I brought the drinks back out and sat on the couch next to him. While the smell of the food should’ve been the only thing I focused on given just how hungry I was, the smell of Tegan hit me first. That same aroma of soap and that tinge of earthy goodness followed him wherever he went. No idea what he used but I wanted to wash my sheets in it just so I’d have something of his close all the time.
“You brought me dinner,” I said, my hands resting on my legs as I sat on the couch.
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I wanted to make sure you had some dinner but didn’t think taking you out was a good idea. And I know Dylan is with his grandparents tonight.”
“You thought of everything.”
“I try but also without knowing when we could see each other again, I wanted to take a chance on tonight.”
He really had thought of everything. He knew where my kid was. Wasn’t trying to push in on me and my kid. He was doing everything right.
I simply said, “Thank you.”
We both slid onto the floor, using the coffee table as our table.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like,” Tegan told me. “So I got a few different things.”
“It smells amazing.”
There was a box with tacos inside and a container of nachos, two small boxes of rice and beans—one for each of us—and he had plastic forks. There would be no cleanup for me.
With the first bite of taco, I knew Tegan had chosen correctly. This was exactly what I needed after today.
“Thank you for bringing dinner. I really would’ve eaten Cheetos and a banana then go right to sleep.”
The sound of Tegan’s deep chuckle brought a smile to my face. “You’re welcome.”
“So you’ve learned about how long my day was. How was yours? Is it all glamour or is it like the medical dramas, where everybody’s sleeping with everyone else in an on-call room?”
He scoffed at my description and shook his head. “That’s absolutely not what it’s like. We were at the hospital today. Had a couple of surgeries, but first, I’m not there every day, and second, I don’t sleep with anybody at the hospital. Most of us don’t actually like each other.”
A piece of beef from my taco got stuck in my throat, making me cough like a fool for a full minute. “Sorry,” I told him. “Is that true? Most of you don’t like each other?”
He shrugged. “Mostly. There are some people who become good friends, but it’s competitive. We don’t necessarily get along.”
“Weird. I would think with all the time you spend together and the fact that you have your job in common that you’d automatically be friends at least with most of them.”
He nodded as he said, “You would think and I’m making some friends but not the way you’d imagine.”
I took two bites before asking my next question, though I needed to find out where he got this take out because it was amazing. “So what surgeries did you do today?”
“I don’t do them,” he corrected. “I assist for the most part, but we had two lap choles, an appy, and a breast biopsy.”
I pushed my food aside, feeling completely full. There’d be a lot of leftovers and hopefully, he’d leave them because I’d eat more later and for lunch tomorrow. It was so good.
“I know what a breast biopsy is. My mom has had two. Both were normal,” I told him quickly when his face scrunched up in concern. “Appy is an appendectomy, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the other one?”
“Lap chole? Sorry. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Gall bladder removal.”
“Got it. Is it gross?”
We began cleaning up the coffee table since we were both done. Tegan moved around my kitchen as if he’d been there already. Granted, it wasn’t a very spacious room. Not like it was hard to find containers but he did it almost without looking to help me packaged everything up. When he slid those containers into the kitchen, I fought a smile. I wouldn’t remind him about the leftovers before he went home.
“Not gross,” he said while we were in the kitchen. I’d just dropped the empty take out containers in the trash. “I love it. I find the human body fascinating. Blood has never bothered me.”
“Fascinating?” I asked as we both dropped onto the couch. I switched the TV on, looking for something for us to watch or at least have on in the background.
His heated gaze on me turned my stomach in circles. “Completely fascinating.”
“Why didn’t you become a doctor then?”
He pulled my feet onto his lap and began rubbing them. “Not everybody wants that. I get to do basically the same work without the extra school and residency. Plus, I get to spend actual time with patients, which is great, if not occasionally irritating.”
“That feels good,” I said quietly as he continued to rub my feet. “Tell me about your most irritating patient ever.”
He shook his head before I finished the sentence. “I don’t really want to talk about my patients.”
I looked up at him through my lashes, batting them once or twice. “What do you want to do?”
He pushed firmly on the arch of my right foot, causing a moan to escape my lips.
“You keep making sounds like that and things are going to go in a completely different direction.”
“Why don’t you come kiss me then?”
This evil little grin crossed his mouth as he pushed my legs off his lap and settled between them as he hovered over me. The pressure of him was everywhere it should’ve been and I became acutely aware that I was in my pajama shorts and a tank top. No bra.
My nipples pebbled against him because of the friction. I was hypersensitive, but it made me wonder if he could feel them through his shirt. There was very little clothing between us. When his lips finally met mine, I was reminded of how much I loved it when he kissed me. Always soft yet sometimes firm.
Tegan kissed me like he never wanted to kiss anyone else and in the heat of the moment, that was exactly what I wanted, too. This moment here, this was where I wanted to be. When his tongue touched mine, my toes curled. The magic of his mouth had my mind thinking about it in other places. More private places.
“Oh my god.” I pulled back to catch my breath. “If you give orgasms as good as you kiss, I’m sorry I ever turned down any date with you.”
