by Emma Lea
He came up to stand behind her and swept the heavy red hair off her shoulder so his could kiss it. Brandi leant back against him and sighed, her body melding with his. His body was instantly hard for her, desperate for her, needy for her. There was no other woman alive that turned him on so much or so immediately with just a sigh.
“Come to bed,” he whispered in her ear and she turned around, lifting her arms to circle his neck and kissed him.
“Make me,” she whispered against his lips.
He groaned and pressed himself against her before he lifted her into his arms and strode through the suite to the bedroom.
“You have been driving me crazy all night in this dress,” he said as he set her on her feet near the bed, “And now I get to peel it off you.”
She looked up at him with desire and trust and something else that spoke to something inside him. It tugged at him, that look, demanding he pay attention to it, to examine it, but she blinked and it was gone and he felt himself falling. She pulled them both down on the bed, still dressed, and rolled so that they faced each other. She cupped his face and kissed him tenderly. He closed his eyes and let go. He let go of that little niggle in the back of his head. He let go of the jealousy and anger he’d felt when he’d found Dr. Shane pushing her up against the wall and he let go of the disappointment he’d felt when he’d overheard Harper disparaging Brandi. He just let it all float away as her lips made love to his and her tongue caressed the inside of his mouth. He would deal with all of that another time. For right now, he would simply enjoy. He would enjoy the way her body felt against his and the way she made him want more - more of her, more of them. This weekend was about experiencing everything they could be together with no regrets and no looking to the future when they would be apart.
They fumbled with clothes and sheets until they were naked and in the bed. Brandi relished the feel of his skin as he rubbed himself against her, tilting her head back and sighing loudly. It felt like forever since they had been together, even though it had only been a day and a half. It seemed impossible, but her body missed his when they were apart. Coming together like this felt like finding a part of herself that had been missing.
He rolled them over so that she was straddling him and he tugged at the red wig.
“Take it off,” he said.
She rocked back, his hard cock cradled between her thighs, and reached up to unpin the wig, pulling it free. Her own hair was pinned up securely and Declan looked disappointed that it didn’t tumble free when she removed the wig.
“Patience,” she counselled as she lifted her hands again and begun to remove the million and one bobby pins.
Finally she was free and she shook her hair out and let it fall around her shoulders. He smiled up at her, picking up a curl in his fingers and tugging gently.
“Much better,” he said.
“You didn’t like me as a red head?” she asked.
He wove his fingers with hers and pulled her so she was lying on his chest, their noses touching.
“I like you in everything, but this look is my favourite.”
“The naked look?” she asked with a grin and he kissed her.
“The naked look is definitely a good one. The naked and in my bed, is my favourite.”
She laughed as he rolled them over, bracing himself on his elbows as he rubbed his erection against the juncture of her thighs. She wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed, pulling him closer.
“That’s a nice piece of equipment you have there,” she said breathlessly, “Mind showing me how it works?”
He laughed and pushed back on his knees looking down at the stiff cock that sat up proudly between them.
“This old thing?” he said.
She reached out to wrap her fingers around his shaft and he groaned. She squeezed as she dragged her hand down to the root and smiled when a little drop of pre-cum beaded on the head.
“Someone’s eager,” she said.
She sat up and pushed him onto his back. He didn’t fight her as she lowered her head and took him in her mouth. The warm velvet head was heavy on her tongue and she moaned as she took him deep. He exhaled harshly and his hands threaded through her hair. He didn’t pull or tug or try to guide her, he just held on as she swirled her tongue around him and sucked. Brandi bobbed her head up and down on his shaft, taking him to the back of her throat each time. His fingers gripped her hair tightly and she could tell he was trying hard not to thrust up and fuck her mouth. But she wanted him to.
Smoothing her hands over his hips and around to cup his bottom, she dug her nails into the muscled flesh and he hissed as his hips thrust upwards. She felt him touch the back of her throat and she swallowed, her muscles contracting around his hard length before she withdrew, sucking hard until his head popped out of her mouth. He didn’t give her a chance to do it again. He flipped her over and reached for a condom, sheathing himself before coming down over her, his eyes glazed with lust and his pupils blown wide.
“As much as I would love to come in your mouth and watch you swallow me down, I need to be inside you. I need to feel your pussy come around me and milk me dry.”
She rocked her hips up against him. “Then what are you waiting for?”
He shuffled his hips and she felt his cock nudge her entrance. She opened her legs wide and he thrust in until he was fully seated. They both groaned and Brandi panted trying to stop her near instant orgasm.
“Fuck,” Declan growled into her neck. She scraped her nails down his back and he thrust into her. He used short jerky movements and she met every one with her own pelvic thrust. He felt so good, so fucking amazing. She wanted it to last forever and at the same time she wanted to come and feel that climax explode within her while he was buried deep.
“You feel so fucking good,” he said as he began to rock into her faster and harder.
“So good,” she cried out as he sucked a nipple into his mouth and bit down.
