Author: Jaci Burton

“I think I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”

He swept his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the remnant of a tear. “You did.”

“I’m sorry, Gavin. I didn’t mean to fall apart like that.” She tried to pull back, but he wouldn’t let her, held her there in his arms.

“You’re entitled to care about my father.”

“Of course I care about your father.”

She was trying to brush it off as something less than what it was to her. He wasn’t going to let it go that easy. “Sometimes the world falls apart. Sometimes your world falls apart. And it’s okay for you to let people in and let them see you crumble.”

She lifted her chin, her barriers back in place. “You didn’t crumble.”

“Didn’t I? You’ve been leading me around for hours now. I wouldn’t have been able to find my way to the hospital, let alone my dad’s room, without you guiding me. I was in a haze, Lizzie. I couldn’t have done it without you helping me.”

She blinked, droplets clinging to the spikes of her lashes. Her eyes were wide pools of sea green, mesmerizing him. Her lips parted, and he suddenly wanted to offer her comfort and maybe take some for himself.

He brushed his lips against hers. Without question she kissed him back, her soft hands at his back switching to her nails digging in as the quiet kiss turned more demanding.

Passion flared, and need arose. Hunger flashed between them, and Gavin pushed her onto the bed. Elizabeth pulled off her top, kicked off her sandals, and scooted back on the bed, already drawing her Capris down her hips while he tore his shirt over his head and reached for the button and zipper of his jeans.

She had her bra and panties off by the time he was naked. He climbed onto the bed and grabbed her, needing the feel of her skin against his. It had only been hours since they’d made love, but his need for Elizabeth was like a hunger that hadn’t even come close to being satisfied. Only she could give him what he needed. He needed to get lost inside her, to shut out what had happened at least for a little while, to feel nothing but pleasure, nothing but her heart beating against his, his cock swelling inside her, her heat surrounding him.

She held out her arms, and he came to her, already hard. He slid inside her and put his mouth on her mouth, driving away everything but her touch, her taste, her skin against his. Her moans and the way she lifted against him were all he needed right now.

She wrapped her legs around him, and he drove against her, lifting up on his hands to look down at her as her gaze met his. Her lips parted, her lids partially closed as he shifted and ground against her, making sure to rock his body against her clit. He wanted to take her there, to make her come so she’d shatter around him.

She scored her nails down his arms, the sensation rocketing to his balls. He shifted and drove deeper inside her, reaching for one of her legs so he could push her knee against her chest, needing to be deeper inside her.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He dropped down on top of her, slipped one hand underneath her, and pressed his lips to hers. His balls tightened as he felt the rushing train of his climax approaching. Her tongue wound with his, and all he could think of was being alive. The only thing that mattered at this moment was being here with Elizabeth, being one with her, losing himself within her, inside her as she moaned against his lips. Her pussy convulsed around him, and then she was coming and so was he. He tightened his hold on her and let go, groaning as he came with hard thrusts, burying his face in her neck and knowing there was no one he could let go with like this but Elizabeth.

After, he kissed her neck and her earlobe, and tunneled his fingers in her hair before lifting up to look at her.

“Thank you.”

She smoothed her fingers over his brow. “You’re welcome.”

Instead of jumping out of bed to grab a shower and change of clothes, he pulled her against him, stroked her hair, and kissed the back of her neck.

“Do you need to go? Do you have work to do?” he asked.

“Nothing that can’t wait.” She turned to face him, pulled the covers up over them both, and laid her head on his chest. “Sleep, Gavin.”

He was out as soon as he closed his eyes.

TWENTY

ELIZABETH HAD BEEN GLUED TO GAVIN’S SIDE FOR THE past two weeks. She’d told him there was nothing so pressing with her work that it couldn’t be rescheduled or handled by phone and laptop.

The Rivers understood his dilemma with his father and had pulled someone up from the minor leagues to take his place at first base. There was no way Gavin was going to leave his father’s side right now.

The surgery went fine, thank God. Seeing his father after had just about done him in. Hooked up to oxygen and IVs and beeping machines, his formerly robust, rock of a father had been reduced to something Gavin hadn’t wanted to admit.

His father was human. Vulnerable. He could die. Mortality wasn’t something Gavin ever wanted to think about, especially where his parents were concerned. It wasn’t time yet. It wouldn’t be time for a while. A long while.

He spent every second he could at the hospital, helping his mother out until she told him he was becoming annoying, which was okay because he knew how stressed she was. Between him, Mick, Tara, and Jenna, they made sure she was never alone. One of them always stood by her. His dad slept a lot after the surgery, or at least he tried to. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was either being poked and prodded by the nursing staff or hauled off somewhere for some test.

How the hell were patients supposed to recover in the hospital when the staff never let them sleep?

They’d dragged his dad’s ass out of bed the day after surgery, something that surprised the hell out of Gavin. He and Mick even questioned the nursing staff about it, and Mick went on the hunt for the cardiac surgeon, certain the nurses were out of their goddamned minds. But the staff assured them the sooner they got his dad out of the bed and walking around, the quicker he would recover.

