Page 188 of Time Stops With You

I never thought I’d love someone the way I love her. Never thought I’d crave someone the way I crave her.

I want her naked. I want her screaming. I want her wrung out and satisfied.

But Nardi’s on a mission. Her hand leaves my shoulder and finds something under my seat. A moment later, the chair whirs as it glides backward and eases to a reclining position.

It jerks to a stop suddenly and Nardi loses her balance, toppling over on me. Chest-to-chest and nose-to-nose, she smiles.

I hear my heart thumping in my ears.

That smile is such an angelic sight and yet, her eyes are filled with dark, wicked intentions.

I’ve got no defense.

I’m caught in her trap.

My entire body is throbbing with a need so tight that it feels like I’ll die if she gives the command.

“I have an idea.” Nardi rests her elbows on my chest as if she’s lying in a bed. “How about we make an appointment now?”

It takes me a second to figure out what she’s talking about and then it hits me.The hospital.

“Here’s your cell phone. Don’t worry. I won’t stop.” She forces the device into my hand and then scrambles up to a sitting position again. Her fingers fiddle with my zipper.

I grab her wrist, the reminder of the hospital knocking me out of my lustful haze.

“What?” she asks, her chest heaving.

I stare at her, seeing a desperation I don’t like in her pretty brown eyes.

Nardi drops her gaze first. “I’ll be quiet,” she promises and the loud rip of my zipper going down is a direct contrast to her promise.

I suck in a breath as despair spikes through me, screaming higher than the white-hot lust. There’s something about her tone and gaze that unsettles me. Something about this moment that feels rushed and manipulative.

This is my Nardi.

My precious, precious Nardi.

The woman who means everything to me.

And yet, this moment is devoid of connection. It reminds me of a cold exchange of sex for drugs. Only in this case, Nardi’s exchanging sex for my treatment.

The thought is sobering and I refuse to release Nardi’s hand when she tries to go after my pants again.

Her breathing is as erratic and shallow as mine. “What’s wrong?” Suddenly, her eyes fill with concern. “Is your chest hurting too much? Did we over-do it?”

Silently, I grab the lever at the bottom of the chair and set us both upright. Nardi frowns and climbs off me, settling back into the driver’s seat. I’m glad she takes that initiative because Ididn’t have the will to push her away, even if that’s what I needed to do.

“How soon can you take another pain killer?” Nardi asks, her mouth swelling from my biting kisses.

I swallow hard and find my mind is blank. How do I tell Nardi that there’s no hope for me? How do I get her to understand that Iamgoing to die and there’s nothing either of us can do.

“Cullen?” Nardi whispers.

“The doctor gave me three weeks,” I say abruptly.

“Huh?”

“To live, Nardi.” I turn and face her emotionlessly. My voice is cold, but that’s the only way I can tell her the truth. “I have less than a month left to live.”

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