“I want you inside me,” she said, arching her back to raise her pelvis against his hand, seeking release of her own.
“Now?” he asked.
She nodded frantically, reaching for his arms and pulling him back down against her. She kissed him hard as his cock settled between her folds, rubbing up and down against her clit.
Damn, she was sexy. Erika Sheraton was sexy. Words he’d never thought would be racing through his mind just seconds before he was inside of her.
Her hands were seemingly everywhere at once, as though she couldn’t get close enough to him as she rocked her pelvis up and down along his length.
Hating to move away from her, he quickly reached for his ski pants and retrieved his wallet. He removed a condom and, tearing it open, he slid it on fast. The motion made his ache even worse. His entire body was on fire, a desperate desire erasing all other thoughts.
Erika’s chest and stomach rose and fell with her heavy breathing. “I want you so bad, Reed,” she said.
The feeling was mutual...and he couldn’t help but wonder if they shared other feelings. He knew this went beyond the physical for him. It wasn’t just a one-night stand with his sister’s best friend. This was a connection years in the making. He’d always thought his feelings for her were disdain and dislike, but even those had been strong. Maybe they’d been something else.
They certainly were now.
Lowering himself on top of her, he slid between her legs and brushed her hair away from her face, staring into those big, chocolate-colored eyes as he slipped inside of her.
Her breath caught. She closed her eyes as her muscles squeezed tight around him.
Fuck. He wouldn’t be lasting long. The moment didn’t even feel completely real. Erika...it was Erika. Erika’s body he was inside of. Erika’s hands touching him. Erika’s mouth just inches from his. Her breath warm and coming hard against his cheek. He went deeper.
She moaned beneath him and tightened her grip on his shoulders. Her nails dug into his flesh, but it didn’t wake him from this dream.
“Look at me,” he said, taking her hands and holding them above her head as he plunged deeper again.
Her eyes opened and she held his stare as their bodies rocked together in perfect rhythm, faster, harder, growing more desperate as he neared the brink of orgasm.
“This okay?” he somehow managed to ask.
“More than okay,” she whispered.
His arms shook on either side of her and his hips dug into her thighs as he moved faster, harder... He was so close. The intense sensations building made it impossible to hold off any longer.
“I’m coming, Reed,” she said suddenly, and thank God because he couldn’t hold his own orgasm back much longer. Plunging deeper and faster still, he felt her tighten and spasm around him as she let out a loud moan of satisfaction.
The feel of her wet body wrapped around him, her soft skin pressed against his, the smell of her sex tantalizing the senses, he erupted in waves of pleasure, squeezing her hands tighter. His gaze never left hers. She was beautiful. She was real. In that moment—for that moment at least—she was his.
And why that thought didn’t terrify him, he didn’t know.
His body collapsed a second later and he rested his forehead against hers. “Damn, that was good,” he said, kissing her gently.
“Definitely unexpected,” she said with a satisfied smile. She hugged him closer and he felt her continue to vibrate and clench around him, driving him crazy again already. “I have a new answer to your question now.”
“What question?”
“About whether I’m enjoying this vacation,” she said, kissing him again. “I’d say it’s the best one yet.”
He laughed. “Because it’s your first and only one?”
“Because of you.”
* * *
ERIKA HAD NEVER felt so comfortable on a three-inch, hard-as-rock mattress. Of course, most of her body was draped across Reed and not actually on the bed. Sleeping on the cot in her office would be so much better if he was there. Obviously, she’d be less productive.
“So, do you bring all the girls back here?” Suddenly, she wondered about his dating history. He was obviously single. She knew he wasn’t the type to sleep around or cheat on a girlfriend. He’d always been nice and considerate and thoughtful to the girls he’d dated when they were teens. So why he was single now was a complete mystery. He’d filled out over the years and she’d admired his muscles through his clothing, but the straining fabric of his T-shirts hid an even more amazing physique than she could have imagined.
And for one night, he’d been hers.
“I haven’t dated all the girls,” he said with a smirk.
She hit his arm playfully. “The ones you have dated, smart-ass.”
He shook his head, pulling the thin blanket up over them a little more. “Believe it or not, this is not part of my game.”
She eyed him. “Your game? So you’re saying you’re playing me?” Why did her heart beat so loudly? It wasn’t like it mattered if he was. She wasn’t looking for anything serious from him. This was fun. Casual. No strings attached. Probably the first and last time.
Damn, she hoped not.
He smoothed her messy hair away from her face and the look in his eyes told her far more than his words. “Not at all,” he said, his voice serious.
Too serious. She was relieved this wasn’t meaningless to him. She just wasn’t sure she was ready for it to mean something. Relationships were a mystery to her. Human anatomy, fixing people she was good at. Building friendships, connections and long-lasting commitments were as foreign to her as another language. And she couldn’t help but wonder if she was too old to learn.
“Has there ever been anyone special?” she asked.
He stared at the ceiling, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. “I don’t think so. I mean, after high school there was one girl I dated for over a year. She was great and we were great together. Things were comfortable, predictable...”
