by Stella Brie
“You’re right, we haven’t met. I’m Dr. Kate Michaels,” I tell her as I hold out my hand.
She briefly shakes it. “Ah, right, you’re the doctor who’s covering for Thayer,” she says. “I heard Lowell mention you the other day. I’m Courtney Miller, manager for The Black and Gold, and a very close friend of Lev’s, if you know what I mean.”
“Nice to meet you,” I reply, although that’s not what I’m thinking. “Are you from around here?”
“No, I grew up in Bozeman, but I’ve been here with Lev since he opened this bar. You know, we should hang out sometime. I could even set you up with my brother, and we could double date,” she says in a tone as fake as the tan on her body, subtly implying her date would be Lev.
“I’m already dating someone, but thank you for the offer.”
To hammer home my point, I turn around and smile at Lev. Looking back at her, I see her hands fisted at her side. Wary, I tense. Baring her teeth, she opens her mouth to say something more, but Lev comes up behind me, and she closes it quickly.
“Nice to meet you, and welcome to Lockeland Valley,” she says as she glances at Lev, then walks away.
“Your burger will be right up,” Lev tells me as he nuzzles my ear.
I’m a bit uncomfortable that he’s doing this in front of someone he might be dating or might have dated in the past, but it’s not the right time to ask him about Courtney. He turns the stool around and reaches for my hand. Sitting down beside me, he plays with my hand as we chat about the beer on tap and various types of beer we like.
My burger arrives, along with one for him, and we eat and talk about the week. He explains that his schedule is hectic, especially with Thayer in the hospital. He usually spends Monday and Wednesday at The Black and Gold. Tuesdays and Thursdays, he visits his restaurants in Helena. The weekend is up in the air, depending on what is going on, but he always goes with Shaw and Lowell to visit Thayer on Sundays.
I ask him about Thayer’s prognosis. He explains the swelling is going down, but the doctor isn’t clear about the extent of the damage, as he hasn’t woken up from the coma yet. He talks about Thayer’s need to push his physical limits, as he’s always worried about being tied down or restricted, and what it would do to him if he couldn’t walk. I tell him he needs to concentrate first on getting him to wake from the coma before he worries about any other damage. I remind him to take the time to talk to Thayer when he visits. Coma patients respond to voice stimuli, and it can make a difference in getting them to wake up sooner.
As we finish our meal, Lev goes to grab his coat so he can walk me home. As we leave, I notice Courtney staring out the window at us.
Reaching my apartment, Lev walks me upstairs. As soon as we get in the apartment, he grabs my hand and turns me around so my back is to the door. Taking my other hand, he brings both hands up above my head and leans his body into mine to give me a lingering kiss. Lev kisses like we have all the time in the world to enjoy the moment. No rush, just a slow dance of our mouths.
After a minute or two or three, he breaks the kiss and says huskily, “All I could think about this week was kissing you again.”
His eyes blaze as he looks at me. His hands squeeze mine as he lowers his head to kiss me again and again. Eventually, he leaves my lips and makes his way back over to that spot on my neck. Kissing, sucking, licking it, my back arches, and I gasp as heat arrows into my body.
“That’s all you could think about? Where’s your imagination?”
I pull my hands free from his and roam over his big body. The man has muscles on top of muscles. My fingers try to trace each one through his clothes. Dammit, it’s not enough. I need to feel his skin, his warmth. Reaching out, I unbutton his shirt and push it aside.
I place my hands palms down on his body. Heat seeps into my hands as if he’s my own personal sun. He moans as my hands touch him. There’s not one point of softness on his body. My hands skim over his warm brown skin, from his hard pecs to the hard lines of his eight-pack abs. I can’t help marveling at the sheer dedication it must take to achieve and maintain this body. It’s anatomy at its finest. My fingers follow each line down and softly trail across his lower stomach.
He inhales sharply against my neck. As I continue my soft caresses over his lower stomach, below his belly button, he moans and thrusts into me hard. “Seems like you might have a spot, too,” I rasp, laughing softly.
