Faking It (9 page)

“Nothing is going to happen to me.”

“That’s not what your doctor says.”

“He’s obligated to point out risks. I understand what I’m up against and I’m taking care of it. I’m going to be fine.” Thoughts of Erin drifted through his mind and the sense of peace and comfort that always accompanied her blanketed him. The energy that seemed to follow each bout of sickness coursed through him.

“You never told me how your hunt for a sexual healer went.”

His stomach tightened. “She’s much more than that.”

“You met her?” Amanda’s eyes rounded. “You punk. Now I’m really pissed you didn’t call. Been busy, have you? Spill it.”

“It’s not like that. Erin’s incredible. I
really
like her.”

“You two get it on?”

“Mandy, that’s none of your business.”

“Oh, so you did. How was it?”

“I’m not discussing that with you. Look, she’s going to be here any minute. Maybe you should leave.”

“Hell, no. I want to meet her. One of the McClellan women. They’re becoming legendary, you know.” She socked him lightly in the arm. “I’m so proud.” She frowned. “If you’ve been getting it on
with her, why have you been sick? You sure this is the right woman?”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter who she is and I don’t care about the sexual healing. Maybe you were wrong about her. She isn’t into that.”

“Doesn’t matter whether she’s into it or not. It’s in her genes. She’s got the power.”

“I’m not denying she’s got something. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like magic to me.” He rubbed his hand over his stubbled chin. “I didn’t get squat done today. I’m going to have to log some time over the weekend. I should get cleaned up before she gets here.” He gave her a pointed look.

“I’ll stick around to let her in while you’re busy then.”

“She has a key.”

“Isn’t that a little fast?”

“I hired her to redesign the interior of this place. I’m not always going to be here when she needs to work, so I gave her a key.”

“You hired her as an interior designer?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Isn’t that going a little overboard?”

“Why? It’s about time I did something with the place. I’m tired of staring at blank walls.”

“But wouldn’t it have been a lot cheaper to just date her?”

He gritted his teeth. “I didn’t know what to do. You said to turn on my charm and let nature run its course, but it didn’t work like that. I had to do something to strike up a relationship with her, so I hired her.”

“I can’t believe you’re finally fixing up this place. You’ve lived here how long? I have to meet this woman.”

“You don’t need to meet her.”

The doorbell sounded and he groaned as Amanda hopped from the bed to answer it. He hurried after her. “I’ll get it.”

But she was already pulling the door open. “Hi, you must be Erin.” She extended her hand. “I’m Amanda. I’m a friend of Jack’s.”

“And she was just leaving.” Jack pulled Erin up beside him and glared at Amanda.

“He’s a little cranky. He wasn’t feeling too well earlier, poor baby.” Amanda patted his cheek.

“You’ve been ill?” Erin looked concerned. “Oh, Jack, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine.” He squeezed her shoulder. “How about you? I didn’t give you a little intestinal bug or anything, did I?”

“No, I’ve been all right.” She pressed her hand to his forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay? You feel a little warm.”

“I think he may have been doing some puking before I got here.”

“I was sleeping before she got here.”

“But did you get sick?” Erin asked, her face drawn in worry.

“Not so bad this time.”

“This time?”

“No big deal. I think I ate something that didn’t agree with me the other night.”

“When?”

“The other night, when you first came over.”

“Oh.” She stared at him, distraught.

Why was she so upset that he’d been ill? She looked stricken. Did it have something to do with her gift? Maybe she expected him to be vital and healthy after their sexual encounters, as Amanda had.

Guilt tightened his stomach. What if his condition prevented him from responding to her gift the way a healthier man would?

Her gaze drifted to Amanda. “It’s nice to meet you, Amanda. I’m sorry Jack’s been sick.”

“Me, too, but he looks much better than he did when I first got here,” Amanda said.

Erin squeezed his hand. Deep grooves marred her forehead. “Oh, dear.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Amanda, don’t you have that thing?”

“Oh, yeah, that…thing. It was nice meeting you, Erin. I see Jack’s in good hands and you’ll nurse him back to health.”

Erin dropped his hand and stepped away from him. “Maybe I should leave.”

“No.” He scooped her back to his side. “You’re staying. Amanda is leaving.”

“That’s right.” Amanda stepped through the open door. “You two have fun. Jack, call me later.”

They bid her goodbye, then shut the door. Erin turned to him. “Jack, I’m terribly sorry you’ve been ill.”

He cupped her face, his gaze falling to her lips. God, she was beautiful. That she was this concerned over him filled him with warmth. “Baby, it’s okay. I’m fine. In fact, I feel really energized.”

