Bayview Heights Trilogy (77 page)

“Stop this. You’re fighting dirty.”

“You’ve given me reason to hope.”

“No, I haven’t.”

She saw the temper flare in his eyes. “Yeah?
Then why did you have my shirt on tonight?”

Her face flamed. She just looked at him.
Oh, God, was he right? Was she giving him reason to pursue her
again? Did she want that?

They squared off like enemies, staring at
each other.

And then he reached for her.

o0o

A VOLCANO OF EMOTION, long dormant, erupted
out of Kurt at the first touch of his lips on hers; it had been so
long. Blood pumped like hot lava through his veins, scorching him
from the inside.

He took her mouth, consumed her.

Just as ravenous, she devoured him. He felt
her nails dig into his back. The beast inside had claimed her,
too.

Eyes closed, he covered her mouth with his;
reaching for the hem of her sweater, he dragged it up, then
released her long enough to yank it over her head, unhook her bra,
toss it aside and finally tear off his own shirt.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew
she wouldn’t do this if she was sane, if she gave it any thought,
but he was too desperate to care. So he did his best to keep her
crazy. His hands gripped her bottom, lifted her up and toward him
for another full kiss. Letting her mouth go, he buried his face in
her breasts. She cried out and hung on.

With her, he stumbled to the couch and set
her on her feet. She fumbled at his sweatpants, pushed them down.
He tore at her jeans. When they were finally naked, he pressed her
down to the couch and covered her. She moaned. His heart beat so
fast he thought it might explode.

Passion clouded her eyes, and Kurt knew it
matched what was in his.
I don’t care, I don’t care. I just
want her.

She tasted his jaw, his throat, sucked there,
took little bites. Neither spoke; grunts, groans and long deep
moans created a sexual chorus of accompaniment to their fevered
touches. He rose on his elbows, then reached down to part her legs.
She opened up to him.

Without thought, he thrust inside her. She
was hot and tight and wet for him. Tears burned behind his eyelids
with the knowledge that he’d willingly given this up. Because of
it, he thrust hard and long and more forcefully than ever
before.

It only took seconds for Zoe to spiral, then
shatter. Seconds more, and he, too, climaxed. It was earthshaking
and tumultuous; she didn’t come back to reality for a long time.
All she could think of when she did, as he collapsed on her, was
that she’d had him again. Finally.

Sanity returned in degrees. He eased her to
the inside of the couch and rolled onto his side. She whimpered
when he withdrew and she curled into him. When she shivered, he
dragged the plaid blanket from the back of the couch and covered
them both.

Snuggling under it, she forced her mind to go
blank. She didn’t want to think about what she’d just done and how
cataclysmic it had been. In a few minutes she would. Not yet.

He seemed content to simply lie there with
her, brushing his hand up and down her bare back, occasionally
kissing her head. Finally he said, “What are we going to do,
love?”

His question brought back the ghosts. He’d
touched her like a man in love tonight, but he’d done the same
thing the weekend before he’d gone to bed with his ex-wife.
Suddenly images of him and Elizabeth were superimposed over what
she and Kurt had just shared. She tried to banish them, but she
couldn’t. He must have felt her stiffen.

“Zoe?”

“I can’t forget what you did.”

For a moment he didn’t say anything. “Would
you be willing to try?”

She drew back. “No, I don’t think so.”
Sitting up, she reached for her shirt. “I’m afraid, Kurt, and I
don’t trust you.”

“I know.” He grasped her arm and she looked
at him. His hair was deliciously disheveled and his face high with
color. “I lo—”

She clapped her hand over his mouth. “Don’t
say it. I don’t want to hear it right now.” She stood and finished
dressing. “I think we should forget this happened.”

“No.”

“It’s my choice, Kurt. You gave up all rights
to make decisions in this relationship when you slept with
Elizabeth.”

Pain deepened his green eyes. “So you keep
reminding me.”

Finding her shoes, she said throatily, “I’m
going. Let’s not talk about this again.”

In minutes she was at the door and out of his
house. She breathed in the night air and with renewed determination
battled back the tears.

