Everlasting

by S. E. Lund

  "Hopefully," I replied.

  "Speaking of mothers, have you ever tried to contact yours?"

  I didn't say anything for a moment. I'd always been curious about my mother's life after she left me, but I had to admit there was a part of me that felt abandoned and angry at her for leaving. I hadn't done any research into her life and what happened to her after she left. It was always a sore point with my father and we avoided talking about it like the plague.

  "No, I haven't. I should, now that I'm out here, but it's been twenty-eight years since I saw her."

  "You should look her up. You never know what wounds might be healed if you do."

  I glanced at him and he nodded meaningfully before taking another drink from his beer.

  "I wanted to ask you about the case," Ethan added. "When will you have to testify?"

  "I haven't heard yet from the prosecutor. He wants me to come back to Manhattan to go over some details in the case and talk about my testimony. My lawyer will let me know when they need me. Until then, I don’t even want to have to think of it and how close we came to Kate and Sophie dying."

  "You'll do fine," Ethan said and held up his beer. "Just tell the absolute total truth and you won't have any problems. Don't hold back any details out of embarrassment. They always come out in the end."

  "I won't, but honestly, my actual experiences with Lisa were not very memorable. I do remember pretty much everything from our time at NYU, but our encounters back when she was with Derek Richardson are a blur."

  Ethan shook his head. "Like I say, just tell the truth the best you can remember. You won't have anything to worry about."

  "I hope so. I wanted our time in San Francisco to be worry free for Kate. I knew I'd have to fly back and testify in the trial, but I didn’t expect there to be so much national coverage."

  "Juicy gossip with lurid details sell copy. It was inevitable that it would become a national story, given the details."

  I told Ethan about my run-in with one of the hospital admins and with Christy.

  "She actually said she'd warned the nursing staff about you?"

  I nodded and we discussed how to handle these kinds of situations at the hospital. I appreciated having Ethan as a confidant because he knew how to handle these kinds of issues after a life-long career in the justice system.

  "You know, you don't have to work, Drake. You could stop completely and live off your investment income."

  "I love my work," I said, because it was true. "I don't want to think I have to give it up because of what happened. There's nowhere that I could work where my past wouldn't be quickly discovered and discussed in the staff lunchroom. I have to just face things and buck up, as my father would say."

  "It's true," Ethan said and held up his beer. "You're still young and have years ahead of you. You could quit for a couple of years, spend time volunteering, or doing nothing. You could return to practice once all this blows over and becomes nothing more than a bad memory."

  "I doubt it will ever go away completely. People will always know I'm the Doctor Dangerous whose ex-lover tried to kill my pregnant wife and who killed an old friend of mine."

  "It'll get better with time. You could go up to Canada. Or you could move to Europe or Africa and work there. There's probably a lot of hospitals who would be totally pleased to have a highly skilled young neurosurgeon on staff."

  I sighed and took another sip of my beer. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll play it by ear. If things get too bad at the hospital, I'll consider taking a year or two off. I don't know what I'd do with myself in the meantime."

  "Live."

  I shrugged. "I've always worked, since I started medical school. I've never taken more than two weeks off."

  "Now's as good a time as any to learn how to relax. You could write a text book."

  I'd never thought about it, but I could write about robotic surgery.

  "I'll see how things go, but thanks for listening."

  "My pleasure," Ethan said and smiled.

  When Kate came out onto the deck, she bent down and kissed me.

  "What have you two been talking about?"

  "Stuff and things," Ethan said. "The stock market and the price of wheat in China. That kind of thing."

  "I don't believe you for a moment," Kate said with a laugh. "What do you know about wheat prices in China?"

  "That's code for private man stuff," Ethan replied.

  "Oh," Kate said and gave me a look of surprise. "Forgive me for intruding on your father-son tête-à-tête. Can I get either of you a refill?"

  "As a matter of fact, I think we'll crack the bottle of wine, if you don't mind. Drake? Can you do the honors? I'm not as handy with a bottle opener as I used to be."

