A hot bath, a glass of wine...all sounded a million times better if he’d join her.
“Damn, I wish I could, but I can’t. It’s my night at the station. Marcus is sick, so I’m filling in for him,” he said.
She blinked. Had she accidentally voiced the thought? “Can’t what?”
“You just asked me to join you.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, I...uh...”
He cupped her face with both hands and every coherent thought vanished. “Believe me, I want to.”
She couldn’t breathe. Air. Where was air when you needed it?
His burning gaze had her body aching for him as his hands tucked her hair behind her ears. Such a simple, smooth gesture, yet it made her feel safe. Vulnerable yet completely in control of her desires. “Hey, how about dinner instead? Nothing fancy, just takeout at the station. You could keep me company.”
She should let the day end. Let him get to work. She’d had fun for the first time in forever and she’d felt things for a man she’d forgotten she could feel, but that was why she needed to put the brakes on. Despite liking him, despite wanting him, despite the temptation of spending more time with him, she couldn’t. She was only there for a break, then she was returning to reality and she didn’t want to make that harder. She’d barely thought about work all day and she would have expected to be feeling guilty or anxious.
She felt neither. Still, “I should probably call it a night...”
“I like you, Erika.”
Again. No air.
“I mean, when you first got here, man, were you annoying.”
She glared at him but couldn’t argue the point.
He grinned. “But I was still attracted to you...and the last few days, that attraction is growing. I know you’re only here for another week, but I’d really like to spend more time getting to know you again... Or, I guess for the first time.”
She looked down at her hands clenched on her lap.
To what end? She couldn’t make things work with a man who lived in the same condo complex...miles away would be next to impossible.
But admittedly, she was getting ahead of herself. Reed hadn’t said anything about what happened when the week was up. Just that he liked her and wanted to get to know her and damn, if those feelings weren’t mutual.
“Dinner. Just dinner.”
Oh, he made that sound so promisingly simple, but she knew in her gut it wouldn’t be. It was already so much more than just dinner. His touch was more than just a touch. His long stare held so many questions and revelations. And she knew the deeper she got, the closer she got, nothing at all about Reed would be simple.
“Okay,” she said finally, no other answer possible when he was this close, touching her, smelling so great, after their invigorating day in the mountains. If she left him now, she’d always wonder what might have happened if she’d said yes. For the second time that week, she was going with impulsive.
He smiled, reluctantly returning his hands to the steering wheel. “Okay,” he said, pulling the truck back onto Main Street, heading toward the station.
Meanwhile, her heart was headed straight for trouble.
* * *
WELL, IT WASN’T wine and a bath, but he had pizza and Erika’s company, so he’d call it a win. Reed had sensed her reluctance in the truck and he’d silently hoped she’d agree to spend the evening with him. The day had been the best nondate he’d ever been on. The more he spent time with her, the stronger his feelings for her grew. And not just the semi-hard-on feelings he’d struggled with all day. The thought of letting her go had made his gut hurt. He didn’t want to think about how it might hit him when she actually left Wild River.
“I didn’t know the team leads had to take these overnight station shifts,” she said, removing her ski jacket and tossing it next to his on the tiny, uncomfortable cot in the corner. The twelve by twelve space was busting at the seams with a desk and extra gear stashed everywhere. When the county provided funding, they bought as much equipment as possible, whether they had space for it or not. That equipment could mean the difference between life and death for someone needing help, so they turned nothing away.
“Normally that’s true, but we try to keep it fair with responsibilities around here. We have a great team, so we all pull our weight,” he said. “Music?”
“Sure.”
He turned on the old stereo on the desk and tuned to the local holiday music station. “This okay?” he asked as a slow, romantic song played.
“It’s great. I can’t remember the last time I listened to Christmas music. I’m usually so busy at the hospital that Christmas is just another day.”
A wistful longing in her voice made him glad she was there for the season. Even if she could only appreciate it for a little while. He opened the pizza box lid. The smell of meat and cheese escaped on the steam and his stomach growled. He was famished.
He’d been relieved when Erika had claimed to like the same meat-filled, double cheese pie that he normally ordered. If she’d preferred some chicken or veggie crap, he may have had to order them separate meals. He reached into a cupboard above the cot. “Paper plates okay? Or I could run into the fire station to see if they have real ones...”
“Paper plates are perfect,” she said, and it actually sounded like it was. Man, could he have been so wrong about her when she’d first arrived? It certainly seemed like he’d been too quick to judge. What had come across as arrogance was actually something a little more endearing—a socially awkward bluntness he was starting to understand.
All trace of the stuck-up doctor had vanished that day on the mountains. Or maybe he was just seeing beyond the self-preservation facade.
He dished up the pizza and scanned the space. They had few options for eating. “Desk or lap?”
“Lap is fine,” she said, sitting on the cot. She shook her head and laughed as she tapped the hard mattress. “Wow, this is about as comfortable as the one in my office.”
