by Mona Risk
“Please do.” He blinked. Good God, he was her first guest? The first man she’d invited to her place? He sure needed a prayer to keep his hands decently occupied and away from her.
“Lord, bless our food, bless...” Madelyn recited.
And help us see clear, cause I sure don’t understand what’s going on in my head. Or in hers.
“Amen,” he repeated and raised his drink. “To your health.”
Her hand froze half-way. “Oh.”
Had he said anything wrong?
“To you, finding a nice apartment that suits you,” she immediately added and clanked her glass against his. Maybe he’d imagined her previous reaction. He swallowed a good gulp and abstained from comments as she hardly sipped.
“Delicious.” He wolfed down his meat and nodded when she served him a second helping “Thank you for cooking. I didn’t realize I’d put you through all this hassle after a whole day at work.”
“On the contrary, cooking was a nice distraction. A good way to unwind. I should do it more often.”
“I won’t complain.” He chuckled and worked his way through the green beans and potatoes. “I practically never eat home cooked meals.”
Surprised, Madelyn stared at him. “Not even when you go back home?” She’d been so proud he appreciated her cooking.
“There’s no home to go back to.” His eyes fixed on his plate and he forgot to eat.
Poor guy. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you lost your parents.” She frowned, stirring her memory. There had been no gossip about Nick losing his parents in the five years she’d known him. Must have been before he joined St. Lucy’s Hospital. Or maybe when he was a teenager or... “Oh God, did they die while you were a small boy?”
His head jerked up. “No.” His cold tone surprised her. “They’re not dead. But I stopped existing for them ages ago.”
“Excuse me?” She lurched back against her chair. “I don’t understand.”
He shrugged. “It’s a sad story you don’t want to hear.”
She had the feeling he’d buried a deep pain. Still, malignant abscesses didn’t disappear on their own. Only a surgical knife could cut them out and purify the affected area.
“Yes, I want to hear it.” Needles pricked her heart. Maybe one day she’d have a sad story of her own to share. Would he understand hers? “Please, tell me,” she urged and reached across the table to cover his hand.
He glanced at their entwined fingers and then considered her. “You come from a loving family, Madelyn. Why destroy your illusions?”
She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms. “I’m a doctor, too. I’ve heard many sad stories and seen a lot of miseries. Like our patient today.”
“That poor Casey Willis and her twins.” He poured more wine and drank to quench his thirst or maybe to douse the memory of the teenage mother.
“I checked on the babies before coming home.” She wanted to reassure him and lighten the somber mood that had settled over him. “They are doing well so far.”
“So far.” He shrugged. “Until some great parents adopt them.” Derision underlined his bitterness.
She was afraid to guess. “Nick, tell me about your parents. I told you all about my family.”
He emptied his wine glass and refilled it. “I don’t know my real parents. Never found them. They may have been druggies, or criminals, or a pair of desperate teenagers.”
“Like Casey?”
“Yes. Like Casey.” A deep scowl etched his forehead as he captured her gaze. “I was adopted by a fantastic couple who badly wanted a child and had all the money in the world to spoil me. To give them credit, they spoiled me rotten for five years. Then they sent me to boarding school.” Pain churned in his eyes and clogged her throat.
“They had more kids by then? Natural kids?”
“No.” He snorted. “They had to join their jet set parties. He was a movie producer. She was a famous actress. Ever heard of Anne Lee Meyer and Frank Davidson?”
“Yes, of course. She was my mother’s favorite actress.” Madelyn’s jaw sagged and she tilted her head, eyes widening. “Don’t tell me... Oh my God, Anne Lee Meyer was your mother?” Such a beautiful talented actress. Such a sweet woman adored by a whole generation of fans. And he resented her?
“Frank Davidson’s real name was Frank David Preston.” Nick’s mouth curled down. “As a child, I often wondered why I had to spend my life in a boarding school, with only two weeks at home for Christmas.”
