by A. C. Arthur
She’d lifted her arms then, clasping her hands behind her head as she looked around the room. Two more nurses came in then, followed by a young man in a doctor’s jacket who rushed over to the side of the bed. One of them reached out to lift her father’s eyelids and shine a light down into his eyes while another wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm. They were moving in different directions, each of them doing something separate, yet it was in some way coordinated. Bailey had taken a stiff step back. She didn’t think she’d meant to, but her feet definitely moved as she seemed further and further away from her father at this moment. Actually, the man lying in that bed seemed less and less like the man she’d grown up with.
The door opened again and she looked toward it, catching Devlin’s gaze. He came to her immediately, as if that’s what he was supposed to do. But that was wrong too. Not only did her father not belong in this hospital bed, but Devlin Bonner did not belong in her life, not like this. She was shaking her head and she doubted anyone knew why, when Devlin came close to her again.
“He was getting into a limo when I got downstairs. I got the tag number, but I already know who it belongs to,” he told her as he stood in front of her effectively blocking her view of the hospital staff as they worked on her father.
“It was him,” she said, the words coming like wisps of air through her lips. “It was Dane.”
Devlin only nodded.
Bailey covered her face with both hands. She refused to cry again. Refused to have any moments of weakness caused by this man or this situation that her family was now in. She wanted answers and there was no way she was going to get them by having emotional breakdowns every five damn minutes. No, she thought as she let her hands fall to her sides and shook her head. She wasn’t going to break. Not for Dane whatever the hell his last name was, and not because her father was seemingly giving up. It just wasn’t in her nature to do so.
“Find him,” she said lifting her gaze to Devlin’s. “You get out there and you find him and you bring him to us. If he wants this to end, then we’ll end it, but on our terms.”
Devlin stared at her for maybe five or ten seconds, she wasn’t sure, but then he simply nodded as if he knew exactly what she was saying.
“Keep your phone on, I’ll let you know when I’ve got him,” he told her before turning and leaving the room.
Leaving Bailey alone, but not hopeless. He would find Dane, she knew he would and then they would deal with this head on, not in the damn shadows. They would find out who Dane’s father was and then they would move on. It’s what had to be done and she was okay with that. If it turned out that he was her brother, well, then, she’d have to figure out a way to be okay with that too.
Chapter 10
Chicago
Amber dropped down onto her bed with a sigh of relief. Today had been busy, but exhilarating and she was once again, glad to be home.
Fiona had picked her up from the airport with Essie in tow. Her sister carried the adorable dog in its Louis Vuitton dog carrier that Amber had splurged on the day after she’d brought Essie home with her. She’d declared her little handful of sweetness was like royalty and had proceeded to treat her that way, even if her family thought she was just a little bit crazy for doing so.
The moment Amber said her name the carrier wobbled from side to side as her two and a half pound black and tan terrier expressed how happy she was that Amber had returned.
“Oh I missed you my baby!” Amber squealed as she lifted the tiny dog out of the carrier which, by the way, was too big for her.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to do that in here,” Fiona stated with a frown.
At five feet, ten and a half inches, Amber’s younger sister was taller than her. Fiona was the boisterous sister with her own style which tended to match her personality one hundred percent. Today, she wore her hair in a short sleek bob dyed an intense shade of blue, gray jeggings and pink and gray Converse tennis shoes.
“Nobody’s going to even see my darling,” was Amber’s reply as she snuggled the tiny bundle against her chest.
It was true, if someone were to walk by at this moment they might think she had a hat or some other type of fur garment in her hand, but for the high-pitched yipping that had just begun, they wouldn’t guess it was a dog at all.
“Good thing we’re close to the door,” Fiona quipped as she helped Amber by taking one of her suitcases and pulled it behind her as she walked ahead.
Amber had another suitcase and two bags on her shoulders, but still managed to hold a very excited Essie close to her. Once outside, the fading sunlight of late afternoon and a hazy humidity clung to the air. She inhaled deeply and then smiled. It was also home.
“I’m parked down in the lot over there,” Fiona said pointing.
Amber followed.
“Mom wants to cook a big dinner since you’re back. I told her I’d text her to let her know your plans,” Fiona continued as they walked.
“Oh goodness, I do not feel like a big dinner tonight,” Amber said with a sigh. She really wanted to go home and unpack and just get herself together before seeing all of her family and having to give a recount of everything she’d done over the last eleven months.
Of course, she’d been sending postcards and calling when she could. They’d even caught one of the commercials she’d done. Her father had sent at least ten text messages to her that day saying how proud he was of her. So Amber knew they wanted to see her and it wasn’t that she didn’t want to see them. She just wanted a few minutes to herself, to rest and recall. No, not recall, just to rest and get herself together, she thought pensively. There was nothing that happened while she was away that Amber needed to recall.
“I figured as much, that’s why I told her I’d let her know,” Fiona said and then crossed the street.
Amber moved quickly behind her sister because traffic was always hectic at Chicago Midway International Airport. She stepped up onto the curb and continued with their conversation. “I’m just out of sorts for some reason. I feel like I need to decompress,” she said.
