Waiting for You (14 page)

Chapter 14

T
hey rushed out of the truck and reached for each other, all hands and legs tangled together, as they raced to the front door.

Adam managed to locate his house key and opened the door, ushering Audrey in ahead of him before shutting it closed behind her. He reached for her and pressed her against the wall, his hard body plastered against her. He stopped for a moment, his breathing labored as he stared at her, taking in her face before kissing her thoroughly. His lips explored hers intimately, his tongue sought out and danced a symphony with hers.

Her arms encircled his neck and she threaded her fingers into his thick hair, mussing it up. She thrust her pelvis into his and she was impressed to feel that he was already ready to go again.

She reached for his T-shirt and ripped it over his head, taking the moment to touch his amazing chest, peppered with short dark hair. He watched her intoxicated as she trailed her fingers from pec to pec and down his ridged abs. She slipped her hands into the unbuttoned waistband of his jeans and found his fast growing erection. He groaned torturously into her neck as her hand found his hard length. He reached for her again and peeled off her top and bra in one fell motion. He squeezed her breasts together and laved her nipples with his mouth, nipping at them with his teeth.

His hand slipped beneath her jeans, exploring her soft mound and the wetness soaking her panties. His knuckle stroked her moist heat and she moaned against him, rubbing against his offered hand and squeezing his shaft in response.

“I’m sorry baby, I need you now.”

He pulled at her jeans and she stepped out of them, missing the heat of his bulk that was plastered to her. He pulled out a condom from his back pocket and chucked off his own remaining clothes before sheathing himself and with both hands, cupped her face and kissed her hard. The man kissed like heaven. Whether it was soft and gentle or hurried and hard, she savored every touch of his tongue down to her toes and back up to her ears before settling deep in her core and setting every inch of her skin on fire.

His hands trailed down her naked body, leaving a path of electric sparks with every lingering trace. Audrey snaked her leg around his hip and ran her bare foot up the length of his calf. His crafty hands found her ass and squeezed before pulling her up his body. Her legs circled his waist as his erection inched toward her opening. She guided him to her entrance and in one quick movement he had filled her to the hilt. He was so big and deep, she was almost certain he grazed her cervix. He pulled out slowly and Audrey felt every ridge, big and small, on his penis as he torturously moved out and inched back into her. She thrust at him with her pelvis as her legs tightened around him, her hands steadfast around his back, memorizing every hard muscle and cleft.

His body plastered to hers, he thrust again, increasing the pace of his movements as his hands dug into her thighs. She moaned at the illicit pleasure that hummed through her body. Suddenly she was moving and the next thing she knew, Adam had her spread across his dining room table like an all you can eat buffet. He stared at her like she was the raciest thing he had ever seen and damn if that didn’t make her ache even more. Their bodies still joined, she flexed her inner muscles and his lips quirked.

“In a hurry are you?” he asked, easing painstakingly slowly into her, drawing out the pleasure.

She bit her bottom lip as she arched her back and thrust towards him, desperate for more.

Adam didn’t stand a chance as he quickened his thrusts into her. Her climax started building, harder and tighter and it hit her so fast the world spun around her. Adam continued to slam into her and his own orgasm come full force as he fell over her, breathing heavy.

She held his head to her as his forehead nestled between her breasts. He stayed there a minute before he kissed both her breasts and lifted off her and lost himself in one of the bathrooms.

Audrey’s entire being was sated and relaxed. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

Adam returned then, still in his naked glory and smiled the smile of a man who had just had mind blowing sex. “You think you got me out of your system now?”

Audrey smiled but didn’t get a chance to answer before he said. “Because I sure didn’t. And I think I need all night to do just that.”

Audrey’s toes tingled with excited anticipation.

****

Later that evening, Adam laid on his back on his king size bed with a half asleep Audrey curled up next to him. True to his word, they had spent many hours together trying to work each other out of their systems. His stomach growled loudly, a clear indication that the vixen beside him had worn him out good and proper.