“What about summer vacation?” Madelyn needed time to absorb and sort the information he’d just dumped on her.
“For two years in a row, they tried taking me to the movie set. Apparently I got bored and didn’t behave well.”
“What d’you expect from a six or seven years old?” Empathy filled her heart for the cute boy he must have been with his dark curly hair and blue eyes.
“After I embarrassed them one too many times, they dispatched me to a first-class camp. To be honest, I enjoyed it and stopped missing home.”
“When did you learn you were adopted?”
“I was seventeen when they decided to divorce. Frank had several affairs and was drinking a lot. Anne Lee was fed up, left him, and remarried. When I complained that they abandoned me, that I had no home, Frank told me the truth. Very kindly. He said I was a young man now and didn’t need them. He’d pay for my college and graduate studies, or any business I wanted to start. I shouldn’t worry about money. I was their only heir with a lot of dough in my name. I was devastated, scared, and lonely. It took time to adjust.”
“No wonder you worried about Casey’s twins. I’m so sorry, Nick. But I think you misunderstood your parents’ motives. The lifestyle of a world-famous actress and a movie director is not appropriate for a little boy, whether he was adopted or biological. A good boarding school is a far better place for a kid. Wouldn’t you think so?”
“I never saw it this way.” Nick scowled and then stared into space. “But you may be right. They were too busy to raise a child and wouldn’t have done it differently if I was their biological son.” Bitterness faded from his voice and the lines on his forehead relaxed.
“I heard that Anne Lee Meyer was sick. What happened to her?”
“Alzheimer. Phase four. She won’t last long.” His sensuous lips stretched in a thin line, and he blinked several times. Had tears tickled his eyes? He sighed. “She’s in a nursing home in Naples, two hours away from here. I drive to see her every couple of weeks. I see her now more than when I was growing up.” He laughed, a sad self-deprecating laugh.
“And your dad?”
“After several strokes, he’s now in a wheelchair. He still lives in his lavish apartment in Manhattan. Several nurse aids come to help him. Mentally he’s quite alert and continues to do some consulting. I’ve often asked him to move to Florida but he likes the big city where he has a lot of friends and business partners.”
“How old is he?”
“Eighty-one. I visit several times a year.”
“You’re a good son, Nick.” Her own eyes moistened.
“I’m trying to repay what I owe them. After all, they saved me from the orphanage.” A muscle twitched at the base of his neck.
Was he still resenting them? She didn’t dare ask the question.
He played with the bottle of wine. “Want some? I finished that bottle all by myself.”
“Good. It was for you. I don’t drink.”
“I’m such a lousy guest. You invited me to a scrumptious dinner and introduced me to your neighbors to show me different apartments. And I ruined your evening with my depressing story.”
“On the contrary.” She chuckled and pointed at the empty platters. “It makes me very proud we both honored my cooking. And I appreciate your trust.”
A pang of guilt stabbed her soul. He’d shared the secret of his birth, and yet she couldn’t get herself to tell him about her medical problems.
It’s not the same. By confiding in
her, he’d treated her as a real friend. If she confessed her sickness, she’d be addressing her boss, the director who’d have to put his patients’ welfare above personal friendship. And maybe fire her. Or relegate her to administrative chores.
She couldn’t tell him anything now. Besides, she was doing well as long as she didn’t forget to take her pill on time. After a meal. Right now.
“Can you help me clear the table?” She needed him busy for a few minutes while she took her medicine.
“Sure.”
While he carried the plates to the kitchen, she strolled to her bathroom, closed the door, and swallowed her pills. “Much better.” She checked her hair in the mirror and reapplied her lipstick.
When she ventured back to the kitchen, Nick had cleaned the platters and set the silver and china in her dishwasher.
“I didn’t mean for you to wash everything.”
“It’s the least I could do after you cooked for me and listened to my ranting.” He caught her shoulders and met her gaze. “Thank you, Madelyn, for letting me vent my frustration. I’ve buried it for so long.” He was too close, stealing her breath.
