Jaden hit the 'save' button on her computer just as Kari knocked on the door, announcing the arrival of her next appointment. Jaden sighed as she glanced up at the clock, feeling like this day would never end.
*****
Skyler paced restlessly around her hotel room, waiting for Kane to call. She about jumped right through the ceiling when the phone finally did ring.
"Hey beautiful." The deep voice on the other end said before Skyler even had a chance to say 'hello'.
"Kane." Skyler said softly, her heart pounding at the sound of his voice.
"I'm down in the hotel lobby and I was about to go grab an early dinner before the show. I'd love for you to come with me." Kane told her, his heart racing just as fast as Skyler's.
"I'll be down in two seconds!" Skyler exclaimed, hanging up the phone before Kane had a chance to say anything more, unable to wait any longer to see him.
******
Jaden finished with her last patient for the day and sighed with relief as she fully realized that the day was finally over. She sat down at her desk as she switched on her computer. Jaden re-read the letter she had typed once more and then printed it out. Then she picked up her phone and called Dr. Johnson, making arrangements to meet with him tomorrow for lunch.
With that taken care of, Jaden finished her paper work and a few other things that had to be done in record time and made it home even faster.
Jaden heard the phone ringing when she stepped through her front door. Somehow knowing it was Taker, she made a mad dash to answer it.
Just as she ran into the living room, she tripped on a piece of carpet that had come loose and was sent flying across the room. Her leg hit the table beside the couch, causing the phone to crash to the floor. Jaden cried out in pain as her face skid across the rough carpet, leaving a raw, and very painful rug burn down the left side of her cheek.
"Fuck!" Jaden exclaimed before she even knew she was doing so as she grabbed the phone and brought it up to her ear.
"Hello?" She asked breathlessly, not able to believe what had just happened in her haste to get to the phone.
"Hey, Doc…." The deep, sexy voice on the other end of the line said. Jaden recognized immediately who it was. "Sounds like you had some trouble getting to the phone." Taker said, trying his hardest not to laugh.
Jaden laughed as she picked herself and the phone up off of the floor and sat down, wincing in pain at the burn on her cheek. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." She replied and then continued.
"You must be having some problems with that knee since you are calling." She said, even though she knew that was not the reason for Taker's call.
"Well, actually I do have a problem and a question." Taker told her, his voice sending shivers racing along her spine.
"What's that?" Jaden asked curiously.
"My problem is that I miss you. And my question is, can I see you tonight?"
"Yes, you can see me tonight." Jaden answered without hesitation, her heart pounding and her legs going weak at the thought of seeing him again. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking about dinner and then how about a ride on my Harley. Taker suggested, remembering that she had mentioned her love for bikes the night before during dinner.
"I'd love that." Jaden smiled happily, already planning what she was going to wear.
"Great! I'll see you at eight o' clock then." Taker said, and then after saying good-bye, they hung up, each looking very much forward to seeing the other.
_________________
Chapter Thirty Nine
Skyler was just walking out of her hotel room when her phone rang. She stopped, debating on if she wanted to answer it or if she wanted to hurry down to see Kane. She sighed and walked over to the phone.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Sky, it's Jaden."
"Jaden! How are you?" Skyler asked, glad she had decided to answer the phone.
"I'm wonderful. I just wanted you to know that I am accepting Vince's offer." Jaden said with a smile, laughing as she held the phone away from her ear when Skyler let out an excited squeal.
"I'm so glad you did! I was hoping. This is perfect!" Skyler exclaimed happily, finally feeling like things were falling into place. "Have you told Uncle Vince yet?"
"No, not yet. I will when I talk to him though." Jades said.
"Okay, I won't say anything to him then. I really hate to cut this conversation short, but Kane is waiting for me downstairs." Skyler said, smiling at the thought of seeing and being with Kane.
"Ohhh, sounds like things are good with you two." Jaden said, happy for her friend.
"Very good. What's going on with you and Taker?" Skyler asked, hoping the same for them.
"Well, he's picking me up in a little while." Jaden said with a smile, more than ready to see him.
"Good. Now, hurry and get him better so he can get back on the road with us." Skyler demanded with a laugh.
"You got it! I'll talk to you later, have fun tonight." Jaden said.
"You too, I'll call you tomorrow." Skyler answered, then after saying good bye she hung up.
She quickly left the hotel room, grabbed an elevator and headed downstairs, smiling happily to herself the whole time. She stepped off the elevators looking around for Kane. She didn't see him, and frowned to herself, worried she had taken too long. She jumped when someone wrapped his arms around her from behind. She smiled, knowing who it was just by the electricity flowing through their two bodies.
