Chapter 16 #2
“It’s okay. I should get dressed and maybe take a nap.” Lucy answered, looking down at the mess she and Jenny made the night before.
“Wild party, huh?” I said, wincing at how stupid I sounded. Of course, we’d already gone over all of this, so I knew that was lame.
“You could say that.” Lucy turned around and went back to her room, leaving me in peace, at last.
On the way to my room, I found Jenny’s door ajar.
The soft snoring that came from inside felt remarkably comforting to me.
I could never say that I understood what my sweet cousin had been through, because I knew I never would.
I was just glad that she thought of me when she needed shelter and some peace.
Having Lucy here has been a great help. A fast food party and pretend fashion show was definitely not something I would think of to do to cheer Jenny up.
I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t come on to New York. If I followed through on the dates that my mother planned for me and Lucy, would I have fallen for her?
About an hour later, just as I stepped out of the shower, June called.
The call made me ridiculously happy, and my dick clearly remembered our night and it was eager to say hello to her too.
Disappointment quickly overrode my happiness when I found out that the phone call had nothing to do with me.
She wanted to have Jenny come into the clinic for a blood test and another consultation.
Still, it made me giddy thinking that she had chosen to make the call herself rather than having her grumpy assistant do it.
Fuck.
I had fallen so fast for her.
As much as I liked her, I hated that I had no control over how she made me feel.
At eleven o’clock, Jenny, Lucy and I were back again at June’s office. Lucy and Jenny sat in front of the doctor’s desk. I stood next to Jenny as there wasn’t another chair for me.
Some nurses gave us an odd look as we entered, and I couldn’t blame them. We were an odd combination of people as we came through the clinic. Mother to be, with her straight male cousin, and her best friend, that hardly seems right.
“It’s good to see you again.” June stood up and shook Jenny’s hand, then Lucy’s.
A little too formal if you ask me, like she’d purposely put up a wall between us.
The doctor and the patient. I gave her a nod but didn’t shake her hand.
My body ached to be close to her, a hug would be sufficient. But now just wasn’t the right time.
“I just saw you yesterday. Is everything okay?” Jenny’s voice was small, but her concerns were not.
“Do you want to do this in private?” June’s eyes paused at Lucy and then me. The hint was loud and clear. As much as I wanted to know everything that was happening to my cousin’s health, I respected that she might want some privacy. I turned around, ready to leave the room.
“Please stay. I can’t do this alone.” Jenny pleaded, “and you too, Lucy.”
She grabbed Lucy’s hand.
“Okay. I believe Dr. Rose has told you about her diagnosis. We had a discussion about the prescription you’d been taking. And those that Dr. Rose recommended that you take.” June paused for a second, acknowledging my stern stare, begging for her to tell us more.
“Yes.” Jenny’s voice is soft and weak.
“I’m concerned that the medications may cause complications for your pregnancy, for you and your baby’s health. It could cau–”
“I want to keep the baby.” Jenny blurted out, interrupting June and the information she was telling us. “I don’t care. I want to keep the baby.”
Jenny shook her head no, contradicting her words.
And I wanted to know what was going on. What was the diagnosis?
“Are you aware of the increased risk of miscarriage, birth defects, and stillbirth with your medications?” June pressed firmly. “And–”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Jenny was at the border of shouting. “I know. I read about it all.”
Suddenly, I realized that Jenny would be risking her health for something that had barely formed. The baby was a cancer, an unwanted cancer that should be taken care of.
“Qing Qing.” I called Jenny’s childhood nickname. “You want to think about this?”
Erik Chen and his stupid children had caused Jenny enough heartache. I had no idea why she would go through another pregnancy.
“I’m sure.” Jenny said, avoiding eye contact with me.
“I want to keep this baby. If God doesn’t bless me with a healthy baby, then so be it.
But if I can carry this baby to full term, then I’m going to raise the baby alone.
” She paused for two seconds, “Kai, I know you hated Erik from the beginning. And you hated my kids.”
“I don’t hate your kids.”
“Then what are their names?”
Trouble and Smelly.
“I–” There were no words. I couldn’t remember her boys’ names. I only wished that Lucy wouldn’t jump in and volunteer. It would only make me look worse, though.
“I don’t blame you. But I can’t say that I am not disappointed.” Lucy handed Jenny a tissue from her brown leather bag.
“I’m sorry.” I truly was. I could never stand someone crying. Especially someone I cared deeply about.
“I know you are. But your words are meaningless to me.”
I agreed. My words meant nothing to her. I should have tried harder in the first place.
“I needed you to be a better cousin.” Jenny continued, “I love Erik so much. But I need a divorce. Not want. I need one.”
“It’s okay, sweetie.” Lucy rubbed the side of Jenny’s arm as she struggled to talk now.
“But I’m weak. I can’t do it.” She sobbed, “He won’t like it. It will ruin what he, what we stand for. And I know me, I’ll change my mind if he starts to beg. I don’t really know what he will do to me, or my kids.”
“I won’t let him near you.” Divorce wasn’t something her family would support. Not mine either, that was why my parents were still legally married. “Whatever you want, Qing. I’ll support you no matter what.”
I put a hand on top of her shoulder.
She looked up and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I don’t want to lose my children. Don’t let him take them from me.”
“The fucker can try.” My tone came out much more brutal than I intended. “He will have to walk over my dead body.”
“Okay.” June’s voice softly interrupted us, before this meeting turned into something else. “I would like to monitor you closely throughout your pregnancy. Is that okay?”
Jenny nodded again, this time with a small smile.
