Demanded by Him (Wanted Series #3) (9 page)

“Did she seem okay?” I asked as we went back inside.

“Addison?” Austin asked, checking his watch while I held the
door for him.

“Yeah.”

He shrugged. “She seemed about as okay as you’d expect
considering the circumstances.”

I stepped around an abandoned wheelchair. “You didn’t happen to
get her number did you?”

He furrowed his brow. “I try not to hit on women in front of my
wife.”

I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant-”

“I guess I assumed you already had it,” he said. “It didn’t even
cross my mind.”

“Shit.”

“Is she the woman you just met a few days ago?”

I nodded.

He stuck out his bottom lip. “Well, I can’t say I got to know
her very well before mom and dad scared her off, but she seemed nice enough.”

I sighed. “I shouldn’t have dragged her here.”

“What choice did you have?”

“I know, but…”

Karen stood up from her seat when she saw us.

We both stopped walking.

“I think I’m going to take the dependents up for something to
eat,” she said.

I looked passed her at my parents. They were hunched over a half
finished People magazine crossword. I could see Ludacris was one of the photo
clues. “That’s probably a good idea,” I said. “Might be more space in the
cafeteria for Gigi, too.”

“And she wouldn’t have to see all the sick kids walking around,”
Austin mumbled.

I felt a twist in my guts. I would’ve given anything for Sophie
to have been one of those kids just then.

Karen raised her eyebrows. “Can I bring you guys something?”

Austin shrugged. “I trust you to pick something good, honey. You
know us. We’ll eat anything.” He leaned forward and pressed his cheek to
Karen’s.

When she stepped back, she ran her hand down my arm. “It’s going
to be okay, Wyatt.”

I didn’t say thanks cause I was afraid my voice would crack.
Instead I just smiled and offered her a single nod.

“We’ll stay here in case there’s any news,” Austin said.

“You can go up if you want,” I said to him, half convinced that
what I needed was to be alone.

“Don’t be silly,” he said. “I had a Cinnabon at the airport. I
can wait.”

“Whatever you want,” I said, wondering if Addison was back at her
cabin yet, if she regretted not saying goodbye.

“The reception is dreadful in these places,” Karen said. “I’m
down to one bar, but we won’t go anywhere except the cafeteria and back if you
need us.”

“Sounds good,” Austin said. “We’ll be here whenever you get
back.”

I watched my family mobilize. My mom handed her purse to my dad,
and he took it like an old pro, helping her out of her chair even though she
didn’t really need the help. Then they started down the hall, Gigi bounding
behind them with the Connect Four frame in one hand and a fistful of red and
black chips in the other.

I sat back in my chair.

Sophie was a fighter. She would pull through. Everything would
be fine. She could hear me in there. Surely. Even if she was out cold, my voice
was the one she knew best. Well, mine and Britney Spears, but I wasn’t about to
call in a favor. Anyway, any minute now she was going to walk through those
doors like her old self and demand we go to a movie and each get our own
personal popcorn.

That was her favorite thing. She didn’t like to share with me
because my popcorn was always gone before the end of the trailers. I always
marveled at her self-control in getting hers to last all the way to the end.
Who knew where she picked up that trick? Lord knows she didn’t get it from me
or her mom.

“Addison have kids?” Austin asked, interrupting my useless hamster
wheel of nostalgia.

“No,” I said. “Don’t think she wants them either.”

“She was pretty good with Gigi when she was here.”

“Yeah?”

He shrugged. “Gigi didn’t think she was an idiot anyway.”

“What?”

“That’s her new thing right now. Not the brightest bulb in the
box, not the sharpest crayon in the box, not the best looking cupcake in the
box. Honestly, if it comes in a box, she will figure out how to make it into an
analogy about people being dumb.”

“Where did she pick that up?”

“I don’t know, but something tells me a lot of the mothers from
the dance recital are probably asking the same question about their kids right
about now.”

“So she liked Addison?”

“She thought she was pretty- wanted to know if her hair was
real. Fortunately, she had the good sense not to ask her directly and waited
until she left.”

“You must be so proud.”

“Last week she asked a guy on the train why there was hair
growing out of his ears.”

I shook my head.

“Which would’ve been fine except that the guy told her it was
because he was all alone in life.”

“Jesus.”

“Tell me about it. Gigi wouldn’t let Karen and I out of her
sight for the next week. It was awful. She kept taking pictures of the insides
of her ears with my phone and checking for hairs.”

I wished Sophie would wake up and do something silly.

“Though Gigi liking Addison could’ve had something to do with
the fact that Karen liked her.”

“Really?” I raised my eyebrows. “Speaking of someone who thinks
everyone else is an idiot.”

“Yeah.” Austin leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t even have to
ask. The two of them just had this weird intensity between them, like they were
on the same level.”

“I suppose Addison is pretty intense.”

“You like her, though?”

