“Who is really Sarah’s guardian, mother? Did Anthony actually name you the guardian until she turned 19?”
Christina’s cheeks turned pink before she hissed. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t until just now. It was just a hunch, since Anthony liked me so much.”
“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Sarah said, pressing further into Stephen’s side for comfort and strength.
“If what I’m thinking is correct, then Christina was only your guardian until I turned 18 at which point I was named guardian and executor of your trust. A lawyer did try to find me last year, but they kept missing me on the battlefield because my battalion moved around so much. This could be what he wanted. Mother, where is the paperwork?”
She stood there, a defiant look in her eyes.
“Where is the bloody paperwork, Mother!”
She flinched at that before answering, “I burned them. So no one would find out.”
“Well that solves that then. Sarah and I will get married. We will go to Gretna Green to get married and I will get a commission in the army so my wife and I can join the ranks. Luckily she’s used to getting dirty. When we have a son, which I sure we will, he will be a viscount and we will be able to have this house back. That is the plan. Sarah please pack darling it’s time to go.”
“Go? Go where?”
“Gretna Green so we can begin our life together before heading to the coastline for war.”
A look of fear fell into Sarah’s eyes at the thought of war. “Don’t worry Sarah, I will protect you like I should have all along.” With a short but lingering kiss to her lips, Stephen pushed her towards the stairs to back what little belongs she had before following to get his own. One suitcase of hers to his two later and they were ready to go. Ready to begin a life of adventure, as a real family.
When they came back downstairs Stephen’s mother and sisters were just standing there, arms crossed, feet tapping. As though they knew they had lost but could hardly believe it.
“Dobbins call the carriage,” Stephen said, strolling to the door hand in hand with Sarah.
“Of course sir,” Dobbins said, looking more than a little gleeful about the whole thing.
Moments later they were in the carriage, ready to depart for their new lives. “To Gretna Green,” Stephen said.
“To the rest of our life,” Sarah responded, snuggling as close into Stephen’s side as she could.
Epilogue
Sarah was already in their bed when he walked into the room. By the looks of it she was very much naked under those bed sheets. He slinked across the room, unbuckling his trousers so he could pull his shirt over head. He was so glad they decided to stay at the inn before heading out to the coast to join his new regiment. A man and a woman’s first time together should not be spent aboard a ship crossing the channel. Neither should their second or third. He brought over to the bed the light fare he planned for them to eat: bread, cheese and cold meats. Just enough to satisfy without becoming stuffed. Pulling off his trousers he joined his bride Sarah on the bed, both of them entirely unclothed. Sarah blushed in the most adorable way upon his arrival. “Those blushes, they must go all the way to your feet.”
“They do not.” she giggled, with a smile at the thought. “Okay maybe. We should find out.”
Stephen lifted the bed sheet to check and was distracted by the womanly curves that greeted him. “Pity, no blushes past your neck. Lovely stems though,” he said, running his hand down her leg and causing her to gasp and scoff, unused to such flatteries. “You know it’s true. Don’t act like you don’t have the most beautiful body in the history of the world. If Helen of Troy and you had a beauty contest, you would have won hands down.”
At that Sarah laughed, rolling over onto her stomach. Stephen ran his hand along her spine, stopping sporadically to knead the muscles he felt there. He moved down with his hands, planting fiery kisses along the way right down to her bottom which he kneaded aggressively, swapping kisses to either side. Then he moved down to lick her mound from nub to anus before sticking his tongue inside the space, spreading her legs apart to give him better access. Stephen kept licking like a dying man, easing a finger into the mix and scissoring both tongue and finger into her passage together.