His body moved against me with his laughter. “You’d have to be the judge of that.”
I raised an eyebrow. I hadn’t meant to take this to the next level, but now that we were here, I wasn’t going back.
My hand already laid on his shoulder, so it took no thought on my part to let my fingers play with the edge of his hair. “There’s only one way for me to judge… ”
Tegan hopped off my couch and pulled me with him.
My bare feet thudded quickly against the carpet in my apartment as Tegan moved as if he was in a hurry. I know I was.
Once we were through the bedroom door, Tegan pushed it shut behind me even though we were alone. The moment he turned back to me, his hands cupped my cheeks and brought our lips together. His kisses were soft but demanding and he was everywhere. His hands ran down my arms until they settled on my hips. At the same time he walked me back to my bed.
We tugged at each other’s clothes like we each thought that if we didn’t get them off right now, we might never. With those pesky things out of the way, I was suddenly aware of every point where his skin touched mine. Tegan was all muscle and all hard… everywhere.
His mouth dropped wet kisses on their way down my body, leaving me fisting the blanket beneath me. Each time his lips met my body, a new wave pleasure shot through me and I knew… I just knew that this was the way being with someone was supposed to feel. All of the other times with other people, couldn’t hold a candle.
Tegan pushed my legs apart and ran his tongue over my clit, sending electricity to the far reaches of my body, forcing a loud moan out of my mouth. I couldn’t contain it. He took it as encouragement. He nipped, sucked, and licked his wa
y over the geography of my most sensitive area until an orgasm hit me so hard it was impossible to control. Still, he didn’t stop until I did.
Left breathless, I knew I wanted to give him the pleasure he’d just given me but wasn’t sure I had the strength.
He kissed his way back up my body before kissing me again then nibbling on that delicious spot behind my ear.
“Just give me one second and I’ll… ” The breathlessness of my voice surprised me. I thought I’d been overexaggerating it in my head but no. I sounded like I’d just run a marathon. Instead, I waved my hand in the general direction of his cock.
He chuckled quietly beside my ear then whispered, “I’d much rather be inside you.”
I smiled and wet my lips. “Let’s do that, then.” When I attempted to move, his iron arms kept me right where I was.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Condom.” One word but it said it all. No glove, no love. Don’t be silly, wrap your willy. “Love is cleaner with a packaged wiener.”
Tegan chuckled and propped himself onto his elbow. “What did you just say?” he asked while looking down at me.
My eyes popped open. I hadn’t meant to say any of that out loud. “You heard that?”
“You didn’t say it quietly.”
“Are you going to leave now that you know I’m a big nerd?” I asked with a smile. I didn’t think there was a chance of that, but I also hadn’t planned on saying one of the dorkiest condom slogans out loud. So there’s that.
“Not a chance. Where are they?” he asked.
I pointed to the dresser. He slid away, opened that top drawer, and found what we needed. I would’ve offered to put it on for him but he did it so quickly, I didn’t have a chance. At this point, I just wanted him inside me.
Tegan was back hovering over me, kissing and touching me as I ran my fingernails down his back gently. He groaned when he pushed inside me. It was as if he and I were always meant to be together this way. We moved in sync and hit all the right buttons for each other. Not to be one to lay there and let him do all of the work, I pushed until he rolled us over and was on top of him.
I rolled my hips and lost myself in the feeling as he gripped my thighs. There was something empowering in being the one in control. Until I took a peek at him and he was watching me with hooded eyes. That stopped all of my movements.
“Don’t watch me,” I told him.
He cocked a half-grin then flipped me back over to where he was on top, hitched my leg up his hip and said, “Baby, if you’re on top of me, I’m watching you. And I really like watching you.”
Tegan made sure I couldn’t reply by reaching places inside me I didn’t think had ever been reached. The best part about being with him was that he seemed more concerned with what I was enjoying rather than what he was. That alone was sexy as hell and enough to take me over the edge with him quickly following.
He definitely gave orgasms even better than he kissed.
“Be right back,” he said against my head then kissed my temple. Obviously, he needed to take care of the condom. When he was done, I used the bathroom to clean up quickly, pulled my shorts, and top back on then climbed in next to him.
“Wow,” was all I could say as I laid my head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around me, his hand settling on my hip.
“Yeah,” he agreed and gave my side a squeeze.
I propped my chin on his chest. “You’re incredibly good at that.”
“Which part?”
“All parts.”
He shrugged but it was barely a movement. “Helps to have a good partner.”
I snorted. Good partner wasn’t something I’d heard before. The guys I’d been with in high school were… well, it was high school sex. There wasn’t much good about it. I didn’t remember being with Zac. I assumed he was good at what he did but we didn’t talk about things in those terms. There’d been a guy when Dylan was maybe two that I dated for a while and things were fine but he never said anything about me. Then there was Ian and let’s just say he wasn’t complimentary.
“What?” Tegan asked.
“Nothing,” I told him automatically. “But let’s just say I haven’t heard that before.”
“That you’re a good partner?” he asked. I nodded. “Well, then everyone you’ve been with is a fucking idiot.”
“I’ll choose to believe you.”
