The Right Time (71 page)

She had ten hours to put The Academy, their upcoming term, her job responsibilities, and Townsend out of her mind. After being away from Kate for so many months, her sole focus was on getting back to being a couple. She couldn’t trick herself into believing it would be easy. When you lived alone, you developed habits that were hard to break. But she was going to give it her all. Kate deserved every bit of her attention, and she was going to get it.

Fingers pressing into her breast woke Hennessy just enough to realize where she was.
Paris.
Their room was oriented so the morning sun came in through the tall windows to wake and warm them. Not moving an inch, she tried to determine if Kate was awake. Sometimes she twitched in her sleep, squeezing anything her grasping hand covered. Another bit of pressure, probably conscious, woke Hennessy fully.

Respond, or ignore?

They’d been in town for five days, and there wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t slightly tender. They’d both been voracious, making love two or three times each day. But she’d reached her limit. Her body needed a break.

Shifting her hips, she was face-to-face with Kate, so beautiful in the morning light. A few days of staying in bed until ten had erased the circles under her eyes, and now the blue orbs sparkled with interest.

“Morning,” Hennessy murmured. Dipping her head, she playfully licked a hardening nipple, then looked into Kate’s eyes again. “Someone needs love.”

“I want to touch
you
,” Kate whispered, letting her hand trail down Hennessy’s belly.

When her thighs pressed together, she winced. They’d gotten carried away last night, and she hadn’t paid attention to how much past her comfort level they’d crept.

“What’s wrong?” Kate’s gentle hand went to her face, moving strands of hair away so she could look into her eyes.

“Nothing.” She ran her hand over the nipple again, perking it up. “Stretch out and let me play.”

Kate rolled her onto her back, then hovered above. “I’m way ahead of you.” Her mouth went to Hennessy’s throat, where she nibbled on a bit of skin. “I woke up tasting you on my lips. Made me want you again,” she whispered, her leg insinuating itself between Hennessy’s. “I can’t get enough of you.”

When Kate had that look in her eyes, you couldn’t finesse your way out of it. “I need the morning off,” Hennessy said, hating to see the disappointed look in those pretty eyes.

“Not into it?”

“I
would
be,” she said, tightrope walking with the truth, “but I’m out of sex shape. Everything’s a little—”

“Was I too rough with you?” Kate sat up quickly, focused eyes traveling all over Hennessy’s face, searching for the truth.

“No, baby. I asked for more than I could handle. No big deal. I’ll be fine later. By bedtime—”

“Did I scratch you?” The sheet and blanket were thrown off, then Kate was on her belly, parting Hennessy’s legs to examine her.

“It’s all right,” she insisted, not at all liking being searched like a treasure map. She scooted up and closed her legs. “Come up here,” she urged, patting the space beside herself.

Reluctantly, Kate did as she was asked, her face betraying her feelings. “I should have been more careful. But you asked for more, and I was really into it and—”

“It’s
fine
,” Hennessy said, cutting her off. “Let me focus on you. Come on.” She tried to pull Kate into an embrace, but the mood was ruined.

“I’d rather not.” She tossed her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, turning to give Hennessy an apologetic look. “We’ll try again when you’re feeling better.”

Ugh!
That was not the way to keep her motor running. Kate was acting a little needy—had been all week. And that wasn’t Hennessy’s thing. When Kate got into bed naked and linked her hands behind her head, revealing herself like she was daring Hennessy to come and get it—that’s what made her heart race. Showing a little of her cocky self-assuredness. Not too much. Just a hint. She was lethal then.

Maybe it was the length of time they’d been apart—nearly seven months—but their dynamic had changed. Not massively; just enough to be noticeable. Something was off. Maybe they just needed to get back in sync, but Hennessy feared it was more than that.

Kate stood, then extended a hand, pulling Hennessy to her feet. They went into the small bathroom together and Kate tried to adjust the water for them to shower. It was a little like bathing in a phone booth, but they’d made good use of the tiny space so far. Hennessy got in and relaxed into Kate’s embrace. They kissed, tenderly but eagerly. Then Kate pulled back enough to hold Hennessy’s face in her hands and stare at her for a few moments. “I love you,” she whispered. “So much.”

“I love you too, baby.” She tucked Kate close to her body, letting the warm water wash over them for a minute. “We’d better get clean. The water turns cold awfully fast.”

Kate went into surgeon mode, making short work of it. Hennessy hadn’t trained herself to take a two-minute shower, and she washed her body at a more leisurely pace. But Kate was watching her so avidly, her gaze never leaving Hennessy’s body that she rushed to finish. “What do you want to do today?” she asked, trying to distract her.

“There’s a house museum I read about. It’s supposed to be a perfect example of the Belle Epoque. And there’s an antiquarian bookstore nearby. We could stop there first, grab something to read, sit at a cafe and have an espresso or two, then hit the museum. Sound good?” She stepped out and draped a towel around herself, then took another and delicately dried Hennessy like a treasure.

Even though Hennessy had the PhD, Kate was the intellectual. She liked to keep her French sharp by reading novels and cultural tomes, really delving into modern French life and politics. And her desire to know the country’s history was unquenchable. But they’d done that exact itinerary, with different museums, each of their five days. “I could use a hike. Or at least a long walk. Could we do something a little more physical?”

Smiling, Kate said, “You’re always doing something physical. I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you that you haven’t been hiking or walking or swimming at some point in your day. But how often to you get to explore a Belle Epoque museum in South Carolina?”

