Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) (187 page)

Now, every touch feels special. Every caress feels brand new. My eyes are opened to a world of pleasure I’ve never experienced before.

One with feelings attached.

I snuggle up to him in my tiny, twin-sized bed. It feels like a yoga mat compared to the enormous California King in his apartment.

And yet, it provided the grounds for the best sex of my life.

Everything we’d done up to this point had been communicated without words. But now feels like the right time to speak.

“I’m sorry,” I say.

James touches my shoulder. He trails a finger down the length of my arm then flips my hand over and links our fingers together. “Don’t be,” he replies.

I give a happy, a ridiculously happy, an absolutely blissful smile. Just the sound of his voice fills me with joy.

“I thought you were going to ask what I’m sorry for,” I mumble.

He just shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter, Celeste. Everything we’ve gone through, everything we’ve endured has ended in us getting to this…” he kisses my collarbone, “…exact…” another kiss, “…point.”

Guilt still rears its ugly head. “But I shouldn’t have lied,” I say.

“You were frightened,” James says. “You had every right to lie.”

“But I lied to
you
,” I insist. “I lied to myself too, when I denied that I was falling for you.”

His eyebrows go up. He gives something very much like a satisfied smirk. “When did you start this… denial?” he asks coyly.

“Oh no,” I tease. “Now you’re just looking for an ego boost. You don’t need me giving you a big head.”

He chuckles. “You’re so cute when you’re convinced of something.”

Then sadness fills me that this can only be temporary. “We won’t last, you know,” I whisper. “I’m going to die, sooner or later.”

“We’re all going to die sooner or later,” James says. “Wouldn’t you rather have love in your life while you’re here than go through it all not knowing that most precious feeling?”

“I can’t believe you’re real,” I say.

“I’m real, baby. And I’m all yours.”

“For however long we have left,” I tack on.

He frowns. “Celeste. Remember when I said I wouldn’t let you go? That I would keep fighting to reel you in?”

“Yes,” I admit.

“Did I do that?”

“You did
exactly
that,” I smile.

“And there’s no way in hell I’m going to stop now. I looked up the drugs they gave you while you slept. If you were terminal, they would not have been dispensed. Hell, you’d probably be on pain killers or nothing at all. Now tell me, where did you get the idea that you are going to die?”

“Well, you just said it,” I tell him. “We all die one day. My
day
is just much, much closer than yours.”

“You’re not answering me,” he growls.

I sigh. “Fine. Nobody
told
me, James. When the doctor found the tumor, he gave me fifty-fifty odds. A coin flip. That’s my life.” I look to the ceiling. “It’s spinning right now, somewhere up there, high in the air, but sooner or later it’s going to land. And I have no control over which side shows.”

“So you’re
not
terminal,” James clarifies. “Terminal means one-hundred-percent chance of death.”

“No,” I exhale again. “I guess, by that definition, I’m not. But I might as well be, James. Between that and my shitty heart from the last operation…” I look down. “Well, I already have experience with my mom.”

“Tell me about her,” James presses.

I turn my back to him. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because I want to know about you,” he murmurs.

I exhale and tell him all he wants.

When I finish, he officially knows more about me and my fears, me and my problems, than any other person on earth.

“I’m sorry you faced that alone,” he says. He edges his body tighter to mine. “But you are
not
your mother, Celeste. Her fate does not determine yours.”

“Maybe not. But with all the crap my body’s endured, can it really be expected to be any better?”

“Yes,” James says. His voice is full of conviction. “Yes it can. It
will
, Celeste. You’re not alone anymore. I meant it when I said I would fight for you. You think I’m going to let up in the face of anything you’ve told me? No. I’m just going to do it so much harder. You’re not alone, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can get on to fixing your mind about the way you’re approaching this disease.”

“You’re saying that as if my attitude matters. James, I’m taking the drugs. I’m not being irresponsible. The reality truly is that it’s out of my hands.”

