Eric’s parents were estranged, making all consultations tricky. The father had visitation rights with Eric, but the mother preferred never to be in the same room with him. Cases like these at Angel’s required social services to step in to work out the details so all involved, especially the patient, could have their wishes met. After seeing the mother, who wouldn’t leave her son’s bedside, he’d give a call to the father and repeat everything he’d said to the mother. It might be double work, but he believed both parents deserved to be informed.
On his way into the room his gaze met and held Polly’s. Something odd fizzed through his chest, and he winked at her. Her sky-blue eyes got wide and she covered with her hand the smile threatening to burst free. He liked taking her by surprise … like that night they’d made love.
She looked cute in her brightly colored top covered in cartoon angels on clouds and those bright pink scrub pants. Pretty in pink. Yeah, his new roommate was pretty in pink.
Entering the patient room, his smile was wide. Well, wide by John Griffin’s standards, anyway, because he had something special to look forward to. Later today he’d accompany Polly for her first ultrasound at Geoff’s office.
Standing beside the procedure table in the darkened ultrasonographer’s room, John was as interested as Polly in seeing the first view of their baby. An ultrasound this early in the game wasn’t called for, but more than anything John wanted to make sure the pregnancy was well implanted.
Having followed the preparation orders to a T, Polly had been dancing around the waiting room, swearing she’d wet herself if they didn’t take her in soon. He’d laughed at her antics, wishing he could help her get comfortable some way, but knew this was totally out of his realm of expertise.
Polly lay on the table with a sheet over her abdomen, looking excited yet in pain from her extra-full bladder. When the tech pulled back the sheet and squirted the cold conducting gel on her belly, she glanced at him, raised her shoulders and grimaced, letting out a tiny squeal. How could that flat abdomen possibly house a baby? John wondered. He hadn’t seen her smooth ivory skin since the night they’d been together, and his reaction of longing to touch her surprised him. But now was not the time or place to get hot for his live-in nurse.
He’d pulled strings to have the ultrasound this early along in the pregnancy. After all, it had been barely five weeks since she’d gotten pregnant, the baby’s heart wouldn’t even be completely formed or beating yet, but Geoff was more than happy to accommodate them.
“We’ll only be able to see the gestational sac,” the sonographer said as she moved the transducer back and forth over Polly’s taut skin.
Polly reached out and on reflex John took her hand. She squeezed, and he mindlessly ran his thumb back and forth over her icy fingers. He wanted to kiss her, right there in front of the tech. He didn’t give a damn. He wanted to kiss her.
But he didn’t, choosing instead to squeeze back on her hand when the fan-shaped image of Polly’s uterus first appeared on the monitor.
“There it is,” the tech said. “That’s the gestational sac. Oh, and see that tiny thing? About the size of an orange seed? That’s the embryo.”
John had to squint to see it, but it was there. Their baby. The hair on his arms rose as assorted feelings of awe and joy along with an ancient ache rolled through him. He was definitely going to be a father, and he remembered exactly how he’d felt when Lisa had told him the news all those years ago.
“Oh, my gosh, look at that, Johnny,” Polly said on gust of breath.
Warmth enveloped him, reaching through layers of protection to the deepest part of his heart as he glanced first at the screen then into the face of an angel. His angel, who’d brought life back into his lonely existence.
“Looks like we’re really having a baby, dumpling.”
The look she returned, full of wonder, joy, and excitement, was worth every single one of those twelve barren years.
John took Polly to a restaurant in Central Park for dinner on the balmy August evening. Outside on the deck they watched swans and ducks, rowboats, and even a gondola drift by as she sipped lemonade. She ordered hazelnut-crusted East Coast halibut with asparagus, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and some kind of divine vinaigrette, grateful her morning sickness always seemed to wane by early afternoons. He went for a curry with shrimp and scallops.
As they ate, things loosened up between them. Even more incredibly, John opened up to her about his family without Polly prodding him first.
