by Lexy Timms
The fire’s flames made wavy shadows across his face and chest. “Why did you leave?”
‘Cause your mom told me to get the heck out of Dodge. She rolled onto her back and pulled the soft blanket under her armpits, covering her breasts, embarrassed they didn’t have the decency to hide their desire for him. Here we go. She stared at the ceiling, too embarrassed to look into his eyes. “It... It felt… I… I just thought I shouldn’t be there. I didn’t want to cause any problems.”
Elijah sat up, confusion written across his face. “You weren’t the cause of any problems. You just left. Why didn’t you come and talk to me?” He leaned over so she had to look him in the eye. “You didn’t even say goodbye. Or call or text me when you knew I was back.”
Neither did you. She knew going further with this conversation wouldn’t end well. She lifted her head to press her lips against his, her eyes closing in anticipation. In between kisses she whispered, “It’s not important now.” She let her head fall back slowly and opened her eyes when cool air brushed by her wet lips instead of Elijah’s sultry ones.
Elijah stayed in his position. “It is important. To me. Why’d you run away?”
Chapter 3
Charity stiffened. “I didn’t run.”
He snorted, so quietly Charity almost missed it. “You left. For no reason. You did a runner.”
“I did not! How would you like being the stranger amongst friends and family at a tragic point in their life? It’s not easy.”
“I do it almost every day.” His eyebrows pressed together as his forehead wrinkled slightly. It was a very sexy look and he probably had no idea. “I step into a patient’s room and have to tell them terrible news. Their sixteen-year-old son has leukemia. Or tell another family they lost their sister. I get what it felt like. I’m the stranger who tells families disappointing news. I can’t run away from it.”
“You’re a doctor.” His simple matter-of-fact comparison frustrated her. “I wanted to offer you support and whatever else, but I didn’t know what to do.” Your mother could scare a ferocious lion.
“Was it because of the birds? Were you frightened they weren’t going to work out? They—”
“I didn’t leave because of the freakin’ birds!” Did I? Why did she sound so defensive? Or was it anger, like she was trying to blame him? The birds were her stupid idea. How she ever thought releasing those funny-looking little things that couldn’t fly onto his mother’s billion-dollar property was a good idea. Like it would make his mother think Charity was worthy of her son/ She shook her head. Beyond dumb. And during his father’s funeral. Or had Charity’s intentions been pure and somehow she had twisted them?
Elijah sat up, his arms crossing his lean, muscular chest. Whatever moment they had just shared, evaporated. “They were a huge success, you know? Everyone loved the idea and the conservation people have kept in touch, too. They’ve spotted nests. Even my mother admitted that it had been a fantastic idea.” He stood, stepping into his boxer-briefs. “It’s something my father would have loved. He was all about the little guy.” Elijah walked over to the kitchen.
She heard the fridge door open. Elijah poured a glass of liquid. She couldn’t turn her head to look at him. It would be easier to pick her things up and leave.
A cool wetness touched her shoulder. Elijah offered her a glass filled with clear liquid.
“It’s water.” He drank from a glass in his other hand. “Seems I’ve built up quite a thirst. I’m guessing you did too?” He winked as he sat down beside her, and then tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”
She took the glass and shook her head, intentionally not answering him, but completely confused on how a guy’s brain worked. “You just said…” She waved her hand and took a gulp of the refreshingly cool water. “Never mind.”
He rested his hand on the curve of her hip, his thumb tracing back and forth over the blanket. “I don’t know why you left New Zealand and I’ll admit I was ticked.” He kissed and nibbled her ear. “But I believe you’re making up for it now.”
She laughed and swatted his shoulder playfully. “You’re such a guy!”
“And you’re such a woman.” He pointed at her and chuckled. “But you, you’re especially hard to figure out. Maybe that’s why I can’t get you off my mind.” He took a long drink and then watched her, his face hiding all of his thoughts. He finally spoke, his voice soft: “It doesn’t matter anymore why you left. It matters that you came back.” He set his glass down on the floor near the fireplace and stretched out beside her, pressing his body against hers. He kissed her bare shoulder. “I’m glad you did.”
“So am I.” There were a million things she wanted to say, but had no idea how.
“Want to go to bed?” He pretended to pout, letting his stubble rub lightly against the skin of her shoulder. “I’m feeling a bit hurt and think you have some more making up to do.”
She shook her head but couldn’t hold back a smile. Would their physical attraction ever be sated? She didn’t think so. Her hips rotated without conscious thought. “Where’s your room?”
His face lit and he scooped her up in his arms. “Right this way.” He carried her past the fireplace, down the hall toward the back of the house. He used his elbow to switch the light on.
Charity blinked, the lights were bright compared to the low firelight. It was a wonderfully large room with a king-size bed and matching dark-wood dresser set. Neutral beige paint covered the walls and the steel-grey bedding matched perfectly. The room reminded her of his parents’ place in New Zealand.
Elijah surveyed the room. “Bed made, check. No knicks on the floor, check. Beautiful naked woman in my arms, check.” He winked at her and moved toward the bed. “Dropping her on the mattress… priceless.” In one fluid motion he held on the blanket wrapped around Charity and unrolled her.
