A Hunka Hunka Nursing Love (Women's Fiction) (15 page)

He burst out laughing.

“It’s not funny! I caught him making out with my best friend behind the ice-cream shop. I was crushed. I lost my boyfriend
and
my best friend in one fell swoop.”

“I hate to state the obvious, but she wasn’t your best friend.”

“Not after that she wasn’t. And believe me, that rattled my faith in friendship for years. Not to mention the opposite sex.”

“Well, Jimmy Lugg’s loss is my gain.”

God how she loved those sparkling teal eyes. He almost always knew just what to say to please her. “You sure are a smooth talker.”

He tilted his head. “Is that a bad thing?”

“I’m not sure. I suppose it depends on whether you’re sincere or not.”

His face grew sober. “I’m very sincere when it comes to you.”

She detected an intensity in his eyes that made her want to lighten the mood. “Do you think you could talk me into . . . compromising my morals?”

His smile was devilish. “I certainly hope so.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here.”

All the way home from the restaurant, Valerie second-guessed her cheeky advances toward Keith. As much as she desired him, having a cast on her leg wasn’t exactly conducive to doing the mattress mambo. And even though he’d already seen her naked, it had only been for a split-second. She had so many secrets to keep under wraps: spider veins, dimpled thighs, the once-trim abdomen that lately resembled a glazed doughnut. If only she could have baked in the sun a little.

He patiently followed her as she and her crutches did their ugly-duckling dance into the house. As soon as he closed the door behind them, she turned to him. “Are you sure you want to screw a gimp?”

His grin offered as much reassurance as anything could at that point. “Only if her name is Valerie Palka.”

She couldn’t tell if her accelerated heart rate was from excitement, anxiety, or too much Diet Coke. “I just don’t know if I can . . . well, you know, you’re used to being with much younger women, and—”

He slid one arm around her torso and one behind her knees, then scooped her up.

“Whoa!” she cried as her right crutch slammed into a floor lamp, sending it crashing to the floor.

“Oh, shit!” His eyes widened and his face went garnet. “I didn’t plan on that.”

She couldn’t decide which was funnier: Keith destroying the lamp, which Greg had bought and she’d always hated, or the expression on Keith’s face. She struggled to speak through her laughter. “What exactly
was
your plan?”

His face relaxed in response to her good-humored reaction. “I was going to whisk you into the bedroom and, well, you know. Sorry about the lamp. I’ll pay for it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I was thinking about doing some redecorating anyway, and now you’ve given me a head start.”

He smiled. “Maybe we should redecorate the bedroom first.”

Okay, definitely not the Diet Coke
. How wonderful it felt to have his strong arms supporting her, but the rest of her body craved more. “Maybe we should.”

They maintained eye contact as he—cautiously this time—carried her into the master bedroom. No man had ever carried her before, and she could see why it worked on Scarlett O’Hara.

After he gently laid her on the bed, she quickly removed her sandal and scooted over to make room for him. He kicked his shoes off and joined her, propping himself up on one forearm as if positioning himself to kiss her. Instead, he stroked her hair, gliding his fingers from her temples outward. This gave her a chance to admire the bone structure of his face in the twilight.
God,
he was handsome! She also thanked God he hadn’t asked to turn on any lights.

“Lay your arms down, palms up,” he said softly. She obeyed, and he ran his fingertips up and down the tender inner sides of her arms, sending glorious chills through the sensitive skin and into the smoldering desire building within her. His hand eventually slid up to her cheek, and her eyes opened just enough to see his face moving toward hers. The smell of sake lingered on his breath as he grazed her lips with his, then lowered his mouth to her neck. His tongue traced imaginary curlicues from behind her ear to the base of her neck, propelling shivers all the way to her toes. He nibbled across to the other side of her neck and worked his way up, ending with a whisper in her ear. “I’m your private decorator. Tell me what you want.”

She wanted to install clones of Keith in every room of the house. “You’re doing fine on your own.”

He kissed her deeply then, and their bodies meshed with growing urgency. She could easily feel his arousal through her thin summer dress, and her own flesh pulsed with anticipation.

He tried to slip a hand inside the top of her dress but couldn’t make much progress. “Could you take this thing off?”

She couldn’t resist teasing him. “What for?”

“I wanna use it to make new curtains.”

Smart-ass. “Now I’m never taking it off.”

“Okay, see you later.”

By the time he was on his feet, she had removed the dress, and she threw it over his head. He pulled it off with a laugh and rejoined her on the bed. His tousled hair gave him a boyish look as he gingerly caressed the mounds that peeked over the lace of her lavender bra. He kissed her as he slid his fingers inside the bra to gently squeeze its tender contents, making her yearn to give him full access.

