Someone to Love (30 page)

Kenny runs her fingers through my hair, and I
push in deep until she gives a small cry. She digs her nails into
my back as I plunge in over and over with a primal ferocity.

There’s a trans-species language
reverberating between the two of us—one that resonates in a palace
as easily as a zoo—and apparently the corridor of a
hundred-dollar-a-plate restaurant as well.

We’re drinking down the juice of our lust,
satisfying the hunger of our flesh as we engage in the power
exchange of a lifetime. But I’d give it all to Kenny willingly,
kiss the ground she walks on just to be in her presence.

Her head dips back, and the arch of her neck
rises and falls in front of me. I watch captivated as she glows,
riding high, crashing over me like a wave. Our movements hit a
fevered pitch. I bury a kiss in her cleavage and tremble into her
as I detonate with all of my love. Her legs begin to slip, and I
hoist her over my hips with a husky laugh.

Kenny bites down a smile, her eyes clouded
over with lust. I slip my fingers in the beautiful warm slick
between her thighs, pleasuring Kenny until her breathing becomes
labored—until her face ignites with ecstasy. Kenny writhes in my
arms, and I welcome it—running my lips over the landscape of her
features.

“Cruise…” She pants into my neck. “You didn’t
wear a hat,” she whimpers.

I give a little laugh and peel a heated kiss
off her lips.

“You’re so fucking cute.”

Over the weekend, Kenny doesn’t get out of
bed. She spends time in the bathroom retching, and I seriously
entertain the fact that maybe the waitress I shut down poisoned her
food.

Molly said she’d handle things with Mom after
I told her Kenny wasn’t feeling well. It’s kind of nice having both
Mom and Molly know who Kenny is—to have
seen
her. All those
girls that comprised my life before—it was as if they were
phantoms—an entire invisible parade of entities that evaporated
like smoke once I was through with them. It’s horrific knowing
there were so many, and the fact I don’t remember most of them
doesn’t sit well with me either. Some nights there was enough
alcohol in my system to ensure I forgot who
I
was in the
process. And right now, I wish they wouldn’t remember me. I wish
every one of them would forget me and every intimate act I may have
carried out with their bodies. That waitress had me rattled. For a
split second, I wondered if I had her, if she were simply trying to
come back for more. That’s the unwanted gift I’ve accidently given
Kenny. Every girl she sees will be a possibility—someone who had
slept with her husband.

Husband.

I keep trying it on for size.

I’m going to ask Kenny to marry me. She’ll
probably want a long engagement—that is if she says yes. Maybe
after she graduates we’ll make it official. But I’m okay with right
now if she wanted. I’d crawl down the aisle on all fours if she
asked just to have her next to me until I’m no longer
breathing.

Kenny bolts from the bathroom and flops on
the bed. I slide up next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Her hair is tangled, and the sharp smell of mouthwash plumes in the
air.

“That’s the third time you threw up today.” I
run my fingers through her hair, soft as not to hurt her.

“You keeping score?” She burrows her face in
the pillow and moans like an injured dove.

“Yes, I’m keeping score. Three strikes—you’re
out. Come on.” I pull her up and throw a coat over her shoulders.
“I’m taking you to see a doctor.”

The only financial perk of being a student at
Garrison is the fact they make sure your ass is covered with a
solid-gold insurance policy.

The medical facility is stark in nature. A
few people sit in the waiting area, each a good couple feet away
from one another in an effort to avoid brewing a microcosm of germs
in the unaired room.

I help Kenny fill out a mountain of forms,
then let her lay over me with her hair splayed out over my chest in
long dark ribbons.

“Cruise?” She looks up at me with those
watery baby blues and I wish with my entire being I could make this
misery go away for her. “Do you think you could ever hate me?”

“Hate you?” I give a small laugh into her
delirium, and she rides up and down my chest with the effort.
“Nope. Not happening.”

“Just in case—don’t freak out or anything.”
She nestles into me and sniffles. “I’m not the brightest bulb, you
know. I’m human.” She says human like it’s an unfortunate
condition. “I’m prone to making huge mistakes—like really big
ones.” She sniffles again, and this time I’m pretty sure she’s
crying.

My insides turn to stone when she says the
words
huge
mistake.
Am I the huge mistake? Maybe I’m
the one who’s making her sick.

The nurse calls us back and I help Kenny into
the small room.

“You don’t have to stay.” She shakes her head
a little too aggressively as her cheeks fill with color.

