[Holiday Encounters 01.0 - 03.0] Boxed Set

by Amy Lamont

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re all right.”

  Before I knew it, we hit the penthouse and he whisked me past the living room and straight into the bedroom. The heavy curtains were shoved to the farthest edges of the windows, letting in the last rays of the late winter sunshine.

  Jared steered me onto the bed. He sat with his back against the headboard, his legs out in front of him. He scooted me around until I laid between his legs, my head still pressed to his chest, his arms around me. He held me like that while I sobbed into his black t-shirt, soaking him to the skin.

  It could have been minutes or hours that I clung to him while I let loose with my grief and fear and frustration. Deanna’s death hit me hard, sending an icy black chunk of lead sinking to the bottom of my belly.

  But that chunk of lead wasn’t alone. It joined the churning mass that already lived there. The mass that had been eating away at me for months now. Maybe even years. That roiling mass had started out a tiny lump, but like a cancer, it grew bit by bit.

  It grew as I applied to colleges known for having the highest number of graduates accepted to medical school.

  It grew as I took internships in hospitals every summer break.

  It grew as I sent in my medical school applications.

  The growth was slow. So slow that other than a tiny twinge here and there, I could easily push its presence out of my mind.

  But once I started medical school and working at the hospital every shift I could get, the mass took on a life of its own. At odd moments, I’d feel its icy tentacles slithering around in my belly.

  And now, having left Jared’s warm bed to rush out into a day where winter had decided to keep the month of March firmly in its grip, only to face the death of a young girl way before her time, the churning mass and the leaden ball threatened to swallow me from the inside out.

  Slowly my tears stopped.

  I pulled in one last shuddering breath and tuned back into the world around me. Most especially Jared.

  He had one arm locked around my shoulders, keeping me pinned to his chest while I cried. The other stroked soothingly over my hair.

  Even in the middle of all the confusing emotions, a surge of warmth went through me. His fierce protectiveness combined with this gentleness added to my list of the many contradictions I’d discovered about Jared since we met in that hotel bar over Christmas.

  I tilted my head up to look at him.

  His hand stilled on the back of my head. “Better?”

  I snuggled in closer. “A little. Sorry about your shirt.”

  He looped both arms around me and hugged me. “Not one of my favorites. Now if it was my Led Zeppelin…”

  I laughed and then bit my lip to stop it. I couldn’t help the twinge of guilt that went through me. How could I lay here in the arms of one of the hottest men in America and find something to laugh about while Deanna’s parents had to start calling relatives and making funeral arrangements?

  “Hey.” He gave my shoulders another soft squeeze. “It can’t be that bad. Tell me what has you so upset.”

  I shook my head and dropped my face into his chest again. How could I explain it? Yes, I was upset about Deanna. More than upset. Without a doubt, I’d hold the image of that little girl in my heart, the way she smiled and laughed and begged for details about my friends, even on the day her body gave out on her, for the rest of my life.

  Fresh tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked and let them slide unchecked down my cheeks. I might hate to cry, hate to show weakness, but that girl was worth every one of my tears and then some.

  The more I thought of her, though, the more I realized how much she’d hate the tears. She’d love that Jared Sloane, lead singer of Sliding Violet, held me in his arms and made me laugh even in my grief.

  And suddenly lots of things became clear. Deanna’s whole existence was a walking, talking testament to the fact we were supposed to treat our lives like gifts and live every moment to bursting.

  I lifted my head again and caught his gaze with my own. “Is the offer to go on tour with you next week still on the table?”

  His muscles tensed beneath me. “Seriously?”

  I fought a smile at the note of excitement in his voice. Another contradiction—super cool, rock god Jared Sloane getting excited over what basically boiled down to a girl saying yes to a date.

  I gave him a tiny grin. “Seriously. I’d love to spend my spring break with you.”

  “What about the hospital?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been there for over eight months now. I’m entitled to a vacation.”

  I didn’t share all my doubts with him. I could feel excitement building inside at the thought of an entire week away from school. Away from the hospital. Away from the constant demand for high performance, high ambitions, higher and higher achievements.

  But I couldn’t really give it all up. The excitement dimmed a little knowing it would all be waiting for me the minute I got home again. I wasn’t ready to give up everything I’d worked for over the past years on a whim, but what did it say that I couldn’t stand the thought of coming back to real life when spring break ended?

  “So you really want to come?”

  I stared intently at him, searching for some sign he might regret extending the offer. “Jared, you invited me to tour with a rock band. What kind of girl would I be to say no? But if you’ve given it more thought and realized it isn’t a great idea, I won’t get my panties in a bunch.”

  He leaned down and kissed me, long and hard and wet. His tongue swept across my lips, and I immediately opened to him. I moaned into his mouth as he shifted me up so our bodies were perfectly aligned and I could feel every rock solid inch of him.

  He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “I haven’t changed my mind. But I do like your panties in a bunch. Bunched up on my floor after I strip them off you.”

  I laughed and threw my arms around his neck.

  “Well then, I guess I’m going on tour with Sliding Violet.”

  Chapter 4

  “I think that’s something worth celebrating.”