She removed the bra, and he moaned quietly as his mouth took over where his fingers had been. Meanwhile, his hands skimmed all over her upper body, then moved between her legs and softly kneaded without removing her silk panties. Now
she
moaned as he stimulated her with expert precision.

She lifted his face to her own and kissed him, allowing her tongue to venture deep into his mouth. Her heart raced with a welcome certainty about this coupling. She unfastened his pants and slid her fingers under the waistband to stroke him. That got him groaning, which made her crave him even more.

He paused to remove his shirt, giving her a glimpse of his smooth, bronzed chest. He moved to a kneeling position between her legs and removed her panties, carefully gliding them over the cast. Then he slowly ran his hands up and down the inside of her thighs before sliding a finger into her, causing her to release a small cry. He used his other hand to massage her most sensual spot, and tingles ran down the backs of her legs.

“Take your pants off,” she ordered in a breathless whisper, wanting to reciprocate.

But he didn’t obey. He continued exactly what he’d been doing, only he gradually sped up. She longed to have him inside of her, but she didn’t want him to stop now, and the harder she tried to hold off the inevitable, the more fantastic the sensations became. “Slow down,” she begged.
Oh!
“Not so . . .”
Oh, God! “
Wait
. . .
wait . . .”
OH!
Shivers and spasms surged throughout her body as brilliant lights flashed in her mind’s eye.

She gasped for air and waited for the lingering vibrations to dissipate before opening her eyes. “I must say, young man, you certainly seem to know what you’re doing.” She had expected him to gloat with pride, but he simply smiled, obviously content with having brought her such pleasure. How could she
not
be enchanted with this guy?

He lowered himself beside her. “And we’ve only just begun.” He kissed her with an eagerness that already made her long for more.

She got creative with both hands to stoke his ardor, and in very little time, he was fully aroused. “I want you inside of me,” she murmured.

He moved on top of her and slid in.
God
, how wonderful
it felt to have a man,
this
man, plunging into her. She tried to raise her knees to her chest to allow him deeper penetration, but she underestimated how the cast would affect her balance, and she listed to the left, forcing him out of her. “Damn!”

He moved back into position, his eyes filled with concern. “Was I hurting you?”

“No, I was just, I was trying to position myself so you could go deeper. Maybe if you put your arms under my knees, that would stabilize me?”

His face relaxed into an amused smile. “Okay.” He slid one arm under her uninjured leg. But when she tried to help by lifting the other leg, she ended up whacking his head with her cast. “Ow!”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I guess that leg is stronger than I realized.”

He rubbed the side of his head. “I suppose that’s my fault for being such a great physical therapist.”

“Stop bragging and kiss me.”

He brought his lips to hers, and she worked on rekindling their enthusiasm. She directed him back into her body and quickly surmised from his breathy grunts that the new position met with his approval. He seemed to be struggling to keep the pace slow enough to prolong his enjoyment, while she discovered the way he maneuvered himself felt exquisite. But her primary goal was to please him, so she accelerated her own thrusts and whispered into his ear, “Harder, Keith.
Harder
.”

He kicked it into high gear and soon groaned and shuddered with satisfaction.

He carefully extracted himself from their lovemaking position, lay down beside her, and put his arms around her. “I never realized how much I would enjoy redecorating.”

She chuckled. “Well, it seems that smacking you on the head had no effect on your virility.”

“I hope you’re not planning to smack me in other places to see what
will
affect it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not generally such a dangerous sex partner. I do hate not being able to move around more though.”

“Seems to me we did pretty darn well, even with the cast. And you’ll be getting it off soon anyway.”

“Thank God. It’s hard enough having an affair with a younger man without being a gimp, too.”

His muscles tensed. “Is that all this is to you? An affair?”

Uh-oh
. The back of her neck bunched up like a tight fist. “No, I was just kidding.” On the other hand . . . “But, to be perfectly honest, I do have some doubts about our . . . long-term potential.”

“Why?”

Why? Heartburn stung in her chest. Because it seemed inevitable he would eventually prefer a younger woman. Because in America’s youth-obsessed culture, older women were marginalized, ridiculed, abandoned. Because the odds were heavily against him hanging around once the sagging flesh became too much of a turn-off. She sighed. “I guess I’m just trying to be realistic.”

He gently grasped her chin and turned her face up to his. “Are you still hung up on the age thing?”

