Jacob rung the bell at the Jacquard house repeatedly, then banged on the door. After long minutes, the housekeeper opened the door. He pushed his way past her, heading with painful determination up the stairs and down the hallway to Rory’s room.

Mrs. Jacquard stood at the top of the stairs, in a nightgown and quilted robe, her hair in disarray. “Doctor White! Have you lost your mind?”

Mr. Jacquard was right behind her, also in pajamas and a robe. “I’ve called security,” he warned. “You’ve got about two minutes until—”

“Rory,” Jacob said sharply. “Is she all right?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?” Mrs. Jacquard asked worriedly.

“What, did you think that when she lost your expert care, she’d die?” Mr. Jacquard said, stepping in front of Jacob in the hallway. His eyes lit with fury, his hands forming fists. “Take another step toward my daughter, and I’ll—”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Jacob said, gritting his teeth. His whole body was weak and racked with pain, but he kept moving forward. “But I’m going to see Rory, whether you want me to or not.”

Carrie the night nurse came out in the hallway. Jacob thought that she, too, might be trying to stop him. Instead, she looked dazed. “Mr. Jacquard, I think you need to…”

Mr. Jacquard grabbed Jacob by the front of his shirt, shoving him back toward the stairs. If Jacob had been at his regular state of health, he never would have budged. Now, he buckled slightly, feeling the aftereffects of the drug like a hammer on his chest. He grunted, then grimly pushed forward.

Mr. Jacquard punched him. He took the hit, slamming against the wall. He glared at the older man. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“You’re trying to hurt my daughter!”

“You kept your daughter under your thumb,” Jacob spat out. “And you treat your wife like shit. Hate me if you want, protect Rory if you think that’s best, but if you hit me again I’m kicking your ass. I have to make sure Rory’s all right. So shoot me, or get the hell out of my way.”

Mr. Jacquard’s mouth worked wordlessly, fury making him incapable of speech. He looked like a flopping fish.

Carrie turned to Mrs. Jacquard. “Really, you need to come see…”

Jacob stepped past all of them, limping into the familiar blue bedroom.

Rory sat up weakly, her luminescent gray eyes staring directly at him. She smiled.

“Jacob,” she whispered.

He couldn’t help himself. He fell to his knees at the side of her bed, weak with relief. “You’re alive,” he murmured.

She nodded. “So are you.”

They didn’t touch each other. A mere six inches between them, they stared at each other for a long moment, silently.

A ribbon of energy, thin but unbreakable, seemed to connect between them.

Then Mrs. Jacquard screamed. Jacob turned to see both Rory’s parents standing in the room, with Carrie hovering behind them, in the door frame. They stared at their daughter in disbelief.

“Mom. Dad,” Rory said, holding out a hand. Mrs. Jacquard flew to her daughter’s side, her head on her shoulder, weeping uncontrollably. Mr. Jacquard simply froze, staring at her. “I missed you,” Rory said, causing Mrs. Jacquard to sob even more loudly.

“Rory,” Mr. Jacquard finally said, and the longing and sadness in the man’s voice was enough to have Jacob reevaluate the man, at least a little. Losing his daughter had obviously torn him up. Having her restored to him might be the key to bringing back some of the humanity he’d lost. “Are you…you’re really awake?”

She nodded, smiling, weakly patting her mother’s head.

Mr. Jacquard turned to Jacob, looking lost. “Is she…is this…permanent?”

“I’d need to examine her,” Jacob said, “but…I think she is.”

“You knew that something had happened,” Mr. Jacquard said. “You knew that something had changed. How did you know?”

“It doesn’t matter, Mr. Jacquard.”

“Dad,” Rory interrupted, “Jacob saved my life. He’s the one who brought me back.”

“Jacob?” Mr. Jacquard sounded stunned. “He…how do you know him?”

She looked at Jacob. He shook his head, ever so slightly.

“He’s my doctor,” she replied.

Mr. Jacquard cleared his throat. “I misjudged you,” he said slowly. “I’ve…made many mistakes. I haven’t forgiven people.”

Mrs. Jacquard looked up at this, her eyes tearstained and puffy.

“I…I just thought we’d lost her…”

Jacob nodded. “I understand. Let me check her over, do a few quick tests. Then you can spend all the time you want with her, all right?” He gestured to Mrs. Jacquard. “You two might want to spend a few minutes together. Things have changed. Perhaps you have more to talk about.”

Mrs. Jacquard stood, looking hopeful.

Mr. Jacquard held out his hand. Taking a slow step, she moved toward him, accepting his peace offering. They moved out to the hallway, sending loving looks to their daughter. “We’ll be right back,” Mrs. Jacquard reassured her.

