The One He's Been Looking For

by Joanna Sims

  “Neither am I.”

  “I’d like to take you home with me.” There was a gruff, sexy quality to Ian’s voice and Jordan knew that his mind had turned to lovemaking ever since their passionate embrace on the beach.

  “Okay.” She snuggled more deeply into his body. He was so solid and strong and smelled so spicy and masculine. She couldn’t wait to strip down and feel his naked skin against hers once again.

  When they reached downtown San Diego, the driver turned into the underground parking garage of one of the two highest high-rises. Jordan swiveled her head around. “This is Harbor Club Towers. You live here?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re neighbors!” Jordan exclaimed, surprised. “I live just two blocks north of here.”

  “I know,” Ian said cryptically.

  “Why so secretive?”

  “I like my privacy. No one bothers me here.”

  “That’s because no one actually knows that you live here!”

  He smiled as he pulled her back into his arms. “Exactly.”

  They took the elevator all the way up to Ian’s two-story penthouse. When he opened the heavily carved, ornate door, Jordan felt as if she had been immediately transported into another world.

  “Wow! This looks like something right out of Town and Country mag.” She pointed to a large empty spot in the entrance. “That’s the perfect place for a painting. You could put one in that alcove with some down lighting.”

  When they reached the second-floor landing, Ian asked, “Do you like it?”

  At the top of the grand staircase, Jordan was met with an unfettered view of the city and San Diego Bay. The view was spectacular, but the decor seemed way too ornate and fussy to be Ian’s taste.

  “The view is amazing,” she said, trying to highlight the positives.

  “But...?”

  “But...the decor is a little too...”

  “French country revival gone wrong?”

  She laughed. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

  Ian shrugged out his jacket and laid it across the back of one of the plush, overstuffed couches that faced a curved wall crafted entirely from floor-to-ceiling glass panels.

  “I bought it for the views. It came furnished, and one day, when I’ve got the time, I’ll change it.”

  “It’s easy to overlook the furniture with a view like that,” Jordan agreed. “I bet they’re even more incredible during the day.”

  Ian pulled out the cork from a wine bottle, felt for the edge of a glass and then replaced his fingers with the lip of the bottle. He poured them each a glass of sweet red wine. “You’ll be able to see for yourself in the morning,” he said as he held out her glass to her. He lifted his own glass and let her touch her rim to his. “Cheers.”

  Jordan hadn’t been sure if he intended for her to stay overnight, but now that he had said as much, she felt herself relax as she sipped on her wine. She wanted to stay with Ian overnight. In fact, she wanted to stay with him more than she should.

  “Let’s go out onto the balcony.” He walked toward one of the French doors facing the bay. “I want you to see the view from outside.”

  Jordan walked outside, felt the cool breeze on her face, heard the city sounds drifting up from the streets far below and felt as if she was standing on top of the world. They were higher than anyone else in the city and the uninterrupted views stretched before them for miles.

  “It’s incredible, Ian. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said when she reached the balcony railing.

  Ian walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned her head back against his shoulder.

  “And now you know how I felt the first time I saw you....” He kissed the side of her neck.

  Jordan shivered. She wasn’t certain if it was from the cool night air or the feel of Ian’s lips on her skin. She turned in his arms and found his lips with hers.

  “Take me to bed,” she whispered. “I’ve been away from you for too long.”

  Wordlessly, Ian took her glass from her fingers and placed it on a nearby table. He returned to her side and then swept her up into his arms. Jordan wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to the master bedroom, where she stretched out across the bed and waited for him to join her. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and then made short work of her top, jeans, panties and bra.

  She reached for him, but Ian held back. This time, he wanted to take his time; he wanted to drive Jordan wild before he brought their bodies together.

  She willingly relinquished control to him as he loved her body all over with his fingers and his lips and his tongue. When he finally gathered her up in his arms and pressed his flesh into hers, she felt as if her body was on fire. He took her to the edge of ecstasy again and again only to pull back and leave her aching for more.

  “I’m so in love with you, Jordan,” he said as he slowly, thankfully, joined their bodies together.

  Jordan gasped when he buried himself deep inside her. She called out his name as an intense orgasm exploded through the core of her being. Ian held her tightly as the orgasm ebbed, and then he began to take her on another climb, another journey, toward another peak. She felt his love for her with every touch and every kiss and every thrust of his hips as he rocked into her body. Jordan wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him as his thick muscles began to tense and tighten.

  Ian crushed her in his arms and buried his face in her neck as his body shuddered with his own intense orgasm. Jordan hugged him tightly to her and laughed unbelievingly at the lovemaking she had just experienced.

  “I love you, Ian.” She kissed his cheek and tasted the salt from his perspiration on her lips. “So very much.”

  He rolled onto his side, as he always did, and took her with him so she was still in his arms. “I love you, too, beautiful.”

  Jordan curled her body around his and closed her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she would love and be loved by someone as wonderful as Ian Sterling. But this was her life. It wasn’t a dream. And in that moment, she felt incredibly lucky, incredibly blessed.