  I shivered at the gravelly tone to his voice that I’d come to love over the last few months. I’d come to know it as his “let’s get naked now” voice. And I never got tired of hearing it.

  But I couldn’t help but tease him just a little. “Celebrating sounds good. What do you recommend? A bottle of champagne? Maybe we can go out to dinner?”

  I pressed my finger against my lips, pretending to be in deep thought over the matter.

  Jared was having none of it. He sucked my earlobe into his mouth and gave me a little nip. “Later, baby. You can have anything you want. Now I just want you.”

  All thoughts of teasing fled. His voice mingled with his warm breath and when it hit my ear, desire twisted through me, leaving me trembling slightly and unable to do anything but agree.

  “Good plan,” I whispered.

  He pulled back long enough to grin at me, and then claimed my lips once more. Before things got too heated, though, I remembered how I’d spent my day.

  “Jared.”

  He moved his mouth to my jaw, leaving damp kisses along the way. “What, baby?”

  I pressed a hand against his chest. “Jared. We can’t do this.”

  “Of course we can.” He breathed his words out against my neck and then he scraped his teeth along the tendon where my neck and shoulder met. He paused to look at me with another wicked grin. “If I remember correctly, we can do this really, really well.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Since your memory only needs to travel back as far as this morning, I’d be super worried if you couldn’t remember. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  He pulled back further and sat back on his knees. “I’m sorry, Paige. Is this too much? Shit, you come here all upset and I attack you. It’s probably the last thing you need.”

  A soft smile touched my lips and my heart might even have skipped a beat. If the r
est of the world could see him like this, he’d never have a moment’s peace. The fans and paparazzi already stalked him wherever he went.

  But lucky me, I was one of the few who got to see this sweetness that was such a big part of Jared Sloane. Not Jared Sloane the rock star. Just Jared, the caring and considerate man I’d come to know.

  “It’s not that,” I said with a grin. “I was quite enjoying your attack.”

  His lips twisted into a self-satisfied little smirk and he started to lean back into me.

  “Not so fast.” I pressed my palm harder into his chest. “We can’t do this like this. I’m gross. I’m still wearing my scrubs from the hospital.”

  The smirk turned into an all-out grin. “I kind of like the hospital scrubs. They make me all hot.”

  “Yeah, well, you’d probably cool down pretty fast if you knew what I’d been up to in these scrubs all day.”

  The smile fell from his face so fast I wanted to laugh. His eyes traveled down my length and I can only imagine what images he conjured up. Some of them were probably close to the truth.

  “Okay, new plan,” he said. He grabbed my hand and tugged me from the bed.

  “I thought that might cool you down.” My words came out on a giggle.

  He gave me a look over his shoulder as he pulled me across the room, his eyes a dark, dark blue and intense. “Oh, I’m far from cooled down.”

  I lost my smile and swallowed hard at the look in his eyes. He tugged me into the bathroom before I managed to get my scrambled thoughts together.

  “Shower or bath?” he asked.

  “Umm…what?”

  “Simple question, baby. Shower or bath?” He raised his eyebrows and the smirk returned. “I figure if you’re feeling a little dirty, it’s my job to make sure you get clean.”

  He leaned into me and his hands went to the hem of my green hospital scrubs. My lips parted and a rush of air escaped me, but I couldn’t seem to manage even a single word.

  “Every inch of you,” he whispered as he slid my shirt up and over my head. He shifted closer and ran his nose down my cheek. “And then I’m going to get you dirty all over again.”

  Slowly his words sank in as his hands skimmed down to the waist of my pants. The desire he’d ignited in the bedroom rekindled with a vengeance. A small smile played over my lips. “That sounds like the best idea you ever had.”

  He grinned and tugged the drawstring at my waist before letting my pants drop to the floor. In seconds I was standing in front of him in nothing but the black panties I put on before I left this morning.

  He ran his finger over the edge of lace. “I like these.”

  I inhaled sharply as his fingers tickled me at the same time they sent waves of desire rolling over me. Contradictions.

  “Bath.” I made a conscious effort not to sway on my feet.

  “You sure?” He slid his fingers into the side of my panties and tugged them down until they hit the middle of my thighs. When he pulled his hand away they slid to my ankles and he held my hand to help me step out of them. “We have a little more room for maneuvering in the shower.”

  I tipped my head forward until my forehead hit his shoulder. “After the day I’ve had, I can’t think of anything I rather do than soak in a tub and let you have your way with me.”

  His arms came around me and I reveled in the feel of my bare skin against his jean and t-shirt clad body.

  “I think I can handle that,” he whispered into my ear. He cuddled me for a long moment before stepping back. “Allow me.”

  He left me standing naked in the center of the bathroom to go turn on the taps in the oversized, sunken tub. He dug around on the counter and found some body wash, which he added to the water, pouring it in until big fizzy soap bubbles started to form on the top.

  Jared came back to me and pulled me over to the tub, holding my hand as I stepped in and helping to ease me down into the steaming bubble bath.

  “What about you?”

  He stood over me with a small smile teasing the corner of his lips. He leaned down and planted a sweet, gentle kiss on my lips. “You enjoy the bath. I’ll join you in a few.”

