Once in the room, he took his time, slowly undressing her. Peeling her blouse from her shoulders, he kissed her neck as his hands caressed each inch of her. Her light blue, satin bra fell to the floor and he bent to carefully unfasten her pants, pulling them down along with her satin panties. Completely naked, Regina stood before him, feeling strangely exposed to this man who had come to know her body intimately.

Standing, his gaze skimmed her body from her painted toenails, traveling up her long legs, to her breasts, and landing on her face. He reached up, smoothing her hair back from her forehead, then, slid his hands down the long, silky tresses glistening in the soft lights of the room.

“So fucking beautiful, Red,” he said and she smiled softly. “You know, you never call me Titan anymore. In fact, now that I think about it, you haven’t said that for several days.”

She lifted her hands and placed them on his shoulders, feeling the tension in his thick muscles. Shaking her head, she replied, “It was a silly name…one that was easy to use between strangers.” Lifting her shoulders in a light shrug, she added, “You’re no longer a stranger.”

Cael’s breath caught in his throat for a second before he bent to take Red’s lips in a barely-there kiss. Reverently tasting her, memorizing her. He led her to the bed before he began to peel off his clothes. She watched eagerly as he removed his shirt, exposing the play of muscles that corded with each of his movements. As he stepped out of his pants and boxers and reached for the nightstand to grab a condom, she halted his hands.

Kneeling on the floor at his feet, Regina gently encircled his cock with her hands, the satin and steel shaft familiar. Slipping her lips over the tip, she slid him into her mouth, gliding her tongue along the length.

Cael hissed through his teeth at the sensation of her warm mouth enveloping, him almost causing him to come immediately. He stared down at her head, her face hidden behind the curtain of her golden-red hair. In danger of falling to the floor to worship her, he forced his legs to lock in place, threading his hands in her tresses.

As she pumped the base with her hand, she moved her mouth up and down, eliciting moans from both of them. When he could tell he was about to come, he tried to pull away. She held tight to his ass with her other hand and before he could attempt to control himself, his orgasm blasted into her mouth. Without hesitation she continued to suck, swallowing each drop.

Spent, he barely managed to scoop her up and deposit her onto the bed before landing next to her. “Fuck, baby. Fuck. Your mouth is as sweet as the rest of you.”

Kissing him, Regina gave herself to him. Heart and soul, she gave everything she had.

They lay in each other’s arms, legs entangled, after making love long into the night. His hand had caressed her shoulder as Regina closed her eyes and began to drift.

She stayed quiet, the sound of his strong heartbeat against her cheek, comforting, even though it couldn’t drown out her tumultuous thoughts. How can this go on? How can I tell him everything, when that would tear us apart? If only we’d met at another time…in another place. But, now that I have him, how can I let him go? The quiet night gave no answers but, just as sleep was about to claim her, he gave them to her.

Cael waited until he thought Red was asleep, his mind churning at the agony of this wonderful woman entering his life now, when there was too much going on to keep her. Sure that she was deep in slumber, he whispered into the night, “I wanted this to be fun. One night, no names and no regrets. Then, I wanted it to last, for a little while longer. But now, sweet Red, I’ve got no place in my life for more than what is already there. I’ve got to give everything to my family. There’s nothing left to give.”

He sighed, his breath leaving his lungs in a sad exhalation, feeling as though his heart could take no more. Closing his eyes, he allowed his thoughts to ease as sleep finally claimed him.

In his arms, absorbing all that he had said, a silent tear slid down her face.

An hour later, she slipped from his arms and silently dressed. Writing a note on the hotel paper, she left it by his wallet on the table. Tiptoeing back to the edge of the bed, she stared down at him, his handsome face relaxed in slumber. She reached her hand out, itching to caress his stubbled jaw once more, but she halted an inch from his cheek. Bringing her hand back, she pressed her fingers to her lips. Swallowing a tear, she turned and silently walked out the door.

Cael’s dreams were filled with visions of people in his life swirling, as though in a fog. His father, mother, sister, Miss Ethel, Zander, Rafe, Asher, Jayden, Jaxon, Zeke, and the others who moved in and out of his life. He saw himself as a scared child, sitting on his new bed, Miss Ethel sitting with him as she tucked him in. “Cael, remember that nothing is as important as family. Of course, family is not just those we are born into, but the families that we make as well.” Red’s beautiful face came into his dream next, pale and delicate. She can be my family too. He reached toward her but her image faded into the fog.

