Chasing Air

by DeLaine Roberts

  Cessa, Veronica, and Rachel were delighted to be bridesmaids. Their dresses were identical to hers, but in black. Veronica had fussed that she had too much booty to pull off the dress, but when she modeled it at work even David commented on how gorgeous she looked. With the guys and girls all wearing black and Makenzie wearing copper, the contrasting colors would photograph richly. Everyone thought she was nuts with that color scheme, but she shrugged them off. It was the holidays, after all.

  Makenzie leaned over in the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher while Daisy flitted around. She felt large hands on her hips, the fullness of the man’s package behind her, grinding her in delicate places.

  “Hm, perfect, don’t move,” he teased.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  She wiggled in front of him wearing nothing but a t-shirt and panties.

  “Just my t-shirt, so sweet.”

  “Well, almost,” she said as she turned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He lifted her onto the bar and spread her legs to make room for his hips. “How about we start working on that baby we’ve been talking about.” He traced her lips and jaw with his tongue, playing irresistibly.

  “Yeah, about that. Hmm.”

  He moved to meet her eyes with a conflicted look. “Have you changed your mind?”

  She shook her head, “Oh no, not at all. I wanted to talk about it again before stopping my pills.”

  He kissed her hard, passionately. He moved against her and she returned the favor. When he pulled away, they were both breathless.

  “I want a family with you. I want more. I want everything. I love you,” he confessed, pulling her head to his chest. He held her there for a long time without saying anything. She could feel his heart beating under his skin, vibrating under her cheek. It was what he didn’t say that she heard more.

  He took a step back and swooped her up in his arms, taking her to their bedroom. He needed to show her his commitment to them and that he wasn’t using her as a crutch to heal his pain. He was ready for a life with her and the family that they both wanted. He hovered over her on the bed, his eyes embracing hers, when she saw in him the desire that set her body on fire.

  He ripped the t-shirt off her then took one nipple in his mouth and teased it, causing her back to arch in response. He cupped her breasts with his hand before gently massaging both of them at the same time. As he tormented her nipples with his teeth, she rocked against his advances. He backed away from her and removed his clothes and her panties. Both naked, she could see that he was more than ready for her and she desired him as well. He kissed his way down to her naval, tempting her with his lips, leaving a trail of little bites with his teeth. She kept her hands in his curly blonde hair, pulling him closer to her.

  He nibbled the inside of her thigh and she let out a groan. As he applied pressure to her sensitive spot with his thumb, he could see her skin glisten with dewy moisture and felt her sex swell in response to the pleasure he was giving her.

  She moaned out his name as he took her to the cliff of delight. She wanted more. “More, please don’t make me beg.” She knew one nibble, one lick of his tongue would be all that it would take to give her the release only he knew how to bring.

  He chuckled in a sexy, hard-bodied way. “More, huh, well let’s see about that.” He sucked her with his lips and she rocked in ecstasy. Her breaths came in gasps as she moaned and kept his head close with her hands. He didn’t stop his erotic assault on her, but rather held on tightly to her hips with his hands and continued to massage her with gentle licks of his tongue. She was drenched in passion and moisture from her sweet orgasm, her nerves overly sensitive. As he continued to touch her, stimulating her every nerve, she screamed out again as he gave her yet another beautiful climax.

  He slid up her body to rest beside her. “Was that more enough?” His eyes twinkled in response to her delight.

  “It should be, but no. I want all of you.”

  He flipped her over on her stomach, helping her rest on her hands and knees, and took her from behind. With each thrust into her, she responded with a deep, soulful moan. She rocked back against him, fulfilling her own measure of need. She was a greedy lover and took everything he had to give. He leaned over close to her body and roughly bit at her shoulder, making her howl in response. He rode her harder and more forcefully until she moaned with her own climax, just before he grunted with his own pleasured orgasm, pulsing inside her.

  They slowly sank to the mattress, panting in unison, their bodies stilling. Neither of them moved nor spoke for several minutes. Finally, Ryler rolled them to lie on their sides, cuddled together. He brushed the hair back from the side of her face and applied sweet kisses to her temple and cheek. When his breathing returned to normal, he rolled to his back and tucked her close to his side.

  “You undo me.”

  She could feel his heart beating on the surface of her skin next to him. His breaths began to slow against the side of her face. “I love you more,” she mumbled, before she drifted off to sleep.

  Ryler rested there, holding her as close to his body as he possibly could. He knew he made her happy intimately, but every time he had brought up the suggestion of starting their family, she always found a way to change the subject. He couldn’t imagine what was holding her back. Sure, they had been seeing each other for only a short time, but at their age and stage, with second marriages for each of them, it shouldn’t take as long to make decisions. Should it? Was he rushing her?

  Petra was behind bars, Drew was dead, what could be the problem that was causing her concern and more importantly, why hadn’t she talked with him about it?

  The night seemed to drag on forever. Ryler, unable to sleep, spent the night hours catching up on paperwork in his new home office. He couldn’t remove the detective hat, he had to over analyze every detail to the breaking point. Finally, he made the decision just to ask her.