“Is it okay if we get a blood sample from you?” June asked, her voice gentle and reassuring, just what Jenny needed right now. I respected her more for that.
“That’s fine.” Jenny gulped in a breath of air before she sobbed again, her tears falling faster now.
June handed Jenny another tissue for her tears.
That was pretty much the end of the consultation. Jenny was escorted by a nurse to have her blood drawn. I signaled for Lucy to go with her while I stayed to have a chat with the doctor. None of them suspected my real intentions.
* * *
“Hey you!”
I popped back into June’s office after a quick check on her next appointment in the waiting area. They hadn’t arrived yet. I grinned wickedly because that meant Siti didn’t have a reason to stop me from staying a little longer.
“Hey! Shouldn’t you be with Jenny?” Her eyes ran over me hungrily, letting me know that she wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see her.
I swiftly approached her chair behind her desk – not giving her an opportunity to get up. I planted a deep kiss on her lips. Fuck, her kisses were intoxicating. Her lips were not thin, but full and plump, making it a very nice kiss.
“Did you miss me?” I asked, needing to know.
“Wow. When did I get myself a clingy boyfriend?” She asked and I felt the masculine side of me leave the building. Strangely, I didn’t give a fuck because she just used the word boyfriend.
She let out a chuckle, a very short one when she realized what she’d just said. However, I wasn’t going to let it go. “So… interesting. You think I’m your boyfriend?”
She pushed me away from her and sat up straight. I was surprised at how strong she was.
“You heard it wrong. I said–,” she paused, and I waited for the word to come out of her mouth when she finally made up her mind.
“What?” I shook the handle of her swivel chair which was a bad idea because it only moved her further from my face.
“Brother.” She said finally.
“Brother?” Oh? Did I hear it wrong?
I had wanted to be someone’s boyfriend for quite some time.
I wasn’t one to believe in romantic love.
Can you blame me though? My father cheated on my mom, while my mom’s life was nothing but plotting against him and his other family.
There were so many families like that in China that it jaded me against that idea.
When I found out about Lincoln’s mission to find Chloe – the presumed dead girl – simply because of one memorable night he had with her, I thought it was the most laughable thing I had ever heard.
But when he found her, and risked everything including his life for her, and she finally loved him back… it made me believe in love again.
Me, believing in love. Who would have thought?
“Yeah, you have always treated me like your little sister, right? You told Lincoln you needed to step up for him and play the big brother role. He told me.” June teased me mercilessly.
That was true. I said those words. Mostly to make my feelings for her go away. To make me feel wrong for having feelings for my sister. But my mind couldn’t be fooled. It knew that she wasn’t my sister.
For years, I had treated and protected her like my own sister. But I’d always wanted more with her.
I leaned into her again, putting more of my weight on the chair arms this time, not giving her another chance to push back.
“Does a brother do this?” I pressed another kiss on her. I groaned as she opened her mouth, letting me explore her with my tongue.
“No.” She mumbled, and her tongue was now in my mouth as hungry as mine.
I pulled my mouth away and her face followed mine for more. She sealed her lips tight, pouting as I pulled further away.
“And can your brother do this?” I pulled her neck closer and inhaled her scent. She smelled intoxicating. I trailed my hand down her body as her legs uncrossed, welcoming my next move.
I continued drawing my hands up her skintight skirt and found nothing but her wet center.
I couldn’t believe it. She really did have a habit of not wearing underwear.
I checked her face, and she raised an eyebrow with one corner of her mouth.
“You naughty girl. You do this all the time?” I scolded, feeling a little angry. With her going commando under the skintight clothing, it left nothing to the imagination. Any guy could see what was mine. And mine only.
“Isn’t it better than showing pantie lines?” She challenged me. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
“I don’t want other men smelling your scent.”
She rolled her eyes, “That’s crazy talk. No one can smell me.”
“I can. And it drives me crazy.” I wasn’t lying. She wore a perfume that I wasn’t unfamiliar with. It was a very popular perfume made by Vera Wang. But it smelled different on her. The mix of the perfume with her own scent was enough to make me want to jerk off.
“I don’t want other men smelling you.” I repeated my words, this time with a sterner voice.
“How does wearing a thin piece of fabric help mask the scent?” She was getting bold with her teasing.
“It’s better than nothing.” I nipped at her earlobe, “and I should spank you for talking back at me.”
She made a soft noise that I wasn’t expecting. It sounded almost like a moan causing my dick to throb in my jeans.
She reached for my belt buckle and whispered in my ears. “What are you doing tonight?”
I nearly moaned as she tugged at my belt, her cold soft hand caressing my hard abs.
“I – nothing,” I stopped having plans after I found out that Mack was released and could be heading her way. “I’ve reserved all my evenings for you.”
That was as much as I could say to her right now without worrying her about her own safety.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Lucy stood in front of the door, having opened the door without knocking.
“I, uh, I should, I should. Um, Jenny wants to go shopping. Just letting you know that we’re leaving.” Lucy blurted out the words.
With Lucy still standing there, I adjusted myself, trying to hide the boner in my pants and stood up as straight as possible.
“Good to know.” I meant that, it was a good sign that Jenny wanted to go shopping.
“Have Clare take you.” I added.
“Will I see you tonight?” Lucy’s words flowed out of her mouth smoothly, now fully recovered from the shock earlier.
“I have other plans.” My eyes went to June’s.
“Oh? A hot date?” Lucy asked, though she sounded like she was snooping for information.
She had started to get on my nerves. I wanted her to be gone like five seconds ago. She shouldn’t be in here, in the first place. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, of course not. You do whatever makes you happy.” Lucy turned around and left without another word.