Love After Dark (34 page)

“What would you have me do about it?”

Though he was on duty and absolutely shouldn’t do this, he released her, strode to the door, locked it and put the Closed for Fifteen Minutes sign in the window. Then he took hold of her hand and half-walked, half-dragged her to the back of the store.

“Blaine,” she said on a nervous laugh. “I’m working here. You can’t just—”

Pressing her against the same wall that had hosted one of their very first encounters, he kissed the words right off her lips. His hand worked its way under her skirt, where he encountered a tiny string thong, the kind that never failed to turn him into a stark raving lunatic whenever he saw it wedged between her sweet cheeks. He pushed it out of his way and sank two fingers into her.

She turned her face to break the kiss and drew in a sharp breath.

He froze. “That didn’t hurt, did it?”

“God, no. Don’t stop.”

Keeping her anchored to the wall with the tight press of his body, he used his free hand to open his uniform pants. This was madness. He was on duty. He was the goddamned chief of police about to fuck his smoking-hot pregnant wife against a wall in her store in the middle of his shift.

“What?” she asked, tuning in to his reluctance.

“I shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Yes, you should. You absolutely should.” She finished freeing him from his pants and stroked him until his eyes crossed with lust. “Don’t leave me like this.”

What could he say to that? Nothing, so he forgot he was on duty and that she was working. He forgot about everything other than her and how much he loved her. The one thing he couldn’t forget was that she was pregnant, which was the only reason he didn’t hammer into her the way he wanted to. Rather, he took it slow and easy, cupping her ass cheeks as he worked his way into her tight channel.

“You take my breath away every goddamned time,” he whispered harshly.

“Same. Same, same,
same
.” She clung to him. “Don’t hold back, Blaine. It feels so good.”

“Afraid,” he said, faltering. “The baby…”

“It’s fine. We’re fine.”

“Hold on to me.”

She tightened her arms and legs around him. “Love me. Just love me.”

“I love you so fucking much. I want you all the time, even when I’m on duty and shouldn’t.”

“You should. You really,
really
should.”

As he laughed, he faltered, losing his rhythm for a second before he recovered. “This is going to be fast.”

“I like fast.”

Blaine groaned as he gave her what she said she wanted, more gently than he normally would have, so he wouldn’t hurt her or the baby. The very thought of that made his knees go weak, and with her pressed against the wall, he couldn’t afford weak knees.
 

His radio crackled to life with a call from dispatch that he had no choice but to ignore—something else he never did.

And then she was coming with loud cries that shattered his control. He surged into her, gasping from the wave after wave of exquisite pleasure that seized his body as her release sparked his.
 

The dispatcher called again.

Blaine could barely breathe, let alone speak.

“Blaine, babe… The radio.”

“I hear it.” He focused on dragging air into his lungs, and when his head stopped spinning, he keyed the mic on his shoulder to respond to the dispatcher and listened to her report of a multiple-car accident on the island’s north end.

“I’m on my way.” Blaine leaned his forehead against Tiffany’s. “How’d you get me to do this while I’m on duty?”

“As I recall, you didn’t give me much choice.”

“Aww, baby, you always have a choice.”

She smoothed the sweaty hair off his forehead. “And I choose you every time.”

“You make me so incredibly happy, Tiffany. I keep thinking it’s not possible to feel this good all the time, but it just gets better and better.”

With her arms still tight around his neck, she kissed him. “Yes, it does, but you’d better get going before you get in trouble with Mayor Upton again.”

“I’m not entirely sure I can still walk.”

Her giggle filled his heart to overflowing. He loved making her laugh and smile. She’d been so grim when he first met her, and her lighthearted joy was a reminder of how far they’d come since then. Reluctantly, he withdrew from her and held her until she regained her footing.

As expected, his legs wobbled under him.
 

Tiffany leaned back against the wall while he went into the tiny bathroom in the back of the store to clean up. She was still there when he returned, her lips swollen from their kisses and her cheeks flushed from exertion.

“You look like you’ve been thoroughly ravished, my love.”

“This insanely sexy cop came in and had his wicked way with me.”

Blaine raised a brow. “I dare any man to lay a hand on my woman. I’ll kill him.”

She smiled and reached for him.

He took her hand and let her draw him back in for one last tongue-twisting kiss. “I’ll never survive until tonight.”

“Yes, you will, and I’ll make good on my promises.”

Even though he’d been fully satisfied not even five minutes ago, Blaine whimpered like a little girl at the thought of what she’d promised him. “I’ll think of nothing else all day.”

“Go,” she said, giving him a little push. “The sooner you get done with work, the sooner you get your reward for not messing with Jenny’s party.”

He literally tore himself away from her. “We’re going on a vacation. Just you and me by ourselves. Very,
very
soon. You hear me?” Their busy season was coming to an end, and they’d earned some time alone.

“Ohhh, yes, please.”

“Very, very soon.” He kissed her again, taking a close look at her gorgeous face. “You okay?”

“Never been better in my life.”

“All right. I’m going, then.” One more kiss. “We’ll get over this craziness someday, won’t we?”

“God, I hope not,” she said with a happy sigh.