  “Jordan?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Could you imagine yourself living here?”

  Her eyes popped open and she lifted herself up slightly so she could look at his face. “It’s not exactly the kind of home I’ve ever pictured for myself.”

  “What if you had free rein to change it so it did feel like home to you?”

  “What are you saying, Ian? That you want me to move in with you?”

  “Maybe not tomorrow, or even next week, but...eventually. Yes. And I was just wondering if this is a place you could learn to love....”

  “Ian, I’m so crazy about you I’d live with you in a cardboard box.”

  “Let’s hope we can always do a little bit better than a cardboard box.” Ian’s arms tightened around her. “And you’ll stay with me tonight—so you can see the views in the morning?”

  She put her head back down on his chest. “Yes. I’ll stay with you tonight. And if you have all the ingredients, I’ll cook my world-famous French toast for you.”

  “How are you at late-night cooking?” Ian asked.

  She propped herself up on her elbow. “Are you hungry?”

  “Famished.”

  Jordan sat all the way up and scooted to the edge of the bed. “Well, then, come on—get up, GQ. Let’s go see what you’ve got in that gourmet kitchen of yours.”

  * * *

  Jordan cooked up some omelets with the hodgepodge of ingredients Ian had in his cabinets, and then they ate and drank wine and talked late into the night. In the morning, after one of the best sleeps she’d ever had in California, she awakened to an empty bed. She slipped on one of Ian’s button-
down shirts before she hunted him down in the home gym.

  “Good morning.” She smiled at him.

  “Nice outfit.” He smiled at her.

  Jordan performed a curtsy. “Gracias, señor.”

  Ian slowed the treadmill to walking speed and grinned at her. He was wearing his sunglasses, protecting his eyes from the bright morning light pouring through the giant windows.

  “I’ll be done in a minute. I made coffee,” he said as he started to increase the speed again.

  “My hero. Meet me out on the balcony when you’re done.” Jordan blew him a kiss before she headed back to the kitchen. She poured herself a mug of coffee, went out onto the balcony and sank down into a comfortable lounge chair. The view was even more spectacular during the day. The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless, turquoise-blue sky and it felt warm as it touched her skin, but not too hot. It was perfect.

  Ian soon joined her, sweaty and sexy in a tank top and workout shorts. He sat down in a chair next to hers and put his feet up on the coffee table.

  “Now how do you like the view?” he asked as he wiped the sweat off his face and neck with a towel.

  “Ridiculously amazing.” She held her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. “Well worth the sleepover.”

  He smiled at her suggestively. “I hope a few other things made the sleepover worthwhile.”

  Jordan returned his smile, but it faded slightly as she looked from him to the beautiful penthouse views. A depressing thought reverberated in her brain: not only was Ian on the brink of losing photography, which was his life’s passion, but he was slowly, incrementally, losing these views he had worked so hard to attain. It made the undercurrent of frustrated energy that emanated from him more understandable.

  “Ian?” Jordan put her coffee cup down and straightened her spine.

  “Hmm?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about something and I guess now is as good a time as any....”

  “What’s up?” He rested his arm across the back of the chair.

  “Well, ever since you told me that you have Stargardt, I’ve been trying to educate myself about it...researching it online.”

  “Okay.”

  “And a lot of the sites say that people with Stargardt disease need to see a doctor who specializes in low vision for regular checkups....”

  Ian brought his arm down off the back of the couch. “Dylan talked to you....”

  “Yes,” she said plainly. “He did. He’s worried about you. But so am I. And if you haven’t seen a doctor recently, then I want you to go.”

  Ian leaned forward, rested his elbows on his thighs and rubbed his hands over his shorn hair several times. He blew out his breath before he looked over at Jordan. He hadn’t known her all that long, but he did know her well enough to suspect that she wasn’t going to let up until she got her way.

  “I don’t like to go to the doctor, Jordan. All they do is dole out lousy news.”

  “I understand that, Ian. And I even understand you not wanting to go. But we need to know what’s going on with your eyes. I mean—have you noticed any changes since the last time you had a checkup? Have you consulted with someone who sells low-vision products? I remember everything we had to do with my grandpa. There’s a lot that needs to be managed here....”

  Ian stood up and walked over to the edge of the balcony. There was part of him that wanted to tell Jordan to mind her own business, to let him handle it in his own way, in his own time. But he knew she was right. And he knew that his right eye had taken a turn for the worse while he was in Curaçao; he just didn’t know how much of a turn. Perhaps it was time to find out.

  He leaned back against the railing and crossed his arms on his chest. “If I set up the appointment, will you go with me?”

  Jordan’s heart skipped a beat as she nodded. “Of course.”

  He crossed over to her, bent down, tilted her chin up with his finger so he could kiss her on the lips. “All right,” he agreed. “I’ll set it up later. But in the meantime, do you want to join me in the shower?”

  “You mean in that shower built for ten?” Jordan accepted Ian’s extended hand. “Lead the way, GQ.”

