Cohen

The next time I wake up, the sun is up, the pain is still a little dulled by my meds, and Quincy is too engrossed in her Kindle to see me looking at her.

“Are you going to share?”

She shrieks a little, almost losing her grip on the device. “Share what?”

“Whatever’s on there that made your cheeks flush.”

“Oh. Um. No. How are you feeling?”

I grab it out of her hands before she realizes what I’m doing. She snatches it back, but not until I’ve already seen some interesting words on the screen. Words I wouldn’t mind experiencing with her.

“I’m feeling a little hornier than I was a few seconds ago.”

“Oh. My. God,” she says, dropping her head into her hands.

“Don’t be embarrassed by liking a little kink. I’m totally down with some exhibitionism.”

“Stop talking now.”

“So, that’s a no?”

“I thought we were going to talk.”

“Talk, lick, fuck—whatever you want to do first, I’m up for. Just lock the door if it’s one of the last two.”

“Talk. We are going to talk.”

She says the words, but her eyes are looking at the sheet, where my morning wood’s making a nice tent. If she licks her lips, I’m giving my buddy down there a stroke. I hope like hell she licks her lips.

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Damn, she swallowed hard, but no lick.

And now she’s got her little magic wand of medicine in her hand. I start to talk as she runs it over my head, and checks on my stitches.

“Here’s the Cliff Notes version. Knox and I used to be super manwhores to the point of sharing women. One of those women blew him, fucked me, and had a baby. She was so obsessed with Knox, she decided he had to be the dad even though he hadn’t been inside anything but her mouth. She stalked him, which is when Wave was hired to protect him. In the end, it all came out, and I had a son.”

“Holy shit!”

“Nothing holy about that bitch, but yeah, I get the sentiment.”

“How long is she in jail for?”

“That’s still to be determined, but Reina’s on it.”

“How long have you had Shane?”

“A little over two years. He was several months old when we found him.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“How about you start with your story.”

“It’s not as felonious as yours, but it has some twists and turns.”

“I can assure you I’m mentally on the edge of my seat.”

“You already know I went to school with Ken. My parents paid for my undergrad, but it was up to me to pay for medical school. I did that by working at an upscale department store, in the Men’s Department. Rick was working for one of his family’s Boston companies and came in to look for some warmer clothes. He was charming, and I fell for it all. When I found out I was pregnant, his parents flew him home to San Diego. I never thought I’d hear from him again.”

“Bastard.”

“Yes, he is. When Bianca was a year old, he decided it would look good for him to be a family man. He came back with a ring. I was tired, Cohen. Tired of trying to juggle a baby and medical school. Wave and Ken helped out, but it was a lot, but they had their own stuff going on. I think you know about that.”

I nod, and she continues. “I took that ring, along with a nanny and a mansion. The only thing I’ll ever be thankful to him besides Bianca, is that I finished school. Once I was done, we were back in San Diego, and he realized it wasn’t just a title I wanted, but the real job, he divorced me. And quickly remarried someone who had just as much money as he did. She loves being a socialite.”

“How long has it been?”

“Three years.”

“Does he take her for weekends or something? Sorry if I’m overstepping here.”

“You’re not, and he takes her when he needs a photo op, or to try to show he’s a good dad. He’s not.”

“I really want to punch this guy.”

“Did I mention that his wife’s family owns at least a third of San Diego, and his wife’s on the board of my old hospital. She did what she could to make my life miserable.”

This is an interesting turn. I know exactly who she’s talking about. My family—and Knox’s own most of San Diego. I’d give Mika’s family a fourth of it maybe, if I’m being generous. They flaunt it more, so it seems like a lot more. I already thought Quincy’s ex was a douche, but now I know he’s an idiot too. Who in their right mind would leave her for Mika?

“You won’t have to worry about that here.”

“No, I won’t. Reina worked some magic, and got Rick to sign off on letting me bring Bianca here, although I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. His wife hasn’t popped out a kid yet, and I’ve heard some rumors about him wanting to run for office. My daughter’s amazing, and she deserved to be loved and not used.”

Her eyes tear up. I vow right now to destroy this Rick dude before he can ever hurt this woman and her girl again. Knox will join me, and Reina appears to already be on the same page. I may be down right now, but I’ll make sure I’m ready to take out the little asshole—after he takes the first swing, of course. I know how to protect my fortune, too.

