Sexy Summer Flings

by Codi Gary

At least, that’s what she’d thought.

  As her tongue ran over the muscles of his stomach and she stood up straight, he dipped his head before she could stop him. His lips covered hers and she felt the sour burst of lime as he slipped the fruit wedge between her lips.

  A circle of people around them cheered, and Penny pulled away from Trent to take the lime out of her mouth.

  “Admit it, you’re having fun,” he said.

  “Just a little.” The room weaved and she leaned on Trent.

  “You wound me, kitten.”

  “Why do you call me kitten?”

  “’Cause you look all cute and cuddly, but you have some pretty sharp claws.”

  “Are you saying I’m mean?”

  “Yes, but lucky for you, I dig that!”

  If Penny had been in her right mind, she might have taken offense, but instead, she giggled.

  “Want another shot?” he asked.

  “No! I can’t do any more.”

  “Okay, okay. I have to say, I like drunk you. You get really giggly and adventurous.”

  “I’m not adventurous.”

  Trent raised one dark eyebrow at her. Or was it two? Her vision was starting to blur a bit. “That’s not what I hear. I hear you and your brothers used to get in all kinds of trouble.”

  “That was more them than me. I always came along to make sure they didn’t get arrested.”

  “Such a good big sister,” he teased.

  “I am. I am the best big sister.”

  God, she was slurring her words.

  Suddenly, the lead singer of the band came over the loudspeaker. “Alright, ladies, now is your chance to win a free round of drinks! We need all the sexy ladies on the bar right now.”

  Trent grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd. “Come on, you’re doing this.”

  “I am not dancing on the bar!”

  “She wants to do it!” Trent yelled to the bartender, who waved her up.

  “Trent, I am going to kill you—”

  His kiss cut off her protest, making her heart stop and every protest fly out of her mind. “Be adventurous.”

  She was so dazed by the kiss she didn’t even protest as he lifted her up by her waist. She could imagine how graceful she looked climbing to her feet, and glancing nervously at the other women dancing beside her.

  Her wide eyes met Trent’s and he smiled encouragingly, mouthing, “I dare you.”

  Those words were her trigger. How many times had her brothers said the same thing to her?

  Soon she was swaying her hips and dropping low, laughing as everyone in the room cheered them on. The girl next to her left grabbed her and started grinding on her from behind. The men were hollering. Penny called them all pervs but no one could hear her over the roar of the crowd.

  When the song was almost over, the girl released Penny and twirled in a circle. Penny tried to do the same, but she lost her balance. The sensation of falling registered right before she felt a painful crack against her temple.

  Chapter 9

  Hunter came out of the on-call room with a yawn, shaking the last of the sleep from his brain. He’d only slept about a half an hour, but it felt like it’d been eight hours. He was alert, refreshed, and ready for the night ahead of him. Fridays were almost always full of interesting cases.

  He walked into the pit as a gurney came in. Trent was running next to it in casual clothes as a paramedic called out, “Twenty-six-year-old female, unconscious, fell off a bar, and hit her head. Vitals are stable.”

  As Hunter took the chart he realized it was Penny on the gurney, a large purple knot forming just above her temple.

  His gaze snapped up to meet Trent’s and he read the apology in the other man’s eyes.

  “It was an accident. She was dancing and lost her balance. I dared her—”

  Hunter didn’t want to hear it, nor could he over the blood pounding in his ears. “Let’s get her into bay two and examine her.”

  Winter came over to help him push the gurney into the curtained room, and he closed it on Trent’s puppy-dog face. Hunter couldn’t be around the idiot, not when all he wanted was to pummel him to a bloody pulp.

  “Let’s get her set up with fluids, monitoring, and order an MRI.” Hunter could smell tequila as he bent over her to examine the bump and shook his head. Trent had taken her out, gotten her drunk, and let her get hurt.

  Hunter realized his hands were shaking as he listened to her heart rate. He no longer wanted to beat Trent; he wanted to kill him.

