DAC_II_GenVers_Sept2013 (30 page)

“Walter, I kissed you but you’re still not moving off me.”

“Okay, I’m going. I better get up before I get more interested than I already am. Dad’s not as reliable as Harrison at creating a distraction,” Walter said, rolling over the bed rail to drop lightly to the floor.

Jane looked at his incredible body and his rising interest. It still perplexed her that she could cause such a strong reaction in such an amazing looking male. But Walter certainly wasn’t faking it. Maybe there were a lot of things that worried her, but at least she knew Walter’s interest was genuinely for her.

When the door opened, Walter automatically turned toward it. His underwear was still in his hands. The doctor blinked and Walter turned back quickly to face away from him. “Sorry. I was asking Jane to marry me. I’m getting dressed now. Give me a minute.”

Jane lay in her bed sighing in mortification as the door clicked closed behind the shocked physician. Even Walter’s laughter couldn’t drown out all the commotion happening in the hall. She counted it a blessing that it hadn’t been Dr. Bensara. That would have been really awkward for the next eight months.

“Was that really necessary? The baby was enough scandal. Your parents are going to kill both of us.”

With his pants back in place finally, Walter stopped grinning and leaned over the rail again. He kissed Jane’s mouth and then kissed the blanket over her still flat stomach.

The door opened a crack. “Did she say ‘yes’ yet? We need to check her vitals.”

Walter laughed and pulled his shirt on over his head. “No. Smart women are a hard sell. They don’t believe in romance. I’m open to suggestions if you have any.”

The resident on call walked in, smiled at the mostly dressed man and the blushing woman in the bed. “Well, you might try getting her pregnant. That sometimes works.”

“Everyone is a comedian these days,” Jane said.

Listening to Walter’s happy laughter, she decided it was going to take a lot of practice for her to start looking on the bright side.

Jane tromped through the melted slush, lifting the brush to sweep the snow from each of the solar panels. It was her favorite physical job and one of the few she was allowed to do these days.

“Watch out for the ice on the sidewalk, Jane. It still hasn’t completely melted.”

“Will you stop with the constant worrying? I’m wearing my snow boots,” she said, smiling at the fireman walking toward her. He looked big, beautiful, and warm. She was looking forward to a serious cuddle in front of the fireplace later.

“Nice work on the panels,” he said.

“Just protecting your investment—I mean
our
investment,” she replied.

Walter laughed. Things were coming along quite nicely between them.

“Anything interesting happen today?” he asked.

“Harrison got his special order. He talked Eli into putting the wheels on for him. He’s the only man I know who needs off-road tires for his wheelchair,” Jane said.

Walter laughed. “Just remember you’re not allowed to go for a ride with him. The man drives like a maniac. I’m not risking my child just so my wife can get a few cheap thrills. If she wants cheap thrills, I’ll provide all she can handle.”

“If I had known what a possessive killjoy you were going to be, I might not have married you. Good thing you’re so cute,” Jane teased. “And speaking of cute. . .guess who’s on the cover of yet another magazine this month?”

Walter snorted. That picture had appeared everywhere. Ames’ work was in demand and his bank account was padded nicely. “Don’t get your hopes up drooling over that guy on the cover. I hear some cougar has her hooks in him already. What in the world could he see in her?”

“Maybe she’s full of surprises,” Jane said, sweeping the snow off with a giant swish that dusted the entire front of Walter with white. He shook himself like giant dog to remove most of it, and then caught her to him for a kiss that sent her senses reeling.

“I’m not surprised,” Walter said as he eased her back down. “I’m just happy. How about you?”

“I’m mostly good. I’d be a lot happier if we were both naked,” she said.

“Done,” Walter replied.

The broom clattered to the pavement as Walter swept his very pregnant wife up into his arms. It wasn’t the first time he’d carried her squealing and complaining into the apartment while the residents of North Winds laughed behind their curtains.

And if he was very, very lucky, it wouldn’t be the last.

# # #

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
:
If you enjoyed this ebook, please consider leaving a positive review or rating on the site where you purchased it. Reader reviews help my books continue to be valued by distributors/resellers and help new readers make decisions about reading them. I value each and every reader who takes the time to do this and invite you all to join me on my Website, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.com for more discussions and fun.

You are the reason I write these stories and I sincerely appreciate you!

Many thanks for your support,

~ Donna McDonald

KEEP READING in this ebook to read a

three chapter excerpt

from “Next Song I Sing”,

Book 1 of the
Next Time Around
series

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Book One of the
NEXT TIME AROUND
Series

By

Donna McDonald

Copyright 2012 by Donna McDonald

Chloe sighed heavily when she saw a magazine with earmarked pages being pulled from the bright red overnight case tossed on the roll-away cot next to the window. She hung her head and groaned like a woman dying, eliciting a wicked laugh from the bag’s owner.

“Emma Wallace, I can’t believe you still do those silly quizzes. I will not be answering any questions about my favorite position during sex, so don’t even ask.”

Emma studied her friend Chloe and then pointed the magazine at her, punching the air with it for emphasis. “I’ll take it easy on you because your divorce is still fresh, but you need soul-searching more than any of us, Chloe. You stayed with a man who cheated on you for more years than I did. This is not just a quiz. It’s part of your journey to self-discovery.”

“Journey to self-discovery? Jeez, Emma, you’re starting to sound more and more like those greeting cards you write,” Taylor Baird said, dragging an expensive black leather overnight case on wheels into the room behind her.

Emma and Chloe smiled at the svelte blonde who looked all business in her suit. Chloe ran over to hug her, surprised to be getting all choked up over how happy she truly was to see Taylor.