“That’s not good?”
“It would have been if I wasn’t looking for something more,” he said.
“Like what?”
“Sparks. Fire. Intensity. I mean, I know they say those things fade in a relationship, but they should be there at the start and they just weren’t with her...or anyone else.”
She stiffened. She’d felt sparks between the two of them. Had he not?
“Until now...”
Her shoulders relaxed. She traced a fine white line on his chest above his heart. “Where did you get this scar?” Changing the subject seemed necessary.
He glanced down at her finger. “That one was from my very first rescue mission as a recruit. Three hikers went missing on the side of Snowcrest Mountain. It was spring and the snow had started to melt. The ground was muddy and avalanches had been happening in the area. I was inexperienced, had no idea what to expect. As we trekked along the mountain, I fell against a jagged rock.”
“Ouch.”
“Yes, it was. Eight stitches,” he said with a laugh. Taking her hand, he kissed it, entwining his fingers with hers.
The intimate gesture had her heart racing more than the frantic, explosive sex.
“But luckily, I’ve gotten a little better at the job since then.”
“Accidents still happen.” She saw them all the time. People’s lives and health suddenly in jeopardy just doing things they did a thousand times before. Skiers, hikers, campers, wilderness enthusiasts—she saw them all in the emergency room. She’d once removed a tree branch that was three inches thick from a man’s shoulder. Out here, nothing was predictable.
“You’re right—they do,” Reed said. “We are as careful as we can be.” His fingers trailed up and down her arm, making her shiver. He misread the goose bumps for cold and pulled her cl
oser. “Out there, our main priority is the safety of the search team, then it’s the safety of the person we are trying to find. That’s why we go only as far as we do. We could potentially search forever in some cases.” His voice sounded strained at the reality of the situation.
“How often do things...not work out?”
“They do more often than not. We have a good success rate...not as good as we’d like,” he said. His fingers stopped trailing. She’d obviously touched a nerve.
“Sorry, that’s probably not something you want to think about or talk about.” She bit her lip as she stared at his chest.
“Not with Cassie out there right now, no,” he said tightly.
She forced a breath. She had to get better at this. Communication and sensitivity. She knew she struggled with both. “Again, I’m sorry. I’m not good at... I lack a certain sensitivity. I really don’t mean to offend.”
His body relaxed a little and he hugged her closer. “I know. It’s okay.” He cleared his throat. “Is that why you wouldn’t go see that injured skier when he asked for you at the hospital?”
“Yes.” And she’d thought about that decision and how it must have looked to the other doctors, to Reed, a few times since, before pushing it away. It was in the past. She couldn’t change it. But she wished she could stop feeling a slight pang of regret about it. Unlike the emergency room, where she had plenty of other patients and a hectic schedule to use as excuses for not following up or being available, here she’d had no excuse. Except her own awkwardness and reluctance to see patients as people once they didn’t need her help anymore.
“I take it you prefer to distance yourself from patients?” No judgment in his voice, just a genuine curiosity.
She nodded. Inadvertently, she distanced herself from everyone. Her mother was the compassion and source of comfort in her home...after she died, Erika’s father retreated and she was left to either toughen up or be lost in sadness. “I need to in order to do my job effectively. If I’m emotionally invested in a patient, the surgery has an added element of pressure. If I don’t know anything about them, I can operate the same on everyone, without placing values on life.”
He nodded. “I understand. I think. But then every patient is just another medical file?”
Her spine stiffened. “It sounds cold when you put it that way...but I can’t say it isn’t true.” Cold as it was, she couldn’t deny that each patient became a series of numbers and tests. Their probability of survival was the only way she knew to determine the outcome of the procedure. It didn’t matter if one person had three kids and a mortgage to pay or if they were a single, middle-aged billionaire. Everyone got her best—in the operating room, at least. And that’s really what they needed from her. Friends and family could provide comfort and support. They couldn’t save them. That was her job.
When Reed was silent, she leaned on an elbow to look at him, expecting to see him look at her differently now. It would be hard for him to understand. He was full of compassion and empathy and she doubted he could as effectively remove emotions from his chosen career.
The respect and admiration in his eyes was a source of relief. “Things are just different—stressful and fast-paced in a different way in the hospital setting.”
“I get it. I do. You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he said, touching her cheek.
Yet, she wanted to. Worse, she wanted to be different. She wanted to be that doctor who could get to know their patients and their families and not risk jeopardizing their skill in the operating room. She rested her head against his shoulder. “My dad used to be so amazing with his patients—when he worked here at Wild River Community Hospital...before Mom died. He was caring and sympathetic and everyone truly felt as though they were his only priority.” She’d felt like a priority back then, too.
“Like Dr. Smyth?”
She nodded, once again feeling a pang of regret for the relationship her father had let lapse. Though who was she to judge? She forced a breath. She was fixing that. She was here mending her broken friendship with Cassie.