  Once he finished her exam, he said, “Get her scanned and take her to a private room. Test her blood alcohol level and if she needs it, give her a banana bag.”

  “Yes, Dr. Gracin.”

  He opened the drape and came face-to-face with Trent. Winter wheeled Penny past them toward the elevator, and Trent stepped toward them.

  “You might as well go home. Nurse Matthews is taking Penny up for an MRI.”

  Trent glowered at him. “I’m not going anywhere until I know Penny is okay.”

  Hunter shoved him. He couldn’t help it. “Seriously, man? Now you care? You got her drunk so you could take advantage of her, and she got hurt—”

  Trent pushed him back, yelling, “I took her out dancing. We were having fun. And I would never hurt or take advantage of Penny.”

  If he was thinking straight, he’d have known it was a bad idea to grab Trent by the front of his shirt and pull him in so he could growl, “You go anywhere near her again and I’ll—”

  “Dr. Gracin!”

  Hunter spun around to find the hospital director, Allison Fairchild, standing behind him.

  “My office. Now.”

  It hadn’t taken Trent long to sweet-talk one of the nurses to let him into Penny’s room. As he sat down next to her and took her hand, she groggily opened her eyes.

  “What happened?”

  “You fell off the bar and hit your head. I brought you to the hospital to get checked out.”

  “My head? Is that why it feels like elves are tap dancing on my brain?”

  He chuckled, relieved that she could joke. Before he knew what he was doing, he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “You scared me, kitten.”

  “Sorry. Won’t happen again.”

  “Yeah, I’m thinking maybe we should exclude alcohol from our next date.”

  “Probably best,” she said, sleepily.

  He squeezed her hand. “Just rest up. I’ll be here watching over you.”

  “Hunter…”

  Trent’s jaw clenched as she said his name so softly. Was she asking for him? Or did she think Trent was Hunter?

  Either way, he didn’t like it and wasn’t quite sure why it bothered him so much. The dude was a sanctimonious jackass, but he’d met the type before.

  Maybe I like Penny.

  The thought was like a sucker punch to the gut. He’d liked women, and even had a few serious girlfriends, but the reason he avoided relationships was so he wouldn’t get tied down too young. He was only twenty-eight. The last thing he wanted was to fall in love and get married before he was thirty, like so many of his friends had. And half of those love matches had ended in disaster.

  She moaned softly and gripped his hand. Her eyes scrunched up as though she were in pain and it killed him that it was his fault.

  Leaning over, he whispered, “Shh, I’m here. I won’t leave you.”

  Several hours later, Hunter practically ran down the hall toward Penny’s room. Between Allie’s reprimand about professionalism, and the emergency surgery he’d gotten sucked into, he hadn’t had a chance to be with her since he’d examined her. Winter had assured him that Penny was fine, but Hunter wanted to see her for himself.

  He opened the door with a heave and the sight before him made his heart squeeze painfully.

  Penny was sitting up in bed, smiling at Trent. He was holding her hand.

  She was turned toward him, her face lighting up, the way it usually did wh
en she saw Hunter.

  It was in that moment that Hunter realized that he’d taken it for granted that Penny would always save that look just for him.

  And it was a devastating blow.

  Suddenly, she realized he was standing in her doorway. “Hunter,” she said. “Hi.”

  He cleared his throat as he approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m pretty tired, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. Winter gave me something for the pain.”

  “If you’re tired, you should be resting.” Hunter finally looked at Trent, wishing he could choke the bastard for disturbing her.

  “I would actually like to go home and sleep in my own bed.”

  Hunter shot her a dark look. “You’re not going anywhere until I’m sure you’re okay.”

  “But Winter said—”

  “Nurse Matthews is not your doctor. I am.” Hunter pulled his stethoscope off his neck. “I’m going to check your vitals.”

  Trent stood up and said, “I’m going to go get a coffee. Can I get you something, kitten?”

