The Girl of His Dreams (Bachelor #1)

by Janet Nissenson

  Aubrey had given him a wicked smile. “I do know. You mean we didn’t get to fuck each other’s brains out yet. And since you’ll probably be too tired after delivering this baby, we’ll probably have to give that a miss for once.”

  He’d given her a playful swat on the ass. “Tsk tsk. What a dirty mouth you have sometimes.”

  She’d given his ear a little nip. “You love this dirty mouth, though,” she had murmured suggestively. “Especially when it’s sucking your big cock.”

  His hand had come down a little harder on her buttocks that time, causing her to yelp in protest. “Enough of that,” he’d admonished sternly, though his gray eyes had been twinkling in amusement. “Otherwise, all I’m going to think about tonight is your mouth around my dick, instead of focusing on this baby I’m supposed to deliver. And who said I’ll be too tired afterwards? Baby, if you’re offering me one of your mind blowing blow jobs, I’ll drink a whole gallon of espresso if I need to in order to stay awake. Now, let’s go before I decide to beg one of my associates to take over for me. And after meeting you a few days ago he’s going to know the real reason why.”

  At close to ten o’clock in the evening, the hallways of the maternity ward at University Medical Center were all but deserted as Jordan guided Aubrey to one of the waiting rooms. Along the way, he’d introduced her to a few of the night shift nurses, interns, and other staff members, and once again every one of them had looked startled to see Jordan with a woman by his side. One of the nurses had even looked at her quizzically, and commented, “You look really, really familiar. Have we met before? Or, no. You were a patient here recently, right?”

  Aubrey had given an emphatic shake of her head. “No, to both questions. I’ve actually only been visiting here in San Francisco for two weeks, and this is the only time I’ve ever been in this hospital. You must be confusing me with someone else.”

  The nurse hadn’t looked convinced, though she mumbled, “Yeah, that must be it. Huh. I could swear I’ve seen you before, though. It’ll come to me, I never forget a face.”

  Jordan had practically whisked her away after that, insisting that he really needed to check on his patient, and not giving her an opportunity to ask him about this other woman Aubrey supposedly resembled. It was the second time in just a few days that she’d received that sort of reaction after meeting his co-workers, and it made her both curious and a little unsettled as to the reason why.

  He was back to check on her less than twenty minutes later, and he looked so sexy in those dark blue scrubs that she couldn’t help greeting him by his old nickname.

  “Hey, Doctor Dreamboat,” she teased. “How’s your patient doing?”

  Jordan grimaced. “I knew I should have never mentioned that stupid nickname,” he groused. “As for my patient, she’s doing just fine. Unfortunately, she’s barely dilated at all, which means we’re in for a long night. Maybe I should get you a taxi so you can go home and get some sleep.”

  “Hmm.” She stood up and walked over to where he was slouched in the doorway. She tugged at the waistband of his scrubs. “That depends. How long until you need to check on your patient again?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe half an hour. There’s a nurse in with her now. I doubt she’ll make much progress for awhile. Why? Did you want to get some coffee or something?”

  Aubrey ran a palm up his chest. “No coffee. But I wouldn’t mind having something else,” she purred. “More accurately, someone else. I know I told you earlier no hanky panky at work, but you look really, really hot in these scrubs. Were you serious when you mentioned that supply closet earlier?”

  Jordan’s breath hitched in his throat as she pressed herself against him. “Uh, I - I was actually joking. There isn’t exactly a lot of room in there for - well, what I think you have in mind.”

  She gave the side of his neck a sensuous little lick, feeling his pulse point jump in reaction. “Oh, we won’t need much room. Just enough for you to stand up and me to kneel down. What do you think?”

  She slid her hand down between their bodies, having first made sure there was no one else in the vicinity, and gave his semi-hard cock a little squeeze. Jordan stifled a curse, then grabbed hold of her wrist, halting her progress.

  “I think,” he croaked, “that it’s a good thing I know where the interns keep their not-so-secret stash of condoms. Follow me. And let’s hope Mrs. Marinelli holds off on having that baby for the next thirty minutes or so.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have worn that dress tonight after all.”

