The heat escalated. And a sense of joy he’d never experienced in a session before flowed through him. Oh, Dear Lord, it was because his baby nestled there. He had to keep himself from gasping. When he could, he lifted his hands off of her and said, “I’m going to turn up the lights a bit.”
He elevated the chair and she smiled. Finally, she looked at him. “That was absolutely lovely.”
“For me too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, God, Elise, when I put my hands on your belly, I had a reaction I’ve never had before while practicing my craft.”
“What?”
“Tingling and heat, lots of it. But then a sense of utter joy filled me.”
“And that hasn’t happened with other pregnant women you treated?”
“Never.” He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on her mouth. “Just with you, love.”
Chapter 10
Heath Elsworth sat at his desk in his office at the medical building, trying to decide if he would continue his participation in the Harmony Health Collective. He wasn’t happy with the place right now. Finn was attacked. There was a fucking bombing. And Scarlet had some bad feelings about the security guard he’d hired.
The first problem with leaving the place was it had only been open a month and they’d all committed to a year. Of course, given the events of the last few weeks, his lawyers could probably get him out of the contract. Hell, his safety was in jeopardy. Second, though, he’d invested quite a bit of money to be a member, which he’d lose if he bowed out. And third and most important, he wasn’t happy with his current situation.
Sitting back in the chair, he swiveled to look out the window. After he finished med school, fellowships and residency, he’d joined his father’s cardiothoracic practice. This had been expected of him and he never thought about doing anything else. Now, though, he was sick of being under his father’s thumb. And he was tired of the pressure of literally holding people’s lives in his hands. He was forty years old and he’d never been content.
His brother had died of prostate cancer and his best friend had related issues with his prostate that went untreated. Partly because of them, Heath wanted to be involved in keeping men healthy through targeted medical exams and lifestyles conducive to men’s health. Unbeknownst to his father, he’d gone back to school to take special classes in the area of men’s health. Then, he’d joined the collective to try his hand at it. Even that, Edward Elsworth knew nothing about. Yet.
The phone buzzed interrupting his rumination. “Yes, Ceilia?”
“Your father called. He wants you to take an appointment of his in fifteen minutes. He’s been called away on an emergency.”
“Who is it with?”
“Albert Crenshaw.”
Heath rolled his eyes. Albert Crenshaw was a friend of his dad’s and he was a hypochondriac. He guessed Crenshaw had come in with more heart palpitations, none of which had been documented. He hated it when his father drew him into situations where there was no real medicine practiced. And why? The emergency was probably a scheduled golf date with his other cronies. Yes, it was time to reevaluate.
* * *
After finding out about the baby—his baby—Finn had decided to pamper Elise…
“Where are we going?” she asked Finn when he showed up at her condo the next day.
“To Canandaigua Lake. I got a room at the Inn on the Sea so we can sit out on their private beach.”
“Will we stay overnight?”
“If you want to. I packed a duffle just in case we want to. But we can also just go for the day. I thought it would be relaxing.”
“I’m free again tomorrow. How about if I pack a bag real quick then we can stay if we want?”
“Sounds good. Bring something dressy to wear to dinner. They have a fancy restaurant on the premises.”
Though she looked adorable in white shorts, tennis shoes and navy top, she still spiked his blood pressure with the way the clothes fit.
The trip down was fun. They listened to music and talked about baby names. Finn checked them in while she sat on a porch off the reception area with a cool drink.
Soon, they were ensconced in a cabana on the sand with comfortable chairs and valet service. It was warm and sunny and he could hear the lap of the waves on the shore. Elise watched the water. “I haven’t been to many lakes.”
