Under Her Skin

by Michelle Love

  He holds me back and gives me a scowl. “Well, stop feeling like that. I want you to think of this place as yours. Make yourself completely at home.”

  “You do realize that means I’ll have to do a lot of snooping around. It’s how I get to know my accommodations.”

  “I’ll take you on the grand tour this evening. I just talked to the staff and I’ve given them the weekend off so you can really get comfortable here. I want you to take over the management of the estate. Make any changes you want to. I’ve told them all there may be some changes come Monday.” He pulls me back close to him and rocks us back and forth. “I’m so happy you’re here. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

  He does look happier than I’ve ever seen him!

  “I’m pretty happy too, Blaine. I’m excited to get to call this gorgeous place my home. It’s so big that I think I’m going to need a map.” I laugh, but he nods.

  “I’ll make you one. You’ll get used to things quickly. I have no doubt about that. If you can manage to get around that huge hospital, you’ll learn the layout of this house easily enough.” Taking me by the hand, he leads me out of the bedroom and down the hallway that will take us to the main living area. “I want to give you something.”

  “Blaine, please don’t start spoiling me already.” I follow along behind him as he tugs me across the large living area to the side door that leads out to the mud room, and then into the garage filled with cars.

  “I got you something,” he says as he opens the door.

  I see a deep-green Mercedes sitting in the parking spot closest to the door and I know what he’s done. “You did not do this, Blaine!”

  “I did, too.” He picks me up and twirls me around. Then carries me over to some old car that’s been refurbished. “Here you go. It’s a Studebaker.”

  I bat at his arm and laugh. “You’re not fooling me! Take me back to the real car.”

  He laughs, carries me back to the Mercedes, and opens the driver’s door, then plops me down on the buttery-soft, cream-colored, leather seat. I look up and see there’s a sunroof and so many extras I think I might need to take a course on how to work them all. “So, do you like it?”

  My eyes fill up with tears. “Blaine, I love it. I absolutely love it. But I can’t take this. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “You will take it, and I will hear nothing else about that. I’m sure you can find someone to give your old car to. You won’t be needing it anymore.” He walks around and gets into the passenger side. “Now take me for a spin in your new car, Nurse Richards.”

  “Okay, but you have to let me pay the insurance on this,” I say as I try to figure out how to start the car.

  “Too late,” he says. “I’ve already paid for the entire year of it. I managed to take a picture of your driver’s license one night when you slept over. And your social security card, just so I could put you on my auto insurance. You are one highly-covered individual now.”

  “Wow! I don’t know exactly how I feel about you going through my purse,” I say as I think about the invasion of my privacy. But then I run my hands over the steering wheel and all that goes away. “This car is so beautiful. I know I’m going to be afraid to drive it. It’s too expensive and gorgeous.”

  “And completely covered by insurance, and I know you have to be a safe driver. I’ve never ridden anywhere with you, but I know you have to be one. You are one, right? I mean your driving record showed no accidents or tickets of any kind.”

  I look at him and feel a little more of that invasion thing, but his smile eases that too. “Blaine, this was very nice of you. I’m sure I’ll get used to it. And the answer is, yes. I’m a great driver.”

  “I tell you what,” he says as he opens his door back up. “Let’s go change and go out to dinner. You can drive us.”

  I get out of the car, too, and follow him back inside, giving a longing look to the new car. “I’ll be back,” I say to it as if it’s human or something. I just love it so much already!

  Wrapping myself around Blaine’s arm, I hold onto him as we walk back to the bedroom. “This is unreal.”

  “No, this is real. This is reality. I am your reality, Delaney Richards. And you are mine,” he says, then stops in the hallway, and I find myself pinned between him and the wall.

  His thumb grazes my cheek as he looks into my eyes. “Blaine, this seems like a dream.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel too. I’ve never felt this way. It’s as if I’m standing at the bottom of a giant mountain that I’m about to climb. At the top are all the riches in the world. At the top is you.” His lips touch mine softly.

