by Faye Avalon
She closed her eyes again, willed herself to let go, to find a way to focus on the fact this was Tynan. But it was impossible. Even making love with the one she’d wanted from the moment her teenage hormones kicked in, and she’d seen him for the strapping male he was, didn’t take away the piercing discomfort each time he shoved himself inside her.
Despite clamping her teeth down on her lower lip to stop from squealing, she must have made a sound, because he stopped moving and drew back, giving her precious moments of blessed relief from the rasping soreness inside her. The look in his eyes scared her. He was going to stop. As difficult as it was, she didn’t want him to do that, because if he did and withdrew completely, she knew he would lose interest in her. She would revert to the friend, the companion, she’d been to him for so long. He would never again see her as a woman, want her as a woman.
She couldn’t bear that.
“I’m okay,” she said, trembling a smile. “It hurt, but it’s fine now.”
His dark eyes narrowed as if he didn’t believe her. She managed another wobbly smile and slid her hands down to his backside, squeezing to coax him to continue. She kept the smile on her face, arched her breasts to him.
He took a deep breath and pressed forward again. She knew that women made noises, sounds that made the man think she was really enjoying it. So Naomi copied what she’d learned from the movies, books, her friends. She said his name, over and over, as much to help take her mind off the returning discomfort as to convince him of her pleasure.
Tynan threw his head back, and she felt him come inside her.
All she could think was that it would now be over. Thank God.
Tynan slumped against her, and she closed her eyes against the sting of tears. She felt the hitch in her throat, in her heart. He lay there, still deep inside her, and she wanted to get away. Get away before she embarrassed herself and turned into a sniveling wreck.
The sob that escaped had Tynan jerking up onto his elbows. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, unable to halt the flow of tears now and the dreadful hitching of her breath. No way could she speak or look at him.
She pushed at his chest, and he withdrew, all the time saying her name, coaxing her to look at him. “I want to go,” she sobbed, shoving harder. “Please. Get off me. I want to go.”
He eased back, and she made her escape, scrambling out from beneath him and struggling to stand. Frantically, she searched for her clothes, her humiliation complete when Tynan held out her panties and bra.
“You’re hurt.”
She shook her head and grabbed for her underwear, but he held it out of reach.
“Naomi, we should talk about this.”
In desperation, she reached out, her face wet with tears and the sobs making her throat ache. Tynan caught her hand. Although she put all her strength into shaking him off, he wouldn’t budge.
Her humiliation turned to anger. “What do you want me to say?”
He shrugged in that way he had. “I don’t know. But you’re obviously upset, and we need to talk so that—”
“So that what?” She raised her gaze to his. There was puzzlement in his eyes, but beneath it she saw the starkness, the…disappointment. He was wondering what on earth had possessed him to get himself tied up with a virgin—an idiot one at that. A crybaby female who whimpered like a child while experiencing her first venture into womanhood.
“Oh, you don’t have to say anything, Tynan. Believe me, there’s nothing to say.” She made a grab for her underwear again, and this time he released it.
The sobs returned while she struggled to dress. Tynan tried to reach for her again, but she stepped back out of his reach.
“Please, Naomi. Don’t cry. Like I said, it can be difficult the first time for females.”
Of all the things she didn’t need then, his placating words were right there at the top of the list. She’d known it could be painful when a man took her virginity; she wasn’t an idiot. What she couldn’t handle was her own reaction and the fact he’d no longer want her in that way. That nothing would ever be the same between them.
The ping of the microwave snapped Naomi’s attention back to the present. It took her several moments to recognize her surroundings, and that the slight ache between her legs was down to her session with Nathan and not that night on the moor with Tynan.
She shivered at the thought that Nathan had actually suggested inviting Tynan to join them in a threesome. It was unthinkable. And if Nathan actually asked him, Tynan would probably fall over himself trying to wiggle out of it. No way would he want a repeat performance. Considering all the women he’d screwed over the intervening years, he wasn’t about to waste his time with a blast from his past that had gone to pot.
He’d said as much. Couldn’t have been clearer.
A man who wanted a woman didn’t tell her that the first time they’d been together had been a mistake. Perhaps he thought that only a man like Nathan would be interested in having sex with someone like her. Nathan fucks anything in a skirt.
There was no way she was putting herself in a position where Tynan could reject her. The only reason he’d kissed her was to prove a point, and knowing the friendly camaraderie he shared with Nathan, there was likely some healthy competition going on in Tynan’s head.
Look at how much better a kisser I am than Nathan.
If that was the case, and even if it wasn’t, she wouldn’t allow him near her again. No bloody way. There was too much history between them already, and she wasn’t about to make any more. She’d thought she’d learned to deal with the past, but being in close proximity to Tynan again had stirred up things. Feelings…memories…heartache. She wasn’t sliding back to that time and dealing with the heartbreak of it all over again.
Resigned, she slid the pizza onto a plate, refilled her wine and took another beer from the refrigerator. She padded back to Nathan’s bedroom, and found him stretched out on the bed, head pillowed on his folded arms, eyes closed. Determined to focus her mind on pizza, wine and likely another bout or two of hot, mind-numbing sex, she put the food and their drinks down on the side table.
