Theirs to Treasure (Beyond Monogamy Book 1) (13 page)

“It was nothing, darling.”

“It means everything to me.” She tipped her head back so as not to get tears and makeup all over his shirt.

“Excuse me.” A man stepped into the doorway. “Are you all Mrs. Nelson’s family?”

“Doctor Tobias, please come in.” Kain held out a hand to him, without taking his other arm from around her waist. “It’s good to see you again, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“I’m afraid this is how I normally run into people.” The doctor took Kain’s hand and shook it. “If you could help me gather Mrs. Nelson’s family. Mr. Nelson will be joining in a moment and I’d like to tell them their options.”

“We’re all family.” Mathew rose from where he had been sitting. “I’m afraid the coffee isn’t very good, but can I get you a cup?”

“I’m fine. Thank you.” Doctor Tobias glanced around the room. “Everyone might be more comfortable if we sat.”

“Please, Doctor Tobias…tell us how my mother is.” Her chest tightened and black spots danced along her vision. She blinked trying to get them to disappear.

“Yes, what did you find when examining my wife?” Paul asked as he closed the door to the waiting room, giving them privacy.

Paul went to stand next to Mathew and suddenly she saw something she hadn’t seen between her dads before. There was a bond like what her men had. They shared a love similar to what they shared with Mom.

Doctor Tobias looked around the room before his gaze settled on Paul and Mathew. “There’s no medical reason your wife should be in this coma. They had already started the process to clean out her system before I arrived. However, from my research on the drugs she was on there was no alarm that was set off that should have caused this. It could be how her body is reacting to the drugs, chemotherapy, and radiation.”

Needing to be a part of the conversation instead off to the side, she took Kain’s hand and walked across the room to stand next to Paul. “Is there anything we can do?”

Paul wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Is there? Because so far you’ve given us the same information we’ve already heard from the other doctors.”

“This is where my colleagues and I differ.” He glanced to Kain before looking back at Paul. “Kain brought me in because of an experimental drug that I’ve helped develop. It’s still in the testing stage and hasn’t been approved yet. I think it might be helpful to your wife.”

“Hold on.” Mathew’s body stilled. “What kind of risks are we talking about?”

“Mom shouldn’t be experimented on like she’s a lab rat.” London shook his head.

“If there’s a chance to save Mom, don’t you think we owe her that? Would you want to be in a coma as life rushed by you?” She squeezed Kain’s hand, hoping he knew what he was doing by bringing Doctor Tobias in.

“Mathew’s right, we need to know the risks before we could even consider this.” Paul rubbed her shoulder.

“I’ve studied cancer patients who have lapsed into comas for what seemed like no reason at all. Could have been the strain of the cancer, the treatments, or the medications. Medicine has come a long way in the last fifty years and we’re still learning how all these changes affect our bodies. This drug has been beneficial in helping to bring over seventy percent of the patients out of their comas.”

“What happens to the other thirty percent?” She felt her stomach sink as possibilities ran through her thoughts.

“Most remain in the coma, possibly never regain consciousness.” Doctor Tobias paused. “Less than five percent have died, either because of the drug or because their bodies have just been through too much and they couldn’t handle anything more.”

“We can’t risk Mom. Dads, you’ve got to see that. Look at our luck lately.”

“London, I understand your concern but we can’t leave her like she is.” Mathew looked to Paul and then Paris. “What do you think?”

“Mom would want us to fight for her. She wouldn’t want to be kept like that. Mom’s a fighter, she’s not going to give up, and we can’t either.” Tears splashed down her cheeks and she rested her head on Paul’s shoulder. “Dad?”

“You’re right.” Paul kissed the top of her head.

Doctor Tobias looked to Kain, who said, “It’s their decision. I should have explained who was here first. Her husbands: Paul and Mathew. Children: Paris and London. The rest of us are here for Paris and moral support.

The doctor nodded before he cleared his throat. “I’d like to run some additional tests on Mrs. Nelson, to check the cancer and what the treatment has done since her last scans. With your permission I’ll do that, then we’ll gather and go over what I find before I need a final decision. It should take a few hours before all the tests are complete. You’ll have time to talk it over, I’ll also be around to answer any questions you might have.”

“Thank you, Doctor Tobias.” Mathew held out his hand to him. When the doctor left he turned back to Kain. “Thank you too for bringing him here.”

She slipped away from Paul’s arm and went to stand in front of Kain. “You’re an amazing man. I can’t believe how lucky I am to call you mine.”

Paris stepped into her quarters at home, her men fanning out around her, and London stewing across the hall. They had been sent home to rest while the tests where done and her dads stayed by her mother’s bedside. She had been reluctant to leave but when Cody had vowed to throw her over his shoulder and carry her from the hospital she voiced opposition but eventually gave in. Her sweet men hadn’t left her side since they arrived and for once she truly understood what her mother had tried to tell her for years. There was nothing better than the love of good men.

