Twisted Pursuits

by Krystal Morrison

  She was shell shocked the following morning when he announced that she needed a break from the hospital so he had made an appointment for a full body spa treatment for her and Daniel would take her there and back. She had been touched by his generosity and said as much but pointed out to him that she could not leave knowing that he was not fully recovered. He had shrugged aside her concern insisting that he would not take no for an answer until finally she had acquiesced.

  Later that evening she had returned to the hospital feeling like a new woman. She had not realized that she had been so stressed until the massage therapist had begun her expert ministrations and Lauren had felt the tension drain from her body. She had even gotten her hair done along with a manicure and pedicure.

  Even Jordan had commented on how radiant she looked after which she had thanked him for his thoughtfulness and as usual he had acted as if it was nothing.

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  “LAUREN”, JORDAN CALLED, shaking her gentle, “wake up”.

  Lauren bolted upright in bed, “Is something wrong? Do you want me to…” she halted in her tracks as she realized that Jordan was fully dressed in jeans and t-shirt.

  “Get dressed”, he commanded, much more like his old self, “we are leaving”.

  “But you need a doctor’s permission to be released”, she pointed out; worried that he was not well enough to leave.

  “I’ve already called Doc and he is on his way”, he said brusquely, “don’t just stand there, get dressed. If I spend one more day cooped up in this hospital, I’m afraid I’ll go crazy”.

  “Ok… Ok”, Lauren conceded, getting out of bed.

  However she prolonged her bath until she heard Doctor Hedley conversing with Jordan in the next room.

  Doctor Hedley released him with a stern warning not to return to work for another two days at least and reiterating that it had been a stressful ordeal so Lauren should rest and so should Jordan. He called his parents immediately to tell them that he was leaving the hospital and she could guess at their excitement from his reactions.

  Daniel was waiting for them when they got outside and he drove them to the estate. Jordan spent the entire drive on his cell phone issuing orders and rescheduling appointments. She watched him as he spoke, mesmerized by the firm jut of his chin, his sensuous mouth as it curled into a smile and the ripple of muscles as he moved his arms.

  She had to tell him how she felt about him even if it meant risking rejection. She had to make him listen somehow. At least she would not spend her entire life wondering what if, she told herself. She would do it as soon as they got to the house, she decided. However he went straight to his home office as soon as they got to the estate and closed the door firmly behind him. She waited an hour for him to reemerge and when he did not she thought she would go to her room and take a nap as she was feeling a bit tired.

  When she awoke it was minutes past three. She hurried downstairs and knocked on his office door and when there was no answer she pushed open the door, thinking that he might have fainted or something. However the office was empty. She was about to phone him when she saw Ms. Clarke who told her that Jordan had left shortly after she went upstairs and told her to tell Lauren not to worry and that he would be back soon . Lauren’s courage faltered, was fate sending her a message? Perhaps it was a sign that she should disband her foolhardy plan.

  JORDAN SAT IN HIS OFFICE half listening to his secretary give a list of appointments he had missed while in the hospital and pointing out the slots he had available where he could fit them in. His mind kept straying to Lauren. He had seen a side of her these past few days that he had thought never existed.

  She had been so kind and gentle and caring during his illness that he had found himself wondering at moments if she harbored some deep feelings for him. He shrugged the silly idea aside, telling himself he was imagining things.

  Collecting his thoughts, he wrapped up his meeting with his secretary. It was a Friday evening so he had to meet the guys at the Diner before he went home. He called Lauren to tell her that he would be coming in late, frowning as he heard the blatant disappointment in her voice as she told him not to overexert himself.

  His meeting with the guys at the Diner went a little longer than usual and it was nine thirty when he got to the estate. The house was quiet when he entered and he went straight to his room. He would take a shower and go straight to bed, he was bone weary and he cursed the damned illness for it.

  Ten minutes later, showered and semi nude he crossed to his bed and almost had a heart attack when he saw a movement on the far corner of the bed. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was only Lauren.

  “Jordan”, she whispered softly and sat up. She had decided to await Jordan in his room; worried that she would lose her nerve if she waited until morning. She must have fallen asleep.

  She looked so soft and warm in his bed, her hair cascading around her beautiful face.

  “Why are you lying in the dark”, he asked gently, flipping on the lamp on his side of the bed, “are you feeling ill?”

  “No… I’m fine”, she stuttered, her face reddening, “I just wanted to…”

  He frowned. What was the meaning of this? Perhaps she was just lonely and needed a little comfort. He glanced at her breast clearly outlined in her nightdress and knew he could not resist making love to her if he once held her in his arms as even now he could feel his body hardening.

  “I’m sorry”, she blurted, her eyes filling with tears until they spilled over.

  As much as he hated to admit, her tears wounded him and he was even more confused by her statement, “For what?”

  “When I got to the hospital and they took you away and I didn’t know whether you would …live or not, all I could think about was that I never got a chance to tell you how deeply sorry I was for hurting you”, her breath caught in her throat.

  He felt the bitter old feelings begin to resurface in him, “don’t….”

  She ignored him, blabbering on, “I was so worried that I would never be able to give you a child and then… Nana came and she told me how you would never be content in a childless marriage”, she cried harder, “said if I loved you I wouldn’t do that to you… and how I did not want my baby so she merely did me a favor and God would never bless my womb again”, she laughed mockingly at that, “Said I should come with her and like a fool I did”

  Jordan listened, a chill creeping into his soul.

  “All I could think about was saving you from making the worst mistake of your life”, she shook her head sadly, “I was afraid that you wouldn’t let me go so I said the only thing that I knew would assure you did just that …”

  “That you did not want me anymore and you’d only wanted to be a singer…” he supplied in a lifeless voice, “why couldn’t you have trusted me…explained your fears” he shouted in anger and hurt.