“Never. That just shows how much I need fresh air. How about the forest in Fontainebleau? We can see the castle, too. It might be nice enough to have a picnic.”

She must have been pouting, for Kate gave in immediately, not her usual tactic in these kinds of negotiations. Her arms wrapped around Hennessy’s waist and she held her close, their warm, humid bodies fitting together perfectly. “I’ll look up how to get there. And see if I can find someplace to buy things for a picnic.” She grasped Hennessy’s chin with her fingertips, then placed a soft kiss to her lips. “I want you to be happy, Boudreaux. That’s all I ever want.”

If they’d had a kitchen, and could make a simple dinner, the day would have been perfect. Kate wasn’t much for long walks, but she’d been a very good sport, listening to Hennessy prattle on about the trees and birds she’d spotted but couldn’t identify. You didn’t have to go far to see an entirely different bunch of critters, and Paris was decidedly far.

Kate had packed two dresses, bringing an extra for Hennessy, who still didn’t own one. Standing in front of the mirror, she tugged on it to get it to sit properly on her hips, which were a bit wider than Kate’s.

Arms encircled her waist, then a hand swept her hair over her shoulder as Kate’s soft lips kissed across the back of her neck. “I’m glad you have your hair down,” she murmured. “It looks fantastic.”

Goosebumps sped down her arms and when Kate’s new perfume reached her nose she was just about ready to call it a night and head to bed. Good food was bountiful in South Carolina, whereas Kate was a time-limited resource. But Kate loved exploring new restaurants, and she’d made reservations at this spot months ago. If she was willing to tromp all over a forest, Hennessy had to get over herself and sample the latest in modern French cuisine, even though she would have preferred nothing more than a ham sandwich—you could take the girl out of the country, but you couldn’t take the country out of the girl.

Turning, Hennessy regarded Kate, stunningly attractive in marine blue. Over the last few years she’d rarely gotten dressed up, or even taken the time to have her hair trimmed. And makeup was out of the question. But since they’d arrived in Paris, she’d indulged her old habits and gotten both a haircut and a manicure. Tonight, she’d applied a hint of mascara and eyeliner to really make those baby blues pop. But her grooming wasn’t what made her so attractive. It was her affect. She was a different person when she wasn’t tired. And not having an accident victim’s life slip through her hands for the better part of a week made her lighter, more carefree. She was the person Hennessy had fallen in love with.

“When you’re finished with your fellowship, we’ve got to figure out a way to have a hell of a lot more vacations,” Hennessy said, leaning in to kiss those sexy lips.

“That’d be nice,” she sighed. “I feel like I’m trying to wedge everything into a week.”

“Two weeks,” Hennessy reminded her. “We’ve got nine more days.”

“I know. But my family will be here on Saturday. It won’t be the same.” She pulled Hennessy close and kissed her, lingering until Hennessy started to succumb to her probing tongue. When she let out a soft moan Kate pulled away and caressed her cheek. “If I’m really gentle…”

“I could be convinced. But you’ve been looking forward to going to this place.”

“True. I had my mom call a guy she knows to get us in.” She patted Hennessy’s cheek. “First we dine, then we’ll see if your body’s had a long enough rest.”

Her phone chirped, and Hennessy stared at Kate for a second, like she could possibly know who it was. Calls that came in while you were on vacation were always bad. By the time she found her phone it dawned on her that this was Townsend’s ring—one she rarely heard since they always texted.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded without preamble.

“I need you to talk me down,” Townsend said, her voice shaking. “My mom slipped on the ice and broke her wrist.”

That percolated in Hennessy’s head for a minute.
What?
“I’m sorry to hear that, but…”

“No, no, that’s not the problem. Her wrist will be fine. I mean, it’s bad. She’s going to have to have surgery and they’ll need to put pins in. But my grandmother called just now to tell me my mom’s acting loopy.”

“Loopy?”

Kate stood in front of her, mouthing, “We’ve got to go.”

Hennessy held a finger up.

“What did she mean by loopy?”

“That’s what I wanted to know. So I had her go check my mom’s room. The idiot doctor gave her opiates, Hennessy. And my idiot mother took them. A
lot
of them.”

“Oh, shit.” Hennessy sat down, trying to think. “How many? Did you call 911?”

“She’s not going to OD. She fell about five hours ago and she’s taken four pills. That’s four too many, in my opinion, but I’m freaking out because she took the second dose earlier than she should have. I assume the rest of the bottle will be gone by tomorrow. Then she’ll be back to doctor hopping.”

“You don’t know that,” Hennessy soothed.

Kate started to tap her on the shoulder, then pointed at her watch, which showed they had five minutes to get to the restaurant, which Hennessy knew was a ten minute walk. She put her hand over the phone and said, “I’m sorry honey, but this is an emergency.”

For the only time that week, Kate’s temper flared. “What kind of emergency?”

“Her mom’s had an accident. She’s worried she’s going to fall back into her addiction.” Since Miranda’s book detailed the worst of her troubles, Hennessy didn’t feel like she was revealing any secrets to say that much.

“That’s
not
an emergency. Call her back after dinner. This is important.”

“
This
is important.” Hennessy got up and went into the bathroom, not wanting Kate to hear any details that might compromise Townsend’s secrets. By the time she shut the door, the main door opened and closed—loudly.
Shit.