Jesus, how bad did she look when they brought her in?
“Getting there,” she says. “Tongue is smaller.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Owe you ‘pology.”
“No,” he says, and covers her hand with his. “Beau filled me in. It never occurred to me to tell you about Serena. She’s been sick a long time, and everyone in the office knows. I would have suspected me too.”
“Thanks,” Kate says, and closes her eyes, tired again.
“Get well quickly, sweet girl,” he says, and stands to leave. “I need to get over to see Serena. Take care of Kate.”
“How long are they keeping her?” I ask after Mr. Rudolph leaves.
“Just until tomorrow. They’d let her go today, but she had so many breathing problems, they want to continue the IV steroids to make sure she’s in the clear.” Lila’s gaze never leaves Kate as she relays the information to me. “She scared the shit out of me.”
“All of us,” Declan says. “Is it true that she wasn’t breathing when the paramedics got there?” he asks Van.
She simply nods.
Hilary is going to wish she never stepped foot in Bayou Enterprises.
***
It’s late. The hospital is surprisingly quiet, with just the occasional sound of footsteps walking past Kate’s door. She’s been in and out of sleep all day, and I haven’t moved.
I know she’s going to be okay, but I can’t make myself leave her side. I sent Savannah, Declan, and Lila home hours ago, promising them that I’d stay, and call if there was any change.
Now I just want her to wake up, which is utterly selfish because she needs to sleep and get well.
The swelling in her face has gone down. Now, just her lips are a little puffy, and her eyes look a little bruised. Every once in a while during sleep, she’ll scratch her arm or her neck.
She’s still itchy.
She has one hell of an allergy.
I lean in and whisper, so as not to wake her, but I have to say this out loud, while I still can.
“You are so special, Kate. So beautiful. I’m going to miss you every day. You made the man who’s incapable of love fall in love with you.” My throat tightens, and I stop talking. I simply bury my face in her neck and breathe her in, already missing what she brings to my life. The light. The laughter.
Already missing who I am because of her.
***
“What are we doing today?” Kate asks two days later. And what a difference two days make. The swelling is completely gone, and it seems that she’s back to her old, energetic self.
“Sleep,” I reply, and close my eyes beside her, goading her.
“No. No sleep.”
“You need to rest.”
“Eli, I’m fine. All recovered. You can even have sex with me and I won’t die.”
“That’s not funny,” I reply calmly and turn to face her. “You could have died.”
“I didn’t,” she says, and cups my cheek in her hand. “I’m fine. And you’ve kept me in bed—not for the fun stuff, I might add—for two days.”
“Fun stuff?” I ask and kiss her forehead. “You want fun stuff?”
“Yes.”
“Not yet.”
“Eli, my face swelled, not my…other places.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. She’s so fucking funny when it comes to the swearing.
“These places?” I ask and brush the backs of my knuckles over her nipple, making it stand at attention.
“Yes,” she whispers and closes her eyes. “That’s a good place.”
“What about this place?” I ask and drag the same knuckles down her stomach to her navel, circling it softly, loving that fucking piercing.
“That doesn’t suck.”
I grin and kiss her collarbone. God, she’s soft. And expressive.
She’s addictive.
How am I going to live without her?
Because I will live without her.
But not today.
“And this?” I ask as my fingers drift down between her legs, lightly touching her warm skin. “What about this place, cher?”
“Best. Place. Ever.” Her hips move, wanting me to press harder, deeper, but I hold back, barely tickling over her tiny pink pussy lips, watching in satisfaction as she squirms next to me. Her neck and cheeks pinken; her breath quickens. She grips the sheets at her hip opposite me and bites her lip. “That feels nice.”
“Just nice, huh?”
Oh, we can do a whole lot better than fucking nice.
I kiss down her torso, lick the underside of her breasts, enjoying every gasp and moan that comes out of her delicious mouth. Her fingers find my hair and hold on tight as I nibble down her ribs, kiss a circle around her navel, then travel down between her legs. I spread her wide and growl when I see how wet she already is.
“You’re so pink.” I press a kiss to her pubis. “So wet.” Her clit, making her gasp. “So sweet.” I sweep my tongue through her folds, then pull back and look up into her shining green eyes. “I could do this all day.”
“You’d kill me,” she replies, and lets her head fall back as I grin and press a kiss to the delicate skin of her inner thigh, the crease where leg meets torso, then pay the same attention to the other side. “You are killing me.”
“Just taking my time, cher.” It seems we always take it so damn fast, because I can’t wait to be inside her, can’t wait to feel her come apart at the seams. But this time, I want to enjoy every movement, every sigh, every moment. “You’re quite fun, you know.”