Though not exactly at the moment. For the first time she wondered what her friend would think about this situation. She would probably be happy for them. Her friend didn’t possess a single jealous or mean-spirited gene. Cassie was the best.
“How did your mom die?” Reed asked, breaking into her thoughts. “I know it was kidney failure, but I’ve never known what the actual cause was.”
“She had polycystic kidney disease and her transplant failed. While the antirejection drugs didn’t help the body accept the new organ, they were powerful enough to destroy her immune system,” she said, the sting of it still as raw as the day she’d found out.
“That’s why you’re working on the new antirejection drug.” He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, letting it fall in a ringlet beside her face.
The gentleness in his touch, the sympathy in his voice made it so much easier to open up to him.
“Yes. We hope to create another drug that’s less damaging on the body with its side effects but just as effective in ensuring the success of the transplant organ.” It was too late to save her mom, but she hoped to help millions of others.
“Do you think it will work?”
His genuine interest warmed her, and her excitement about her research surfaced. For years they’d been examining the effects of different drugs, and she thought they might actually have one that would react with the body the way they wanted. She nodded. “Clinical trials start just before Christmas.”
His expression clouded slightly. “I’d forgotten for a second that you’re leaving again,” he said, pulling her back down toward him and kissing her.
So had she. Lying there in his arms was the only thing that mattered in that moment. Crazy as it sounded, nothing else seemed to exist when he was holding her. Both an amazing feeling and a terrifying one. The idea that she could let everything else fade away so completely was something she’d never expected.
The silence held too much meaning. Too many unsaid thoughts. So she shifted her body so that she was on top of him. “Well, I’m here now,” she said. Taking his hands, she pinned them over his head and leaned down to kiss him again. Hard. Then, pulling away slightly, she slid her tongue along his bottom lip. “What are you going to do with me?”
He grinned, freeing his hands with ease and gripping her waist. Flipping them over, he lay on top of her, forcing her legs apart as he wedged himself between them. “I’ve got a few ideas,” he mumbled against her mouth.
And for now, those ideas of his were the only things she couldn’t wait to explore.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“HELLO? I THINK the door’s locked.”
Erika’s heart pounded in her chest as she untangled her body from Reed’s. Sprinting from the cot, she collected her discarded clothing. She hadn’t meant to spend the night, and they’d just fallen asleep less than two hours ago.
Reed was only seconds behind her. “Shit. Morning crew.”
“Do they have a key?” she asked, frantically trying to free her yoga pants from the inside-out ski pants. Her underwear and backward sweater, which she’d put on in the middle of the night when they’d finally taken a break from sex to eat the cold pizza, wasn’t the outfit she wanted to get busted in by other members of the search and rescue team.
Reed glanced at the schedule on the wall. “It’s Harrison. He’s new, so no.” He yanked his T-shirt on and pulled on his jeans, and Erika was sad to see his sexy body disappear. The body she’d had the pleasure of exploring three times the night before. She still couldn’t believe her physical reaction to Reed. She couldn’t get enough of him. She gazed longingly at his crotch as he zipped his zipper but another loud knock had her shoving her legs into the ski pants, tangled yoga pants bulging up around her thighs.
Screw it. She’d fix it later. She fou
nd her coat, but Reed grabbed her before she could put it on. One hand cupped her breast through her sweater as he drew her into his body. “I had a great night,” he said.
So close to him, she nodded, trying not to breathe. Morning breath was not sexy and in the light of day, this was all slightly awkward...though not regrettable in the least.
He kissed her and she kept her lips shut tight. She hadn’t brushed her teeth since the morning before.
Pulling back, he grinned. “You’re beautiful—messy hair and morning breath and all.”
She smiled, knowing exactly how he felt. His messy hair and sleepy-looking expression was actually the sexiest look of all. She wanted to rip his clothes off and push him back onto the cot. Go another three rounds by lunch.
But then a knock on the door had her retreating from his arms and pulling on the ski coat. “How do we explain this?” she whispered as she ran a hand through her tangled hair. Windblown from skiing, then tangled even more against the bedsheets all night, she may never get a brush through it again.
She didn’t care. It was all so worth it.
Reed shrugged as he went to open the door. “Pretty sure no one will believe any story we can come up with anyway...”
She held her breath as the door opened and a young guy walked in. “Did I wake you?” he asked Reed, then noticing her, he grinned. “Ah... Hello. Erika, right?”
How the hell did he know?
“Tyler mentioned you,” the guy said, tucking his long, wavy hair behind an ear and extending a hand to her. “I’m Harrison.”
She shook his hand quickly, ignoring Reed’s annoyed expression at the mention of Tyler. She hoped she wasn’t interfering with the two men’s working friendship. It should be clear to him now, after the night before, that he was the one she wanted. “Hi...nice to meet you.”
She grabbed her boots and slid them on the wrong feet for an uncomfortable walk of shame back to Cassie’s. “Well, see you...” she said to Reed.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, and she was relieved that the other guy had gone straight to the leftover pizza and didn’t give them a second glance as they headed outside.
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