by Maya Banks
“Ah, Zoe,” he groaned out. He pulled back and then thrust again, harder this time. His movements picked up speed and force until the couch creaked underneath them.
She closed her eyes again and let out a cry as she unraveled from the inside out. Heat bloomed in her pussy and fanned outward, racing through her body like an inferno.
He pushed into her one last time and stood there shuddering against her, his hands gripping her ass. Gradually his grip lessened and then he rested his cheek against her back, his breath blowing over her skin.
“I’m crushing you,” he said apologetically as he stepped back.
He carefully pulled out of her body, and the release of his cock sent another aftershock of pure pleasure singing through her body.
She started to push herself up, but Tate leaned over and pulled her into his arms. He eased her over the arm of the couch until her feet hit the floor and she was facing him.
Their eyes met, and as if he had heard her innermost thoughts, he leaned in, hesitantly at first, but when she didn’t pull away, his lips met hers.
She melted into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into the kiss. It was everything she imagined it would be.
Gentle, yet demanding. His tongue brushed her lips, a request for her to open to him. She parted her lips and met the slide of his tongue with hers.
She sighed and let him deepen the kiss until her mouth was fused solidly with his, their tongues tangling in a warm rush. Man, but he could kiss.
When he finally pulled away, she stared up at him, her sight a little fuzzy. She swayed, and he smiled as he put out a hand to steady her.
“Yeah, me too,” he murmured. “You do that to me, Zoe.”
Remembering they had an audience, she turned in search of Chase. What would he think? What had he thought?
But it wasn’t reproach she found in Chase’s warm gaze. It was approval and desire. And love. For her. Like her, he might not have said it, but she could feel it reaching over the length of the room. There was no doubt in this moment that he didn’t love her. The question was what the hell she was going to do about her feelings for Tate and Brody.
CHAPTER | TEN
Zoe returned to the nurses’ station and stifled a yawn. Things had been crazy all week. Every crazy known to man, and a few undiscovered species as well, had turned up in the ER.
They’d had a record number of MVAs, at least a hundred sick, sniffling kids and an equal number of bitchy parents, and even two pregnant women who presented to the ER in active labor and fully dilated. Yeah, it had been a fun week. She’d twice been named a godmother. All because the other nurses suddenly found other patients to manage when the pregnant ladies checked in. The experience had been enough to put her off motherhood for at least a decade.
She’d barely seen the guys on account of pulling double shifts to handle the overflow. She hadn’t even had much time to talk to Chase on the phone because she hadn’t caught a long enough break to do it.
She missed them. All of them. She sighed as she checked the physician’s orders for one of her patients. Another late clock-out was in her future. On the upside, she had two consecutive days off, and this time, she was turning her pager off. The downside was that Chase and the guys had started a forty-eight just that morning.
Her hair fell over her face, and she tiredly shoved it back behind her ear. She had two patients to admit and another to discharge and then maybe she could head home, get something decent to eat, and catch up on some sleep.
An hour later, she clocked out, collected her purse from her locker, and headed back by the nurses’ station on her way out. She was so absorbed in getting to the exit that she nearly walked past Chase, who was leaning against the desk talking to one of the techs. He looked up and grabbed her by the waist. Before she could react, he crushed his lips to hers.
She managed to pull away. “Well hello, fancy meeting you here.” She glanced down, expecting to see him in fire gear, but he was wearing street clothes. “Catch a break?”
He smiled. “Something like that. You out of here for the night?”
“Yeah, thank God,” she breathed. “I was just on my way out. Want to walk me out?”
He fell into step beside her. “I’ll do you one better.”
“Oh?”
They hit the automatic doors at the main ER entrance, and she was further surprised to see Chase’s truck parked in the ambulance bay.
“Yeah, come on, I’ll give you a ride home so you can pack a bag.”
She stopped and stared at him in confusion. “Bag?”
He smiled and pulled her into his arms, tipping up her chin to kiss her on the nose. “You, my baby, have been working way too hard, and I haven’t seen nearly enough of you. I intend to rectify that right now.”
A smile rippled over her lips and tightened her cheeks. “Bag?” she repeated. “Where are we going?”
“Nothing too fancy. I thought a weekend in Houston. Good food. Our favorite bars.”
“I thought you had to work.”
“I did. I called in a favor.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. “Can I just say how much I love you?”
