"Hummm, I like you calling me James. And I do want to kiss you again, Dane. I want to kiss you very badly. Will you give me your mouth, love? Let me taste you?" He didn"t let her answer but brushed his mouth over hers again, then again. The third time he did, he pulled her lower lip into his mouth and nipped at it. When she sighed softly, he kissed her gently.
Her mouth was soft and when he pulled back to look down at her again, he groaned when her tongue came out and licked at her lips. This time, he was not as gentle. This time, he tasted paradise.
When she opened her mouth under his, he cupped her neck and tilted her slightly to deepen the kiss. His tongue swept across hers and in seconds, she was sliding her tongue with his in a sensual dance that had him wanting more. When her legs came up and wrapped around his hips, he reached down, pulled her harder against him, and rocked into her. Sliding his mouth along her jaw to her neck, he nipped at the frantically beating pulse there and suckled it into his mouth before moving back to her mouth. His hand was just slipping under her blouse when someone pounded on the door behind them.
*CHAPTER 6*.
Dane looked up at the man over her. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could barely take a deep breath without smelling him, smelling them. He was looking at her as if he wanted to murder someone.
"Jamie! Spencer called. Cait"s in labor. We have to go. Now!" Devin said on the other side of the door. She could hear the panic in his voice and the urgency.
"She"ll be all right. Both of them will. Spencer is holding his child, his son. They both will hold him and take him home. They"ll be fine." He looked at her oddly then pulled away. Still sitting on his heels, he looked down at her. She turned away and began pulling her into herself.
"Don"t, Dane. Don"t do this. Something happened here. I don"t...why could I touch you?
What made me so different?"
"I don"t...you should go. I"m going to go home. I hope everything is all right with your family." When she started to pull away from him and crawl away, he pinned her back to the floor.
"Look at me. Dane, look at me. We aren"t finished here. Something is...I didn"t hurt you. I want to know why."
"d.a.m.n it, Jamie, come on. Mom is in the car. Now, let"s go." Devin had opened the door then and turned his back on them. "I"m sorry, but Spencer said that she was bleeding. And he was worried. I"m sorry, Dane."
When Jamie pulled away this time, she got up too. Her legs were slightly wobbly, but that could be from anything. She moved to the table to get her bag when Jamie came up behind her.
"Dane, give me a way to contact you, please. I want to see you again. I want to talk to you, about us, about this."
"I"ll contact you. There is no us, Mr. Grant. I"m not going to have an affair with you or anyone. You should go. Your family is waiting."
"d.a.m.n it, Dane, this is-"
"Jamie, now. You can fix this later. We have to go." Jamie pulled her around and kissed her again. It was not like before, soft and searching. This was hard and demanding, bruising almost.
Then he was gone.
Dane sat in the chair, collapsed really, and laid her head on the table. Before she realized it, she was crying softly. She heard someone knock on the door and she sat up, but didn"t turn to the opening.
"Dr. Wallace? The man downstairs asked for someone to take you home. I"ve got a car out front for you. We don"t normally do this, but Jamie and me, we go way back and he-"
"No problem, officer. I have my own car. I"ll be fine. Thank you for your help. I"ll be going now. I"m sorry to have made you wait."
Quickly gathering her things, she rushed out the door and into the lot. It took her several tries before she got the key in the lock and a few to get it in the ignition. She was on her way home when she realized that she didn"t watch to see if she was being followed. It took her three turns to figure out that she was and then three frantic moves off and on the highway to lose them.
She would have to be more careful in the future. It did not pay to have people know where you lived.
Pi was in the kitchen when she pulled into the garage and walked into the house. She looked p.i.s.sed. Dane was tired and sore, but she sat down and let Pi feed her. If asked, she was sure she would not have been able to tell anyone what she ate, nor a single word her and Pi had talked about. As soon as she could escape, she went to her office in the bas.e.m.e.nt.
The townhouse they were renting was not all that great, but it was home for now. As soon as possible, they had planned to buy a home, one that they picked out together. Pi wanted a huge kitchen and a place to plant a garden. Dane wanted a pool and a separate place she could go that no one had ever touched. She pulled these plans out now.