  As we kiss, I think about what this all means. I think about what my parents are going to say. I haven’t mentioned one word about Blaine to them. I have no idea how they’ll handle this.

  His sweet kiss ends and his hands move through my hair. “This is going to work, Delaney. This is going to be better than either of us has ever expected.”

  I hope this gorgeous man is right, because if I have to give him up, I don’t know how I’ll handle that!

  Chapter 7

  BLAINE

  My knuckles are white is I grip the ‘oh shit’ bar on the passenger side of the car. Delaney is not a great driver!

  “This is kind of a sharp turn here,” I point out.

  She zips around it without hardly slowing at all. “I know, but look how great this car hugs the curve. This is like riding on rails. I love it, Blaine!”

  Her enthusiasm is nice. I just wish her driving was too. “I’m pretty sure the speed limit is seventy on this part of the highway.”

  “It is, but thanks to that radar detector, I can fly down this road, making such great time. It’s incredible,” she says as she pulls into the other lane without looking to make sure no one was behind her.

  “There’s not a radar detector in this car, Delaney. I didn’t think you’d need one of those. So you better slow down to the posted speed limit. You don’t want to get a ticket on your first day with the new car.” I clutch the seat with my other hand as she looks back to her right and changes lanes yet again, for reasons I don’t understand.

  “Then what’s this?” she asks as she points to the small, black box by the rearview mirror.

  “That’s the box that opens the garage door.” She slows down and laughs.

  “Oh. Well, I’ll get myself one. I think I’ll be going fast a lot in this beast of a machine,” she says, horrifying me.

  “You should really think about taking a defensive driving class too. I’ll take one with you. It’ll help lower our insurance rate.” I look at her to see if she’s interested in that at all, because she needs some kind of a class. “Who taught you how to drive?”

  “My Uncle Steve. He’s the reason my parents got into the tire business in the first place. He’s a racecar driver and their company supplied his tires.”

  “Oh, now I get it. That’s why,” I say about her driving.

  “Yeah, that’s why they made a tire business,” she says, then zips off the next exit, making me cringe as she comes to a hasty stop behind a large truck.

  The lights will surely slow her down now as we make our way through the city streets to get to the restaurant she picked. She looks over at me with a smile filling her entire face. “I really love the car, baby. And I really love you.”

  Running my hand over hers on the steering wheel, I come up with a plan. “Can I drive your snazzy new car home, baby?”

  Her eyebrows raise up high, and I get a little afraid, then she says, “Of course! It’s a dream to drive. Didn’t you drive it home from the dealership, though?”

  “No, I ordered it and they delivered it. I’m itching to see how it drives. This is my first Mercedes purchase.” The light changes and she has to drive slowly behind the big, slow-moving truck. I can see her frustration as she looks on both sides to find herself fenced in by other cars.

  I’m thankful, though!

  “I suppos
e that’s how the rich do a lot of things. Just buy before you try,” she says, then looks at me as she’s stopped at another light. “Blaine, what about my parents? How in the world should I tell them about us? I don’t know how they’ll take the news. You’re kind of the devil in their eyes.”

  “I was that in your eyes, too, and I fixed that, didn’t I?” I ask as she finds a tiny opening and takes off to get into it. “Damn!” I grab the dashboard and think I must be about three shades paler than I was when I got in this car with her.

  “I know. I caught that break just in time!” she says as she guns it right up until we hit another red light.

  I’m overjoyed when I see the restaurant on the right, just ahead. I point and shout, “Look! There it is!”

  “You sound pretty excited about that, Blaine,” she says as she laughs and gives me a crazy look.

  “Hell, yes, I am!” I say to mask the real reason I’m so damn excited to be at our destination.

  “Blaine, you look a little tense. Does my driving scare you?” she asks. Her eyes tell me she’s afraid my answer will be a negative one.