The flame burning in his eyes warmed her insides and scared her. He might kiss her very soon and she’d probably return his kiss with too much passion. And spoil their burgeoning friendship.
With a swift movement, she eased out of his grasp and smiled. “Hey what are friends for.” A glance at the kitchen ceramic clock alerted her they had spent too much time together.
His gaze followed hers. “Ten thirty already. I need to go. Time flies in your company, Madelyn.” The words full of longing touched a sensitive cord.
“Why don’t I walk you downstairs? I’ll show you the rest of the building.” At least it was safer then kissing him and ending on the living room rug or even on her comfortable bed. She yanked her keys from the horseshoe key holder and rushed to the door.
“Good idea.” Disappointed crinkles formed around his mouth.
With a nervous finger, she pushed on the elevator button and waited, staring at the door. Nick’s warm breath fanned her nape and created unbearable yearning in her heart.
Please, don’t touch me. He didn’t. But she almost sighed in frustration.
Thank God the elevator stopped at her floor a minute later. “I’ll give you a quick tour of the gym, lounge, library, ping-pong room, and then we’ll go to the pool and the beach.”
“Isn’t it too late now?” His gaze held hers, speculating.
She understood his silent question. “There won’t be anybody around.” An uneasy chuckle escaped her. “We don’t need a chaperone, do we?”
A groan answered her, just as the elevator stopped at the lobby level. He followed her quietly. She accelerated her pace, eager to get it over with. Tonight was straining her nerves. Dr. Lu had advised her to avoid stress at work, but Nick generated a different kind with his special charm—a tension no one would think Dr. Ramsay could be susceptible to.
“Here is the gym.” She opened a door with her master key, switched on the lights, and turned them off less than thirty seconds later. “Next to it, are the men’s room and women’s room, and in this corner the ping-pong and pool tables.” She blabbered about various activity rooms without even stopping in front their doors. Nick didn’t protest.
“Up there is the pool.” She pointed to a set of stairs leading to a lit terrace.
“Can we see it?”
She stiffened. Why would he want to see the pool by night?
“You said you were going to show it to me.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.” She climbed up as fast as she could, not looking behind her, knowing he was there, one step after her. With a sigh of relief she opened the door and gulped the fresh night air. “Here it is.” Her arms rose to encompass the area ahead of them. “The terrace, the pool, and beyond it the beach.” They strolled onto the pool patio.
“Beautiful.” He leaned over the rail and contemplated the beach. The ocean shimmered with thousands of stars under the moonlight and the sand projected the rays dropping from the sky in a golden band . “So romantic.”
Unfortunately.
“Let’s go back,” she said, eager to hide from temptation in the safety of her condo.
He turned to face her. “Madelyn, do I make you nervous?” His whisper hardly covered the hum of the surf.
A gasp lumped in her throat. She shook her head. “Why do you say that?” Her attempt at chuckling failed miserably.
“You can’t wait to run away.”
She frowned at him. “To be honest, I’d rather avoid this type of conversation.”
He raised his hands. “I’m trying to understand you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re different. Special. I’ve never talked about my childhood to anyone. When I’m with a woman—”
“Please, spare me the details. I heard about your womanizing.”
“And you believed every juicy detail, right?”
She bit her lip and considered him. He was so handsome. No wonder women threw themselves at his neck.
“How about now, after I confided in you?” His voice intensified. “Can you see why I can’t commit to a woman? Why I don’t want to have children I might neglect when I’m so dedicated to my work? When I practically live at the hospital?”
“I’m the same,” she whispered.
“I know. That’s why I trust you. That’s why I’m so attracted to you.” He reached and caressed her cheek. “Madelyn, would it be so bad if I kissed you?”
She inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Nick...”
“Don’t you want to try and kiss me?” He brought her against his chest.
