Gone Too Far (10 page)

When their lips separated, Avery leaned away with a gasp. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she had to get out of there, so she started for the door.

“Avery,” Carter called after her. He didn't care about anything but touching her again.

“I have to leave,” Avery said, but just as she reached the door, Carter stepped in front of her and closed the door behind him. Avery looked up at him, her mind not clear enough to decipher what he could be thinking.

“Move, please.”

“You say you have to leave,” Carter said, his eyes compelling and magnetic, “but do you want to leave?”

“How can you ask me that?” Avery knew he was aware of the answer to that question.

“Answer me!” he demanded angrily.

“Yes!” Avery pushed him aside. “I want to leave. Get out of my way.”

“Fine,” Carter said as he moved aside.

She wouldn't leave. This was what happened between them. Once they got started, they couldn't stop, and as much as his head told him that he was a fool to make love to this woman he claimed to hate so much, his body had taken over the second she placed her hand to his chest. Avery had that effect on him, and maybe it was his large ego, but Carter was certain he had the same effect on her.

Avery grabbed the door handle and opened the door. She tried to ignore the chaos raging inside of her so she could leave. She knew that this would only lead to pain, but her body wanted him so bad. His touch only brought back to mind how no one could ever satisfy her the way Carter did, and she wanted, needed, to be satisfied.

But how could she be such a fool for a man who was so cruel to her?

Carter smiled wickedly as he watched Avery close the door. She looked up at him, and he felt a surge of desire and power race through him. He leaned in and turned the lock on the door. His body pressed against hers as his hands slid up her hips, over her waist, and to her breasts. He watched as her eyes closed in response to his touch.

“Carter,” she whispered as his caress began to drive her wild.

Her heart was beating fast, and she felt her body begin to tingle all over. When she opened her eyes, she saw he was looking down at her, and the lustful look in his eyes melted all her resolve. She reached her arms up and pulled him to her, pressing her lips against his with a fervor that matched her body's needs.

When his tongue entered her mouth, he explored her taste and heard himself groan. The potency of her body moving against his was enough to drive him crazy. He ignored every voice in his head except for the one that yelled for him to take her. Take her now.

Avery let out a gasp as she felt Carter wrap his arms under her and lift her up. As he moved her from the door to the sofa, Avery buried her face in his neck and kissed him passionately everywhere. The growing anticipation was making her shiver with desire. As he laid her down on the sofa, Avery looked up at him. Everything was becoming a blur to her, but she delighted in the look of determined passion on his face as he joined her.

Carter could not think of anything but having her as he reached for her shirt and lifted it up. She raised her arms and he slid it over her head and tossed it aside. He was straddling her as his hands caressed her stomach and her breasts. He reached for the clip between her breasts and undid her bra. The sight of her bare, full, and firm breasts sent tremors through him. He immediately leaned down and kissed them both.

His hands were caressing her outstretched arms when Avery felt his tongue wrap around her left breast. She inhaled sharply at the warm touch of his tongue, and her body responded by moving back and forth. Then his mouth engulfed her breasts, one after the other, making Avery moan in pleasure and delight. She wanted him so badly it almost hurt. It was as if nothing had happened and they had always been here, making love and becoming one.

Carter's patience was leaving him with every second he tasted her and touched her silky, creamy skin. His heart was booming in his ears as he trailed kisses down her flat stomach. The sound of Avery's growing desire only made him harder and more famished for her. He unzipped her jeans and pulled them, along with her pink panties, down her legs. He tossed her clothes to the side and looked down at her body. She was as exquisite as he remembered her. Her breasts and hips were smaller than they had been after she had Connor, but she was still curvy and looked completely luscious.

Her body continued to move, urged by the lust growing inside of her. The way Carter was looking at Avery made her feel sexy and womanly. When he looked at her with ravenous eyes, she wanted to be ravaged. It wasn't because she hadn't made love in eight months, the last time she'd made love to Carter. It was because of him. No other man could make her feel this way.

He slightly lifted her right leg and leaned into it. He slowly kissed the inside of her thigh, and the touch was so torturously tender that Avery let out a cry. As his mouth traveled down her leg, she could barely breathe. She knew what was coming, and when his tongue gently teased her center by licking around it, she couldn't hold it in. She was moaning out loud now as he explored the inside of her with his mouth.

He wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her body into him so his mouth could reach farther. She was leaning forward now, and he loved the feel of her hands pulling at his shoulders and grabbing his head. The harder he savored her, the more her body moved and the louder she got. It was too much for him. He couldn't take it anymore.

Avery was only able to enjoy the feel of his body on hers for a second. She opened her legs, and he entered her immediately, hard and forceful. They both let out a loud groan as she received him. Avery felt her entire body shudder in delight at the pressure of him completely filling her as far as he could go.

Waves of ecstasy shot through him as he moved inside of her. She was wet and warm and tight, and every thrust sent sensations through him that made him insane. She felt so good, and he told her so over and over again. It wasn't long before he was moving faster and faster, losing complete control of his body. She was meeting him with every advance, her nails digging into his back and her voice screaming his name.

When Avery felt her body begin to shake, the rising storm coming closer and closer, she couldn't take it. She reached up and grabbed the edge of the sofa, digging her fingers in as deep as she could. She wrapped her legs around him tight, her head falling back and her chest arching. Then she felt it and she screamed his name. Her head was thrashing left to right as the delirium took her over for several seconds. She was just coming down as she felt Carter's body jerk in a way that told her he was coming, too, just before he buried his head into her neck and let out a bellowing growl.

All Avery could think of was that she wanted more.

L
eigh was gazing down at the open suitcases on her bed in her garden-style hotel room overlooking the Indian Ocean. She'd hoped she made the right choices. Packing for Africa's heat while keeping in mind some of the female customs in certain areas could be complicated, but she hadn't had enough time to really think it all through. Downtown Nairobi was a modern city, so she felt confident she could get there anything she had forgotten. After all, they would be there for only a short time.

She contemplated leaving her clothes in the suitcases but then thought that her mother would kill her for something Janet considered low class. Even if one was just staying overnight, she should always unpack her appropriately overpacked suitcase.

As she unpacked her clothes immediately, as her mother had taught her when she was a little girl, Leigh realized that she hadn't spoken to anyone in her family since arriving. She had promised to call her mother as soon as she reached Nairobi and was curious as to why no one had called her at the hotel. She looked around, forgetting where she had laid her purse, but was distracted by a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” she asked, walking to the door.

“Dr. Chase.” It was Bem's voice. “It's the senator to see you.”

Leigh froze just before she reached the door. What was he doing here, and why was her first thought to look in the mirror covering the closet door to see what she looked like?

When she opened the door, Leigh first thought that the look on Max's face was annoyance because of Bem's reluctance to let him enter the room, but she realized that it was more than that. He was very upset about something.

“I tried to reach you,” Max said. “The phones in the hotel, on the whole block, aren't working.”

“Let him in,” Leigh ordered, and Bem stepped aside so Max could enter.

As she noticed that Bem wanted to enter as well, she held up her hand to stop him. This was going to get tiring quickly. “No.”

“What's wrong?” Leigh was getting nervous as she turned to Max, closing the door behind her. Although Kenya was one of the most stable countries in Africa, things were constantly uncertain. But Max's expression seemed more personal.

“Your cell?” he asked, running his hand over his head.

“What is going on?” Leigh asked as she rushed over to the chair where she spotted her purse. When she reached her cell phone, she cursed. “I forgot to turn it back on when we got off the plane,” she said while hitting the
ON
button on her cell.

“It's your nephew,” Max said. He reached for Leigh, taking hold of her arm. “Sit down.”

Leigh jerked her arm away, feeling panic set in. “Tell me now!”

“Kelly told me that she saw it on the news.” Max's eyes brimmed with tenderness and compassion. “Your nephew Evan is in the hospital.”

Leigh gasped, her hand gripping her tightening chest. Just then, her cell phone began beeping to indicate she had messages. She opened the phone and saw that she had more than thirty.

“What happened? I have to call my mother,” she said.

“You might not be able to reach your mother,” he said. “If she's with him, her cell won't work. The news report said that he got sick at the doctor's office with some mysterious illness and is in a children's hospital now.”

“Come on, come on,” Leigh said as she listened to the phone ring.

“Leigh, he's in a coma.”

Leigh's breath drew in sharply just as her mother answered the phone.

“Leigh,” Janet said, feeling so relieved to hear from her. “Where have you been?”