Bingo. “It’s pretty hard to forget.”

“Okay, so there is an age difference. But it’s not that much of a difference. If two people are attracted to each other and enjoy each other’s company, why the hell should it matter?”

She gazed into his eyes. Even in the faint light she could see how earnest he was, and she appreciated his logic. “You’re right. It probably shouldn’t matter.”

“Well, it
doesn’t
matter to me. Yes, you will grow older, but so will I, and so will any other woman I might be with. The important thing is that when you find someone you really click with, that’s just too rare to reject without a damn good reason.”

Once again, his words were persuasive. “Have you ever tried to sell snow to an Eskimo?”

He smiled. “No. But I did sell fire to the devil once.”

“Aha! So that’s it. You’re in league with the devil. I knew there was something evil about you.”

“I wouldn’t say evil. But I’m definitely horny.”

“Again? Already?”

“Well, I am in bed with a beautiful, sexy woman.”

“Really?” She raised her head and glanced around. “Who?”

He growled as he tugged her back down. Then he kissed her with as much hunger as a man who’d never had sex, let alone just a few minutes ago, and she soon wanted more gratification herself. Perhaps she could keep up with this young stud after all. Still, one night of passion was no guarantee of future results—was it?

Chapter 12

Keith struggled to get comfortable on one of the wafer-thin seat cushions the YMCA provided for their ‘Intro to Buddhist Meditation’ class.

At least the instructor, Heather, was pleasant to watch. She was a twenty-something, get-back-to-nature type with long, brown hair and sleepy eyes, who spoke with a relaxing, almost musical tone.

“For Buddhists,” Heather explained, “the ultimate goal of meditation is to achieve ‘nirvana,’ or enlightenment. Very basically, this means understanding what causes suffering and how to be free from it.”

Lousy seat cushions cause suffering,
Keith wanted to say. But he also wanted to absorb as much as possible. He’d been curious about Buddhism ever since his friend Troy had gotten into it. Troy said it taught him how to appreciate what he had rather than always striving to have more. If nothing else, Keith figured meditation could help reduce his stress level. Most of the changes he’d been through recently had been positive—starting a new job, getting involved with Valerie—but even good stress took its toll.

Heather sat cross-legged on a thick cushion at the front of the room. “Our goal today is to get you focused on nothing but your breathing, so you can break free from your incessant thoughts. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath, counting slowly to four, then exhale slowly, counting to four.”

He closed his eyes and tried to zero in on his breathing. Inhale, two, three . . .
maybe take Valerie to that new Mexican place tonight
. . . exhale, two, three . . .
still can’t tell how she feels about me
. . . in, in, in . . .
What if she’s just using me for sex? . . .
out, out, out
. . . Nah, she doesn’t really seem the type
. . . in, in . . .
Should be thinking about more significant things
. . . out, out . . .
How do we get enlightened if we can’t think?
. . . in, in . . .
Be patient, stick with the program
. . . out, out—

A gentle chime brought his attention back to the outer world. He blinked slowly and glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes! He couldn’t believe that much time had passed. Had he fallen asleep?

“Open your eyes.” Heather spoke as gently as a mother talking to her newborn. “Would anyone like to share their experience?”

A large woman wearing a sweatsuit said, “My mind kept bouncing all over the place, like a ping-pong ball. I couldn’t believe how hard it was
not
to think of anything.”

“That’s not uncommon,” Heather said. “That’s why meditation takes a lot of practice. Anyone else?”

“I think I might have dozed off,” Keith admitted.

Heather smiled with the patience of a nun. “I once had an instructor who said that if you fall asleep during meditation, you probably needed the sleep more than you needed the meditation.”

Everyone chuckled, and Heather stood. “Okay, thank you all for coming, and I’ll see you next time.”

Keith tossed his seat cushion on the pile in the corner and headed out the door, then heard Heather’s voice behind him. “So is this your first experience with meditation?”

He glanced over his shoulder to confirm she had addressed him. “Yes.”

Falling into step with him, she smiled. “I know it’s hard to make time for it, but I think you’ll find it’s really worthwhile. What’s your name?”

“Keith.”

She extended a hand, and he shook it, noting how soft and delicate her skin was.

“Nice to meet you, Keith. I hope you’ll enjoy the class.”

He pushed open the door that led to the parking lot and held it for her. “Are you a Buddhist yourself?”

“Thank you. Yes, I am. I’ll be talking more about my experiences with Buddhism as the class progresses. But if you’d like to learn more than I cover in the class, I’d be happy to meet with you over coffee sometime.”

