“What?” Jill’s head lifted off his chest to glance up in alarm.
“Relax. No makeup dripping down your face. No clothes undone. Even the hair is good.” He smoothed a hand down the back of her head. “Only problem might be the hickey.” Holdin’s head swooped down and he took her open mouth, swallowing the words of surprise and thrusting into her.
Jill’s body responded to the dizzying invasion with a flash fire of reaction. This was what she’d been hungering for with the intensity of a starvation victim. Opening wider, she sucked him in and promptly forgot every word he’d just said. He invaded her with that kiss. Claiming her. Her arms tightened around his neck and her fingers sank into his hair again as she strained to get closer to him.
“How many rooms does a house have to have for y’all to find a private one?” Drifter drawled from the kitchen doorway.
Jill’s body jerked at the sound of his voice but Holdin’s didn’t. He ended the kiss gently and smiled into her face. Blinking up at Holdin dazedly, Jill couldn’t make sense of things for a moment. Holdin loosened his arms and stepped back from her while still holding her shoulders.
“Doesn’t matter, buddy. You’ll get used to it.” Holden flashed a grin at his son as he pulled out Jill’s chair for her. A bit unsteady, Jill sank into it. Holdin picked up his own chair and sat down to his plate again. “You get the brake pads?” he asked Drifter.
Drifter dropped a bag on the floor by the door and headed to the fridge.
“What pads?” Jill wanted to know as she watched her son, who’d eaten a huge breakfast earlier, pull out food and bread to start making a sandwich.
“That’s how it is?” Drifter shot a glance at Holdin then turned back to building a sandwich while he casually asked, “You okay, Mom?”
“I’m fine. I assume you’re asking about what you just saw?”
“Nope,” Drifter interrupted her. “Do not make me hear any details. I understand the concept of kissing. No need to explain.” Drifter brought his monster sandwich to the table and sat across from them. “I’m only askin’ if you’re upset or somethin’ coz of the stress thing.”
“Ah. Well, no. I’m not upset. What do you mean you understand the concept of kissing?” Jill added suspiciously, and leaned intently toward him across the table.
Drifter eyed her and a brow went up as he swallowed the huge bite he’d taken. “Mom, you have a hickey. Doubtful you can grill me at the moment.”
Holdin choked on some bacon and Jill jerked back in surprise. Her hand flew to the right side of her neck, covering the sensitive spot that always drove her nuts.
“You didn’t!” she gasped at Holdin, frowning fiercely.
“Now you’ve upset her,” Holdin told his son as he gulped coffee to wash down the food.
“Holdin Thomas, did you give me a hickey?” Jill demanded.
Holdin put down his fork and laying his arm along the back of her chair leaned down to study her neck as if he were checking. “I can’t tell. Let me get a closer look.” His lips nibbled the other side of her neck and Jill squealed as she jumped. She would have fallen off her chair if his arm hadn’t caught her.
“Hey!” Drifter jumped from his chair and half lunged across the table as Jill wobbled on her chair.
“Whoa, Jilly-girl. Easy now.” Holdin steadied her, his arm securely wrapped around her shoulders.
“Geez! Huge rule. No falling!” Drifter was still standing, leaning over the table, both fists planted on it as his stiff arms flexed in tense energy.
“I got her. No one’s falling,” Holden responded calmly.
Drifter’s face remained set in a grim scowl as he glared at Holdin, obviously placing the blame for the near fall squarely on the man’s shoulders. “Do you? Do you not get that jerking, abrupt changes in body attitude or possibly rhythmic movements are mondo bad? Think of her head as light-bulb-thin glass filled with liquid and one lead marble.”
“I will not hurt your mother.” Holdin met the young man’s gaze with calm confidence.
“Yeah? Your history says otherwise, man.”
“Drifter!!” Jill gasped.
Drifter turned his head to the side and clenched his teeth, but his body didn’t withdraw as he looked back into his mother’s eyes grimly. “Mom, how is it I exist if he’s so good at self-control? I know what happens when people exchange spit like the two of you were doing and it can’t happen now.”
“Drifter!” Jill repeated in sharp reprimand. “You will not speak to your father like that.”
“No. It’s all right,” Holdin interjected. “Those are legitimate concerns and in the circumstances he has a right to them.” Holdin’s hand squeezed Jill’s shoulder in reassurance as he looked his son in the eye. “You’re right. You have no reason to trust me. All I can do is tell you I have no intention of harming your mother or allowing her to come to harm. I understand your concerns and respect them.”
Drifter stood up slowly, his face flushed and he glanced away from them. Once more he was a fourteen-year-old boy and highly uncomfortable with the subject. He sat down and picked up the sandwich but looked back at Holdin without taking a bite. His back still stiff, Drifter almost visibly steeled himself as he continued. “Do you get what I meant?”
“I’m well aware of your meaning,” Holdin returned seriously. “However, my relationship with your mother is not up to you. We are together and I will guard her with my life as I would you. Do you understand my meaning?”