  Kitten? The son of a bitch had a stupid pet name for her?

  “I’m okay, thanks.”

  Once Trent was out of the room, Hunter listened to her heart. When he heard her say something, muffled from the earpieces, he pulled them out. “What?”

  “You didn’t have to be so rude to him. He’s a decent guy.”

  Hunter scoffed. “A decent guy would not have gotten you so drunk that you couldn’t even walk.”

  Penny’s blue eyes flashed with outrage. “I could walk! I was dancing and lost my balance.”

  “On a bar. I heard.” His voice was deeply bitter and jealous. He hated it.

  She reached out and shoved him in the shoulder. “Why are you acting like a judgmental prick? Weren’t you the one who said I was an immature partier? Why are you so surprised?”

  Hunter put his stethoscope back around his neck with a jerk, glaring into her blazing blue gaze. “Do you know what it was like to watch paramedics wheel you into the hospital, out cold? How terrified I was?”

  Her eyes widened. “You were worried about me?”

  “Are you kidding? I wanted to beat that punk into the ground for putting you in danger. I spent forty-five minutes in Allie’s office, listening to a lecture on starting fights inside the hospital.”

  “You started a fight with Trent? Over me?”

  “No, I almost started a fight because he didn’t take care of you the way he should have.” His hands cupped her cheeks and he was too far gone to think about what he was saying anymore. “I would never put you in danger. All I want to do is keep you safe.”

  “Oh—”

  But he didn’t let her say anything. All he wanted was to feel her against him, her lips, her body. To touch every piece of her and learn it, as though she really did belong to him.

  Maybe he’d lost his mind, but keeping Penelope Davis at arm’s length was the last thing he was going to do.

  Chapter 10

  Penny sank into Hunter’s kiss, her body on fire with need. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. She’d dreamed of this moment a million times, but had never imagined the heat, the feel of his warm hands sliding from her cheeks to her neck. She moaned as he kept them moving along the side of her breasts until his arms circled her waist and she was crushed against his chest.

  He tasted like warm cinnamon as his tongue tangled with hers, making her body quake with desire. Her hands slid up under his scrubs and over the muscles of his back. She wished she could get closer to the heat of him. To the strength that she’d been craving.

  “God, Penny…” he murmured against her mouth and she wanted to yell with joy. He’d called her name in passion; he was hers.

  The door opened, and a cheerful voice called, “How are you feeling, Pen—Oh!”

  Hunter jerked away from her, and turned. Penny wanted to strangle Winter Matthews for interrupting them.

  “Is everything alright in here?” Winter was giving Penny a concerned look, as if she thought Hunter was violating her.

  “We’re fine,” Penny ground out.

  “Yes, erhm, Penny seems to be doing much better, so I think we can get those discharge papers ready.”

  Hunter stood up from the bed and Penny’s eyes widened the closer he got to the exit. He was actually going to leave. He had the nerve to just desert her after that epic kiss.

  “Hunter Gracin, if you walk out that door, I will poison your next glass of whiskey!”

  He shut the door with a click behind him and Penny slumped back on the bed.

  Well, that didn’t work.

  “I guess I should go get your discharge papers then,” Winter said awkwardly.

  Penny wasn’t quite ready to forgive her for interrupting whatever the hell that was. “Why not,” she said in a flat voice.

  As Winter left the room, Penny ran her fingers over her lips, trying hard not to smile. Despite his cowardly exit, Hunter had kissed her. He had made the move, and all because he’d been concerned about her. He’d realized he could lose her.

  “You really don’t have to carry me inside my house, you know.”

  Trent smiled down at Penny, who was nestled in his arms. He walked through her front door. “I figured I owed you after nearly getting you killed.”

  “Oh please, if I hadn’t wanted to dance on that bar, no force in the ’verse could stop me from getting down.”

  “The ’verse, huh?”

  “Firefly. Epic television show. You should watch it.”