Nathan cracked open his eyes. “A woman who brings a man food and beer after sex is a joy to behold.”
“Sustenance,” Naomi said, climbing in beside him. “The night is young.”
She moaned when Nathan’s searching hand slid between her legs, his touch firing her up and helping draw her mind away from her earlier thoughts.
“A woman who understands the need for pre-screw sustenance is also a joyous thing,” Nathan drawled, pulling her on top of him. He reached into the drawer beside the bed and made short work of sheathing himself, after which he set about working her up into a state of near frenzy.
Nathan was a master at sex, Naomi thought dazedly, lowering herself onto him. So why couldn’t she turn off her mind, her emotions, and simply go with the incredible flow Nathan promised?
Try as she might, she simply couldn’t let go. And as one man filled her body…another filled her head.
Chapter Five
“What’s he doing here?”
From her vantage point at reception, Naomi peeked through the door to the hospital’s admin office. June, one of the receptionists, was placing some patient folders in front of Naomi and now followed her gaze. “Tynan Galloway? He’s investigating a glitch on our system. I reported it first thing.”
Remembering her conversation with Tynan yesterday about checking out security at Seth’s hotel, the one where she’d picked up the two men—and hell, was she ever trying to forget that—Naomi couldn’t help but wonder about the coincidence. Another glitch on another system? While, like the medical center, the general hospital always called on Tynan when things went wrong, he usually sent one of his employees for routine checks.
“Has he said what’s causing it?”
June shook her head. “He’s only been here about twenty minutes. I made him coffee, and he got straight on it. Was asking about you.”
Naomi tried for nonchalance. “In what way?”
“Just wondered if you’d arrived yet.”
Thankfully, June continued to shuffle folders, unaware that Naomi frowned. Most days she was at the surgery and didn’t stick to a routine where her hospital visits were concerned, so how did Tynan know she was expected at the hospital this morning?
“I told him you were due in at any moment,” June continued, “but that you had a house call to make first thing.”
“Yes. Mr. Lox,” Naomi said, trying to pull her attention away from the admin office. “He needs some new dressings on prescription.”
She moved around the reception desk to get a clearer view of Tynan working on one of the computers, Why in the name of all that was holy did he have to look so bloody drop-dead gorgeous? Hunched over the keyboard, tapping away, focused and intense. A slight groove between his dark eyebrows, and those long eyelashes framing his eyes. He’d rolled the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows, allowing her a good look at the muscles of his forearms. At this angle, she marveled at the width of his shoulders, the thickness of his neck. Damn. It was insane to belabor his good points. She just needed to focus on keeping him the hell away.
It seemed her eyes had yet to receive that particular message, because she couldn’t tear her attention from him. He looked up, no doubt sensing her watching him, which was something Naomi should have been prepared for. She jerked back, a brilliant move. Not only had he caught her copping an eyeful, but he’d witnessed her woeful attempt to hide the fact. Now he could add infantile behavior to his, no doubt, rapidly increasing list of reasons to be grateful it hadn’t worked out between them ten years ago.
The phone buzzed, and while June hurried across to answer it, she waved to the small office opposite the admin area that visiting doctors used. “I’ve put up fresh coffee, which should be ready in a few minutes. I’ll bring you one.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” Naomi reached for her pile of folders and headed into the tiny room. With luck, she could visit her currently hospitalized patients, write up her notes and head back to the surgery in time for a quick sandwich before afternoon appointments.
“Morning.”
She jerked, spinning around and bobbling the folders in the process.
Tynan leaned against the doorframe, looking for all the world like he was spoiling for a fight.
“Hi.” Once more, she tried for nonchalance. “Didn’t see you there.”
His expression said yeah, right. Naomi ignored it and stepped in front of the doorway like a guardian of the gate. There was no way he was coming inside. The room was small enough as it was, and she didn’t need Tynan’s overwhelming presence filling it even more.
“Heard there was a problem.” Naomi held the folders to her chest like a shield. “Have you found it?”
“Not yet.” Along his hard jaw, a muscle jumped. “I need a minute of your time.”
At the discreet cough, Tynan moved to the side. June bustled past him and popped a mug of coffee on the desk. “Would you like another coffee, Tynan? I made fresh.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
June flashed him a smile, all but fluttering her eyelashes. She was an attractive woman, but seeing she was a couple of years off retirement and very happily married, Naomi didn’t see her making a play for Tynan. Which, of course, didn’t concern her in the least. What did she care?
With another smile, June made her way happily back to reception.
“What did you want?” Naomi asked, still holding her ground and keeping him on the threshold. “I’ve got to start seeing patients shortly.”
“Like I said. A minute.” Without being asked, and with his eyes on hers, he placed his hands on her shoulders and eased her away from the door. “You’ve got a few to spare, seeing as you weren’t expected until ten and it’s now only nine forty-five.”