Abortion. Gay/lesbian
support groups. Condoms. Counseling about safe sex in middle
school. Parents, beware. Thanks to a new local establishment, these
are the things your children can get without your even knowing
about it. It’s no secret that I opposed the Bayview Heights Clinic
for young adults…

KURT FINISHED READING the neatly typed,
single-spaced letter, then looked up at Lacey Taylor, who sat
across from him in his office. “When did you get this?”

“Today. We have to run it in the
Herald
, Kurt. I’m sorry. Bosco’s on the town council—”

“Damn. It’s not only inflammatory, but
inaccurate. We don’t perform abortions.”

“But Planned Parenthood does abortion
counseling for minors, right?”

“Yes, of course. All over the country,
Lace.”

Her pretty blue eyes smiled sympathetically.
“Hey, you don’t have to convince me. I think kids should have all
the help they can get. I wish there’d been more places like your
clinic when Kevin was in high school.”

Kurt nodded in understanding. Lacey’s brother
had died in prison three years ago. Kurt didn’t have to be a doctor
to know there was no cure for that kind of loss. “You must miss
him.”

“Yes. I do. But his memory is one of the
things that makes me support the clinic.”

“Thanks.” He knuckled the paper in front of
him. “What can I do about this?”

“Write a rebuttal. We’ll print it along with
the letter.”

“Bosco will love that.”

“We do it all the time, to be fair.” She
smiled sadly. “The
Herald
wasn’t always fair, Kurt. Making
it unbiased was one of my goals when I took over.”

“You’re referring to the articles your
grandfather wrote against the high school.” Kurt had heard the
story from Mitch. After he became friends with the Taylors, they’d
talked about it openly.

“Yes. Grandpa admits he wasn’t being fair to
Seth, and now he supports my editorial position fully.”

“Philip’s turnaround was amazing, wasn’t
it?”

“People change.” Lacey focused on him. “And
they can forgive each other.”

Did Lacey think Zoe could forgive Kurt? He
couldn’t ask, couldn’t even think about last night. “
Sometimes
people forgive each other.” His gaze dropped to
the letter. “I’ll write a response tonight.” Glancing at the clock,
he asked, “Want me to drop it off at your house later?”

“That would be great.” She checked the clock,
too. “I’m meeting Zoe and Cassie for pizza in an hour. But Seth
will be home with the boys.”

“Then I’ll stop by.”

“Go inside. Josh asks for you all the time.”
She grinned. “You’re his hero, after the appendix thing.”

“It’s nice to be liked.”

“What’s wrong?” Lacey asked softly. “Is it
Zoe?”

He started to deny it. But Lacey was a friend
and he cared about her, didn’t want to be dishonest with her.
“Yes.”

“It must be hard working with her.”

You don’t know the half of it
. “It
is.” He could still see her face when she’d recovered enough from
their lovemaking to remember what was between them.

Lacey waited a minute. “Can I ask you a
question?”

“Of course.”

“Would you get back with her if you could,
Kurt?”

“In a heartbeat.” He scowled. “I know you and
Cass would hate that. I don’t blame you.”

“No, I wouldn’t hate it. But I
am
worried about Zoe. She was overwrought last year when you
split.”

He remembered Cassie’s indictment.
She
cried for days. She missed school. You know what a Pollyanna she’s
always been. But she was depressed for a long time, and so sad it
broke my heart.

“It’s not going to happen, anyway, Lace.
She’s made that clear.”

Lacey stood. Surprising him, she circled the
desk, leaned over and gave him big hug. “I’m sorry. I wish I could
help.”

He let himself take comfort in Zoe’s words.
“You’re helping a lot with the clinic.” He indicated the letter.
“I’ll get right on this.”

With a squeeze of his hand, Lacey turned and
left. Kurt sat in the shadowy early-evening light and watched her
go. She and Seth had had a devil of a time getting together. Just
like Mitch and Cassie. He shook his head. Maybe…

Don’t think about it.

He didn’t, at least while he was writing the
rebuttal. But when he finished, inactivity gave way to uncontrolled
thoughts. And now he had more recent memories—vivid and in 3-D—with
which to torture himself.