“Not true,” he insists. “There’s a difference. You have something
solid
to live for. You’re not just going through the motions. And I’m not leaving you alone. You go to your weekend chemotherapy session, and I’ll be right there beside you.”

“James, no,” I say. “I can’t ask you to take away from your busy life just for that. I’ve managed fine by myself. I don’t need you to waste hours each weekend just being with me.”

“Being with you is
never
a waste of time,” James says. “I promise, Celeste.” He takes my hand again. “I want to extract every second of time I can with you. But…” he hedges, “But I can understand if you really don’t want me there, for your own reasons.”

I consider it for a long moment. Then, “I don’t. It’s depressing and sterile and boring. I can face it because I’ve done it before. I’m already so used to it. Time with you should be spent on activities we both enjoy. I only want it to be associated with happiness. Nothing else.”

He brings my hand back over my body and places it on his growing cock. “And would
fucking
be considered an activity we both enjoy?” he asks, his tone aggressive.

I grab him, turn around, and start to stroke. “Oh yes,” I say. “Fucking is definitely something we both enjoy.”

***

At night, when we finally emerge from the bedroom, there’s no sign of Summer.

“I think she left when she heard us arguing,” James says.

“You want something to eat?” I ask. “We don’t keep much, but there’s some bologna in the fridge…” I trail off when I open the door, and frown. “No wait. No there’s not. It was here last night. Weird. I guess Summer threw it out.”

I swing it closed.

“Let’s go out to eat,” James says. “Get dressed. I’ll take you.”

I put my hip out and raise an eyebrow at him. “James Landon. Are you actually asking me out on a
second
date?”

He laughs and pulls me into his arms. “Most definitely, Ms. Adams. There’s no more uncertainty. We’re dating. You are my girlfriend now.”

I flush red with pride. “It seems we’re doing this backward,” I quip. “We fuck, I move out, and only then do you make me your girlfriend.”

He kisses me. “You’ve got that right.”

***

I take a quick shower by myself while James waits for me. It’s late, but it’s also a Friday night. The perfect opportunity to have our first real date.

I check my phone when I emerge. I only have a towel tucked over my boobs.

There’s a single text from Summer.

Summer:
Got him back for ya! Tell me when it’s safe to return :)

A sinking feeling forms in my gut. That text is from hours ago.

Frantically, I text back.

Me:
Summer! What did you do?

I pace around the room while I wait for her answer. James pokes his head in. “You’re taking a while.”

“Can’t decide what to wear,” I say quickly, all the while clutching my phone in one hand.

“Just go like that,” James suggests, smirking. “A pair of black stilettos on your feet and you’d be killer.”

“Oh, get out of here,” I tease, shoving him out the room.

Still no word from Summer, however. I try calling but she doesn’t pick up.

I guess I won’t learn what she meant until later.

***

James and I take the stairs down. He said he’d parked on a nearby street.

I love the feel of his arm on my lower back. It’s sure and steady and firm, a declaration of his possession of me. I am his woman, and anybody doubting that only has to look.

We turn a corner, and I see his Porsche.

“Oh shit,” I murmur.

His sleek black car is covered in thin, circular slices of bologna. It looks like a diseased jaguar.

“What the
fuck?
” James explodes. He releases me and runs forward. I hurry after him, though I’m not quite as fast reaching it in my heels.

At that exact moment, my phone vibrates with a text.

Summer:
This… :D

It’s accompanied by a picture of James’s Porsche, in broad daylight, covered in bologna.

I look from my phone to his car, right in front of me. It looks even more grotesque in person.

“Seriously,” James grunts. “What the
fuck?
Who would fucking do this?” He peels one slice off, and the paint goes right along with it. “FUCK!” he roars.

I put my phone away before he can notice. I join him stripping the deli meat off the exterior.

When we’re done, the car looks awful,

“Can you believe it? Can you fucking believe it? Fuck!” James kicks the tire. He gestures around the whole block. “Not another car touched, except
mine
? Fucking asshole! There’s no way they could have done it without anybody seeing.” He takes out his phone. “I’m calling the cops.”