“Sounds like your inner alien needs to be fed,” she joked lazily, stretching out beside him.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms, her entire naked body sprawled out on top of him. She rested her chin on the back of her hand flat on his chest and looked at him with a satisfied half smile.

“Well, that would be due to a certain brunette milking me for every last ounce of energy I have. I don’t think I have the will power to get out of bed anyways.”

He eyed her disheveled hair and glowing skin and fuck if his southern body part was starting to get ready for another round. Audrey made a ridiculously erotic picture.

He reached out with his heavy arms and cupped her bare bottom, settling her against his heated center. “Should we get some pizza?”

She started to shift off him. “No it’s getting late; I need to get back home.”

“I’m not rushing you off.”

She eased off the bed and with a big yawn, started searching for her discarded clothing. “I’m rushing me out. This is just us scratching an itch or two.”

Adam smiled. “More like scratching a rash.”

She chuckled after him. “I just don’t want anyone to get wind of it and make it more than it is.”

He nodded his agreement as he watched her walk around his bedroom naked. His favorite look on her.

“I still gotta take you home.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll call Emma. Less suspicious if it’s her driving me home at nine at night rather than you.”

Ten minutes later she was fully dressed and with a quick brush of her lips to his, she was on her way home.

*****

A few days later Audrey was elbow deep in the garden with her grandpa, doing some routine maintenance. The replenished seedlings were starting to bloom and she had decided to dig another trench along the back fence to plant a new row of succulents.

Grandpa Joe’s movements were slower than usual and Audrey was once again reminded that he was aging. He coughed loudly and she heard the sound all the way from his chest. It took him a few moments as he caught his breath and spat out some phlegm.

She patted him on the back. ‘You ok, Grandpa?”

“I’m fine,
Filho
. The older you get, things just don’t work like they’re supposed to anymore, you know.”

“I’m sorry, Papa. If you don’t feel too good, you must tell me. I’m here now to take care of you.”

“Thank you,
Amado
,” his eyes crinkled and a sadness settled in their depths as he patted in the plant and shoveled soil around it.

“What’s wrong, Grandpa?”

“Nothing child.” He smiled a sad smile. “It’s just I miss your Grandma. This used to be her favorite past time, you know? She could spend hours here in the garden, un-gloved hands deep in the dirt. Never a complaint about getting dirty. The only sign you’d see of her fatigue was when she would come in for the evening and her posture wouldn’t be as straight. She’d take a long bath and I’d rub her back and her feet while she had a nice cup of tea.”

Audrey’s chest squeezed. “Sounds like the perfect moment.”

“It was. Your Grandma, she was one special woman.”

Audrey’s phone decided to ring then and she quickly shucked off her glove and reached for her pocket.

Mom.

She declined the call and slid the phone back into her pocket.

“I’m sorry she is the way she is,
Filho.”

“What do you mean, Grandpa?”

“Your mother.”

Audrey cast her gaze downward, not wanting her feelings to reflect in her eyes.

“She’s just always wanted out of Crystal Valley. I didn’t think she would ever leave you behind for as long as she did.”

“It’s ok, Grandpa, I had you and Grandma.”

“No, it’s not ok.” Grandpa Joe sounded angry, a side of him she hadn’t seen since her teenage years when he’d had to play disciplinarian. “They are your parents. It’s not fair on you, Audrey. Grandma and I weren’t enough for you as a child. You needed your mother. Maybe they could have protected you against your husband. Maybe they would have known.”

Audrey held his gaze and saw the unshed tears. Her heart broke bit by bit

“Papa, no. What happened with Michael, nobody could have known. It’s nobody’s fault.” The emotion clogged her throat, choking her and threatening to overwhelm her. “Grandma used to say that everything happens for a reason and no matter how much we plan in life, what’s meant to be will be. My marriage was my own lesson and I learned from it. I’m so grateful that I was able to come back here and be with you, Grandpa. Don’t feel bad about my past, ok? It’s over now and I look forward to making new memories with you.

The older man smiled and they shared a sandy hug.

He started to cough again and Audrey patted his back waiting for it to subside but the cough persisted. Grandpa Joe took deep breaths trying to get in air and Audrey could see that he was not doing ok.

