Chapter 10

Whitney

Tonight has been the most fun ever. I don’t remember the last time I danced, sang, or held a man tight. It’s been magical. And as I stand here, dancing, holding Quin, I feel myself relax for the first time in years. It feels like everything is safe, all is well, and nothing bad can ever happen. Never knew anyone could make me feel like this. Quin is so soft and warm, and the way he holds me when we dance, it’s gentle yet firm enough that I know he’s there, and his touch is meaningful. The way his fingers move up and down my back, and how he snuggles his body into mine, it’s very tender.

The song is beautiful, and I swear I feel him kiss me softly on the head during the chorus. I want to be with Quin. I really do. But as soon as I start to think about what it would be like to have him around regularly, in a relationship, my mind goes straight to Trinity. It’s like a balance. Like if anything changes, it’ll upset the pattern of safety that I have, that I’ve worked so hard to have and to maintain. And Quin’s been a part of that. I don’t want it to change. I don’t want anything to change. That’s why tonight is just like a pause for me. A break from the every day. And as much as I don’t want it to end, all I can think about is getting home to Trinity tomorrow.

“Would you be offended if I wanted to call it a night after this song? I’m wiped.”

“Sure, darlin’. It’s late, anyway.” He grins at me, allowing himself a gaze at my lips as our faces are close together. “Do you want to try and squeeze into the guest house with the Kelsey and Thomas boys, or do you want to camp out in my guest bedroom for tonight?”

“I think I’ll be safer with you, frankly. Who knows how late those boys will want to stay up until. And the last thing I want is to step in puke first thing tomorrow.”

He chuckles. “Good point.” He pulls me closer, as if this is the last time he’ll be able to hold me like this for a long time, and I take it all in, too. “We’ll go say our goodbyes.”

“Okay.” It’s sweet how he’s always holding my hand. I’m already used to it, and I actually find myself looking for it, whenever we’re on the move. It takes us over an hour to say goodbye to everyone. Between chatting and congratulating, I’m glad I spoke up and decided to call it a night when I did, because now it’s so late, the crickets are chirping as we walk to Quin’s car. “Is it okay to leave my car here overnight?”

“Sure is. We have cars regularly lined up and down the road. The Sheriff doesn’t mind at all.”

He takes my bag out of my car and places it in his trunk, and we both slide into the car. His hand finds mine again after he starts up the car, and it makes me smile. Quin is the sweetest man alive. “Tired?” he asks softly as we start driving.

“I’m not much of a night person, I’ll admit. I’m used to early mornings being a teacher and all.”

“I’m so used to all-nighters from my residency, it doesn’t faze me at all. Plus, my working hours are all over the place, as you know.”

“Yes.” I look at him. “Did you have to get anyone to cover for you tonight?”

“I did, yes. I have several colleagues who can fill in for me, and I fill in for them a lot, too. It’s a give and take kind of situation.”

“You mean there’s more than one of you at that hospital?” I joke.

“Not exactly. I’m the only specialist in Urology at that hospital, but there are several other hospitals in Dallas, and all over Texas, as a matter of fact, so we spread ourselves around when necessary.”

“What made you decide to go into Urology, anyway?”

“I don’t know, really. I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, and I found the inner workings of the excretory system to be particularly interesting. Then, of course, I did my thesis on kidney diseases. I knew that was my calling. It took a few more years of schooling to specialize, but I love it, and although there are frustrations and limitations, I’ve learned from colleagues in the field that those exist in all branches of medicine.” He lifts my hand and kisses it. Not sure why, but I’ll take it as a reward for asking such an important question. “What made you decide to be a teacher?”

“I love kids.” I say simply. “I wish I could’ve had a dozen of them, but after Trinity was born with her faulty kidneys, I couldn’t bare to have more.”

“But you were a teacher long before you were a mother, weren’t you?”

“Yes. Like I said, I became a teacher for my love of children, but I still wanted my own. I also love to teach. It’s such a fulfilling career, and I’ve been fortunate enough to earn a decent living, which was important when I was raising Trinity on my own.”

“I hear that.” he kisses my hand again, and it’s funny, but I can’t get enough of it. One would think that it might feel inappropriate, but the sentiment isn’t sexual, it’s tender and loving, and not suggestive at all. It feels wonderful, and it gives me a warmth throughout my body.