  "I'd love to." I smiled and stood up, giving Kate a quick kiss before going into the house. She squeezed me, smiling up into my eyes, her expression suggesting so much more would happen between us in a few hours, once we finished dinner and were alone back at the house. I felt a surge of emotion at the thought of how eager she was and hoped it would wash away all the negative thoughts about Maureen and Liam and the trial in Manhattan.

  I needed some Kate time.

  Badly.

  Chapter 7

  KATE

  We had a lovely dinner with my parents at their house and after dinner, I offered to give Sophie a bath before we put her down, but Elaine was insistent that Drake and I go home as soon as possible to start our romantic night alone.

  "I want to give her a bath," Elaine said and took Sophie from my arms. "I bought some bath toys specifically for tonight, so you have to let me do it."

  "Okay," I said and laughed, pleased to see Elaine so into looking after Sophie. "If you insist."

  "She'll be fine," Elaine said.

  "She wakes up most nights and wants to sleep with us," I added, feeling now anxious about Elaine having to deal with Sophie if she was upset it wasn’t me picking her up in the middle of the night. "She always has a bottle at that point. I hope you won't have any trouble with her."

  "We'll manage. I'm sure she'll be happy to go back down with her bottle. Worse comes to worst, I'll bring her into bed with Ethan and me and she'll sleep with us."

  "Are you sure?" I chewed my bottom lip, worried now that this was a mistake and I should be taking Sophie home with me.

  "We'll do fine," my father said, waving at me from his wheelchair. "I get up every night for a trip to the bathroom, so it won't be any different from our usual routine. Go. You two have a nice night alone."

  "If you're certain..."

  I looked them both in the eye to make sure they were truly fine with the prospect of Sophie waking up in the middle of the night.

  "We'll keep her up extra late and she'll sleep right through. You watch."

  Drake took my hand and pulled me towards the door. "Come on, Mrs. Morgan. Listen to what Nurse Elaine says and let's go. Sophie is with her grandparents and will be fine."

  "Okay," I said and smiled, waving at them as I left the house. "Call me if you have real problems. I can come by and pick her up, even in the middle of the night."

  "You'll do no such thing," my father said. "We'll be fine. We may be a pair of old codgers, but we know how to take care of children."

  "Speak for yourself about the old codger thing," Elaine said with a laugh. "I'm young enough to be able to stay up all night if she's fussy. You go. I won't hear another word about it."

  Drake took my hand and pulled me out of the house, leading me to the car. I felt a pull at my heart that I was leaving Sophie, but she waved bye-bye happily from the door, apparently not caring that Drake and I were leaving her in the arms of Elaine.

  "She doesn’t seem at all upset," I said as we drove off.

  "Elaine's been looking after her since she was born. She knows Elaine and feels safe and happy with her. It's wonderful and it means she'll probably go down for the night easily. You don’t need to worry."

  I sighed and squeezed Drake's hand
. "I know. It's just I've only been away from her a few times since she came back from the NICU. It's natural for me to feel nervous."

  "I know," Drake said and kissed my hand. "I'll try to take your mind off it."

  That send a surge of desire through my body and almost – almost – made me forget for a moment about leaving Sophie.

  "I'm sure you will."

  Once we were back at our house, before we even got through the door, Drake grabbed me and pushed me up against the wall.

  "I've been thinking about this evening for days," he said, his lips warm against my throat. "I wasn't sure I could stand to go to your parent's place and have to sit through dinner and small talk before getting you here, alone."

  He kissed me, devouring my mouth like a desperate man, his hands roving down my body to my breast and hip, pulling me against him so I could feel his erection.

  When the kiss ended, I was breathless, panting, my body already wet and swollen.

  Then he pulled me into the kitchen and went to the refrigerator. I leaned against the kitchen island and watched as he took out a bottle of Anisovaya.

