to make of Kelly, his new sister. She was kind of loud, sort of flaky, and had an eagle eye when it came to her girls. But she’d cried and smiled as her dad promised to love Brody’s mom for life. He’d take that as a good sign. He’d reserve judgment on his new brother for when he met KJ in person. It’d take some time to navigate and learn the ins and outs of his new family.
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