He nodded as he sat next to her and handed her a plate. “If it was too comfortable, we’d sleep through calls.” He laughed. “No worries about that on this thing.” The cot was an old one they’d been gifted from the fire station, and the IKEA mattress was maybe three inches thick.
“I get it.”
“You work all kinds of shifts at the hospital?”
“I work every shift,” she said, taking a bite of the pizza. A small drop of tomato sauce appeared on the corner of her mouth and she licked it away.
His eyes were glued to the lips he’d kissed ever so briefly hours before, and the grumbling in his stomach was momentarily forgotten. He couldn’t wait for another taste of her. He wasn’t even going to try to pretend that it wouldn’t happen again. His “just dinner” line was a lie. And they both knew it.
“I don’t have to, of course, but things are extra busy right now,” she continued, and something in her tone helped to check his hormones for the moment.
“I’m guessing this time off wasn’t your idea?”
She swallowed her bite of pizza and shook her head. “Forced vacation... Or as the letter stated, recommended vacation.”
He wondered if his sister knew that Erika’s out-of-the-blue appearance hadn’t just been a desire to reconnect... He pushed it aside. They’d gotten off to a rocky start, but it hadn’t taken long for Cassie and Erika to pick up where they’d left off, so he wouldn’t mention this new info to his sister. “Are you enjoying your time off at least?”
“Thanks to Cassie...and you,” she said, her gaze meeting his and holding.
Forget food. There was only one hunger he needed satisfied.
Taking her plate and his and setting them aside, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “I need to kiss you again,” he said, his voice hoarse as his arms tightened around her waist.
“I’m okay with that,
” she said, her gaze flitting frantically between his eyes and his lips. “Now?” she asked when he hesitated.
“You bet,” he said before crushing her mouth with his. Vanilla lip gloss mingled with the taste of pizza sauce, making him crave her more than ever. His hands traveled up her back, firmly massaging the tense muscles along her spine and shoulders before cupping the back of her head beneath her tangled, windblown hair. His tongue separated her lips and continued to explore her mouth as he deepened the kiss.
Her hands were against his chest and the muscles beneath the thin fabric of his faded search and rescue T-shirt twitched. The soft moan that escaped her lips had him hardening fast and when she pressed her body closer, his erection was impossible to hide.
Her eyes snapped open as she broke the kiss. The look of surprise in her dark eyes was killing him. She had to know the effect she could have on a man. “I did that?” she asked.
He laughed gently, pulling her even closer against it. “That was all you.”
She grinned as her hands crept around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair as she guided his mouth back to hers. “Let’s see how hard we can make it.”
He nearly growled as he devoured her mouth again, his grip on her waist moving lower to cup her ass in the ski pants. Smooth, thick fabric beneath his hands wasn’t cutting it and he quickly slipped his hands down the waistband. The tightness cut off circulation in his wrists, but he didn’t care. She wore thin yoga pants underneath. He could tell by the soft, thin, stretchy fabric hugging her like a second skin.
Damn, her ass was hot.
She pulled away slightly to run her tongue along his bottom lip, then captured it between her teeth, biting gently, driving him crazy.
The spectrum of emotions she’d evoked since arriving were all cumulating into one strong, overwhelming desire to have her—all of her. Every little inch of her sexy body, every brilliant thought and every piece of her unreachable heart.
But he needed to slow things a little or he’d never last. And he wanted this to last a long time. He broke the contact between their lips as another slow Christmas song started to play. “Dance with me,” he said, taking one hand in his and wrapping his arm around her waist. She wasn’t getting that far away.
“I don’t know how,” she said, breathless.
“Just sway,” he said, leading her in a slow circle.
She rested her head against his chest and he kissed the top of her head. His grip tightened on her hand as the carol wrapped around them. The pulsing in his veins subsided just a little to let him appreciate holding her, feeling her...
She sighed and he could feel her heart beating against his.
As the song came to an end, he tilted her face up toward his. “You’re beautiful,” he said.
She stood on tiptoes and captured his mouth again, and all waiting was over. He wanted her now, and the frantic, demanding way she was devouring his lips revealed she wanted him just as much.
Lifting her, he wrapped her legs around his waist and backed her toward the cot. He placed her on top of the uncomfortable mattress and fell on top of her. She immediately reached for him again, clenching his shirt in her hands as she held him glued to her body.
His penis strained against the fabric of his underwear and ski pants. It had been months since he’d been with a woman and that in itself could be blamed for the intensity of his hard-on, but he knew not just anyone would have this effect on him. Erika was by far the most tempting, beautiful woman he’d ever met. The fact that they had a shared history had this new connection sparking more intense, uncontrollable flames of desire. Despite never being close friends, she knew him and he knew her. They’d spent one night together, united by a common fear and hurt, connecting in a way that he’d effectively pushed aside all these years.
He separated her legs with his and placed his hardness against her. Their thick ski pants making it impossible to get any relief from the aching throbbing.
Less clothes. Right away.
She moaned, raising her hips higher to grind against him.
Fuck. He wanted her so bad.