He stirred, the first dawning of light peeking into the room. Stretching, his body was relaxed after a deep sleep and from the lovemaking the night before. Suddenly aware of the empty bed beside him, he jerked his head to the side to confirm Red was not there. Listening for sounds from the bathroom, it was eerily quiet. Sitting up, his eyes landed on the floor where her clothes had been dropped the night before. Now, the floor only contained his clothes. Jumping up, he hurried to the bathroom to check, but it was empty.

Rushing to get dressed, determined to head to the restaurant to see if she had gone down for breakfast, he spied a piece of folded paper on the table. With shaking hands, he snatched it up, unfolding it, his eyes devouring the words.

Thank you so much for the past week. It has been the most memorable week of my life. And thank you for sharing a bit of your family with me last night. It was an honor to meet them. I know we said no names and no regrets. We held to the first, but I am in danger of ruining the second. Spending more time with you would only lead to them, so I am slipping out, trying to be strong, because a goodbye would be too difficult. I pray your sweet niece gets better soon and that you find the happily-ever-after you seek.

Your Red

His heart ached as his knees gave out, causing him to stumble backward into the chair. He thought back to the dream he just awoke from, Miss Ethel’s words coming hours too late for him to share with Red. He had no idea how long he stayed in the chair before he finally rose, finished dressing, and walked to the door of room 917. Staring for a moment at the bed, now as familiar as the one in his house, the covers were messy from their lovemaking and sleep. Sucking in a deep breath, he turned and walked out the door, closing it with a resounding click behind him.

Turning in his room card at the reception desk, he grimaced when the receptionist asked if his stay had been a good one. Nodding, he managed to say, “Yeah. It was great.”

“And will you be needing the room for another night?”

Shaking his head, he choked out, “No. I’m all done here.” Walking through the lobby, peaceful in the early morning, he glanced at the red sofa where she had perched each day waiting for him. As he headed through the main doors, he inhaled the cool air and made his way to his truck. Alone.

Cael’s zombie performance the next day at work had Terrance sending him home early. “You’re a danger to yourself and your crew. Go home. Rest. Go see your niece. But get some fuckin’ sleep, man.”

Irritated with himself, he drove, still on autopilot, to the hospital. Scrubbed and masked, he entered Cindy’s room, seeing her sleeping, with Kathy and her mother-in-law each reading in a chair nearby.

Kathy looked up and smiled, then lifted her hand to indicate for him to stop while she rose from her seat. Moving toward him, she said, “She’s been sleeping. With her grandmother here, let’s get a cup of coffee.”

Nodding his thanks to Tom’s mother, he walked out of the room with Kathy in tow and they headed to the coffee shop at the corner of the hospital’s cafeteria. After placing their order, they moved to a small table by a sunny window.

“So, tell me about your lady friend,” she began.

Fiddling with his napkin, he shrugged. “Nothing to tell. Met her in a bar…we had some laughs, some good times. But, it’s time to move on.” He kept his eyes down, not wanting her to see the emotion in his eyes.

Silence moved between them and he gratefully looked at the server as their coffee was delivered along with two savory muffins.

“Cael…look at me.”

Raising his eyes, his brow crinkled. “Seriously, sis? You sound like you’re talking as a parent to a child right now.” She laughed out loud, her eyes twinkling and he realized it had been a long time since he had seen that look on her face. Shaking his head, he said, “God, I’m sorry. About a lot of things.”

She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, saying, “Tell me.” At his hesitation, she quickly added, “Please. I’m so tired of being in my head, trying to handle everything that needs to be dealt with for Cindy. My world has narrowed to chemo meds, nausea meds, port lines, fluids, and a million medical words I don’t know. I’d kill for a chance to be useful somewhere else and to listen to someone else for a change. Please, Cael, indulge me. Talk to me.”

He stared for a moment, realizing that, for Kathy, her world had changed drastically over the last few months. Blowing out a long breath, he said, “The first part of what I said was true. We met in a bar. It was her hair that caught my attention. It looked so much like dad’s…remember?” She nodded, and he continued, “I’d been drinking and hoped for an easy pick-up, but we started talking…then dancing…then flirting. She was so fuckin’ funny. I liked talking to her. We didn’t exchange names…I called her Red and she called me Titan.”

At that, Kathy barked out a laugh. “Sorry, but that name so fits you.”

Pretending to scowl, he was unable to keep the grin from his face. “Anyway, we decided on one night. I took her to the downtown Hilton, and it was just supposed to be for a few hours.” Chuckling, he said, “Damned if it didn’t last all night. And then I wanted more. We agreed upon the weekend. Then, it was just too good. So, we gave ourselves a week. We’d meet in the evenings, after work and I’d been here. Still, no names and no regrets. That was our agreement.”