  "Let's have a shot together," he said and brought over two very special etched crystal shot glasses he found in his father's possessions.

  "We haven't had any Anisovaya for so long," I said, not wanting to drink alcohol while I was nursing. Now that Sophie was fully weaned, I could drink again without concern.

  We stood at the island and Drake poured us both a shot. Then, he held his glass up and waited while I took mine.

  "To us," he said. "To love."

  "To us," I repeated. "To love."

  We both downed the Anisovaya and I smiled as the liquid burned down my throat in a way that never failed to arouse me. I'd associated the slight taste of anise and vodka with pleasure and my body responded, a warmth spreading through me at the prospect of a night alone with Drake. Before I could speak, Drake grabbed me and kissed me again, and I knew it was because he wanted to taste the Anisovaya on my tongue.

  It brought back so many good memories of our time together after we first met and he introduced me to D/s.

  Drake took my glass from my hand and placed it on the counter. Then he pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.

  I knew what that meant.

  It worked like magic, and my body responded, my flesh swelling at the prospect of him going all Dom on me.

  "I'm yours," I said, my throat all choked.

  "You're mine," he replied, his voice thick with desire. "Every inch of you. And you’re going to take every inch of me."

  "I love all your inches," I said, unable to stop from smiling, closing my eyes to imagine what he'd do to me. Knowing it would be extremely pleasurable, whatever it was.

  "They're all yours."

  I thrilled to feel him take control, his hands demanding, possessive of my body, in need to feel my skin against his. He pulled down one shoulder of my dress and kissed the skin over my collarbone, then ran his tongue up my neck to my jaw and back to my mouth, which he kissed once more.

  I surrendered to his lust, soaking up every sensation.

  When he pulled away after breaking our kiss, he stroked my hair, his gaze moving over my face.

  "Oh, Miss Bennet," he said, his voice husky with desire. "I have so many plans for you."

  "You do?" I asked, closing my eyes while he nibbled my shoulder. I was trying to play coy but wasn't very convincing. "What plans could you possibly have for me, Dr. Morgan?"

  "So many plans..."

  He ran his hand up the back of my buttock to my waist and then around to one breast, which he cupped, squeezing gently, tweaking my nipple between his finger and thumb. It made me gasp, and was perhaps the first time since I weaned Sophie that I felt like my breasts were mine once more.

  Mine to feel free to enjoy without worry about any accidents. There had been so many since Sophie was born and while Drake and I laughed them off, I was pleased to be able to enjoy them sexually once more.

  Drake seemed impatient to have me naked and began pulling my dress up over my head, and soon, I was standing practically naked in the kitchen, the overhead lights shining down on me, my reflection in the picture window against the darkened sky.

  "Someone could see us," I said hesitantly, for stretched out in front of our house was the sandy dunes and beach.

  "Someone would get quite a show. Stop thinking and just enjoy, Kate."

  I turned back and closed my eyes, trying to give over control to him, so that he'd decide what we did, when and how. It was hard after so long without any D/s between us, but in a way, it was a relief.

  I stopped thinking. I stopped planning and worrying.

  I just felt.

  I felt his tongue on my skin, his lips moving down my neck to my bare shoulder, his fingers stroking my pussy over the thin fabric of my thong. I gasped when his mouth took one nipple and he sucked, my back arching in response to the intense jolt of pleasure.

  I moaned when he moved from breast to breast, sucking and nipping at each one. I squirmed with need, wanting to feel his tongue on my clit, which was throbbing now as I anticipated what he'd do next.

  He stopped his motions and stepped back and I felt momentarily denied, my eyes opening. I leaned against the island counter, my hair loose and falling over my shoulders, my thighs spread. He just stood and watched me, his eyes moving over my body from my heels to my head and then to my breasts and thong.

  "You look ravishing. I'm going to have to ravish you, Ms. Bennet."

  "I'm yours," I managed to whisper.

  "Turn around," he ordered in a firm voice.

  I did, turning so that my back was to him.

