His Four Poster Bed (Bedroom Secrets Series Book 2) (16 page)

Marco strode to the key pad and punched in some numbers. “He knows who you are,” he said. “This changes everything.”

“What does it change?” I gasped, panic racing through my veins. I followed him across the room as he dialed his phone.

“Veronica,” he said, his voice dropping as he turned away from me. “Luis has identified Odessa. Is there security downstairs?”

I stopped in the center of the living room feeling sick; this was my fault, I had been so stupid. I should have checked with him about the car. I should have been smarter, more careful. I sank into the couch that faced the silver tree and the bird cages that Marco had given me just a month before. New Year’s Eve felt like years ago. I felt as though Marco and I had spent years together, and now I feared I had made a stupid mistake that would somehow cost me everything.

“I can still disappear with you,” I whispered, reaching my hand up as Marco walked past.

He nodded and squeezed my fingers. “Make it happen Veronica,” he said. “This needs to happen tomorrow night.”

He hung up the phone and turned to me. “Veronica’s people are in the lobby. No one is making it upstairs tonight but Luis was sending me a message. He wants me to know that he has discovered you. You need to choose Odessa.”

I stood up slowly from the couch, my legs felt weak like I might fall at any moment, but I reached out and held Marco’s hand. “I choose you,” I whispered feeling a rush of relief flood my body.

“I don’t want you choosing out of fear. If you don’t go, Veronica can protect you. It’s me he’s after. Once I’m gone, he will lose interest in you.”

“I’m not choosing out of fear,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I’m choosing out of love.” And as I spoke I knew this was my truth. I wanted to disappear in this man’s love, dissolve in the heat of our passion for each other, the warmth of his kisses, the sensation of our bodies joining as one. I wanted to make love to this man every day for the rest of my life. “I believe in you,” I said, blood rushing through my head making me almost dizzy. “I believe in us and I don’t want to live in a world where we aren’t in it together.”

Marco wrapped his arms around me in a fierce hug and we stood together unmoving. I had just agreed to walk away from my life for the man I loved. I had never been so happy and so scared all at once.

I awoke in Marco’s arms the next morning hazy sunlight filling the bedroom. My heart raced for a moment as I remembered the events of the night before, Marco’s proposal that we leave together, my agreement to go with him. I took a breath to calm my heart. I felt safe beside him. I felt safe if we were together.

Marco rolled over and trailed a fingertip across my naked body.

“I want to memorize your skin,” he said, kissing my shoulder. “I want every part of you blazed in my mind.”

“You don’t need to memorize me,” I said, turning and taking his face in my hand, trying to look more happy than afraid. “We’re in this together now. Remember?”

“I remember,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

“What time do we leave?” I asked. “And how are we leaving exactly?”

“Right.” Marco cleared his throat, rolled over and checked his phone. “Veronica said she would have instructions this morning. I believe the pickup time is 7:00 p.m.”

“And what happens at 7:00 p.m.”

“The less we know . . .”

“I mean are we getting on a plane? A boat? A submarine?” My heart hammered in my chest. Staying calm would be more difficult than I thought. “Do I just wait with my bags packed?”

“Veronica is arranging everything. Todd will take you back to your apartment to get your things. You will have time to pack and rest, he’ll wait for you. Do not get into a car with anyone unless I tell you.” He actually smiled a bit when he said that.

“Can I go to work today?” I asked, staring out the floor to ceiling window of his bedroom. The sky was growing dark with storm clouds approaching across Puget Sound. “If I’m going away, there are things I should do, loose ends . . .”

“I’m sorry, Veronica wants you to call in sick. She says it’s too dangerous for you to go to the hospital. I don’t think Luis will come after you at work, but we don’t know.”

“I just wanted one more day there,” I said, hot tears flooding my eyes. “I wanted to say good-bye to some of the patients, make sure things will keep running smoothly.”

“I’m so sorry,” Marco said, his eyes clouding. “Are you sure you can do this? Are you sure you can leave?”

“Yes, I am sure,” I said, taking a deep breath and holding my tears at bay. “If I had a week it wouldn’t be enough time. It’s better to just rip the bandage off now. I’ll get packed and we will leave. Today it happens.” I said, trying not to sound like I was giving myself a pep talk.

I moved to get out of the bed and he grabbed my hand pulling me back under the covers. “Don’t leave, not yet,” he whispered burying his face in my neck. “Let me love you one more time. I need you Odessa, I need to feel you one more time.”

I did not resist, I couldn’t. My hand found his hardness and I stroked him with my fingertips. Then I straddled him, feeling his cock beneath my spread legs. I reached for a condom.

“All I need is this,” I said raising my body up and sliding him inside me. I moaned as he entered me.

