Beginning with Forever (55 page)

“Carson, where are you?”
It looks like she’s out of the shower and ready to go. We’ll be flying back to St. Croix this afternoon and unfortunately, I have this sick feeling in my gut about leaving her without me.

“I’m in my office,
” I yell out before getting up to meet her halfway in the hallway. She sees my worried expression before I’m able to replace it with my usual impassive mask. This is an open invitation for her to demand explanations.

C
arson disappears out of the bedroom while I shower. I follow his voice to a hallway and see a troubled expression on his face. I wonder if it has anything to do with his conversation with Hayden last night. He’s gifted with mood swings and emotional shifts, but I’m filtering them more skillfully with time.

“Is everything oka
y?” I ask with concern. He was radiantly optimistic this morning at breakfast and now it appears as if he has the entire world’s problems on his shoulders.

“Yes, I’m fi
ne. I hate the long distance between us.” He plays it off as separation anxiety. I’m not sure if I can believe that wholeheartedly, but I’m not going to challenge him this morning. He seems like he has enough to deal with and doesn’t need my bull-crap on top of it.

“It’s only tempo
rary,” I reassure him.

He takes my hand and
leads me back to the bedroom. He sets me on the edge of the bed and stands between my thighs. He tips my chin up, so I’m staring straight into his enticing emerald green eyes. “I’d like to ask a favor of you without any resistance. It’s very important to me.” His tone is completely serious. I nod my head with uncertainty. “I want you to allow my bodyguard to follow you for a few weeks. It’s only provisional until we resolve a small problem I’m dealing with at work.” I begin to open my mouth, but Carson places his index finger over my lips to stop me. “You promised to agree without questioning.” I give him a deceived frown. “Now that’s my good little Angel. I feel much better about your return to St. Croix with your agreement.”

Ar
gh, I’m mad I let him trick me. Whatever he’s dealing with is more serious than he leads me to believe. Why else would he push a bodyguard on me when I’m thousands of miles away from him? “You don’t play fair, Carson.” I punch him gently in his firm abdomen.

Faking injury, he
collapses his body over mine to hold me captive underneath his ripped body. My wrists are constrained under his left hand while he runs the back of his right hand along my cheek and neck. It’s impossible for me to stay mad at this irresistible man. “It’s for your own good, Angel. I’m doing this out of love,” he croons in that voice that stirs fire deep inside me. His right hand loosens the robe around my squirming body and begins to soothe my opposition away. This is one skill he’s mastered, never failing to please me completely. I attempt to fend him off of me even though I know I don’t stand a chance against his seduction. “Don’t fight, baby, it’ll only make me want you more.” He flaunts his dimpled smile, and my legs willingly spread for his entrance. “That’s better.” His fingers sink inside my slick channel, preparing the path for his sizable erection.

I moan as he slides his fingers in and out of me while his thumb rubs my swollen
sex. His clenched jaw and heavy breathing tells me he loves the sounds I’m making. “I…uh…need…uh…you inside me,” I slowly pant my plea. “Now…please.” Carson pulls his fingers out and slides his firm rod in place. My insides crave his fullness, caressing it with tenderness that drives his body wild. His thrusts are gentle, more cautious since his discovery of my pregnancy. Each stroke is a tease, urging me to appreciate his throbbing thickness, pushing me to climax. It doesn’t take long before I surrender to his coaxing, and we both come together.

“I love c
oming inside you,” he mutters as he tries to steady his heavy breathing. Slowly he withdraws himself and rolls onto his back with me nestled against his body. His heart still beats rapidly as he wraps his arms around me. “But I love having you in my arms even more,” he whispers along my neck.

