Their eyes met before he claimed her. There was so much emotion there she couldn't interpret it.
His question surprised her. "Are you doing okay, baby? Still with me?"
"Better than okay. Take me... please. I need you inside me, Nick." Her voice rasped from his use of her throat.
Her words pleased him. His eyes consumed her as he warned, "Don't let go, Cali."
It was hard to hold her position when Nick's carnality had him surging forward in one swift stroke. She fought to keep her wide hold onto the edges of the desk as he plummeted her tightness. She was so wet that their coupling made slurping noises in the otherwise quiet room. Only Nick's occasional grunts of exertion from his fast fucking joined the soundtrack.
"Come with me, Cali. I want to watch you fly, baby."
Always a good girl, she did as he demanded. She arched her back as they both cried out their climax. Several minutes went by as Nick slumped over Cali's body, still connected in the most intimate of ways. He captured her lips in a tender kiss just as she felt his softening cock slip from her body. She finally released the edges of the desk to hug him tightly.
Nick broke the silence with a quiet, "Wow."
Cali couldn't help but giggle. "Double wow."
As intense as their lovemaking had been, Nick pulled her up before lifting her into his arms to carry her the few feet to the comfortable chair near the door. They snuggled quietly, each lost in thought. Cali's last thought before she drifted off to sleep was how grateful she was to Kevin for cheating on her with Veronica or she would have never met the amazing man holding her tightly in his arms.
Chapter Six
"Come on you girls! We need to get moving or I'm gonna miss my flight!"
Nick wasn't finished with his sentence before Cali and Andi appeared at the top of the winding staircase. His heart lurched at the sight of the two most important people in his life. Not for the first time, he marveled at how quickly his life had changed.
He was aware that to many, he was disrespecting his dead wife by moving on with his life so quickly, but considering the circumstances of her death and how she had chosen to betray him at every turn, he felt zero guilt. In fact, he had ceased being angry with his wife and her lover at all. By his estimation, they had done him and Cali a favor because were it not for their sordid affair, he never would have gotten to know the amazing woman walking down the stairs, deep in conversation with his daughter.
When they reached the bottom step, Andi held out a sheet of paper. "Don't forget to sign this Dad. We're going on that field trip into the city today and you forgot to sign the paper when you gave me the money to go. Mrs. Fields said I have to stay behind with the first graders if you don't sign."
Nick grabbed a pen from his briefcase and quickly scribbled his signature. "Oh no! We can't let you spend the day with those first graders." He addressed Cali as he handed the paper to his daughter. "I hope you don't mind, but I added you to Andi's emergency contact list at the school. That way you can sign permission slips like this if you need to when I'm out of town."
Pleasure lit up her brown eyes, the golden flecks visible in the sunlight filtering in the front windows. "Thanks, but what if I sign something you disagree with?"
"You won't and since we text ten times a day anyway, just ask if you're not sure."
Cali picked up her own briefcase and purse from the front table. Nick reached to hand her a travel mug of coffee and they all headed to the garage. They had already developed a comfortable routine in the three weeks since Cali had been acting as their nanny. A surge of guilt hit him as he remembered canceling an interview with another nanny from the service the day before. He knew he was taking advantage of Calista's willingness to help him out, but he suspected she didn't mind.
She had practically moved into the guest bedroom. The first week she had just stayed at the house with Andi the few days he was out of town, but each subsequent week, she had stayed more frequently. He couldn't resist sleeping in the guest room with her most nights, setting his alarm for extra early to get up and go back to his own room before Andi awoke. They both knew they were playing with fire, but as each week passed, he worried less about Andi finding out that they were dating since his daughter adored Calista as much as he did.
Nick drove the family van as they dropped Andi at her school first and then drove to the airport. They had just enough time to drop him off for his flight and get Cali back to her school.
When they got to the airport, Cali jumped out to go to the driver's side. They embraced for a long good-bye kiss before the police officer directing traffic whistled at them to move along.
Nick gazed into her eyes as he said his goodbyes. "I'll be home tomorrow night."
"Okay, text me the details. Andi and I will pick you up together and maybe we could stop to grab a bite on the way home."
Nick didn't miss her use of the word 'home.' She hadn't officially moved in, but he had noticed that the house didn't feel the same when she wasn't there. They needed to talk about where things were headed soon, but as the car horns around them reminded him, now was not the time nor place.
"That sounds like a plan. I'll call you later." With a last kiss, he grabbed his carry-on bag and headed into the terminal.
Nick was led into the boardroom where a half-dozen men in suits were waiting for him. He dropped his briefcase onto the table before turning to the redheaded assistant ushering him to the meeting.
"Thanks Jane. You wouldn't have a place I can plug my phone in, would you?"
Nick's flight to New York had been delayed and he was late arriving at his client's office. He had drained the battery replying to emails in the terminal.
"Sure thing, Mr. Mikos. Let me plug it in out at my desk." Nick handed his dead phone to the attractive administrative assistant and turned his attention to the meeting about to begin.