Moaning again, his mouth takes mine, hard and greedy for more. Reaching down, he grabs my ass, lifts me up, and pulls me in tight. He grinds into me, making sure I feel every inch of him.
I need closer, I think.
Wrapping my legs around him, I center his cock and lift into him, meeting his next thrust.
OMG, that feels so good.
I do it again and again. It has been so long since I felt a man against me, it won’t take much to put me over the edge.
“Fuck, sweetheart. Hold on. I think we should even this up a bit,” he says as his hands skim the hem of my sweater.
I grab the hem for a second to stall him. Shit! I didn’t think about someone seeing me naked yet. I mean, duh, I knew it would happen, but I’m not prepared. Swallowing, I stare nervously at him as my heart pounds loudly in my ears.
“Lev, wait...I’ve got some scars, and they’re not pretty.”
Studying my face for a second, he realizes I’m worried about showing him my chest. “What? Seriously? Sweetheart, have you seen mine? My body’s filled with scars from both my childhood and my stint in the Army. Scars don’t bother me.”
Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed, as I was caught up in all his muscles. Leaning back, I scan his body and notice several scars in various places. Looks like a few cuts from a knife, several cigarette burns, and even a scar from a bullet.
He reaches up to his chest and points out a scar. “Got knifed here.” His hand moves to a spot on his shoulder where he has several lines of scars. “A barbed wire wrapped around my shoulder here. That was damn painful.” He continues to point out various scars on his body.
After studying his scars and reading his face, I decide I might as well get it over with quickly. Reaching down, I pull off my sweater and lean back so he can look at my scars.
“Beautiful,” he rasps as he stares at my breasts, encased in black see-through lace. His eyes travel to the two scars on my chest and the one on my stomach. Slowly, he reaches out and traces his fingers over them. “You were shot?” His voice is tight with anger. “Who the hell shot you?”
“A gunman came into the hospital where I was working.”
Scowling, he stares at my chest. Self-conscious, I’m bringing my hands up to cover my scars when he reaches out and stops me. “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re beautiful. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around you being shot. With the placement, you’re damn lucky to be alive.”
He leans down and kisses the top two scars on my chest. His mouth skims the tops of my breasts, placing little kisses everywhere.
Lifting his head, he stares into my eyes. Anger, relief, and desire all swirl through him. He closes his eyes for a second, and when he opens them again, the anger has been pushed back until they only burn with desire. Relief pours through me.
His hand reaches out to cup my breast, lightly caressing my nipple through the lace. Reaching in the front, he unclasps my bra. My breast spills out into his hand. His thumb reaches out to caress the tip. Fire races through me. Moaning, I lean my head back against the door and arch my back, wanting him to continue. He takes my breast into his huge hand and traces the outside, deliberately narrowing his circles and driving me crazy until he gets to the center. Taking my nipple in his fingers, he lightly pinches and rolls it between his fingers.
“Harder,” I demand.
Grasping my body, he pushes us tighter against the door so he can free both hands. Grinding his hips, he leans his head back to watch my face as he reaches out with both hands and cups my breasts like he is weighing them. Frowning, I move restlessly, need
ing more than a soft caress.
“So impatient.” He chuckles softly.
Reaching out with his thumbs and fingers, he finally grasps each nipple hard. Rolling them, tugging on them with increasing pressure. Watching my face glaze over with desire, he knows he could make me come just by playing with my breasts. Faster and faster, his fingers move between rolling, pinching, and tugging while his body grinds into me. Moaning, my body trembles with anticipation.
Needing to feel his warmth, my hands skim every inch of him I can reach, and everywhere I touch, his muscles tighten in response.
I am on the edge and burning up. Just a little faster. I move my hips frantically back and forth to create enough friction to come. Throwing my arms around his neck, I hold tight to him.
“Lev,” I cry out as my orgasm hits and darkness caresses the edge of my vision. My body pulses as I jerk softly against him, riding each wave that spirals out from my core.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart.”