“I’d be obliged if you wouldn’t pester the staff for information about me.” Naomi deliberately kept the door open, hoping to heaven he didn’t start spouting on about men in bars and threesomes. “I think we’ve already established that my business is none of yours.”
“Making it mine.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And since I have, I figured you’d like to know what we found out since last night.”
Since last night? Nathan hadn’t said anything earlier that morning when she’d left him. “I saw Nathan…earlier, and he didn’t mention it.”
That muscle worked again. “No point hedging. I know you spent the night with him.”
From the tone of his voice, there was no mistaking his disapproval, but damned if she’d let him start sticking his nose in her relationship with Nathan on top of everything else. Not that there was a relationship, exactly, but still.
Naomi swung past him to close the door on prying ears, but kept her voice low regardless. “How did you know I stayed the night?”
“Came by your place again. You were gone.”
She folded her arms. “Which doesn’t answer my question.”
He shrugged, but narrowed his eyes. “When I couldn’t find you, I went over to Nathan’s place. If you’re going to drive a lime-green junk heap, you shouldn’t be surprised that people know your whereabouts.”
She made a point of checking her watch. It was mortifying to know she’d been caught in the act, so to speak. Even more discomforting to know that Tynan had been right outside while she’d had sex with Nathan.
Heat drove into her face, and the room became even more claustrophobic. His close proximity rattled her. He seemed to take up all the available air, setting off a feeling in her stomach that wound its way all too easily between her legs.
He glanced down to her wrist. “We need to pick this up later. Come by my place, at seven.”
Absolutely not. If she kept looking at his mouth and remembering it on hers, she most definitely wasn’t going to tempt fate by going to his house.
“Why don’t you just say what you wanted to say?”
“Not here.” Tynan tapped her watch. “My house. Seven.”
“I’m on call tonight.”
“You can be on call as easily from my place as yours.”
She made to respond, but he was already opening the door. June faced them with an apologetic look. “Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Lox’s neighbor is on the line. She just found him on the floor in his kitchen. He’s had a bad fall.”
Naomi’s heart gave a little flip. The poor old chap was trying so hard to keep his independence and not be a nuisance to anyone. He’d be mortified at the perceived fuss he thought he’d be making. “I’ll go right over. Get an ambulance there, would you? I want him checked out here.”
She intended for Mr. Lox to have a couple of nights in hospital to be examined thoroughly.
“Right on it.” June turned, smiled at Tynan, and Naomi could have sworn the woman fluttered her lashes again. “I’ve put a fresh cup of coffee on your desk.”
Tynan winked. “You’re a treasure.”
When the flush crept across June’s cheeks, Naomi wanted to roll her eyes. Tynan had been charming women of all ages since he was in short pants.
June hurried off and Tynan faced her. “Hope your patient’s okay. Want me to run you over?”
“No, thanks. Me and my lime-green junk heap will be fine. But before you go, answer me one thing.”
He raised those thick, dark eyebrows.
“How did you know I was due at the hospital this morning?”
His mouth turned up at one corner, before he turned and walked through the door. “Seven,” he called over his shoulder. Then he was gone.
Staring at the place he’d vacated, Naomi let out a breath and tried to still her erratic heart
beat. Caught between annoyance and sensual assault, she rubbed her arms. She should be furious with him for continually interfering in her business, and she was, but more than that she was letting him get under her skin.
Yes, Tynan Galloway could charm the birds from the proverbial trees when he set his mind to it, but she was working hard to make herself totally immune to that side of him. It seemed she needed to try harder.
Grabbing her bag, she walked out to the parking lot. She didn’t know what Tynan wanted to talk to her about, but it obviously involved those two men at the hotel. Whatever. She’d soon find out. At seven. At Tynan’s place.
Shit.
* * * * *
He wasn’t sure why he was tidying and fussing like a damn girl. He’d had women at his house before and hadn’t given much thought to the state of the place. Not that he lived in a hovel, but he was the first to admit housekeeping wasn’t his strong suit. Since he was currently renovating the upper part of the house, the cleaner he had come in twice a week had her work cut out just keeping the dust down to a minimum.
He looked around the house and did a quick calculation of how long he’d lived here. Thirty-two years. All his life. He’d inherited it from his parents, had spent a happy childhood here. Since their deaths he had been slowly refurbishing the place, but he couldn’t shake the sneaky feeling that one day he’d maybe check out some land, build his own home as Nathan had done. Except not as remote. Unlike Nathan, he wasn’t a great lover of solitude. But it would be good to build his own place, raise his family there.
Since he was only a short drive from Naomi’s place, he wasn’t surprised when, at bang on seven, the doorbell rang. Glancing at the entry screen, he saw her waiting on the porch. She wore a long coat, a scarf looped around her neck, her dark hair pinned up. He loved her hair hanging down past her shoulders, the way it had been when he’d rescued her from the hotel, but he imagined scraping it up like that worked better for when she treated patients. It wasn’t entirely a bad deal, because it made him want to sample the delicate flesh of her neck, the long slender column of her throat.
