by Ashlyn Chase
“Colin, I…” Her voice broke and she couldn’t finish her sentence. A lump the size of Mount Rainier lodged in her throat.
His voice softened. “I know things didn’t end well between us, but please don’t let that affect the greater good. A lot of lives could depend on you.”
She wanted to bargain with him—offer herself up as a research subject if he’d only forgive her and try to love her again. But she knew he wouldn’t let her pressure him and she didn’t want to take has back as a bribe.
“I…I want to know something first.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Did what happened affect your career? Did any more of your patients see the photos? I got rid of them as soon as I could.”
He was silent for a long time. She thought he wasn’t going to answer her at all when he finally said, “Not that I know of, but I’ll never be sure.”
Never. God, how she hated that word. Never and always seemed to be the life lessons she had to deal with, yet no one else did.
She had other questions. Maybe a change of subject wouldn’t be a bad idea anyway.
“If they use my blood to make their vaccine, is there a chance it will make people immortal like me? I wouldn’t want to put anyone through—” Her voice broke again and this time she wept openly.
“Lizette…” Colin’s voice seemed to convey the sympathy he offered when they first met. Then he surprised the hell out of her by following her name with “sweetheart…”
Is he just trying to get me to do what he wants, or does he still care for me? He hadn’t called her love, his special pet name for her, but it confused her nonetheless. Maybe if she did the noble thing and cooperated, she’d have a chance to win him back.
She sniffed and dried her tears on a tissue. “I guess I can help your friends.”
“Good. Great. I can pick you up and take you to their lab right now if you’re ready.”
She sighed. “Give me enough time to take a shower and get dressed.”
“Oh, no. Have you been staying in your bathrobe?”
How dare he? Her pride wanted to deny it. But what good would it do? He’d know she was lying. Instead she chose the only other option and simply hung up the phone.
Chapter Eight
When I die, I’m going to leave my body to science fiction.
Steven Wright
“Will you stay with me? I’m nervous.”
Colin hadn’t said much since picking her up. An uncomfortable silence had hung between them the whole time he was driving her to the research facility. He parked the vehicle and faced her, searching her face for a clue to her motives. Her eyes spoke volumes. Yes, she looked nervous but she also looked hopeful.
His instincts said to run—they also said to grab and kiss her. Did he dare stay and give her false hope? Or was he worried that his resolve would crumble and he’d give her a second chance?
“I don’t know, Lizette…”
She hung her head. “I understand.”
Did she? How could she know how hard this had been for him? He’d wanted to call her a dozen times a day and had even reached for the phone more than once. Seeing her now yanked his heartstrings like nothing else.
She needed him and he’d let her down as much as she’d disappointed him. His guilt had eaten at him enough. Finally, he reached across the bucket seats that felt like a chasm and massaged her shoulder.
It was the first time he’d touched her in two miserable weeks. He meant the touch to comfort her, but she stiffened. A lock of hair fell forward, hiding her eyes, but he saw her lower lip tremble.
“Lizette…” He didn’t know what else to say. Astounding himself, he said, “All right. I’ll stay with you.”
She looked up at him and tears shimmered in her eyes. At last she whispered, “Thank you.”
As they walked into the research facility together, he wanted to take her hand. Something stopped him. She wasn’t reaching for his hand or even looking at him. It seemed as if she had given up—and something about that saddened him even more.
He opened and held the door for her. She gave him a weak smile, then straightened her shoulders and strode in.
“I know this must be difficult for you. I really appreciate your doing this.”
She didn’t say a word—just kept walking.
Colin reached out and laid a hand on her arm to stop her. She spun to face him.
“My friends know about your immunity and have guaranteed me they’ll honor your anonymity.”
She took a deep breath. “Thank you. You’re right, this is hard. I hadn’t told a soul until I opened up to you and I almost walked out of your office before our first meeting. I was afraid of being dissected like a lab rat. Now here I am, walking into the lab.”
“I know,” he murmured.
“I should have worn something that opens in the front and made it easier for the dissection.”
When he gazed at her, she was smirking. Her sense of humor hadn’t deserted her. Colin shook his head. Man, when had he become such an idiot? Why was he listening to Vera, who’d been badmouthing Lizette? She obviously hadn’t liked Lizette from the start. He’d always suspected Vera was secretly in love with him. That probably had something to do with the reason she had cautioned him so vehemently against going back to Lizette.
Well, Brayer, what’s it gonna be? Listen to your receptionist or listen to yourself?
He placed both hands on her arms and rubbed them gently. “Lizette. About the photos. I may have made a mistake when I blamed you for what happened.”
“May have?”
“Whoa, you aren’t free of blame here. You trusted someone untrustworthy, though I’ll admit you couldn’t have known what he’d do. And I’m glad you refused to sleep with him.”
He kicked at the linoleum floor. “I feel like a fool. I should have known you’d never have let him get away with it if you knew what he was doing. That’s not who you are. You probably didn’t even know he could do what he did remotely.”