As we pull up to Quin’s house, my memory of it is very vague. I can’t remember if we were here for an event with the hospital or with his family, or if it was one of his brother’s houses. It was a long time ago, when Trinity was only going to dialysis about once a month. We didn’t know Quin as well then, but I remember him inviting my family and I over for the fundraiser. What I do remember is being incredibly overprotective of Trinity, so much so that we didn’t stay very long, as there were other children there, and they seemed to be swarming her because she was the youngest.

Quin grabs my bag out of the trunk, and we head up the walkway to the house. He has lights illuminating the brick path to the steps leading into the house. It’s a cute little home, with faux flower boxes under the windowsills, full of silk flowers, adorning white framed, crosshatch patterned windows, one on each side of the door. The front door has a wreath with matching silk flowers on it, and I figure his mama must have done this. Inside is a white ceramic floor in the foyer, and an open concept living/dining room on one side, and an open concept kitchen, with an eat-in area. It’s a big house inside and deceiving from the outside. The floors and hallway are done in a dark mahogany fishtail pattern, and the walls are painted a peachy cream color, warming the feel of the house. Overhead in the hallway is a tiny crystal chandelier, and I notice that his ceiling is slightly higher than code.

“The guest room is just in the back, next to my room.” Quin explains, taking my bag to the room. I follow him after I take my shoes off. “Oh, you don’t have to take them off, darlin’.” He says with a chuckle.

“Please. I can’t stand them on for another minute.”

I follow him to the guest room, and he shows me the main bathroom, a small office/workout room, the master bedroom, and another room that he tells me is going to be an exam room one day, if he ever decides to move some of his practice to the house. “Right now, I have just enough of a patient load for the hospital, but one day I may move my office here. I just haven’t decided yet. I’ve had a contractor come in and give me an estimate on having a private door put in and a side entrance, so we’ll see how that goes.”

He turns the light on in the guest room. It’s beautiful, just as Mary stated. The mahogany floor has a plush, fluffy, soft pink colored throw rug, which flanks a ruby red leather chaise lounge, which is at the bottom of the four-poster bed of matching mahogany. On the bed is a ruby red duvet and matching pillowcases, with an accent pillow in the center that says, ‘hope’. A long, mahogany dresser sits off to the side, where another throw rug lays. The window has a soft pink gauze drape over it. A small ensuite bathroom is behind the chaise lounge. But the piece de resistance is the beautiful shaded skylight above.

“I have a skylight in every room. It helps to let natural light in. Good for the health.” He says, punching his chest playfully.

“Oh, it’s beautiful. I love it.”

“And you have your own bathroom, but you’re welcome to use the main bathroom if you want. I also have an ensuite in my bedroom.”

“Three bathrooms? Gosh, you’d think you’d have a woman living here with you.”

He lifts a brow. “Maybe someday I will.” Then he wiggles them jokingly. “Your bag good here?” he asks, placing it on top of the bed.

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

He swallows as he walks slowly through the room, adjusting things, as if inspecting it, making sure that I’ll be comfortable enough. “It’s fine, Quin. Your mama was right. This is a beautiful guest room.”

He purses his lips, and I can tell that he’s got something on his mind. My stomach is doing flip flops, wondering if he’s about to tell me that he wants more from me, which I’m not ready to give yet. And I start to wonder if maybe staying here was a big mistake. That I’ve led him on. That I’ve made a horrible decision and I’m going to regret it forever.

Then he blurts something that I’ll never forget, and that changes my life forever.

 

***

Quin

I’ve been wrestling with myself all night, wondering when it’s the right time to tell her. I didn’t want to do it at the wedding, and before the wedding seemed inappropriate, because then, that’s all she’d be thinking about. When is the right time to tell someone something life changing, anyway? Whitney’s been dying to hear what I’m about to tell her for so many years, it shouldn’t matter when I tell her. And as I fiddle and fuss with things in the guest room, I can tell that I’m making her uncomfortable, and that her mind is reeling. She’s going to change her mind and want to go home, and I don’t want her to leave. And before I know it, the words just start coming out of my mouth.

“I found a donor for Trinity.”

Her eyes bulge. “What…did you say?”

“Trinity. Your daughter. I…I found a donor for her.” I say, not meaning for it to come out as curt as it does.

“H…how? I thought you said that Dan wasn’t a match, and that the donor bank fell through.” She licks her lips. “Did you find another donor bank?”

“Yes.” I nod. “But that one fell through, too.”

Before she can say anything, I interrupt her. “I’ve got it set up already, Whitney. I made a promise to you and I never break a promise to anyone. You had my word and I don’t back down when I give someone my word. Especially…well, especially when that someone is you.”

