“I never once barked.”
He scared the crap out of me sneaking up behind me and I turned to glare at him. “Gee Kane just come on in,” I told him sarcastically.
“Thanks.” He closed the door behind him, leaning on it.
“Leave.”
“I don’t think I will.” He pushed off the wall and pressed my body against the counter, crowding me in. My heart raced and the rest of me trembled while his hands skated up and down my arms. “I think I’ll stay right here, like this.”
“Quit playing games.” I didn’t need him exploiting my desire for him for some twisted purpose. Trying to push at his chest was pointless, but I did it anyway and he smug bastard only grinned.
“I’m not playing.”
“Yes you are. We’ve already been here, done this. It’s time to move on.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t been thinking about this since our last kiss.”
Okay I won’t. “I haven’t thought of you once until I found you scowling down at me a moment ago.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” he said, sounding all kinds of amused as he pressed his hips into mine, showing off that long, lean cock that I dreamt about. “You haven’t been able to think of anything but that kiss,” he whispered in my ear, hands gripping my hips possessively. “You’re wondering if I’ll kiss you like that everywhere.”
Dammit he was more than right. I hadn’t just wondered. I’d dreamed about it and I wrote about it. In vivid detail.
“I think you would, and I think it would be amazing,” I told him honestly. “Too bad we don’t like each other.”
“Oh, I think we like each other just fine.” The wicked man licked the rim of my ear and nipped my lobe. “Look how well we’re getting along right now.”
His fingers skipped over my collarbone and down the center of my chest, so achingly slow, down between my breasts and over my stomach. His slow sensuous journey came to a stop at the waistband of my bikini, just inches from where I ached for him.
“That’s just my body. Hormones. No matter what my body wants, the rest of me knows better.” Though right now my body was trying like hell to override my good sense.
“You sure?” I nodded, hypnotized by his stormy gaze. “If you sure,” he said, just a wisp of air between our lips before he claimed mine in a fierce hungry kiss that took me by surprise. It was more than just a kiss, he owned my mouth, my body as I rubbed up against him like a cat in heat.
God, I ached for more. I wanted to beg him, for that hard length of cock I was pressed up against, using it as a scratching post right where I needed him. For his hand, that had been hovering inches from where I ached for him.
Finally his fingers slipped inside my bikini bottoms. With long slow strokes, he dipped inside of me and slipped nearly all the way out again, leaving me gasping into his kiss.
Then Kane stepped back. If his expression was anything to go by, he’d been as shocked by the intensity of the kiss as I was. He looked like someone had smacked him in the face with a wooden plank. But in an instant it was gone, his eyes shuttered despite the sexy smile curving his mouth.
“Nah, I don’t think you’re sure at all.”
Damn smug man. I would love to get him all riled up like this, just once, and walk away. “Maybe not, but I’ll have no problem finishing the job myself.”
He groaned, shifted the crotch of his pants and stalked out without another word.
Thank damn goodness.
Kane
People always wonder why I decided to skip the family business and go into medicine. They assume it was because of some higher calling bullshit, about my desire to help people. That was all well and good, but the truth is that I love puzzles, and medicine is the ultimate puzzle. I chose fertility and obstetrics because it’s the ultimate medical mystery. I don’t bother correcting people when they make assumptions about me because it would kill my father’s political career if people knew I was the black sheep in my family.
Without politics, he might decide to start torturing me again about finding a political wife and running for office. No fucking thank you.
Now though, the hospital had called in favor and I had to oblige. When my partner Owen and I signed a contract with the hospital to use their facilities while ours were being built they had a few stipulations. One such stipulation was that I would use my minor celebrity status to help. It had been nearly a year and they hadn’t needed me.
Until now.
I sat in traffic a block away from the favor I would be doing for the next three months. At least. The owner of KJAX Television was golfing buddies with one of the hospital board members, which meant that when he said he needed a photogenic doctor for an on-air segment, one was offered up.
Three days a week I would tape a fifteen-minute segment. Like I had time for this shit in my life with a seven-year-old daughter going on twenty-three and a wild-haired neighbor who wouldn’t let me sleep in peace.
But here I was.
I walked through a cool dark hallway flanked by a woman all in black wearing a headset on one side, and another woman with a sleek looking bob on the other. The former introduced herself as Sylvia.
“First we’ll do wardrobe and then makeup. If all goes well we’ll have ten minutes to practice before taping starts.”
“Okay.” They lead me down several turns before I came face to face with a man who had a very tiny moustache.
“Oh honey you don’t need a thing! This is the absolute fucking best garment in the building.” He circled me, gaze touching over every part of my body. “He is perfect. I can do no more for him.”
“You didn’t do a damn thing,” I told him and he flashed a smile, winking at me before disappearing behind a rack of clothes.
“Bye handsome,” he called after me, but I was once again sandwiched between the women in black. They led me to makeup which, thankfully, took just a few minutes while I read over the notes that were shoved into my hands.
“Where did this research come from? I can’t just spout off facts that I can’t verify.”
