Emerging Temptation: A BWWM Romance Limited Edition Collection

by Peyton Banks

  Usually, Kori was the stoic one, pushing and prodding everyone. Never showing emotion even when she sometimes felt it the deepest. But not today. She’d dropped her basket and fallen apart at the seams at the mere thought of Julian being hurt. Nodding, she rubbed her hands down her leggings. “You’re right. I don’t know what’s come over me.”

  “Yeah, go shower and change because you are ripe. And your face is all bloated, so do whatever it is you do to make yourself beautiful.” Janice waved her away as she walked to the living room. “Our parents will probably be here in about twenty minutes, so if I were you, I’d get moving. But, because I love you so much, I’m going to make sure they know we’re on the way. Max gave me the brother’s cell phone number, so I have a call to make.”

  Kori turned to walk down the hallway but paused to look back at her baby sister. “Janice,” she called. When the younger woman turned to look at her, Kori smiled. “Thank you for getting here so soon.”

  Sending Kori a two-finger salute, Janice bowed slightly. “Sis, I will always pick up when you call. Go get dressed, let me call the cop.”

  Thirty minutes later, their parents had arrived, Morgan had been given lots of kisses and hugs, and Kori and Janice climbed into Janice’s car and sped off down the road. Maybe her presence at the hospital would be a surprise to Julian’s family, but she didn’t really care at this point. Her man was hurt. It was her turn to take care of him.

  12

  Kori

  Last time she was in a hospital, it was Morgan who’d been hurt. At the time, she hadn’t known if her little boy would survive his ordeal. This time, it was the man she was positive owned her heart. It didn’t matter how long they’d known each other, what she felt for him was real. She knew it was because it felt as if her heart were breaking into a million pieces. The drive to the hospital seemed to take hours, even though she knew it had taken only minutes to get there.

  “I’m here for Julian MacMahon. He was brought in early this morning.” The hospital waiting room was filled with people awaiting word about their relatives and other loved ones. Some were here due to the explosion, while others were here for different reasons. “Please. Ma’am, I’m looking for Julian MacMahon. He’s a first responder from Fairfax, Station 5.” Kori knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t stop.

  “Ma’am. Are you hurt?”

  “No. I’m looking for someone who is. Can you help me?” Kori glanced over at Janice and saw her talking animatedly into the phone. Lifting her hand, she motioned Janice over to the desk.

  “Ma’am. Do you have a family member who’s been admitted, or you personally need medical attention?”

  Kori wanted to scream at the lady. Make her understand who Julian was to her and Morgan, but she knew to lie about their connection would only make it worse.

  “Ma’am, we have a lot going on right now. I’m going to need you to move back from the desk and sit down until things slow down.” Fighting the urge to jump over the desk and grab her by the neck, Kori took some deep breaths. Pulling her phone out, she gave the woman a harsh look. “Thanks for your help,” she spat sarcastically.

  “Anytime,” the hospital employee returned with just as much snark in her tone.

  At this point, Kori was too angry to cry. Now, she wanted answers, and no one was giving them to her. She began walking over to Janice when the double-doors to her right opened. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open as she watched the person walk out and turn in her direction.

  “Julian?”

  No. This wasn’t Julian. This man was younger. Maybe an inch or two shorter and even had a slimmer build. No. Not Julian. “Steven?” Janice walked up next to her and grabbed her hand as they stood in front of the man who reminded her so much of Julian, she wanted to fall into his arms.

  “Yeah, I’m Steven. You must be Kori,” he stated, reaching out his hand for her to shake.

  “Hi. Yes, I’m Kori.” She nodded to Janice. “This is my sister—”

  His gaze turned decidedly cold when he glanced at her sister. “Yeah, I know who she is. She’s been berating me on the phone all morning.”

  Glancing at Janice, she raised an eyebrow at her sister, before turning back to Steven. “I apologize that my sister was harsher than you expected. But I’m sorry. She was worried about me because I’m worried about Julian. Where is he by the way? Can I see him?” She knew her voice was shaky with nervousness and a healthy dose of fear.