Carrie shut the door behind them, remaining in the room. “You did it, Doctor,” she said, obviously impressed. “Whatever weird, crazy antics you might’ve used, whatever protocols you might’ve developed—it worked. You’re going to be famous. The papers you can write on this case alone will—”

“Carrie, could you leave us alone for a moment, please?” Jacob said.

Her eyes widened. “What, alone with the patient?”

“Rory,” he corrected sharply. “Her name is Rory. And yes, I’d like to speak with her alone.”

Carrie looked offended. “It’s not appropriate…”

“Just get out, will you?”

Sniffing indignantly, she left, shutting the door behind her with force.

Jacob turned to Rory. He still didn’t touch her. It was as if he couldn’t trust himself to. “Are you all right?” he asked quietly.

She nodded.

“And…are you going to stay…”

“Here? Awake?” She nodded again, her smile like liquid sunlight. “I’m not going anywhere, Jacob. This is my life now, and I’m living it.”

“You have no idea how happy it makes me, hearing that.”

Her eyes filled with longing. “We can be together now.”

He sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

She looked pained, and it slashed at him. “What? Why not?”

“I’m your doctor,” he reminded her gently. “There are rules. Ethics.”

“Screw ethics,” she said. “I love you!”

“I love you, too,” he whispered. “But there are other things.”

“What other things?” she demanded.

He wanted so much to hold her, reassure her. But suddenly, his conscience, logic, and rationality, everything he’d honed to a knife’s edge in his years as a doctor, leaped to the fore.

“First of all, what would your parents say if I suddenly declared that I was not just your doctor, I was in love with you and we were together?”

“I don’t care. I’m not living just to make them happy,” she snapped. “I have my own life to live, and I’m not losing you because they won’t approve!”

“It’s not that. Like I said, I’m your doctor. If they think that I behaved…inappropriately,” he said euphemistically, “with you, while you were in a coma…what would that look like?” He paused, waiting for that to sink in. “Criminal charges could be filed.”

“You could go to jail?”

He nodded slowly.

“But we didn’t…not for real.”

“How would we explain that? How would they believe that your love for me is real?”

She blinked, at a loss. Then she frowned. “Fine. Then you stop being my doctor. In a few months, I’ll get better, and we’ll just…” She spluttered when he shook his head. “I’m an adult, damn it. I’m twenty, er…,” she paused, obviously calculating, “seven?”

“That’s another thing.” His logical mind had hijacked his emotions, continuing relentlessly. “You were just about to start your life. Now, you’ve fallen in love with me under very extreme circumstances. Don’t you want to see what else is out there?”

“Nothing else out there is better than what I have with you.”

His heart thrummed, resonating with the statement. He reached for her, stopping just short of her fingertips.

“You deserve a chance.”

“I’ll decide what I deserve.”

He sighed. “At least think about it,” he said softly.

“Don’t you even want to be with me?”

He finally touched her, his hand brushing against her wrist. The heat of her branded his memory. He pulled away.

“I want to be with you,” he murmured. “More than you’ll ever know. And I love you. Which is why I’m trying so damned hard to make sure you’re getting what you deserve.”

She grimaced. “How long, before I can walk? Before I’m completely rehabilitated?”

He shrugged, surprised by her quick change of topic. Was she conceding that quickly, then? “I don’t know,” he said. “You were asleep for a long time. Your muscles are in remarkable shape, thanks to the voodoo I imagine, but…I don’t know. If you’re very lucky, I would say six months, working with a dedicated physical therapist…”

“Fine.” Her eyes lit, like pearly gray beacons. “In six months, I will come to find you, Doctor Jacob White. In the meantime, you go do whatever it is you want to do. You won’t be my doctor, we won’t have any contact, no one will accuse you of anything.” Her face was set with determination. “But in six months—you’re mine.”

He smiled, his heart tightening. “God, how much I love you, Rory.”

“Remember that, then,” she said. “And I’ll see you in six months.”

 

“Mahjani, wait a minute.”

Mahjani strode purposefully away from the hospital. “Aaron, just leave me alone.”

“You’re in no condition to go home by yourself,” he argued, following her. She ignored him, trying to remember where the nearest subway station was. He put a hand on her arm. “Mahjani!”

She felt tears sting at her eyes. She stopped, turning to him, staring at his chest rather than his face. “I can’t do this anymore.”

He nudged her chin up, staring into her eyes. “Can’t do what?”

“I can’t keep letting myself hope,” she whispered. “I can’t keep hurting when you treat me badly, then walk away. I’m tired of it, and I deserve better. So leave me the hell alone, Aaron White. I’m finished with you.”

