9781631052347OnCallKenyan (12 page)

“I’m
going to see if Michael wants to come and play,” Catalella announced and that
pretty much killed the mood.

AJ
smiled and nodded. He gave Catalella a kiss on the forehead before she ran in
her husband’s direction. She had barely gotten to the porch when Michael
scowled at her, turned around and disappeared into the house.

“One
day I’m going to kick that guy’s ass,” Lisette announced.

“Get in
line,” AJ and Reno hissed in unison.

* * *
*

Katherine
watched as Reno and Lisette walked in front of them, wrapped in each other’s
arms. They were so close she wondered how they managed walking at all. She
glanced up AJ and the distant look in his eyes told her he still worried about
Catalella and her husband.

“You
love your sisters, don’t you?”

“How
could I not.” AJ glanced at her for a second then looked ahead. “They are
everything to me. I’m sure your brothers feel the same way about you.
Especially being the only girl.”

“They
do. But I don’t think they are as passionate about it as you are.”

“Lisette
is—.”

“—your
everything
.”

“And
Catalella is—.”

“—your
treasure
.”

AJ
laughed. The sound of it washing through her, wrapping it’s passion around her
like a safety blanket. “You’d better hope you don’t get a jealous wife. She
might need to be your
treasure
and
your
everything
.”

“I’m
glad you came today.”

“So am
I.”

Katherine
had to stop herself from purring in delight when AJ weaved his fingers into
hers. She stopped, something within her frozen in place by his gentleness. AJ
lifted her palm to his lips and kissed her. Katherine rose to her tip toes,
wanting more. Her eyes closed as the sensations his lips were creating on her
skin became overwhelming.

“My
wife—Katherine, look at me.” She did and the passion staring back at her
frightened her. “My wife will be my reason for existing.”

A chill
ran down her body, but it wasn’t from the cold breeze blowing in from the
water. But because of how he looked at her when he said ‘
my wife’.
Maybe, just maybe there would be a future for her and
this former play boy.

Katherine
looked past AJ when she heard Reno giggle, and Lisette’s squeal. They were
rolling around in the sand kissing each other. They rolled into the water, but
never did they let go of each other. That was what she wanted with AJ.

“Reno!
Let Lisette at least come up for air!” AJ called out with a grin on his lips.
“You want to watch the stars with me? I don’t have a blanket, but you can lie
on top of me if you want.”

“Mmmmh.”
A sound was all Katherine could manage. She didn’t trust her voice to give away
how she felt at that moment.

Chapter
Ten

AJ
could feel the muscles in his back, neck and arms coil in protest. He was
beginning to second guess his choice in careers. How would he and Katherine
raise a family with their schedules? AJ felt his legs freeze as his heart
seemed to be stunned into silence. Where had that thought come from? In his
heart he knew he loved Katherine, but his mind hadn’t warmed up to the idea
just yet. But he knew one thing—he needed to feel Katherine’s petite little
body against his as he cradled her. He needed her in his arms, his lips on
hers, and his excited member in her. He groaned at the thought of having her
writhing beneath him, and his ego let out a triumphant chuckle. There wasn’t a
time Katherine wasn’t on cloud nine when he was making love to her.

Right
now he was making his way to the on-call room he deemed as their special spot.
According to Rose, Katherine was taking a nap in there. She had to be just as tired
as he was. A grin crept to his lips as he thought of just how exhausted she
would be when he was done with her in another half an hour. AJ reached for the
door knob. He had stopped looking around to check if someone would see him
enter after his first month in the hospital. He had a reputation about on-call
rooms, one he was not about to change any time soon. But he was definitely
giving up his Lothario title for Katherine. It always used to leave a bad taste
in his mouth, but AJ was proud to say that he was about to become an
exclusive
boyfriend.

For the
second time in a span of a few minutes his legs failed him. AJ froze at the
mouth of the open door staring at the golden blonde locks of Katherine, pouring
over the bed. The sound of a sexually fulfilled moan assaulted his ears.
Katherine’s head was hanging over the bed, as she faced the ceiling above her.
For some reason Katherine was all AJ could see, not the guy on top of her.

He
opened his mouth to speak, but only a strained squeak sounded out. He felt
fingers curl around his heart and squeeze out blood, from the open cut left by
the knife slicing through his chest. For a second, it seemed like he couldn’t
breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t talk. He didn’t even feel the hand on his
bicep until it was pulling him out of the room. AJ’s view of Katherine was now
blocked by wood as someone shut the door. He felt himself being led down the
hall, feeling absolutely numb. Whatever his eyes had seen was being relayed to
his mind, but hadn’t yet reached his heart.

The
cold gush of wind hit AJ in the face and with that he took a huge gasp of
breath. It seemed like he needed that, because he came out of his trance, his
eyes adjusting to the darkness as he looked around the parking lot. No sign of
Katherine.

“I’m so
sorry.” He heard a voice say. It took him a minute to realize that it belonged
to Rose. “I wouldn’t have sent you in there if I’d known what they were doing.”

“What
were they doing?” AJ asked in a barely audible voice.

He
watched as Rose threw back her fiery head and let out an evil cackle. “Didn’t
you see Lyle boning Katherine? Little Miss Prim-and-Proper likes getting it on
in the on-call room like the rest of us.” AJ felt Rose’s hand creep up his
chest and his gut clenched. “Right, baby? Maybe when they are done we could
take a turn.”

