Vortex (SAI Book 1) (22 page)

Vivi stirred under the blanket, and he finally checked the time and saw that it was seven. They had plenty of time to enjoy one another before they started their day. Kissing her head, he whispered, “Good morning, honey.” A low, incoherent mumble came out of her, and she rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. It seemed like he was going to have to make more of an effort to convince her that what he had in mind was a good idea. Lifting up the blanket, he moved down the bed and rolled her on her back.

“What are you doing, Joel?”

Opening her legs, he pushed his shoulders in between her hips and ran his hands up and down her legs. When his hands moved toward her inner thighs and his thumb brushed against her hot, wet center, she moaned. “Just going to say good morning.” He dragged his thumb over her bud and down her cleft, and her hips bucked in response. Slipping a finger into her silky heat, he heard her whimper and shift closer to his hand. “You like that?”

“More…” she said. As her back arched off the bed.

Sliding in another finger, he pumped them deep, and she reacted immediately. He grasped her hips and started with one long lick. She was delicious, as was the way she squealed in response. “I could do this all day, Viv.” Licking again and again, he found her bud and flicked his tongue over the sweet nub.

She cried out, and it sent him into overdrive. He circled her bud and slid two fingers back in and sucked hard as she pressed against his mouth.

“Joel!” she gasped, and he felt her inner muscles tightening around his fingers.

“Come for me,” he coaxed. He licked, thrust, and sucked, and within minutes, she clamped on to his finger and shouted her release.

He didn’t let the ripples fade. He moved quickly and donned a condom. Seeing Vivi lying with her hair fanned out and her legs open almost made him come instantly. Dragging his finger through the slick sweetness that he helped create made him realize that he might not last beyond two or three strokes. Lifting her ass, he cupped her and brought her closer. It was going to be hard and fast; there was going to be no way to slow it down. Moving his hips, he thrust and buried himself deep in her tight, wet heat.

“God, Vivi,” he groaned. Moving slowly at first, he enjoyed the friction and the way she moved against him. He had never been this deep inside a woman, and he no longer could hold himself back. Pumping with the full strength of his body, he felt her climax building again. This is something that he could do pretty much every morning for the rest of his life. The stray thought didn’t even give him pause, as her hot, sweet body began milking him. Thrusting, his climax coiled tighter and tighter.

Finally, Vivi clamped down on him, her back arched off the bed, and she called his name.

Joel let loose and pounded into her until his orgasm ripped through him from deep in his gut.

It took several long seconds before he could move. He had collapsed on top of her and was trying to drag in some much-needed oxygen. Holy shit, that was the best sex of his life.

“Joel, move a little.”

“Sorry, honey.” Sliding slowly out, his body mourned the lack of contact. He wanted to stay where he was, but knew that wasn’t going to happen. Rolling over, he flopped back on the bed and tried to breathe normally.

When he caught his breath, he turned on his side and ran his hand up the center of her body. “You’re amazing, Viv.”

Laughing loudly, she stared at him. “I didn’t do anything except enjoy the wild ride you just took me on.”

Leaning in, he captured her mouth and kissed her firmly. “I still think you’re incredible and that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“Why?” She covered his hand and kissed him lightly.

“I don’t know. I think everything got rearranged when I came. My whole body felt like it blew apart and came together in a new way. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but there it is.” He kissed her quickly and then sat up. “I’m going to get cleaned up and then make us some coffee.”

He heaved himself off the bed and strolled into the bathroom. As he took the condom off, he realized that it broke. Dumping it into the trash, he shook his head. Vivi might not be too happy about the news. Washing his hands and then brushing his teeth, he studied his reflection in the mirror. Staring himself in the eye, he realized that he wouldn’t mind at all if Vivi ended up pregnant. Shaking his head, he rinsed out his mouth and dried his face. “Guess I better tell her.”

He returned to the bedroom and saw that Vivi had pulled up the covers and was about to fall asleep. “Honey.” She cracked an eye open and gave him a small smile. “The condom broke.” Her smile instantly faded, and he knew that she wasn’t excited about the news like he was. “I’m going to go down and make some coffee.” Turning toward the door…

“Joel McDade, get your butt back here and explain to me what happened.”