He stiffened and then slowly pulled away from her grasp. Utter seriousness and a little shock reflected in his eyes. Eyes that bored into her with intense scrutiny.
“Say that again,” he said hoarsely.
Oh hell. This hadn’t been the way she’d wanted to tell him. She gathered his shirt in her fists and let her head fall forward.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she muttered as she beat her head against his chest.
“Hey,” he said. He tucked his knuckle under her chin and nudged until she looked up at him. “What’s going on?”
She sighed. “This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”
He smiled and ran his thumb over her cheek. “But you meant it.”
“Yeah, I meant it. I’ve loved you for so long, Chase.” She leaned into his body and kissed the hard line of his jaw. “But I wanted to tell you when things were perfect. But I can’t seem to get a time when we’re together and not working lately.”
“I can’t think of a more perfect time or place,” he said huskily.
He found her lips and covered them with his. Heat snaked down her spine as he hungrily devoured her mouth. Their breaths grew more strained, and her chest tightened as her oxygen-starved lungs begged for mercy. His tongue pushed inward, coaxing her to return his advance. She licked the tip of his tongue with hers and then sucked it farther into her mouth.
He pulled away, his eyes blazing. He palmed her face and stared intently down at her. He trailed his fingers down the line of her face, stroking and caressing.
“I love you too, Zoe. So damn much.”
She smiled until her lips hurt. “What a pair we are.”
He reached down and took her hands in his. “Come on. Let’s blow this joint.”
She laughed and let him pull her toward his truck.
They stopped at the house first. While she showered, Chase packed a bag for her. In a half hour, they were on the road to Houston.
Two hours later, Chase parked under the hotel awning. “Want to come in with me to check in?”
He came around to open her door, tucked her hand into his, and they walked into the spacious lobby.
“Gorgeous hotel,” she whispered as they approached the front desk.
He shot her a curious look. “Why are you whispering, babe?”
She laughed. “Sorry, it just seemed the thing to do. Everything looks so . . . regal.”
“You’re a nut.”
He tucked her hand into his as he gave the clerk his name and got the keys.
“Tell you what,” he said as he handed her a key. “Why don’t you go up to the suite and wait for me and I’ll get the luggage and meet you there.”
She leaned up to kiss him. “Deal.”
Chase and Zoe left the restaurant hand in hand and walk
ed down the street toward a trendy bar they frequented when in Houston. The day had been fantastic. The previous night as well. They’d made love and whispered the words that felt so squeaky new and clean. In the morning, they’d ordered room service and eaten in bed. Then they’d made love again and gone shopping at the Galleria.
Full from a delicious dinner, they entered the bar and headed over to get a drink. Zoe rested against Chase’s hip as he placed their orders and sighed in contentment as he dug his fingers into her hair and stroked through the tresses.
“I had so much fun today,” she said when their drinks were shoved across the counter.
Chase kissed the side of her neck, causing her to shiver in delight.
“You’ve worked way too much lately. You needed the break, and I was getting tired of never seeing you.”
She smiled and leaned farther into him. “I’ve missed you, too. I’ve missed Brody and Tate, too. The house is quiet without you guys.”
“They’re missing you, too. They get all grumpy and surly when you’re not around,” Chase teased.
They settled onto chairs by the bar and watched the colorful array of people buzz around the small dance floor and the bar area. It was nice to get out after being cooped up in the ER all week. If she had to see one more sick person, she was going to be on sick leave herself.
“You ever fantasized about picking up a stranger in a bar?” he asked casually.
She cocked her head and considered it. “Yeah, I guess. I mean I don’t know if it has to be a bar exactly, but meeting a hot stranger in a public place is always titillating.”
Chase tipped his beer bottle in the direction of the door. “What do you think about him?”
Zoe turned and surveyed the tall, well-built guy who’d walked into the bar. He had on jeans that cupped him in all the right places. The T-shirt he wore stretched across a broad chest and muscular shoulders. Tattoos ripped down his arms in colorful patterns she couldn’t discern from the distance.
“You mean Mr. Bad Boy?” she murmured. “What do you mean what do I think?”
“Would you fuck him?”
She laughed. “You mean would he replace anyone on my current to-do list?”
Chase grinned. “I’m thinking he wouldn’t overtake The Rock or Oded Fehr.”
Her lips twisted into a dreamy smile. “Nope.”