“Shower or sleep first?” Cody set her bags on the chair by her desk and turned to her.

“Neither, I think I’m going to run off my anxiety.” She headed to the closet to get a workout outfit when Cody came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Oh, no you don’t. We’re under strict orders not to let you out of our sight.”

“Then you can join me. Either way I’m not tired and I can’t just sit around here doing nothing.”

He plucked her off the floor as if she weighed nothing. “I can think of other ways for you to burn off this fretfulness.”

She glanced to Aiden and Kain for help, only to find them smirking as they slipped out the door. “Hey!”

“You need this.” Kain smirked before leaving them alone.

“He’s right, we both need this.” Cody strolled toward her bedroom with her in his arms. “Let us just exist for an hour than we’ll get ready and go back to the hospital.”

She stopped fighting him and relaxed into his embrace. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’m going to sit you on the sofa and I want you to stay there. I’m going to build a quick fire and then you’re mine.” He placed her on the bed and hesitated a moment as if he thought she’d hop off.

“I’m already yours.”

Taking the logs from beside the fireplace, he quickly built the fire, warming the room almost instantly. “Your heart might be mine, as my heart is yours. Now I’m going to claim your body.”

“My sweet Cody…I need you.”

He crossed the space to her quickly. “Lie back.”

She did as he asked, leaning back against the throw pillows as he came to sit beside her. “Before we received the call about your mother I had a romantic evening planned. It wasn’t about getting you into bed, but just to show you how much I care for you. When Aiden called my cell and told me to get the plane ready the one thing I wanted was to be by your side, to hold you. I knew what needed to be done, but I couldn’t help but be jealous of Aiden and Kain for being with you in your time of need.”

“You’re with me now and that’s what matters. You were with me at the hospital and you’ll be there for me in the future. I needed to get home and you saw to that, and that was something only you could do for me. For that I’ll always be grateful.” She reached up and ran her hand over his cheek, across his stubble and along his jawline before caressing down to his chin with her thumb. “My sweet Cody, I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered, nuzzling against her hand. “Now I want to show you how much you mean to me.”

The fireplace crackled, sending sparks up the chimney and helping to create a romantic moment. She needed this. She needed him, not just to take her mind off what was going on, but because she loved him. She couldn’t deny what her mind and body craved, no more than she could deny her lungs air.

“Come here, I need you, Cody.” She continued to caress his face. “Take my mind off everything else, relieve this burning desire within me and make me feel like a woman.”

“Let me show you how desirable you are.” He scooted as close to her hip as he could get and ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re beautiful.”

She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment, but before she could say anything he closed the distance, claiming her lips. She tasted the saltiness from the buttered popcorn they had shared at the hospital. It had been one of the few things the vending machine had, and since they had missed dinner it was that or nothing. Wanting more of him, she let her tongue slip into his mouth and explore. He slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her sweater, gently pulling it up, breaking the kiss to tug it over her head.

The warmth from the fireplace hit her as he tossed the shirt aside. As she began to pull off his shirt, he stopped her.

“Paris…my own need has risen to a level that’s hard to control, but I understand if you’d rather wait.”

“I want you. That is one of the only things I’m sure about right now.” Her fingers caressed his smooth stomach. “Though may I suggest the bed?”

“You’re right, the bed would be better.” He stood and scooped her into his arms.

“I can walk.”

“Oh, love, I’ve seen you do that and I can’t get enough of watching you move.”

She chuckled and leaned her head against his chest, letting him carry her the short walk to the bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “So the sway of my hips turns you on?”

“One of many things.” He laid her in the center of the large bed, with the burgundy bedspread and silver and black pillows mounted in front of the black rod iron headboard. “You’re beautiful, surrounded by all these pillows. Though if we’re going to sleep here with you, some of them might need to go.”

He wasted no time stripping his clothes off and she suspected he was also overcome by yearning. She tried to memorize the sight of him naked before he crawled onto the bed next to her and went to work on the buttons of her jeans. Her fingers played over his perfect abs, the bulging muscles in his arms. None of his muscles were from time in a gym, they’d been built due to manual labor, lifting hay. Her body heated at the thought of having her way with him in the barn. It would give him a good memory of the ranch, instead of making him think of what happened with his mother. She made a mental note to do it when they made it back to Wyoming.

He kissed her stomach right above the hem of her jeans, drawing her back from her thoughts and into the moment. She stared at him while she slid her hand down his chest until she found his shaft. She wrapped her fingers around it and rubbed down the length, painstakingly slow. “I love when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?” His voice was hitched up a notch.

“Like I complete you. Like I’m the woman you’ve looked for all your life.”

“You are.” At those two simple words her grip on his shaft loosened and he was able to slip away.

“Get back here,” she ordered, unable to keep the smirk off her face.

“Later, now unhook your bra, I want to see all of you. Oh, what a beautiful sight that will be.” A growl pushed its way up his throat when she didn’t move. “Damn, woman, you’re gorgeous. Stop making a man wait.” She didn’t have time to respond before he claimed her mouth.

