"Daddy said it would be too hard on me. That was another stupid mistake. I escaped to New York and then Maryland. I've never been with anyone since you." She held her hand up. "By my choice—my training didn't leave much room for dating. I had no desire after that.”
She bit her lip. “What happens now? Us?"
Martin took a bracing breath. "I never stopped loving you. I’m not a saint—I dated other women through the years. No one was ever you." He lowered his gaze.
"We were both free to make choices." She shrugged.
"Tuesday, sitting in that waiting room for word about Austin, an administrator told us the surgeons’ names. In that instance, I tried to pretend it couldn't be you. Mandy checked the hospital website, and there you were. All the feelings returned. I wanted to hate you.
“After the surgery, I was angry and mean to you. In the ICU, Dr. Caine told me about the grueling surgery and how you fought for Austin. Wednesday morning, you walked into Austin's room, beautiful, strong, and exhausted." His Adam's apple bobbed. "That woman hit you. The struggle started inside me, but I stayed firm instead of helping you. When you danced with the man in the hall, I became jealous. I wanted to feel your arms around me. This morning, after reading the report, I yanked my head out of my ass. I had to speak to you. I should have trusted my gut. Will you ever forgive me? I should have protected you better."
Her eyes glistened as she placed her hand against her heart. With a trembling voice, she said, “Let's put blame behind us."
He let out a breath. "I don't want to lose any more time. Would you consider getting to know each other again?"
Elizabeth chuckled. "We kinda just did that, didn't we?"
Martin laughed. In one quick move, he lowered his body over hers. With his last condom, taking his time, he made sweet, slow, passionate love to her. In the post-orgasmic bliss, Elizabeth slept in his arms. He made a silent prayer that no one would hurt her again.
Elizabeth's eyes opened. The light filtering in the room told her it was late afternoon. She felt soft kisses pressing down the length of her spine. Her body tingled with awareness; this was no dream. "Marty." She folded her arms around her pillow.
He straddled her bottom to massage her tight shoulders. His fingers kneaded away the tension as his manhood lay engorged against her backbone. "I can't stop touching you."
"Then don't." She snuggled her bottom up against him.
"You’re naughty." He bit her shoulder, his hands sliding underneath to play with her breasts. "Mmm." Her nipples peaked at the wisp of a touch. Begging for contact, she flexed her bottom against him. "Sunshine." He positioned himself and surged into her welcoming, wet entrance.
"Marty," she whimpered.
He froze. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, oh goodness no. Do you feel how perfect this is? I could stay like this forever."
"It would be a little hard to go to work this way." Martin swirled his hips and pressed into her accepting body. Elizabeth squealed.
She squeezed him and tilted her pelvis, driving him wild. He knelt, bracing her hips with a pillow, and took over their sensuous push and pull. Long fingers stimulated her bundle of nerves until she screamed out his name, her body convulsing. Martin followed her over the cliff of pleasure, filling her with his essence.
He withdrew and rolled off her, his eyes brimming with fear. "I'm sorry. I swear, I'm disease-free. But..."
“It’s alright.” Elizabeth sat up. "I didn’t have a chance to tell you. The doctors, they said I can't conceive again. There was a lot of damage after the fall." She reached for his face. "I can't give you another child."
"I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If we can't make a baby of our own, if you want, we can adopt. I want you." His lips sought hers. "Today and always. Nothing will take that away from us again."
Elizabeth's heart overflowed. "I love you too."
"Tell me what's going on?" Martin's phone hooked into its speaker atop the kitchen counter while he cut some peppers and onions for an omelet.
"Ian said not to worry," Karen Rhodes advised.
"Tell me what's going on." Martin's tone was stern. "Austin is sick, not me. My workload isn't disappearing."
Karen was going over his schedule as Elizabeth walked in, showered and wrapped in a silk robe with a towel twisted atop her head. Martin stopped chopping and pulled her into his arms.
He listened to Karen's update about some personnel health issues. "Ask Tuck Hanlon to send me reports on them. Ask Lee Shelton to call me when he's up to it. Make sure their families have what they need until everyone comes home." Martin continued going through his agenda items.
"Um, I hope you don't mind, but I asked Mr. Nash to clean out your perishables and bring Mercutio to the office instead of feeding him there. I figured he would be lonely."
Elizabeth smiled up at Martin as he whispered, "My cat."