“Don’t worry Dr. Royal we hired a new medical researcher as soon as we got word you were on board.”
Good, because I would keep my word, but I wouldn’t ruin my professional reputation for anyone. “Is he here?”
“She is setting up near the stage where we’ll be filming your segment.” The one with the sleek bob was the only one who spoke so I nodded to her as they both guided me towards the stage. “Here we are. Your seat will be over there but here is the research assistant.”
Of course it was. Rory. I can’t escape the damn woman, and right now I needed her around about as much as I needed a bullet in the head. I thought proving that she wanted me as much as I wanted her would make me feel better, but my little game had backfired and now I wanted her more than ever. The little gasps and moans she made while I kissed her had driven me crazy. I could still hear them now, days later.
My two guards left us alone but Rory still hadn’t looked up. I could tell by the tense set of her shoulders that she knew it was me. Finally, she saved whatever she was working on and looked up at me.
“How may I help you Dr. Royal?”
“I want to see your sources,” I clipped out.
Wordlessly she handed me a green folder and turned back to her laptop, typing quickly and focused only on her work now. The way she ignored me, it impressed me as much as it pissed me off. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Women had never been a problem for me. I see one I want and I get her, simple as that. But Rory, she wanted me even if she didn’t want to want me. I knew how that felt.
“Thanks,” I finally bit out as I flipped through the research, more than a little impressed by how thorough she was with details. Reputable sources with peer reviewed studies too, she’d done a damn good job. Better than my own research assistant. I groaned as I remembered asking if her thesis was on aerobics.
“It’s my job,” she answered bland
ly, again without bothering to look up at me.
I wanted to say more, maybe apologize for being an ass and misjudging her, or maybe ask her to dinner. I didn’t know, and I never got the chance to find out because the sleek haired producer and the makeup girl crowded me with notes and brushes as the time to film drew near.
The segment went live, on a two-minute delay thanks to a mishap last year with an inebriated local chef. The time flew, and before I realized it my first segment was over.
I peered through the crowd in search of those cinnamon locks as producers, directors and other suits surrounded me. By the time they were all gone she was nowhere in sight.
You can run Rory, but you can’t hide.
* * *
She did a pretty good job of hiding from me, for a few days at least. At work she kept her distance, creeping up near the stage only after the lights had dimmed everywhere but on me. I always saw her though, her long lean silhouette was hard to miss, especially with the halo of curls. But also because I could feel her. For some reason my body was acutely aware of her presence. Here at the studio, even at home I could feel her presence through the walls and it pissed me off.
I was sick of pining after her, wanting her. Needing her and not having her drove me to take drastic measures. After filming the last segment of the week I took the rest of the day off, dismissing the sitter and spending time with Sydney. I indulged in her love of accessories before we hit the supermarket where I let her pick dinner.
“Are you sure you want chicken when it’s so hot?”
She thought about it for a second and put the package back, picking up beef instead. “Burgers then?”
I smiled even though I knew I was going to hell for this, but I was a desperate man. “Sure, we could grill them.”
Sydney nodded agreeably, picking up a few of her favorite things as we went up and down the aisles. Pickles, buns, watermelon, and a variety of ingredients I had no clue about. Syd and I hardly ever cooked together because we had a housekeeper who took care of meals. At least in food choices, Rory had been a good influence on her.
“Rory loves corn,” she added with a devilish grin.
“Too bad she isn’t eating with us.”
“She could,” my little girl insisted, bouncing up and down with three ears of corn. “If she’s home we can ask her.”
“I guess.”
She glared at me. “Be nicer to Rory. I like her and you do too.”
That pulled me up short. “What makes you say that?”
She shrugged and picked up cabbage and carrots while I frowned, wondering what in the hell she was up to.
“Margaret says you look at her like she’s cold ice cream on a summer day.” Sydney looked up at me with a grin. “That sounds like a good thing, so it means you like her.”
Son of a bitch. The one thing that biddy notices and it’s my miserable sex life. “Margaret needs to mind her own business.” And drink some coffee, but that was irrelevant. “What’s all this stuff for?”
“Rory taught me how to make cole slaw. If she says yes I can make it for her.”
I smiled at just how easy it had been to get Sidney to invite the sexy neighbor for dinner. I knew this made me a shitty dad, but I needed to be able to focus on my life, and I feared the only way that would happen would be to have her. Get her out of my system.
“Don’t get too far ahead of yourself honey. She might have plans.”
But as it turned out the heavens were on my side and Rory had no plans other than to unwind after a long week. And when she was pulled into our house by my little girl I knew, I knew the whole universe was on my side. It was the only explanation for the slinky coral dress she wore that hugged her curves, showing off her delectable breasts, round hips and a narrow waist I hoped to grip as I thrust into her tight heat.
“Ladies.”
“Dr. Royal.” Her words were crisp and her expression blank until she turned to Sydney. “I heard something about cole slaw?”
“Sit here and watch, okay?”
She nodded and gently guided Sydney through each step, never getting frustrated or short with her. Yeah, she was good with my kid and it was yet another thing I misjudged about her. But I planned to fix it.