The building that she wanted would not be huge, big enough to have a single room and a bath. No kitchen or closest and no phone. She wanted one wall to be floor to ceiling windows that would open in the warmer months and faced a wooded area. Dane even knew what kind of wooded area she wanted. Pines and evergreen along with maples and oaks and trees that would bloom in the spring and color in the fall, something she could look at all the time and not feel the drab of winter or the heat of summer-a forest for year round. Walls of white, carpet too.
Somewhere she would be able to go and have nothing. No sound, no noise, no voices, and especially no emotions. Her own paradisiacal getaway.
Sighing, she reached for her bag and pulled out the bag that Mrs. Parker had given her at the station. She didn"t get anything from any of the items that she brought in, but Mrs. Parker knew that she might not. She had told Dane that the things felt too new, too stiff to be that of three little children. The first one was a shirt. Laying it onto the desk, Dane pressed her hands over the material and closed her eyes.
She had to sort through all the people who had touched it. Mrs. Parker, a woman, and three men. There were several children as well. None related and Dane a.s.sumed that it was from the people shopping, people touching the shirt to check sizes, fit, or just to move it. She was ready to fold it back into the bag when she touched the sleeve. A jolt of pain hit her. Carefully, she picked up the phone without breaking contact with the sleeve and called Pi.
"Pi, I"m going under. It"s seven o"clock, correct?"
"Missy Dane, it"s late. Please tomorrow. You be hurt enough. Wait for tomorrow."
"I can"t, Pi. I wish I could, but it"s too late. Will you watch for me, please?"
"You know I will. You be my sandwich winner. I need you to bring home bacon. Don"t understand that, why people eat bacon beyond me, but you be mine. I watch. I have contact if you don"t come back to me. You come back, okay?"
"Yes, I"ll come back. Four hours, no more. Then you come and get me." Hanging up the phone, Dane closed her eyes and fell into the feeling.
It was not the child that she felt, but a woman. Pain and hate, then sorrow. Profound sorrow emanated from the spot. Images flashed by, a boy then a man. A girl then the man again. Blood.
Breathless running. Pain again, her own this time and not general. Hunger. Darkness. The woman, this time an image, dark hair-no, wet hair, blood, eyes blue, bruises, then she was gone. A boy, small and huddled in a corner, blood pouring from his head, and his arm lay at an odd angle. Moving closer, Dane could see that he was no longer breathing. His neck had been broken. Sorrow again then deep, deep depression. Then black.
Jamie was sitting next to his brothers when Damon came out. Something had happened. He knew it as sure as he was sitting there. His mom knew too. She started crying softly as Byron held her.
"The cord is wrapped around his throat. Every contraction strangles him more and more.
They"re going to have to perform an emergency c-section to save him. Cait is losing blood and they are worried about her too. It...it doesn"t look good for either of them. Spencer is frantic.
He"s...Mom, he needs you."
"She said they would be fine. Dane. She said they"d be all right that they would both take him home," Jamie said.
"That"s right. In the hospital when Spencer touched her, she told me to tell him that everyone would be all right that he would hold his son. Mom?" Damon asked his mother.
"Go! Tell her. Cait will believe you, tell them. Hurry and bring my grandson into this world." Damon took off down the hall and disappeared behind a door.
The waiting was long and tense. Twice, a nurse came out to give them updates. Once to say that the doctor was here and he was prepping for surgery. The next time she came out to say that the operation had begun. She could not tell them anything more. She told them that she had not been in the room. She was at the desk and relaying the information they gave her. For another hour and a half they waited until Spencer came out with Damon.
"She"s going to be okay. So is my son, our son. He"s bruised and he"ll be sore for a little while, but he"s fine. They"re both going to be fine. I have a son." Spencer picked up his daughter, Meggie, and cried in her arms as she held him.
In seconds, they were wrapped around him, all of them holding him, patting his back.
Meggie patted each one on the head and kissed their cheeks. That was how the doctor found them the entire Grant clan, standing in the middle of the waiting room in a large, loving group.