“Just this,” Marco whispered grasping my hips with his hands. Together we rode each other, his hands raising me up, my hands on his chest I pushed myself up and down, faster and faster until I could feel the orgasm building. As the ripples came my mouth found his, my pussy shaking and quivering with heat as wave after wave shook me to my bones.

Marco followed right after his back arching as he drove into me deeply his body throbbing and pulsing. We collapsed on top of each other, dripping with sweat, and aching with pleasure.

“You have all of me,” I said, giving him one last kiss. “See you tonight.”

“Tonight,” he said, squeezing my hand.

And with that I walked out of Marco’s bedroom and left his four poster bed.

Todd drove me to my apartment. I tried not to worry about what exactly that meant as I padded up the stairs to my apartment. I unlocked the door aware that this was the last morning I would open my apartment door.

I made myself a cup of coffee. Again the last time I’d brew coffee in my own place.

I sat down on my bed and took a deep breath. I was about to be late for the Wednesday staff meeting. It was time to call in sick. I fired off an email but with days of absence I needed to leave a message with the staffing nurse.

“Staffing,” Dr. Mike surprised me by answering the phone.

“Hey,” I said, walking to my window. “It’s Odessa. I’m out sick today. Some sort of flu.” I braced myself for some biting remark but instead heard nothing but kindness from my ex.

“I’m sorry to hear you are sick, you need anything? Chicken soup? Fluids?”

“No, I need sleep. I definitely need more of that.” I wasn’t totally lying. I was sleep deprived just not from the flu.

“Okay, well I’ll let Marcia know you are out. I was hoping to talk with you before the staff meeting, I’ve been working on the latest round of results and we are making a difference Odessa. These kids are responding. I think it might be time to appeal for a broader group of patients.”

My heart surged at the news. “We could talk on Monday about that,” I blurted before realizing there would be no Monday for me. “Put time on my calendar,” I added softly. “We can collaborate on a proposal though you don’t really need me to move forward here. I’d trust you with the whole program Mike. It’s good to know I can take a sick day and you’ll be there keeping the ship righted.”

As I talked I was grateful for Mike and for all of the traits that had drawn me to him at the start. He was thorough, he cared and he was a brilliant doctor. I needed him to know that I believed in him before I left, I had to know that things would continue without me, or I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

“That means a lot coming from you,” Dr. Mike said, his voice soft.

I inhaled to keep the tears from coming. “I’m sorry how things ended between us Mike. I really am. I’m going to make you late to the staff meeting,” I added.

“It’s all right,” he said. “You know when we started dating you told me you didn’t want anything serious.”

“I did.”

“And I tried to change your mind.”

“You did,” I said, able to smile at the memory of his attempts to get me to move in with him out of logic. There was the cost savings, the shorter commute, and global warming; he had truly worked all angles.

“I understand now that you weren’t ready to be serious with me, and that is okay.”

“Mike, it wasn’t you.”

“No, hear me out,” he said. “You will find that person you want to commit to Odessa, it will happen and it will be okay. I wanted to believe that you were just anti-relationship.”

“Well, I was . . .”

“No, you were anti-relationship with me,” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I can see how happy you are with Marco. I’m glad you two are together. I wanted you to know that.”

“Thanks Mike,” I said.

“Means a lot coming from the guy who has spent the last month making snide comments?”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “It does.”

“Feel better Odessa,” he said. “I’ll start drafting the study expansion proposal today, we can review it next week.”

“Sounds great,” I said, tears choking my voice. “Thanks Mike, bye.” I hung up the phone before sobs wracked through my body.

I needed to be strong. I needed to be okay with saying good-bye.

Marco finally sent a text.

Go outside. Todd will drive you.

I responded quickly, my heart racing.

I love you. Be there soon.

I stood in the center of my apartment. I’d tidied up the kitchen and left my good wine out on the counter. The refrigerator was empty; I’d wanted to make sure nothing rotted. I wasn’t about to leave Billie with a mess to clean up or worse Shea.

I felt terribly sad knowing I couldn’t say good-bye to Shea, Billie, Bella, or anyone at the hospital. I thought of my mother and wondered what I would say to her if I called; I couldn’t say good-bye, she was fragile at best. I’d find a way to reach out to her, to tell her I was safe.

I took a mental picture of the apartment, the view into the alley, the uneven stucco walls and cracked ceiling, the pale hardwood floors, and the green and white molding. I’d spent more than four years in this tiny studio. The bare walls had never bothered me and now they looked empty and sad. My bed . . . I had slept a full night in my bed only once in the past month. I didn’t live here anymore. This place was no longer my home. Home was with Marco.

“Good-bye,” I said, tears blurring my vision. I clicked off the light and locked my door.

As I walked down the hall, I noticed that the large two bedroom apartment next door was vacant. The door wide open the smell of fresh cleanser drifted into the hall.

New neighbors I thought. Neighbors I’d never meet.

Holding my single bag of belongings I walked down the stairs never once looking back.