He didn’t let her go. Instead, he held on with both hands, pulling her roughly against his chest. He kissed the top of her head, hugging her tightly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “I’m so damned sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was an idiot.”

“Yes,” she agreed, trying to pull away from him. His grip was unbreakable. “But nothing’s changed.”

“I’ve changed,” he said quietly.

Her eyes narrowed. Her heart started to beat faster—but hadn’t she been down this path before? How many times was she going to fall for the same line, only to have him treat her like some kind of degenerate when voodoo came up?

No. She definitely deserved better, and she wasn’t settling for less.

“Sell it to someone else…”

“I love you, Mahjani.”

The words warmed her more than her wool coat ever could. She hugged him involuntarily, before pushing away. “I know you do,” she said. “That doesn’t change things.”

“I know I was disloyal,” he said urgently. “I should have stood up for you. I should have been prouder of loving such a wonderful, intelligent woman, rather than focusing on my embarrassment of her unorthodox beliefs. I have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are amazing, and I’d be the luckiest man alive if you agreed to be with me.”

She blinked, causing the tears she was holding to trickle down her cheeks. “Nice words,” she said. Then, carefully, she added, “They’re easy to say.”

He sighed. Then he released her.

Here we are again, she thought bitterly. When caught in the clutch, he would always…

He pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number. He placed his other hand on Mahjani’s shoulder, keeping her in place. “Mom? It’s Aaron. Yes, everything’s all right. In fact, everything’s wonderful. I’m going to ask a woman to marry me.”

Mahjani’s eyes widened, and she held her breath.

“Who is she? Her name is Mahjani Rafallo, and she’s a professor over at NYU.” He looked at Mahjani meaningfully. “She’s also a practicing voodoo priestess.”

Now Mahjani choked in surprise.

She heard the voice on Aaron’s phone, jabbering quickly in an agitated tone. Aaron sighed. “No, I’m not joking, and no, I haven’t lost my mind. She’s wonderful, and I’m very in love with her. She makes me happier than I’ve ever felt.” He paused. “No, she isn’t one of my patients.”

Mahjani let out a startled laugh.

“She isn’t crazy, and neither am I,” Aaron said, his voice firm. “No, I don’t know when we’re getting married. I still need to get her to say yes, actually.”

Mahjani swallowed hard against the emotions clogging her throat. He released her, but she made no effort to walk away.

“Listen, Mom, I’ll give you all the details later…yes, I know you wonder if this is entirely wise, and I’m…okay. Okay. You can send me an e-mail with your rationale for marriage criteria when you get out of your conference. In the meantime, will you let Dad know?” He rolled his eyes, and Mahjani giggled. “Mom…Mom? Okay, I’m hanging up now. Good-bye.”

He closed his phone, sighing. “That went better than I’d expected.”

“You’re going to ask me to marry you?”

He sent her a lopsided smile that had her heart melting. “Not a very romantic way to find out, huh? I was hoping to set up something more elaborate. I’ve got a carefully orchestrated scene set up at my apartment, actually. Roses, candles, champagne, the whole nine yards. But you wouldn’t even talk to me.” He stroked her cheek, and she rubbed against his palm like a cat. “I’d come close to losing you before. I couldn’t stand losing you again.”

He leaned down, kissing her tenderly, and she closed her eyes, giving in to the sensation of his firm lips brushing over hers with gentle, insistent pressure. She sighed against his mouth. “You didn’t lose me last time,” she couldn’t help but point out. “You walked away.”

“Yes, I did. But that’s not what I was talking about,” he corrected. “When I saw you in your apartment, lying in your bed, looking…” His voice shook, and he cleared his throat. “I thought you were dead.”

She felt a shiver that owed nothing to the cold November weather, and hugged herself. He followed suit, wrapping his arms around her. “It was a close call,” she admitted from the safety of his embrace. “I underestimated how dangerous the situation was. But Rory’s alive, and awake. That’s what matters.” She tilted back, looking at him curiously. “So that’s what changed your mind? The fact that my so-called imaginary beliefs nearly got me killed?” She shook her head. “Figures that it would take my near death to get you to understand how real my world is.”

He grinned ruefully. “Actually, it had nothing to do with voodoo, or proving your beliefs. When Jacob called me and told me you were in trouble—that you might be hurt or worse—I lost it. I didn’t want to believe him, but I couldn’t risk it. So I broke into your apartment.”

“Come to think of it…how did you get into my apartment?” she asked, surprised. “You gave back my key.”

“I remembered you always keep your window open, no matter how cold it got.” He shrugged.

Now she pushed away enough to get a good look at his face. “You broke in through my window?”

He nodded.

She shoved him. “Are you insane? Do you know how high that is? You could have gotten killed!” Residual fear and adrenaline started pumping through her bloodstream. She pictured him, on that tiny ledge, six stories up…

She smacked him on the arm.