“James, wait,” I say. “I know who did it.”

“
What?”
he growls.

I nod, unlock my phone, and show him Summer’s last text.

His eyes narrow. He grips my poor phone so tight I’m afraid he might break the screen.

“That bitch,” he mutters. “The fucking bitch! What the hell does she think she’s doing?”

“Protecting me,” I say weakly. “She heard us arguing and left, remember? She doesn’t have the strictest morals about this sort of thing.”

James looks at me. “She’s absolutely crazy.”

“I know,” I agree.

“You’re not staying with her. I won’t allow it, Celeste. Not after the way she kicked you out, definitely not after…” He sweeps a hand over his car, “…
this
.”

“I’m not moving back in with you,” I shake my head. “I need my own place.”

“I’ll get you one. Just not with her.”

“No!” I say. “I’m not having you pay for me, either. We’ve been over this before, James.”

“Things are different now.”

“Which is why you have to respect my opinion
more
,” I stress.

He grunts. He looks at his car. He shakes his head. “I just… I can’t believe she’d resort to such petty vandalism. It’s not even a big deal –I can afford to get the car painted –but still. What the fuck!”

“Ohmigod,” I gasp. “James, you
cannot
tell her I told you!”

He looks at me. “What do you want me to do? Pretend I don’t know it’s her?”

“Yes!” I insist. “James, she would
kill
me if she found out.”

He makes a displeased sound deep in his throat. “All the more reason for you not to live with her a day longer.”

“Please?” I beg. “James, you
can’t
give me away.”

His mouth makes a thin line.

“I’ll think about it,” he responds.

5.

What was meant to be a fun night out turns into a spectacular failure.

James’s mood is obviously sour. Mine is no better, really. I’m pissed at Summer for resorting to something like that. She completely acted on impulse. She didn’t even
wait
to hear what our raised voices were about.

I suspect this latest stunt has less to do with her pretending to be a good friend and more with her still holding a grudge against James. Where does that leave me? If she’s unhappy with him, there’s no way she’s forgiven me.

The only saving grace is that she left before hearing all I said about my cancer treatment. I can still withhold that from her.

James and I feed off each other in the worst possible way. He’s argumentative, so I’m argumentative. Before dinner’s served, we end up snapping at each other half a dozen times and capping off the night with an argument about the tip.

Welcome to couplehood. Please enjoy your stay.

I want to go home but James insists there’s no way he’s leaving me alone with a lunatic. For the sake of compromise, I agree to go to his place.

We sleep in the same bed but don’t fuck.

All the while, I’m thinking, James knows about my cancer and stayed calm. Summer heard one snippet of an argument and went ape-shit crazy.

6.

James drops me off at the hospital the next morning and kisses me good-bye.

I’m really, really,
really
glad he agreed to let me do it on my own.

It shows that he respects me.

Chemo passes in a flash. The whole while, I’m daydreaming of James.

I haven’t been this loopy over a guy since Brad in college.

No. Not even then. Brad had those sweet, deceiving eyes. He promised me a future then bailed the first chance he got.

James is different. He makes me feel secure. He makes me feel a happiness I didn’t know existed.

Is that happiness going to be short-lived? Undoubtedly. But is it worth it, to experience a moment of perfection, a flicker of a life in absolute bliss?

Yes.

At least, it is for me.

I feared it would not be for James, and he proved me wrong.

Now I have a real reason to fight. Not just hang on, not just drift on life’s paddleboard and go where the tide takes me, but really
fight
.

So fuck that coin spinning through the air.

I’m going to grab it and make sure it shows heads.

***

James picks me up in a black Mercedes. I open the door and look at him, but he shakes his head and says, “Don’t ask.”

It pisses me off that Summer would do that. “Can it be fixed?” I ask anyway.”.

“Yes.” He waits for me to buckle my seatbelt, shifts into drive, and pulls out. “Where to?” he asks.

“Home,” I say. “I need to figure shit out with my roommate.”