Not fifteen minutes later, a pale Jane interrupted the meeting. She tried not to interrupt, but since Nick was leading the meeting, it was impossible.
A feeling of dread washed over him when his eyes connected with Jane's because he saw panic and pity shining back at him. He stopped talking mid-sentence, waiting for her to lean down and whisper into his ear.
"I'm so sorry... your phone is charging... I think you need to step out and make a call."
"Can it wait? As you can see, I'm a critical participant this morning."
Her voice broke as if she were holding back tears. "No sir, it cannot wait. You need to call Calista right away."
His heart lurched at the unexpected sound of Cali's name in this setting. It only took a few seconds to know something was really wrong. Cali should be in class teaching. There is no way she would be calling unless there was an emergency. Memories of receiving other bad news when the police had shown up on his doorstep a few months before come next, but they are quickly overshadowed by the realization that the only thing Cali could be calling about was Andi.
Nick stumbled to his feet, barely getting out a short "Excuse me" as he followed Jane out of the boardroom. Each step he took felt like it was his last.
He unlocked his phone to find several missed calls, voicemail messages and text messages. They had started while he was in the air on his flight. He'd expected to see Cali's number there, but the fact that the first messages had come from Andi's school had him collapsing into the chair near Jane's desk.
He tried to reason there could be many reasons for them to call. Perhaps Andi had a headache or stomach ache. He had hugged her and she hadn't felt like she had a temperature this morning.
The first messages were vague. "Mr. Mikos, this is Andrea's school calling. Please call into the office as soon as possible."
The second message from the school was more ominous. "Mr. Mikos, this is Mrs. Peterson calling from Andi's school. We really need you to contact us as soon as possible."
Fuck. The principal herself called.
Cali's messages were worse. "Nick, I need you to call me right away. I ju
st got a call from Andi' school. Nick... there's been an accident on the field trip. I don't have any details yet, but I'm heading to the hospital now to be there with her. Call me as soon as you get this... please."
An accident. Another fucking accident. The first one robbed him of his wife. Not Andrea. Not his Andi.
He said a short prayer that Andi was fine before he pressed play on Cali's next message. "Nick. Oh God, I need to talk to you. I don't want to leave this in a message. I'm at the hospital and they won't tell me anything about Andi, but there are lots of other parents coming in here too. I'm trying to find out more. Call me. Please."
The fear in her voice told him how serious things were. He felt numb. He knew he should call her right away, but he took a long minute, praying it wasn't the last minute where he knew his daughter was still with him on this earth. Losing Roni had hurt, but losing Andrea would kill him. He was sure of it.
He felt the tears silently trekking down his cheeks as he pressed Cali's number in his contact list. He reached to accept the tissue Jane was holding out to him as he heard Cali's panicked voice answer the call.
"Oh thank God you called. I've been frantic that I couldn't reach you."
The lump in his throat kept him from responding.
"Nick?"
He finally forced the words out. "God, Cali. Please tell me she's okay. Tell me the truth. Is my baby okay?"
"I had trouble at first getting updates from the hospital, but the administrator from the school showed up and confirmed that I was on Andi's emergency contact list so the nurse has started giving me updates. Andi's alive Nick, but she was unconscious when they brought her in and... well... they had to take her into surgery."
"Surgery? What for? Where are her injuries?"
"It's chaos here with a bus load of kids and their families so I'm afraid I don't know too many details about why they are doing surgery. They promised me that they would send someone out with an update as soon as they can, but she went in over thirty minutes ago."
His heart was pounding. He forced himself to focus. Covering the phone, he asked Jane to go into the boardroom and collect up all of his belongings and bring them out after letting the group know he had to leave for a family emergency.
He then returned his attention to Cali. He could hear her crying at the other end of the phone and knew she needed him to be strong for her. He was so grateful she was there for him and Andi's sake. "I'm on my way back. I'll get the first flight I can and be there as soon as possible. Text me the details of the hospital and I'll take a cab there when I land. Cali?"
"Yes." Her answer was a whisper.
"I'm so glad you're there, honey. I'm sorry you have to go through this again so soon after..."
Her angry reply surprised Nick. "Don't you dare compare this to Kevin and Roni's accident. They got what they deserved. Andi is an innocent. A perfect, beautiful baby who deserves to have a full life ahead of her."
"And she will, Cali. We have to both think positive. She is in the right place and the doctors are going to take care of her. I need you to stay calm for Andrea's sake. Call me with updates. I'm on my way, baby."
He heard her sob at the other end. "Nick. Please. Be careful. I can't take any more people I love getting hurt."
It seemed like an odd time to tell him she loved him. He knew for a fact he had fallen in love with her and had held off telling her only so he didn't rush her. That suddenly felt like a dumb reason.
"I love you, Calista. I promise. I'll be there soon, baby." He pressed end before rushing out the door to head back to the airport. He needed to get home to his girls.
Cali reached to accept the cup of bitter coffee from the school administrator who was trying to make herself useful to the parents crowded into the hospital waiting room. In fairness, the representatives from the school were as upset as the other loved ones waiting for updates on their children.