  “Hey, I think you got me here under false pretenses!” I pouted up at him.

  He laughed. “I’ll be back to make good on my promises.”

  “You better.”

  I kept my eyes glued to his ass as he stepped out of the bathroom. I might have had a day from hell and an overload of grief to deal with, but I’d have to be dead not to take a moment to admire all the gifts God bestowed on Jared.

  As the water level climbed higher, I reached over to twist the tap off. I sank back against the side of the tub until I was up to my neck in bubbles. I pulled in a deep breath and the scent of sandalwood filled my head, calming me for the first time in hours.

  I hated to admit it, but a small part of me was happy to have this time alone to put myself back together. I raised a hand to work the elastic out of my hair, and a sigh of relief escaped me when my dark auburn hair tumbled down my shoulders, the ends floating on top of the water.

  I tunneled my fingers through the hair at my temples, doing my best to work out the tension there. And then I leaned all the way back and closed my eyes and let my mind float.

  Of course, the first thing that floated through was the image of Deanna as she’d been this morning—laughing and joking and putting on a brave face. How had I missed the fact that she was so near death?

  I knew how ill she was. Nobody spent months at a time in the hospital unless they had a major illness. I’d even given a shot at looking through her chart one day. My heart ached at the thought of all the procedures she’d endured in her short little life—needle biopsies, MRIs that had to be terrifying to her when she’d had her first at the age of three, countless rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. And for what?

  Somewhere in those moments of quiet it came to me.

  She’d been here as a gift to all of us. Her ability to smile and crack jokes while her small body was racked with pain got me through so many of my interminable, impossible shifts at the hospital. She brought joy.

  A little crack in my heart healed just a bit at the thought. Deanna would love to know her life had that kind of meaning.

  And as I thought of it, it occurred to me that Jared did the same kind of thing with his music. The lyrics he wrote, the songs his band played, gave people those small respites from their everyday lives. How many mornings had I woken up dreading the day in front of me, but after belting out one of his songs in the shower, found myself feeling better?

  When I heard the bathroom door, I cracked an eye open. As if my thoughts had conjured him, Jared stepped inside, his arms full. As I watched, he moved, placing several fat pillar candles around the room. He took a couple of towels off a small bench in the corner of the bathroom and dropped them on the closed toilet bowl lid before dragging the bench over to the tub. He placed it close enough for me to reach and plopped another candle on it, along with an ice bucket with a green bottle peeping over the edge and two glasses.

  At this point, both my eyes were wide open and I couldn’t fight a smile. He drifted through the room lighting the candles before moving to the wall switch and dimming the lights until the room was lit only by a soft, warm glow.

  He popped the cork from the bottle of champagne and poured two glasses all the way to the rim. He handed me a glass and then moved to the middle of the room to begin stripping off his clothes.

  I laid my arm along the side of the tub and rested my chin on top of it, my glass of champagne dangling from my fingers. I grinned when I realized how much he’d just done without saying so much as a word.

  My gaze fastened on his hand as it reached behind his head to grab a fistful of his t-shirt and unceremoniously yank it over his head.

  “Are you setting the scene for seduction? Because let me assure you, as much as I appreciate all this, you had me at the bubble bath.”

  He shook his head at me as he t
ossed his shirt in the corner. He walked over to the tub and placed a long, lingering kiss on my lips. My eyes drifted closed, and the kiss was so sweet, I had trouble opening them again even after he pulled away.

  “All of this is about pampering you, baby, taking care of you.” He pressed another soft kiss to my cheek before standing and reaching for the button on his jeans. “And if you’re seduced in the process, I guess I’ll just have to man up and take care of you that way, too.”

  He finished his proclamation with a gusty sigh, as if “manning up” wasn’t his choice but he’d do it if he had to.

  I flicked some bubbles at him with a laugh. “So you’re prepared to do your duty?”

  My mouth went dry as he pulled his pants from his legs and made quick work of stripping out of his black boxer briefs.

  He stepped into the tub, settling down behind me. “Well, it’s a tough job, but if it’s what you need, baby, I’ll just turn my head and think of England.”

  And that’s how, on one of the very worst days of my life, I found myself settling back against a warm male chest in a sea of bubbles while dissolving into giggles.

  When my laughter died down, I snuggled my head against his chest and then tilted my head to look up at him. “Thank you.”

  He kissed the tip of my nose. “You’re welcome.”

  “You know for a bad boy rock star, you’re awfully sweet.”

  “Hmm, I don’t know if I can have you defaming me that way. You could do irreparable harm to my reputation.”

  “Then I suggest you do something to convince me you’re not as sweet as you seem.” I took a long sip of my champagne before placing the glass on the bench.

  He didn’t wait for me to goad him further. His hands traveled along my slick skin, over my arms, down to my hips, and without pausing he delved between my thighs.

  I laid my head back on his shoulder as he plunged two fingers inside me.

  “I like this, baby,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re all wet and slippery and ready for me.”

  As he spoke, he used a thumb to strum over my clit and I arched my back, pushing my aching core harder onto his hand.