Starting tonight.
I joined them in the kitchen, pulling two bottles from the fridge. “Here you go,” I set one bottle of craft beer in front of her, making sure our arms brushed. I didn’t miss the hitch in her voice as we touched.
“Thanks,” she mumbled and directed Sydney on the recipe.
“No problem Rory. I’m here to help.”
“Daddy Rory’s shoulders are sore, she said so.”
I made a note to let Sydney go nuts at the mall very soon for that one. “Oh yeah? I have been told I have healing hands.”
Mossy green eyes darkened as they settled on my mouth and she licked her lips. “Sure, heal me Doctor.”
Damn the woman knew how to get to me without even trying. She thought that snarky little way she said “doctor” pissed me off, but it was the opposite. It turned me on.
“Gladly.” I stepped behind her and let my hands rest on her shoulders until she relaxed. Then I began to rub and knead her muscles until she was putty in my hands. Literally.
“God that feels good,” she moaned after a few long minutes and I froze. “Sorry but it really does.”
I leaned forward and whispered, “Now you know what my mouth and my hands can do. Don’t you want to know more?” She shivered and I felt a swell of male pride that I had total control of her body.
“N-no.”
“Liar.”
She shrugged off my touch. “Aren’t you manning the grill tonight? Syd and I will set the table.”
I laughed and took a step back, grabbed the seasoned meat and headed outside with a whistle. She was affected and if I wasn’t mistaken, her resolve was weakening as she reconsidered whether or not to let me take her to bed. She was the smart one, trying to pump the brakes on this before it even got started. We were neighbors and we now worked together, this could get messy. But we were both adults.
We could handle it.
I’d make sure of it.
Rory
Something weird was going on with Kane and I couldn’t decide if I loved it, or if it terrified me. The moment I’d walked into the house behind Syd he was giving me a sexy stare that hit all my lady parts with the force of a fist. Then there was the touching, all the sweet, torturous touching that had me quivering like an inexperienced fool. And the charm and flirting was too much for me to resist. I wasn’t sure I could resist much longer.
“Good night Rory! See you tomorrow.”
“Good night Syd, thanks for dinner. Your slaw was magnificent.” Though I walked her through it, her eagerness to please and her secret ingredient—cumin—made for a delicious smoky dish. “Dress to shop tomorrow,” I called after her as she ran up the stairs to her room. “See you.”
“Wait. I need to put Syd to bed but I want to talk to you.”
Damn why was that commanding alpha crap so damn appealing to my body? I quivered and shook like a hussy when he ordered me around, but another part of me rebelled.
“I want a lot of things too Kane.”
His gaze darkened and he used his body to press me into the wall dividing the kitchen and dining areas. “And I want to give them to you. So wait.”
I wasn’t good at being told what to do even when it was something I desperately wanted to do. So I decided this was going to be on my terms.
I stole inside his master bedroom on the bottom floor and removed my sweater and something else before leaving through the back door well before Kane returned.
Back at home, I opened another beer and sat on the sofa. I turned on some soft music and forced myself to relax. I was doing this tonight and it was a big deal, but it was my big deal. Should I tell him? I didn’t know what I would do but knew that tonight it was happening and with a man like Kane who undoubtedly knew how to please
a woman. Hell, dreams of him had been pleasing me for weeks.
Soon enough a knock sounded on my back door. I opened the screen door. “Yes?”
“You left something,” he growled and held up the pink thong I’d left on his bed.
“Did I? I was wondering where that went.”
Kane pushed inside and shut the door behind him, kissing me until I couldn’t get any air into my lungs. Instinctively my legs went up and around his waist while he kissed me until I teetered on the brink of ecstasy. I never wanted the kiss to end but I noticed an embarrassing amount of juice sliding down my thighs and knew I wasn’t too far from the edge. He pulled back and stared. “Are you sure Rory?”
“Yes. Just tonight though.”
He looked like he wanted to argue but he didn’t.
“For now I agree,” he growled and stalked to the bedroom. I laid across the bed feeling like a goddess while his body covered mine and he kissed his way down my body. “Now I have to see if your pussy really is naked under here.”
I clenched at his words, wondering if he would like what he saw. Or would he be turned off? “You’re getting warmer.”
He flashed a sexy grin and pushed my dress up and over my head until I was bared to his gaze. His gaze was heavy as he took his time looking me over. One finger slid into my wet heat.
“No babe, you’re getting warmer.” Then his mouth was on my pussy and I thought I would die from how good it felt. No amount of books or porn could do this sensation justice. It was delicious and wicked and addictive.
My hips moved on their own, swirling and pumping against his mouth trying to get closer than we already were. “Kane, yes,” I moaned hazily as he sucked on my clit and I flew into a million little pieces, gripping his head close to where I dripped while grinding my hips into his face. “Sweet heaven above that was divine!” I laughed as his tongue slowed and kissed all around my throbbing core.
“Just as sweet all over,” he smiled and kissed his way up my body, spending long glorious minutes tonguing my tits, sucking my nipples until I cried out.
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