____________________

We drive back to the Zen for Carson to pack his overnight bag for St. Croix. His mood is mellow at the moment. I’m even able to briefly greet Jeremy, the nice young doorman on my way in. It’s important to me to always acknowledge people with a smile or kind words out of respect. We run into Andrew and his partner in the lobby before we’re able to make it to the elevators. Andrew excitedly waves us over to them. I hope Carson’s temperament remains unruffled. I know we’re pressed for time, but I hate to be impolite. I grab his hand and force him over to my new Boston friend.

“
Hey, Lillian, Carson. It’s nice to run into you guys again. This is my partner, Stewart,” Andrew greets us enthusiastically.

His partner appears
more reserved like my partner. Stewart is probably in his late thirties, tall and built like Carson. He has heavy dark brows, narrow light blue eyes, a fuller lower lip and a fixed composed expression. His hair is gloriously pitch-black and bountiful. He stretches his hand out to shake Carson’s and mine. Oddly, they eye each other like there’s a lack of trust between them. Do they already know one another from somewhere else? I’m confused.

“We need
to set a definite dinner date. I’m an excellent cook and so is Stewie. I used to own a catering business,” Andrew boasts.

“An
drew, I’m actually a medical-resident in St. Croix, and I visit Carson whenever it’s possible. I’d love to set something up when I eventually move here in a few months.”

“Lillian, promise me y
ou will when you’re situated.” I gladly nod my head. For some unexplained reason, I feel an instant kindred connection with Andrew. He seems sincere, charismatic, and kindhearted. “Do you know what specialty you’re leaning towards?”

“At first, I had my heart set on
internal medicine, but now I’m leaning more towards radiation or medical oncology.” Carson turns his attention to me and smiles approvingly with my decision. This is news to him because I’ve never disclosed my specialty preference until now.

“What a coincidence!
Stewie is a radiation oncologist,” Andrew excitedly informs us.

“L
illian, if you need anything, let me know. I’m the chief radiation oncologist at CureAll Oncology,” Stewart politely offers while he warily glances sideways at Carson.

“Thanks
, Doctor, I can always use a mentor.”

Carson
discreetly tugs my hand, signaling me to get going. I guess my time’s up. “Gentlemen, we’ll be in touch for dinner. Lil and I have a flight to catch,” he aloofly interrupts and ends our brief social gathering.

Andrew throws his arms around me while my hand is still attached to Carson’s and gives me a
girlfriend
squeeze. What an unexpected nice gesture. Carson subtly passes me the
I’m losing my patience
eyes. I clench down firmly on my jaw to fight back the exasperation growing inside my heated body. I wave goodbye to my two new Boston friends and follow him to the elevators. Once again, he’s irritated about something that he’s hiding from me.

“Can you tell me what that wa
s all about back there?” I immediately demand an explanation for his shortness, praying he’ll be honest and not try to divert my inquiry.

“Owen was V.P. of
CureAll Oncology until I recruited him. Stewart was a first year resident then, so I don’t understand why he’s upset with me for offering Owen a job. He never fails to give me that hateful look whenever I see him.” Carson shakes his head with annoyance, and I’m baffled for him.

“There must be more to this
than you’re aware of. Maybe we can settle those hard feelings over dinner. You were sincere when you agreed to dinner, right?” He avoids my question. Oh that drives me crazy! “Carson, don’t be incorrigible.” I glare at him.

He seizes my hand and pulls me
out of the elevator with him. “Now you know exactly how I feel when you’re stubborn with me, which is quite often.” He smiles mischievously with a smug look on his face. “I’m not completely ruling dinner out, but I’m not committing at this time either.  Let’s get going. We have a flight to catch.”

My maternity clothes arrived
from Neiman Marcus yesterday. The concierge dropped them off with housekeeping while Carson and I were gone. At the rate that my belly is slowly progressing, they’ll be of no use to me for a few more months. I decide not to pack any of it and tuck them into my section
of Carson’s closet instead. He had considerately moved some of his clothes into a guest room to create some space, especially for me. This was totally unnecessary because his closet is enormous. “Are you sure you won’t need just a few of these maternity items?” he thoughtfully confirms.