She wasn’t hesitating or second-guessing or making him hesitate or second-guess. They both wanted this.
He pushed harder against her, seeking some form of relief, but the ache just grew stronger. Her frantic kisses, her tongue circling his and her hands all over his body had the intensity and urgency dialed all the way up.
Struggling for a breath, he broke away from her mouth and kissed her neck. The soft smell of her jasmine-scented perfume made it hard to think as his tongue licked along her flesh. Goose bumps surfaced on her exposed skin and she swallowed hard. “How bad do you want me?” she asked, the words coming out a strangled sound. Her hands had dipped lower to his waist and she was tickling his exposed abs by trailing her fingers delicately across his skin.
“Bad,” he whispered against her ear, feeling her body tremble. “Can I have you?”
The reply was torturously slow in coming, but as she slid her hands higher beneath his shirt and started pulling it off over his head, his cock spasmed with the knowledge that soon it would be buried deep inside her. Her eagerness for him was such a turn-on.
He sat up and helped her remove his shirt, and the appreciative look in her eyes made him grateful for the time he put in at the gym. Being physically fit for his job was important, but seeing the effect it had on Erika in that moment was even more fulfilling. He reached for the base of her sweater and slid it slowly up her body. Her lower stomach, her belly button, her ribs all came into view in a devilishly slow reveal and he was buzzing with anticipation as he raised the fabric higher...revealing bare, perfect breasts.
His jaw dropped. No bra. Fuck me.
She shrugged. “You were right about the ski suit being too small. A bra wouldn’t fit.”
“You’ve been braless all day?” he asked, peeling the fabric up over her head and tossing it aside. Immediately he cupped the soft mounds with perky erect nipples begging to be fondled. It’s a good thing he hadn’t known or they may never have gotten out of his truck.
“Yes.” Her eyes closed at his touch and her head fell backward onto the thin-as-paper pillow, a soft sigh escaping her. “That feels amazing.”
His eyes raked over her flat stomach and thin waist as his hands continued to knead and massage, his fingers pinching the hardened buds until her breathing became labored. A turned-on woman had to be the sexiest thing on the planet. The way her body reacted to his touch, his kiss had him feeling dizzy. He needed to be closer to her. Feel every inch of her pressed against him. “What do you like, Erika? Tell me what you want.”
“More of this. Much more of this,” she said as he kissed along her collarbone and down to her breasts. Capturing one nipple in his mouth, he sucked gently, twirling his tongue around it until she was almost panting.
“You like that?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered, guiding his head to the other breast.
He happily obliged. He could lick and suck on these amazing breasts all night long.
“I want you so bad,” she said.
Climbing off her quickly, he undid his ski pants and pulled them off, along with his underwear.
From the cot, she watched, her eyes falling to his exposed, erect cock. “Excited?” she asked, the teasing glint in her eyes torturing him.
“Little bit,” he said. He reached for her pants and removed them, dragging the fabric of the yoga pants along with them and tossing the clothing to the floor. He was desperate to remove the underwear as well, but he needed confirmation that things weren’t moving too quickly. That she was still okay with this.
And for the first time, a look of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Shit. Please don’t let her put the brakes on now. Blue balls would be uncomfortable, but not getting the opportunity to touch her, lick her body e
verywhere and feel what it was like to be inside her would be torture. But if she said stop. He would.
“Is the door locked?” she asked instead.
Relief flowed through him as he hurried to lock it and pull the blinds closed further. “It is now.”
Then returning to her, he climbed back between her legs, kissing her again. He could kiss her all night. Her mouth was soft and welcoming. Her lips were juicy and delicious and the way her tongue danced with his—it was like they’d been kissing one another for years. An unsettling familiarity, a startling connection that vibrated between their mouths continued throughout his entire body as he rocked his pelvis against hers.
Wetness escaped the tip of his cock as he pressed against her underwear. She was wet, too, and the thought that she was so willing, so ready for him nearly put him over the edge.
“These need to go,” he said, reaching for the waistband and yanking them down to her knees.
She wiggled her legs, moving the fabric lower then kicking them off one foot. They fell to the floor next to his.
Erika Sheraton was naked beneath him and he’d never have expected it in a million years.
He took a moment to appreciate every inch of her, every curve, every hollow. He let his hands slowly trail the length of her sides, appreciating the smooth hourglass shape, then across her flat stomach, circling the gorgeous belly button, then up her rib cage to squeeze her beautiful breasts once more. His cock throbbed with need as his hands moved lower again, retracing the path back to her hips and then down her sexy, muscular thighs and back toward the opening between her legs.
Her body trembled on the cot beneath him, and the desire reflecting in her dark eyes had them looking almost black as she took in every inch of him. “You really have filled out,” she said, her eyes on his cock.
“And you keep getting more and more beautiful by the second.” He allowed one finger to dip inside her wet folds. “And so revealingly wet.”
Shit, she was just as ready for him as he was for her.
An Alaskan Christmas Page 12