Stephen thought about what would happen next. He was sure it would hurt no matter how gentle he was as a lover. Sarah’s mother had died at birth and he knew Christina would have never imparted any wisdom on the facts of the birds and the bees. Stephen doubted anyone was able to tell her how things would be on their wedding night. Not wanting to cause her an unnecessary amount of pain, he wanted to ready her as much as possible before they take the next step together. Drive her to the point of distraction so she wouldn't notice the pain. With that thought in mind, Stephen added another finger, taking the nub in his teeth and nipping and sucking it, bringing her to climax before flipping her onto her back. Once there, Stephen started loving each nipple in turn, sucking almost an entire breast into his mouth before swapping to the other. The suckling and loving every inch of her breasts and nipples, caused Sarah to writhe beneath him. He stroked her sides lovingly, feeling the silky texture under his hand. He couldn’t believe all of this was his now, his to love. He shuddered at the thought of what his life would be without her. She was so eager, so sweet to taste and touch. The way she gently stroked his stomach was slowly driving him insane. The delectable heat of her body like a siren’s call. He ran a fingertip up along the lower curve of her breast, moving with perfect slowness over the pebbled point of her erect nipple. She gasped and closed her eyes. Encouraged, he took her nipple gently between forefinger and thumb and squeezed gently, licking his lips at her sigh of delight. She slid her palms slowly up his muscled biceps to his shoulders then wrapped around him close. “I love you, Stephen.”
Stephen braced himself at her entrance, preparing to move slowly into her dripping core. “I love you too, Lady Knight.” With that last word he thrust into her, their bodies so on edge that they immediately climaxed together. Lord and Lady Knight. Cinderella and her loving stepbrother.
Part VI
Billionaire - The Truth
Romantic Suspense
About the Book
Sweet, young Jenn is a creature of habit, her life dictated to her by an autoimmune disease. Receiving dialysis three times a week, Jenn spends many hours daydreaming in hospital, living vicariously through her wild and beloved sister, Kenzie. It is at her regular appointment, in her regular room where Jenn encounters the handsome Dr. Blake.
But Jenn is soon to discover her medical appointments are anything but regular. Aided by Steve, a gorgeous and friendly male nurse, Jenn must make some earth-shattering discoveries about herself that she simply cannot face alone. In this thrilling story, Jenn struggles to balance falling in love and uncovering the horrifying truth. As the tension escalates, the drama unfolds. Jenn’s vivid dreams, both gripping and terrifying seem to be nothing like her reality. On the other hand, are her dreams closer to her life than she ever dreamed possible?
Part I
Chapter One
Another day, another drip.
It was Friday, the third day this week that Jenn Walsh visited St. Benedict Regional Medical Centre for her regular dialysis treatments. By now, her fourth year of being in hemodialysis treatment for kidney failure, she knew the routine by heart: the IV treatments, the blood filtration and the constant buzzing and whirring of hospital machines. She lay back, closing her eyes as she listened to the faint hums, steady beeps and regular clicks of everything in her room. For Jenn, who had lupus, today was par for the course in her medical journey.
Before she began today’s treatment, she lay down in the bed and waited for her doctor to show up. Like clockwork, suddenly there was a knock on the door and a tall man wearing a lab coat carrying a clipboard poked his head through the doorway.
"Afternoon, Jenn!” Dr. Samuel Blake, M.D., flashing Jenn a sparkly smile from the doorway,
was one of the best nephrologists in the area. He had Jenn’s routine down pat.
Jenn was 21 years old the first time she collapsed, she was singing during her church choir’s rehearsal. After running a series of immediate tests, it was determined, she had lupus, an autoimmune disease that inhibits the body’s ability to fight off bacteria, viruses and germs. Given the frequent and severe complications of her diagnosis — kidney failure, blurry vision, respiratory inflammation — the doctors at her hometown hospital recommended she begin treatments with Dr. Blake; she'd been seeing him ever since.
Today, Dr. Blake hooked up Jenn's IV and measured her blood pressure. Then, examining her chart, he frowned. "It looks like the last time you were here you had some blood in your urine, which could mean internal bleeding," he explained. "Just for good measure, I'm going to take a peek around," Dr. Blake muttered, switching her IV out for propofol that would numb her abdomen and lower body. "You should start to feel this in a couple minutes. While we wait, why don't you tell me a little about how you've been? We don’t get much time to just chat."