  “I realized my mistake the moment I left the estate and that same night I told Nana that I had had enough and packed my bags”, she continued, “I ended up at Anna’s house and a week later I rented a house and went back to work…”

  “Why should I believe you after all this time…?” Jordan said coldly.

  She stared him straight in the eyes. “Because I love you”, his heart tightened painfully inside his chest, “and it won’t stop or go away no matter how hard I try and I want our marriage to be real…I want you so bad…” her voice broke.

  Jordan tried to tell himself that she was lying but all he had to do was think of the tender care she had shown him through his illness or look in the depths of her soft brown eyes which glistened with tears at the moment.

  “If you truly loved me you would never have tried to run away with my kids”, he made one last feeble attempt to hold on to his anger and hurt.

  “You were so angry I was afraid you would take them away from me”, she said earnestly, “nevertheless I was selfish to ever consider denying you the joy of knowing your own children. Please forgive me”. Tea
rs ran unchecked down her cheeks, “I was stupid. I would take it all back in an instant if I could”.

  He made a choking sound in his throat and rose from the bed, his back to her. “I should hate you…destroy you for what you did to me”, his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, “but instead I find myself… wanting you…pining for you and I know that my treacherous heart will never stop loving you”.

  She inhaled sharply, “you…you love me?” she stuttered idiotically.

  He turned abruptly and retraced his steps back to the bed. He cupped her left cheek and she leaned into his touch, her heart souring; he loved her. She was startled at the raw emotion clouding his expression.

  “But you’ll leave again and I…”

  She cupped his face in her palms, her heart breaking at the pain she saw in his eyes. “I won’t. I’m not that stupid girl anymore Jordan”, she declared vehemently, “I’ve grown up and I know now that running away solves nothing and love is worth fighting for and I will fight for you”.

  She drew his lips to hers and kissed him with all the love and intensity she felt for him and he growled low in his throat and gave in to the sensual onslaught of her lips, his lips slow and insistent. He pushed her gently into the mattress without breaking the kiss while he molded her breasts in his palms. Her body tingled delectably as his lips left hers to nip and suckle her cheekbones, her earlobes and her neck all the way down to the neckline of her nightdress.

  She skimmed her hands over his smooth chest and forearms as he stripped away her nightdress and panties and almost ripped his boxers from his body. She was so hungry for him that she shoved him unto his back and straddled his thighs.

  Jordan laughed nervously; worried that he might hurt her. “Slowly”, he coaxed, gripping her hips and gently guiding his shaft into her moist heat. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she moaned in pleasure, her obvious enjoyment and the rhythmic rocking of her hips stroking the fire within him.

  She was so lush and full that he could not help caressing her rounded stomach with his hands and mouth. Her breasts were heavier than he remembered; the hardened nipples begging for his attention. He groaned in appreciation as he took one nipple, then the other into the warn corral of his mouth. She squealed with delight; her body shuddering in his arms and the pleasure intensified.

  They held each other as the waves of pleasure strengthened, kissing, stroking and pleasuring each other until ecstasy erupted between them; leaving them boneless and thoroughly fulfilled.

  “Don’t ever leave me again”, Jordan warned as soon as they could speak again.

  “I won’t. I love you too much to leave your side ever again”, she said stroking his face, “to forever”, she said threading her fingers through his.

  “To forever”, he agreed and sealed it with a kiss.

  “WE’RE ALMOST THERE”, Doctor Hedley encouraged, “come on I can see the head. Push!”

  “I can’t!” Lauren cried, collapsing into the pillows.

  Doctor Hedley had convinced her that a C-Section was necessary as he would have to take the babies a little early. However it seemed the babies had a mind of their own as she had gone into labor a week before her scheduled C-Section and at such an alarming rate that she had had no choice but to have a natural birth. Now she wished she had gotten a C-Section.

  “Yes you can”, Jordan insisted, stroking her hair, “you’re doing fine baby…breathe…you can do it…just a little longer”, he coaxed.

  She drew strength from his presence, fighting the mind numbing pain and exhaustion.

  “We’ll push on three…” Jordan instructed, “one… two….three…push…”she gritted her teeth; her hold on Jordan tightening and bore down with all her might until she felt the baby slide from her body.

  Doctor Hedley announced that it was a boy before quickly handing him to a waiting nurse after which a lusty wail filled the room. She would have liked to hold him but the pain was insistent and Doctor Hedley prompted her to push again. A few minutes later her daughter was born and she was so tired she thought she might sleep for a year but first she had to see her babies.

  “They’re perfect”, Jordan said, obviously smitten as he and the nurse brought the babies to her, “Joshua and Jaden”.

  She could not help the tears that sprung to her eyes as her babies were placed in her arms for the first time. A sense of peace and contentment washed over her; she had two beautiful babies and a husband who adored her. She knew in her heart that they would have a wonderful future together.

  Acknowledgements

  Dreams are like delicate roses; they must be embedded in fertile soil, watered faithfully and nurtured diligently into reality.

  I would like to express heartfelt appreciation to:

  Ms. Alecia Pommells for offering her time and expertise in editing this book.

  My friend and medical expert, Nurse Petrenia Nelson, for enduring my endless nagging and imparting her invaluable contribution.

  My family and friends who merely gave a listening ear as I prattled on about character building and plot.

  My patient husband, Christopher Morrison, for sharing me with my characters and being my rock in a world of quicksand.

  My friend, Rhenisha Dawes, for designing my Book Cover and resolving all my computer and internet woes.

  My Publishers for giving me a platform to air my work.

  My Readers who have showcased their trust in my abilities through their support of my work. This is all possible because of you.

  Last but by no means least, my Creator, who has bestowed upon me the wherewithal to perform such a task.

  Thank you all for diligently nurturing my dream.