  “I’ll put it in my Netflix queue.” Trent stopped in the living room, looking around at the homey, worn furniture and pictures covering the walls. “Where to?”

  “My bedroom is the last door at the end of the hall, but I can walk. I swear.”

  Trent ignored her, enjoying the warmth of her body against his chest. Once he laid her on the bed, he checked out the trophies on the dresser and read them aloud. “Spelling Bee Champion, third grade. Nice.” He came over to sit next to her on the bed. “Have I ever told you I dig smart girls?”

  “No, but I’m sure you’ve told some girl that.”

  Trent winced. “Okay, I guess I deserved that.”

  She must have realized it bothered him because she grabbed his hand. “Hey, I was kidding. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. You’re right. I’ve been a bit of a man whore.”

  “I didn’t call you that.”

  “I know, I called myself one.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Can I get you anything before I leave?”

  She shook her head slowly, her blue eyes watching him too keenly. He didn’t want her to see too much, not until he’d sorted through his feelings himself.

  “Rest up, kitten. Call me if you need anything.”

  She squeezed his hand with a small smile. “Thanks for taking care of me, Trent.”

  “Anytime.”

  He stood up and left the little house, locking the front door behind him. He knew that something had happened after he’d left Hunter and Penny alone. Regardless of whatever it was, Hunter hadn’t come back to see Penny home and Penny hadn’t told Trent to go to hell. Instead, she’d sat in the front of his Explorer pensively, as if she was trying to sort out a puzzle.

  And for the first time in a while, Trent had found himself jealous.

  He’d taken Penny out, thinking she was like every other girl he’d ever been with. But it was the way he reacted to her that made her different.

  He liked her. But he wasn’t sure where she stood with Gracin.

  Shit, he was so screwed.

  Chapter 11

  That night, Hunter stood outside the entrance of the Grizzly, debating whether he should go inside. He’d called Penny to check on her, but she hadn’t answered. He figured she was probably royally pissed and he didn’t blame her. He was an idiot.

  Why the heck had he kissed her? And then run out the door like a coward?

  The only rational reason
he’d come up with was that he needed time to sort through what was going on with him. The kiss had been as big of a surprise for him as it was for her.

  He needed to talk to her. To clear the air between them. Maybe he could take her to dinner…

  Shit. So this was it. He was actually going to ask Penny out.

  With a sense of purpose, he walked inside.

  And the first thing he saw was Trent leaning over the bar, talking to a smiling Penny.

  Hunter’s jaw clenched so hard he thought his teeth would shatter. He strode over to the bar, and got both of their attentions when he sat down one stool over.

  “Penny, I’d like to speak to you on your break,” Hunter said.

  Penny’s blue eyes went as big as saucers, and Trent seemed to bristle. “Sorry, Doc, but she already took it with me.”

  Hunter glanced his way briefly, talking himself down from laying the cocky son of a bitch out. “She’ll get another. Or I’ll drive her home. Again.”

  It was an intentional dig, and he felt satisfied when Trent’s face flushed. “Like hell you will.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You don’t get to walk in here and act like you own her. If you wanted her, you should have done something about it. Like I did. I’m not backing down for you or anyone else.”

  The bar went dead silent. Even the song coming from the jukebox ended. Hunter stood up and said, “She’s a woman, not a prize. I don’t own her. I care about her. You know, for more than just sex.”

  Trent threw the first punch, knocking Hunter back over his stool. He heard Penny yell, but couldn’t make out what she said. Once he got back on his feet, it was on, and he launched himself at Trent, tackling the bigger man to the floor.

  “Damn it, knock it off!”

  Hunter heard her this time, but he was too far gone to stop. Sitting on Trent’s chest, he hit him square in the nose, and felt the satisfying crack of bone under his knuckle right before the blood gushed down his opponent’s face.

  “I said, stop it! Hunter!” Penny shoved him in the shoulder with her bat and it was all Trent needed to knock him off him. When both of them stood, Trent took a step in but Penny was there, her bat up and her expression furious.