“
Yes, I’ll be back here with you in no time,” I assure him.

____________________

Carson’s driver picks us up in the parking garage to avoid the unwanted paparazzi. We’re riding in another vehicle I’ve never been in. It’s like musical chairs, but with cars instead. I guess this is another tactic to avoid detection. Ever since Carson had his PR clean my public image up, he’s been extra cautious about exposing our personal lives to the media. And now with his new problem, he’s more paranoid and forcing me to abide by his strict rules. I’m feeling suffocated already. He doesn’t want to reveal my whereabouts to anyone but a select few individuals.

“Mr. Bradley, how long will I
be forced to have a bodyguard? I formally address him, wanting to seize his immediate attention.

“Lil, must I go over this again?
” he exasperatedly reiterates. “You need to trust me on this. It’s for your own good. Just once, can you not challenge my judgment?” He turns his frustration out the window. I should probably cool it. He seems like he has a lot on his mind. I lace my fingers through his to mollify his testiness.

“Yes
, honey, I won’t say another word if you promise me one teeny thing.”

He turns his head,
sighs and narrows his eyes at me. “And what is your teeny request?”

“
Will you ask your bodyguard to be invisible and keep his distance from me? I don’t want other people to know that I have a stranger following me,” I persuasively plead while leaning my head against his shoulder.

“I think
this is a reasonable request. I’ll talk to Luke when I see him.” He disentangles our fingers and enfolds his arm around me. I lean my head into his chest.

“Luke? Is that your bodyguard’s name?”

“No, he’s your bodyguard and yes, Luke is his name,” he replies wryly.

“Will I be able to meet and talk to him before he begins his job?”

“He’ll be waiting for us at the airport in St. Croix. You’ll have a chance to talk to him then.”

____________________

I see clear blue ocean water and palms trees as we approach our destination. I’ll miss the people, especially Amelia and Richard, and the memories I’ve created here when I declare Boston my permanent home. It’ll be a bittersweet farewell for me. I’ve been on enough planes lately that I can tell when it’s almost landing time by the change in engine sound. Captain Franco’s voice projects through the speakers to remind us to fasten our seatbelts and remain seated.

Carson will only be staying until
noon tomorrow at the latest. There’s a top secret emergency at work that he has to personally handle. He can’t or refuses to tell me anything about it. I’m supposed to be an angel and not pry about the problem. He’s doing all he can to keep me in the dark, and I don’t like it one bit. I insisted on flying back solo so he can deal with his problem sooner
,
but he wouldn’t agree to it. I’m secretly thankful that he was headstrong because now I have him for an extra day.

We land at our usual
location and wait for the door to open for our exit. I look out the window and see the SUV that Carson left for me and a tall brawny stranger standing beside it. He must be Luke, my shadow for the next few weeks. Carson cautiously guides me down the steps. I bite my tongue to avoid telling him I’m pregnant, not disabled. I shouldn’t be such a hormonal biddy. He’s attentive because he cares for me and our baby. My independent nature hinders my acceptance of overly kind gestures. I really should learn to embrace it more gracefully.

Luke is
more intimidating up close. He has a short buzz cut, frightening bulky muscles, and dark aviator sunglasses to conceal his mysterious eyes. His stance is rigid and so is his expression. I remind myself that it’s his profession to look unapproachable. Who would take him seriously if he was bubbly and petite?

“Mr. Bradley
,” he addresses Carson briefly.

“
Luke, this is Miss Ly. You’ll be responsible for her safety every time she steps away from the confines of her school. She would like your presence to be as discreet as possible to avoid any unwarranted attention to her,” Carson speaks to him authoritatively.

“Yes
, sir. She’s in good hands. I’ll guard her with my life.” I look nervously over to Carson. What in the world is he talking about? Am I in some sort of danger? Carson rubs my back soothingly and ignores my doubting eyes.