“No, let me, Nick.”
When she returned with the brew, he said, “I think I’ll take a break then force myself to knuckle down on the brief.”
“I’m sure you can do that.”
“Thanks again.”
After she left, he stood and took the mug to the wall of windows in his office. Even with the magnificent view, images of last night kept coming back. She had a lake of a bed with a mountain of pillows. They fell onto the mattress and he pulled her close. For a minute, he touched her lips with his fingertips, outlined the contour of her jaw, his eyes never leaving hers. The lovemaking was tender even at the very end. Afterward, she nestled her nose into his neck. “You always smell so good.”
“You, too.” Her scent was dark and mysterious.
They kissed, again tenderly, until things got heated. Just the thought of it was making him hard.
The shrill of his phone brought him back to the present. He slipped his cell out of his pocket. “Nick Redmond.” His voice was hoarse.
“Hey, Nick, it’s Jackson. I have a couple of business things to run by you, but I’m not free until tomorrow. Want to meet me for a sandwich somewhere between us?”
“Sure.” Suddenly, he wished Jackson was his friend. He remembered confessing to his racquetball partner that he didn’t want anyone close to him. Then he remembered Jackson pushing for something more than business between them. Inviting him to his house. Including him in activities. Hmm. Maybe it was his turn to take the relationship to the next level. If he wanted that now.
* * *
On her way to Syracuse the next morning, Noreen couldn’t keep thoughts of making love with Nick twice more after things exploded at the front door. They’d fallen asleep in her bed, but he was gone this morning.
I love your skin. It’s so silky.
Your hands feel so good on me.
Noreen, no one’s ever….
A horn blared at her. Her car had drifted into another lane but she course-corrected. And forcefully repressed the memories.
Think about your next book. She hadn’t started it yet but made plans for the storyline. The main character was a pediatric surgeon and Noreen had been doing research with a woman she knew from her life in medicine. She’d talked at length with her and shadowed her for days to get the feel of her job. She found pediatric surgery was very different from that of a cardiac surgery. Now, she was ready to dive into the novel. The beginning was the fun part. It was the middle that challenged her. She found she had to simply write the character to discover what was going to happen. A lot like life unfolded, she guessed. A lot like a relationship. The thought unfortunately brought her back to last night. Grr…
The exit to Manlius, a suburb of Syracuse, finally came up. She took it and drove to Glencliff Road, to her mother’s home. To the house she grew up in. Trees lined the street and the grass was meticulous.
Her mom’s driveway was on an incline, as this area was hilly. She pulled on the emergency brake and exited her BMW. The big ranch house sprawled across the huge yard. It was cedar sided and looked like it had recently been stained.
She’d called her mother to say she wanted to visit and she’d arrive around ten. Eve Shannon came out to the front door with a shawl wrapped around her. Her auburn hair had one streak of gray on the left side. And she was thin, but healthy looking. Noreen walked up to the porch and Eve grinned. “Hello, darling.”
“Hello, Mom.”
They embraced then went inside; Noreen hung up her coat in the hall closet. She’d worn jeans, a red sweater and Italian leather boots to be comfortable.
Eve Shannon had impeccable taste. The shelving, flooring and rugs were chosen for their uniqueness. The two of them linked arms and walked out to the state-of-the-art kitchen. They took seats at a custom-made teak table and chairs.
“Can I get you something, darling?”
“Coffee would be great. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Oh, dear. I want to hear why.”
After she’d made two cups from a Keurig, Eve sat back down. She took Noreen’s hand into her two. “You seem worried.”
“I am.” She drew in a deep breath and blurted out, “I had unprotected sex last night.” She wasn’t embarrassed to talk about intimate matters with her mom because they shared their lives openly for as long as she could remember.
“You had sex again? Noreen, that’s so good.” At her expression, Eve added, “Oh, no. It wasn’t good?”
“It was mind-blowing, Mom.”