  "Spread your legs."

  I complied, spreading them a few inches.

  "More," he said. "Wider."

  I did, my feet almost a yard apart, my hands on the counter.

  "I love the way you look right now," he said, his voice low and filled with lust.

  I smiled to myself, glad that he felt that way. It aroused me even further to know he found me desirable and loved my curves. He came closer and ran his hands down my body, from my shoulders to my waist and then down over my thong to cup each buttock in a hand. He squeezed them, separating them and pushing them back together.

  "Your ass is perfect."

  He pressed his hips against my butt and I felt his erection through the fabric of his pants. He was hard as rock and ready. He teased me for a while, pressing against me while his hands slid around my waist to cup my breasts from behind.

  "I'm just going to enjoy your body for a while," he murmured against my neck while he played with my nipples. "It's been so long since you were all mine and mine alone."

  "I'm yours."

  He continued to stroke my body all over, like he couldn't get enough of me. The feel of his hands against me like that drove my arousal even higher. I was so ready, I knew that the merest sensation of his tongue on my clit or his cock inside of me would make me come very fast.

  That would be his goal – to make me orgasm fast the first time with his mouth or fingers and then for me to come a second time while he fucked me.

  "Turn around," he said when he pulled back.

  I did, turning and facing him, my breathing shallow, my heart rate faster. I ached for whatever he decided to do.

  "Sit up on the counter." He pointed to it.

  I hesitated. Behind me was the huge picture window looking out across the bay. Down below our house was a public beach and anyone could be out there, walking their dog or even just out for a run. I'd seen people out later at night, in the dark, and I didn’t want to think of people watching us.

  Drake's eyes narrowed. "I can see you need a bit of training," he said, half under his breath.

  "The window..."

  "What about it? They'll see your back and nothing else. Do it."

  I took in a deep breath and tried to shut off my mind. Then I hiked myself up onto the counter. Luckily, it was probabl
y one of the most solid pieces of furniture in the entire house and so I didn’t have to worry about my weight damaging it.

  There I was, naked except for my thong and heels, sitting on the marble counter.

  "Spread your legs wide," Drake ordered. He stood across from me, still fully dressed, his shirt open, his erection straining at the fabric of his shorts.

  I did. The thong split my pussy lips, digging into me and I reached down to adjust the fabric, but Drake held out his hand.

  "Stop," he said. "I like the way you look."

  I took my hand away. Drake stepped forward, his gaze on my pussy, and he pulled the fabric even farther to one side, exposing my flesh. My flesh throbbed, an ache building deep inside of me that needed release. His fingers, his tongue, his cock. A sex toy – anything.

  "Nice and wet," Drake said in a deep husky voice. He stepped even closer and reached out, running a finger over my slit, down over my clit. I gasped, closing my eyes from the sensation. Then he slipped the finger inside of me and stroked upward. It was followed by another finger and he continued to stroke, his thumb to the side of my clit. "I'm going to fuck you later, but now, I'm going to make you come like this."

  I opened my eye and met his. I knew he would make me orgasm if he continued to stroke me like that. His gaze moved between my face and his fingers deep inside me, his thumb stroking lazily over my clit.

  "You're so fucking beautiful," Drake said, his voice lusty. "I love watching you come, Katherine. I love making you come."

  I couldn’t stop myself from moving with his fingers, needing more stimulation, wanting the sweet release of an orgasm.

  "That's it," he said, pleased with me. "Fuck my fingers. Show me how much you need it."

  I did, moving my hips forward while he stroked inside me. I felt wanton, lusty, and it felt so good. My body was desirable to him and it made me feel like a woman again, and not only a mother, to have him watching me like that, have him touching me like that.

  I felt the sweet buildup of pleasure peak and then I came, shuddering, my body clenching around his fingers.

  "Keep watching me," he ordered and it was practically impossible. I managed to keep my eyes open while he fucked me with his fingers, his thumb still on my clit while I came.