“Okay, thanks.” He stopped walking. “My car is right here, so, I’ll see you next week.”

She raised an index finger. “Remember, meditation is medication for the soul.”

He smiled. “And cheaper than anti-depressants.”

“Right!”

He tried to focus on his breathing as he drove home, but his exchange with Heather kept intruding. Was she just being kind by offering to meet with him, or was she coming on to him? His instincts suggested the latter. She certainly was appealing, with her slim figure and freckle-sprinkled face.
Nah
. He shook his head. She couldn’t upstage Valerie.

He certainly wanted to learn more about Buddhism, though. Perhaps he would meet with her. No harm in a philosophical discussion, right?

Helen watched Valerie seat herself in the wingback chair that had been Stanley’s favorite. She could practically see steam rising from her daughter’s head. She knew exactly what Valerie was mad about and had girded herself for verbal combat.

Valerie took a deep breath and exhaled. “How on earth could you have fired Keith when he was precisely what you said you wanted?”

Helen had to give Valerie credit for not screeching. “If I’d known he was going to be spying on me, I never would have agreed to hiring him in the first place.”

Valerie’s jaw jutted forward as she took another deep breath. “He wasn’t spying, Mother. He simply told me about an incident that was very dangerous. He was doing his job.”

“I thought his job was to help me, not tattle on me.”

Valerie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and shook her head.

Good. Helen one, Valerie zero
.

“All right,” Valerie said, keeping her voice level. “I get that you feel betrayed somehow. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s really not safe for you to be living here alone anymore. I know you don’t want to come live with me, but I’ve been learning more about some of the assisted-living places in town, and I’d like for you to at least come with me to see some of them.”

Helen had seen this coming, but she acted as if the mere thought shocked her. “Are you kidding me? Absolutely not. I’m nowhere near needing assistant living. You’re just saying that because your friend Pam moved her mother into one. She had a stroke! Her circumstances are completely different from mine.” She crossed her arms defiantly, then uncrossed them because she didn’t want to wrinkle her blouse. “You know, Valerie, there are times when quality of life is more important than playing it safe.”

Valerie did that annoying pinch-the-bridge-of-her-nose thing. “All I’m suggesting is that we—”

“You’re just like your father sometimes, always thinking you know what’s best for everybody else. But I know my rights, and nobody knows best than me, er, nobody knows
better
than me what’s best for me.”

“All right.” Valerie raised her hands in surrender. “I can see you’re not willing to be sensible about this, so I’ll just drop it.”

Sensible! Lord that girl can rankle, just like Stanley
. “I realize you worshipped your father, but I’ll have you know he was not the saint you think he was.”

Valerie scowled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he wasn’t faithful to me. I caught him once with one of those sleazy cashiers he was always hiring.”

Valerie gaped, just as Helen had imagined she would.

“And she wasn’t the only one. One of the little sluts actually called me and told me she and Stanley had an affair. Seems she wanted revenge after he dropped her.”

Valerie’s whole body seemed to deflate, and her gaze dropped to the floor. Then she looked back up at Helen. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” The volume of her voice had dropped considerably.

Helen felt a piercing deep in her chest. “Because I knew it would break your heart. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you now.”

“No, that’s okay. I’d rather know the truth.” Valerie sighed. “So what else is there?”

“What else what?”

“What else did he do wrong?”

Oh, dear. Had she overplayed the anti-Stanley card? “Oh, honey. I don’t have a litany of sins your father committed. I didn’t like his stupid little dalliances, but I don’t honestly think he did it to hurt me. I think he just got bored with his life. You know how he thrived on excitement.” She could still see him bustling about, always intent on something. “Remember how excited he used to get every time he opened a new store? He would live and breathe it for months and months. Then after the grand opening, life would go back to normal, and you could just see the spunk draining out of him. I’m grateful he never left us, because I often feared he would.”

“Oh, Mom.” Valerie sat forward in her chair. “I’m sorry he put you through that.”

“But he didn’t leave! That’s the point. He stayed and was a good provider. And heaven knows he was good to you kids.” She saw the lingering confusion in her daughter’s eyes. “I know it might be hard to understand, but I had some of the same . . . I can’t think of the word, doubts, I guess, about whether I should have married when I did. How life might have been different if I hadn’t.”

Valerie pursed her lips. “But you never had affairs.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Valerie’s eyes nearly popped out and Helen laughed. “I’m pulling your leg. No, I didn’t have any affairs. But I did have opportunities. And believe me, there were times when I was tempted. Well, one time in particular.” She sighed. “But I couldn’t do it. I was a good Christian, and adultery is a sin.”