“But would you fuck him? He’s looking at you right now. I’d say he’s definitely interested. He’s looking at you, then looking at me and trying to figure out what my status is.”
It took all her restraint not to whip her head back around to look.
“I guess I’d fuck him if you weren’t available,” she teased.
“Go talk to him.”
Her eyes widened. “What? Are you crazy? What am I supposed to talk to him about?”
Chase smiled. “You talk to him about fucking you. Take him back to our hotel room. I want to watch.”
He was serious. Behind the easygoing smile, his eyes glittered. Was the purpose of the unexpected trip? Had he done it to set up another sexual fantasy? But whose was this, his or hers? Both?
She glanced over at the stranger to see that he’d made his way to the far end of the bar. He was talking to the bartender. When he got his beer, he turned to survey the room, one hip resting on the scarred wood of the bar. He sipped idly at the beer, his interest seeming to be on scanning the occupants of the crowded pub.
Then he turned his head and met her gaze. She almost ducked guiltily away, but something in his eyes made her remain steady, staring back unabashedly as his gaze drifted up and down her body.
His eyes were dark. Either really dark brown or maybe hazel. His hair was black as midnight and hung to his shoulders in unruly stands. He wore a tan that said he spent a lot of time outdoors. He could be twenty-five or thirty-five. He had a timeless look he’d probably carry with him into his fifties. Rugged, masculine, mouthwateringly handsome. His arms were made to touch, and his chest to lick. If his cock was as impressive as the rest of him, he’d be one hell of a package.
He cocked one eyebrow as if in question, then tipped his beer bottle in salute.
“Probably has a small dick,” she muttered. “Too much perfection.”
Chase choked on his laughter. “I don’t hear you complain about my dick size.”
She broke her fascination with the stranger and turned back to Chase. “That’s because you are the perfect package. Unusual. I count myself lucky I don’t have to settle. You have a great dick, but you aren’t one,” she added cheekily.
Chase pulled her into his arms until they circled her waist. He leaned in to nibble at the side of her neck, and her knees buckled.
Oh sweet, merciful God.
“Stop that,” she hissed. “I’m not going to orgasm in public.”
He chuckled and kissed the soft pulse underneath her ear. “Go talk to him, Zoe. Ask him to dance. Invite him back to the hotel.”
She gulped nervously. “Are you sure?”
“If you’re sure. Tell him where to meet you. I’ll drive you back over. I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“Is this your fantasy or mine?”
“For now, it’s mine. Later it can be yours,” he said with a hint of amusement.
She twisted in his arms, then reached up to trace the line of his jaw. “And what do you want him to do to me?”
“Whatever he wants to. Whatever you want him to.”
She shivered under his hands as he stroked down her arms.
“In that case, I’ll be right back.”
She pushed away from the bar, swallowed the butterflies, and started resolutely in the direction of her target. She stifled a giggle at the idea that she was targeting a man who was twice her size. He could probably snap her like a twig.
Trying not to focus on that particular thought, she stopped beside the guy and motioned for the bartender. Her mystery man slid his gaze sideways, then turned so he faced her.
He didn’t say anything at first. He studied her with a lazy gaze that seemed to peel every piece of her clothing off. One piece at a time.
She leaned closer to the bartender as he came over, and she caught a whiff of her guy’s scent. Mmmm. He smelled good enough to eat. Or at least pounce on and do her best to lick every inch of him.
When she would have extended her credit card to the bartender, the man beside her put his hand on her arm.
“Whatever the lady wants, put it on my tab.”
His low, husky voice washed over sensitive nerve endings. The hairs at her nape prickled and stood up. Her nipples puckered, and a delicious twitch between her legs had her squirming her discomfort.
Was this supposed to turn her on as much as it did? She wondered if she should feel guilty but quickly shook off that notion. Chase had always encouraged her fantasies, and since this particular one was his suggestion, she could hardly be blamed for taking him up on it.
“Thank you,” she murmured. She cocked her head to the side and allowed her gaze to drift over his chest and down to the bulge in his jeans. “What’s your name?”
“Dillon. Yours?”
She extended her hand and smiled. “Zoe. Glad to meet you, and thank you for the drink.”
He closed his fingers around her hand and instead of shaking, he gripped it, turned it up, and rubbed his thumb sensuously over the top of her knuckles.
“Zoe. It suits you. And you’re quite welcome.”