"Okay," Jenn said. "Work is going okay. I've been having trouble reading lately, so I got new reading glasses. It's just the blurriness again —"
"That should go away in time; it comes and goes. Are you still doing that bank work?”
"No, I’m a receptionist for local lupus awareness nonprofit now. It's not glamorous, but I really like it. I didn’t tell you that before? I’ve been there for almost a month now, and I finally feel like I'm making a difference." Jenn beamed. Her journey with lupus had been a long one, and she wanted to make sure other people knew what lupus was and how to treat it. "Um, what else? Oh, my sister is coming into town next week. I'm excited to see her."
"Where's she from?"
"Los Angeles. She’s kind of—" Jenn looked away, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Well, we’re pretty different. You might see if you meet her. But anyway," she rushed on, "she might stop by if she gets a chance.” Jenn yawned; the anesthetic was beginning to set in. She poked herself in the stomach and experienced half the tactile awareness as usual. "I think its working."
"Good. I'm going to touch certain areas and ask you if you can feel it. Just keep talking. How old is your sister?"
"She's 28.” Jenn's speech was beginning to slow. Although the anesthesia numbed only her lower half, she felt the calming effects of the propofol coursing warmly through her blood until she was fully relaxed.
"Jenn? What can you feel now?"
"I feel ... sleepy."
Pinching the skin on Jenn's stomach lightly, Dr. Blake smiled, and creases formed up his face and met his slick, black hair. "Good. Just lie back and close your eyes."
Obeying the doctor's instructions, Jenn shifted her body in the hospital bed; her eyelids grew heavy. As she watched Dr. Blake busy himself with equipment below her waist, her eyes began to shut involuntarily.
As she drifted off, Jenn could see flashes of light through her eyelids and the thoughts in her mind morphed into images in a dream.
She is running through the jungle, jumping over fallen trees and treading narrow paths. When she looks back, she can see the sharp green eyes of dozens of giant anacondas chasing her, closing in, leaping onto her. She shrieks and tries to run away, but they corner her in a cave and start biting her, striking her, penetrating her skin with their sharp fangs until her legs, groin, and stomach were in pieces. She falls to the ground in pain, whimpering, and her world fades to black.
Then, the lights flashed on again and Jenn's eyes opened slowly. Standing over her was Dr. Blake, clipboard in hand, his face somehow rosier than before, and his hand resting on Jenn's hospital bed. The curtains to the hallway outside had been firmly closed while Jenn slept, and half of the lights had been turned out — at least, so Jenn thought, since her whole head felt fuzzy now.
"All done!" Dr. Blake coughed once and exhaled heavily. "How do you feel now?”
Jenn shook her head sleepily. "My legs ... feel funny."
Dr. Blake shot her a look. "Funny how?"
"It's like.... They're still tingly, but my thighs are a little ... sore. They just feel weird." Jenn still felt half-in and half-out of consciousness, and she furrowed her brow trying to think of what to say.
Dr. Blake cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Well, the numbness will probably take about thirty minutes to go away. You'll be able to walk soon and head on home. I've got to run now, but have a nice afternoon and I'll see you back here next week." With a nod toward Jenn, Dr. Blake brushed the wrinkles out of his coat and started toward the door.
"Wait," Jenn leaned forward in the bed. "Was there blood?"
"Huh?" Dr. Blake's brows furrowed.
"You said there ... might be blood. Was there?"
"Oh, the blood in the urine. Right. No, your organs seem fine to me. Okay, see you next week!" With no other words, Dr. Blake strode quickly out the door, letting in a sliver of light into the darkened room where Jenn now sat, alone.
Looking around at all the machines, Jenn yawned, rubbing her eyes. The tingly feeling below her navel slowly started to let up. She felt a sudden throbbing of pain as consciousness rushed back through her bloodstream; warmth flooded into her chest, her stomach, down past her hips and into her thighs. When she swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed, she felt all the blood come back to her and she gingerly put weight on both feet again to walk to the bathroom. While washing her hands at the sink, she noticed a huge pile of rags and tissues stuck at the bottom of the trashcan. “Hmm”, she thought. “They must not have cleaned very well here today. I'll have to mention that to the staff on my way out.”