The group had just finished listening to an informal update from the local police chief with more details of what had happened. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but it appeared that the driver of a semi-truck had lost control of his rig and rear-ended the stopped school bus, pushing the school bus through a downed crossing guard and into the path of a speeding commuter train. The bus driver had been pronounced dead on the scene and the most seriously injured children had been seated in the front of the bus where the impact occurred, but since the bus had flipped to its side, all of the children had been injured in some way. Cali held onto the hope that Andi had been sitting closer to the back. They had not announced that any children had died... yet.
She sat with her eyes glued to the door of the waiting room, not sure if she was praying for Nick to arrive first or a doctor with an update from the surgery. Andi had been in surgery for over three hours with no word on her condition. She told herself no news was good news, yet she had noticed several of the families had already collected their banged up children and were starting to leave. With each departure, the group waiting got more solemn as they were the families of the more seriously injured.
When Cali finally spotted Nicholas rushing down the long hallway towards the glass door to the waiting room, she almost fainted with relief. She had only known Andrea for a short time, but she already loved Nick's daughter. She couldn't even imagine the fear Nick must be feeling with his only child in danger.
Cali ran to the door to meet him. They fell into each other's arms, hugging each other so tightly they were both short of breath. The sobs she had been valiantly holding back bubbled over.
"I am so sorry, Nick. I didn't do a very good job taking care of Andi for you."
He pulled back so he could see her eyes. She saw terror there. "Why are you sorry? Do you have news I don't know? Is she....?"
"No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I'm still waiting for the doctor to come find me after surgery. It's just that..."
He cut her off. "Stop. This isn't your fault, Cali. This would have happened if I had been in town, too. Not another word about you not taking care of Andi. You got the school's call and made sure to reach me. You've been here, waiting."
"A lot of good it did. They only let me see her briefly and she wasn't even conscious."
They had barely moved into the room when a young doctor in blue scrubs came in and asked, "Is the family of Andrea Mikos here?"
They were holding hands and he pulled her back towards the door with him as he answered. "Yes, I'm her father. How is my baby girl?"
The doctor glanced around the room full of other families and elected to move them to another location. "Let's step across the hall into the consultation room. We'll have more privacy there."
Nick squeezed Cali's hand so hard it was cutting off the circulation, but she didn't mind. She knew he was thinking the same thing. Why would they need to relocate if the news was good?
The tension in the tiny room was thick. The doctor looked nervous, another bad sign. "I'm Doctor Adams and I operated on Andrea today. It was a long surgery, as we had to do some exploration once we were in the OR. I'm not going to lie. Andrea is going to have a few rough days ahead of her, but I have every expectation that she's going to come through okay."
"Oh thank God." Nick pulled Cali into his arms for a hug that they both needed. Relief coursed through Cali at the news that Andrea was alive and expected to recover.
The doctor gave them a minute before he continued on with his report. "As I understand it, Andrea was sitting near the front of the bus where some of the more seriously injured students were located. She was unconscious when she was brought in and her vital signs were plummeting quickly, which usually indicates internal bleeding. We didn't have time to do a CT scan or other tests so I took her into surgery immediately to find the root cause of her bleeding."
The doctor took a short break to look at his buzzing cell phone before continuing with his update. "I'm afraid I had to remove her spleen. It was badly damaged in the collision. She also has several cra
cked ribs, but they should heal quickly in a child her age and her ribs didn't puncture her lungs, which is always a concern with impact collisions. Andrea also had a small laceration to her liver that I repaired."
"Oh my God, that sounds so serious. What is the prognosis with her losing her spleen?" Nick pressed for answers.
"We are starting her on antibiotics right away and she will most likely need to stay on them for some time. A person without a spleen will always be more prone to infection than average, but she should recover fully from all of those injuries. She did lose enough blood that we had to give her blood transfusions during the surgery and will most likely do one more in a couple of hours. With all of the trauma's coming in, I'm afraid we were a bit short on Andrea's blood type."
"I'd like to donate my blood for her if possible."
"Of course. That would be good since we are running short, although we won't be able to use your blood until it goes through the normal processing. Still, it will be good to get some on standby in case she needs more in a few days. I'll have a nurse come and cross check your blood types after we are finished talking."
Cali broke in. "If you're running short on blood, I'm happy to donate too."
"Great. I'll have you both setup then. I'm afraid I haven't finished my update though."
Nick and Cali looked at each other nervously before letting the doctor continue his update. "As I said, Andrea was unconscious when they brought her in. She has a large contusion on her left temple and a pretty deep cut on her left shoulder. She has significant swelling of her brain and I'm electing to keep her sedated for at least the next twenty-four hours to give her body time to heal and the swelling to come down. The CT scan doesn't show any major brain damage so I have every reason to believe she will be cognitively healthy once she recovers, but as with most head injuries, we won't know for sure until she regains consciousness and we can do more tests."
Twist (A BDSM & Romantic Erotica Boxed Set) Page 34