  It was just before dawn when he decided to wake her up. She was lying on her side, facing his pillow. He climbed back in bed and pulled her close to him. She groaned and stretched before curling back up to him. He stroked her beautiful curls away from her face except for one strand that he used to tickle her cheeks and nose. She muttered for him to quit, so he replaced his lips where the curl had been and continued to seduce her into consciousness.

  “Good morning, my beautiful girl,” he whispered in between sweet kisses.

  Makenzie tried to roll away from him to go back to sleep, but he kept his arms taut around her. “What time is it?”

  “Almost four-thirty.”

  “Well, that’s a straight answer,” she moaned as she tried to stretch again. “You going to the gym?”

  “No, I’m going to get my workout right here with you.” He mumbled against her neck. “But first, I want to ask you something.” He reached for the bedside lamp, turning it on so that he could see her eyes. They wouldn’t lie to him, no matter what she said.

  She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, unsure of what had him up so early in the morning. “Alright, I’m completely awake. Ask away.”

  “Do you love me, heart and soul?” he asked.

  She stared at him, searching his eyes for a clue as to why he was questioning her.

  “Yes, I do. You don’t know that by now?” Her answer was gutted with pain. Tears began to fill her eyes. “I don’t understand. What happened to make you question my love for you, our love?”

  “I don’t. I guess I just needed to hear you say it. I’ve been up all night wondering why you change the subject every time I mention starting a family. I needed to know that you are with me heart and soul, for the rest of our lives.”

  Although subconsciously she must’ve been dodging the conversation, she didn’t realize it until that very moment.” I love you beyond measure. I want a family with you.”

  The room was quiet, the air thick around them. He waited on her to continue, he needed to hear the “but” that was coming, his heart clenched
in defense.

  “I want a family with you, but I’ve been waiting until things are settled with the holidays, the wedding, and we’re back to normal.”

  “You think I’m rushing things, pushing you?”

  “Not rushing. I want a family too, and we aren’t getting any younger.” She laughed. He could see the twinkle in her eyes.

  “Want to start right now?” He was persistent.

  “Fine, tomorrow was my last pill for the month anyway. You’re sure you’re ready for Daisy to have a sister?”

  “Yep.” He had her under him in one swift move.

  He forgot all about arguing with her that Daisy could get a brother instead.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Mak paced the baggage claim area, waiting for her family to arrive. The plane had taken off from LaGuardia Airport on time, but for some reason it hadn’t arrived when due. It was the first time she’d let her mind drift to the “what if’s” of the criminal behavior Drew’s family was capable of. The threat of retaliation had always been there, but with therapy, she had managed to keep the negative thoughts away.

  Forty-five minutes later, she was still waiting and the airport personnel couldn’t tell her if her family was on the flight or what was causing the delay.

  “They’re not here and no one can tell me where they are?” Makenzie shouted into the phone.

  “Calm down. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.” Ryler immediately pictured her telling off the airport personnel and didn’t want to read about a TSA scuffle involving her in the paper.

  She could hear the clicking of his computer and heard him speaking to someone on another phone. “They’re on their scheduled flight, but the flight was diverted in air because of an unruly passenger. They should be landing any moment.”

  “You would think someone around here would know that!” Mak barked loudly. She was pissed and she didn’t care who heard her.

  “Stay calm, it’s all going to be okay. I can only imagine where your mind went. I love you, see you at home?”

  “Yep. I love you more.”

  “You can show me more when you get home.” His laugh was low and sexy, making her skin tingle.

  ***

  “Mom! Dad! Over here!” Mak rushed to her parents.

  They started telling her about the unruly passenger and how they were worried about being so late. “I knew you’d be frantic. Your dad and I were hoping that the airline would let you know what was going on.”

  Makenzie noticed that the lines around her mom’s eyes were distinct and she looked very tired.

  “You’re right, I was, but Ryler was able to check on things. Now I can settle down. I have so much to tell you and I can’t wait to show you our new home.”

  “Where’s Cessa?”

  “She and Rob were sitting closer to the back of the plane. They’ll be out in a minute. I can’t wait for you to meet him. He’s nothing like what you’ve imagined.”

  After a few moments, Makenzie got a glimpse of her sister’s tall, modelesque figure coming towards her accompanied by a surfer-looking guy with curly blonde-haired.

  “Hey, sis.” Makenzie embraced her younger sister. She wanted to get a jump on the introduction, not wanting an issue about her name. “Hi, I’m Makenzie Holder. Everyone calls me Mak.”

  “Mak, it’s great to finally meet you.” He shook Mak’s extended hand.

  “Just so you know, I’ve filled him in on everything on the way here, so if we slip with the name, he won’t be freaked.” Cessa whispered into Mak’s ear as she dragged her away from the others. Mak nodded, but didn’t expand the conversation. “Where’s my future brother-in-law, the sexy lawman?”

  “Hey, just worry about your own hunky guy,” Mak laughed. “He’s really cute. Nothing like what I expected.” They both looked in Rob’s direction. “Ryler’s at work for a bit. He’ll be home later.”