Jill glanced between to two males in outraged indignation. “You two will not discuss me like I’m some possession to be handed around. I can’t believe this. Both of you!” She looked at Drifter in amazement. “How in the world did you become just like him without even knowing him? I am not your responsibility and I’m not his. I’m fully capable of looking after myself.”
At her outrage, both males had the grace to look vaguely guilty. “Nobody is handing you around, Jill,” Holdin defended them.
“You think I’m just like him?” Drifter asked casually around a bite of sandwich.
Holdin hid a grin, picking up the fork and resumed eating too.
Jill snorted, an inelegant statement in itself. “Apparently my genetic input has been completely ignored. You’re a carbon copy,” she informed him.
Drifter chewed and grinned at her, hazel eyes twinkling in satisfaction and remarkably similar to the ones concentrating on his last bite of eggs across the table from him.
Charles Powell walked in and came up behind Drifter, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Ready to get started?”
Drifter gulped the last of his sandwich as Holdin took his plate to the sink. “You two doin’ the brakes?” Holdin asked.
“Yeah. We got pads earlier but I had a call to make when we got back. Thought we’d have a look-see,” Charles added casually as Drifter busily cleaned up where he’d been sitting too. Getting the sponge from the sink, Drifter wiped the table as well as the counter where he’d made his sandwich.
Holdin watched his son clean up after himself as he washed and rinsed his own plate. Pleasantly surprised again, he wasn’t stupid enough to comment on the boy’s self-sufficient attitude. “Dad is the best mechanic around. A rancher can fix anything with an engine and most things without one.”
“Mom, you hangin’ around the house?” Drifter asked as he picked up the bag he’d dropped by the kitchen door.
“Yes. Carol wanted to show me some photos.” Jill glanced at Holdin, who was leaning against the sink. “I’ll be here.”
Drifter nodded and left with Charles.
“I’ve got a few things to take care of in my office,” Holdin said as they left. “I’d like to spend some time with you after, Jilly-girl. Think you can fit me into the schedule?” He came over to hold her chair as she stood and took her mug to the sink.
“I’ll check my book.” Jill smiled as his hand landed at the small of her back and they walked out of the room. “For heaven’s sake, don’t mind me. I’m sure you’re a ve
ry busy man and have more than a few things to take care of.”
Holdin’s hand slid from her back around to her waist, tucking her under his arm instead of just walking with her. “Not anymore. I’m retired and I’m going to clear a few things up. We need some time.”
From the arched opening to the family room they could see Carol across the space at a card table with several photo albums stacked on it. Holdin pulled Jill to a stop and into his arms, his mouth taking hers with firm pressure that made the kiss more than a peck. She opened to his lips naturally and then he was lifting his head.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised as if he were going to some distant place. His arms tightened again and he took her mouth that had opened to reply to him in an even deeper kiss that moved as he explored the herb-tea taste of her.
Jill opened her eyes slowly as he drew away from her mouth. Her face was flushed and the pout of swollen lips glistened as she ran her tongue over her bottom lip.
“That was intense for just goin’ across the hall,” Jill purred.
“When weren’t we intense?” he asked as with his hand at her back, they joined Carol at the table.
Five minutes later Holdin was in his office with the door firmly shut. First order of business was putting in a call to a Dr. Coates, neurosurgeon at Presby Dallas. Last night in all the talk, Jill had explained her condition to his parents. In that explanation, Holdin had carefully noted the name of her doctor and the medical facility she was headed to. There were questions to be asked and that was the man with the answers.
Ten minutes later the callback came. Holdin had known it would. There were advantages to throwing around his name when he needed to.
“Mr. Powell, what can I do for you? I hope it’s nothing professional,” a congenial low tenor greeted Holdin.
“Thank you for the prompt callback, Dr. Coates. I’m aware your schedule must be full and I’ll only take a moment of your time.” Holdin covered the mutual admiration required to get another powerful male to deal with him. Establishing respect for a man who didn’t do heavy macho work was imperative. Otherwise they wasted too much of Holdin’s time trying to prove they were just as manly as any pro quarterback. Or worse, they’d spend the same amount of time trying to prove they were smarter than he was. Both were an irritating waste of time.
“Getting right to the point,” Holden continued. “Jill Smith is one of your patients, right?”
“Yes. Yes she is,” Coates confirmed in a tone of surprise.
“I assume you’re aware of where she was going before she would consent to surgery?”
“Oh, um, well, she did say in a vague way. You’re not…ah…you are?” Coates floundered.
“I see she didn’t mention the details, but yes. She was coming to see me,” Holdin confirmed, and was very pleased to realize Jill hadn’t gone into her story with the surgeon. Her silence respected him. “I’m calling because I need the whole story on her condition to ensure her safety. What are the biggest dangers to her health and how do you recommend ensuring her condition remains good?”
“Yes,” Coates said slowly, and Holdin could almost hear the man’s mind turning. “This must have been something of surprise for you. The two of you were hardly more than kids when you last saw each other?”