He clutched at his chest as his face contorted in pain. Fear gripped Audrey like she’s never felt before. “Grandpa!”

She reached for him and tried to get him to sit upright. She didn’t know what to do. She’d never done a CPR course. She pulled out her phone and with shaking hands, dialed 911.

She pulled her grandpa into her arms and stroked his back as his coughing subsided and he tried to suck in air.

“It’s ok, Papa,” she soothed. “It’s gonna be ok. Just breathe. You’re gonna be ok. There you go. It’s gonna be ok.”

Please God, let it be ok
, she pleaded.

*****

The day dragged on and the hours crawled by as Audrey paced the hospital hallway waiting for an update on Grandpa Joe. The last she had heard, he’d had an ECG and he was undergoing some other scans.
How long could that possibly take?

She rode in the ambulance with him and his skin was mottled and pale. His breathing was shallow and his eyes had looked unfocused. She’d held his hand but he’d been weak and unresponsive. Audrey had never been more afraid in her life. Not even in the years of abuse she had suffered at the hand of her husband. Grandpa Joe being ill was more real and more terrifying than she could comprehend. She couldn’t even think straight.

Her stomach gnawed at her and she couldn’t figure it out if it was from hunger or stress.

At about six that evening, the doctor finally approached.

“Ms. Kelly?” he was tall and appeared stern but the way he pressed his lips together, like he didn’t want the words to come out, had her nerves completely shot. “Is there any other family here with you?” he searched around the empty waiting room.

She shook her head no. “It’s just me. My parents are not currently in the country. He’s just got me.” The pain of those words squeezed her already battered core.

The doctor nodded and gestured for her to take a seat.

“Is he ok?” she sounded desperate and pleading even to her own ears.

“Your Grandfather suffered a major heart attack Ms. Kelly. His ECG was erratic and when we conducted further tests, we found that his heart was losing muscle mass.”

“What does that mean?” her voice came out as barely a whisper.

The doctor’s sympathy was plastered across his face. “He’s in cardiac failure. He’s had a touch of pneumonia as well and this has caused some fluid around his lungs, it’s likely what caused the pressure to the organ.”

Audrey thought she was going to puke.

“It’s nothing to be in a panic about right now. He is stabilized and the next few hours will determine his recovery but Mr. Kelly is a strong man, he can pull through this.” He placed a hand on Audrey’s shoulder. “You can see him now if you like.”

Audrey nodded mutely and followed the doctor to see her grandpa. She walked into his room and he lay there, skin pale and mottled, his arms hooked up to so many tubes; patches of electrodes stuck onto his greying chest. She shattered into a million pieces and fell away piece by piece.

She slowly walked into the room and stood beside his bed, touching his forehead and smoothed away his greying hair. He looked so old and fragile in that moment and Audrey cursed herself for not seeing that he wasn’t well sooner.

She sat beside him and held his hand, giving him as much of her warmth as she could muster. She laid her head on his bed and peered up into his pinched face.

“I’m here Grandpa,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere. Don’t you worry about a thing ok? You just get better.” She rubbed his bare arm, willing the life force back into his body.

****

Audrey awoke the next morning to the jolting light coming in through the window and the punitive buzzing of her phone. Her neck ached like she had whiplash and the harsh antiseptic smell reminded her exactly where she was. In the hospital with Grandpa Joe.

She ignored everything else and reached for the older man. He had a little more color this morning but he still didn’t stir when she touched him.

The nurse came in at that moment and smiled politely at Audrey.

“How’s he doing today?” Audrey asked instantly, not bothering with pleasantries.

“His vitals are good. A definite improvement from yesterday. He still hasn’t regained consciousness though but that could be as a result of his body keeping him sedated as a healing mechanism. You should go home and get some rest. We can call you as soon as there’s any improvement.”

“No, I’d like to stay here and be with him when he wakes up.”

The nurse nodded her understanding and went about checking his charts and reading all the vitals being spat out from the monitor at his bedside.