“More than anyone I’ve met in ages.”

“And you didn’t think to get her number?”

“It wasn’t intentional,” I said. “It just hadn’t come up.”

Austin raised his eyebrows. “When you were rolling around in the
forest?”

“What?”

“Karen picked a sprig of pine needles out of her hair.”

I smiled.

“What exactly were you doing when you got the call this
morning?”

“Nothing,” I said. “Sleeping on a blanket by the lake.”

“You sure know how to impress ‘em.”

“Can’t say I get a lot of complaints.”

“So have you gotten any work done on the homes or-”

“Yeah, a lot. I’d say I’m ahead of schedule.”

“Well, depending on what happens today, I have some guys who can
finish what you started if you need to be here.”

I looked away from him. I didn’t want to talk about the future,
to think about how Sophie would be in it.

He patted me on the back. “There’s no rush on deciding that
though,” he said. “It’s your job as long as you want it is all I’m trying to
say.”

“Thanks.”

“Did Addison ever meet Sophie before this or-”

I shook my head. “No. She didn’t even know about her.”

“What do you mean she didn’t know?”

“I mean I never mentioned her.”

“Seriously?”

I shrugged. “It’s not so much that I was determined to keep her
from knowing, it’s just a habit at this point.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Usually when I sleep with women, I don’t even tell them my real
name.”

“That’s pathetic.”

“It kind of ruins the flow when they say someone else’s name in
bed, but otherwise, I can’t see any downside.”

“Besides the fact that you’re a douchebag?”

“Maybe. I just don’t see the point in mentioning Sophie if I
have no intention of introducing them to her.”

“So why did you tell Addison your real name?”

“I have no idea.”

He squinted at me. “Did she get to you?”

“Maybe.”

“When was the last time you told a woman your real name and let
them know about Sophie?”

I leaned my head back and inhaled.

“Seriously?”

“I really can’t say.”

“So are you going to see her again?”

I shrugged. “I’d like to.”

“Think it could turn into something serious?”

I swallowed. “I’m not really up for fortune telling right now.”

“Fair enough.”

“All I know is that I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.”

And maybe she wasn’t either.

But that didn’t change the fact that I wish she’d tried.

The woodpecker started knocking at nine in the morning. I could
see his little red head vibrating just outside the window.

For a moment, I pretended I could stop it by rolling over and
squeezing the pillow over my head, but it was one of those sounds that refused
to be ignored once I heard it. Plus, he didn’t even have any rhythm. He stopped
intermittently and started without warning.

Sophie.

I pushed my hair out of my face and reached for my phone on the
nightstand. I was hoping I would have a message from Wyatt, even though I knew
that was impossible. He didn’t even have my number.

I sat up and called the hospital.

“St. Francis Children’s,” a stern voice said when I answered.

“I’m calling to ask about a patient.”

“What’s the patient’s name?”

“Sophie Jones,” I said. “She came in yesterday with a… diabetes
emergency.”

“And what’s your relationship?”

I looked up at the ceiling and scrunched my face. “She’s a
friend.”

“I’m afraid I can’t give out that kind of information.”

“Please. I really need to know how she’s doing,” I said.

“It’s against our policy.”

“Your policy to what? Be decent human beings?!”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Can I at least leave a message?”

“Sure.”

“Can you please tell her dad that-”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I thought you wanted to leave a message for a
patient.”

“No. She’s- It would be for her father. He’s probably been there
for over twenty-four hours now and-”

“This isn’t a personal errand service. We don’t deliver
messages. I apologize for the inconvenience.”

She didn’t sound sorry. She sounded bitter, like someone who
wished she knew a handsome man she could leave a message for. “What would you have
me do then?” I asked. “If I need to get in touch with someone?”

“I would suggest you call them directly or come speak to them in
person.”

“Can you at least tell me if he’s still there? He’s got dirty
blond hair and-”

“I’m sorry, but I have children to look after, and I need to
keep the line clear.”

I sighed. “I understand.”

The click came a second later.

What a bitch. How was I supposed to find out if Sophie was okay?
Take a cab back to the hospital? I mean, it wasn’t just the exorbitant cost for
the ride yesterday, but it seemed like so much effort just to check in,
especially when I didn’t know if he wanted me to.

He probably had enough on his plate.

Or maybe they were out already. Maybe Sophie was fine. They
could’ve walked out of there moments after I did holding hands for all I knew…
in which case I hoped Wyatt would come by and tell me how they were doing.

I’m not sure what I thought would come after that, though. If
anything. I mean, I liked him a lot. His company was slightly infuriating sometimes,
but not in a way that made me want to keep my distance.

Of course, at the same time, seeing him in the hospital
yesterday was like night and day. It proved he had a serious side and for the
first time ever, I think I identified with him a little bit.