He pumped into her, grinding his pelvis against hers and giving her the friction she needed against her clit. She pulled his hair and bit his shoulder and cried out as her orgasm rushed her. She bucked under him, her movements involuntary and so very necessary with the force of her climax. He pulled out and flipped her over before she even stopped pulsing. He lifted her to her knees and plunged into her again, his talented fingers finding her clit and rubbing as he thrust into her. Her second orgasm built fast and she dropped her head and screamed as it rocked through her body. He pinched her clit and she felt him stiffen as his own orgasm took him over.
He collapsed over her and they rolled to the side so that he was spooning her. He held her close, his arms tight and secure around her as he panted into her neck. She closed her eyes and let the sensations riot through her. God. Did it get any better than this? Seriously? She didn’t know how it could.
12
Brandi was nervous as she led Declan into the hospital. None of her other boyfriends had ever shown any interest in seeing what she did there and having him with her was somehow significant. And nerve wracking. What if he thought she was an idiot? Brandi tried to calm her breathing and kept a bright smile plastered on her face as she waved to the nurses and orderlies that she knew.
She slowed as they approached Caitlyn’s room. Brandi poked her head around the corner and saw the little girl propped up on the pillows staring at the television that hung from the ceiling.
“Hello chicken,” she said softly and Caitlyn’s eyes found hers and lit up.
“Hi Brandi,” she replied, her voice raspy like it was hard to speak.
“I brought someone to meet you,” Brandi said nervously, standing in the doorway, not yet ready to walk into the room and reveal Declan. “Are you up to it?”
Caitlyn smiled at her and nodded. Her movements were slow and looked like they took all her effort. She did not look good. Her skin was grey without the usual rosy glow in her cheeks. Her eyes were dull and missing the spark that Brandi had first noticed when the
y met. Nothing seemed to get Caitlyn down, but today she looked like she carried the world on her shoulders. Brandi sucked in all the emotions that were threatening to leak out of her and plastered a happy smile on her face as she stepped into the room and revealed Declan.
Caitlyn’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Declan and her smile grew slowly. “Who’s that?”
Brandi turned to look at Declan. He had a half smile on his face and an odd look in his eye. She turned back to Caitlyn. “This is Declan. He’s a friend of mine.”
Brandi walked over to the bed and dropped a kiss on Caitlyn’s forehead, noticing that her head scarf was a little askew. She straightened it and smoothed her hand over the girl’s head, clamping down on the need to cry over the unfairness of this fucking illness that took indiscriminately. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Caitlyn had to suffer. It wasn’t fair that her short life was going to end before she even had the chance to live.
“Hello,” Declan’s deep voice vibrated through her, calming her.
“Hello,” Caitlyn replied, “I’m Caitlyn.”
Declan took a step into the room and his eyes gazed around, taking in the drip that Caitlyn was on and the piles of books and the stuffed animals. Caitlyn had been in this room for a long time and it had started to take on the look of what Brandi imagined her bedroom must look like at home.
“Brandi tells me that you help her get ready for her shifts here at the hospital.”
Caitlyn giggled. It was such a happy sound and so at odds with the sick pallor that permeated the room. “Not really,” she said. “She just comes to see me first because I’m not allowed to be in the same room as the other kids.”
“Is it because you’re a big bully and all the other kids are scared of you?” Declan asked and Caitlyn giggled again.
“No,” she said, drawing the word out dramatically.
“Ah,” Declan said, “then it must be because you’re the prettiest in the hospital and they don’t want the other kids to feel bad.”
Brandi smiled as Caitlyn giggled.
“That’s definitely the reason,” Brandi said looking at Declan and hoping he could read the gratitude in her eyes.
“So you’re like a princess locked in a tower,” Declan went on as he sat in the chair beside the bed. “And the fairy godmother has put you here to keep you safe so that all the ugly people in the world can’t steal your beauty.”
“So how come you can come in?” Caitlyn asked, intrigued by the story he was spinning.
“Ah, well now,” he said looking at Brandi and then looking down at himself. “The fairy godmother—” he swished his arm towards Brandi meaning that she was the fairy godmother, “—only wanted the ugly people to stay away from you. But me? Well, look at me. I’m beautiful too so it was fine for me to come in. Us beautiful people have got to stick together.”
Caitlyn laughed and Brandi couldn’t stop the tear that ran down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly before either of them could see it.
“And on that note,” she said briskly, “I need to go and get changed.” She turned to Declan, “Will you be okay here for a little bit while I go and put my costume on?”
“Sure,” he said, picking up a book from the bedside. It was Harriet the Spy. “Caitlyn and I can amuse ourselves for a little while.”
She dropped another kiss on Caitlyn’s forehead and then one on Declan’s without thinking. She froze, realising that it was probably not something he would appreciate. She didn’t know where they stood now that the benefit was over and she didn’t know where he stood on casual public-displays-of-affection. Would a quick kiss on the forehead been too familiar?
He smiled up at her as if it was something she did every day and she breathed a small sigh of relief.
“I’ll be back soon,” she said.
