by Carrie Elks
“Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl who loved music. And they met in a field full of instruments and fell for each other.”
“I like this part.” Isla smiled, her eyelids fluttering as she lost the fight against exhaustion. “This is when I was made.”
“That’s right. We decided to make you and grow you, but that I’d be the one to take care of you.”
“But one day I might meet my daddy.”
“Yes, one day.” Meghan’s voice was soft. “When we are all ready for it.”
“But I don’t need a daddy because I have you.”
Meghan smiled. “Yes, you do, baby.”
“And Rich. He’s like a daddy. He’s taking me swimming in the ocean now that my foot’s better.”
Meghan blew out a mouthful of air. “Let me finish the story.”
Isla’s lips curled. “Sorry. We were in the field, right?”
“That’s right.” Meghan stroked Isla’s warm brow.
“And the daddy and the mommy were growing a baby.”
Isla was fast asleep by the time she heard the knocking on her door. Meghan frowned and put her eye to the peephole, her heart doing a little skip when she saw Rich on the other side.
“Hey.” She smiled as she opened the door. “Everything okay?”
“Can I come in?” he asked. His jaw had a dark shadow of beard growth on it, and there was a tic where he might have been holding it too tight, and his hair was wet as though he’d just been in the shower.
“Sure.” She stepped aside, taking a deep breath in which she instantly regretted. The deep, masculine scent of his shower gel washed over her, making her muscles tense at his closeness.
“Is Isla awake?” His voice was low.
“She fell asleep an hour ago. She fights it, but once she’s down she’s usually asleep until morning.”
“That’s good. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Meghan inclined her head at the balcony. “We can talk out there if you want.” She could feel the edginess wafting off of him as he followed her closely to the balcony. His body was close enough that she could feel the warmth of him against her back. Unlatching the doors, she opened them wide and gestured for him to follow her.
“I don’t come out here very often,” she told him. “I know it’s supposed to be safe but the thought of Isla out here makes my stomach turn.”
“Mine too.” He nodded. “You’re doing the right thing by keeping it locked.”
She wondered how many injuries he’d seen from balconies. Maybe it was better not to know.
“So what’s up?” she asked. Rich put his forearm on the rail and looked out at the pool area and the darkening mountains beyond. She knew his view was much better – his side of the block overlooked the ocean, but a place like his was out of her means.
“Carlyn canceled Belle’s show.”
“What? How come?” Meghan frowned. “Why? I thought it was all agreed.”
“She told Belle there was another booking by her partner. A prior one. So Belle’s show couldn’t move forward.”
“Poor Belle.” Meghan bit her lip, thinking about Rich’s sister. “Can they rearrange?”
“According to Carlyn, there isn’t any other suitable dates.”
“Wait. Is this because of me? Did she cancel because she thinks we’re a couple?”
Rich pressed his lips together, and gave a slight nod. “She didn’t say as much, but it’s pretty obvious to me.”
“Can you sue her for breaking the contract?” Meghan asked.
“Yeah, but it won’t be worth the effort. And Belle still won’t have anywhere to have her show.” He blew out a mouthful of air. “I called Carlyn today but she wouldn’t budge an inch. Just asked me about you.” He sighed. “I’m going to have to get my lawyer to look over the contract. This whole thing was stupid. I’m sorry I dragged you into it.” He blinked, his thick eyelashes sweeping down. “You don’t have to pretend for me any more. But I’ll still keep up my end of the bargain. When are we going to the ocean?”
“You don’t need to do that. You’re right, the whole thing was stupid.” She gave him a small smile. “But it was fun while it lasted, right?”
The ghost of a smile passed his lips. “Yeah, it was. And I’m a man of my word. I want to take Isla swimming.”
“Okay, then. This week would be good. Now that her foot is better I’m not sure I can hold her off much longer. Maybe we can go in the evening after work?”
“I’m on days, so that suits me. Just message me when you choose a day.”
Her stomach did a little flip at the thought of him spending time with them. “What will Belle do now?” she asked him.
“I guess we wait on my lawyer.” He looked defeated. “She’s worked so damn hard for the past few years. I hate that it’s me who’s messed everything up.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s Carlyn’s. You’re the victim here.”
He shook his head. “Belle’s the victim. I’m the one who caused all this.”
Her heart clenched at how sad he looked. It felt natural to take a step forward and wrap her arms around him, pressing her body to his in an effort to console him. For a moment he was motionless, but then his hands touched her back, sliding down her spine to the dip above her behind, and he dropped his face into her hair, breathing her in.
He was so warm. She could feel the hard planes of his muscles press against the softness of her breasts, rising and dropping slowly as he tightened his hold on her. Her nipples stiffened in reaction to his proximity, the muscles of her inner thighs clamping together as he slowly traced a circle with his fingers on her back.
She could feel him hardening against her. It was her turn to freeze, as her body lit up, her nerve endings on fire as he dropped his head to press his lips against her throat.
It had been years since she was held like this. Even longer since she’d felt desire rush through her. But now all she could think about was the aching need coiling deep in her belly. Her breath caught in her throat as his mouth trailed open kisses along her shoulder, her body arching into him in a wave of desire.
