“I know.”
“No, you don’t. She’s a bitch, I hate that fucking cow.”
“Oh c’mon, she’s not that bad.”
Bernie looked at Holly. “You know her?”
Holly looked down at the floor. Bernie didn’t know Holly had been back in Boston all this time. She sighed.
“How do you know her?”
“I was a resident at Downsend.”
Bernie glared at her. “You were in Boston all this fucking time and didn’t call me? You became a nurse?”
Holly smiled and shook her head. “I wasn’t in Boston all the time. Just this last year. And I’m not a nurse.”
Bernie gasped. “A doctor?”
“Well, trying to be.” She laughed. “Seattle lost its teaching status and now that I think of it, I wasn’t really safe there either. Our paths would’ve crossed eventually, because my mom kinda had a thing going with his godfather.”
“What?” Bernie chuckled.
“Talk about a small world, right? When the status was gone, we immediately got the only options that still had openings in their programs. P&E was one and Downsend was the other one. So I went to Downsend and one of my friends went to P&E. Everything just went wrong. For seven months, I managed not to bump into Jake, and I guess Fate or Destiny saw it and didn’t like it, so it brought us this impossible case that only he would be able to fix. I was so careful, but I bumped into him.”
“You bumped into him?”
Holly nodded.
“Why didn’t he tell us?”
Holly shrugged.
“Why didn’t you talk, Holly?”
“I couldn’t. I was afraid he’d take Jamie away, I didn’t want to lose her. You don’t want to know what my bank account looks like, so I kept my mouth shut.”
“How did he find out?”
“I tried, Bernie. I really did.” She pushed her hands under her butt and guilt spread over her face.
“Tried what?”
“To hate him, to stay away, I knew he was engaged but he was still my weakness.”
Bernie closed her eyes. “Tell me you didn’t.”
“I can’t. Sorry, but I’m a slut when it comes to Jake Peters.”
Bernie started to laugh.
“How long were you sleeping with him?”
“About three months, then Rodney found out.”
“Who’s Rodney?”
“My friend who took the spot at P&E. He sort of became Jake’s resident, assisting him on all the cases. He discovered Jake was Jamie’s father because the resemblance is uncanny.”
“Yeah, I saw. You’re gonna need to buy a gun or something.”
Holly laughed. “I know. She’s so beautiful. Anyway, it all went wrong from there. I couldn’t tell Jake, but Rodney made it unbearable. He told me Jake was only messing with me and that he was still going to marry Kate. So, I asked Jake to choose. He didn’t choose me.”
Bernie huffed. “Because he couldn’t put his family through that again. It was the only reason he couldn’t choose you. You should’ve told him about Jamie. How did he even discover her?”
“Destiny again, or maybe it was the other guy. We did this all wrong. Nothing good can come from doing bad things, Bernie.”
“No, I don’t believe that something bad will happen with the two of you. It’s destiny. You came back just as he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.”
“Yeah, but that didn’t mean I had to screw his brains out.”
Bernie snorted.
“I really wanted him to choose me, but he didn’t and my life was a mess for two months. I thought he didn’t want me. Listening to the wedding arrangements, him moving it to Hawaii… It clawed at my heart. That was why I let my mother bring Jamie. I missed her so much and he was going to Hawaii. He was supposed to be on a flight when my mother got there. I didn’t know he’d gotten called in to an emergency.”
“I’m glad you made peace with your mom. I need to apologize to her for being so rude when I saw her earlier.”
Holly touched her knee. “She understands, Bernie. She wasn’t there for me when my sister died, but I get it now. And I don’t blame her at all. It’s not easy. Every day is a struggle, especially having to look at your surviving daughter and only being able to see the daughter you lost. Without my mother… She’s my rock, Bern. Yes, she flew off the handle all those years ago, but from the moment my daughters were born, she’s been there. She’s helped me through the toughest days. There were days where I couldn’t look at Jamie, couldn’t stand being around her, and my mother was there. Not only to help me out of the dark hole, but also to take care of Jamie when my heartache was just too much too handle.”
“I’m happy for you. I’m glad you had someone with you. You would have had me if you hadn’t been so damn stubborn.”
“I know. But these years with my mother… They were crucial to our relationship. My dad is still an ass… Some people will never change. Anyway, Jake must have seen her when I came out of surgery. I was assisting one of his cousins, and Jamie announced her happiness to the entire hospital when she saw me. I guess he put two and two together when he saw she looked nothing like me. I was terrified when he cornered me and asked who she was. So we fought and he backed off. I didn’t see the confusion, I thought it was guilt. I wanted to get away as far as I could but my mother refused to let me leave. She told me we needed to sort this out, and now here we are.”
“Just like that?”
She knew what Bernie wanted to know.
“No, I asked him to stay and he did. He broke it off with Kate and the horrible truth finally came out.”
“Holly.” One of the other residents tapped her on her shoulder, snapping her out of her memories. “The heart transplant is starting.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Lukas.”