“Ouch! Hey! I got to you, didn’t I?”

She realized what she was doing and was abruptly contrite. “I see what you mean. The thought of you almost getting killed…” Her stomach twisted with anxiety. She let out a relieved exhalation. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“Well, don’t go into a coma again, then,” he replied. “I figured I was crazy, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to get to you, make sure you were okay.”

“So you couldn’t talk to the building manager? Tell him you thought I was hurt, ask him to let you in?”

Aaron’s eyes widened…then he looked very pale.

She stared at him in disbelief. Then, slowly, she started laughing. A few moments later, he joined in, laughing with her, shaking his head.

“I am an idiot,” he replied. “All I could think of was getting to you.”

“You must love me, then,” she said.

“That’s what I said.” He smiled. “That’s when I knew. Before, when I broke up with you, some part of my mind knew you were out there. I kept thinking, maybe things would change, or you would change, or my parents would finally accept me and get off my back. When I knew you might be dying, I realized none of that mattered. I couldn’t wait for conditions to be perfect anymore. I didn’t care about my reputation or even my own safety. Only you mattered.”

She smiled, wiping at the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. “I love you, too, Aaron.”

He put an arm around her, and they slowly walked to the parking garage, over to his car, a black Lexus. “I hope so,” he said, “because I want you to spend the rest of your life with me.”

“New car?”

He laughed. “New to me,” he said. “Jacob gave it to me. A gift.”

They got in. The leather was luxurious, the interior opulent. The parking garage was empty.

She felt a wave of desire engulf her as he sat next to her, smiling at her with love shining so brightly in his eyes. “I really do love you,” she said.

“I love you, too.”

“So…” She smiled mischievously. “How about we initiate this car of yours?”

“Here? Now?”

She leaned the car seat back, smiling in invitation.

“Are you sure you’re well enough?”

“Only one way to find out.” She licked her lips, feeling delightfully warm, wonderfully alive.

“Someone might see…” He sounded wary of the idea—but also aroused. His eyes lit with passion.

“Better hurry, then.”

He smiled back, hungrily. Then he undid his pants, pushing down the fly and his boxers, letting his cock spring free.

She shimmied out of her panties and stockings, glad that she was wearing a long skirt. She scooted across the seat, straddling him as he leaned back. She kissed him ravenously, feeling his cock brush against the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. He reached inside her coat, under her sweater, cupping her breasts, circling the nipples with his thumbs until she was breathless with arousal. She nudged his cock with her wet pussy. He fumbled under her skirt, positioning his cock at her entrance. She plunged downward, forcing him up inside her, filling her with one long stroke. They both gasped at the intensity of the pleasure…the incredible heat, in a world of cold.

She pushed her hips forward, feeing her clit rub against his pelvic bone and the insistent press of his cock inside the walls of her cunt. “Yes,” she breathed, rocking back and forth, her buttocks clenching and releasing, her cunt squeezing around him.

He stared at her through low-lidded eyes, groaning, clutching her hips as she rocked and pressed. His hips arched upward, straining for an even deeper penetration. His legs were like boards, every muscle tensed like cords of steel. “God, yeah, baby, move like that,” he muttered, his fingers digging into her flesh.

She threw her head back, breathing quickly, in short, choppy gasps. She bounced and moved, her breasts swaying. He leaned up, nibbling through the sweater, and she could feel the heat of his breath permeating the cloth. They kissed wildly as their sex merged and withdrew, pounding against each other.

The climax was close, she could feel the initial shimmers of sensation. She moved restlessly, picking up her pace, breathing quickly and harshly. “Yes…oh yes, Aaron…I’m going to come…”

He pulled at her hips, ramming inside her, and she muffled her scream of pleasure by biting his shoulder, yelling in ecstasy against the camel hair of his jacket. She felt his cock jump and pulse inside her, felt the hot spurt of his come against her pussy. They shuddered together, rubbing insistently, as if they were trying to mesh into one body of pleasure.

Minutes later, she collapsed limply against him. “I guess I’ll let you take me home now,” she murmured, nibbling at his jaw.

He smiled. “My home or yours?”

“Yours, I think,” she said, climbing off him with effort and straightening her clothes. “I want to see this elaborate seduction scene you’ve set up. We shouldn’t let it go to waste.”

“Trust me…this was just an appetizer,” he said, zipping up his pants and getting himself presentable. His eyes glowed with promise. “When we get to my house, I’m going to make love to you until sunrise.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she answered, with a kiss.

Sunrise, she thought, as they pulled out of the garage and onto the road. It was going to be a whole new day…and a whole new life.