  “Hell, no! I think you’re an excellent driver. My problem is, I like driving. I’m just a little dominating when it comes to some things, like driving, sex, work, you know …things like that.”

  It’s not a complete lie!

  She pulls into the parking lot, and I find myself thanking God we’ve arrived unscathed. Then I realize, I just thanked God. I never do that.

  “I get it. I do. So, from now on, when we go somewhere together, I’ll let you drive. I don’t want to emasculate you. I was reading about dealing with dominant males so I could better understand you. The article said it was important to let them be who they are meant to be. You are all man. That’s for sure.” She gets out of the car, and I find myself thanking God again that I may never have to ride with her driving again.

  That’s twice in a matter of a minute!

  I take her hand as we meet in front of the car. “Thank you for understanding. It’s hard to have a relationship nowadays, with so many women not understanding what it means to be with a dominant male like myself.” I laugh as I put my arm around her. “Glad to see you’re on board.”

  “Yeah, well, you will have to chill on some of the things. I can give you the small victories.” Her hand moves down my back and she pats my ass.

  “Does that mean no more ass smacking?” I ask her, as she seems to really like when I do that.

  “No, that doesn’t mean anything like that. It means I like the dominate way you handle me in the bedroom. I don’t want any of that to change, ever!”

  Good, then we are on the same page and that makes me very happy!

  Chapter 8

  DELANEY

  December 15th:

  With a couple of weeks behind us and many small conversations about how Blaine might be able to get past his problems with handling sad situations, I have come up with an idea that has him coming back to visit the children, who ask about him often.

  They all made him Christmas cards, and I brought them home to him the other day. Every single one of them thanked him for his visits and said they’d love to see him again if he ever could find time.

  As he read the cards, I saw the mist in his eyes, and when he finished, he asked me how in the hell I dealt with it all. When I explained how I had cried when I first started this career, which is a tough one, he gained a better understanding.

  Since he had jumped in head first before, I’ve slowed him down a little. We’ll be putting small, artificial trees that are pre-lit into the rooms of the kids whom he made friends with. Then we’ll decorate them so he can spend some time with each one of them.

  It should be light and easy, and we’ll stay the hell away from Meagan’s room, since her father demanded it. Meagan is getting worse, anyway. I would hate for Blaine to see her. He’s coming along pretty well. Seeing her and how her father is might send him back a few paces. That’s the last thing I want.

  Mr. Green pulls to a stop in front of the hospital entrance, and I hop out and go to find a couple of orderlies to come grab the supplies. Out of the kids who were here for Thanksgiving, four are still here. So those are the ones he’ll visit today. I don’t think he can handle meeting the new ones. Four is more than enough for now.

  Blaine is a man who exudes confidence in almost every situation. It had me thinking he was without any kind of insecurities or had nothing he was unsure of. I was wrong.

  I think he was sent to cross my path for a reason. And maybe he’s helping me figure some things out about myself too, like how to have patience and more understanding of people. We all have our little things that give us fear or uncertainty. Not one of us doesn’t have something we need help to overcome or understand.

  Coming back with a couple of men to help carry the things inside, I take Blaine’s hand and take him back into the hospital for the first time since Thanksgiving. I can see he’s nervous, and when we get to the elevator and Meagan’s mother steps off it, I’m the one who gets nervous.

  Her eyes are red from crying. She blinks when she sees us. “You two are together now?” she asks as she looks at our clasped hands.

  “We are,” I say and step aside, pulling Blaine with me so she can pass by us.

  She looks at me and Blaine, then over her shoulder as if checking to see if anyone is behind her. “Can I talk to you two for a minute?”

  I don’t see this as good in any way. “Mrs. Sanders, we have some things to take care of, and your husband was more than clear. He wants Mr. Vanderbilt nowhere near your daughter.”

  “Yes, I know that. I also know he had you removed from her nursing staff as well, Nurse Richards.”

  Blaine looks at me. “He did?”

  I nod. “Yes. I didn’t want to bring it up to you. I know how he makes you feel.”