"I was getting worried." Kane said huskily in her ear, sending more chills.
Skyler turned towards him, giving him a tight hug. "I'm sorry I took so long, Jaden called just as I was leaving. She decided to take the job!"
"That's wonderful!" Kane said. "I know Taker will be thrilled."
"Yup, and they are going out tonight." Skyler said, grinning broadly. "Speaking of going out, I'm starving. Let's go."
Kane laughed, pulling her closer to him for a moment. "Okay, but first…" he cut himself off as he lowered his lips to hers in a gentle, but very promising kiss that left them both wanting more.
_______________
Chapter Forty
Jaden jumped, choking on the water that she had just taken a drink of when she heard her doorbell ring. She shook her head, unable to believe the day she was having as she walked to the door. Smiling happily, Jaden pulled the door open and stepped back, allowing Taker inside. Taker walked past Jaden, his eyes taking in her features. Jaden closed the door and turned around facing him.
"Jaden…" Taker said in a deep, husky voice as he pulled her into his arms, sending shivers racing up and down her spine. Very slowly he lowered his head, his lips seeking and then finding hers in a burning kiss. When the kiss ended, Taker pulled back, taking Jaden's breath away as he looked down into her eyes.
"What happened here?" Taker asked as he gently ran a finger down her raw cheek.
Jaden laughed as she thought about what had happened. Then she went on to tell him how she had tripped in her rush to get to the phone when he called earlier.
"Looks painful." Taker commented as he imagined how bad it must hurt.
"It is, but seeing you makes me forget all about it." Jaden answered softly, gazing up into Taker's beautiful green eyes.
The next thing Jaden knew was that Taker's lips were on hers again. Jaden moaned softly as Taker pulled her closer to him. She opened her mouth in an invitation that Taker immediately accepted.
The kiss deepened, their tongues entwining as their bodies pressed as close together as possible. Both Taker and Jaden were left breathless and trembling when they finally broke the kiss several minutes later.
Jaden looked up at Taker with eyes that were dark with desire causing Taker to moan deep in his throat as he leaned forward, claiming her lips in a kiss that was even more heated that the one before. Just as Jaden moved to pull him closer, Taker pulled back, placing a large hand on each side of her face as he looked deep into her eyes.
"Later, Jaden." Taker whispered his promise, knowing that she wanted the same as he did. Then he took her hand, leading her out the door for dinner.
_______________
Chapter Forty One
As dinner ended for Skyler and Kane, neither wanted to leave each other. Kane knew he had to get to the arena in less than a half-hour, and sighed reluctantly as he looked as his watch.
"I have to get to the arena soon." He stated with disappointment as he looked at Skyler.
"Okay," Skyler answered with the same amount of disappointment. "Do you mind dropping me off at the hotel?"
"I have a better idea. Why don't you come to the arena with me?" Kane asked hopefully.
"I would love to, but I promised Uncle Vince I would go there with him." Skyler said sadly.
"Then you will be there?" Kane asked, smiling once again.
Skyler nodded. "Yup. Looks like I'm going to be at a lot more of the show. I'm not sure if I'm getting into any of the story lines, but I'll be backstage." She said.
"Then I will be sure to look for you." Kane said huskily.
What neither Kane nor Skyler knew was that Shane was already planning for Skyler to be a part of the action. He didn't care what his father said, and didn't want her seeing Kane. He decided she was going to the ring, with him, and play her against Kane in the shows, knowing it could cause problems afterwards.
Kane dropped her off at the hotel, both surprised to see Shane waiting for her outside.
"Great, what does he want now?" Skyler half said to herself. She turned to Kane. "I will see you later."
Kane kept his eyes on Shane, not liking the look on his face. "Is everything going to be okay with him?" he asked, not wanting Skyler to have to face him alone if he was trying to start trouble.
"Oh, he'll be fine. I'll set him straight." She said.
Kane couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sure you will." He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss, wanting to kiss her more deeply, but not wanting to do so in front of Shane, who was still watching the couple closely.
"I'll definitely see you later." He said deeply leaving Skyler trembling with desire.
She got out of the car and walked over to Shane. "Did you enjoy the show?" she snapped at him, angry with her cousin.
"We are late, let's go." He stated, grabbing her arm, pulling her to the near by car.
"Shane, what the hell is your problem?" she demanded to know, yanking her arm from his grasp, placing both hands on her hips as she glared at him.