She got up from the table and mulled over her memories as she walked. She was so glad she and Bernie had managed to patch things up and were friends again. She hadn’t thought Bernie would ever forgive her. They’d made a pact that if Jake fucked up, then Leo could go screw himself, because Bernie didn’t want to lose Holly’s friendship again. Not like that. And Holly promised she’d phone her, no matter what.
Holly took a seat in the gallery to watch the heart transplant, but her mind was still far away.
Bernie’s daughter’s name was Layla and she was a little spitfire. She looked like Leo but everything else about her was all Bernice.
Jamie and Layla became friends almost instantly, just like Holly’s sister and Bernice had become friends so long ago. Holly always felt like the outsider, like she was going to lose her sister to Bern, but then she got pulled in and the three of them were inseparable.
Bernice just had that way with people. She’d immediately hit it off with Rodney, and that had put a smile on Holly’s face. It made her happy that her two best friends liked each other.
Rodney was still working at P&E, but Jake was transferring him to Downsend. He wanted Rodney back under his wing. Jake thought Rodney had what it took to follow in Jake’s footsteps. And the world needed more surgeons who were willing to take chances.
Rodney had been so ecstatic about the praise Jake had bestowed on him, and had accepted the transfer without hesitation. Holly was glad because Rodney really had the potential to be the best.
Holly blinked back tears, trying to concentrate on the heart transplant taking place, but for some reason her thoughts refused to stay in the present.
She missed everyone too much. They’d had such a fantastic couple of days at the cabin before she left for Zurich, and she had been truly happy during that time. It had made coming to Zurich even harder than she’d thought it would be.
The goodbye at the airport was the hardest. She’d been unable to hold her tears back in front of Jamie, but Jake had promised her she would see them soon.
When she realized there was no way her attention would stay on the surgery—the surgeon’s droning voic
e bored her; it was nothing like the way Jake taught while he was operating—Holly put her earphones in.
Perhaps she’d be able to concentrate on the German she was trying to learn. It wasn’t easy living in a country where you didn’t understand the language. Sure, they spoke English here, but it wasn’t the same.
Of course, Jake spoke the language fluently. She hated that he could do almost everything with such ease. She was a little jealous, because she had to work her ass off at everything.
And now, she was thousands of miles away from him.
She really missed him.
She ached for him. They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other in the days before she came to Zurich, sneaking off for quickies whenever someone kept Jamie entertained, and spending their nights after Jamie had gone to bed, entangled in each other, their skin slick with sweat, their breath mingling together.
He was insatiable.
And now, she missed everything about him.
For now, they sated themselves with phone sex and sexy Skype dates, but she wanted him here.
Three more weeks.
She was sure she could hold on until then. Jake was struggling to get Jamie’s passport. With Holly here, it was close to impossible to get it, since Jamie wasn’t registered on Jake’s surname. But Jake had said everything would be sorted out in time for their visit here, and she couldn’t wait to see him and her baby girl.
She was counting off the days.
The things she was going to do to him when he got here… Her stomach dipped as she thought about their sexting the previous day. She squeezed her thighs together as the video he’d sent her replayed in her mind. He’d started off talking dirty to her, then he’d jerked off, grunting and groaning her name. It had made her want him so badly, and she needed to show him what torture he was putting her through.
So, she sent him a video back, teasing him with the Ben Wa balls she’d bought to experiment with during their phone sex.
She’d woken up this morning with a voice note waiting for her.
“I can’t believe you just did that. The things I’m going to do to you, you won’t be able to sit for days,” Jake’s voice had said through the speaker.
It had made her laugh and blush at the same time.
The images is voice ignited in her mind of what he would do to her, did nothing to dampen the lust swirling in her core. But as she went about her day, that lust had morphed into something more like sad desperation.
She needed Jake more than what he needed her.
He had everything back home—his family, his daughter, friends.
Holly had nobody.
She never should have taken this year abroad.
She was miserable without them. Just ten more months, and she would go home. Ten more months.
* * *
JAKE
Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Kate, please.”
“I told you before. I’m not going to keep you from seeing Michael, Jake, but she can’t be there.”
“She’s my daughter, Kate.”
“He wouldn’t understand it.”
“He’s fucking two years old. Jamie won’t understand it either, but I’m willing to let her meet him and accept him as part of my life. You’re being unreasonable.”
“I’m unreasonable?” Hollow laugher reached his ears through the phone.. “You cheating on me was unreasonable, Jake. If she thinks that you are—”
“Damn it, Kate. I told you I was sorry, but I couldn’t lie anymore. I couldn’t live that lie anymore. I cheated on you because of who she was, not because she was a fucking strawberry blonde. I told you all my reasons, and that I can’t live without her. I felt like a dog, but I’m no longer going to feel like one. My daughter stays. If you can’t find it in your heart to give her a chance, then I’m sorry. But she’s not going anywhere just to soothe your insecurities. Can I please come pick up Michael tonight?”
“No.”
The call cut out and Jake swore under his breath.
He wanted to scream.