“So how could you forgive Dad?”

Helen took a sip of her iced tea. “I didn’t, at first. I ‘laid a guilt trip on him,’ as you kids would say. Especially after his fling with that one who called me. I threatened to leave him and take you kids with me. He promised he’d never do it again, but that’s not why I stayed.” Her gaze migrated to the family portrait on the mantel. “I stayed because I had too much to lose. We all did.” She turned back to Valerie. “So I chose to stick it out, and I’m glad I did. I was never totally certain he didn’t cheat after that, but I think . . . I believe he finally realized that fooling around couldn’t bring him any lasting happiness, whereas family would.”

Valerie nodded slowly.

“I also believe he truly loved me or he wouldn’t have stayed. And heaven knows I loved him.” She looked at the portrait again. “This might sound crazy, but I loved him so much, I eventually concluded that if he needed to fool around a little bit to be happy, I was okay with it. Funny thing is, right about the time I started thinking that was when he started showing more of an interest in me.” She shrugged. “So our later years were good ones. I just wish we could have had more of them.”

A melancholy smile raised the corners of Valerie’s mouth. “Me, too.”

Leaning toward her daughter, Helen said, “So you see, that’s part of the reason I don’t want to leave this house. I feel closer to him here.”

“Hmm.” Valerie nodded. “I can certainly understand that. But it doesn’t change the fact that it may not be safe for you to live here alone anymore.”

Good Lord! The girl really can be impossible sometimes
. “You don’t understand! I feel like I have to stay here or I’ll lose that . . . that . . . Uh! I can’t think of the word.” She hated it when that happened, especially in front of Valerie, since it gave the girl even more ammunition against her. “Connection! That’s the word, connection. Don’t you see? I’m afraid I’ll die if I leave this house.”

Valerie appeared stunned, but only for a moment. “And I’m afraid you’ll die if you
don’t
leave this house.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Helen sank back into her chair. “Why do you always have to exaggerate things? Do you honestly think I could burn the house down just by leaving one burner on?”

“Yes, it could happen.”

Helen banished the ridiculous thought with a wave of her hand. “So what if I did burn it down? At least I would die happy in the place where I wanted to be.”

“Great. Now you’re sounding suicidal.”

“Oh, Valerie. Now you’re really going overboard.”

Valerie frowned. “Maybe I am. But I’m just trying to get through to you that this is a dangerous situation, and I love you, and don’t want to see you in danger.”

“If you love me, why don’t you want me to be happy?”

Valerie’s eyes narrowed, just the way Stanley’s had when he was fuming. “I do want you to be happy. But safety has to come first. You can’t be very happy if you’re badly injured, or worse.”

“You always have to imagine the worst, don’t you?”

Valerie closed her eyes, took a breath, and reopened them. “I’m just trying to be realistic and prevent problems rather than reacting to them,” she said, speaking slowly and enunciating each word.

Helen hated it when Valerie spoke to her like she was talking to a child. So she responded the same way, only slower. “And I’m just trying to live my life the way I want to live it,
where
I want to live it. Considering all I’ve sacrificed for others over the years, I think I’m entitled to that much.”

The sigh Valerie emitted signaled surrender, and Helen felt smug knowing she’d finally delivered the winning blow.

“All right.” Valerie raised her hands in defeat and dropped them. “I give up. But just on the assisted-living issue,” she said, pointing a finger at Helen—another irritating Stanleyism. “I insist on having someone check in on you on a daily basis. Ideally it will be me, but I can’t make it over here every day. And if you won’t agree to this for your own health and safety, then you’ll have to agree to it for mine, because I can’t sleep at night otherwise.”

A warmth swelled in Helen’s throat. She could live with that. Besides, a little compromise might be just the thing to keep Valerie from trying to move her out. “All right. But I insist that it be Keith. I don’t want any of those other ‘hunkers’ getting in my business.”

Looking incredulous, Valerie huffed a laugh and shook her head. “You are absolutely . . . whatever. Thank you. I’m sure Keith will be happy to come back.”

“And tell him he has to call before he comes. I might have company.”

“Well, he usually came at about nine a.m., right? You’re not going to have company that early.”

Little Miss Know-It-All. “It’s entirely possible I could.”

Valerie’s eyebrows scrunched together. “Who? Lorraine?”

“No.” Should she tell her? It hadn’t happened yet, but considering how things were progressing, it was possible.
Oh, what the hell
. “If you must know, Charlie.”

“Charlie? He comes over that early?”