It was just before rush hour when Jenn finally left the hospital parking lot, cruising down the freeway home. Jenn lived with her parents in a suburb of the city, where they could care for her in her illness in relative peace and take her to the hospital for medical emergencies. Her parents lived in the same house for all of Jenn’s life; it had worn the test of time and two kids. They lived a sheltered life before, but with Jenn’s health on the line now, her parents tried extra hard to keep her close to them. Even though they smothered her sometimes, she still adored them — and she adored her sister even more.
When Kenzie arrived on the tarmac a few days later, the sisters met with a heartfelt hug; they were happy to be reunited. The first few days packed with family dinners and tourist outings, but Kenzie decided to accompany Jenn to the hospital that week.
“How do you get used to this?” Kenzie said, peering up at the enormous hospital in front of them as they walked through the front doors.
Jenn shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not that bad now. Actually, sometimes it’s nice to have some time away to myself.”
Kenzie burst out laughing. “Yeah, yeah, I can see that. What is it, three hours a day three times a week, Jenn?” Jenn nodded.
The sisters stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Just as the doors started to close however, a hand came reaching around the corner. The doors reopened to allow none other than Dr. Blake to squeeze in with the girls.
“Jenn, good to see you,” he said. “This must be the famous sister I’ve heard so much about,” he said, grabbing Kenzie’s hand. Jenn introduced them quickly.
A short ride later, the elevator dinged and the door opened. Dr. Blake stepped out and gestured down the hall. “I have to deal with a different patient today, Jenn. Another nurse will be in to help you.”
Jenn and Kenzie watched him walk away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Kenzie exhaled. “Oh my god, that’s your doctor? He’s gorgeous!”
“Kenzie!”
“What? He is! I’d hop on that,” Kenzie laughed.
“Stop, Kenz! That’s gross!”
The girls reached the front desk in the renal department and leaned on the receptionist’s desk, waiting to verify that Jenn’s usual room was available. Kenzie set her bulging purse on the desk and began fishing through it for
her lipstick. “I have to freshen up before Dr. Hottie comes back through here, ooh la la.” She gave Jenn a wink.
“Oh my gosh, Kenz.”
“Come on, lighten up, have a little fun!”
“Excuse me, Miss Walsh, you can go in now.” The receptionist looked up from the desk.
To Jenn’s surprise, her room wasn’t empty when the girls walked in. Crouching on the floor with a dustpan was a young man in blue scrubs, struggling to reach a few last specks of dust underneath the visitor’s chairs in the corner. The girls opened the door fully, which made him jump and smack his head on the underside of the table. “Ouch!”
“Sorry!” Jenn said. “The receptionist said this room was ready.”
The man stood up, rubbing his head, as he turned toward his new visitors. “No problem, I’m just about finished.” He ran his fingers through his strawberry blonde hair and the girls watched, mesmerized as it waved back and forth on his head. They gave him the once-over as he smoothed out his scrubs over his athletic body, his muscled arms wiping off all the dust.
“Damn,” Kenzie said out of the corner of her mouth. “Are all men at this hospital this fine?” Jenn shot her a glare.
He acted like he didn’t hear anything as he took a step forward. “Hi, I’m Steve,” he said. “Sorry about that. I’ll be out of your hair in just a minute after I throw these rags away.”
Something clicked in Jenn’s brain. “Oh, are you a janitor? No, wait — that’s not what I meant.” She turned red in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean— I just thought—“
Steve laughed. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m sort of a janitor. Technically, I’m a certified nursing assistant, but it often includes sweeping floors and getting coffee. I’m basically like a hospital intern.”
“Oh, okay. It’s just the last time I was here, there was a bunch of dirty rags in the bathroom trashcan, and I thought they were short on cleaning staff. Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Jenn blushed when Steve’s eyes locked onto her own.
Room Service Page 35