“That’s what I tried to tell you. And in case you were wondering…you asked me not to show them to anyone and I didn’t. I just asked him to tell me how to put the pictures in that private album. He must have looked at them later.”
He let out a deep sigh. “I believe you.”
“But you still don’t want to get back together.”
“I didn’t…” He was going to say, I didn’t say that, but he had. It was the first thing he’d said to her when he called and his cutting words must have hurt her. “I didn’t mean it.”
She stared at him. “So you do want to get back together?”
“I’m willing to give it another try if you are.”
She hesitated.
Crap. She probably doesn’t want to give me a chance to hurt her again. He waited anxiously for her to say something—anything.
“Let’s talk about it after they experiment on me. I already have a lot on my mind.”
He nodded. He didn’t blame her for wanting to think it over.
“By the way, they aren’t going to dissect you or do experiments on you. They’ll probably just take a few vials of blood. You know that, don’t you?”
She chuckled. “Yes. I was just making things more dramatic. Now, if the government gets a hold of me…”
“I’ll fight them off with a flagpole.”
She grinned. He took that as a good sign and swooped in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
Yes, the love is still alive.
* * * * *
Later that evening, Lizette lay sleeping in her hospital bed. Colin sat in the chair next to her with his head in his hands. He’d had no idea what bringing her here would put her through and he wouldn’t have asked for her help if he had.
His beautiful Lizette had been cooperative with the blood tests, but after that, the researchers did biopsies of various organs, took tissue samples and bone marrow. He knew she was scared out of her wits. She had nev
er experienced western medicine in the twenty-first century. Never went to a doctor or a dentist. Had never “gone under the knife” or even taken an antibiotic.
The bone marrow sampling was the worst. They’d had to insert a large needle right into her breastbone. The pain and fear must have been excruciating. She had squeezed his hand so tightly he had lost circulation and, after the procedure was over, his fingers were numb except for pins and needles.
She’d tried not to cry, but tears leaked from the corners of her eyes anyway. He had been so angry, he’d demanded they put her under for anything else that might cause her so much as a pinch of pain or even anxiety.
Suddenly she stirred and he lifted his head. Her eyelashes fluttered and he jumped to his feet. At last, her pretty blue eyes opened wide and focused on him.
“Colin?”
“I’m here, love.”
“Is it over?”
He reached over the rails and stroked her arm. Thankfully, the one closest to him didn’t have the IV.
“Yes, love. It’s all over. You were extremely brave for doing this. I had no idea they’d ask so much of you.”
She sighed. “As long as it helps find a cure, it’ll be worth it.”
“With all they put you through, they’d better cure cancer, AIDS and every other disease known to man.”
She smiled. “It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t care for that bone marrow thingy though.”
He grinned. She used the word “thingy” for every technical term with which she was unfamiliar. In other words, she used it a lot.
“I’m very proud of you. I know it wasn’t easy.”
“So, are we good?” She gazed at him, hopefully.
Was that why she went through all this? To make it up to him? To prove something to him? Of course not. She cared about others—maybe more than she cared about herself.
He lifted her hand and kissed her palm. Hell, she had nothing to prove. He loved everything about her.
“What did I do to deserve you?”
She turned her wrist and held his hand. “Nothing.”
He reared back and laughed. When he glanced at her again, one side of her mouth was turned up.
“You’re right. But I’ll do more in the future.”
“That sounds promising.”
“I promise.”
* * * * *
Lizette crossed her apartment and answered the door, wondering who it could be.
“Colin!” She stepped aside so he could enter. “It’s the middle of the workday. Why are you here?”
“Two reasons.” He lifted her off her feet and kissed her. When he set her down she was giggling.
“What was that for?”
“Because you’re a hero!”
She tipped her head. “I’m a what?”
“A hero. Or heroine. Whatever—you saved Seattle!”
“I did? You mean my blood, tissues, or whatever helped the researchers create a vaccine?”
“Yes. All my afternoon patients canceled due to the epidemic, but they’ll begin rescheduling now that they’ve developed a vaccine.” He unzipped his jacket and strolled over to the couch. “It’s a shame no one will know it was you who saved thousands of lives.”
She chuckled and joined him by the sofa. They plopped down together. “It’s fine with me if no one knows. The government could still dissect me.”
“Over my dead body. But, in a way, that’s the other reason I came over.”
“You want to commit suicide and let your friends tell the government about me?”
Colin snorted. “God, no. Listen, I think I came up with a way we can stay together and keep from arousing suspicion.”
Lizette brightened. She heard the words “stay together” and almost didn’t dare hope for more. “What do you mean?”
Colin took her hand and ran his thumb in circles over her palm. She shivered.
“Oh, that feels good.”
“You know what else feels good?”
She gazed up at him slyly. “Yeah. I can think of a couple of things.”
He chuckled. “Ah, a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste. But what I meant was that it feels good to be with you. It feels right.”