“I'm in Nairobi,” she said with a panicked voice. “What's going on with Evan?”

Leigh felt complete anguish as her mother told her everything that had happened. Before she could speak again, Leigh was rushing past Max, toward her bags, with her phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder. “Who is his doctor? Dr. Brown? I want to speak to him now.”

“No,” Janet answered. “His new doctor is Dr. Paris Kent. She is the best, dear. You've heard of her?”

“She is,” Leigh responded, but she didn't feel any better. “I want to speak to her, Mother. Is she around?”

“Not right now.” This is exactly what Janet didn't want. “I'm not near the room. How did you find out?”

“Senator Cody came to my hotel,” she answered. “Phones aren't working. I…When will you be near the doctor again? Do you have her cell number? Maybe I can speak with her physician's assistant.”

“Leigh,” Janet said in her motherly, calming voice. “We have everything under control. You know your father would hold no bars in getting Evan the best care.”

“But he's in a coma!” Leigh said. “If his immune system continues to suffer, his condition could get worse. I need to know.”

“Now that your phone is working, I'll have Dr. Kent call you as soon as I see her again.”

“Leigh,” Max said.

Leigh looked up at him. “What?”

“Breathe,” he said.

Leigh realized that she wasn't breathing and took a moment to exhale, trying to calm herself and think. “Mother, I will find a way to get there as soon as—”

“Don't,” Janet interrupted. “Leigh, I know you're concerned, but I don't want you to leave.”

“How can you say that?”

“It isn't as if flights from Nairobi to L.A. are available every day. The Chase jet is currently in Hong Kong with the head of marketing.”

“So? Send it to me,” Leigh ordered. “I want to be there!”

Max reached out to Leigh as if to calm her, but she stepped back. “I have to get back to L.A.”

“That's not possible right now,” he said. “But I'm working on it.”

“Mom, hold on a second.” Leigh held the phone down, looking at Max. “What do you mean?”

Max gestured for the phone, and Leigh gave it to him.

“Mrs. Chase. This is Senator Max Cody. I've talked to White Star Jets. They have planes in South Africa and can…”

“What?” Leigh asked in response to Max's sudden silence. She watched as he listened to her mother, saying nothing.

“Give me the phone!” She reached for the phone, but he backed away, holding up a finger to stop her. This only made her angrier. “I will not wait. It's my phone and she's my—”

“I know you're angry”—Max covered the mouthpiece on the tiny phone—“but don't act childish!”

She was ready to slap him until he started talking again.

“Mrs. Chase, I agree with you completely, but I don't think that Leigh will—” He looked at the phone once more before offering it to Leigh. “She wants to talk to you.”

“It's about time.” Leigh grabbed the phone.

Leigh did everything she could to protest, but her mother demanded that she stay in Africa at least for another day until they knew more. She promised to have Dr. Kent call her immediately and hung up before Leigh could respond.

Leigh grunted as she threw the phone on the bed. “I can't believe her!”

“She's doing what she thinks is best,” Max said.

“What would you know?” Leigh zipped closed one of her suitcases. “I'm going home.”

“You'd be surprised how much I know,” he answered. “I'm a doctor too.”

“What were you telling her about South Africa? How soon can I get there?”

“I promised her not to do that.”

“Who are you to make promises to her about me? Why does everyone in my life feel they are better fit to decide what I should—”

“When there is a family crisis,” he said, “sometimes the best thing is to not have too many people around so—”

“Too many people? I'm his aunt!”

“And you're a doctor,” he responded. “You know that I'm right. Where he is, he can't even have more than one visitor at a time for an extremely short period of the day. Look, Leigh, the doctor is going to tell you the same thing when she calls. There is nothing you can do.”

“That's not true,” Leigh said. “I can be there.”

“You should be here,” Max said. “Here, there is a lot you can do. That's why you dropped everything to come along. I was listening to you on the plane. You have an incredible passion for helping these refugees. We're going to a women's clinic tomorrow. Those women have been abused, and they won't want to talk to me. I need you to be there.”

Leigh turned away from him, not wanting him to see the pained expression on her face at the thought of what had happened to those girls and what could have possibly happened to her when Nick attacked her last year. It was still fresh in her mind, and it made her so angry every time. She had done research about the neglect of care these women had received since coming here, and it made her even angrier.