He pulls me in tight and holds me. As the waves subside, he continues to hold and caress me until even the little tremors are gone. Smiling, I open my eyes and lean my head back to look at him. It has been such a long time since I felt desire for a man, or from one. And to come with my clothes still on was embarrassing. Thankfully, I did tell him it had been a long time.
His eyes are dark green, almost black, as he leans down to give me a soft kiss. “You’re so beautiful when you fall apart.”
“Thank you.” Blushing, I kiss him back. “Did you?”
Shaking his head no, he steps back from the door so I can drop my legs. He holds on to me as I shakily stand. I almost cry at the loss of him so close to me. Stroking his hands down my body, he gathers me in close and holds me tightly for a few minutes.
He’s so quiet, I’m not sure if he is mad or regrets taking things slow or...
Running my hands across his shoulders, I want to ask about taking care of him. “Would you...?”
He pulls back and frowns at me. Two fingers cover my mouth to stop the words. “Hush, I’m fine and can take care of myself later,” he tells me. He smiles, and it’s almost blinding. “Watching you come for me was so fucking beautiful, I just wanted a minute or two to savor it. To remember your face and this moment and this feeling. I wanted to make sure I burned every detail into memory.”
Pulling my bra together, he hooks it closed. Picking my sweater up off the floor, he helps me put it on, and, laughing, he picks me up and swings me around. He gives me another kiss. I smile as I kiss him back. After a few more kisses, he goes home, promising to text tomorrow.
CHAPTER 10
KATE
On Friday, I’m having lunch with Sarah when Lowell comes striding into the break room.
“I need your help,” he snaps. We both raise our eyebrows at him. Grimacing, he looks at us, sighs impatiently, and starts over. “Hello, ladies. Sorry for barging in like this, but I was wondering if I could talk to you both about your plans for Saturday. I’m scheduled to hold a signing event at a bookstore in Bozeman, and both my PA and agent cannot make it. While the bookstore can supply someone to help with the books and set-up, they cannot be with me one hundred percent of the time. I usually have one or two of my own people to help keep things flowing smoothly. Would you be available on Saturday to help me out? I know this isn’t your problem, but neither Lev nor Shaw can assist this weekend, and I don’t have anyone else to ask.”
Sarah shakes her head no. “Sorry, I can’t make it, Lowell. It’s my Granny’s seventy-fifth birthday this weekend, and we’re throwing her an enormous party. I can ask around, if you like?”
“I understand.” he says, then pushes his glasses up on his nose and looks at me. “Kate?”
Tilting my head, I study him for a second. I see small signs of his irritation and impatience at this interruption to his orderly life. His hair is sticking up as if his hands were running through it repeatedly, his leg constantly twitches as if he’s barely holding himself back from pacing, and his voice is even more clipped than usual.
“I’d be happy to help, Lowell.” I’m not sure if this is a good idea or bad idea, but spending time with Lowell outside of the clinic may help give me some insight into what I find so intriguing about him.
“Really?” he asks, sounding surprised. His body calms, and he stares at me for a second. “Thank you. I’ll text you the details. I can’t thank you enough for stepping in to help me.” He abruptly turns around and heads out the door.
Sarah looks at me and laughs. “So kind of you to help Lowell,” she says, with a wink.
Shaking my head at her, I laugh. “We’ll see.”
LOOKING THROUGH MY closet, I dress business casual for Lowell’s event. Pulling out black pants, a dark grey blazer, and a green silk button down blouse, I get dressed. My hair is already pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and my makeup is minimal. Slipping diamond studs into my ears, a quick spritz of perfume, and I’m almost ready to go. I hear Lowell knocking on the door as I grab both my black heels and short black boots.
Opening the door, I smile as I see he and I almost match. Except his shirt is white, not green. “Hello, Lowell. I’m almost ready. Do you think my boots will be OK for the event, or do I need to wear something a little dressier?” I hold up both pairs of shoes.
“Hello, Kate. You look beautiful, and boots will be fine.”