One last kiss. “This time I’m really going.”
 

“This time I’m really letting you.”

The chatter on the radio indicated the accident was a bad one, which propelled him out of the store and into bright sunshine that nearly blinded him. Pulling his aviators down from the top of his head, he walked toward his department-issued SUV to head to the accident scene. But all he could think about was going home to her later to collect on that promise she’d made him. This was going to be a very long day.

Chapter 22

Sitting in the doctor’s office, Paul heard what was being said, but he couldn’t seem to process it. Late-stage dementia, difficulty swallowing, bedridden, vulnerable to infections, risk of pneumonia, unable to speak or communicate…
 

This was a whole new ballgame.

“I know it’s a lot of information to take in all at once, but we feel it’s imperative for you to prepare for what’s ahead sooner rather than later.”
 

Hope’s hand covered Paul’s, and her warmth made him realize he was freezing in the air-conditioned office.
 

“Mr. Martinez, I’m sure you must have questions.” The doctor’s deep voice permeated Paul’s frozen state. The man looked at him with piercing blue eyes, but the only thing Paul could seem to focus on was his paisley bow tie. Who wore paisley these days?

Paul couldn’t think of a single thing to say. There would be questions. Hundreds of them. But right now, there was only despair.

“What are your thoughts about continuing to care for Mrs. Martinez at home on Gansett Island?” Hope asked.

Paul would have to thank her for that later. It was a good question and one that needed to be asked.

“I believe it’s going to become increasingly more difficult to care for her at home. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it won’t be easy.”

Over the next thirty minutes, Hope quizzed the doctor on every aspect of his mother’s care. While Paul sat like a useless zombie, reeling from the shock, they covered practicalities such as medication and equipment and how to handle the inevitable agitation that Marion would experience as her symptoms worsened.

Paul’s tongue felt too big for his mouth, like if he tried to speak, nothing would come out. It had been years now since his mother was first diagnosed, but this was the first time his own brain seemed to shut down at one of her appointments. He simply couldn’t get his head around it.
 

Thank God Hope was here to do it for him. When she stood, Paul realized they were wrapping up the meeting, and he’d yet to say a word.
 

“Is he okay?” the doctor asked Hope.

“Paul.” He blinked her into focus. “Are you all right?”

“I’m… Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just a lot to take in.”

The doctor handed each of them his card. “I’m here to help in any way I can. You and your brother have some big decisions to make, and if I can be of assistance, please let me know.”

“Thank you,” Paul said, humbled by the kindness of a stranger.

“I’ve signed the discharge paperwork.” The doctor handed a sheaf of papers to Hope. “The nurses will have your mother ready to go home.”

Still feeling dazed, Paul shook his hand, thanked him again and followed Hope out of the office, through a maze of hallways that led to the room where his mother waited to go home.

“There you are, George,” she said when they walked in. “I’ve been waiting so long to see you. Where have you been?”

The tears in her eyes finally snapped Paul out of the stupor he’d been in during the meeting. He went to her and bent to hug her. “Sorry I made you wait, Marion. It couldn’t be helped.”

“It’s okay,” she said, stroking his hair like a lover rather than a mother. “You work so hard. I understand.”

“What do you say we go home?”

“I want to go home. I’ve been telling them that.” Her arms were covered in bruises from the many needle sticks, and her hair was in need of Chloe’s special touch.
 

“We’ll get you home,” Paul said.

“Who’s she?” Marion asked, casting a suspicious glare at Hope.

“That’s Hope. She’s our friend. I’d like you to be nice to her, okay?”

“Of course, George. Whatever you want.”

The nurse came to push Marion’s wheelchair, but Paul told her he’d do it.
 

“Why am I in the hospital, George? Who’s staying with the boys? Are they all right?”

“They’re fine,” Paul said.
 

“What about work? You can’t be away from work, especially this time of year.”

“I left Louis in charge,” Paul said of the man who’d once been his father’s right hand. “And Hilda is with the boys.” Louis and Hilda had been gone longer than his father had, but the information pacified his mother.
 

Hope squeezed his arm in a show of support that he appreciated.
 

By the time they arrived home three hours later, Paul was spent. The break from reality he and Hope had enjoyed was but a distant memory, obliterated by the more pressing reality of his mother’s deteriorating condition. Naturally, Alex and Jenny wanted to hear everything the doctor had had to say, and after Marion was tucked into bed for a nap, Hope did most of the talking for him.

“Fuck,” Alex said on a long exhale, summing up the situation rather succinctly.

“So what does this mean?” Jenny asked.

“I don’t know,” Paul said. “Maybe it’s time to look into a permanent solution on the mainland.”

The comment was met with resounding silence.

“We knew it would get to this point eventually,” Paul said.

“Yeah, but we didn’t think it would be this soon,” Alex replied.

Jenny took hold of his hand, cradling it between both of hers.
 

“If I may…” Hope said.

“Please,” Alex said. “Speak freely. You have to know by now how much we value your opinion.”

“While the doctor painted a rather dismal picture, none of it is going to happen tonight or tomorrow or even next week. We can keep doing what we’ve been doing for the time being while you explore your options.”