Kissing Trouble (44 page)

“He’ll be fine,” Lucy said, holding Julie’s face between withered hands. “He’s a strong boy. You just have faith in him.”

Maureen and Dean visited without the kids. It was apparent that the two had resolved their issues and decided to give their marriage another shot, because they strolled in, arm in arm.

Julie was still pissed at the two and didn’t say much, except to tell them that she quit and that she was keeping the money that she had so very much earned. Maureen didn’t seem overly thrilled about the latter, but neither protested.

“I heard what you said to Maureen,” Heather said one afternoon as they sat watching
Sex in the City
on Mason’s TV set. “About quitting.”

Julie nodded.

“I’m proud of you,” Heather said.

“I feel bad, but...” She bit her lip, glanced at Mason in the bed between them. “I just can’t deal with them right now.”

“Understandable. Maureen’s my sister and, Lord knows, I love her and Dean and the kids, but I seriously want to beat the two of them with a bat.” She grimaced. “Too soon?”

Julie laughed. “No.” She checked her watch. “It’s lunch. Did you want something from the cafeteria? I promised Shaun a banana parfait. I think he’s addicted to them.”

“When’s he getting released anyway?”

“Um...” Julie had to really think to remember the date. “Next week. I think the nurses have had it with him and his grumpy ways.”

Heather sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. “That boy is never going to find a woman.”

Chuckling, Julie grabbed her purse, bent at the waist, brushed a kiss to Mason’s mouth before heading for the door. She paused on the threshold to glance back.

“Did you want anything?”

“No, David is bringing me something on his way from the office. I’m just waiting for him.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

With a wave, Julie slipped from the room. She moved quickly as she always did, too afraid of leaving Mason’s side for very long. In under ten minutes, she had her food and was rushing back when a commotion had her quickening her strides.

Julie sprinted in the direction of the noise, the bag bouncing against her thigh. She took the corner sharply and spotted Heather in the hallway, talking rapidly and loudly at a doctor who was asking her to calm down.

Heather saw Julie and her eyes grew enormous. “Julie! Mason—”

That was all Julie needed to hear. She dropped the bag in her hand and tore down the hall, nearly plowed over a nurse, but kept running towards the room and Mason. She came to a skidding halt before she could knock Heather to the ground. Her hands closed around the other woman’s arms.

“Mason...?”

Not waiting for a response, Julie shoved past Heather and threw herself into the room, terrified of what she might find.

The machines were shrieking. The sound was deafening. David was in the room, so were two nurses and another doctor. They were holding something down on the bed, but it was thrashing and snarling at them.

“Let go of me!” she heard someone roar. “Where’s Julie?”

“Mr. Brody! You need to calm down or you’ll tear your stitches!” the doctor was pleading.

“Where is she?”

Heart hammering, Julie pushed deeper into the room.

David caught sight of her and his face lit up. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm and dragged her closer to the bed.

“Mason! She’s right here. Look, she’s fine.”

She was thrust forward like a sacrificial lamb. The nurses and doctor jerked back and the figure on the bed ceased his struggling.

Mason, still tied to machines and tubes, was panting. He looked wild and vicious and on the verge of killing anyone who got in his way. But there was a sheen of sweat on his brow. It soaked his gown and flattened his hair to his face. The blankets were a knotted mess around his legs like he’d been trying to kick them off. He stared at her like he couldn’t trust his eyes.

“Julie...”

She ran to him before anyone could stop her. His arms were open and waiting to catch her when she threw herself against his chest. Her arms, cast and all, slid around his shoulders and she held him to her, eyes closed as she murmured a prayer of thanks.

“Jesus, Julie...” he growled into her shoulder in a tone riddled with anguish. “You’re okay.”

Maybe it was the feel of his breath against her neck, or the steady patter of his heart beating against her chest, but she dissolved in a fit of inconsolable, hysterical sobs that rocked her entire body. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, gripping him as though afraid he might vanish if she gave even an inch. Her ears rang, louder than the anguished wails ripping from her throat.

Mason tightened his arms around her ribs to the point where she couldn’t breathe. His fingers locked in her hair, holding her face mashed against his throat.

“Shh,” he whispered, stroking her back. “It’s all right. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

That only made her hold him tighter and cry harder. Hot tears burned down her face to soak his gown.

“I thought I lost you,” she forced out between every ragged breath.

He shook his head. “No, I’m right here. I’m right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

The tremors lessened. The tears slowly abated. Yet she kept on holding him, unable to let go.

“I love you,” she whispered into the warm skin of his neck.

“I love you, too,” he whispered back. “I love you so much.”

O
ne year later...