She hit the mattress and landed on her back. Oddly, she didn’t mind that she lay naked on his bed with the lights on to show every imperfection. She stretched and arched her back while Elijah watched, his mouth slightly open and his eyes burning. He strode around the bed to where her feet dangled at the edge. He bent down and lifted her leg gently by the ankle. “Delicious,” he murmured and kissed her ankle, moving up her calf.
His lips found their way to her thigh and left a blazing trail as his tongue darted in and out of his mouth.
Charity moaned. Inside her head, she begged him to bring his mouth toward her center. His fingers found their way and brushed against her wetness. They found a rhythm that her hips fought to keep up with. His tongue traced her Caduceus tattoo and a guttural need escaped his lips.
His mouth moved to her breast and trapped her nipple inside. As he sucked hard, his fingers increased the speed of their rhythm. When his lips imprisoned her other breast, she inhaled sharply and shut her eyes tight. Ripples of pent-up desire erupted from the power of his hands. As the spasms of pleasure spread, she cried out his name.
He answered her by kissing her mouth. There was no tenderness in it, only raw desire that needed to be sated. Charity felt his need. With rough hands, she pulled at his boxer-briefs. Their tongues still battling, he slid toward the edge of the bed to remove them all the way.
Charity did not resist when he flipped her onto her hands and knees. He kissed her back and pulled her hips close to where he stood. He mounted her in the most primitive of ways, his erection burying deep inside her wetness and sliding out and in again at an accelerated pace. She felt him lengthen and as he exploded inside of her, he collapsed against her. Both of their bodies were hot and wet with sweat.
Neither of them spoke. The only sounds were their panting. Eventually, their rapid heart rates slowed to normal rhythms.
Elijah rolled onto his back, taking Charity into his arms so her head cradled against his shoulder and chest. She snuggled close against him, her leg wrapping around his hips. He arched his neck and then dropped his head back against the sheets. “Merry Christmas,” he murmured.
&nb
sp; She sighed, unbelievably happy for the first time in a very, very long time. She hadn’t realized something inside her had been missing. She’d been content, but at this moment she didn’t think she’d ever felt this good. “Mmm’ry Christmas to you,’oo,” she slurred. She knew she sounded drunk but didn’t care. She could feel herself drifting off and didn’t have the strength to fight it.
She half-woke when Elijah shifted and moved her so her head rested on a pillow. They’d been lying sideways on the bed. He covered her with the duvet and then curved against her back to spoon her. “I have to go to work in a few hours…”
He whispered more into her ear, but sleep clouded her hearing. She reminded herself to ask him in the morning what he had said.
Chapter 4
After a night of passion, Charity didn’t want to wake up. She heard Elijah moving about his room: a drawer opening and closing; a closet door sliding; clothes rustling and the water running in the en suite bathroom. She rolled over and watched Elijah come out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his hips.
He reached for the clothes he had laid at the edge of the bed and smiled when he met her gaze. “Mornin’ sweetie.”
She smiled, wondering if her hair shot out in every direction. “What time is it?”
“Half past five. I have to be at the hospital at six.”
She sat up and tucked the duvet under her arms. Compared to last night, she was now shy. “I need five minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”
He crawled across the bed and kissed her nose. “Go back to sleep. I’ll take my car in. I usually catch the subway, but then I can meet you after work.”
She set her pillow so she could lean back against it and brought her knees up. “What time do you… finish?” She was distracted watching him dress. She could feel herself grow warm and hugged her legs to stop the sexual train of thought her brain and body were trying to head down.
“I’ve got a twelve-hour shift. Barring anything crazy happening, I should be done by seven at the latest.” He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. “I should have tried to switch my shift last night, but I was too distracted.” He winked at her.
“Nice excuse, except no one would have offered to take your shift on Christmas Day.”
He made a face. “True. Your dad and I did the same shifts last year and agreed to do them again this year. We’re both on tomorrow as well. What are you doing Friday?”
“I’m flying back to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. I have a meeting in the morning with the architect-owner of the hall where we are hosting my Dad’s gala. I booked my ticket for after that.”
“Want to call today and change it?”
She couldn’t. “I can’t.” She didn’t want to tell him why. Please don’t ask, please don’t ask–
“Why?”
“I’m meeting Malcolm – er, Dr. Parker, Friday evening.”
“On a date?” He jumped off the bed and ran fingers through his hair.
“No! It’s to go over stuff for the Valentine’s Gala with Forever Hope Hospital.”
“On a Friday night?”
She didn’t like the tone of voice he was using. “It’s the holidays. We went with whatever time worked.” You and I hadn’t been speaking at the time. How was I to know I’d be in your bed?
“Where are you meeting Malcolm?”
Seriously? She was not going to answer Elijah. He would never understand. Malcolm and she were going to meet at his place but it was completely platonic. The guy was still in love with his ex-wife. She slipped out of the bed and grabbed a shirt sitting on Elijah’s dresser. It was an Under Armour top, one of the tight-fitting shirts that barely managed to cover her bum. Her dress lay somewhere in his living room. She had no idea where.
“Where are you meeting him?” Elijah repeated.
