The Mommy Makeover

by Kristi Gold

  She welcomed the sensations incited by his deliberate yet gentle touch, but it took only a matter of moments before the pressure rapidly escalated and a forceful climax took hold. She was lost in the incredible pleasure until awareness and unease settled over her. “I’m sorry,” she said when Kieran leveled his gaze on her. “It’s been a long time.”

  He kissed her softly. “No apology necessary. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

  In the minutes that followed, Kieran proved that to be true, with his hands, with his mouth, with sensual words of encouragement. Erica was amazed by his skill, by her own body’s response, the absolute euphoria that went straight to her head. And by the time he finally slipped into her body, she was on the verge of tears.

  Erica refused to cry, and she didn’t while Kieran moved inside her, his power and control apparent with every deep thrust. She couldn’t think when the next climax she hadn’t contemplated arrived with a vengeance. After she recovered, she thought of nothing more than the sensory details—his damp skin and the flex of his muscles beneath her hands. The way his respiration picked up cadence, harder and harder, right before he shuddered, then stilled against her. She truly valued these aftermath moments, the feel of his weight, the sound of his satisfied sigh, the knowledge that he’d gained as much gratification as she had. She realized then how much she had missed over the years, how she hadn’t even allowed herself to imagine this intimacy with another living soul. How close she felt to him at that moment, in spite of the possible risk to her heart.

  After a few more moments, Kieran released a long groan before he rolled to his back, taking her with him. And when she glimpsed that wonderful smile, the one he always gave her when she’d done something right, the tears she’d tried so hard to retain fell against his chest.

  His smile faded and concern took its place. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  She swiped her fingertips over her damp eyes. “They’re not those kind of tears, and I’m not sad.” How could she explain what he had done for her? She could only try and hope that he understood. “For the first time in a very long time, I finally feel whole and alive again.”

  All the ways he’d given her pleasure, all the proof he’d provided that he was the consummate lover, paled in comparison to what Kieran O’Brien—the tough guy with the heart of gold and the strength of a hundred men—did next. He took her in his arms, smoothed his hands over her hair and whispered, “You’re going to be okay.”

  “Are you awake?”

  Kieran opened his eyes to find Erica seated beside him on the edge of the bed, coffee cup in hand. She was fresh faced, wide-awake and fully clothed, while he was half-asleep, practically dead to the world and buck naked. He had her to thank for that. All of it. Of course, he could have taken her home the day before and saved some of his strength. He could have kept his hands off her the previous two nights, and most of yesterday, but he hadn’t. In fact, he wanted his hands on her now, and he wanted her naked again.

  “What day is it?”

  “It’s Sunday, and I was beginning to think you weren’t going to get up.”

  He rolled to his back and stacked his hands behind his head. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m already up.”

  Her gaze shot to his groin before she nailed him with a sultry look. “I see that, but before you get any ideas, remember I have to pick up my child in a few hours.”

  “True.” He’d almost forgotten about Stormy’s return to Houston. Then again, his thoughts had been centered on Stormy’s mother. “Where have you been?”

  “I went for a run on the beach.”

  He glanced at the clock to discover it was close to noon. He hadn’t slept this late since college. “Why didn’t you wake me? I would’ve gone with you.”

  “I tried,” she said as she set the cup down on the nightstand. “You wouldn’t budge.”

  “That’s because you put me in a sex-induced coma.”

  She playfully slapped at his exposed rib cage. “I don’t recall you issuing any protests.”

  “And I didn’t know you were so deceptive. Behind those dimples and that farm-girl face resides a damn wicked woman.”

  She stretched out on top of him and rested her chin on his chest. “You’ve only scratched the surface, O’Brien.”

  Oh, yeah, he figured as much. Unfortunately, they were down to the last condom and running out of time. And he needed what time they had left to include an honest discussion. On that thought, he kissed her forehead and told her, “Before I do any more surface scratching, we need to talk.”

  She looked worried. Extremely worried. “What’s this about?”

  “If you’ll let me put some clothes on, I’ll tell you.”

  After Erica stood, Kieran climbed from the bed, retrieved a pair of pajama bottoms from the bureau and slipped them on. He turned to find Erica standing as stiff as the headboard. What he had to say to her wouldn’t be easy, but he couldn’t leave here without getting some things out in the open.

  He sat on the edge of the mattress and patted the spot beside him. “Sit.” She did, slowly. “First of all,” he said, “I’m resigning as your personal trainer.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not abandoning you. I’m going to have Evie take over your program, which means I’ll still be helping you unofficially.”

  “I don’t understand.” Her expression made that perfectly clear.

  Because he frankly sucked at true confessions, he took a second to prepare to tell her exactly how he felt. To say what he should have said to her last night, when he talked to her about a hell of a lot of things he’d never discussed with any other women, including his sour relationship with his twin. She’d listened to him then. He hoped she listened to him now.