“Thank God you’re here. Emma brought a
quiz
,” Chloe complained, saying it as if it were a dirty word.

Finally letting Taylor go, Chloe returned to her unpacking, a little embarrassed about how incredibly happy she was to be with her friends again. God, she should never have left.

“Command some authority here, Taylor, and tell Emma no quiz questions. I moved to the West Coast to get away from being emotionally tortured,” Chloe said.

Taylor laughed, her voice husky. “Remember in college when Emma got the idea that we needed to get our belly buttons pierced to be sexy?”

“Unfortunately,” Chloe said, remembering the trauma all too well.

She had screamed in pain while Emma had laughed and Taylor had winced in sympathy. But ironically, Chloe had kept the piercing over the years. Mostly because it had cost her so dearly to get it, but also because it made her feel sexy even when her husband Aaron hadn’t liked it. Wearing jewelry in her belly had been her way of rebelling against him when they fought, which ended up being often during the almost five years they had been married.

“Earth to Chloe? Where are you?” Emma called, waving a hand in front Chloe’s face.

“That piercing hurt like hell, Em,” Chloe informed her, glaring hard as she remembered the pain.

“Everything worth doing hurts a little, even exercising. And who was it that ran around in navel-revealing shirts all that year? I’ll give you a hint. It wasn’t me or Taylor showing off our piercings,” Emma reminded her, not a bit embarrassed to gloat.

“What else could I do but show it off? I figured I might as well enjoy flaunting it after going through hell to get it done,” Chloe insisted, glaring at Emma, who stuck out her tongue.

“I bet you still have your piercing,” Emma said with a knowing grin. “I don’t. Taylor doesn’t. Tell us the truth, Chloe.”

“A woman has a right to some keep some secrets, especially from nosy friends,” Chloe announced, turning away from their knowing smiles.

When both Emma and Taylor laughed, Chloe rolled her eyes because…well, she had kept her piercing. And it had felt very brave to take a healthy chunk of her savings and buy a tiny real diamond-studded ring to wear there. It made her feel a lot younger than forty. She had needed help to feel better about her thirty-six-year-old husband replacing her with a skinny woman half her age.

Taylor laughed at Chloe’s and Emma’s bickering, thinking five years living on opposite coasts hadn’t changed the dynamic between them much. Back in college though, Chloe’s programming to please people she cared about had practically guaranteed she would never outsmart a determined Emma hell-bent on a makeover. Helping people improve themselves was practically a religion to Em, and she and Chloe were usually favorite converts.

“We were twenty-one not sixteen when we got those piercings, Chloe Zanders. You could have said no about the belly button ring. You can say no to the quiz now. That was my point for bringing it up. It’s time to learn to command your own authority,” Taylor said with a laugh.

“Trust me, Baird. I’m not the pushover I was in college. I command authority when I need to nowadays, but you’re not fooling me. If I don’t play along, you and Emma will think I’m just as boring as my ex did,” Chloe said, turning away to shake out her clothes from the exercise duffle she had brought.

She glared at the plain black gym bag. It wasn’t red and perky like Emma’s or sleekly black like Taylor’s. It was black and old, not to mention well-used, but her good luggage had been too large for a simple three-night stay in a resort, so Chloe hadn’t bothered with it. Everything that worked for California fit in the one small bag she’d carried on the plane.

“You are so not boring, Chloe. Your ex was just a selfish jerk like my mine was. Own it, girlfriend—and then let it go,” Taylor said flatly, snorting in derision. “Trust me, you didn’t lose anything divorcing a man who didn’t appreciate you. One day soon, you’re going to be nothing but relieved that Aaron is out of your life. It just takes a while to feel it.”

Taylor unzipped her case and started looking through her clothes. “Now come on. We’re going shopping for sexy new dresses to kick off our weekend. For once, I’m looking forward to letting Emma try to fix me with her quizzes and questions. I haven’t had a decent date in three months. I obviously need an attitude adjustment.”

“It’s been two weeks since my last date,” Emma recounted, “but I’ve been sexually abstaining for several months. I’m balancing my chi and preparing for a better relationship. I want to be in an open and receptive state of being when I let the next man that far into my life.”

Chloe snorted. “Balancing your chi? Wallace, you crack me up.” She shook her head and sighed heavily again. “Well, don’t try to balance mine, Em. I like my chi like it is. I’m still too mad at my ex to even think about sleeping with another man right now. I just want to enjoy my freedom for a while and be grateful I can stop worrying about what some guy thinks of me.”

Taylor laughed, rich and full. “Well, speak for yourself. I don’t even remember the last time I had sex. I think I would like someone to unbalance my chi—and soon. What I need right now though is some minor lubrication, a late lunch, and some good old-fashioned girl fun.”

“Taylor, I booked us appointments in the spa like you asked,” Emma said, speaking to her very savvy business friend who had placed her order for the weekend with specific instructions that she would be picking up the tab for their fun. “Full works on all three of us tomorrow at ten, including massages. We’re going to be buffed, fluffed, and stuffed. I hope that’s what you had in mind.”

“
Stuffed?
What do you mean stuffed?” Chloe demanded, gripping her most slimming black dress in her hands. “Just what kind of massages did you arrange for us, Emma? I told you I’m not ready for anything yet.”

Taylor fell back on the bed laughing. “Would you listen to her? The woman who used to date three guys at once has now been replaced by an uptight version afraid of getting laid. Will you tell her sexual massages are not on the spa menu at this five-star hotel? I swear I am never going to visit the East Coast if Chloe is an example of what happens to people out there.”