Four days post surgery, his father was walking up and down the halls, no longer connected to tubes or IVs, and eating solid food again, something his dad was damned happy about. He’d been anxious to go home. The doctor had said maybe the next day if he continued to be a pain in the ass and a medical miracle, and performed as well as he had been. His dad said he’d run around the damn nurse’s station if that’s what it took to get him discharged.

That made Gavin smile. His dad cranky and impatient? Yeah, that sounded normal to him.

True to his word, his father had walked the entire floor. They’d discharged him the next day.

Maybe his mother could get some sleep at home.

They’d been home for three days, all of them going in and out all day long. Jenna, Tara, and Elizabeth had made a grocery store run the day they’d brought his dad home so Mom wouldn’t have to worry about having food in the house. Since Dad wouldn’t be able to take the stairs for a while, they’d set up the downstairs guest room as their master bedroom for the time being, something Dad hated but he’d just have to deal with. At least he was home, and he was happy about that.

Not that Mom was going to let him prop his feet up in his favorite chair and veg. She had him up twice a day for walks around the house and in the backyard, the best he could do the first week. She was like a drill sergeant. She had his schedule mapped out and knew what to feed him, knew what his exercise schedule was down to the hour and minute of the day, knew what pills he was supposed to take and when his doctors’ appointments were. And she at least allowed her kids to help.

Jenna had gone back to manning the bar since they’d enlisted aunts, uncles, and cousins to take over while they were standing vigil at the hospital. The bar didn’t run itself, though, and Jenna was itching to get back to work.

Gavin, not so much.

Gavin sat in the living room with his dad, Mick, and Elizabeth. Tara had taken Mom to the grocery store to pick up a few things.

They were watching a baseball game. A Rivers game to be exact. It was a doubleheader against San Francisco.

“The first baseman they brought up from the minors is pretty good.”

Gavin acknowledged his father’s comment, trying not to pay attention to the hotshot twenty-one-year-old scooping up the grounder and dashing to first base for the out.

“He’s decent.”

Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder. She sat on the edge of the chair with him.

“Might be time for you to get back to work before they replace you with someone younger.”

Gavin laughed. “I’m hardly out to pasture at twenty-nine, Dad. I’ve got a lock-solid contract. The kid there is a temp. They’ll shoot him back to the minors as soon as I come back.”

His dad reached for his glass of water. “I’m doing fine here, kid. You need to get back to work.”

“I’ll get back to work soon enough. No hurry, Dad. And don’t worry about my job. It’s secure. I have a great agent, here.” He patted Lizzie’s hand and stared up at her. She gave him a half smile.

“What? You think I should go back to work, too?”

“I think your father is doing well. It’s off season for Mick. He can be here to watch over your father.”

“Yeah, Elizabeth doesn’t want to lose another meal ticket.”

Elizabeth tensed but didn’t say anything.

Gavin’s gaze shot to Mick. “You can stay out of this conversation.”

Mick shrugged. “I’m in the room. Hard to stay out of it.”

“Mick. Butt out,” their dad said, then turned his attention back to Gavin. “But Elizabeth’s right. I’m right. You need to be playing ball.”

“I’ll get back to it, Dad.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

The Rivers were up to bat. The kid—Chris Stallings—hit a line drive past the shortstop and got on base. Gavin tried not to wince.

“He can hit, too. He’s been hitting the ball since he came up.”

“Because pitchers haven’t seen his stuff. Once they do, they’ll strike him out. He’s just lucky right now.”

Mick snorted.

Fortunately, Tara and his mom got back. Elizabeth left to help them with groceries, and Gavin sank deeper in the chair as Stallings made a couple of diving catches and then hit a home run in the eighth inning to take the Rivers up two runs over San Francisco.

Shit.

Not that Gavin wanted the kid to suck. His team needed to win. But did Stallings have to be so damn good? Gavin wanted his team to win on some of the other players’ shoulders.

“Come on. Time for your walk,” his mother said to his dad after the game.

“It’s a doubleheader.”

“You’ll be back before the second game.” She looked at Gavin and Mick. “Girls are starting dinner. You two can fire up the grill.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He and Mick took the chicken outside. Gavin grabbed a beer, Mick a soda.

“So do you agree with Dad? Should I head back?”

Mick flipped the chicken, then closed the grill lid. “I think you should do whatever the hell you want to do.”

“If it were football season, what would you do?”

Mick lifted his gaze to Gavin’s. “It’s not football season.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s your career, man. We’ve got it covered here, but I understand where you’re coming from. I probably wouldn’t want to leave right now, either. That was some scary shit that went down with Dad.”

Gavin nodded. “I’m afraid if I leave, something will happen and I won’t be here.”

“Can’t stay forever, though. In sports your name and your presence is everything.”

“I’ll know when the time is right.”

“Yeah, you will.”