“As you can see, the place is spacious with plenty of room to expand.” Jacqueline Roberts waved a well-manicured hand over the airy loft as though she were a sign turner on
Wheel of Fortune
. “There are two bedrooms on the main floor, a third upstairs in the loft. The kitchen is state of the art and stainless steel. There is a full bath upstairs and a small powder room down here. And of course, don’t forget the one-eighty view.”

No,
Julie thought as she walked deeper into the room.
You definitely can’t forget the view.

It was breathtaking. Each sheet of glass was fifteen feet high and lined three of the four walls, framing the glittering city below. She also liked that, while the loft held the red brick motif most lofts did, there was wood flooring and a modern flare that felt comfortable. Most of the main floor, she noted, was one giant room that was divided from the kitchen by a black counter. She liked that, too. It left room for possibility. Beyond the kitchen and the row of stairs leading up to the loft was a narrow hall that opened to the three doors tucked away in the back. It was certainly big enough for what she wanted with room to spare.

“So what do we think?” Jaqueline clapped her hands and turned on her ice pick heels towards Julie.

“I like it.” Julie replied. She turned her gaze to the third person in the room. “What do you think?”

Mason scanned the room slowly before settling his gaze on her. “I like it.”

Julie smiled.

Jaqueline looked euphoric. “Fabulous! Let me just run downstairs and grab the papers. We’ll sign them now and the keys are yours.”

As the blonde bombshell made her escape, Mason crossed the room to Julie. She was opening her arms to him even before he reached for her.

“I guess we found our home.”

She nodded. “Looks that way and it’s close to both our families and Shaun, who has been perpetually bitching that your weekends together keep getting cut short because you always arrive late and leave early.”

He tucked her face into the hollow of his throat and rested his chin on her head. “Let’s not forget it’s close to the school, so no more two hour long drives for you.”

“Or five hours for you to get to the office,” she added. “It looks like we really lucked out with this one.”

He planted a firm kiss to the top of her head and pulled back. “Let’s not forget this means more you and me time.”

She made a hum of pleasure. “I definitely like that best.”

He grinned and it never failed to amaze her how happy she always got seeing it. The searing realization that she had come so close to losing him cut through her as it always did, making her want to grab at him and hold on.

“Hey, you okay?”

Blinking back tears, Julie nodded. “Yeah, sorry.”

He touched her face lovingly, his head cocked to the side. “You’re thinking about it again, aren’t you?”

Swiping at the single tear that leaked free, she looked away. “I can’t help it. I almost lost you.”

She was back in his arms again, her face pressed into his shoulder.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” he whispered into her ear as he did at least once a day. “This apartment is the beginning of everything. A new start. What happened before ... it’s not going to touch us here. I’ll make sure of it.” He closed his fingers in her hair and lightly tugged her head back. “Now, kiss me.”

Laughing, she rose up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

The End

IN THE DARK SERIES

My Soul For You, book 1

You are cordially invited to have your heart’s desire come true.

F
or Kaitlin Claremont this is a very tall order. What wouldn’t an orphan girl living over of her aunt’s shop wish for? But when her one night of passion in the arms of sexy and completely out of her reach Kaleb turns into a nightmare, Katie realizes quickly that nothing is as it seems and there is so much more to Kaleb O'Reilly than she ever bargained for.

Kaleb has his own demons and even with all his training, he’s not prepared for the brown-eyed beauty, nor can he deny he wants her in a way that very much complicates everything. But what happens when the hunger wins and his true purpose puts Katie at risk? Can he protect her from his mistakes? And can Katie protect those she loves from a monster with no mercy?

Time is running out.

Will they kill or be killed?

Amazon.com
//
Amazon.ca
//
Amazon.de
//
Amazon.fr
//
Amazon.jp
//
Barns & Nobles
//
iTunes
//
Scribd
//
Inktera

I
nternational Bestselling author Airicka Phoenix lives in a world where unicorns, fairies and mermaids run amok through her home on a daily basis. When she’s not chasing after pixies and rounding up imps, also known as her four children, she can be found conjuring up evil villains, bad-ass heroines and swoon-worthy heroes to play with.

Airicka is singlehandedly responsible for her greatly anticipated collections,
the Touch Saga
,
The Lost Girl Duology
,
The Regeneration Series
,
Games of Fire
&
Betraying Innocence
. She also writes mature paranormal & contemporary romance under the dark guise of
Morgana Phoenix
. To date, she is responsible for
The Sons of Judgment Saga
, &
In the Dark Series
.

For more about Airicka and the realm she rules with an iron fist—and tons of chocolate—visit her at:
Website