Running one of his hands down my hip, he reached to grip my thigh to wrap around him. I moaned as he ground his pelvis into me. I could feel his erection pushing just above where I needed him to be. His other hand held the back of my neck, tilting my head so he could deepen the kiss. As dominant as I could be during my everyday life, I loved a man who took charge in the bedroom—or against a wall as it happened to be right then.
My hands wove into his hair and gripped the short spikes as I moaned into his mouth. He took that as his cue to lift my body up, forcing my other leg up to around his hips. My breath came in short pants as I started to unbutton his shirt, running my hands up and down his chest. His mouth nipped and sucked a trail from my mouth to my chin, and over to my earlobe.
I scratched my nails down his front and he hissed. “Fuck, Harper,” he growled, sliding my dress up so he could hold my bare ass. Who needed underwear anyway?
I heard a sound in the distance, but I was so preoccupied I didn’t care what it was, or where it was coming from. Continuing to kiss Michael, I had just bitten down on his lip, when he pulled away, frustrated by the interruption. “Your cell phone keeps ringing. Maybe you should answer it?”
I whined as I slid my legs back down until my feet touched the floor. Reaching over toward the entry table, I grabbed my phone. Christ, I was wet. I was going to murder whoever it was. Seeing I had three missed calls from Em and a text from Finn, my head cleared.
Finn: Em’s in labor. She needs you. Call me!
“Oh shit,” I whispered as I looked through my contacts and found Finn’s number.
Michael came up behind me to ask what was going on.
“Em’s in labor. I have to go.”
He’d seemed disgruntled when we were first interrupted but hearing my news, he started smiling. “Well hot damn! That’s great news. I’ll drive you to the airport.” Michael adored Finn and Em.
I called Finn to find out how Em was doing, letting him know I was catching the first flight out and I’d be there in a few hours. My best friend was having a baby and I needed to be there for her. I was going to be an Aunt … wow. Michael drove me all the way to Boise and told me to give the new parents a “Congratulations” hugs from him. A short hour later, I was on a flight to Los Angeles. I was still reeling from my ‘almost sexathon’ evening that it was cut short, but becoming an aunt was worth the buzz kill.
Arriving at the airport four hours after receiving Finn’s text, I called him to let him know that I was there and would take a cab to the hospital. He sounded tense and nervous. Who wouldn’t be? He was about to become a father.
Pulling up to the main entrance of UCLA Medical Center, I looked around for a directory to tell me where I needed to go. Unfortunately, it was after hours and the front desk wasn’t manned. Over by the elevators on my left, I saw a map of the different floors. Scanning for Labor and Delivery, I located it on the third floor, in the west wing. Hitting the elevator button, I made my way up. When I arrived on the third floor, there were two large double doors that had a button to electronically open it. Walking inside I found a circular desk that housed at least twenty computers and monitors that I assumed were the monitors of all the women in labor. From the looks of things, most of the rooms were occupied. Nurses were walking all around, pushing carts, carrying IV bags, and some were chatting amongst themselves behind the desk. Approaching it, one of them stopped and looked up at me.
“Hi, I’m looking for Emilyn Morgan’s room.”
She pushed a few buttons on a screen in front of her then said, “She’s just down the hall in room three twenty-five.”
“Thank you,” I said and walked in direction she had pointed.
I found Em’s room all the way down the end of the hall. Knocking, I heard Finn’s voice on the other side saying, “Come in.”
As soon as I set foot in the room, Em saw me and burst out crying.
“Oh, honey, don’t cry.” I rushed to her side. Finn was standing on her other side by the window, holding her hand.
“I’ve missed you so much, Harper. I’m so glad you’re here.” She wiped away her tears.
“Where else would I be? You’re about to make me an aunt.”
She smiled at me and I smiled back. I glanced around the room and saw that Em was hooked up to an IV and a machine was feeding the line. In one corner was a wooden rocking chair and an exercise ball. What on earth do you need an exercise ball for? Em must have seen the look on my face.
“That’s for me to sit on. It’s just another tool I can use to help me move around and maybe help the baby move down.”
Nodding in acknowledgement, I continued to look around. In the opposite corner of the rocking chair was a large incubator looking thing. I assumed that was what they put the baby in when it was first born so they could weigh and measure it. There was a rolling cart next to it that had a sheet over it. I had no idea what that was for or what was under it, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. There was a door leading to a bathroom, but the rest of the room was wide-open space.
“Oh god, here comes another one,” Em said as she began squeezing my hand.
I looked down at her, watching as her eyes squeezed shut and she breathed in and out.
“That monitor right there is what shows her contractions. When it spikes like that, it shows how strong it is. At least, that’s what they tell me,” Finn said. I had almost forgotten he was in the room. He was very quiet, and Em had held my attention from the moment I set foot in the room.
When Em’s contraction seemed to dissipate, I got up from the bed and walked around to the other side to hug Finn.
“Hey there, handsome. You hanging in there?”
His smile was meant for me, but he wouldn’t take his eyes off of Em. “I’m doing fine. I just wish I could take the pain away for her.”
Finn was so sweet. I adored him even more for for how much he loved my best friend. I wasn’t happy with him ten years ago when he’d dumped Em on graduation night. I was one of the unfortunate few that had witnessed how miserable she’d been without him. Almost two years ago, he grew his balls back and let her know how he felt, and told her he wasn’t leaving her ever again. As much as I’d wanted to keep his man sack in a mason jar in my closet, I knew she loved him and he was good for her. Em was a sensitive girl, and I only wanted to protect her.
The machine next to Finn started beeping and he leaned over the top of her, brushing her hair out of her face.
“You okay, baby?”
Another contraction must have hit her because she gritted her teeth and said, “Do I look like I’m okay, Finley Morgan?”
Finn stepped back, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Em breathed heavily, before releasing a long deep sigh.
“Holy shit, that one was bad.”
The beeping was still going off in the room when a short nurse that looked smaller than Em walked in. She went over the machine that monitors the contractions, pushed a few buttons, then asked Em to roll over onto her left side. She placed an oxygen mask on Em’s face as well.
“Why does she need that?” Finn asked, concerned.
“There are a few decelerations in the baby’s heart rate when she’s having a contraction, so we are giving her some oxygen to give baby and mommy a boost.”
“Should we be concerned?” Finn asked.
Em looked at the nurse with anxious eyes.