Desire swirled around him. His body couldn’t seem to get this close to her and not spontaneously combust. He brushed his lips across hers, aching for her kiss, but she pulled back.

“Jack—”

“Shh.”

He kissed her.

She pressed her palm to his chest and pulled back. “No, Jack, we shouldn’t.”

His stomach clenched at the seriousness in her eyes. Had she forgotten how right it was between them? “Yes, we should.”

He pulled her back and ran his lips over hers. Her hand pressed against him, but her lips softened beneath his. He had to remind her how good they were together. He teased his tongue along the crease of her lips, then slipped inside as she sighed. She resisted for the briefest moment, but then her body melted against him and she kissed him back, her arms slipping around his neck and her tongue dueling with his, stirring up the heat, sending his hormones soaring.

Before she could protest, he lifted her and carried her into the bedroom. At that moment, with her soft and pliant in his arms, her mouth hungry on his, he felt as though he could conquer the world. It was hard to believe he’d ever felt anything but vibrant and energetic. Every cell in his body came alive as she stroked her hand down his chest.

Whatever her magic, it was working. The last thing he meant to do was upset her over a passing malady that paled in significance beside the passion she aroused in him. He opened her blouse and blew on her rosy nipple before dipping his head to take her into his mouth. As he suckled her, he wondered about her upset over his illness. Her reaction—wanting to leave—seemed unwarranted, out of proportion.

He closed his eyes and his thoughts drifted as she moaned and moved beneath him, her fingers threading through his hair. He’d never get enough of her.
If he meant to keep her around as long as possible, there would be no more talk of illness.

One thing was clear—whatever happened, he could never tell her about his bad heart.

T
HE BUZZING OF HIS CELL PHONE
roused Jack from a deep sleep. He opened one eye as the thing jumped across the dresser, then fell to the floor, where it buzzed some more. He scooped Erin closer and breathed in her musky scent. She’d been wild and uninhibited last night. Every man’s dream.

And she was his.

His stomach rumbled and he frowned, but the nausea stayed in check. Funny, he’d been sick again in the middle of the night. Thankfully Erin had slept through this round and he’d managed to recover fairly quickly. Whatever this bug was, it seemed to come and go. Maybe he should schedule an appointment with his doctor for next week, just to be on the safe side.

Erin murmured something in her sleep and pressed her bottom against him. He hardened almost immediately. If he was sick, it sure as hell wasn’t affecting his cock. He nuzzled her neck while cupping
her breast and drawing circles around her nipple with his thumb.

She made a soft sighing sound and arched so that her sex, already swollen and damp, rubbed his thigh. He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue and slipped his hand over the tight swell of her ass, up along the crease of her thigh, over her soft folds, where he lingered long enough to dip his fingers inside her before spreading her wetness over her clit.

Heat curled through him. She again moaned softly but did not come fully awake. He continued to stroke her, and she shifted so the tip of his cock brushed her slick entrance. He sucked in a breath and stilled, his every effort focused on not pressing into her. She was hot and aroused and lusciously asleep.

She moved again, more insistently, and he nearly slipped inside her. With the last thread of his senses he grabbed a condom off the nightstand. His hands unsteady, he tore open the packet, then readied himself.

For one quick moment he let his gaze drink in the sight of her tight ass and her pink flesh, so ready for him he ached with the need to take her. When she undulated against the bed, he gripped her by the hip and in one tantalizingly slow thrust seated himself deep inside her. He stopped for a moment to steady himself. If he was to wake her like this, he should do it gently. But she moaned and pressed back against
him, and the pressure of her inner muscles tightening around him shredded the last of his control.

He thrust into her, the heat and tension spiraling through him. She gasped and her hand covered his as she came fully awake. “Jack.”

“Erin.” He cupped her breast as he continued to thrust in a rhythm that grew more frantic with each passing minute.

Her sexy cries urged him on as lights flashed all around and the heat seared him. Her body stiffened and she cried out as she came, her muscles rippling around him, squeezing him in the most intimate caress. With one final thrust he came, swallowing the triumphant yell that burned in his chest.

For long moments he lay spent, spooning her. She clasped her hands over his, her breasts heaving with her exertion, a pretty flush staining her skin. He kissed the nape of her neck. “Good morning.”

Smiling, she rolled over to face him, her eyes still sleep-filled. “Good morning.”

He let his gaze drift over her. Her eyes were as green as glass, her lovely breasts rosy and beaded, her lips smiling dreamily. He traced his thumb over her full bottom lip. “You were rubbing against me when I woke up. I couldn’t help myself.”