AJ
grabbed her hand in his fist. He was just about to tell her that he was with
Katherine
exclusively.
But according
to what he had just seen, it seemed like Katherine had let go of that notion,
and they were free to screw whoever they wanted. AJ had the urge to drop Rose
to her knees and take her from behind, just to show her who the man was. But he
realized that with all this anger, all the emotion he was trying to keep away
from his heart, he would probably break her in half.

Instead
he put some of his old charm back. He caressed Rose’s cheek with the back of
his hand. He dropped her hand and used it to grab her ass and pull her forcibly
against his rock hard body. “You know I would love to baby, but I’m exhausted.
I need to put my head down for a while. Maybe later?”

“It’s a
date.” AJ caught the evil gleam in Rose’s eyes before he turned and walked
away. She had the look in her eyes as if she had pulled off the best con and
had come out winning in the end. But AJ didn’t have time to decipher what was
on her mind.

AJ felt
like a zombie, lost on what to do. But when the sound of a siren rang in the
air, he was relieved he would have something to do. This patient wasn’t going
to die. He was determined enough just to make one aspect of his life turn out
well that night.

* * *
*

Katherine
pulled her sweater around her. She had left the hospital immediately her senses
had returned to her. How could she have let that disgusting man touch her?

Deep
inside, she told herself that she was upset. Lyle had taken advantage of the
state she was in. She was half aware of what was going on, the only thing
ringing in her head was that AJ was with Rose.

How
could AJ do that to her? But yet again how could she do that to him? She walked
into the apartment and immediately she felt like she didn’t belong. She had
betrayed AJ and her paranoia convinced her that everything around her was
judging her, the chairs, paintings and most of all the half empty mug of coffee
AJ had left on the table when they had left for work that morning.

But
what haunted her the most, is the memory of AJ making love to her, kissing her
and asking her if she could love him. AJ was supposed to be her first and her
last, there wasn’t supposed to be an in-between. But she had let Lyle weasel
his way into her pants and probably her future. She may never have AJ again.
She dreaded the thought of Lyle being the last man who touched her, cringed at
the possibility of AJ never making love to her. But there was no reason for AJ
to know. No one had seen them, and she didn’t expect Lyle to climb to the top
of the mountains and shout out what a slut she was.

Then
fear crept into her and she shivered. Lyle wanted to one up AJ. Taking out an
ad in the newspaper announcing how he had taken AJ’s girl from him was exactly
like something the louse would do. All thought froze and Katherine’s legs ran
into her bedroom when she heard the lock turn. AJ was home.

“Katherine?”
AJ called out.

The
tone in his voice seemed normal, nothing to be worried about. She stepped out
of the room, a fake smile pasted on her lips. “Yes.”

“Oh, I
didn’t know if you would be home. I tried to find you in the hospital but you
weren’t there.” There was something in AJ’s eyes that Katherine had never seen
before. Resolve, as if he had given himself over to something that he had been
wrestling with. Almost like, he’d given up.

AJ took
a step toward her and she retreated. She wouldn’t let him kiss her, not while
she still had Lyle’s stench on her.

“I’m
going to take a shower.” She announced unceremoniously. But when Katherine was
on the other side of the door, the nagging feeling that something was amiss
overwhelmed her. AJ hadn’t attempted to join her. He hadn’t even asked. She
cracked open the door and peeped at him. AJ was on the couch, his hands spread
out, and his head hanging over. His eyes were closed, his fingers balled into
fists. Something was definitely wrong.

Katherine
felt her spine stiffen as her heart beat in a feverish pitter-patter. He knew.
The overwhelming urge to confess pushed her forward. But she stopped, deciding
to take that shower first. Maybe AJ would forgive her and they would make love,
to forget, to heal and to forgive.

* * *
*

AJ had
caught the look of evasion that Katherine had given him. She was like an
agitated rabbit confined in a small space waiting for its next opportunity to
take off. He hated to admit it, but it seared through him when she took a step
back as he reached for her. She probably felt guilty, he thought. But she
wasn’t sorry enough, his ego piped in. His pride would not allow him to be made
a fool out off. And just to prove to Katherine and to Lyle that he was no one’s
pansy he was going to straight back to the hospital to pick up Rose.

AJ
groaned, his head hanging again. Why had he reached for her when this consuming
rage burning inside him wanted to rip her head off? His heart had an answer for
that. He’d reached for her because he could see the torment in her eyes. The
way her shoulders drooped, her body cringed, as if she couldn’t get the
millions of creepy crawlies off her skin. Her eyes were red and swollen showing
her guilt and regret. Maybe Lyle had taken advantage of her.

“You
are just an idiot!” AJ roared as he jumped to his feet. If she didn’t want to
have sex with him she could have stopped him. She grew up with three brothers;
surely they had taught her a thing or two about self defense.

AJ
grabbed his leather jacket—he was going to pick Rose up. He was going to make
sure Lyle saw him, and even if it would kill him he was going to have a good
time. He opened the front door just as Katherine emerged from her room.

“AJ?”

Her
blonde hair was wet. Her feet and legs bare. She was covered in his oversized
T-shirt. The look of her shouted meekness, her eyes still red and swollen from
crying. This was too much for her, for him. He needed to put them both out of
their misery. He took a step to leave, and her hollow tone filled the air
again, calling out his name.

How he
wished she was under him, he was inside her, her lips were close to his ears,
her hot breath scalding his neck as she said his name one more time. But that
would never happen again, not while he still loved her.

AJ
stepped out and shut the door, locking her sobs in with her. He couldn’t take
it. His heart was finally beginning to feel the pain of her betrayal. He needed
a drink, he needed Rose. AJ took out his phone and called the first number that
came to mind. “Reno, I need you to keep me from doing something stupid.”