Fiona tossed a quizzical look over her shoulder. “You? Out of sorts?”
Amber shrugged.
Fiona stopped. Amber had to stop abruptly too since her sister had been walking right in front of her.
“What happened?”
“What?” Amber asked in response to Fiona’s quick question.
“What happened while you were away, because of all the people I know and with all that you’ve gone through I’ve never heard you say you were ‘out of sorts’. Now, I talked to you two weeks ago when you first arrived in Miami and you were fine. What happened between then and now?”
Fiona, like Amber’s other sisters and her mother, was of the candid sort. If a question or comment came to her mind, one could bet it was going to fly right out of her mouth. There was no hesitation, no filter and usually no apologies.
“Nothing happened,” Amber insisted. “And let’s get out of here, Essie doesn’t like all this noise.”
Fiona rolled her eyes then. “Essie believes she’s the Queen of England thanks to you. And don’t think you’re getting off the hook that easily. Something’s going on and I’m not going to stop until you tell me.”
“Calm down, nothing’s going on,” Amber said when they began walking again.
It was true, there was nothing going on with her, hence nothing to tell her sister. She’d gotten the hell out of Brandon’s room in time enough to make sure that remained true.
The normal hour and a half ride to her house from the airport was doubled. After sitting in traffic for much longer than she’d been prepared for, Amber and Essie walked into their ranch style home. Fiona, of course, had given Amber another opportunity to share what was on her mind, but Amber, again, denied anything was wrong. It really wasn’t a lie. She preferred to think of it as a voluntary omission. Yes, that definitely sounded better.
Once Fiona was gone, with a promise to call her later
that evening, Amber unpacked, set Essie on the bed and started her laundry, because she hated the thought of her dirty clothes sitting around for too long. Then came the frozen flatbread pizza she’d tossed into the oven. It wasn’t the healthiest choice but it was the only thing that wasn’t outdated in her freezer and there was no way she was going to get into her car and drive to the grocery store. Instead, she’d taken a long shower that only reminded her too sensitive skin that it wanted desperately to be touched and kissed again.
How long had it been since she’d had sex? Almost two years. She refused to count the last sexual encounters she’d had with Billy, because they simply weren’t worth it. Neither was he, as she’d learned almost too late.
As she’d dried off and slathered lotion all over her body, Essie had moved to her favorite spot on the queen-sized bed, just between the two sets of pillows near the headboard. Amber followed suit after placing the bottle of lotion on her nightstand, only she lay the long way across the bed. She closed her eyes and reluctantly let the cruise and all that had taken place during that week come crashing back.
She’d had more than enough time to think about this on the plane ride to Chicago, but she’d attempted to keep her mind on something different by reading a suspense novel that she’d hoped would hold her complete attention. It did, for the most part, but little things kept attempting to drag her back. For instance, the guy that was sitting beside her insisted on talking about where he was traveling from and why.
“Had business in the Bahamas,” he’d told her. “Guess you’re wondering what type of business I could have in the Bahamas of all places.” He’d laughed.
Amber had not, because really, she wasn’t wondering.
He took her silence as agreement and continued.
“I own a resort chain here in the states. We’re thinking about expanding. The Bahamas is an optimum choice. Did you know you could buy a whole Caribbean island of your own? That’s what I learned on this trip. The real estate guy told me when none of the land he showed me had a “wow” factor. So now, he’s going to find some islands that I might like to see. So I guess I’ll be flying again soon.”
Hopefully not on any flight that Amber was on. She’d been ecstatic when they’d changed planes in Baltimore and she’d snagged a window seat with an older woman sitting beside her in the center seat.
Still, his words had brought back the memory of tropical islands, gorgeous turquoise water and white sand beaches. Walking along the beach with her toes in the warm sand and Brandon by her side.
She’d huffed and opted to close her book by that time. She reclined her seat and closed her eyes in an attempt to take a nap. But all she saw when she closed her eyes was his ready smile. He almost had dimples, just a few inches deeper into his cheeks and they would be full blown every time he smiled. It gave the kick-in-the-gut handsome quality of his face a softer edge, one that had appealed to her instantly. He always made her smile, even when she knew it was probably smarter to walk away from him.
Rubbing her hands down her face she’d thought she could wipe away those memories, but it only reminded her of his hands on her, everywhere. He’d touched her cheeks with such gentleness, even rubbed over her lips with whisper soft temptation. But it was when he’d grasped her ankles and massaged her feet that Amber wanted to melt into the mattress from sheer pleasure. His hands were strong and toxic, his lips…damn, she’d thought, licking her own in remembrance…they were just perfect.
Needless to say that was one long plane ride home.
And now…what exactly did she think was going to happen? She was alone with her thoughts and for the first time since leaving Brandon asleep in bed, Amber gave herself permission to ask that daunting question. What did she expect from Brandon Donovan?
It had been a fling. Right?