"You and HIM are my problem." Shane snapped back, looking over at Kane who was still watching them.
"Me and my personal life is none of your concern, and I'll thank you to stay the hell out of it!" she said, then turned on her heel and walked into the hotel to find her uncle.
Ten minutes later she was on her way to the arena with Vince, Stephanie and Linda, still brewing over her confrontation with Shane. She knew he was going to cause problems for her and Kane. She just had to figure out a way to stop him before he could start.
__________________
Chapter Forty Two
Vince looked over at his niece as they drove to the arena that housed that night's show. He noticed right away that something was troubling her. He glanced over at Linda and Stephanie and saw that they too were looking at Skyler curiously.
"What's up, Sky?" Stephanie asked, startling Skyler out of her thoughts.
"Oh, nothing." Skyler replied absently as she turned and looked out the window.
Suddenly Skyler knew how she could stop Shane from being able to hatching any plan that he may have been thinking of to keep her and Kane apart. Turning to her uncle, Skyler took a deep breath as she prepared to present her idea to him, hoping he would accept it.
"Uncle Vince?" Skyler said to him, immediately getting his attention. "What would you say if I told you that I wanted to start accompanying Kane to the ring? I won't get involved physically in the matches….I just want to out there with him, showing my support."
Skyler was shocked speechless when Vince turned to her with a smile on his face. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Skyler. We'll get started on it tomorrow morning."
*****
Taker and Jaden left her house on his Harley, headed towards a restaurant for dinner, both unaware that they were being followed by Jaden's boss…
________________
Chapter Forty Three
Jaden and Taker walked into the restaurant, both ready for a nice relaxing evening together. Dinner was over before they knew it, and they sat back, trying to decide what to do next.
"We could always go catch a movie." Taker suggested, relieved when Jaden shook her head.
"Nah, I'm really not in the mood for a crowded movie theater." She said with a smile.
"Okay, then how about we just go for a ride." Taker tried for option number two.
"That sounds wonderful." Jaden smiled happily at him as they got up from the table walking towards the door. They had just walked outside when Jaden heard someone walking up behind her.
"JADEN!" someone said loudly, causing both her and Taker to jump. They both turned around, coming face to face with Jaden's very angry boss.
"No more excuses Jaden. I have been more than lenient, but enough is enough. Obviously you didn't take my warning to heart. Therefore, I have no other choice. Jaden, your fired."
*****
Skyler was walking around backstage, hoping to see Kane and tell him her news, when Shane came up to her.
"Hey, little cousin. Would you please come with me?" he asked, taking her arm, leading her towards the curtain, which led to the arena. Skyler stopped in her tracks.
"What are you doing, Shane? I'm not going out there." She stated, refusing to move any farther. Shane turned his head, bringing his face very close to hers, causing her to try to back up a few steps, yet unable to because of the hold her cousin had on her arm.
"Oh yes, Sky, you are."
_________________
Chapter Forty Four
Jaden could only stare up at her boss in shock for a few moments before finally finding her voice.
"Okay. I'll be in tomorrow to clean out my office…." She said softly, trailing off as it fully hit her that she had just been fired from her job.
"Don't bother, Jaden." Dr. Johnson said angrily to her. "I'll have your things sent to you. From this point on, there is no reason for you to show your face there again. If you chose not to cooperate with this, I'll see to it that you never work in this city again." He threatened, leaving Jaden completely speechless. She had never once thought that her now ex-boss could be so contemptuous. With that said, Dr. Johnson turned and walked away.
Taker took Jaden's arms, gently turning her around to face him. "I'm so sorry, Jaden. This is my entire fault. You tried to keep your distance from me so you wouldn't be fired from your job…." Taker started to say, but was cut off.
"No…It's just as much my fault. If I had really wanted you to stay away, you would have known it. But I didn't. And besides, I was going to leave there anyway, remember." Jaden said, a slight smile on her lips as she looked up into Taker's eyes.
"I'll worry about it tomorrow. For now, let's just forget about it and continue this wonderful evening." Jaden suggested and it was an offer that Taker could not refuse. Taker took her hand in his as they walked back to his bike. They got on and drove off into the night, the incident that had just taken place pushed far into the back of each of their minds.
________________-
Chapter Forty Five
Skyler looked at Shane in disbelief. She narrowed her eyes looking at him, not believing or understanding why he was acting the way he was. She turned to walk away from him again, only to have him grab her arm again. Skyler had had enough.
She spun around, jerking her arm from his grasp and pushing him away from her at the same time.