“Relax. I’m not going anywhere. And you don’t
have to feel embarrassed. I’ve participated in more public hurling
sessions than I’d like to remember.” I stroke the hair away from
her face and give a weak smile. “You’re family, Kenny. You couldn’t
get rid of me if you tried.”

“Family?” Her hand covers her lips. Her eyes
explode in crimson tracks at the mention of such an intimate
bond.

A light knock erupts at the door followed by
a giant beast of a man with a neck the size of a tree trunk.

“Shit,” I mutter. His tag reads,
Dr.
Gaines.

“I didn’t know they let the wrestling team
play dress up,” I say it light, but damn, I mean it.

“I
am
a wrestler.” He gives a slight
bow.

Kenny straightens. Her eyes widen at the
sight of him. She’s probably scared to death he’s going to pin her
to the ground. I bet she’s really glad I decided to stick
around.

“So, what’s going on?” He looks over the
chart briefly before inspecting her.

“She’s been sick, throwing up all weekend,” I
offer.

“Diarrhea?” He asks.

Kenny averts her eyes and shakes her head.
Not sure she would cop to it with me in the room. Maybe I shouldn’t
be here.

“Noro’s not going around,” he muses.

“We ate the same thing for dinner the other
night and I didn’t get sick.” I pull a bleak smile. “Maybe you
could run some tests, and see if she ate something she’s allergic
to—or something poisonous.” I had to go there. I was thinking it
for God’s sake.

He lets out a graveled laugh. “Let’s start
with a few more obvious suspects. We want to capture all the horses
before we start chasing zebras. I’ll have the nurse run a blood
panel—probably just the flu. Kendall—is there anything you suspect
might be making you ill?” He gives a plain smile, his eyes dull out
awaiting her response.

“Yes,” she rasps. “And I’d like a pregnancy
test to prove it.”

Kendall

Baby be Mine

All of the color bleeds from Cruise’s face.
He staggers a moment until Dr. Beefcake shoves some smelling salts
under his nose and perks him back to startled attention.

“You’d better take a seat, buddy.” Dr. Gaines
tries shoving Cruise in a chair but he resists the effort.

“I’m fine, really.”

The doctor nods and leaves the room, sealing
the door behind him.

A rail of panic rips through me, and suddenly
I want to be anywhere but in this over-bright room with, of all
people, the unsuspecting father of my surprise pregnancy.

“Pregnant?” His brows dip into a sharp V, and
it makes him look undeniably provocative. Although, I’m pretty sure
now’s not a good time to drool over his astonishing good looks,
especially since committing a felony or two against me is clearly
still on the table.

“You’re going think this is funny.” I open my
mouth to tell him all about my egregious oversight at the free
clinic then remember his seventeen-year-old sister is tangled in
that web as well. Speaking of which, I’m thrilled Dr. Muscles
didn’t remember me from his rotation at said free clinic.

“I’m going to think what’s funny?” He tilts
his head because he so knows it’s not.

“Oh, um… you see…” Fuck. Fuckity, fuck, fuck,
fuck. This isn’t going to end well. Cruise is going to explode when
he finds out I couldn’t figure out how to use a simple birth
control pill. “I…” Words dam up in my throat, and I hesitate in
spewing out a sea of lies.

“Kenny…” His forehead wrinkles, with deep
concern. Cruise pulls me in. He wraps his arms around my waist with
a strong, hearty embrace. “Is this what you thought I would hate
you for?” He huffs a laugh. “I could never hate you. And something
like this—you didn’t do anything wrong.” He pulls back, and his
lips twist as he considers this. “Besides, you can’t be pregnant.
You’re on the pill.” His face swells with relief. “All that puking
messed with your brain. You must have forgot.”

My mouth opens to correct him, and nothing
but air comes out.

“You’re not on the pill?” He says it
pressured, his face flooding with panic.

God, he’s going to think I’m a liar—that I’m
one of
those
girls who feels the need to fill a void in her
life by “planning” a pregnancy. Right about now he’s probably
thinking that whole virgin thing was a ruse, too.

“Kenny? What’s going on? Talk to me.” He’s
got a frightened look on his face that suggests he just realized
he’s been drilling without hardware.

The nurse comes in and instructs me to follow
her—so I do.

When I finally make my way back to the tiny
white room, Cruise has long since defected. I bet he’s clearing all
my crap out of his house right this minute—ransacking his wallet
for the receipt on that coat he bought.