Jamie was sure the man thought they were nuts.
"We"ll leave her in recovery for a few more hours then move her to her room. Baby boy Grant is going to be in the Neonatal area for a few days just to be sure. They both are doing great. Mrs. Grant has lost some blood, but with rest and plenty of fluids, she"ll be her old cranky self in about a week. I don"t know what you said to her, but that was the turning point. She had all but given up in there and we both know it. Thanks, Damon, you saved my patient. If you need me, I"ll be in my office until morning."
They took turns going in to see the little boy. No one could hold him just yet. The doctor was afraid to over stimulate him and he needed to rest. The bruise was dark against his fair skin, but he was breathing on his own. Meggie touched her brother and he stretched out to her and made her smile. Margaret took a few pictures without her flash to show Dan and the boys later.
Then, when Cait was taken to her room, they converged in ma.s.s to see her.
"He"s lovely, honey. Looks just like Spencer did when he was born, only I think this one is a bit more handsome. And the bruise will fade and you won"t be able to tell a thing."
"What"s his name? You"ve been keeping this huge secret for months now. What are we going to call him?" Byron asked as he held Taylor.
"He"s Spencer Patrick O"Malley James Grant. We"re going to call him Paddy for short."
"Holy c.r.a.p, Spence, that poor kid. He"ll have to be tough in order to carry a name like that around. And Paddy? Sheesh, you might as well hang a "kick me" sign on him right now." Byron laughed. Cait smacked him on the shoulder and kissed him. Jamie was about to say something just as mean when his phone rang.
"Mister Dane friend? You come here now. I can"t get door open. You come now."
"I"m sorry, who is this? What"s happened to Dane?" Jamie looked at the caller ID and since it was blocked, he still did not know who she was.
"Pi Chang. Missy Dane my bacon. You come now. She sleep hard. I can"t wake her. Come now."
Jamie looked at his brothers. "I"m coming. Call an ambulance. I"ll be right there. Give me her address and I"m on my way."
Jamie was moving to the elevator as Pi gave him the address and when the doors opened, three of his brothers were with him, Damon, Byron, and Devin. His mother was running down the hall as well.
"I don"t know what"s happened. I don"t think you need to go with me. Pi said she-"
"Shut up and push the d.a.m.ned b.u.t.ton. We"re going. Byron, you drive. Damon, you make sure you have your bag of tricks. Devin, you take care of the police when we get there. That poor girl. She said it was going to be difficult reading those things. I just hope she"s all right." His mother could work for any corporate office and have it whipped into shape by end of work day.
Jamie smiled.
It took them four minutes to get there. Dane lived just across the street from the hospital.
The ambulance showed up just as they were getting out of the car. Jamie ran into the townhouse and down the stairs to where he could hear someone screaming. Pi, or who he a.s.sumed was her, was pounding on the door and crying.
"I can"t make her wake. She said four hours, no more. I only wait ten minute too many. I not kill her, did I? She my bacon. I need my bacon."
Jamie moved the hysterical woman out of the way and before he could slam himself, Byron stopped him.
"You"ll break your shoulder. The three of us do this together on three. Three...two...one." The door did not stand a chance under their combined weight. It splintered and broke through and the three men when tumbling in. Jamie scrambled over to see to Dane.
She was lying in her chair, which was close to the desk. Her face was pale and her lips where blue. She was breathing, but it was faint and shallow. Tears had dried on her cheeks and there was a little blood on her lip. Damon had to ask him twice to move. His mother was talking to Pi and calming her down.
"This woman says she needs a cold shower. Mrs. Chang said to put Dane into a cold shower.
There"s a bathroom just over there."
"She scream, but you hold her till she wake. She mean when she wake, you no let her hurt you. She my bacon and I need her to be good."
Jamie turned to his brother. "Damon? Should we?"
"I don"t know, Jamie. I don"t know what"s happened. But if this woman says it"ll work, then she knows more than we know at this point. I"ll take her in."