"You grab me one more time, Shane, and I swear to God…" Skyler spit at him, her eyes blazing.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
Both Shane and Skyler jumped at the sound of Vince's voice. Skyler turned around looking at her uncle. He read the look on her face and turned to glare at his son.
"What exactly are you up to Shane?" he asked in a quieter voice.
"Nothing, Dad. Skyler and I were just having a little talk. Weren't we?" he turned to Skyler.
She looked at her cousin, knowing from the look in his eyes that he was up to something and she wasn't going to like it. She also knew she couldn't ask her uncle to get involved, not like this.
"Yeah, we were just talking." Skyler answered, glaring at Shane, then turning to Vince. "Sorry if we bothered you."
Vince looked from Skyler to Shane, then back, not believing what they were telling him. He sighed reluctantly and let it go.
"Okay, just keep it down you two. Skyler, I'd like to see you for a few minutes to discuss what we talked about earlier." He said, waiting until he was sure Skyler was following him. He noticed the look that passed between his son and niece and didn't like it.
As Skyler turned to follow her uncle, she spotted Kane standing off a little, glaring at Shane. As she moved away, Kane's gaze met hers. She could read the anger and confusion there, and she sent him a little smile for reassurance. After seeing Kane relax a little, she turned and walked into the room where her uncle was waiting, closing the door behind her.
Once the door was closed, Vince turned to Skyler. "Okay, what's going on? Don't try lying to me either, Skyler."
______________
Chapter Forty Six
"Uh..well…"Skyler stuttered as she looked up at her uncle, not wanting to tell him that Shane was up to something, but also knowing Vince would not let her get away with not telling him.
"Quit stalling, Sky." Vince gently demanded as he stared down at his niece. "You and Shane were having some sort of heated discussion and I want to know what it was about."
Skyler sighed, knowing her uncle had her. "Okay, but before I tell you, I want you to promise not to get involved unless I ask you too." Skyler said and then continued when she saw her uncle nod his head in agreement.
"Shane is up to something to try to keep Kane and I apart. I don't know what exactly, but he was trying to force me to go out to the ring with him just now." Skyler told him and then looked and her uncle in confusion when she saw him shaking his head, an angry look in his eyes.
"That doesn't surprise me, Sky. This isn't the first time Shane has tried to pull something like this. He did something like this to Stephanie and also with another female manager that we had here a few years ago." Vince replied, wondering when Shane would ever learn that he couldn't just run everyone's lives.
"Okay, I'll let you handle this yourself…for now anyway. But if things get too intense, I'm stepping in." Vince said and then smiled down at Skyler. "Now, I believe Kane is out there waiting for you. Oh, and I'd like to see you both a little bit later to discuss what we talked about earlier today. Have you told him yet?"
Skyler broke into a huge smile as she thought about spending more time with Kane. "No, I haven't. But I'm going to tell him right now." Skyler answered.
Vince hugged Skyler. "Okay, I'll see you and Kane a little later, then." Vince said as he shooed Skyler out the door.
******
Jaden and Taker cruised the streets of Houston for almost two hours before returning back to her house.
"Um, would you like to come in for a drink?" Jaden asked Taker. Not wanting the night to end, she hoped he would say yes.
"I'd love to." Taker answered in a deep, husky voice that made Jaden's head spin. Taker helped Jaden down off of his bike, then turned and followed her into the house.
_______________-
Chapter Forty Seven
Jaden and Taker walked in the door, and Jaden lead the way to the living room.
"Make yourself at home." she said softly, her heart pounding as she felt herself almost feeling shy now that she had him in her house.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked as she moved towards the kitchen.
Taker stepped in front of her, pulling her into his arms. He stared deep into her eyes, causing Jaden to forget everything but the gorgeous man holding her.
"Nothing," he said huskily as he lowered his head to hers. Jaden moaned and raised on her tip toes increasing the pressure on his mouth. She ran her fingers through his long hair, loving the feel of him against her.
She pulled back looking up into his eyes. What she saw there almost drove her too her knees and took her breath away. When Taker saw his emotions mirrored in her eyes, he quickly, without hesitation scooped her in his arms, their eyes never breaking contact. Taker again captured her lips in a mind shattering kiss. When he pulled back and Jaden opened her eyes, she was surprised to find they were in her bedroom. She didn't remember moving.
Taker slowly lowered her to the floor, allowing her body to slide down his. Jaden looked up at him, anxiously, yet nervously, anticipating what she knew was to come.
