It was a chance to shed light on the issue of bone marrow transplants.
When he was done, Whitney was waiting for him in the corridor. “That’s it for today. For the next couple of days, you’ll have a full calendar of appearances and events, which will hopefully bring up your approval ratings.”
“Am I being rated?” Dane inquired.
“Well, no, but we do informal polls on your image,” Whitney replied. “It’s my job to ensure you have the right kind of press.”
“I appreciate it. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Dane headed for the playroom. He could still make out Iris’s form through the glass doors. He was curious to know her story.
“Where are you going?” Whitney inquired.
Dane didn’t answer. “If the PR stunt is over, you can leave. I’ll see you on the plane tomorrow.” He spun away and went inside the playroom. He found Iris huddled over the blocks with Jayden. As he approached, he noticed a wariness come over her and it made Dane nervous. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“The testing didn’t take long, so—I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee and maybe a cocoa for the little man.” Dane looked at Jayden, who was oblivious to them, too caught up with building a large tower with the blocks.
“Just us?”
Dane grinned. “You mean, you don’t want my entire entourage?” He glanced behind him to find the bodyguards were guarding the door. “Yes, just us.”
She nodded. “Okay, sure.”
Dane lent his hand and helped Iris up from the small chair. He was surprised when an electric shock surged through him at merely touching her. He was aghast at having a reaction when Iris was here with her sick child, and quickly stuck his hands in pockets.
Iris swallowed and tried not to show how hurt she was by Dane recoiling from her. When he’d touched her, she’d felt the zing low in her pelvis, awakening sensations she had almost forgotten. Her heart had fluttered, making her breath catch in her throat, but it was clear Dane was disgusted. Since he had no idea about her injuries, his reaction had to be because he found her lackluster. In comparison to his latest dalliance that she’d read about online, Lia Montgomery, Iris was sure she was. She’d perked up when he’d asked her to coffee, but now she understood it for what it was: pity.
It didn’t stop her from staring at Dane from underneath her lashes. He was startlingly good-looking. With his hair cut short, his face was a marvel up close, all creamy tapioca skin, strong clean jawline, dark brown eyes, bushy ebony brows and tempting mouth. Dane was movie-star handsome and downright sexy without even trying. Take what he was wearing today, for example. The leather jacket, T-shirt and faded jeans were what any joe on the street would wear, but a woman could forget herself completely in his smile and would be thankful she had.
Impossible images flashed in her head of Dane without any clothes on. Each one was more inappropriate and more unlikely than the last. She blinked to clear her thoughts.
They made it to the cafeteria with the two bodyguards flanking them. After the two men had surveyed the place, she, Jayden and Dane were allowed to make their way to a four-seater table.
Iris was surprised when Dane pulled out her chair and scooted it underneath her before sitting across from her. When Jayden began to get fidgety in his chair, she reached inside her purse and fished out her iPhone. She handed it to him and watched with amusement as he found his favorite video game.
“Regular coffee okay?” Dane asked. “Or are you one of these LA women who drinks a soy latte with no foam or something?”
His low, rich voice washed over her like a caress and her body melted. “Nothing fancy for me,” Iris said. “With Jayden’s illness, I’ve gotten quite used to regular ole coffee from the hospital cafeteria.”
“Two regular coffees coming up,” Dane said, rising again to his feet. “And what about you, Jayden?”
“He’ll have milk.”
Jayden glanced up at Dane. “You promised cocoa.”
A broad smile spread across Dane’s sensuous lips. “So you do listen when you want to,” Iris teased, ruffling his curls affectionately. She looked at Dane. “A cocoa it is.”
“One cocoa and two coffees coming up.” Dane sauntered away and Iris couldn’t help but watch him. The man had swagger. Lots of it. And a great behind to boot. She couldn’t believe someone as famous as he had the time to spare for her. Iris was nobody’s fool. She understood part of today’s exercise had been to garner good press for Dane. But if seeing a famous A-list actor like Dane registering to become a donor could help Jayden, she would take a hundred pictures with him.
Dane returned several minutes later carrying two steaming cups of coffee and a cocoa with whipped cream on top for Jayden. “How did you manage that?” Iris wondered aloud.
“I have my ways,” Dane said with a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming.
Jayden immediately began drinking his cocoa and got a white mustache. “Go wipe your face, Jayden,” Iris said, laughing as she watched him get up to find napkins.
“So tell me, Iris—is it all right if I call you Iris?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s Jayden’s father?”
Iris frowned. “That’s a very impertinent question to ask.”
“I’m sorry. I wondered where he was in all this and why he wasn’t here supporting you both. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”
“No, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I suppose I’m overly sensitive. It’s just me and Jayden. Though my parents have been wonderfully supportive since he was diagnosed.”
“How long ago was it?”
“About three months,” Iris replied. “Jayden wasn’t gaining any weight and was weak and lethargic, so I took him to the doctor. They ran a battery of tests that were initially inconclusive, but I knew something was wrong.”
“A mother’s intuition?”
“Something like that. I refused to give up so they kept digging and eventually Jayden was diagnosed with a form of acute lymphocytic leukemia.”
“Had to be hard hearing the news. I mean, he’s so young.”
“Yes, it was very difficult, especially when I learned how hard it would be to find a donor. And then here you are.”
“Don’t make a saint of me just yet,” Dane responded. “I’m only registering.”
Jayden returned with the napkin and Iris used it to wipe his face, catching the spots he’d missed. “But you’re doing something and that means so much to me,” she said, meaning every word as she glanced up at Dane. Whether he was a match or not, or had just come to the hospital to boost his image, he was here, and it could mean the difference between life and death for her son.
“What else can I do to help Jayden?” Dane glanced down at her son with genuine concern. “I feel like getting tested seems so small in the grand scheme of things.”
“It isn’t. I wish more people like you would register. I think there’s a stigma attached to bone marrow donations because people have seen it on TV and heard it can be painful. But they’ve made advances and there’s more than one way to donate now.”
“I’ll certainly make sure to talk about registering when I make the rounds on the morning and late night shows.”
Iris’s eyes grew large. “You would do that?” She gulped a large amount of coffee in an effort to steady herself and not think about why Dane Stewart would