  After a long pause, he nodded. “Yeah. You can come on back.” Pulling out his badge, he called out to the unhelpful lady at the front desk. “They’re with me. Can you open up?”

  “Yes, absolutely Sergeant MacMahon,” she responded sweetly.

  Her tone made Kori grit her teeth and throw her a sharp look. She heard a rumbling growl come from Janice and noticed her cold gaze was focused on the woman as well. Interesting. When she had better control of her emotions and knew Julian would be okay, she’d examine this a bit further. But right now, all she cared about was getting to Julian.

  “Is—Is he okay?”

  “Depends on how you define okay. He has a broken wrist and a lot of bumps and bruises. He’s been unconscious since they brought him in. They say he had a concussion but that he should wake up any moment. At least we hope that’s the case.” As they approached a closed hospital room door, he turned to them. “Listen, my parents are in there with him. They know about you,” he motioned toward Kori. “Julian was going to ask you over for Sunday dinner next week.” Shaking his head, he tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. “Just try to stay calm when you see him. I can’t have you getting my mom all riled up. You got me?”

  “Hey, Asshole. Back up from my sister. You don’t know what she’s going through. What she’s been through. She’s here for Julian, not for you, and not for your parents. Either move out of our way so she can see her man, or I’ll move you my fucking self.” Frustration was evident in Janice’s voice, and Kori knew she meant every word. Her sister would go through anything, and anyone, to make sure she was happy. Since she’d do the same thing for her, Kori knew precisely what she was feeling.

  “You do know I’m a cop, right?” Steven growled, taking a step closer.

  “Yeah, well, fuck your cop. Now move out the way, dude.”

  Just then, the door opened, and a tiny woman with red hair streaked with gray stuck her head out. “Steven? I thought that was your voice I heard. Why are you out here growling like a damn bear?” Her red-rimmed eyes landed on Kori and Janice. “Which one of you is Kori?”

  Stepping forward, Kori responded, “I’m Kori Hughes. Sorry to meet under such circumstances. I—I,” she was about to break again and had to bite her lip to stave off the tears threatening to fall. Clearing her throat, she started again. “How is he?”

  The woman’s gaze flitted toward Steven before she stepped back, making room for them to step inside. “Come see for yourself.”

  As she entered the room, her voice caught in her throat, and she let out a painful gasp. Those tears she’d tried to hold back, fell freely down her face. Rushing over to Julian’s side, she forgot about anyone else in the room with her. All she saw was Julian.

  His face was scratched and bruised, his wrist and lower arm encased in a cast. Lying there in that hospital bed with tubes coming out of his arms and machines monitoring his heart and other vitals, he didn’t look like her Julian. The man she knew was strong and invincible, and he took care of her and Morgan. He was her son’s hero. For her to see him this way broke something inside. Sitting down in the chair next to the bed, she grabbed the hand that wasn’t covered in a cast.

  “Julian? Baby, I’m here. Please wake up for me,” she pleaded. “Please, sweetheart. Your family is here with me, and we all want you to open your eyes.” Dropping her head, she closed her eyes as she bawled her eyes out. Kori couldn’t help the shudders that racked her frame as she sat next to the one man who made her love again. She allowed her emotions to flow and didn’t hold anyth
ing back as she repeatedly whispered for Julian to come back to her. “I need you, Julian. Morgan needs you. Please come back to us.”

  She felt a light touch on her shoulder and turned her head to see Janice standing next to her. Her sister’s eyes were red, as if she was on the verge of crying herself. “Hey, sugar. It’s going to be okay. Julian just needs time to wake up. He’s going to come back to you.”

  Leaning her head on her sister, she admitted her biggest fear. “I can’t lose him. I won’t go through that again.”

  “I know, sis. I know. Hey, let me go call Mom and Dad to let them know what’s going on. I’ll also check on Morgan for you. That okay?”

  Nodding, she couldn’t help but look back at Julian. “Yeah, that sounds fine. Thanks for everything, Janice.”

  “Anything for you, Big Sis.”