He took a small step in her direction and waited. She appeared to be ready to detonate, and he wanted to assess how much possible damage there might be when it happened. “You’re the doctor; you know exactly what happened.” The way her eyes got small and mean started to concern him.

“You did this on purpose.”

“What?” he shouted back. Striding over, he sat close to her and took her hands. “I did no such thing, and you need to apologize for even suggesting it.”

“You have said for a couple of days that you would put a baby in me. It’s possible that you did something. You are especially vigorous in your lovemaking.”

Throwing his head back, he let out a bark of laughter. “I’m quoting here…
faster, Joel, harder, Joel, more, Joel
.” Watching her eyes open like saucers, he knew she was about to lose her temper. Well, so was he. “You rode me hard last night, Viv. I enjoyed every second of it, but if we’re going to use adjectives, then I’m going to say you’re incredibly enthusiastic, exuberant, and spirited…” Her hand covered his mouth, and he laughed against it.

“Fine, I get the picture. You could’ve used one adjective. Using three is just poor taste.”

Moving her hand away from his mouth, he grinned. “You have a naughty streak, Dr. DuMond, and I will not be blamed for the condom breaking.”

“We didn’t do anything too…naughty this morning.”

“But we did last night…more than once.”

“Oh, poo.”

He watched her shoulders slump, and she tried to move away from him. No way was he going to let that happen. If he did, then she was just going to keep doing it until she talked herself into an almighty mad. “Honey, the good news is that perhaps we made a baby.” He felt her start to react, so he leaned forward and kissed her. “You’ve just potentially avoided having to go through with the difficult process. We just had mind-blowing sex, and you came twice. I think that beats the hell out of weeks and weeks of shots and then having a turkey baster inserted into your lady parts. Also, I have excellent genes, so if we did a make a kid, then it’s going to be extraordinary.”

“Why are you trying to make this sound like a good thing? Have you lost your mind? Up until two weeks ago, you didn’t even like me. Now you’re suggesting that having a baby together is a good idea.”

She tried to move away again, and he shifted with her and took her in his arms. Hugging her against his frame, he held her tightly. “Things have changed between us, Viv.”

Resting her head against his shoulder, she breathed deeply. “Yes, we’re becoming friends. But that isn’t enough to consider parenthood together.”

Lifting her head, he grinned into her beautiful eyes. “We have nine months to become everything we need to be, if we’re lucky enough to be blessed with a child.” He kissed her gently and released her. “I hope you have decaf coffee in the cupboard. My sisters were not allowed to have regular coffee while they were pregnant. We should switch just in case.”

The scream that came out her mouth told him that she didn’t agree with him. Also, when she flew off the bed and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her pretty much confirmed it. Shrugging, he stood and went downstairs. She could probably have one cup of regular coffee, but if she had more, then it was going to be decaf. The fact that she could only be minutes pregnant didn’t mean that it was too early to start with good habits. “I’ll start breakfast,” he called to the closed door. Something soft thumped against the door, and he had a feeling it was Vivi banging her head against it. “Be careful, honey.”

He walked out before she could respond. Probably best to give her a little time to get used to the idea of baby McDade. He stopped at the top of the stairs and laughed. Talk about change. Whatever was about to happen was going to be monumental.

***

Joel sat at the kitchen table and read the information that Kyle had sent him earlier. All the different pieces didn’t quite make sense yet. The person who had taken a run at Vivi was linked with the Latin Kings. But the information that Kyle had gathered suggested it was a contract job for them. So far, they couldn’t come up with any link between Vivi and the gang. Which, of course, made sense. He kept circling back to the conversation they’d had about Ochsner Hospital and her time in the ER. Was is possible that she came into contact with someone when she was there? Rubbing his head, he tried to fit the facts together and couldn’t.