“Getting there,” she says. “Tongue is smaller.” Her eyes fill with tears. “Owe you ‘pology.”
“No,” he says, and covers her hand with his. “Beau filled me in. It never occurred to me to tell you about Serena. She’s been sick a long time, and everyone in the office knows. I would have suspected me too.”
“Thanks,” Kate says, and closes her eyes, tired again.
“Get well quickly, sweet girl,” he says, and stands to leave. “I need to get over to see Serena. Take care of Kate.”
“How long are they keeping her?” I ask after Mr. Rudolph leaves.
“Just until tomorrow. They’d let her go today, but she had so many breathing problems, they want to continue the IV steroids to make sure she’s in the clear.” Lila’s gaze never leaves Kate as she relays the information to me. “She scared the shit out of me.”
“All of us,” Declan says. “Is it true that she wasn’t breathing when the paramedics got there?” he asks Van.
She simply nods.
Hilary is going to wish she never stepped foot in Bayou Enterprises.
***
It’s late. The hospital is surprisingly quiet, with just the occasional sound of footsteps walking past Kate’s door. She’s been in and out of sleep all day, and I haven’t moved.
I know she’s going to be okay, but I can’t make myself leave her side. I sent Savannah, Declan, and Lila home hours ago, promising them that I’d stay, and call if there was any change.
Now I just want her to wake up, which is utterly selfish because she needs to sleep and get well.
The swelling in her face has gone down. Now, just her lips are a little puffy, and her eyes look a little bruised. Every once in a while during sleep, she’ll scratch her arm or her neck.
She’s still itchy.
She has one hell of an allergy.
I lean in and whisper, so as not to wake her, but I have to say this out loud, while I still can.
“You are so special, Kate. So beautiful. I’m going to miss you every day. You made the man who’s incapable of love fall in love with you.” My throat tightens, and I stop talking. I simply bury my face in her neck and breathe her in, already missing what she brings to my life. The light. The laughter.
Already missing who I am because of her.
***
“What are we doing today?” Kate asks two days later. And what a difference two days make. The swelling is completely gone, and it seems that she’s back to her old, energetic self.
“Sleep,” I reply, and close my eyes beside her, goading her.
“No. No sleep.”
“You need to rest.”
“Eli, I’m fine. All recovered. You can even have sex with me and I won’t die.”
“That’s not funny,” I reply calmly and turn to face her. “You could have died.”
“I didn’t,” she says, and cups my cheek in her hand. “I’m fine. And you’ve kept me in bed—not for the fun stuff, I might add—for two days.”
“Fun stuff?” I ask and kiss her forehead. “You want fun stuff?”
“Yes.”
“Not yet.”
“Eli, my face swelled, not my…other places.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. She’s so fucking funny when it comes to the swearing.
“These places?” I ask and brush the backs of my knuckles over her nipple, making it stand at attention.
“Yes,” she whispers and closes her eyes. “That’s a good place.”
“What about this place?” I ask and drag the same knuckles down her stomach to her navel, circling it softly, loving that fucking piercing.
“That doesn’t suck.”
I grin and kiss her collarbone. God, she’s soft. And expressive.
She’s addictive.
How am I going to live without her?
Because I will live without her.
But not today.
“And this?” I ask as my fingers drift down between her legs, lightly touching her warm skin. “What about this place, cher?”
“Best. Place. Ever.” Her hips move, wanting me to press harder, deeper, but I hold back, barely tickling over her tiny pink pussy lips, watching in satisfaction as she squirms next to me. Her neck and cheeks pinken; her breath quickens. She grips the sheets at her hip opposite me and bites her lip. “That feels nice.”
“Just nice, huh?”
Oh, we can do a whole lot better than fucking nice.
I kiss down her torso, lick the underside of her breasts, enjoying every gasp and moan that comes out of her delicious mouth. Her fingers find my hair and hold on tight as I nibble down her ribs, kiss a circle around her navel, then travel down between her legs. I spread her wide and growl when I see how wet she already is.
“You’re so pink.” I press a kiss to her pubis. “So wet.” Her clit, making her gasp. “So sweet.” I sweep my tongue through her folds, then pull back and look up into her shining green eyes. “I could do this all day.”
“You’d kill me,” she replies, and lets her head fall back as I grin and press a kiss to the delicate skin of her inner thigh, the crease where leg meets torso, then pay the same attention to the other side. “You are killing me.”
“Just taking my time, cher.” It seems we always take it so damn fast, because I can’t wait to be inside her, can’t wait to feel her come apart at the seams. But this time, I want to enjoy every movement, every sigh, every moment. “You’re quite fun, you know.”