“My sister Dana is going to be floored when she finds out I’m going to be a father.”
“Is she close by?”
He shook his head. “She lives in Rhode Island. She’s been on my butt to get married again for years.” His eyes drifted away momentarily and Polly wondered what he was thinking. Certainly he wasn’t thinking about marrying her.
“Uh, Johnny, we hardly know each other. Aren’t we going to just wait and see how things work out?”
He pulled back from his brief mental absence. “Oh, of course. I was just thinking back to when I lost Lisa and how important Dana was in helping me get by. My mom and dad were as devastated as I was and, well Dana was this rock for all of us.”
“She sounds like a great sister. I always wished I’d had a sister or brother.”
“We hated each other growing up, but now we’re like this.” He crossed his fingers. “First thing every summer I give her and her husband, Jerome, a break by taking my nephews camping.”
“That sounds fun. Where did you go this year?”
“Maine. Acadia National Park.”
“I’ve never been.”
“You’ve got to go. It’s beautiful.”
There were so many places she’d never seen. Dare she dream of having someone to travel with and share special moments? Her mind drifted far away to the land of dreams come true, and she hadn’t a clue how long she stayed there but most of her dinner had been eaten and John was talking about his parents when she checked back in.
“My parents eat dinner at four-thirty every day in Florida. They drive around in these electric carts like everyone else in the retirement community, it’s the funniest thing. I took my life in my hands when I visited last year and insisted on walking around the place. They need some kind of signage that says ‘Pedestrians Beware’! I nearly got sideswiped twice.” He gave that genuine cockeyed smile she’d come to adore.
Polly laughed, imagining John dodging electric carts in some distant retirement community.
When dessert came, she ventured into uncharted waters. “Do you think it’s too early to think about names?”
“Mort,” he said. “I like Mort.” When John let down his guard he had natural deadpan humor. At least, she hoped he was being funny about this name business.
She threw a leftover piece of bread at him. “No way, dude.” The impish expression on his face gave him away.
“Hey, my favorite uncle was named Mortimer.” Such a tease John was.
“What do you think about Sterling?”
“It’s okay, but only if I can call him Mort for short.”
She rolled her eyes and glanced at the full moon hanging in the sky. Mr. Sterling had been her favorite teacher in high school, the one who had encouraged her to pursue the sciences. She’d always thought his last name would make a great first name.
“How about Caledonia for a girl? We could call her Callie.”
Polly couldn’t read John’s face on this one. Was he kidding or …? Actually, Callie wasn’t such a bad name. “Sweet. I like it.”
“You do?” His brows tented together. “It was my grandmother’s name.” He tugged his earlobe then drank the last of his after-dinner coffee and leaned back in his chair. The night air and hint of jasmine helped engrave this more-than-fine moment in her mind. Because she didn’t own a camera, she’d have to take a mental picture to remember for the rest of her life. Had she ever dreamed about casually tossing baby names around with a man before?
/> He’d also been by her side for the day’s exciting test. Not because he’d made the appointment but because he’d wanted to be. They’d seen their baby together for the first time and celebrated with this romantic yet playful dinner by the Central Park Lake.
“I guess I’m a traditionalist at heart,” he said, with that adorable half-lifted smile.
At that moment affection and something more flooded her heart for John, almost making it hard to breathe. She wanted this. So. Much.
“Why are you looking at me all funny like that?” he asked.
“I’m not looking at you funny.”
“Yes you are. It’s sort of like this.” He imitated a goofy I’m-in-love-with-a-dove look and she burst out laughing.
“I’ve never made a look like that in my life!” She feigned offense.
He repeated the silly expression and they laughed together while he paid the bill and continued all the way out of the restaurant to the car.
Arriving back at his apartment, they strolled toward the doorman, holding hands. Marco greeted them with a broad and telling grin.
“Beautiful night,” Marco said.
