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"I've never met him," she admitted.
"You came all this way to see a guy you don't know? Why?"
She studied him, not quite sure how to explain. Would he think her stupid or worse--label her as a nutcase? "We met in an online service and I thought ... well, he seemed perfect. Too perfect to follow through on the terms, I guess." The thought of another wasted ovulation period threatened to depress her. She brushed her hands over her face to help wipe away the niggling fact she might never have the child she wanted.
"Terms?" He checked the cut and moved down on the floor. With his fingers, he checked the water temperature in the basin. "I need you to sit up and put your feet over the side of the bed."
She scooted, wincing as she moved her foot. He cupped the heel as it came over the side. Instinctively, she pulled it back. The movement pronounced the throb, but his touch intensified the ache between her thighs.
"Go on, tell me about the terms." Allen's hand slipped up to her calf as he wet a cloth and washed the blood from her foot.
Cheri took a deep breath and let it out with a whoosh. He tried to be gentle, but it hurt. "I want to have a baby, so I went to see a psychic friend of one of my sisters. She confirmed I'd have the child I want." Her breasts rose and fell when he ran the cloth between her toes. She'd never had anyone wash her feet before. Somehow it seemed intimate, sexual and a need spiraled through her midsection.
"And, the problem is?" He dried her injured foot, being careful around the cut.
She jerked her foot when he again checked the depth, but he had a good hold on it. "It requires sperm to fertilize an egg."
"Yes, it does,but that wasn't what I meant."
He tried to hide the smirk by keeping his head lowered, but she saw it. "Since the man I came to meet didn't show, well, I can hardly produce it myself." She swallowed the thickness lacing her voice.
"Isn't that half the fun? Searching, getting to know someone, finding out if the chemistry is there, and setting up the meet to see if the online feelings flow into real time."
"I'm not looking for a relationship. It's a business deal. A weekend of free sex, and if conception occurs, he'll sign a contract freeing him of all rights and obligations."
"So, then, why not go to a sperm bank?"
"I have my reasons."
He tilted his head, eyeing her. "So, are you doing this because of the psychic?"
"No."
"I can't believe you'd have trouble finding volunteers where you live."
"It wouldn't work for me."
"So, you'd rather chance the history of a stranger than someone who could ease your mind about certain facts of family history?"
He touched the cut with the tip of his finger to apply the ointment. She groaned. "That stings."
"Sorry. I should have warned you." He set the tube down and picked up the butterfly bandages. "This is going to hurt, so take a deep breath and let it out." When he pressed the open wound closed, she sucked in air and held it. "Breathe, Cheri." She did, but gripped her thigh with tears in her eyes as she watched him put the Band-aids in place and tape a gauze pad over them. "Tomorrow, we'll let it air, but tonight let's keep it clean and dry." His hand massaged her foot and up her calf. Damn, she could get used to his bedside manner. "How does that feel?"
"It's fine. Thank you." Allen picked up her other foot and set it in the warm water, rubbing the sand off with his fingers. She looked up at him and saw the corners of his eyes twitch. He knew what he was doing to her.
"So, what other requirements need to be met for this prospective donor to fertilize you?"
The way he said it made it sound so cold, and maybe it was. It's the way she needed it to be. "Why? Are you offering?" She ran her tongue over her dry lips and watched him swallow.
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