I couldn’t exactly bond with him over a pop career or having a
kid or being from a big family or being handy with tools, but I recognized the
pain in his face yesterday, and it pulled at my heartstrings. It was terrible
to see him reminding himself to breathe, eating a Snickers without even
breaking a smile, and being told he couldn’t be in the room with her.

And I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forget the image of his
little girl seizuring on the table. It was the first time I’d been truly
frightened in years. And helpless. I was so used to feeling capable and in
control, and I didn’t feel either yesterday.

I shook my head and lay back down on my pillow. I liked the big
comfy bed, and if it hadn’t been for that damn woodpecker, I really think I
could’ve drifted off again, especially after the night’s sleep I got on the
blanket outside the night before.

Personally, I blame the adrenaline that must’ve been coursing
through my body in the boat and in the water for how I ended up being worn out
enough that I was able to fall asleep on the ground like that.

How was I not so scared I stayed awake?

The last thing I remember was leaning my head against Wyatt’s
shoulder, a shoulder which wasn’t even soft. I must’ve drifted off when the
fire got going, my exhaustion enhanced by the warmth.

I can’t believe I slept with him like that. It was crazy enough
that we’d fucked- and in so many ways in such a short amount of time. But to
fall asleep on his lap in the middle of the forest?!

It was slightly mad and yet deliciously fun to think about. I
must’ve felt safe in his arms. I must’ve trusted him more than I realized. In
fact, I already knew I was going to dread saying goodbye. Or maybe I’d missed
my chance yesterday and I’d never get a chance to say it.

Regardless, there was no doubt that he was a special guy, and I
liked that he was so different from the guys I was used to meeting… and not
just cause I actually wanted him inside me.

He was funny, too, and he had more going for him than just his
job, which he didn’t let define him, and I admired him for that. And as far as
him being defined by his role as a father, well, despite my initial shock,
being a father seemed to suit him. He was by far the sexiest dad I’d ever met
anyway.

I smiled and pulled the covers tighter around me. It wasn’t so
much that it was cold. But it was nice to be enveloped.

Eventually the woodpecker gave it a rest so it wasn’t a waste of
effort to close my eyes again. I listened to my breathing and wished Wyatt were
half naked beside me, realizing I’d have to settle for picturing him outside
without his shirt on.

I wondered what it would be like to sleep in a real bed with
him. Would he put his muscular arms around me and pull me close? I got
goosebumps just thinking about how it would feel for him to touch me under the
covers. A second later, I rolled onto my back and stuck my hand down over the front
of my satin sleep shorts.

I didn’t normally touch myself. I didn’t really see the point,
and I never made a habit of lying around in bed when I was home. But I let two
of my fingers find my clit and applied gentle pressure in a little circle,
thinking about how it felt to have Wyatt pin my hands to the wall and press his
dick against my ass. Then I moved my hand a little faster and thought about how
it felt to have his tongue between my legs and in my mouth and flicking around
my nipples.

Soon my body was warm, and I could feel the heat rising beneath
my fingers as I let my mind wander to how his wet chest felt against mine, how
his tongue explored my mouth, and how his hands gripped my hips when he took me
from behind.

And soon I was close, and the more I imagined him stretching me
open, the closer I got. Finally, I thought of how he swelled in my mouth before
he burst against the back of my throat, filling me with his desire.

I pressed my head down against the pillow as I came, letting my
shaking hand fall to the side of my splayed legs. It felt good to let my
tension melt away, and while I missed the feeling of Wyatt drinking me while I
came, it was still nice to think about him as I enjoyed the warmth bubbling inside
me.

Two seconds later, the phone rang.

I rolled over and grabbed it, positive that it would be him.
“Hello.”

“Hello, Addison.”

“Martine?” I asked, picturing her wearing her peacock brooch.
“What can I do for you?”

“I’m calling on behalf of Debbie.”

Wasn’t she always? “Okay.”

“To let you know that a car will be around to drive you back to
the city first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “I thought I was supposed to stay here
for two weeks. It hasn’t even been one.”

“Change of plans,” she said. “There’s a meeting on Friday to
staff your project, and she thinks it’s important that you be here.”

“Well, obviously I agree, but-”

“Have you had a relaxing time?”

“Yes, but-”

“Well that’s a successful result, don’t you think?”

“Can the meeting be moved?”

“I’m afraid that’s outside my realm of knowledge.”

“Of course. I apologize. Thanks for calling.”

“It will probably be the same driver that dropped you off but-”

“When?”

“Tomorrow at 9am. That way you’ll have a whole day to prepare
for Friday’s meeting.”

“Uh-huh.”

She dropped her voice. “And I would definitely take advantage of
that time because Chris is staffing his project in the same meeting so-”

My eyes grew wide. Was this some kind of joke? Pitting me
against my competition for a promotion after I’d been relaxing for a week? Was
this what Deborah planned all along? I felt my guts twist into a ragged knot.

How the hell was I supposed to be ready in time?

And more importantly, how would I tell Wyatt?