When the kiss ended, leaving her breathless, he whispered, “You won’t take it off, then I’ll work around it.” He pushed her bra to the side as his lips feverishly claimed her nipple. His other hand went to the waistband of her jeans and pushed them down her legs. With them went her last shred of reservation.

“Please…” She reached out, her hand landing firmly on his chest, forcing him closer to her. His shaft pressed tight against her thigh. In his arms for the first time she felt safe and wanted. She ran her nails over his chest, her need riding her.

“I need you inside me. Please…”

He slipped his hand up her hip and moved to hover over her, angled between her spread thighs. He glided his shaft over her opening, pulling a moan from her. Slowly he pushed the length in, just a little at first as he worked his way inside her tight passage. Halfway in, he stopped, slid out, then gripped her hips and slammed his length into her, filling her completely.

She leaned back, grabbing the edge of the headboard, arching toward him. With every thrust, her eyes fluttered shut as a climax built within her. She sprung her eyes open again as he dipped his head and drew his tongue along each nipple, blowing gently on them.

“Faster.” She lifted her hips to meet his as he pumped into her.

With each stroke he brought it up another level, slowly intensifying the tempo until she was ready to roll him over and do it herself. When her control was almost at its limit, his hips slammed into her as she met each thrust.

“My sweet Paris, come for me.”

Minutes later, an orgasm coursed through her, and her body arched into his.

He buried his head in her shoulder, growling her name as his own release followed. Kissing her neck, he stayed buried deep within her. “I love you.” He kissed a line along her neck, working his way to her ear.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to be ready for round two.”

As if agreeing, his shaft twitched, hardening against the walls of her core. “I think we can arrange that.”

“Umm.” She moaned, teasing her fingers along his sides. “I need a shower before we go back to the hospital.”

“Cuddle session first…maybe a little sleep.” His voice suddenly as heavy as her eyelids felt. He slipped off her to cuddle next to her as their breathing began to return to normal. In his embrace she was contented, safe, but most importantly loved. Finding Aiden, Kain, and Cody was more than she could have ever asked for.

Paris’s eyelids fluttered open to find herself alone in bed, the soft male voices from the sofa bringing her fully awake. Her men were watching over her as she slept. She rolled over on her side, propping her head up with her elbow. “Why didn’t you guys wake me earlier?”

“You’ve been asleep less than an hour.” Cody turned enough on the sofa to look back at her.

“That’s it?” She rolled her neck. “It feels longer than that.”

“You should try to get some more sleep. We can go to the other room if it would help,” Kain suggested.

“I’m awake and I need a shower. Anyone want to join me?” She sat up in bed, letting the covers pool at her waist. After all there was nothing to be shy about now, they had all seen her naked.

“I thought I’d have to convince you to shower with me.” Aiden stretched his long legs out and stood. “The others showered while you were sleeping so that just leaves me to clean you.”

“I’m sure we can put the shower time to good use.” She slid her legs out from under the covers and stood. “Then I want to get back to the hospital.”

“Kain and I will find something in the kitchen to whip up and take with us for your dads.”

“Thanks, Cody.” She took a step toward him but halted. She hated to deny herself a simple touch and kiss with Cody, but she had Aiden waiting.

“Go to him.
”
Aiden seemed to understand. Instead of making her feel guilty, he nodded to the bathroom. “I’ll get the shower going. I know you’ll join me when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” She watched him for a moment as he strolled toward the bathroom before she went to Cody.

“What’s wrong, love?” Cody placed his hands on her hips and drew her close to his chest.

“I just wanted to feel your arms around me. You’re so thoughtful about those around you.” She ran a finger down his jaw line, feeling the smoothness of a fresh shave under her touch. “Thank you.”

“Woman, there’s no reason to thank me. Now Aiden’s waiting for you and when you’re done, come downstairs. I’ll have something for you to eat.”

“A man who can cook and who insists on feeding me, I could get used to this.” She rose up on her tippy-toes and kissed him.

When the kiss ended, he lightly smacked her ass. “Go on, we’re wasting time.”

“It’s never wasted time with your loved ones.” She smirked and stepped back.

Kain cleared his throat as she started toward the bathroom. “What I don’t get a kiss?” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

“You’re wicked, but get over here.” The kiss was light, but enough to make her want to throw him on the bed. When he finally pulled back, she was breathless. “Damn.”

“A promise of what I’ve got for you later.”

She watched them leave before she made a move toward the bathroom. They might have been using their bodies as a way to distract her and keep her thoughts from turning back to the pending test, but she couldn’t complain. She needed something to pass the time and sex was better than staring at the hospital’s white walls for hours.

Her desire level rising, she turned on her heels and headed to where she knew Aiden was waiting for her. She had barely stepped into the bathroom when she got the first glimpse of what was waiting for her.