  “I’ve had two long-term relationships, but neither worked out,” he began. “I even came close to being engaged about a year ago, before that relationship went south. I’m not a saint, but I’m not a player, either. Once I commit to someone, I commit completely. And I want to commit to this relationship with you. I realize there aren’t any guarantees it will work, but I want to try it, if you’re willing.”

  Either she was in shock, or still struggling to absorb his suggestion, because it took a few moments before she asked, “Do you mean you and me, as a couple?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

  “Dating?”

  “That’s usually what couples do.” He took her hands into his. “You don’t have to decide right now. I needed you to know that I care about you and I want to be with you beyond this weekend.”

  She came to her feet and paced a few times before returning to stand before him. “This isn’t just the great sex talking, is it?”

  It wasn’t about the sex. It hadn’t been from the day he’d met her.

  He grabbed her hand and tugged her forward between his parted knees. “I consider the sex a perk, your smart mouth a challenge and your courage unbelievable. Your kid’s pretty great, too.”

  She pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide. “If we do this, I’ll have to tell Stormy.”

  “Do you think she’s going to care?”

  “I know she won’t because I asked her.” Color spread over her cheeks. “Not about you specifically, of course. I asked her if she’d mind if I dated someone, and she said no, as long as it was someone like you.”

  Smart kid. “Good. Since that’s resolved, what do you say? Do we see each other outside the gym? Or do we continue the way we’ve been, fighting our attraction to each other until we’re both half-insane?”

  Finally, she smiled. “We know that doesn’t work.” She studied the ceiling for a moment before bringing her gaze back to him. “I guess my answer is, why not? I can’t think of anything better to do.”

  Overcome by a strong sense of satisfaction, he fell back onto the bed, pulling her down on top of him. “How about we both get naked and get wicked?”

  “We don’t have a lot of time and we still nee
d to shower.”

  He kissed her hard and quick, before setting them both back on their feet. “Then let’s go conserve some water.”

  She felt as if she’d been on a nonstop thrill ride since she’d left work on Friday. The thought that Kieran wanted more than only a weekend kept the butterflies stirring in Erica’s belly, all the way to the airport and back home again. Stormy had talked incessantly most of the trip, until she’d fallen asleep, totally unaware when Kieran carried her into the house and laid her on the bed.

  Erica stood in the doorway and watched Kieran remove her daughter’s shoes and cover her with the throw from the end of the bed before he shut off the lamp. He was going to make an excellent father and husband, a thought that caused her to take a mental step back. She saw no good reason to start picket-fence dreaming only hours after their decision to pursue a relationship. In fact, she decided not to mention anything to Stormy for at least another few days. Why, she couldn’t say. Maybe she still didn’t quite believe it herself. Maybe she feared Kieran might change his mind once the weekend excitement evaporated. Maybe she was being too cautious, but she’d rather err on that side than have to let her daughter down later. Yet when he met her at the door, slipped his arm around her waist and walked her down the hallway, she couldn’t quell her wishful thinking.

  After they reached the living room, he brought her fully into his arms and kissed her softly. “Think she’s out for the night?”

  “It’s still fairly early, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up in an hour or two.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  Erica knew what he was thinking—she’d been thinking it, too. But having Kieran spend the night wasn’t a good idea. “Before you try to whisk me away into the bedroom, and believe me that normally wouldn’t bother me, I don’t want to risk Stormy finding out about us before I have a chance to talk to her. Not to mention she’s at an impressionable age.”

  “You’re right,” he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Finding time to be alone could be tough.”

  “That’s what sleepovers are for.”

  He grinned. “And surrogate grandparents, which reminds me. You should know up front what being an O’Brien girlfriend entails.”

  Erica couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry. That whole girlfriend thing sounds so strange to me, especially at my age.”

  “I think it’s better than referring to you as my lover, especially in front of my mother.”

  “True. Girlfriend it is.” Which made him her boyfriend. She’d never thought she’d have one of those again.

  “Anyway,” he continued. “You’ll have an open invitation to Sunday lunch and any other get-togethers that might occur, including the holidays. But then you’ll probably want to spend Christmas with your folks, and that’s okay.”

  Talk of family gatherings and holidays gave Erica a fuzzy feeling inside. “Actually, I just learned that my parents are spending the holiday with my brother and his new girlfriend in Seattle this year.”

  “That settles it then. You and Stormy can come with me to Mom and Dad’s. A word of warning, though. My mother really gets into the whole holiday thing. She cooks most of the week before.”

  Erica had only celebrated in the past for Stormy’s sake. This year she might have something solid to celebrate, namely finding a man who had strong values and an equally strong support system. But that was still a month away, and anything could happen in a month. “Speaking of cooking, I could make some dinner for us, if you’re hungry.”

  He had that “I’m starving” look in his eye, but not necessarily for food. “No thanks. I’m going to go home now and let you catch up on your sleep.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to hang around awhile longer?”

  “Yeah, I do, and that’s why I need to leave. Otherwise, I can’t be responsible for my actions because right now, making out with you in the Porsche is starting to sound real good.”