  The family members grabbed their bags from the conveyer and it looked like they were staying for a month with the amount of luggage. Makenzie was glad she drove a sport utility, but thought she might need a moving van for the luggage.

  “Rob and I have to pick up the rental car. Is there room in your car to drop us or do we need to shuttle?”

  “I’ve got room.”

  Daisy let out a “brrrrrllll.” She was making her own introduction.

  “Everybody, this is our new family addition, Daisy. She can’t get out until we get home, she’ll run off.”

  “I never thought I’d see my sister with a dog,” Cessa quipped She peeked into the carrier to get a glimpse of the tiny fur ball.

  “Sis, she’s adorable. I bet she’s a handful and then some,” Cessa said through her laugh.

  “You have no idea. She’s tiny, but she’s mighty when it comes to disasters. Let’s just say she’s still in training mode.”

  Makenzie let her sister and Rob out at the rental car center.

  Makenzie: Mission accomplished, on our way home. Love you more

  Ryler: C, everything okay. I love you most, and I’ll show you more, don’t tease unless you can pay up

  Makenzie: ha, glad the guest rooms are upstairs, I like to pay my debts early.

  Ryler: hmm ready 2 collect, c u soon.

  ***

  Makenzie and her mom were busy in the kitchen with a secret family recipe and Cessa and Rob were playing with Daisy in the living room while their Dad napped in the recliner.

  “Mom, does Dad nap a lot these days?”

  “He has for the past few weeks. I think he’s catching up on the sleep he lost while we thought you were dead or when you were in hiding. He paced the floors at night back then, didn’t sleep much.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mom. I should’ve never married Drew. You said something wasn’t right about him.”

  “Don’t revisit that time in your life, Mak. Ryler is wonderful, be blessed and move on.”

  “I love him. He’s amazing, so patient, so understanding. He picks wildflowers for me, he even took me skydiving.”

  “I heard about that. You’ll make a great family with him.”

  Makenzie turned to her mom and got all serious. “Speaking of family, we’re hoping that we’ll start a family really soon.”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  “Oh, gosh. No, not yet. But we’re going to let nature take its course from here on out,” Makenzie blurted.

  “Being so far away would be even harder when you have our grandchild. You’re dad and I’ve talked about that and discussed getting a place here. Would you be okay with that?”

  “I’d love it, but Cessa might be upset.”

  “She said Rob is looking to move. Do your best sales job and talk him into a practice here.”

  “Oooh, that would be great! Consider it done.”

  Ryler walked in with his arms full of flowers. He’d purchased roses for Mak, Katherine, and Cessa.

  “What am I, chopped liver?” Dad chuckled as he got up from his lounging spot in the living room.

  “Oh no, sir, one of the guys helped me out with a great pair of cigars for you.” They embraced and Makenzie looked on with such admiration for both of the men in her life.

  “Congratulations, son. Welcome to the family!”

  The next morning, Mak and Ryler enjoyed an early run before she went off to work. Working on a holiday was part of the routine for her over the last couple of years. It was much easier than the alternative of sitting home alone and missing her family.

  “I wish you didn’t have to go,” Ryler said as she pulled on her scrubs.

  “Come see me for lunch and stay for dinner?” she taunted him.

  “Bad girl. We have guests, that wouldn’t be fair. But I will stop by and hopefully you’ll make it to my parents’ by dinner.”

  “You’re right, I’m just being greedy. I love you.”

  ***

  Makenzie was well into her boring morning, shuffling paperwork in her office, when David called with the news that Metro was rolling
with a full trauma code. She ran to the ER desk and listened to the radio traffic, trying to prepare the team for the patient’s arrival.

  “Notify the blood bank and get a grief counselor down here for the family. Where’s radiology?”

  “They’re on the way, Mak,” Veronica answered as she gathered gowns and gloves.

  Metro unloaded the patient, an eighteen-year-old male hit by a car while training for a bicycle race.

  “Mak, he was hit so hard, his bicycle was thrown almost sixty feet on impact,” the paramedic blurted out.

  The ER team moved the patient from the ambulance stretcher via a spine-immobilizing board to the hospital gurney without missing a beat. Everyone in the room had their attention focused on the young man and the innocent life that rested in their hands. His body was badly battered, with so many cuts and bruises. He was completely unresponsive and bleeding from his nose and ears, the worst sign of all.

  Time ticked away on the clock at an unfair pace. The room buzzed with proficiency. Even though everyone in that room gave their best and worked as a team, they were unable to save the young man’s life. Makenzie put her stethoscope around her neck, looked at the clock, and called the time of death.

  With a deep breath, she bowed her head along with the others for a moment of silence. She said a prayer for the young man and his family, knowing that the loss would be an immeasurable devastation.

  “Does anyone know if we have donor rights?” Makenzie asked the personnel in the room.

  Mike, one of the paramedics, looked over at Mak, “Troop’s outside. He had his ID.”

  “The parents are in family waiting,” Veronica stated softly.

  Makenzie left the room to inform the family. She stopped at the desk to grab some tissues and gather her thoughts. The state trooper was filling out his report. “Officer, did you find his donor request signed?”

  “Yes ma’am, he’d signed it.”