She walked past him to the hall. “It doesn’t matter. It’s not important.”
He followed close behind her. “Why won’t you answer? You have a thing for doctors? Is that why you were so hush-hush about going to New Zealand with me? And then left so suddenly?”
Furious, she spun around and crashed into Elijah’s chest. He caught her, their faces inches apart. They glared at each other, both their chests heaving.
“Dammit!” he swore. He crushed his lips against hers and pulled her tight against him.
She tried to pull away, but barely made the effort. Her body responded and she was kissing him back before her brain realized what was happening. It took all her concentration to step back. She held him at arm’s length, both of them panting, but this time for an entirely different reason. “You have it all wrong.” She inhaled and exhaled slowly. “I get why it seems that way to you, but it isn’t. I’m not interested in Dr. Parker. At all.”
“Really?” He looked skeptical.
“I’m only interested in one doctor.”
He watched her face with intense eyes. He slowly grinned. “Me?”
She laughed. “You drive me crazy when I’m not around you, and you drive me crazy when I am. What are we going to do?”
“Figure it out as we go?” He rubbed his recently-shaved chin. “I’m sorta new at the relationship-thing and I really don’t want to mess this up before it starts.”
She nodded. They did seem to be driving down some roads of destruction without even trying. She wondered if things would be easier if she lived in New York. It didn’t matter. She had no intention of moving anywhere until her contract in Atlanta finished. “I think figuring it out as we go is a fantastic idea.”
He smiled and then frowned when his watch beeped. “Oh crap! I’ve gotta go. I’m late!” He kissed her, lingering a second longer than he should.
As he headed out the door she called out, “Tell my Dad I’m bringing you guys lunch!”
He popped his head back in. “I’ll text you the alarm code for the house. You okay to set it?”
“No problem.” She kissed her hand and blew it at him. She ran to the window and watched him back a black BMW out of the garage. She waved as he drove off and stood in the living room feeling domestic – for about twenty seconds. She folded her dress and took Elijah’s clothes to a hamper she had noticed in his bedroom. Beside the hamper was a laundry basket of clean clothes. She grabbed a pair of green hospital pants and took them with her to the bathroom to put on after she showered.
Forty minutes later Charity was showered, dressed and had a coffee at the house. She’d snuck a peek around the house but hadn’t opened any drawers or tried reading anything that wasn’t her business. She had just wanted to see a little of how he lived and what he liked. She set the code Elijah had texted her and double-checked to make sure the door was locked. She drove back to her hotel to change before heading back to her father’s place to get the leftovers planned for dinner and make a lunch.
The roads were quiet and a light snow started to fall, making everything fresh and white. Feeling festive, she dressed in a red sweater and black skirt. As she drove back to her father’s place she drove past the church she had attended as a child and where her mother’s funeral service had been held. She pulled into a driveway and turned the car around back to the church.
Inside, she slipped into a pew at the back. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she thought of her mother and how much she missed her. It had been six years but there were days she wished so hard her mom was still around. Just one more conversation, one more hug, one more chance to say goodbye. “I miss you, Mom,” she whispered.
When the service finished, Charity drove to her Dad’s place. The house seemed oddly quiet and sad, like it was hurt that nobody had decorated it for Christmas. She went into the kitchen and set water to boil and organized what she would make. She decided on chicken salad sandwiches, wraps with curry, and she would use some of the leftover vegetables for a pasta salad. She set to work. As she waited for the pasta to finish cooking, she grabbed a few Kleenexes and headed into the family room.
&nbs
p; Her throat ached as she walked down the four steps to the sunken room with the old brick fireplace. The furniture had been rearranged but she could still picture her mom’s hospital bed where a treadmill now stood. The room now seemed different. The memories of growing up here—watching movies with friends; her first kiss; doing homework; sneaking in the house through the sliding doors when she was in high school and past curfew—all seemed vacant now. Like the hospital bed that had been removed had taken more than just her mother.
She stood in the middle of the room, eyes closed and tears escaping from behind them. Her mother had been so sick by that point. She had fought so hard and then she had just lied there exhausted, her body fighting long after her spirit had surrendered.
Charity bit her lip. She didn’t want to remember the sad part. It’s just a room. It didn’t own her memories. Water splashed and sizzled in the kitchen, so she turned and headed back. The pasta would be tasteless if she over-boiled it.
Back in the kitchen, she shook off the feeling of sadness and thought about Elijah. She grew warm as she remembered his touch from last night. She quickly packed the food in Tupperware her mother had purchased. The Tupperware still sat in the same cupboard her mother always placed it in. She wanted to see Elijah, not be in this depressing house.
She drove to the hospital. After parking her car, she sent Elijah a text to say she had lunch. In the elevator, he sent a text back: Be another 20min. Meet in your dad’s office?
Her Dad sat behind his desk with his office door open when she reached it. He looked up, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. “Charity.” No Merry Christmas, no greeting whatsoever. She supposed they were back on awkward terms, even after their conversation from last night.
“Merry Christmas, Dad.” She set the cooler of food on a table and began to take the containers out.
“Don’t use that table. I have clients fill out forms and do paperwork on it.”