“Oh, baby brother. That sounds like a recipe for disaster. A week of time together should involve names and can only end in regrets.”

Blowing out a huge breath, he nodded. “I wanted her to come here last night. I…I needed her here, you know? I wanted more. But, then, when we got back and we were lying in bed, I began to think of all the reasons we wouldn’t work.”

Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “Like what?”

He spread his arms wide, “Like here. Like Cindy’s needs. Like what family should be to each other…always available.”

“Oh, my God, Cael. This…Cindy’s illness and needs affects us all, but we don’t stop living. I would never want that for you. Hell, if Cindy was older and understood more, she would never want that for you either.”

“Well, it’s too late now anyway. It was supposed to be our last night and she left early this morning, leaving a goodbye note on the table. Said it would be too hard to say goodbye in person.”

“But…”

“Sis, I still don’t know her name. Nothing about her life or where she works.” Time crawled between them, each lost to their own thoughts, before he took the last sip of his coffee and said, “It’s over. And you’re right—the way it ended was a disaster, for me at least.” Seeing the tears in her eyes, he stood and offered her hand to assist her up as well. Offering her a hug, he held her tight. “Come on. Let’s go see if Cindy is awake.”

Climbing down the ladder propped against the roof of Miss Ethel’s house, Cael followed Zander and Jaxon to the ground. Asher and Jayden came down another ladder on the other side of the house. They had worked practically since dawn, spending Saturday morning re-roofing. Rosalie was at a teacher’s conference that morning and Eleanor was spending the morning at the veteran’s clinic she ran, so it was just the guys. Miss Ethel had called them to come down for lunch when a truck pulled into the driveway and Rafe and Zeke alighted.

“Got the rest of the roofing tiles,” Rafe called out.

Cael nodded and motioned them inside, “Good timing. Food’s ready.” Entering the dining room, he rushed to take the tray of drinks from Miss Ethel’s hands and set them on the table already laden with food—fried chicken, potato salad, green beans, homemade rolls, and peach cobbler. They all settled quickly, each filling their plates, making sure her plate was filled as well.

After a few minutes of the silence only being broken by the sighs of contentment, as they tasted the good food, Asher finally looked over and said, “So, you never finished your story.”

When he realized Asher was talking to him, he looked up in surprise. Swallowing his bite of cobbler, he said, “Story? I told you all there was. I finally got my head outta my a…uh…outta the sand, and it was too late.”

“So, you got nothin’ to go on?” Zander asked.

Shaking his head, he replied, “Nothing. No name. No place of work. Not even what kind of work she does. I went by the bar where we met and the bartender remembered her…or rather her hair. Said he’d never seen her before that night or after.”

“Can I ask why you thought you could not have a real relationship with her?” Miss Ethel asked, her warm, grey eyes on him.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed heavily. “I don’t know. Looking back, it seems stupid now. I’d been the one all week pushing for another night…another day. Then, I got that call from my sister and I actually wanted her to go to the hospital with me. But, as I spent time with Cindy, it just seemed so overwhelming. Cindy needs me. My sister and Tom need me. I just wasn’t sure that there was room for another relationship. It didn’t seem fair to her or to me, I guess.”

“We have an endless amount of love to give,” Miss Ethel said. They all turned their attention to her. “When George died, I assumed I’d be all alone. No children. No other family. I felt so empty inside. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t from not having someone to love me. It was from me having so much love inside that I needed to give.”

She smiled at each of them as they stared at her in unabashed admiration. “I loved each boy they brought to me, whether it was for a few nights, a few weeks or, like you, until you were grown.” Settling her gaze back on him, she continued, “I know what your family is going through is heart wrenching and I’m not surprised that you sought someone to take your mind off your troubles.” He blushed and she laughed softly. “Boys, I’m not a prude. I know you were looking for a physical…diversion. But, I’m also not surprised you found someone special. What I am so sorry about, is that you thought you didn’t have room for all the people in your life, including someone new.”

She stood from the table and every one of them stood quickly in respect, before sitting back down. She walked to his seat and placed her hand on his shoulder. As tall as he was, even sitting, she did not need to bend much to place a kiss on his cheek before adding, “I have no way of knowing what life holds for you, dear Cael. But, I’m sure that true love will find you. Perhaps, when you least expect it. Or, maybe…it already has.”