“We weren’t kids. However, neither of us was aware she was pregnant when we lost contact,” Holdin stated calmly to conceal his building irritation, and waited for his answers. He wasn’t about to add any information that wasn’t required on his history with Jill.
“Ah, the auto accident. Yes, of course. Most unfortunate. I can see why she was cagey about her story when she woke. If the press got a hold of this, it would be big news. I assume the paternity test is pending?”
“As I said, I don’t want to take up too much of your time, Dr. Coates. I was calling about her condition,” Holdin responded. “No need to bore you with irrelevant details.”
The press and those complications hadn’t occurred to Holdin. His focus had been so narrow on the amazing events of the last day that he’d completely overlooked the looming storm of media attention. Now that tangle of snakes and dragons bloomed in his mind. Damn!
“I see.” Coates voice became slightly clipped. He recognized the smackdown in Holdin’s response and wasn’t pleased. “Jill should be in a hospital bed with restricted movement. That is the optimum insurance for her condition. Since we couldn’t enforce that issue, all I can tell you is as little movement as possible. In fact, if the two of you have cleared up your issues as far as possible without the tests coming back, I’d like her to return immediately.”
“Are you moving up her surgery from Tuesday?” Holdin asked as he frowned over the doctor’s insisting on assuming he needed tests to ensure Drifter was his son. It was insulting but it was also how everyone else would react.
“No. Not unless her condition demands it. There simply is no reason for her to remain in your hair. Now that you have all the facts, I assumed you’d be ready to see her and her boy leave. Medically, I don’t approve of this trip. Had I known where she was going, I would have opposed it for personal reasons as well. I’m sure it has been emotionally taxing on Jill and she needs to be calm and relaxed. So let’s get it over.”
“You’ve assumed quite wrong,” Holdin stated using his low “furious leader” voice. The deep tone that had quietly and effectively berated young players into grasping that adult behavior was their only option. It was a combination growl and snarl and it came out naturally this time. “I’m calling to ensure she has the best possible care when I bring her in. Not to see how fast I can unload her. I will be involved with her care from here on out.”
“I see. You do have a public image for being generous with charity. I can assure you that she will be very well taken care of here. We have one of the preeminent BrainSUITEs in the world and neurosurgical cases come to us from all over the globe. Jill is covered under her insurance and I don’t see any problem with her receiving optimum benefit from every service we can provide. But it is nice to see chivalry is not dead.”
Coates gave Holdin no chance to respond as he went on. “I was part of the national fencing team while at Harvard. A large part of that was appreciating the standards gentlemen used to be judged by. Your generosity is a credit to your profession, Mr. Powell.”
Holdin sucked in a silent snarl at that obvious dumb jock insult that was meant to put him in his place. Apparently Coates wanted him to feel that place was considerably down the ladder from his own. Not likely. Also the reference to the fencing team was a male jab at proving he was as macho as any football jock but much more classy.
“Oh I agree,” Holdin concurred in a silky smooth tone. “There’s a lot to be said for a time when physical competition put an end to conflict between gentlemen. Pity we’re not so civilized today. However, I can’t imagine you, the surgeon, need to concern yourself with your patient’s finances. But since you have, be assured Jill’s expenses are covered. It’s not charity when it’s family. Thank you for your concern. I look forward to meeting you Monday, if not before.”
“Indeed,” Coates responded in as confident a tone as Holdin had used. There was not even a flicker of intimidation in it at the reference to physical competition. “Jill is an unusual woman. I take an interest in everything she needs. Right now she needs to be in the hospital. The sooner the better.”
“Thank you. I’ll see what I can do about that.”
“I’ll expect you then,” Coates acknowledged.
Holdin dropped the phone in its cradle and eased back in his chair to scowl at the door across from him. The doctor was an irritating wrinkle. The man apparently wanted Jill and wasn’t backing off. Holdin could smell competitive drive flowing through the phone when the bastard grasped the fact that Jill was neither charity nor an unwanted responsibility.
So his competition was a brain surgeon? Could have been worse, could have been a “rocket scientist”. Holdin grinned harshly at his own
joke. Didn’t matter, Jill had been his long before the king of the bastard nerds had seen her. She’d be his long after too.
His smile turned into pure animal bared teeth after several more calls. He had a very clear picture of the fact that Dr. Coates was one of the finest neurosurgeons in the country. The bastard was extremely well respected and a bunch of other smack that made his reputation impeccable. This paragon had made it clear that his medical recommendation was to get Jill back in the hospital as soon as possible. Holdin couldn’t ignore that. He hated it because it fucking scared him to death. The bastard might have made it plain that he had a personal interest but he still was her doctor and it was unlikely a man with his reputation would treat her medical condition lightly.
Holdin’s problem was how to get her to consent to returning to Dallas right away. He wasn’t in any position to order her back. He’d like to be in several positions with her, but not that one. Jesus! Anger rolled through him and he exploded out of his chair, sending it crashing to the floor. Pacing over to the fireplace and back across the large showplace study, he wanted to rip something apart.
Into His Keeping Page 9