*****
Skyler walked out the door and was met immediately by Kane. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight against him.
"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, as he looked down into her eyes.
Skyler nodded, smiling happily up at him, her confrontation with Shane meaning nothing to her as long as she was in Kane's arms.
"I'm fine. Actually, I have something I need to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?" she asked as she looked around at all the wrestlers walking by, knowing she wasn't going to get to talk to him privately here.
"Sure, my match isn't until the end, which gives me about forty five minutes. What's up?" Kane asked curiously.
"Uh, I'd rather not discuss it here." she said. Kane nodded, understanding all too well, and took her hand leading her to his dressing room. She turned around as he closed the door behind him. He again pulled her into his arms.
Skyler tilted her head back to tell him her news, but he took it as an invitation, quickly brining his lips down on hers in a demanding yet gentle kiss.
A few minutes later the kiss was broken. Kane smiled down at her, running his fingers down her cheek, tracing her lips.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked in a deep voice.
"Uh, I can't remember." Skyler answered softly, then pulled his head back down to hers.
_________________
Chapter Forty Eight
Jaden and Taker continued to gaze at each other, their eyes never once leaving the other's. Then very suddenly, Taker reached down and pulled her shirt off over her head, groaning deeply when his hands came into contact with her soft skin.
Taker dropped Jaden's shirt to the floor, and then pulled her tight against him, his hands roaming freely over her bared flesh. Jaden wrapped her arms around Taker's waist, feeling the jolts of electricity racing between their bodies. Jaden pulled Taker's T-shirt loose from his jeans and pulled it over his head like he had with hers. She let it fall to the floor, her eyes growing wide as she took in his massive chest and broad shoulders.
Jaden ran her hands across his shoulders, down his arms, and then back up his chest while Taker lowered his head, kissing her softly before moving his mouth to her neck. Jaden moaned softly, her fingers entangling in his hair as he gently bit and sucked the skin on her neck.
Jaden pulled Taker's head back to hers, their lips meeting in a tender kiss that quickly deepened in it's intensity when Jaden opened her mouth in an invitation that Taker wasted no time in accepting.
Wrapping his arms tight around her, Taker picked Jaden up, her legs going around his waist as he took a step back and sat on the edge of the bed. Jaden pushed Taker down on his back, bending her head as she placed burning kisses on his chest, then she moved down, placing more kisses on his stomach. She had her hands on the button of his jeans when she heard her pager go off.
Jaden's head snapped up as she looked at the object lying on the small table beside her bed, her eyes shining with disbelief.
"Ignore it…" Taker whispered as he ran a finger gently down her cheek.
Jaden turned and looked at Taker, shaking her head. "I can't. It's my emergency pager. As if my job isn't enough, I'm also an EMT on the side. I'm so sorry, but I have to go." She said as she jumped up and began looking for her shirt on the floor. Not able to find it, she quickly pulled Taker's shirt over her head.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Make yourself at home." She said as she glanced over her shoulder on her way out of the room, leaving Taker staring after her, shaking his head in disbelief as a smile crossed his lips.
Jaden lived close to the hospital and made it there in just over a minute. She still couldn't believe this was happening as she brought to her truck to a stop and got out, quickly running over to the garage where the ambulances were parked.
"Ah, Dr. Copeland. Always a pleasure." Dr. Murray said to her as she came in.
"Hello to you too!" Jaden answered the greeting from not only her friend, but also her own personal doctor. "What have we got tonight?" She asked as they both climbed into the ambulance to leave.
"The usual car accident." He replied as he looked at her, taking in her messed up hair and the way too large shirt she had on. She had obviously been pulled away from something..
Jaden groaned in frustration, knowing it could be hours before she was able to get back to Taker. She hoped he wouldn't be angry and leave.
"Well, I should be seeing you again soon in my office if I remember right." Dr. Murray commented, breaking Jaden out of her thoughts.
"Uh..Yeah, actually I have an appointment on Friday, which is..two days from now." Jaden answered as she looked over at him. She hated talking about this subject.
"Is that medication working all right for you?" He asked.
"Yeah, fine." Jaden stated absently, not wanting to talk about it and was thankful that they had arrived at the scene just then.
Jaden was completely exhausted when she finally arrived back home just as the sun was coming up. After letting herself into the house, she walked back to her bedroom and saw that Taker was asleep…or at least she thought he was. She smiled softly as she watched him for a few moments and then turned to go take a quick shower before going to sleep herself. She was half scared to death, but very happy when Taker joined her a few minutes later.