I murmur a thank you for his compliment and pull on my boots, smooth down my tapered pants, and grab my coat and purse. Lowell punches in the code to alarm the apartment, and we head out.
He opens the door of a very nice black luxury SUV. It’s gorgeous. And seems a bit unlike Lowell.
“Gorgeous vehicle. Is this new to the market?” I get into the passenger seat. The seat wraps around my body like a cockpit, while the dash displays an array of dazzling knobs and screens. My hands caress the leather as I sniff a bit. “It smells brand new. Have you had it long? How does it drive?”
“I just bought it about a month ago. It was a present for myself after I finished my last series,” he replies. “It drives like a dream. The handling and control are top-notch. Are you a car enthusiast?”
“I wouldn’t say enthusiast, but I like to drive nice cars. After seeing this vehicle, I think I want to trade in mine.” I laugh, but I’m only half-joking.
“I’ll come by sometime, and you can drive it to see if you like how it handles,” he offers.
“Deal. Now, let’s talk about this event. What do you need me to do today?”
“If you look in the side pocket of your door, you’ll see a large envelope. My PA felt the contents would be the most useful for you. It contains a schedule for the event, the primary contacts for the bookstore, and a checklist for set-up so you can make sure they didn’t forget anything like extra markers, pics of how the signage should look, and a few other things.” He motions to the packet in the door.
Picking it up, I pull everything out of the envelope and look through it. It all seems straightforward. Pulling the name tag out of the bag, I grab a marker and write KATE MICHAELS on it, then attach it to my blazer. I pick up the pictures and put those in my pocket so I can easily access them when we get to the event. Everything else, I drop back into the envelope for now.
“You have a great PA,” I tell him, admiring the sheer organization of the information. “Everything is laid out and ready for me to jump into the set-up.”
“Lisa’s a very organized person,” he muses. “I’ll be sure to let her know you appreciate her preparation.”
It’s quiet as I take the time to study the information. Twenty minutes later, we pull up to a large bookstore, and I grab the envelope and my purse and follow him into the store. We’re about a half-hour early, so we have plenty of time to check everything out and correct any potential issues. Pulling out the contacts, I ask for Cheryl and Dale, and the clerk points us to the back of the store. Walking to the back, we see a sizeable area with a podium and table cordoned off for the event. The la
dy looks up as we arrive and, recognizing Lowell, comes right over.
“Hello, you must be Lowell. Welcome to Carl’s Book Nook. I’m Cheryl, and that is Dale over there, finishing up the books,” she says, welcoming us.
“Hello, Cheryl. It’s nice to meet you. This is Kate Michaels. She’ll be assisting me today, as my PA, Lisa, is out,” he explains as he introduces me. Leaving me with her, he walks around, checking out the set-up.
“Hello, Cheryl. I’ve got his PA’s checklist and other items, so we should be able to quickly wrap things up. I would like to chat a bit about the signage, as there seems to be a piece missing.” I point to the signage as I pull out the pictures from my pocket.
Once everything is adjusted and set up, I give Lowell a thumbs up. He’s speaking to a few fans who arrived at the event early. I snatch a book from the pile. I don’t even know what genre he writes, so I skim the synopsis.
Hmm...a military thriller. Fits him perfectly. I’ll have to buy a book before I leave, I muse.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Carl’s Book Nook. I’m Cheryl, and this is Dale, and we’ll be taking care of things tonight. If you need anything, just let us know. Now, we’ll bring out Lowell Monroe, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for his military and political thrillers. Lowell recently released Mission Control, which is the last book in the Robert Newman series.” She waits as the crowd applauds. “He will read a bit from the book, and then we’ll commence with the signing. Refreshments are available in the back of the room. Thank you, and enjoy!”
The crowd applauds as Lowell steps up to the podium. “Thank you,” he says. “It’s always tough finishing a series, because you come to count on the characters and their ability to tell their own story. This is definitely my favorite series, and I hope you’ll be pleased with how it ends. Chapter One.”