“You don’t hear me complaining.”

His stomach clenched and he frowned as the nau
sea hit him again. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’m a mess. Let me get cleaned up.”

She traced her finger across his chest. “Want some company?”

“Uh, give me a few minutes?”

His cell phone buzzed again from its place on the carpet, vibrating against the bottom of the dresser with a rattling sound. Erin frowned and sat up, seeming to come more fully awake. Her eyes rounded in alarm. “Jack, are you okay?”

“Feeling great. I’ll be right back.” With a forced smile he retrieved his cell phone from the floor as he bypassed the adjoining bathroom and headed for the one down the hall.

She tucked the sheet around her, worry etched into her face. “I’ll be here waiting.”

He nodded and hurried down the hall, bile rising in his throat and his stomach spasming. Clutching the phone, he turned on the water, then heaved into the toilet. This was getting ridiculous.

What the hell? How could he feel so off-the-wall fantastic one minute, then so wretched the next? He heaved again, his stomach twisting.

Within a few moments the attack had passed. He pressed his hand to his chest, and his heart beat steady and strong beneath his palm. Well, there was that.

Strange, the illness came and went more quickly
with each occurrence. Maybe that meant he was getting over whatever it was. After he’d cleaned himself and aired out the bathroom, he checked his cell phone.

His brother had called. Twice. He hit the button to return the call, then waited through several rings before Bobby picked up. “Yo, Jack, where you been?”

“I’ve been…busy. What’s up, Bobby?”

“Aren’t you coming over here? I can’t do this on my own. You know how hard today is for her.”

Shit. It was Saturday already, the twelfth of November. How had he let that sneak up on him? “Yeah, I’m coming. I…uh…have someone here. Let me see what’s going on and then I’ll get there as quickly as I can.”

“Man, hurry, she’s already started with the food. She’s been baking since last night.”

“Tell her I’m on my way if she asks.”

“
If
she asks? Who do you think had me call you?”

Jack wrapped a towel around his waist as he hurried to find Erin. She wasn’t in the bedroom, the master bath or the kitchen. A rustling pointed him in the direction of the living room, where he found her.

She’d dressed in the clothes she’d worn last night. Papers and books surrounded her, as well as a ring of fabric swatches. She didn’t glance up as he entered. “How are you, Jack? Are you feeling okay? Did you have a touch of…that bug you had before?”

“No, nothing like that.” He hated lying to her, but she seemed so upset by the prospect of him being ill, it seemed the better way to go. “How are you?”

She nodded and busied herself over the pad she’d used to take notes the other night. “Just thought now might be a good time to get started.”

“It’s Saturday, Erin. Are you sure you want to work today?”

Her gaze remained fastened on her notes. Her voice sounded strained. “This project is going to take some doing. Better to get started so I can wrap it up in a decent amount of time.”

His stomach tightened. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

She still did not look at him. “Nothing. I just have a lot to do. I want to finish drawing these plans for you to look over before I get started and I’m sure you have…things to do, too.”

“I do. I have to go somewhere. I have to see my family.”

“That’s nice. I have to go see mine later this afternoon. You don’t mind if I stick around and work a little first?”

“No. That’s fine.” He stood for a minute, torn. He should get moving, but she seemed upset about something. He couldn’t leave her like this. He reached for her. “Hey, weren’t we going to shower together?”

She flinched away from him, her gaze directed at the floor. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?” He knelt beside her. “Baby, tell me what’s bothering you. Did I do something?”

“No, it’s not you. It’s me. You touch me and I lose my head. I should just go.”

“Don’t. Please, Erin, don’t run away from this. I want to be with you. I lose control when we’re together, too. Why is that a bad thing? The chemistry is that strong between us. It’s not anyone’s fault. That’s the way it is, and we’re damn lucky for it, if you ask me. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

“You don’t understand. Last night—this morning—shouldn’t have happened.”

“Why the hell not?” He gestured toward his bedroom. “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that every bit as much as I did.”

“Enjoying it isn’t the point.” She gathered up her papers. “Look, I can’t explain, but I think we need to take a break.”

Anger and hurt warred in him. How could she find fault with what they had? “People would kill for the kind of passion we have. How can you not want that? Look me in the eye and tell me you really want this break and I’ll go along with it.”

She met his gaze and a single tear trailed down her cheek. “I want us to take a break.”

He stared at her a long moment while his insides twisted. Whether it was some residual effect of his earlier attack or his body’s response to her rejection didn’t seem to matter. It hurt.

Hell.