"No. I have her. Turn on the water. I"m going to strip down to my boxers. Be ready in case this doesn"t work, okay?"
Jamie ended up in his jeans, taking everything out of them and picking Dane up. Her body was limp as she carried her into the bathroom and when he stepped into the stall, he nearly screamed himself from the cold temperature of the spray. As soon as the water hit Dane, she came screaming awake and fighting.
*CHAPTER 7*.
Every time Dane looked at him, she was glaring a little harder. At least the shivers had stopped, Jamie noticed. And her lips were pinking up. He was sure the color in her cheeks was due more to the anger she was directing at him than the embarra.s.sment or cold. He winked at her every time he caught her looking his way.
Pi and his mother were upstairs in the kitchen. Damon was talking with the medics and Devin was dealing with the police. Byron was talking quietly with Dane. Jamie had been ordered by Dane to stay away from her. He was going to give her five more minutes then he was going to haul her body up against his and kiss the daylights out of her then spank her a.s.s. He glanced back at the broken door and shuddered again.
"Mr. Grant? The landlord says he"s not paying for the damages and he wants to press charges against you and your brothers for breaking it down. I need to know what you want to do about it." This cop had just walked into the bas.e.m.e.nt.
"See that man over there? He"s my attorney. Talk to him." Jamie started over to Dane and stopped when she stood up.
"You stay away from me, Mr. Grant. The nerve bringing all these people in my home when it was-"
He had meant to talk to her. Had even meant to see if she was all right, or hurt in anyway first. But kissing her seemed much better the moment she opened her mouth. And holding her close was all he could think about. And when Dane wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him, he knew that he"d made the right decision. Hearing his brother chuckle did not even stop him from cupping her a.s.s and bringing her tighter against him.
He tasted her mouth like a starved man. Her flavor and scent pulled at his senses, making him lightheaded and needy. When Dane"s tongue slid into his mouth and tangled with his, he groaned and shifted her so that now she was between his legs, her soft folds hard against his erection. Everything in the room faded away as they explored each other. Byron tugging at his arm brought him back, reluctantly.
"Jamie, Mom"s coming down. I"m reasonably sure you don"t want to be lip-locked like you are when she gets here. She"ll rip your ear off like she did that time she caught you necking in the back seat with Helen Smart."
Jamie pulled away, but did not let Dane go. He was still holding her when his mom entered the office bas.e.m.e.nt with Pi right on her heels. He looked over at the two women and winked.
"Let me go, you a.s.s. You jerk me around like I"m some sort of lost puppy. I have to go to the bathroom. By myself, thank you." He watched her walk away then sat next to his brother.
Devin joined them a minute later.
"They"re going to make her move out. He said he doesn"t need this sort of thing going on around here. Dumba.s.s. I told him that she was in trouble and he said to have her take her trouble elsewhere," Devin said, disgusted.
"I"ll talk to her. She seems like a reasonable girl. Maybe we can find her a place to stay for a few days until things settle, maybe with Taylor and me. I don"t like her staying here if this could happen again." Jamie just looked at Byron. For a reason he could not explain, he wanted to hit him.
"I"ll take care of her. And if you don"t mind, I want you to stay away from her.
She"s...she"s..." She"s what? Jamie thought.
"Ah. Well, why didn"t you say so? By all means. I like her too. Does Mom know yet?" Jamie decided to ignore him and watched as Dane came toward them.
"Mr. Grant?"
All three of them turned to her and said, "What?"
Her low growl made all three of them laugh, but then they quickly turned it into a cough. He wondered why they did that. His brothers did it a lot, and him only recently. He wondered if it had anything to do with the women in their lives.
"The attorney. Sheesh, how many more of you are there? Devin Grant, please. May I have a word with you in private?"
The two of them walked to the other side of the room and then Devin motioned to his mother to join them a minute later. When Margaret started crying, Jamie walked over with Byron. Something was wrong.
"I"m sorry, Mrs. Parker. I can tell you where...go away. I didn"t want to talk to you. This is between your mom and me." Dane looked at him, scared now. No, more like she was terrified.