Confusion crowded out her sexual thoughts. “What are you trying to say?”
He took a deep breath. “Well, I talked to a navy recruiter yesterday and after thinking it over, I’m ready to ask you something.”
She hesitated. What did the navy have to do with her? She was getting more confused by the minute. Well, there’s only one way to find out. “Okay. Ask.”
“Will you wait for me while I go through basic training and then follow me around the earth wherever I get stationed?”
She gasped. “You’re going to join the navy?”
“Only if you’ll go with me. It’s a way we can be together, move frequently and I can keep a steady job.”
Lizette’s jaw almost hit the floor. It was a good thing he kept talking, because she couldn’t form words.
“I’ll still be a psychiatrist. They’re needed on almost every base and in every military hospital. The recruiter said I’d get to request assignments and if they need someone in one of my choice locations, we’d be stationed there for a few years.”
Finally, she found her voice and managed to ask an obvious question. “And they’re just going to let me tag along?”
He slapped himself upside the head. “Jeez, I forgot to ask you the most important question of all.”
Colin slid off the sofa and onto one knee. He grasped her hand and looked deep into her eyes. “Lizette La Belle, will you marry me?”
“Mon dieu!” Her hand flew to her throat. “You forgot that question? That one tiny detail?”
He looked sheepish. “Not really. I just wanted to outline the whole plan first, so you wouldn’t say no.”
She laughed. “How could I say no to the man I love more than anything in the world?”
He leapt to his feet and pulled her up against his chest. She threw her arms around his neck and slanted her lips, meeting his in a long, deep kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, he asked, “So where would you like to go first?”
“San Diego,” she said without hesitation.
He smiled. “Why San Diego?”
“Because I’m sick of all this friggin’ rain!”
Colin laughed and enveloped her in his arms. “Okay. I’ll tell the recruiter to make San Diego our first choice.”
“I love you, Colin. Maybe someday they’ll find a cure for me, so I won’t have to outlive you. I don’t think I could bear to lose you again.”
“I don’t know what the future will bring. In the meantime, I look forward to years and years of loving you. Someday people will think I’m the luckiest guy alive to have such a hot young wife.”
“Or they’ll think I’m after your money.”
“I’ll be making a whole lot less money in the navy than I do in the private sector. Anyhow, who cares what they think? All that matters is what we think and I think I’m the luckiest bastard in the world.”
Lizette’s eyes rounded. “Your parents weren’t married?”
Colin reared back and laughed. “It’s just an expression.”
“Oh,” she said, embarrassed. “In that case, I’m the luckiest bastard alive too.”
Chuckling, Colin lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
* * * * *
Colin’s hand trailed down her side as he nuzzled Lizette’s neck, making her shiver. Candles flickered against the white wall, giving the darkened room a soft glow.
“Mon cher…” she sighed.
Kissing his way down her collarbone, Colin paused only long enough to murmur affirmations of his love. When he reached her breast, he pulled her nipple into his mouth and sucked, greedily.
Her womb clenched, causing her to automatically arch and moan. Lizette caressed his muscular back and shoulders. The more he sucked, the more desperate she became. Her care
sses became frantic. Her nails raked over his back. The head of his erection brushed her thigh and she grasped it. He was driving her crazy with lust and it was all she could do to keep from squeezing him until it hurt.
She purposely gentled her touch and pulled on the shaft, eliciting a groan of pleasure. He switched to her other breast and suckled that one thoroughly too.
She hadn’t been touched by a single person like this in her three hundred years on earth. Not only were her mind and body involved, but her emotions were engaged also. Their lovemaking was a natural expression of their deep emotional connection—their love and their growing trust.
He slipped a finger into her channel, easily. He added another finger and stretched her, preparing her to take his engorged cock.
She throbbed, ready and anxious to have him fill her. “Love me, Colin. Give me your cock and fuck me.”
He lifted his head and smiled, but didn’t change his rhythm or speak. He simply stared into her eyes—connecting.
“Mon dieu! Must I beg?”
He grinned. “No. I’ll give you what you want if you really can’t wait.”
“I can’t. I want you.”
He lifted himself over her and she spread her legs wide. She held onto his biceps and closed her eyes in order to fully experience the feel of him sliding into her body.
He pulled back and reached between them to fondle her clit as he slowly thrust into her again.
She gasped.
He stilled. “Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re not ready, just say so. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You’re not hurting me.” She giggled. “Believe me, you feel very, very good.”
He kissed her nose and resumed his rhythm. “I love you, Lizette.”
Their gazes connected and held. “I love you too.” She felt the full power of intimacy. They were mating more than physically and yet the physical wonders were almost overwhelming.
Before long, the intense sensations in her clit spiraled and she bit her lip to stifle the cries that threatened to erupt. All the while, she felt like a volcano, quivering and quaking from deep inside.
At last she flew apart. Her scream could not be stopped and she let it rip from her lungs. Colin didn’t let up as she bucked and screamed out her release. At last she was left quivering and spent.