“No rush,” Declan said. “Now, where are you up to in this book?”
Brandi took a minute to stop and look back at the man sitting beside the bed of a sick girl and reading to her. This was a side of Declan that she hadn’t seen and, if she was honest, she hadn’t thought existed. Seeing him there twisted her insides up and made her wish for things that she knew she could never have with him. Before she could start imagining the white picket fence and two-point-five children, she turned away and headed for the locker room.
“Are you really Brandi’s friend?” Caitlyn asked him after the woman in question had left the room.
He looked up from the book and into the serious eyes of a little girl who was older than her years.
“Yes,” he said. “We’re friends. Good friends.”
“Do you love her?”
The question was like a punch in the gut. He avoided the love word whenever he could because he knew it was never in the cards for him. He wasn’t allowed to fall in love. That would only mean pain for him in the long run so it was better if he didn’t allow himself to go there.
“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “She’s very special to me.”
Caitlyn looked at him with such a serious gaze that he wondered what she saw.
“I’m dying,” she said. “Nobody has told me to my face, but I see the looks in the doctors’ and the nurses’ eyes. I see the way my mum and dad look at me. I overheard the doctors tell my parents that there is nothing more they can do for me.”
Declan sucked in a deep breath. What do you say to a twelve year old who is looking at the end of her life.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t say it,” she said tiredly. “But if you really are Brandi’s friend then I need you to do something for me.”
“Okay,” he said.
“When I die—” she stopped and took a breath. He reached out to take her small hand in his and she squeezed it. When she had herself under control, she began again. “When I die, Brandi is going to be really sad. She is my friend, my best friend. I know she sometimes comes into the hospital just to see me and she always makes sure she spends more time with me than she does with the other kids. I love her and I know she loves me.” Caitlyn took a breath. “So when I’m gone, she is going to be sad and she will need a friend to be there for her the same way she has been there for me.” Caitlyn looked at Declan, drilling him with her eyes. “Can you be that person? Can you be her friend and look after her when she’s sad? Can you tell her that I love her and that I will be watching down from heaven and making sure she is okay?”
Declan swallowed. How could he deny such a selfless request from a dying girl? He knew, even though he had only just met Caitlyn, that losing her would tear Brandi apart. His Brandi had such a soft and tender heart and he didn’t know how she was going to survive losing Caitlyn from her life.
“Of course I will,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.
“Do you promise? Because if you can’t do it, you need to tell me now. If you can’t do it then I need to find someone else to look after her. What she does here at the hospital is important and I don’t want her to stop doing it because I die. I don’t want her to be so sad that she can’t come back here. I don’t want her to be lonely. Are you sure you can be that person? Are you sure you can be there for her and look after her and remind her why she does this, why she gives up her weekends to come into the hospital and dress up to make a few sick kids smile?”
He nodded solemnly. “I promise you I will be there for her and look after her.”
“And love her,” Caitlyn whispered, gripping his hand tightly. “She needs someone to love her.”
Declan looked at the fierceness in Caitlyn’s eyes and the words bubbled in his throat. He opened his mouth to confess what he already knew but had been desperately trying to deny.
“What’s going on here?” Brandi said brightly as she stepped into the room.
“Oh! My favourite!” Caitlyn cried.
Declan tried to rearrange his features so that she wouldn’t see the turmoil that raged within him and then turned to see her standing in the doorway. She wore a simple pinky-purple
dress, her feet were bare and her hair was in a thick plait that reached the ground and it was threaded with flowers. She did a little twirl and Caitlyn clapped delightedly.
“I love Tangled,” Caitlyn said dreamily.
“Tangled?”
“Disney movie,” Brandi replied, “about Rapunzel.”
“Can’t say I’ve seen it,” he said.
“We can watch it now,” Caitlyn said, “I have the DVD.”
“And what is Brandi going to do while we watch Tangled?”
“Don’t worry about me,” Brandi said. “I’ve got to go and spread smiles and sunshine through the ward. You two have fun.”
She kissed him on the forehead again and it sent a pleasant warmth through him. He liked that she felt comfortable enough around him to be so effortlessly affectionate. He caught her hand and saw the diamond sparkling on her finger and looked up at her. She smiled softly down at her hand and then looked at him. Her smile dimmed a little.
“Dr. Shane is working today,” she said in explanation and his heart fell a little. He’d had the fleeting thought that perhaps she had worn it because she wanted to, because she liked wearing his ring. He dropped his head and kissed the back of her hand. He liked seeing it there, it didn’t matter what her reasons were. Then he tugged her down and brushed a soft kiss on her lips. If they were going to pretend then they were going to make it worth it.
Declan had been quiet since they'd left the hospital. Brandi looked at him across the console of the car as he drove through the city back to the hotel and chewed on the corner of her lip not sure if they had the type of relationship where she could ask him if he was okay. Would he think she was prying or trying to overstep her bounds?
“What?” he asked, shooting her a quick look.
She shrugged and turned to look out the side window.
“Brandi,” he said, “you can say anything to me. So what's up?”