When he lifted his head, his eyes were hooded and blazing. His cheeks were flushed, his lips parted as his gaze raked her over. Her body was still pressed against his, his arms keeping her a willing hostage. She swallowed hard, unable to pull her eyes from his.
“Meghan…” He stepped back, the cool evening air rushing around her body. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her chest, as much to hide her pebbled nipples as anything else. He ran the tip of his tongue along his bottom lip, then stepped back again.
He was almost inside the apartment now. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. What the hell could she say? Sorry for forcing myself upon you, but it’s been a dry spell.
“I should go.” He tipped his head to the side, looking almost embarrassed. “I have work tomorrow.”
She nodded a little too fast. “Sure.” She followed him to the door, releasing the front locks to open it.
When he’d gone, she slid the new bolt she’d been permitted to install into its hold, and turned around, leaning her head against the wooden door. Sighing hard, she closed her eyes, remembering how he smelled, how he felt, when he was holding her.
How her body felt alive in the way it hadn’t in years.
Pushing herself away, she headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower before pulling off her clothes, laying her phone on the counter. Before she could turn to head into the cubicle, it buzzed.
Rich: Thanks for the hug. And sweet dreams. I’ll see you next week.
So that was how they were playing it. Pretending it was a friendly hug.
Maybe she should turn the warm water off. A cold shower was just what she needed.
11
Rich turned over in bed and checked the time. It was almost one in the morning and he still wasn’t asleep. He never suffered from insomnia. Since medical school he’d learned t
o sleep whenever he got the chance. A few hours here, a morning there, if he closed his eyes he was gone.
But not now. Part of it was because he was still furious with Carlyn. It was one thing for her to be obsessed with him – he could handle that. But to go after his sister? That was fucked up. And it made him want to hit something.
The only moment of peace he’d felt this evening was on Meghan’s balcony, when she’d wrapped her arms around him.
And yeah, he’d gotten carried away. Who wouldn’t? The woman was gorgeous and funny and she would pretty much rock anybody’s world. And if she wasn’t his next door neighbor, he probably wouldn’t have walked away.
God knew there were parts of him that didn’t want to. The same part that was hard as a rock now, thinking about how soft her breasts were as they pressed against him. And how she gave little stuttered sighs as he kissed the curve between her throat and her shoulder.
He shifted in bed, his hardness getting uncomfortable. His hand drifted down, his palm brushing against it. Jesus, he was like a rock.
She was on the other side of this wall. Probably fast asleep. The thought made him ache with need, and when he brushed his thumb over the ridge of his need, he groaned.
There was nothing for it, he was going to have to touch himself. Maybe it would stop him from thinking about her so much. God knew he needed to relax somehow, he had a full day of work tomorrow. Sliding his hand fully inside his shorts, he grasped his fingers firmly around his length, circling his thumb over the tip as he imagined sliding himself between her sweet lips.
He twitched hard, another groan escaping as he pictured her staring up at him with those emerald green eyes, all wide and innocent and needy as hell, as she used her tongue and her lips to bring him to his knees.
It took less than a minute for it all to be over. He cleaned himself up and collapsed back on his pillows, but the restlessness hadn’t disappeared. If anything it had only gotten worse, because now he’d pictured himself with her, the wall between her bed and his felt way too thin.
This was crazy. Even thinking about her like this was playing with fire. He didn’t date where he ate, because sooner or later it would all come crashing down and she’d hate him.
No, they needed to be friends. Friends who helped each other out and smiled in the hallway and bitched about the air conditioning when it cut out.
Lifting his arm, he looked at his right hand, letting out a sigh. He had a feeling he was going to be getting intimately reacquainted with this part of his anatomy. And if it stopped him from doing something stupid, then great.
He’d get her out of his brain any way he could. If nothing else, it was a good way to go.
Meghan: Does this evening work for a swim in the ocean?
Rich stared at his phone screen. He hadn’t talked to Meghan since he’d been on her balcony. Some of it was avoidance, but most of it was work. And thinking about an alternative location for Belle’s show if his lawyer didn’t come through. He’d even thought about having it in the hospital atrium, but couldn’t see how he could get it to work.
Rich: Yep. I should finish at five. Does that work?
Meghan: Perfectly. I’ll bring us a picnic to eat after your swim. And maybe a blanket in case of hypothermia.
A picnic at the beach? His stomach tensed as he remembered his own mom doing the same thing for him and Belle. She’d make burritos and they’d carry them to the car, driving down to the beach before walking toward the ocean. They’d sit and eat as the sun went down, and a five-year-old Belle would paddle in the water and squeal as the waves drenched her legs.
Back when she could walk. He shook his head, because he didn’t think about the past that much. Didn’t let himself. It was done and over. The here and now was all that mattered.
Rich: Looking forward to it already. Especially the hypothermia. x
He smiled at the thought of Isla. Now that he’d gotten to know her a little better she’d blossomed. Yesterday she’d slipped a picture under his door. She’d drawn him in his scrubs, stethoscope around his neck, leaning over a patient with a huge grin on his face.