She looks at her hands at that remark.

“Trinity will have a new kidney in two week’s time, Whitney. That’s the best that I could do, darlin’.”

As she looks up, I see a tear fall down her cheek, and I walk to her. Embracing her, she pulls herself to me, and lets go. She sobs into my neck, holding me close, almost squeezing me. “Shhh…darlin’. It’s okay.” I murmur softly to her.

A sniffle, and then she pulls back to look at me. “How did you…what, did…did someone die in a car crash or something? Someone who was a match for my baby?”

I shake my head, wiping her tears away. “No, darlin’, nothing like that.”

“Then how? Who? Did someone write to you? Do you have some secret fan club or something?”

I lick my lips and look her straight in the eye. “Darlin’…it’s me…I’m a match for Trinity.”

A ‘v’ forms between her brows. “You’re what? But…that’s impossible.”

“No, not really. Someone from halfway around the world might match up better than someone at your doorstep. Body chemistry is a funny thing.”

“But even her own father wasn’t a match. How…how could you be one?”

“I can’t explain it, darlin’. It would take years to explain it in laymen’s terms. It never occurred to me. All these years I never thought to test myself.”

“And you’re sure? How can this be?”

“I’m sure. I even had a colleague do the testing and paperwork for me, for an impartial look at all the data. He’s going to do the surgery, too. Since, well, technically I can’t.”

She searches my eyes. “And…you can…donate to my baby? It’s not a breech of anything? Since you’re her doctor?”

“Nope.” I shake my head. “It’s my body. I’m allowed to donate any part of it that I want to, regardless of my career.”

“And it doesn’t matter how old you are? Your kidney won’t be too big or too old for her body?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit. Kidneys are small organs and mine is healthy as can be, no matter of my age.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “You’re willing to do that for her?” her voice cracks.

I swallow, searching her eyes, combing the hair around her face with my hand. “Darlin’…you and Trinity…are everything to me. I’d do anything for either of you.” I figure now’s as good a time as any to say it. “I love you, Whitney. And I love Trinity, too, like she was my own. And I made a promise to both of you that I intend to keep. I don’t want Trinity to have to suffer with this any longer, and I know it’ll only get worse, so now’s the time.”

Her chin quivers. She gasps as she wraps her arms around my neck, sobbing, holding me like her life depends on it. “Shhh…darlin’. Everything is going to be okay.” I whisper, holding her tight. “I promise.”

“And this surgeon’s good?” she asks.

I chuckle. “He’s actually better than me. He scored higher on his exams than I did in medical school. Got a scholarship and everything, the bastard.”

She chuckles, lifting her head, so she can look at my face. “God, Quin…what did I ever do to deserve you?”

“Now, don’t give me all the credit here.” I say, looking at her face, so happy. “Dan was willing to give Trinity a kidney, too.”

“But it’s you.” She states. “You’re the one who’s going through with it. That’s what matters.”

“What matters is getting that little girl healthy again. And that’s all that’s important right now.” I say poignantly, letting Whitney know that I’m still on board with her. Whitney’s eyes are on my lips, and before I can blink, her lips are on mine, giving me the softest, most tender kiss ever. When our lips break apart, I say. “Thank you.”

“No, Quin. Thank you.” She says, her eyes welling up again. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again. You are one in a million.”

My voice is a murmur. “It takes one to know one, darlin’.”

A tear falls down her cheek, and I kiss it softly, making her eyes close. I kiss down her cheek, tasting the saltiness, and her lips find mine, as she delivers a long, soft kiss that I feel all over. I let her kiss me again as I kiss her back, in soft, fluid kisses, that turn into open-mouthed kisses, and then together we tilt our heads and it’s make-out city. It’s been so long since both of us kissed like that, that we both release a small moan on the first pass, feeling our tongues ignite the flame that’s been living inside both of us for so long.

Her hands tangle in my hair, while my hands explore her back and her rear end, until our breathing is so heavy, you’d think we’d been running around the block. Filled with desire, Whitney’s body is all but trembling as I tenderly but passionately kiss her neck up and down, feeling her lean against me, as if trying to get as much contact with me as possible. She’s needy and hungry as I slide my hand up to her breast, caressing it gently. Her body shudders, and suddenly I feel like she’s got so much pent up sexual tension in her, that this is almost like suffering for her. Maybe it’s my doctor’s cap on right now, but my instincts are telling me that this is her…crying for release.