  Aubrey glanced up from her menu anxiously at the sound of Jordan’s voice. “What’s wrong with it?” she asked worriedly. “It’s not quite fancy enough for this place, is it? Or is it too tight? I mean, it fits perfectly but I usually don’t wear stuff that’s quite so form fitting, though you did tell me that - ”

  “Shh.” He placed a finger over her glossy pink lips. “That’s not at all what I meant. You look gorgeous, Aubrey. Once again you’re the most stunning woman in the place. And that’s the problem. You look so sexy that I’ll be staring at you all night long, and counting the minutes until I get you back home. Especially since I know exactly what you’re wearing underneath that cockteasing dress.”

  Her cheeks pinkened beneath his intense regard, until they were nearly the same shade as the blush pink pencil dress she was wearing this evening. “Well, don’t forget that you were the one who bought me this dress. As well as what I have on underneath. So the way I look at it, you’ve got no one but yourself to blame for your - ah, current predicament.”

  Jordan grinned at her sassy comeback. “And you’re absolutely right, darlin’. However, in my defense, that dress didn’t look anywhere near as lethal on the mannequin as it does on that body of yours. The way it clings in all the right places should be against the law, since it could give a man a coronary just from looking at you.”

  She rolled her eyes heavenward. “Oh, brother. Please tell me that isn’t of your corny pick-up lines.”

  “Nope. Just thought that one up right now. And it might sound corny but it’s one hundred percent true. You look good enough to eat. So good, in fact, that I’m going to have to take a taste of you later. No, correct that.” He leaned across the table and murmured in a low, husky voice, “I’m going to fucking devour you, Aubrey. From the top of your beautiful blonde head to the tips of your cute little toes and every delicious part in between.”

  Her blue eyes widened in mingled alarm and arousal, a combination that made him want to ravish her right here in the restaurant in front of dozens of other patrons. Instead, he distracted himself by refilling their wine glasses with the ruby red Cabernet Sauvignon he’d ordered to accompany their steak dinners. The steakhouse they were dining at this evening was one of Jordan’s favorite restaurants in San Francisco, with its elegant wood paneled walls, leather backed chairs, superb food, and excellent service. The restaurant epitomized class and prestige with its classic décor, making one think at times that they were back in the sixties when everyone dressed up for dinner, drank martinis, and listened to singers like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

  He’d been apprehensive at first that Aubrey might find the place too old-fashioned and stuffy, but she had seemed nothing but enthusiastic since arriving, gushing over how beautiful everything was. She’d asked for his advice about what to wear this evening, conscious as always about wanting to look appropriate, and his gaze had fallen automatically on the figure hugging pale pink sheath dress with its slim leather belt circling the waist. In the three weeks she’d been in San Francisco it was one of the only things he had purchased for her that she hadn’t worn yet, and he’d been anxious to see how it looked on her slim, curvy body.

  Now, he thought wryly, his imagination had gone in the complete opposite direction, and all he could think about was peeling that sexy dress off her even sexier body, where he knew she was wearing a barely-there bra of pink and cream lac
e and the tiniest thong he’d ever seen. Her abundant blonde hair fell in loose, shiny waves well past her shoulders, and while she was wearing more makeup than usual it had been applied with a light hand. The cream leather pumps had been another of his gifts to her, and she’d admitted they were the most comfortable high heels she had ever worn - though not enough to make her give up even a single pair of her preferred flip flops.

  “How’s your steak?” he asked, trying every imaginable tactic to stop thinking about the way her tits had nearly spilled out of the shallow bra cups when she’d been getting ready a little while ago.

  “Mmm, delicious,” she crooned, as she chewed a bite of the juicy filet she’d ordered. “In fact, I’m pretty sure this is the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. Though I guess it should be considering how much it cost.”

  “Aubrey,” he said reproachfully. “You know you’re not supposed to be looking at prices. There was something to be said for the fifties and sixties, when women were given a different menu than the men - ones without prices on it.”

  She smirked, reaching for her wine glass. “You mean like in olden times? My grandmother mentioned something about that once - that since men were considered to be the breadwinners they were the only ones handed menus with the prices. I figured she was pulling my leg since she liked to joke around a lot.”

  “Not in this case. I think that was still happening, in fact, at the stuffy country club my parents belonged to in Georgia up until about twenty years ago. Hard to believe, hmm?”