To say thank you he’d drawn her a picture, too. He didn’t have Belle’s skills, but he could hold his own. This one had been of a foot. Her foot. A diagram more than a picture, with all the different parts of the foot labeled, including the scar with no hair.
It was weird how much he liked the kid. Apart from Belle, he hadn’t come into contact with children that age outside of work, and he was a child himself when his sister was a kid. His friends in psychiatry would probably see something deep in his reaction to her. Say he was trying to recreate his sister’s childhood, but with a better outcome.
Yeah, he knew how they worked. But the fact was, she was easy to like. The same as her mom was. But while his feelings toward Isla were easy to classify, his feelings toward Meghan were messy.
Too messy to think about right now.
It didn’t stop him from feeling a spring in his step all afternoon as he dealt with a head injury, two broken limbs, and a patient with an abnormal heart rate who they had to stabilize before the cardiac team made it down and rushed him into the operating room. And when the evening shift arrived he was able to hand over his cases without any issues, feeling no guilt thanks to the almost-empty waiting room.
“Do you have plans tonight?” Lianne asked, as they headed out to the parking lot. He knew Lianne had a hot date, she’d been bragging about it all day. He was pleased for her – she’d been through a bad breakup last year, and deserved some happiness.
“Heading to the beach to meet a friend.”
“Ooh. That’s nice. It’s a lovely evening. You going to swim?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Rather you than me.” She gave a mock shiver. “I’ll be thinking about you while I drink my cocktails and keep warm.”
“You do that.”
He was still smiling as he drove toward the beach. He had the windows down, a breeze wafting through and ruffling his hair as the sparkling blue ocean came into view. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this content. Was this how James felt every day, driving home to Harper and Alyssa? For so long, work had been the anchor of Rich’s life, he’d forgotten that people lived their lives outside of it.
Parking in the lot behind the pier, he grabbed his bag and hooked it over his shoulder, slipping his shoes off to walk across the sand. He’d gotten changed in the locker room, and was wearing the pair of jeans and t-shirt he kept in his locker just in case. The air was definitely on the cool side – not a day he’d choose to swim if he had a choice. But he couldn’t help grinning as he saw Isla running around the sand in her Disney swimsuit, attempting a cartwheel that ended up in her tumbling onto her behind.
Meghan was sitting on a blanket, her deep auburn waves cascading over her shoulders and back. She was wearing jeans and a light cream sweater that contrasted perfectly with her coloring. Her shoulders were shaking as though she was laughing at her daughter’s antics.
Rich’s throat felt thick. This was the life he could have had, if he’d made different choices. He was thirty-six-years-old. Most of his friends had either settled down or were in the process of settling. They had wives and kids and home lives that balanced out the hard toil of their working days. They swapped shifts for school recitals and pediatrician appointments, and tried to work days so they could spend quality time with their families.
And he’d pitied them. Because they couldn’t give the job everything they wanted to. And if he was honest, he’d seen more than half his older colleagues go through painful breakups and divorces thanks to the demands their jobs put on them. Being a doctor – particularly in the ER – wasn’t really compatible with family life. He’d made a decision, the right one.
Even if right now he was wondering how things could be different.
“Hey!” Meghan waved at him. “I wasn’t sure you’d make it.” She stood, dusting the sand from her jeans. She’d rolle
d them up to reveal her slim, pale ankles, her toes painted with ballet-shoe pink nail polish.
“I came straight from work.” He grinned as Isla threw her arms around his legs, reaching down to pat her head. “Aren’t you cold?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide with excitement. “Nope. I want to go swimming.”
It was colder than he’d thought it would be. Any minute now his balls would shrivel with fear at the thought of the ocean. “Why don’t we swim in the pool back at the apartment?” he suggested. “It has to be warmer than the Pacific.”
Isla pouted. “I want to go in the ocean. Please come with me?”
Meghan looked up at him, and he had to swallow not to want her. Everything about her was delicate and beautiful. “You don’t have to,” she said. “You’re probably exhausted after working all day.”
His heart softened at her offer of getting out of this. But a deal was a deal. “You worked all day, too,” he pointed out. And then she worked all night as a mom. “Anyway, it’ll do me good.” He pulled his t-shirt off and threw it on the blanket. When he looked at Meghan, she quickly pulled her eyes away from him. Was she staring at his body? Damn if that wasn’t hot.
He bit down a smile as he slid off his jeans, and her cheeks began to blush. She felt it, too, he knew she did. This weird thing going on between them.
“You ready?” he asked Isla.
“Yep.” She was grinning from ear to ear. Damn, she reminded him of Belle sometimes.
“Okay, let’s race. First one to the water gets to splash the other. Ready, set…”
But Isla was already off. Meghan started to laugh. “Sorry, we’re still working on the playing fair thing.”
Rich took off down the sand, not bothering to run too fast. Isla’s legs were flying up behind her, gangly and uncoordinated as a colt. But she made it first and started doing a little victory dance, kicking at the surf as it reached the shore.