“Sh…sh, darlin’.” I whisper as I pull the zipper on her dress, feeling her skin on my way down, finishing touching her only when her dress is pooled on the floor. Her mouth covers mine as she tries to dip her tongue all the way inside, once again, showing me how on fire this poor thing is. Her fingers force the buttons on my shirt open, as she practically rips it off me with my help. And her eyes are all over me and mine are on her, as we stand there together, drinking each other in.

My mouth sucks her neck, throat and chest, as I feel my way to the back of her bra and undo it. When my mouth is on her breast, I skate my hand down her abdomen, past her navel, and down inside her panties. Her head rears back as I suck and lick her nipple while circling her wetness with my fingers. The desperate, painful yet emotional moaning coming from her, tells me that this is exactly what she needs. And mere moments later, her first release comes like a tidal wave, proving that this lady was so in need.

I lay her down on the bed and swiftly work my way out of my pants, briefs and socks, and I slide down to her middle, kissing her belly, pulling her panties down, finding her folds with my mouth. I know she’s still a smouldering mess and her body is still locked up, waiting for more, so I give it to her. With two hands gently cupping her breasts, and rubbing her nipples, I reach above my head to her upper half, while my mouth French kisses her in the spot where she needs it the most. Her cries become louder and her knuckles grasp the duvet as she feels her second release, and now…now’s when the real stuff happens.

I feel like now I can make love to her properly, when she’s more relaxed and some of that tension is melted away, and she can handle a slow, more tender experience, the one I want to give her. Kissing her belly as she regains her breath, I work my way up, inch by inch, and stop at her breasts, kissing, sucking, licking, as her back comes off the mattress, taking it in. Her hands skate across my chest as she feels my skin with hers, making me harder than a rock, even after what I just witnessed…twice.

Whitney has a gorgeous body. Perfect from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. And I plan to kiss it all over. As our lips and tongues slowly glide over and over together, her hand is making its way down my chest and abdomen, and it doesn’t stop until she’s on the mark.

 

***

 

Whitney

Quin would go to the ends of the earth and back for me and Trinity. I know that now. He loves me; he told me so. But in a way, I didn’t have to be told, I already knew. This man has shown me more love than anyone ever has my entire life. And now he’s making love to me like it’s my dying wish. It’s been years. Since Trinity was conceived, to be frank, since I’ve been with a man. After Trinity was born, the heat between Dan and I faded away. Neither of us wanted each other anymore. What we had was gone. With a little help, it might have been reignited, but Dan’s heart wasn’t in it, and if I’m telling the truth, I’d say that mine wasn’t in it, either.

This loving man who is touching me, senses my need, and he’s finding every possible way to be the answer to that. He’s doing a remarkable job, too. And as my hand travels down his body, I’m dying to feel him as I’ve never felt him before. His girth is ample and firm, and it pulses as I sheath my hand around him. It refreshes my need once again, and as I moisten my hand with my own wetness, I surround my love’s shaft, and begin rubbing it, as he grunts softly, kissing and sucking my nipples, reacting to the pleasure I’m bringing him.

“Oh, darlin’,” he murmurs softly against my skin, and his voice is laced with sex, turning me on further.

As I keep stroking him, his breathing is becoming heavier, making me melt. He pulls my hand away and our sexes meet. Gliding his sex over mine, he looks deeply into my eyes. “How’s that, darlin’?” With his body moving over mine, and his hardness teasing me deliciously, as I feel myself climb once again. I can’t help the moan in my throat again. It feels so good it’s almost too much. “Are we getting serious again, honey?” he breathes, driving me crazy. I nod and he kisses me, making love to my mouth, as erotically as he’s moving on top of me, and then he blows my mind by kissing down the length of my neck, and finishing me off by kissing and licking my one nipple, while he kneads the other with his hand.

Mouth open wide, I feel my third orgasm rip through me, helping me release nearly ten years of sexual anxiety and drought, and on the coattails of my orgasm, Quin enters me, slowing to a painfully enjoyable thrust, stretching me with his ample girth, making me feel every cell of him below the belt. His mouth covers mine as he kisses me with slow, erotic, mind-blowing kisses, that only add to the layering of sensations that I’m getting from this man.

Lifting my head, I kiss and suck down his neck, and he squirms and writhes, taking it in. Then I work my way down to his nipples, kissing and sucking them, too, and he assists by lifting himself onto his elbows, and deepening his thrusts further. The bed is squeaking happily from under us, a sound I haven’t heard in any room I’ve been staying at, for longer than I care to admit. I stay at his nipples, feeling him harden inside me, listening to him grunt and breathe heavily. “Is it too much?” I whisper teasingly against his skin.