“Why? I think I deserve to know that much. What did I do—or not do?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I told you, it isn’t you. You’ve been great.” Her voice shook. “If I tell you, you’ll think I’m nuts.”

“I think it’s a little nuts to throw away what we have.”

Red rimmed her eyes. “Great. Maybe I am crazy. That should be reason enough.”

“You are not crazy.”

“Remember when I told you about my nutso family? How they believe they’re a bunch of sexual healers and how they think I’m one, too?”

He shrugged, unable to hold her gaze. “Maybe that’s not so crazy. Maybe there’s really something to it. I’ve had more energy since we’ve been together.” And no dizziness or pains in his chest. “I’ve been feeling pretty good, actually.”

“Have you really?”

He glanced up at her and the knot in his stomach tightened. “Well, yeah, for the most part.”

“And what about this…this bug or whatever it is
that you’ve had? Have you noticed anything about the timing?”

“The timing? It’s been off and on, but it always goes away. What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Jack. When do you get sick?”

“Hell, Erin, what are you getting at?”

“When do you get sick?”

He sat back on his heels, frowning. “The first time was Wednesday night.”

“The first night we made love.”

He shook his head. What was she saying? “The next time was the next night.”

“After we made love again, right?”

“That’s just a coincidence.”

“We’ve been together for the past three nights and you’ve been sick each time, haven’t you? Each time after we make love.”

“That’s crazy. People don’t get sick from sleeping with each other.”

“Oh, but it’s not a stretch to say people get healed by sleeping together?”

His face warmed. “Okay, that’s a stretch, too.”

“Jack, this isn’t the first time.”

“What do you mean?”

“This has happened before. At first I thought it was some weird coincidence, too, but it kept happening. And always after I had sex with a guy. It’s me.”

“You?” He blinked at her.

“Yes, me. I’m Typhoid Mary reincarnated. Maybe I really do come from a long line of sexual healers, but if so, then something went wrong in the gene pool when I came along.

“I didn’t mean to be with you,” she said. “It just kind of happened and then I thought that you were okay, that maybe because you didn’t get sick right away in front of me like the others that maybe you’d be different—immune somehow. Last night when your friend Amanda was here and she started talking about you being sick…I knew then that we couldn’t be together. But you touched me and I can’t keep a straight thought in my head when you’re touching me. I…”

“Erin.” He touched her arm. The thrill that always ran through him when he held her—when her skin touched his—was still there. “I don’t know about any of that, but I do know that when I’m with you, the world suddenly makes sense. How could you be making me sick when touching you, being with you, is the only magic I have ever experienced?”

“I have to go.” Her voice was soft, tormented. She rose, clutching her belongings, and headed for the door. She glanced back at him before she left. “Goodbye, Jack. I’ll be back to work the redesign, like we agreed.”

He stared at the closed door after she’d gone. How could she believe such a thing? They’d work it out. At least she’d be back. He’d convince her later that she was mistaken.

For now, he had to get to his mother’s house, where he would gorge himself on all of his sister’s favorite foods that his mom made…for his sister who had died seven years ago to this day.

W
HAT WAS WRONG WITH HER
? Erin stopped in her living room. Her quiet, normal living room with every throw pillow and magazine in place. Her lonely living room in her lonely apartment.

Who was she kidding? She’d never have a normal life. Normal lives were for normal people. She slept with men and made them ill. That was not normal.

She dropped her things on the coffee table, then headed for the shower. And she’d made Jack sick. Poor, sweet, unsuspecting Jack. When Amanda had said he’d been sick, Erin had known she needed to break things off with him.

But then he’d kissed her and she’d been lost. She should have resisted him, for his own good. The thought of him being ill because of her mortified her. How many times had she let him take her last night? Heat filled her at the flood of memories. And then
this morning, she’d dreamed of making love to him, of him touching her, slipping inside her.

But it hadn’t been a dream.

She turned the shower on hot, stripped, then stepped under the spray. Memories of her shower with Jack flowed over her. Her skin tingled. Her nipples beaded.

Why did she have to be tainted? It was so unfair. Maybe she would have been okay with being the only McClellan without the gift of sexual healing. But this? This was some kind of cruel joke.

Jack might say he wanted her now, but how long would he be able to take it? Who wanted a woman with the power to twist a man’s insides until he retched?

Stupid, stupid woman.

She’d known better than to get involved with him. How could she have such poor restraint? She had to finish his condo as quickly as possible.

Maybe they could work out a schedule where they weren’t there at the same time. Jack worked from home some, but he spent a good amount of time out in the field and in clients’ offices. Maybe the best way to stay out of his bed would be to stay clear of him. She’d call him later to work out the details.