  Chapter Twelve

  The next two weeks flew by for Jordan. As good as his word, Ian had the space upstairs cleared out, and she moved all her painting gear there. And once she was settled in, she threw herself into her first piece. When she wasn’t painting, she was on set with Ian, modeling for his book. He wanted to feature all his favorite San Diego spots in it. They’d already had a photo shoot at Petco Park and the San Diego Zoo. And over the next few weeks he had planned photo shoots at Balboa Park, as well as the floating navel museum, the USS Midway. Whether they were working or playing, they had become an inseparable pair. They were permanent fixtures in each other’s lives, and Ian insisted that his crew treat Jordan with respect. Even Violet, who hadn’t been one of her fans from day one, was cordial. And Jordan’s twin, Josephine, had also given Ian the stamp of approval. So at the moment, it seemed as if their relationship was totally on track.

  Jordan looked at her watch to check the time and then put down her paintbrush. She washed her hands, freshened up and headed downstairs to get Ian.

  She poked her head around the room divider. “Are you ready?”

  He was leaning toward the computer screen and squinting through his reading glasses at the most recent images he had captured for the book.

  “Is it time already?” he asked. She could hear the beginning resistance in his voice.

  “Yep,” Jordan said. “Come on. I don’t want to be late.”

  “Maybe we should go another day. I’m right in the middle of something here.”

  She walked over to his computer and turned off the monitor. “We’re going.”

  Ian sighed audibly as he stood up. “Why don’t we call them and see if we can set up an appointment for next month...?”

  Jordan stepped behind him and pushed on the small of his back. “No. This doctor is booked for months. We’re just lucky that someone canceled and you got the appointment. So you’re going. David’s downstairs with the car, so let’s boogie.”

  Ian was agitated and irritable all the way to the doctor’s office, but Jordan refused to let it sway her from the task at hand. They both needed to know how far the disease had progressed; it was just too important to be put on the back burner. Once there, he signed in and handed the receptionist his insurance card, driver’s license and the stack of papers they had downloaded from the doctor’s website.

  “This is a waste of time,” Ian said gruffly as he put his license back in his wallet and sat down next to Jordan. “I have a ton of stuff that I needed to get done today.”

  “Name one thing that is more important than this?” she asked him a loud whisper.

  He glanced at her and repeated, “This is a waste of time.”

  “Well, I don’t think it is. And Dylan doesn’t think so, either....”

  Jordan felt completely calm and in control the entire time they were in the waiting room, but the minute they were called back by the nurse, she broke out into a whole-body flop sweat. Ian sat down in the exam chair while she perched herself on the edge of the chair by the door. For both their sakes, she was glad that it didn’t take long for the doctor to knock on the door. A slender, high-octane man in his late thirties entered the room.

  “Ian, it’s nice to see you again!” Dr. Harlow shook his hand. “It’s been a long time.”

  Ian nodded at Jordan. “Jordan convinced me it was time to come in and get checked out.”

  “I’m glad she did. I’m glad she did.” Dr. Harlow shook her hand before he sat down on a rolling stool. “It’s important for folks to get their eyes checked every year, but it’s even more important for anyone who’s been diagnose
d with any type of macular degeneration to come on in for regular checkups.” He looked back and forth between them as he spoke. “So let’s get down to brass tacks—how have things been going with your eyes? What concerns do you have, and what changes have you noticed?”

  “My left eye seems like it’s a lot worse. If I close my right eye, most of what I should be able to see directly in front of me—” Ian pointed to where Jordan was sitting “—is really blurry. I know Jordan is sitting there, but I can only see her shoes and the lower part of her legs.”

  “How’s your peripheral vision working for you?”

  “Lately, I’ve had to rely on it more than I’d like to with my left eye,” Ian said. “But the thing that’s really been bothering me is this new blind spot in my right eye. I’m a professional photographer and if my right eye goes—” he shook his head “—I don’t know how I’ll be able to work.”

  “I can understand your concern. When did you first notice this change in your right eye?” the doctor asked as he input notes on the laptop.

  “A little over a month ago.”

  “All right....” Dr. Harlow nodded. “Any signs of night blindness?”

  “No. Not yet,” Ian said. “Just extreme sensitivity to bright light.”

  “And,” Jordan interjected, “I’ve noticed that Ian has a lot of trouble with depth perception. He’ll reach for something and either miss it or knock it over....”

  Dr. Harlow spun the stool toward her. “That’s because we need both eyes to be able to perceive depth, and right now, Ian’s left eye isn’t pulling its share of the load. Make sense?”

  “Yes.” She nodded.

  “Okay.” Dr. Harlow stood up. “So I want to give you a thorough exam today. I’d like to dilate your eyes....”

  “I’d rather not do that.” Ian shook his head. “I have a lot of work to do and I don’t want my eyes to be all screwed up for the rest of the day. More than they already are.”

  “I completely understand your reticence,” he said. “But the drops I have will only keep you dilated for ten, fifteen minutes tops. I want to see how your eyes are functioning with visual acuity, color acuity and field, but I’d also like to take some images of your retina so we can check any changes in the macula compared to the baseline images we took on your last visit, and unfortunately, that requires dilation.”