* * *

Quincy

I probably said too much. Hell, I know I said too much. Cohen has a serious look in his eyes, and his erection is no longer tenting the sheet. The doctor in me knows that’s a good thing, but the woman is mourning it just a little. Or a lot. Okay, a lot.

“I got too deep there, didn’t I?”

“What?”

“I understand if you’re not interested now. It’s a lot—we’re a lot. B and me.”

He starts to lean toward me, but winces and falls back against the pillows. “Damn concussion.”

“Where does it hurt? The sutures?” I ask, hopping out of the bed and rushing to his side.

I sterilized the wound and bandaged him up, but no one’s perfect. There was a lot of blood and I might have missed something. I pray to God I didn’t miss something.

“It’s okay. I just shouldn’t have moved so fast.”

He tries to push my hands away, but I slap his and peel back the bandage. Everything looks good. “You’re good.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you need to kiss it better. Or maybe I need to kiss parts of you to feel better.”

“Parts of me?” I ask, then look down to where his mouth is level with the gaping V-neck of my shirt. “Really, Cohen?”

“You put them there.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“You could start with a kiss.”

Why not? We both want it. “That sounds like a good place to start.”

Leaning down, I kiss the shocked expression right off his face. A brush of my lips over his—one, twice—and then he’s gripping my face in his hands and drinking me like a starved man in the desert.

I’ve never been kissed like this before, with my lips being worshipped. Kisses, bites, licks, and sucks work together as he makes sure not to miss even a millimeter of space on them. I do my best to keep up, feeling grossly out of my element.

“Sorry,” I tell him when I bite his lip a little too hard, and he curses.

“Relax, Quince. You’re doing fine.”

I don’t know if he means it to be condescending, but it is. I know I haven’t kissed a man since Rick, and he wasn’t going to win any awards in that department. But still. Cohen asked me to kiss him, and I did my best. Not good enough, as usual.

“I need to get going,” I tell him, stepping away. “I’ll let Wave know I’m leaving.”

“Wait, what?”

“Bye.”

Bye? God, could I sound more pathetic as I rush from the room. Conversation stops in the main room of the apartment as I rush out.

“Are you okay, Q?” Wave asks.

“Is daddy k?” Shane asks.

I force myself to stop and smile. “Your daddy’s awake, and I’m sure he’d love to see you. No jumping on him, okay?”

“K!” he yells, running to his father.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I give Waverly a look, tilting my head toward Bianca. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Knox is making pancakes. Can I stay for pancakes, Mommy?”

“If Knox doesn’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

Waverly claps her hands together. “Good. I’m walking Q home.”

“That’s code for ‘girl talk’ B. You’ll learn about that when you get older,” Knox tells her with a wink.

“Okay.”

Kids are so easy. Adults on the other hand are pushy, and wonderful. “Come on, my friend,” Wave says, linking her arm with mine.

“I’m so embarrassed,” I tell her, sinking onto my big, comfy couch.

“Elaborate.”

“We kissed, and I sucked at it.”

“We’re coming back to the kissing itself, but I seriously doubt you sucked. I mean, unless you were literally sucking.”

“I tried that. I tried to match what he was doing, and he said I should ‘relax’ because I was ‘doing fine’ so yeah.”

“He did not really say those things.”

“He did. It’s my own fault. I threw myself into work and B after Rick. I know I’m not experienced like Cohen is.”

“Most of the world isn’t as experienced as Cohen. I love him, but it’s the truth.”

“I was just being stupid. You and Ken like him, he seems to be raising a good kid, and he didn’t even ask whose shoe he slipped on. I thought he might be a good guy to try out dating with.”

“He’s a great guy. I promise.”

“Just not for me.”

“Don’t give up on him yet. You know his head’s not right at the moment.”

“Low blow.”

“Maybe, but just give him a chance to explain. If he has an explanation.”

“Only because he’s your friend.”

“Good. Now, you get some sleep. Kenny’s going to check on Cohen, and Matisse said the kids can hang with her while we get some rest.”

“Thanks. I’m glad we’re here.”

“Me too.”

I never realized how much I needed my friends until I had them back. The years where they were hiding, then running were rough. More for them than me, but I missed them—and so did B. With or without Cohen, I’m truly happy to be here.