“One more day,” she said. “But after that, I have to go home to my family.”

“Thank you,” Max said, smiling widely. “I know this is a hard choice for you, and I appreciate it.”

 

It was late at night, and the children's hospital was very quiet when Steven and Janet entered and headed for Admitting; however, just before they reached the front desk, they noticed that all of the women standing behind it were staring beyond them at the garden courtyard in the distance. Something had them in a trance, and when they both turned to see what could grasp their interest so intently, Janet gasped and grabbed Steven's arm.

The Family Healing and Meditation Garden was a beautiful circular garden that could be seen clearly through the glass walls of the hospital. It was a relaxing area filled with art made by the patients, allergy-free plants, and various places to sit, but it was hard to see tonight. Tonight it was raining heavily; it had been for hours with enough thunder and lightning to prevent anyone from wanting to be out in the open.

Anyone but Michael Chase, of course, who was standing in the center of the garden, his expensive suit drenched to the core. He was staring straight ahead into space, his hands hanging limp at his sides.

“Steven.” Janet's voice trembled with emotion at the sight of her son looking so pitiful, so lost.

She turned to the woman behind the desk. “Has something changed in my grandson's case? Evan Chase.”

The woman shook her head, tearing her eyes away from Michael. “No, ma'am. Nothing. He's just been out there for like a half hour. The security guard told him to come inside but he refused.”

“I'll get him.” Steven headed toward the door, trying to keep it all together. This had been trying in so many ways, but he was the head of this family, and it was his job to keep it together in times of crisis.

Janet followed her husband outside and stood beside him as he called out to their son from underneath the canopied area. The rain was loud, and it took a few calls before Michael turned to them. His eyes were blank as he looked at them, but then he quickly turned back.

“Come inside, son!” Steven yelled.

Michael didn't respond.

“Baby, please!” Janet tried to speak above the thunder. She couldn't stand it. She started out for him, but Steven grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

“Stay here,” he told her. He saw the pain of a mother on her face, and his hand went to her cheek. She was so much better at this, dealing with their children's emotions. “This is a father's pain. I'll get him.”

When Steven reached his son, Michael didn't look at him, but he could tell, even with the rain covering his face, that Michael had been crying. He reached out and placed his hand on Michael's shoulder, but his son brushed it away.

“You're going to ruin that suit,” Michael said, feeling so empty inside that he thought of nothing substantive to say. “That's a Fioravanti, right? But what's ten grand to you?”

“Come inside, son.”

“He's not responding to anything,” Michael said. “He's just lying with the tubes and…”

“You have to stay strong,” Steven said. “He needs you to be strong.”

“He needs me to have listened to him when he said he was sick!” Michael kicked the stone bench in front of him. It was supposed to hurt, but he felt numb to physical pain. “He told me. He told me. He—”

“Stop it,” Steven ordered. “He was acting out at first. You took him to the doctor, and they said he was fine. What more can you do?”

“Sue the hell out of everyone,” Michael said.

“We'll deal with that later. Now, come inside. You're no use to him sick.”

“I'm no use to him at all,” Michael said. “All my life, money has been the answer to every ill. Your money, Mom's society name, my money…whatever it was, it was solved. We buried a fucking murder, for Christ's sake.”

“This is not the time to talk about that.” Steven was still dealing with his own demons over covering up the murder of Kimberly's ex-pimp. He had done what he had to do but needed to move on. He regretted that he allowed that to tear such a rift between him and Michael, because it led to even worse problems. Now especially, Steven felt a disconnect at a time when it was most damaging.

Michael turned to his father. “When is the right time to talk about it? Never, I guess, as long as you say so.”

“That's enough, Michael.” Steven grabbed him by the arm and began leading him away, but Michael pulled away, swinging around in a circle.

“Why can't you do anything?” he asked. “You're supposed to be king, right? You certainly acted like it. My whole life, it's always been what you wanted. You acted as if your word might as well be written in the Bible. We all obey you, listen to you, fear you and abandoned ourselves to please you, because of what? What is the reward? I spent thirty-one years trying to be your favorite, and I want my reward!”

Steven cleared his throat in an attempt to hold back his emotion. Everything Michael said was true. Steven didn't know why he never thought there would be a consequence for the way he ruled his sons instead of raised them.