  “Meagan asks for you both,” she says, making me feel a little surprised. “Every single day, she asks for you two. She says she needs to tell Mr. Vanderbilt something very important.”

  “I don’t know how we can do that,” I tell her. “Neither of us are allowed in her room, and she’s not able to leave it.”

  Her eyes cut off to the side as she looks behind us. “He’s coming. I have to go. I’ll come talk to you as soon as I can. We have to figure out something.” She walks away quickly, and we step onto the elevator the orderlies have been holding for us.

  “I really hate that asshole,” Blaine mutters as the doors close and we see Mr. Sanders meet up with his wife.

  “Don’t think about him. Let that all slip right on out of your mind. Colby, Terry, Tammy, and little Adam are the only people I want you to think about today.” I give his hand a squeeze as the elevator stops and we get out and make our way to the nurses’ station.

  “Look who I’ve brought,” I say with a giggle as the other nurses look at us.

  I told them all about moving in with Blaine, and I was told everyone was well aware of the attraction we had for one another and most knew it would end up getting serious.

  Paul steps out of a patient’s room and his eyes land on us. He makes his way to us and extends his hand to Blaine. “Looks like you’ve made our Nurse Richard’s dreams come true, Mr. Vanderbilt. She’s never looked happier or had a better attitude. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Blaine says as he shakes his hand. “She’s made my dreams come true too.”

  The nurses all give us an awww. “Yes, we’re adorable,” I say, then wave everyone off. “We have trees to put together, ornaments to hang, and rooms to brighten with Christmas cheer. Let us get to work.”

  The cluster around us disperses, and we take the first tree and bag of Christmas decorations to Colby’s room. When I push the door open, I see the teen sitting on his bed, Indian style, his headphones on and his electric guitar in his arms, like I usually find him.

  “He loves his present, Blaine. And he’s got a song he wrote. He’d like you to hear it. Make sure you …
” I say, then his fingers are on my lips.

  “You don’t have to tell me to let him know I like the song. I’m not a jackass.”

  With a nod, I walk up to Colby, and he finally opens his eyes and takes off the headphones. His face brightens as he sees Blaine. “Mr. Vanderbilt! Dude!”

  “Mr. Vanderbilt?” Blaine asks as the two high-five. “I thought I told you to call me Blaine?”

  “Blaine, yeah,” Colby says and nods my way as Blaine still holds my hand, “So, you two, huh? I saw it coming.”

  Blaine and I laugh a little. I blush as Blaine gets another high-five from the kid. “I hear you have a song you wrote. So, can I wear those while you play it?” Blaine asks him.

  Colby is quick to take the headphones off and hand them to Blaine. “Yeah, man! I’ve been tweaking it, and I think I’ve got a great song here. Listen and please give me some critical feedback. I need an honest opinion. My family and these nurses tell me what I want to hear, I think.”

  “Brutal honesty is the only way I know how to dish it out,” Blaine tells him as he sits next to him on the bed and puts on the headphones. “Let it rip anytime you’re ready.”

  I get busy setting up the little tree as the two have their fun and I love the way Blaine gets along with the kids. He’s going to make a great dad … or I wonder if he wants to be called pops.

  Then I laugh at myself for getting so far ahead in this thing he and I have barely started. I have no idea if we will even get so far as to make it to the altar, much less have kids.

  I have no idea if he even wants kids for that matter, or if he does, how many he wants. I have no idea about a lot of things where that man is concerned.

  By the time they’re finished with their little jam session, I’m done with the decorations, and Colby turns his attention to what I’ve been doing. “Wow! A tree and Christmas decorations. Thanks, Nurse Richards.” He looks at Blaine and nudges him with his shoulder. “So when’s the big day?”

  Blaine looks at me with a smile, then winks. “I’m not sure yet. I have to make sure Nurse Richards really likes me before I go popping that question. If you knew how scared I was just to ask her to move in with me, you’d laugh.”