“It is,” John said, lightly squeezing her hand.
All afternoon and into the evening Polly had thought she’d fallen through the looking glass into a parallel world filled with bright colors, good will, and dreams come true. John was by her side. He wouldn’t desert her over the pregnancy, as she’d feared. He’d promised and she believed him.
Marco opened the door and Polly snuggled into John’s shoulder as they got into the elevator, feeling like half of a real couple. The fact he’d called her dumpling earlier hadn’t escaped her. He smiled down at her and brushed his fingertips across her cheek. She saw the look, the same one he’d let slip several times during dinner. He wanted her. Badly.
As he unlocked the apartment door, the only question left on Polly’s mind was who would make the first move.
Before he switched on the lights he stopped her by the front door, brought his lips down to hers and kissed her tenderly. She’d missed kissing him and savored his smooth, soft lips surrounded by end-of-day stubble. He broke free from the kiss first and flipped the light switch. Under the entryway light, he cupped her face in his palms and looked deeply into her eyes with his hazel stare. She couldn’t help but notice the tiny gold flecks around the pupils. They were kind eyes, and right now expressed desire. For her.
“Things will be different this time. I promise,” he said.
She went up on tiptoe to reach his lips. “I liked it last time just fine.” He enfolded her in his strong arms and kissed her thoroughly. She’d never felt sexier or safer in her life.
Once he’d kissed her into a mindless state where all senses vibrated on alert, he took her hand and led her down the hall, bypassing her room and heading straight for his bedroom.
She’d peeked into both his office and bedroom several times over the last week, but had never stepped inside either room. Never considered being in his bedroom again before now. It was a strongly masculine room, like him, with big, dark wood furniture and deep blue covers over the king-sized bed. The walls were pale gray and peaceful. Though peace was the last thought on her mind at the moment.
Her breathing quickened as he stepped toward her, removing her shoulder bag and unbuttoning her top. She’d brought a change of clothes to work, knowing they had a doctor’s appointment and not wanting to wear work scrubs there. She started to help him with her blouse.
He stilled her hands. “Let me.” Always in charge.
The thought of letting him have his way with her sent a second wave of heat across her skin and a subtle coiling in her core. She knew what letting go with John in control meant. As he unbuttoned more, the tiny raised bumps didn’t go unnoticed by him, and one corner of his mouth lifted in appreciation as he delicately traced his fingertips across her clavicle. That set her nerve endings to humming all the way down to her waist.
With her top opened, he pushed it over her shoulders and kissed the side of her neck. The single kiss sprinkled more tingles across her chest, this time dipping down to her center. With nipples tight and tender, she couldn’t wait for him to remove the bra she could barely squeeze into any more. He did.
One raised brow signaled he’d noticed the change in size, too. He took the weight of her breasts into his hands, gently lifting and massaging then kissing each one.
How much more could she take standing up?
He must have read her mind because he bent over and scooped her up behind the knees, carrying her to his huge bed. He pulled back the covers and lowered her then undid his buckle and removed his belt. She took the cue to take off her slacks.
“Uh-uh,” he said, stopping her in mid-zip. “Let me do it.”
He crawled over her on the bed, kissed her breasts again, taking longer this time, making her gasp with pleasure, then unzipped and peeled back her pants. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and removed it then his undershirt, all the while looking at her with hungry eyes. Heat engulfed every surface of her skin in anticipation of what would follow.
She loved the sight of his body, thick muscles and broad shoulders, a wide patch of brown hair across his chest. Not the kind of man you’d see in a model’s magazine but a man’s man, solid, all testosterone and heat. Boy, could she feel the heat.
First taking a full and firm feel of one hip and cheek, he removed her French-cut underwear in record time. The man broke bones and realigned them for a living, his grip didn’t go unnoticed. She glanced into his eyes and could tell that even now he was practicing restraint. In the next second his slacks were gone along with his briefs, and seeing him completely naked she remembered how he’d brought her to climax over and over their first night together.