The threat to her safety wasn’t acceptable, and he had even more motivation to figure it out and quickly. He heard her footsteps on the stairs and braced himself. She had been upstairs for over an hour, and he figured that she had gathered her arguments about why them being together wasn’t a good idea. He watched her enter the kitchen dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with her wet hair curling down her back. Standing, he then moved to the coffee pot and filled a cup for her and added some cream and sugar. “Here you go, honey.” She gave him a wan smile, and he knew it was going to take a while before she accepted what was happening.

“I see the way you’re looking at me, and I’m not pregnant.” She started to shake her head as he was about to respond. “The chances are exceedingly small. I have what they call advanced maternal age, which means that I don’t have as many eggs as I used to. Also, I have two failed attempts with the artificial insemination. My chances are pretty dismal, and one broken condom isn’t going to result in pregnancy.”

“We could put some real effort into it from here on out. I feel like I can give you a baby, Viv.” When a thunderous look crossed her face, he knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Just keep it in mind.”

“Did you make breakfast?” she asked sweetly.

“We are not going to discuss it anymore?”

“No, we’re not. I can take a test in ten days to confirm what I already know. But please understand that the chances are so small that it’s ludicrous to think of it as a possibility.”

“Ten days never seemed like a long time before. Right now it feels like a lifetime,” he replied glumly.

“That’s what I’m talking about. You can’t get your hopes up. There is no way that we just made a baby.” She slapped her hand on the counter and stared at him resolutely. “You are not even going to be here in ten days. We’re closing the clinic, and then I’m going to go out to the horse farm until I figure out my next move.”

“No way, Viv. You’re on the hot list for someone, and until that threat is neutralized, we’re stuck together like peanut butter and jelly.”

“Talk about being on a hot list. You are on the top of mine right now.”

“That’s sweet, Vivi. I think you’re hot too. Smokin’ hot, as a matter of fact.” He winked and strode over to the oven and pulled out the scramble that he had made earlier. “Can you grab the fruit out of the fridge?”

A strangled groan was the response she gave him as she marched over to the fridge and pulled out the bowl of fruit. “How can you be so cavalier? Having a baby with someone is a big deal. That’s why I went with donor sperm.”

He set the pan down on the table and held her chair for her and made sure that she sat down. “I am not being cavalier.” He grabbed her coffee cup and handed it to her and then joined her at the table. “You’re a good person, and so am I, and we’re going to be amazing parents. I’m falling for you, Viv, and it’s only been thirteen days. Just think what’s going to happen in thirteen more. We have something, and once I take care of the threat against you, we’re going to see what it is.” He served her a large portion of the scramble and pushed the plate toward her. “Eat up, honey.”

He served himself and started eating. He noticed that she stared at her plate blankly, and he knew that she was trying to process everything he said. Covering her hand, he waited for her to look at him. “Whatever happens is going to be okay.”

“I hope to God you’re right.” Taking her fork, she filled it with the eggs. “Thank you for making this delicious breakfast.”

“I’m happy to cook for you anytime.” Smiling, she began to eat. “We should buy some prenatal vitamins, just in case.”

Her fork clattered to her plate, and she gave him an evil eye.

“Or we could wait. Yeah, you’re right. We’ll wait until we know for sure.” He picked up her fork and handed it back to her and then resumed eating.
Note to self: keep those things to yourself.

As they sat together, he wondered if it was the idea of having a child with him that was freaking her out. Or…what was happening between them. Intimacy was hard and sometimes frightening. He knew that as well as anyone. Hell, he’d been avoiding it spectacularly for the last four years. One of the scariest things in the world was being known by someone, being seen, and being naked, in every sense of the word. Most people could only stand so much, and maybe that was the thing that had Vivi spooked. Time would tell, and he wondered if he could be doing anything to affect the answer.

Vivi placed some fruit on his plate and well as her own and then stood. “Would you like some toast?”

“Sure, honey.”

She went over and got it started and stared out the kitchen window. “I was planning on going down to the clinic this afternoon. I need to start planning on how to close it down. Do you want to come with me?” The toast popped up. She buttered it and grabbed the jam on her way over to the table. She spread jam on the first piece and cut it and placed it on Joel’s plate and then did the same with the next piece. She then prepared her own and started eating.