Michael was only two, and Jake was the only father he knew. Jake had changed his diapers, sat with him while he was sick, loved him like he was his own. Kate was being such a bitch. And the more he dealt with Kate, the less shitty he felt about the affair he’d had with Holly while they were still together.
A message popped up and he swiped on the screen, hoping it was Holly.
To his delight, it was a video from her. He had a sneaking feeling what it would be, and decided to wait until he was alone. If the video was anything like the kinky photos she’d sent him—her breasts, covered in lace, bare; her stomach, with her hand splayed out on her abdomen; her ass, clad in briefs or a thong—then he was in for something especially sexy.
And he was almost certain she’d reciprocate after the video he’d sent her of him jacking off. He couldn’t help it—her sexy photos had made him so hard.
She’d cussed at him and told him that he shouldn’t mess with her like that. Then she’d gotten teary, because the distance between them was too much for her. That had led to full-blown sobbing, and Jake had struggled to handle that.
She missed all of them just so much and he couldn’t bear the thought that she was miserable.
So, he did the only thing he could think off. He booked a flight to Zurich. He was basically just counting off the hours now. He had hoped he’d be able to see Michael before he left, but Kate was impossible.
Exhaling, he went to his office and took out his phone.
He hit play on the video Holly had sent him, and a goofy grin played on his lips. Holly was in a naughty mood.
Fuck, she looked hot. Her shoulder-length curls bounced as she shifted her head, and she’d put sultry, smoky makeup on. With the barely-there red dress, she looked every inch the seductress.
He took a shaky breath. Even from thousands of miles away, she managed to knock the breath out of him.
“If you think I forgot about that sexy, and oh so hot movie you sent me, you made a huge mistake, Dr. Peters.”
She winked at him, her hands running up and down her body, then her fingers slipped deftly under her skimpy dress and slipped her panties down her legs.
What are you doing, woman?
She lay down on her bed, grinned slyly at the camera, then slowly, teasingly, slid her legs open.
Jake’s breath hitched and he nearly choked on his spit when Holly’s bare pussy greeted his sight.
He switch off the video—it wasn’t the right time or place to watch this—and put his phone back into his pocket.
He only had time for three deep breaths as he tried to push the image out of his mind. He had another consultation to get to, and it wouldn’t be really professional if he thought dirty thought while dealing with his patients.
He willed the hours away, desperate to reach for the phone, that felt like it was burning a hole in his pocket. All he wanted was to watch the rest of that video.
Finally, the day was over. He dropped Jamie and her myriad of belongings off at Amelia’s house—she’d be staying there while he was in Zurich, and he had an early flight to New York in the morning—and gave her a million kisses, before heading back home.
He settled onto his bed and eagerly took out his phone, scrolling to the video and hitting play. It started off right where he’d stopped, and he watched with interest as Holly’s open glory stared at him.
Her fingers drifted through her slick folds, and she moaned his name.
He felt his erection grow hard and he chuckled to himself as Holly’s moans grew louder, her breaths coming out in pants
Fuck, he wanted to be there right now, wanted to feast on her. The hours until he saw her needed to go by faster.
You little minx.
“Jake, I’m going to come,” Holly moaned.
“Don’t say that to me,” he groaned. Her moaning and breathy sighs that were playing through the tiny speakers of his phone was tearing him apart.
He’d never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her. The weeks without her was even harder than the five years they’d spent apart.
His eyes widened as she pulled at a string he hadn’t noticed, and a Ben Wa ball came out as she cried her orgasm.
He increased the pace of his strokes in his hand gripping his cock tightly as she pulled out the next Ben Wa ball and a scream of pleasure tore through her body.
He quickly hit the replay and when Holly reached her orgasm again, Jake’s was right there with her.
When his breath had evened out he sent her a voice note. “I can’t believe you just did that. The things I’m going to do to you, you won’t be able to sit for days.” He laughed and hit send.
Two
HOLLY
Holy opened her eyes, but there was no need to rush out of bed. Today was her off day.
She stretched lazily and got out of bed, trudging over to the calendar on the other wall and crossing off another day. Her heart nearly broke just thinking about Jamie. She yearned to have her little arms wrapped around her neck. And she wouldn’t mind being wrapped around Jake.
She send him a voice note to let him know she was getting ready for their virtual date.
After a quick shower, she threw on a pair of jeans and a sexy, low-cut top. It was a bit much for seven a.m., but it was one a.m. in New York.
If it wasn’t for their breakfast slash midnight virtual date, she would’ve stayed in bed.
Jake was in New York. He’d had a meeting there, and his flight was only leaving later today.
Lucky for her, New York was a city that never slept, and Jake had promised to go to one of the busy restaurants that stayed open till really late, so it would at least feel like a date, and not just a normal Skype call.
Satisfied with her appearance, she grabbed her keys and phone. She was slightly disappointed that he hadn’t replied yet, and a part of her was worried that he might have fallen asleep, but nevertheless, she headed over to the small coffee shop around the corner from her apartment. It was far too expensive for her taste, and already packed this early in the morning.
Endless Love: The 4Ever series #3 Page 2