Weary, he got up and, on his way to the
couch, remembered he should lock his private-entrance door.
Security in clinics these days was crucial, especially at night,
because of the drugs they housed. Once he was safe and sound, he
crossed to the sofa and stretched out. He hadn’t been sleeping
again. For a while his insomnia had abated. Now, since Down to
Earth, he was mired in the vicious cycle of watching the red
numbers flip over on the digital clock. He was more exhausted than
he’d been in the days of his internship and residency.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Had he been wrong
to make love to Zoe? His fingers flexed. How could anything so
wonderful be wrong? She’d felt like silk and tasted like honey
under his hands and mouth. Her scent—sexy and womanly—had lingered
with him for hours. Her response had been unbridled. She’d been as
frantic, as desperate, as he. If nothing else, those few fleeting
moments on his couch had shown him she still cared. She still loved
him.

It was the aftermath that haunted his waking
hours…

I can’t forget about it...I’m afraid...I
don’t trust you...you gave up all rights to make decisions in this
relationship when you slept with Elizabeth...

He sighed and opened his eyes in the dim
office. A tree limb beat a soft pat-pat on the building, creating
an ominous accompaniment to his thoughts. Frustrated beyond measure
at the turn of events, he rolled off the couch.

And as he’d done all week, he went to
work.

He might not be able to salvage his
relationship with Zoe, but he’d be damned if he’d let anybody
sabotage his clinic.

It’s all you have, buddy.

o0o

“YOU LOOK AS BAD as Kurt,” Lacey told Zoe,
who sat across from her and Cassie at their favorite place, the
Spaghetti Warehouse.

Her mouth full of pizza, Cassie scowled.
After she swallowed, she asked, “What’s wrong with Kurt? Is he
sick?”

Lacey shook her head. “No, he just hasn’t
been sleeping.”

“Problems at the clinic?”

Silently Zoe listened as Lacey told them
about Bosco’s letter.

“How did Bosco find out about all that?”
Cassie asked.

“Kurt’s advertising the clinic’s
services.”

“What a jerk!” Cassie’s words were
vehement.

Lacey reached out and squeezed Cassie’s hand.
“Cass, Kurt’s doing his best. The kids need to know what the
clinic’s about.”

Sheepishly Cassie glanced at Zoe. “I didn’t
mean Kurt. I meant Bosco.”

Zoe took a bite of pizza and chewed,
gathering her scattered thoughts. Finally she suggested, “Can we
change the subject? What time do you need me next weekend to watch
the kids while you and Mitch go on your romantic getaway?”

“In a minute,” Cassie said, surprising them.
“I wanna say something about Kurt.”

Please, God, not another onslaught. Zoe
couldn’t handle listening to Cassie’s list of grievances against
him today. Not after last night.

“I think I was wrong about him.” Cassie’s
face was somber. “I’m not sure you shouldn’t give him another
chance.”

Zoe sputtered soda all over her plate and
shirt. “
What?
”

“I’ve changed my mind about him.”

Wiping up, Zoe asked, “What brought this
on?”

“When he was living with us, we talked. A
lot. He got up with Camille several times during the night and gave
her a bottle so I could sleep. Even when I got to her first, he was
usually awake. We ended up sharing some things.”

Oh, no, this was the last thing Zoe needed
now. “Cass, I know you mean well, but I’m not letting him back into
my life.”

Hypocrite
. He couldn’t get more into
her life than last night.

“He’s sorry for what he did. He’s changed.”
She shrugged. “He made a mistake.”

Zoe felt anger rise inside her. “Cassie, this
wasn’t a matter of his not calling one night or forgetting my
birthday. He left me for his ex-wife; he
slept
with her
while he and I were still together, and he broke my heart. I won’t
give him a chance to hurt me again.” She drew in a breath. “I won’t
risk it.”

Cassie frowned.

“What’s life without a little risk, honey?”
Lacey asked.

“I can’t believe this. Two months ago, I was
telling both of you to ease up on him. Now he’s a saint.” She slid
out of the booth. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m going
to the ladies’ room. Change the subject, and when I come back,
let’s enjoy our meal.” She stomped away.

In the restroom, she threw water on her face
and watched her reflection in the mirror. The feel of Kurt’s
muscles bunching under her hands, the image of him driving into her
with a passion she’d never known from him, made her shiver right
there in the small bathroom.