Neither one of them was looking for anything serious. They also lived in two different states. Long distance relationships never worked, or at least Amber didn’t think she had the energy or inclination to put in the effort required to make one work. Relationships were hard enough when both people lived in the same house, let alone thousands of miles away. Then again, she’d told herself the day she’d packed Billy’s stuff into trash bags and set them all out in front of the gym where he worked, that she would not base every future contact with men on his ignorant and immature ass.
As if she knew exactly who Amber was thinking of, Essie gave a few yips—because nothing her precious baby did could be construed as a real bark. Amber agreed wholeheartedly, she had no time to waste thinking about Billy Sanford. Actually, she thought and was just about to get up off the bed, her pizza should be ready by now. Amber liked her crust extra crispy.
Her cell phone, which Essie had pushed up between the pillows beside her vibrated and the dog scrambled across the comforter. Amber laughed. “That’s what you get for stealing it,” she told her and then reached for the phone.
“Hello,” she answered without looking because she thought it was Fiona being true to her word and calling to pester her once more about what was going on. Amber thought she might just have to go ahead and tell her sister about her cruise fling to get her off her back.
“Hello.”
It wasn’t Fiona.
“Ah, hi, Brandon,” she said sitting up on the bed and reaching for the comforter to cover her still naked body as if she believed he could actually see through the phone.
“I normally don’t call women after they sneak out of my bed, but you’re turning out to be the exception to all my rules,” he said.
His voice was so smooth and sexy all she had to do was close her eyes and she’d envision him laying on this bed right beside her. Amber opened her eyes wider as she replied, “Really? What are some of your rules where women are concerned? You left that part out when you were busy feeling me up in the pool.”
Oh damn, why did she have to bring that up? Her pussy immediately throbbed at the words.
“Evidently my feeling you up didn’t work too well, since I still woke up alone the next morning,” he countered.
Amber sighed because she’d really contemplated staying in that bed beside him. Oh, how she wanted to continue lying there with her head on his bare chest. She’d listened to his steady heartbeat for at least an hour before she’d decided to get out of that bed. Her hand had been flat on his toned stomach, itching to move down to touch him one more time. She’d exercised every ounce of willpower she possessed this morning and for that she was proud. Even if it meant she’d given up one last taste of this handsome man.
“It’s the way it had to be,” she told him, her tone much more sober than it had been just a few minutes ago. “Why are you calling me? I mean, it’s getting kind of late.”
She looked over to her clock to see that it was almost eleven o’clock at night.
“Do you have a curfew, Amber?”
He was smiling. She could imagine the sly tilt of his mouth and that twinkle in those dark brown eyes. Already fine, Brandon’s grin was more potent than any love song Amber had ever heard. The ones that quickly came to mind were by artists with great sexual overtures in their music like Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, Prince, and more to date Trey Songz.
“No,” she said, trying to regulate her breathing so that he wouldn’t hear how excited his voice was making her. “I don’t have a curfew, Brandon.”
“Good, then you won’t mind talking to me for a while.”
“You don’t have anyone in Houston to talk to?”
“I do. But I’d rather hear your voice.”
Her heart did that little trip and stutter thing she hated and she stood to pull back the sheets on her bed. Laying down she pulled the sheet up to her neck and relaxed against half her pillows. Essie was still lounging near the other ones.
“Who did you talk to before you met me?” she asked.
They’d talked briefly about their relationship status, but she found it hard to believe that Brandon didn’t at least have a line of side
chicks on standby for when he needed someone to talk to.
He was quiet for a couple seconds too long and Amber feared her presumption was correct.
“I like your voice best,” he said quietly. “Of all the voices I’ve ever heard on the phone before, yours is the sexiest.”
Damn. This man always knew what to say.
Amber crossed her ankles and re-adjusted the phone against her ear.
“What are you doing?” she asked finally because something told her this wasn’t a normal phone call.
“I’m sitting back on the couch,” he told her. “The door’s locked and the lights are out. I was thinking about you, so I called.”
She was smoothing her hand over the pale blue comforter when he asked, “What are you doing?”
“Lying in bed.” The reply came too fast for her to even consider taking it back.
“Were you thinking about me?”
Again, it never even occurred to her to lie. “Yes.”
“That’s good,” he said, that smile apparent in his tone once more.
“Is it? I mean, the cruise is over and we’re now back to our normal lives, does it make sense that we’re talking to each other so soon?”
“Does it make sense that I’m sitting here touching myself as I recall all those nights of touching you?”
Amber closed her eyes to his words. No way could they be thousands of miles apart and thinking the exact same thing.
“Touch yourself for me, Amber. I need to hear you,” he continued, his voice going lower.
No, that was the immediate response. So why didn’t that simple word slip from her lips the way the others had? Maybe because deep down she knew that denying him and this would be a lie. There was a reason she’d tried so hard not to think about him and still ended up in her bedroom alone, reminiscing about their time together. Everything happened for a reason that was one thing Amber had always believed.
“I don’t know what you want me to do,” she said, licking her lips even as her nipples began to tingle.