He smiled at me. “We’re going to watch each other in the mirror as I fuck you.”
“I’m ready to feel you in me.”
On the next swing in, Brandt grabbed the strap to hold me in place and minimize the swinging motion. He slammed into me, and I hissed at the stretching sensation. Pain mixed with pleasure was one of the headiest combinations I could ever want.
Brandt became a machine as I watched him move in and out of me in the mirror. His cock would nearly leave my body before ramming back in. The inner pool of desire began to rise, waiting to break and release again.
He came into me faster, harder, and deeper. I was at the edge and I couldn’t hold back as I called his name.
Brandt called out, “Nikki!” And we reached bliss simultaneously.
I was exhausted and covered with sweat. Brandt hoisted me out of the swing, then laid me on the bed. He unbuckled my shoes, and they disappeared from my feet. The lights dimmed and a low, classical melody replaced the silence. Brandt slid next to me and pulled the sheet on top of our bodies. Our legs entwined and our faces were mere inches from each other, making our breath mingle. The smell of sex filled the air.
“I’d say we are still quite compatible in the club fucking department,” Brandt declared, grinning like he’d won the lottery.
I matched his expression. “I’d have to agree. I don’t know why I was nervous.”
“I think we’re both scared to lose the only things we want in life—love and happiness.” He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb.
“I agree. I’m glad we found this side to us again.” Our noses grazed each other as we talked.
An unwanted thought came into my mind. I bit my cheek.
Brandt looked at me for a second. “What’s on your mind?”
Brandt was one of the few people who noticed my nervous habit. A lump formed in my throat and I closed my eyes. I knew Brandt had been with one other person while we were apart.
Just above a whisper, I asked, “Did you sleep with her in here? In our room?”
Silence came, and I squeezed my eyes tighter, afraid of what he was going to say.
“Nikola—,” I waited. “Nikola, look at me.”
My eyes slowly opened. Brandt watched me, concerned. He shook his head. “The last time I was in this room was with you. I told you, I took over the security office. It was because the reminder of you, that close, was hard. But I couldn’t bear to get rid of anything. It made it feel too final, and I wasn’t ready to give up on us.”
I breathed a shaky sigh of relief and kissed him. “I’m glad you didn’t give up.”
“I’ll never give up on us as long as I’m alive. We’re forever.”
I believed him. Brandt was my happily ever after. I had all I’d ever wanted in my life. Tonight, another piece of the puzzle had fallen into place for us. We were piecing us back together. I was excited to see what the puzzle would look like when we were done.
A week had passed, and I was at the doctor’s office with Grandmama. The doctor had decided to take some precautionary chest x-rays, even though they still believed it was bronchitis. I’d spoken to my parents this morning. They’d signed on for another three years in China for my dad’s work. I missed them, but it felt like I was a stranger to them.
Grandmama sat on the red, plaid chair as I walked around, looking at all the certificates Dr. Grieger had received. His list of accomplishments was extraordinary. He was a pulmonary specialist, and we’d been lucky to get in so quickly when I called in to make the appointment. I wanted to become more proactive with Grandmama’s bronchitis. Hopefully, we could become proactive with the yearly battle of bronchitis Grandmama seemed to face.
“Did Brandt tell you what he’s planned tonight after dinner at his mom’s house?”
I turned and smiled big. “No, I can’t get it out of him. All he says is that it’s my early Valentine’s Day surprise and to be ready by six.”
Brandt’s mom, Faith, had returned from the Bahamas, and I was going to see her for the first time since the breakup. I’d missed her. Faith had been like a mom to me, and it had been devastating when I’d lost her too. Part of me had still wanted to keep talking to her, but I knew it wouldn’t have been fair to Brandt. He needed his mom.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was after four. Ainsley was working on a broom analysis I’d left her with. Gavin had challenged our initial findings regarding his lack of diversification in broom styles. We’d talked a few times, but the majority of the time, all communication with Gavin happened via e-mail.
We’d been waiting for a while. “If you need to leave, Nikola, you can.”
“No, I’m waiting on a report from Ainsley. She’s handling the broom piece of the Livingston account. She’s doing extremely well.”
Grandmama crossed her legs the other direction. “Do you think you’ll hire her on at the end of this? She seems to help you, and I like her. Ainsley has a good heart.”
“I’m hoping to, but we’ll see if I’m able to compete with the other offers she’ll probably receive.”
The door cracked open and Dr. Grieger came into the office carrying a large envelope. His face was blank, which was how he’d been during the entire examination. “Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long. Can I get you anything?”
We both answered, “No, thank you.”
The board the x-rays were on lit up. It was a picture of Grandmama’s lungs. A massive white ball on each side covered more than a quarter of the lung.
“Oh man, Grandmama. Your bronchitis is bad. I’m glad we came so we can get you fixed right up.”
I smiled at her, and she gave me a small smile in return. The doctor looked at me as I waited to hear what we needed to do to get her better.
He cleared his throat. “After examining the x-rays closely, it appears you have either Stage Three or Sta
ge Four lung cancer.”
I stood. “What?” Panic rose in my voice.
“Until we do a biopsy, we won’t know the type of cancer, but it is definitely advanced.” The doctor’s voice was calm and steady.
“Lung cancer? Are you sure? This has to be a mistake. She can’t have lung cancer. She can’t. She has bronchitis. Please, check again. The first doctor we went to never mentioned lung cancer.”
Tears were beginning to stream down my face as I let the emotion take control of me, knowing Grandmama needed me strong, but not being able to push it down. My chest rose in jagged breaths. I felt like a knife was being dragged through my gut. I went to sit next to Grandmama and grabbed her hands. Tears were in the corners of her eyes. The look of sadness on her face tore me to shreds.
The doctor continued as tears created a haze over my vision. The lung x-ray looked like one big blob. “Yes, this is undoubtedly lung cancer. We’ll first need to do an MRI to see if the cancer has spread elsewhere. If it hasn’t, then we may be able to operate and remove it.”
My brain was on fire. “How long do you think she’s had it?”
Dr. Grieger sat in the chair opposite us. “It’s hard to say. We won’t know until we get the results of the biopsy.”
“When do we start treatment?” Tears continued to race down my cheeks.
I squeezed Grandmama’s hand, and she returned the pressure. Her hand shook.
The doctor put some papers he’d been holding on the table. “If you guys can make an eight a.m. appointment, we’ll do an MRI. Then, we’ll discuss the next step. All the information is in these papers. The appointment is in this building. Afterward, we’ll meet here to talk about all our options.”
“Okay.” My voice was shaky, and I turned to Grandmama. “We’re going to get through this. Everything is going to be okay.”
Her blue eyes looked back at me, and I wanted to start crying again. Grandmama tried to be strong as her lower lip slightly trembled. “Yes, we are. We’re going to get through this.”