“Mmmm….” He exhales through his nose. “No, darlin’, that’s…just fantastic.” His voice is low and sultry, laced with sex. Pulling my knees up higher, he angles himself in such a way that he’s hitting the right spot, and it takes me down, dividing my focus from his nipple, and I realize that he’s wanting to play this game of who can pleasure whom more. With his hardness hitting my sweet spot, I let out a breathy moan, kneading both his nipples with each hand, and it’s like a pleasure tug of war, that we’re both losing at.

His hair brushes against my collarbone as he bows his head as if in surrender. His voice is a pant when he says. “I’m in the home stretch, darlin’.”

And just as he says this, I feel my insides quiver, and let out a sharp hiss, followed by a breathy exhale, and I know he feels it, because he lifts his head, and winces, closing his eyes tight, and then he lets go, and his breath becomes choppy as his body shudders, and his thrusts are harder and faster. As they crescendo, he sucks in air fast, slowing, mewling with me, riding the aftershocks in unison, until he finally rests his head on my shoulder and tucks his arms around my middle.

We lay there, breathless, until he swallows and lifts his head, still winded. His hair is a mess and so sexy, and his eyes are dark but sedate, a look I’m taking as satiated. My body is a puddle. How I’m going to move is beyond me. His kiss is soft but lingering. And I lift my lips to kiss him, and it’s another game of kissing each other, each taking turns, until he pauses to rest his chin on my chest. He looks sweet, like a little puppy dog. I rake my hand through his disheveled hair. “God, I love you.” He practically gushes, closing his eyes at my touch.

“I love you, too.” I reply, and a little smile curls on his lips. Just when I think he couldn’t be any more adorable.

“That deserves another kiss.” He says, kissing me again. He rests his chin back in that spot, so we’re nose-to-nose. “Tired?” he asks softly.

“After that?” I ask, scoffing rhetorically.

He snuffles a soft laugh, closing his eyes. When he opens them, he’s gazing at me as if I am all he ever wants to look at.

“You’re cute after sex.”

He gives me a sexy little grin. “Am I?”

“Oh yeah.”

We lay still, gazing at each other for a while, then he asks softly. “Which bed do you want me to sleep in, darlin’?”

I give him a knowing look. “Whichever one I’m in.”

“Well, which one do you want to sleep in?”

“I haven’t even seen your room, so that settles it, I suppose.”

“I didn’t want to seem presumptuous.” He explains, sliding a finger down my cheek. “Didn’t want to break the spell, since you were happy staying here, it seemed.”

I grin. He tried to be a gentleman. He was, but I might have had a hand in spoiling it. “It doesn’t matter where we sleep, baby. As long as we’re together.”

With that, he kisses me softly. “I should get off you. This can’t be comfortable.”

“I love it, actually. You have a way…”

“I do, do I? A way, huh.” He chuckles sexily, and then he kisses me one last time, before carefully removing himself, pulling the duvet down, and we both snuggle underneath. Our bodies are facing each other, and I drape a leg over his thigh, and his arm drapes over my waist. “What can I make you for breakfast in the morning?”

“We should get up and dressed and go to my house. My mama always brings over those delicious rolls and treats and things on the weekends.”

“It’s not always on weekends, darlin’. I do recall showing up in the middle of the week and she was there with said treats.”

“Mama comes around a lot with treats, I suppose. It’s amazing I’m not the size of a house.”

He slides down and kisses my chest, in between my breasts. “You are perfect, darlin’. Wouldn’t change a thing.”

“Same to you.” I kiss his neck. “You are…yummy.”

Another soft chuckle. “Yummy doesn’t cover you.”

“Keep that up and we’re going to end up in trouble again.” I warn playfully.

“Sleep first, darlin’. We’ve got all of our lives to make love again.” He says, and then he kisses me on the lips again, before rising to go turn off the light. I watch his naked body as he exits the bed, walks to the switch, and then walks back to bed.

“Mmmm…yummy.” I say teasingly.

“Oh, you’re insatiable.” He snorts, kissing me playfully, and then poignantly, and then cuddling me close. “Tell you what. We get a good night’s sleep, and then I’ll wake you up in a way that makes you forget your mama’s treats.”

I kiss his lips. “That’s a deal I can’t pass up.”

“I figured you’d say that, darlin’.” He kisses my lips. “I love you.” He whispers.

“I love you, too.”