“I want to, but—”
“But?” He added so close to her lips.
She jerked back. “Only kisses. Nothing more.”
He looked at her as if she sprouted a horn on each side of her nose. “Are you serious?” He stroked her hair with a gentle hand. “Only kisses...for how long?”
“For a very, very long time.” Stark fear gripped her. Good God, she had enough trouble with her health. How could she complicate her situation with a pointless attachment? “Nick, I can’t afford a relationship. Any type. No marriage, no commitment, no romance, no affair,” she muttered, panic rising.
“Wow.” He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Then only kisses...until you decide you want more.”
“I won’t change my mind.” She lifted a finger in warning.
“Absolutely nothing more than kisses. Like that.” He grabbed her hand, kissed her palm and slowly sucked on each finger. Her eyes dazed and reason deserted her. “You can trust me,” he added when he ended the seductive game on her fingers.
“I do.” She melted against him. His lips brushed her cheek, pressed on her closed eyelids, glided along her jaw, taking an eternity to skate over every spot of her face. For all his previous pushing, he wasn’t in a rush anymore.
Folding her arms about his neck, she tilted her head to do some kissing of her own. Especially on the dimples that creased his cheeks and the side of his lips that often curled with his charismatic grin. As if he was waiting for this signal he captured her lips, molded them with his and slid an eager tongue in her mouth.
A sigh escaped her. Now she knew how Nick’s kisses felt and why so many women wanted to date him. Elation filled her heart, immediately followed by angst. Nick Preston could never be hers.
Enjoy your moment, girl.
Her mind shut out all thoughts and concentrated on feeling. Nick’s tongue explored and patted, entwined with hers, careened, and waltzed around. She followed suit, tasted and tackled. Squeezed in his arms, she wanted the night to never end. A moan burst out of her.
Nick released her and buried his face in her hair. “I waited five years for that moment,” he murmured.
“Oh Nick.” She smiled and cupped his face. “I enjoyed it too.”
“Let’s go back.” He pulled away.
He
r breath caught. “Go where?”
He laughed. “As much as I want to stay with you, I have to go home. And keep my promise. Kisses only. Remember?”
Her chuckle trembled. “Thank you, Nick.”
Hand in hand, they re-entered the building and strolled to the front lobby where a security guard sat behind a counter. She walked Nick to his car parked in the circle in front of the building entrance and he unlocked his BMW.
“Thanks for the dinner. And everything,” Nick added with a wink. “Have sweet dreams.”
“I definitely will.”
He bent, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and slid in his seat while mumbling something. Had she heard correctly?
She frowned and then laughed as the words cold shower echoed in her ears.
Chapter Five
“You’re such a lovely little thing.” Madelyn held Baby Liana in her arms. “Yes, you’re so pretty and growing fast.” A week had passed since the tragic birth of the twins. Madelyn checked on them several times a day, during her rounds in the NICU and the on-term babies’ nursery. In addition, she made time to come and rock them.
Thank God, she hadn’t felt any tingling or numbness in her limbs. No absence seizure either. Her medicine was working great. Stress plummeted as her mood soared.
“Liana is already 6 lbs. and 2 ounces. Celia is catching up at 6lbs.,” Sandra announced. “They should be moved to the well-babies nursery, but if I do that they’d have to be discharged after one or two days according to the insurance.”
“Where would they go, poor darlings?” Madelyn brushed Liana’s forehead with a gentle finger. The preemie opened her eyes. “Oh look at that. Big blue eyes, like cornflower. I wonder if her twin has the same.” Madelyn set the baby in her bassinette and picked up Celia. “Open your baby blues, sweetie.”
“No one had come yet from Child Protective Services,” the nurse explained. “But I heard CPS contacted the dad and had him sign a release for adoption. Apparently he was terrified to learn they were two, not one. At seventeen, he can’t take care of babies. His mother is sending him to college at the other end of the country.” Count on Sandra to be always a well of information.