  Kori watched her sister leave the room, and her eyes landed on the other three people standing around in the small space. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She stood and walked over to Julian’s father. “You must be Julian’s father. I’m Kori Hughes,” she put her hand out for him to shake. After a few moments of simply staring at her, she started to become uncomfortable. Just as she went to drop her hand, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight for a hug. “Oomph!”

  “Harold, let that girl go,” Julian’s mother chastised, smacking him lightly on the shoulder.

  Once he released her, he stepped back. A sheepish grin covered his face. “I’m sorry about manhandling you like that, Kori. I can call you Kori, right?”

  “Yes, sir. Kori is fine,” she returned with a smile. She itched to go back to Julian’s side but forced herself to stay near his parents. For now.

  “Please,” Julian’s mother interjected, “call us Georgia and Harold. You already know our son, Steven,” she waved towards the frowning man who looked eerily like the man she loved.

  “Yes, it’s nice to meet all of you. I’m just sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances. I got here as soon as I could. I didn’t know about what happened out at the plant until this morning. Then, I wasn’t sure if Julian was hurt.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I just had a feeling I should get here.”

  “Yeah, how did you know where we were? Hospitals aren’t supposed to give outpatient information. You know, those measly little federal, health, and privacy laws.” Steven’s body language was closed off, but poised to strike. All cop.

  She sure as hell wasn’t going to tell them she and Janice had friends who could locate any information they needed. Yeah, those pesky privacy laws had nothing on Max and Nico. “Um, well, I just took a chance. I know this hospital has the largest trauma center in Northern Virginia. This was my best guess.”

  “And we’re glad you did.” Georgia grabbed her hand in hers. “We would have called you. None of us had your number. When Julian wakes up, we’ll make sure to get it from him.”

  Kori just nodded, going along with that story. Glancing over at Steven, she knew he could have found her number and contacted her. Just like he was aware that she hadn’t merely lucked out and found the hospital Julian was in, she was positive he’d had her checked out as soon as Julian disclosed her name. Her lips turned up in a smirk as he dipped his head, acknowledging her as well. They each knew how this game was played. With her man lying in that bed unconscious, Kori had no time for her loyalty to Julian to be tested. It just was. And his brother sure as hell wasn’t going to get in the way of that.

  After a few more moments of small talk, Janice came back in after finishing her call with their parents and checking in with Morgan. Everyone settled into their own section of the room, silent with their own thoughts. The beeps from the machines were the loudest sound in the room. Kori held onto Julian’s hand, rubbing her thumb along his skin. She’d read somewhere that if you spoke to an unconscious person, sometimes they could hear you.

  “You know, this doesn’t mean you’re getting out of going fishing with my dad next weekend. So, you might as well wake-up now. You know he’ll fuss at you if you try to get out of it. You’re the one who’s supposed to bring the bait worms,” she reminded his sleeping form.

  “Fishing? Julian’s already met your father,” Harold asked from the other side of the room.

  “Hmph. Well, that’s more than he did with that other gal,” Georgia replied. “That’s a good thing, Harold. That means Julian’s serious. And she has a little boy.”

  Kori heard them speaking but didn’t pay much attention. She’d worry about them later. “Morgan is expecting you at the house tomorrow to help cook burgers and watch the robot movie with him again,” she continued speaking to Julian’s prone form. “We have to make sure you don’t disappoint him. You know how much he loves it when you hang out at the house with us.” Wiping her eyes, she gave a half-smile. “I know you can’t hear me right now, but I need to tell you something. I love you, Julian. Yeah, I know it’s probably too soon for those words, but I don’t care. When I woke up this morning and saw the news reports, I knew something was wrong. I felt it in my soul that you weren’t okay. Nothing would have kept me from getting here to you.” Leaning her head down to rest on top of his hand, she repeated the words, praying they would break through to him this time. “I love you, Julian. Please wake up for me.”

  Silence came over the room again, but she could hear his mother sniffing behind her. Janice and Steven were probably glaring at each other with daggers in their eyes, and she was sure there was a story there. There had to be something she could do to help him. Jarred from her silent musings, Kori looked at Julian’s face and prayed it would happen again. She gasped when his fingers moved, clasping her hand within his.