  Making out and boyfriends. She felt like a teenager again. “That’s sounds tempting, but with my luck, we’d get caught. Maybe we should try it some other time.”

  He bent and ran kisses along her jaw. “We still have a lot to try.”

  After all they’d done this past weekend, she had a hard time believing they hadn’t covered most everything. Then again, this was Kieran, who’d had no qualms about guiding her into a level of intimacy she’d never before experienced. And if she kept thinking about that, she could find herself playing backseat bingo without regard to common decency and her advanced age. “As much as I hate for you to go, I do have a few things to do to get ready for work tomorrow and you’ll only distract me.”

  He grinned. “Are you going to write about us in your diary?”

  He wished—and she was. “Yes. I’m going to record how I became a human pretzel at the hands of a tremendously creative lover.”

  “Like my dad once said, those gymnasts are a flexible lot. You definitely proved that to me in the shower earlier.”

  This kind of talk had gotten them into trouble before. If Erica didn’t encourage his departure, they could propel past that no-return point in record time. “Get out now before I call Lucy and tell her you’re being a bad boy.”

  “She’d never believe it, and I’m going.”

  But he didn’t go until he had kissed her back to the boneless stage, where she’d been almost all of the past forty-eight hours. Kieran’s cell phone served as a somewhat timely interruption, although he didn’t seem to appreciate that at all, apparent by his irritable greeting. And although she couldn’t discern the content of the conversation, she did sense something wasn’t quite right.

  After saying, “I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Kieran flipped the phone closed and shoved it back into his hip pocket. “That was my brother Devin, the doctor. He asked me to stop by the hospital on the way home because he has some serious issue he needs to discuss with me.”

  Erica’s heart began to beat erratically the minute she heard hospital. “Is something wrong with one of the family?”

  “He didn’t provide any details.” He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”

  Erica followed him to the door, and when he stepped on the porch, she said, “I hope everything’s okay.”

  “It could be just another baby on the way.” He attempted a smile that fell short of fully forming. “It’s probably nothing.”

  He’d never seen his brother look so serious, although when in doctor mode, Devin was always serious. But not to this degree.

  The leather chair Kieran sat in across from Devin’s desk was growing less comfortable by the minute, mostly due to his brother’s silence. And he couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. “Just spill it, Dev.”

  After picking up a folder, Devin cleared his throat. “What I’m about to tell you now isn’t pleasant. In fact, it’s the worst thing we’ve faced as a family.”

  Kieran’s imagination began to take several turns, none of which were good. “Is something wrong with Dad?”

  “No. It’s Kevin. He’s seriously ill.”

  Of all the family members Devin could have named, Kevin would have been the last on Kieran’s list of possibilities. Granted, his twin lived in the fast lane, but he hadn’t been sick a day since childhood. Then he remembered Kevin’s appearance last Thursday. The signs that he’d chalked up to a hangover. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Devin opened the folder. “He has idiopathic aplastic anemia, which means his bone marrow has stopped making new blood cells. It has no known cause.”

  Kieran’s mind reeled from the possibilities, one in particular that he immediately rejected. “What are they doing to treat this?”

  “For the past few months, he’s been undergoing transfusions under the care of a hematologist.”

  “For the past few months? Why the hell hasn’t he told anyone?”

  “He didn’t want anyone to worry, especially Mom.”

  Understandable
considering how she’d always fretted over Kevin, whether he needed it or not. “And these transfusions are helping him?”

  “They’re sustaining him,” Devin said. “But they won’t for much longer.”

  “I’m not understanding any of this, Dev.”

  He looked away for a minute before returning his grim gaze back to Kieran. “It’s not good.”

  Unable to sit still any longer, Kieran shot to his feet. “I don’t know what the hell you’re saying, Devin, but I want you to just say it!”

  Devin’s hesitation was telling, the silence deafening, the truth unbelievable.

  “Kevin’s dying.”

  Chapter Eleven

  In that moment, Kieran felt as if he’d stepped into a never-ending nightmare, the kind that wouldn’t let go, even long after you awakened. The strength he’d always coveted seeped away and he dropped back into the chair. No matter how angry he’d been with Kevin over the years, he couldn’t stop the sadness. He couldn’t accept the diagnosis, either. “In this day and age, are you telling me there’s no cure?”

  Devin leaned back in the chair and streaked a palm over his jaw. “Actually, there is a possible cure, and that’s where you come in. Kevin needs a bone-marrow transplant, and since you’re identical twins, you have the same antigens. That makes you the ideal marrow donor.”

  “And it’s a guaranteed fix?”

  “About a seventy-percent chance, barring complications. The process before the transplant can be dangerous. Kevin will have to be admitted into a transplant unit where he’ll receive medications and undergo chemotherapy to destroy his own marrow in preparation to receive yours.”

  Chemotherapy, bone-marrow transplants—words Kieran had never thought much about until now. “What would I have to do procedure-wise?”