I snuggled in even closer next to him to let the sound of our breathing and the feel of his fingers trailing up and down my arm, barely touching yet burning a trail over my skin, lull me right to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
There was a loud beeping in my house. Not in my bedroom. It didn’t sound like my alarm and then I remembered that I hadn’t set my alarm. I’d fallen asleep too quickly after sex with Tegan. The first thing I did was let a full stretch take over my entire body and while some of the stiffer areas protested the movement, it was a welcomed protest.
“Morning.” Tegan’s deep voice came from beside me.
I hadn’t forgotten that he’d spent the night, but his voice first thing in the morning was a thing of beauty. Deep, gravelly, like he needed a cold drink, but I kind of didn’t want him to take one.
“Good morning.”
He leaned over and kissed my lips softly. Tegan lingered for the briefest moment but didn’t try to take it any deeper, which I was thankful for, given that I hadn’t brushed my teeth yet.
“Was that your alarm?” I asked him when he pulled back.
“It was. Sorry it woke you, but I have to work today.”
I snuggled into his side. “It’s OK. I forgot to set mine and also have to work.” He squeezed me tighter against him. “How about I make us breakfast?” I asked. “Do you have time for that?”
He nodded, his chin rubbing against the top of my head. “As long as I can hop in your shower quickly. I can go right to work then.”
“Don’t you need clean clothes?”
“Nah.” He hopped up, still naked and now I forgot what I was supposed to be doing. “I can just change into scrubs.” When I didn’t respond he snapped his fingers and said, “Maddie.”
“Oh, sorry.” I shook off all the thoughts that went through my head at the sight of him naked.
“Did something distract you?” He raised an eyebrow.
“No. Nothing.” Even to my own ears I could hear that I didn’t mean it.
He chuckled at my obviousness. “I said if I can hop in your shower then I can just change into scrubs at the hospital.”
“I think I’m going to need to see you in scrubs.” His laughter filled my room. “Let me use the bathroom super quick and then I’ll cook while you shower.”
“Sounds good.”
I allowed myself one big stretch then skipped off to the restroom. Though after the second step, I knew it wasn’t the best idea. Shit, my muscles were sore. I took the extra minute to brush my teeth and run my fingers through my hair before facing Tegan again.
“All set,” I told him.
“You know.” He grabbed my wrist as I slid by him. “You could also join me in the shower.”
Fuck. That was tempting but without really considering it, I knew I had to reject that idea. “I don’t think either of us will make it to work if we do that.”
He sighed and nodded and it looked like the last thing he wanted to do. “Probably true.”
The pout that went with his works made me snicker but I still pushed up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. Then I headed out to the kitchen. Soon after, I heard my shower turn on as I tossed some bacon into a pan on the stove then set out to scramble some eggs. This wouldn’t be the most extravagant breakfast, but it’d be fuel for the day.
The timing couldn’t have been better because Tegan came into the kitchen dressed in the clothes he’d arrived in yesterday at the same time I put the plates on the table. As soon as the scent of my body wash hit me, I giggled. He’d be going to the hospital smelling of strawberries.
“What?” he asked as he took a seat in one of the chairs.
“You smell fruity-fresh,” I told him.
“Better than smelling like sex all day.” Had to give him that one. He stuffed a big forkful of eggs into his mouth, eating as if he were running out of time and he probably was. It was almost seven-thirty in the morning. I didn’t have to be to work until nine, so I had plenty of time, but I had no idea when his first patient was. “You’ll still check with Zac about the weekend?”
“Oh right. I sent a text last night, but then you showed up and I never checked to see if he responded.” I hopped up and scurried off to the living room for my phone and came back before looking at it. Then I snorted. “Zac says he still wants him this weekend. Which I figured. So I’m free.”
“What was funny?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Well, what he really said was, ‘Get the fuck out of here with all that. You know I still want him this weekend. Thanks for checking, though.’ It’s a very Zac response.”
“So you’re free tomorrow night.”
I nodded emphatically because that meant he could stay over again if he wanted to. I wanted him to.
“Come to my house tomorrow night. Rhian’s staying at Porter’s. We’ll have dinner and watch a movie.”
“So a staying-in date?”
“Exactly.” He glanced at his phone on the table. “Shit. I’ve got to go. I’d help you clean up, but I’m going to be late.”
I waved him off “Go. I’ve got plenty of time.”
Tegan stood and came over to me. The kiss he gave was more than a goodbye. It was a sample of what I’d be getting tomorrow night and I already wanted it.
With Tegan gone, I quickly cleaned up the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher. But I didn’t start it. I needed to shower and didn’t want to use any more hot water than Tegan already had. My muscles wanted it. I also took my time carefully applying my makeup and doing my hair. Not because there was anyone I wanted to look good for, but because I could. I almost forgot to start the dishwasher before I left, though.
My workday started out as it typically did. Client after client, though today wasn’t quite as busy as we had been earlier in the week. It was the first week of August and a lot of the women who came in were going on a vacation in the next few weeks before things returned to normal for them. Whatever that meant.
Hard to Say Yes (The Fallout Series Book 3) Page 9