  “Harold. Georgia. Guys! He’s moving. Come over here,” she whisper-yelled. As everyone surrounded the bed, she and Georgia began speaking to him, begging him to open his eyes. A few more minutes passed, and his lids began to lift. The beautiful blue of his eyes latched onto Kori’s face, and his lips tilted in a smile.

  “Did. You. Mean it?” Julian’s voice was low and scratchy, but she heard him loud and clear.

  She nodded her head because she knew exactly what he was referring to. “Yes. I meant every word. I love you, Julian MacMahon.”

  “Good.” He nodded. “Because you’re going to be my wife.” Closing his eyes, he leaned back on the pillow and took a deep breath. “I love you, too, Kori. I told you. Nothing but death would keep me from you.”

  Epilogue

  “Are you ready?”

  “Seems like I’ve been waiting for this day forever.”

  “I can’t believe it’s finally here. After everything that’s happened, I thought this day would never come.”

  “You and me both. How do you think Morgan feels about everything?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly, I have no idea. Whenever I’ve asked him about it, he says he’s excited, but I just don’t know. I worry about him.”

  “Don’t worry. I think Morgan’s going to be okay. No, I know it for a fact. Our little man is brave. Today will change everything for us. After this, we’ll never look at this place the same way again.”

  “Come on, Baby. It’s time.”

  “Okay.” She smiled. Walking over to the door, she opened it and walked into the long hallway, knocking on the doors along the way. “Alright, everyone! Let’s go. This adventure isn’t going to happen without us.”

  “Yay,” Morgan yelled as he came running from one of the rooms. “I can’t believe we’re actually in Orlando. Gigi, PopPop, Grammy, Grandpa! Time to go.”

  “Hold on there, big fella.” Julian grabbed him up and flipped him over his shoulder. “You know your mom can’t move all that fast with your little brother growing in her belly.”

  “Hey,” Kori laughed. “No making fun of the pregnant woman.”

  Julian leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “I love you, woman.”

  “Yeah, you’d better still say that when I’ve gained another thirty pounds, and I have swollen fee
t topped by grapefruit-sized cankles.”

  “I’ll love you, no matter what. I’ll even rub your feet when we get back tonight. How does that sound?”

  She moved in front of him and Morgan, walking towards the bathroom. “I’m going to hold you to that, Mr. MacMahon.”

  “I’m looking forward to it, Mrs. MacMahon.” Looking at her ass, he bit his bottom lip. “Damn, girl, I like you pregnant. Your junk in the trunk is looking might fine. Are you sure you want to head to this big ass amusement park today with thousands of other people around us?”

  “Yup, I sure do. This is going to be our only family vacation for the next three to four years, so suck it up, Buttercup. Now, make sure to remind your son again about the rules of the day. One infraction, and we’re packing it up and heading back here to the resort. That goes for both of you, and your crazy-ass, gun-toting brother.”

  Smiling at his wife, he blew her a kiss as she stuck her tongue out at him. “Alright, little man. Did you hear your mom? Now, are you sure you remember the rules?”

  Morgan giggled. “Yes, Dad, I remember. I promise to walk really, really slow so Mom can keep up with me, and she doesn’t start to waddle. And Gigi and Grammy made me do a pinky-swear that I would always be holding someone’s hand. Oh, and I’m never to go with anyone but the family.”

  “Passcode?” He and Kori designated an emergency family password. If there was ever a time Morgan was approached by a stranger, he was to ask for the family password.

  “Purple people eater,” he repeated, rolling his eyes in that way only children could.

  “Good job. Okay, buddy, let’s get on the road.”

  “Daddy, is Auntie Janice and Uncle Steven coming with us today?”

  Julian laughed at his son’s mile-a-minute questions, except the one about his aunt and uncle. He wasn’t quite ready to answer that one just yet, at least not for a six-year-old child. “Um, I think they’re going to meet us around lunchtime.” Lifting Morgan from his shoulders, he placed him on the floor. “Go make sure we have all the backpacks ready.”