She reached for his arousal but he intercepted her hand, giving her a firm look. He was taking control. Again. Fine by her. If he wanted to devour her, she’d let him.
As he dropped kisses across her chest and stomach, she arched and writhed in order to keep her hands to herself. When he reached the top of her thigh, gliding his tongue towards her center, she couldn’t help herself and grasped his head, holding on for dear life as he kissed and licked her most sensitive parts. Unrelenting, he continued, and shivers rained across her flesh, exquisite sensations folding deep inside her, until she gasped and clenched her muscles uncontrollably, the release strong enough to make her buck against his mouth. He didn’t let up, staying with her until she’d ridden the mind-blowing waves to the very end.
He came up smiling as she crossed her arms over her eyes and let out a long breath. “I won’t survive if you keep that up.”
“I’m a doctor, I know how to resuscitate.” He scooped her up and began to roll onto his back, planting both hands firmly on her hips. She rolled with him, reaching for his face, kissing him, tasting herself on his lips. That deep hip and bottom massage continued seeding her desire as she lay on top of him, and she could feel his firm length beneath her belly. Before she knew it he’d hoisted her hip up and over his erection with one hand, guiding himself inside with the other. She straddled him as he slid along every sensitive spot she owned all the way inside.
“No need for a condom this time,” he said, as he began to move inside her. Their gazes met and melded together in understanding.
She adjusted her hips so they fit closer together. As if it were possible, the early pregnancy made her even more sensitive to his touch, and she wondered if he felt the change, too. His powerful hips thrust upward, the strength of his thighs lifting her off the bed. She balanced herself by placing her hands on his chest, leaning into him for added pleasure. His hands cupped and squeezed her hips and soon the lazy lifts and rolls weren’t enough and they turned to rocking. Faster. Firmer. Desperately penetrating.
He stopped abruptly, and in one quick move flipped her onto her back so he could drive deeper and faster yet. Jets of pleasure rocked through her with each surge. She was gone before he’d barely gotten star
ted, the powerful grip of her muscles sending shockwaves to every part of her body. “Johnny!”
Dissolving into his determined rhythm, she wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him deeper, encouraging his release. Bucking together for several more minutes, he reawakened her need. His strength built fiercely inside as he slid in and out at a frantic pace, until he groaned and she gasped and he erupted with a growl, sharing the bliss with her one more time.
CHAPTER EIGHT
POLLY AND JOHN lay folded together in bed for several minutes. He kissed her forehead and lightly rubbed her back while he rested his eyes. She snuggled into his chest, cushioning her head on his well-padded, muscular shoulder, enjoying the thump-thump-thump of his heart.
“From now on you sleep here with me.” He didn’t ask, just stated how it would be.
He’d tugged his earlobe when he’d said it, the gesture she’d come to recognize whenever he spoke from his heart. Whenever he spoke the truth.
“I’d like that,” she said, embracing the magnitude of his statement. Maybe it was the ultrasound, seeing their baby together, but Polly had felt the change in John tonight. He’d let down that wall between them and finally invited her inside.
He rolled her onto his chest and had a good look at her as if for the first time, playing with her chaotic hair, brushing it out of her face and hooking it behind her ears. “I can’t get enough of you, Polly.” His hands drifted downwards and he cupped her bottom. “It’s like I’ve been dead and now that you woke me up, all I want is you.”
With her heart swooning over this man who wanted to be with her, wanted her to live with him, to sleep with him, to have their baby, she kissed him long and heartfelt. Afterwards their gazes met and held—his as dreamy as she knew hers must be. Was this love? Her legs came together over his, and she discovered he was a man of his word, he really couldn’t get enough of her. She cuddled his building erection with the insides of her thighs, and soon he’d slipped into her again. They stared at each other as their easily coaxed passion mounted slowly but steadily.
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