  Aubrey nodded. “I’ll say. A whole lot has changed since then. Woman are so much more independent, most of us work full-time jobs, have college degrees, run our own businesses. And,” she added with a deliberately sultry smile, “we’re much more liberated in a lot of other ways. Sexually, for example.”

  Jordan hissed sharply as she ran her hand up his thigh under cover of the table, not stopping until she was palming his crotch. He was grateful he’d already swallowed a bite of his Kobe ribeye, especially since the steak had cost a hundred dollars, and choking on it would have been a real waste.

  He grabbed her wrist just as she would have given his balls a squeeze. “Uh, I’d suggest you wait to show me just how liberated you are until we’re alone. This is a very stuffy place, as you’ve probably noticed, and I don’t think our audience would appreciate a reenactment of the famous orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally.”

  She laughed but removed her hand without further argument. “I’m not so sure about that. I think everyone here would have been highly entertained by a scene like that. But I’ll be good, I promise.”

  He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “Only until we’re back at the condo. Then I expect you to be a very, very bad girl. In fact, I’m counting on it.”

  Aubrey’s eyes twinkled, and she was about to reply when she was interrupted by the sound of an all too familiar voice - one that made Jordan cringe in reaction, and then wonder what the hell he’d done in his thirty-nine years to deserve this sort of sadistic treatment.

  “Jordan, old man! I thought that was you. Old Maxie here was trying to tell me otherwise, but I assured him his eyesight was just starting to deteriorate - like the rest of him. Why didn’t you tell us you were going to be here, you sly bastard? Especially since you’ve been avoiding us like the plague these past few weeks. And of course you have to introduce us to your beautiful dinner guest.”

  Jordan cursed profusely beneath his breath, wishing that he could somehow snap his fingers and magically transport himself and Aubrey anywhere but here. Or make Finn and Max be the ones to disappear. This was the moment he’d been dreading ever since Aubrey had arrived in San Francisco three weeks ago, the sort of confrontation that he had naively hoped would never happen.

  But there was no hope for it now, he realized grimly, as he reluctantly got to his feet to shake Finn’s outstretched hand and clap Max on the shoulder.

  “What a lucky guy I am to have two great friends like you,” muttered Jordan, making sure he gave Finn and Max the evil eye. “Aubrey, as much as it pains me to do so, let me introduce you to two of my old fraternity brothers from Stanford - the mouthy one here is Finn McManus and the quiet one is Max Wainwright. Guys, this is Aubrey Larson.”

  Aubrey, whose back had been turned to Finn and Max until now, shifted slightly in her chair until she faced them, a bright smile on her face.

  “Hi, Finn. Hello, Max. It’s so nice to finally meet some of Jordan’s friends,” she greeted, holding out her hand to them.

  Jordan winced as he witnessed the stunned expressions on the faces of his two friends, both of whom had met Tessa Gregson on several occasions, and who would realize instantly that Aubrey was a dead ringer for the happily married woman that Jordan had previously been enamored with.

  Finn just stared at her, speechless for probably the first time in his life, while Max was quick to cover up his initial shock by taking Aubrey’s hand in his.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Aubrey,” replied Max in that posh British accent that Jordan knew he’d had to work hard to perfect over the years. No one besides Jordan and Finn were aware that the polished, professional image Max presented to the world was a far cry from his grim, troubled youth, and the less than ideal circumstances he’d grown up in. Women in particular tended to hang on his every word - whenever he chose to say more than a few sentences at a time, that was - and judging by Aubrey’s dazzling smile she was no exception.

  Aubrey turned then to Finn, who was still staring at her in disbelief as she gazed up at him quizzically. “Finn McManus, did you say?” she inquired. “You mean, the Finn McManus, the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins?”

  If there was one thing Finn loved more than having a hot, willing woman in his bed, it was to be recognized by his fans. He’d retired from playing professional football four years ago after a particularly nasty concussion, but had immediately landed a plum job as a network analyst for nationally televised NFL games. The job kept him in the limelight, which his enormous ego craved like an addict did a fix, and he also continued to enjoy several very lucrative endorsement deals.

  A slow smile spread over Finn’s admittedly handsome face, and his green eyes twinkled as he, too, shook hands with Aubrey. “The one and only,” he replied. “You must be a football fan, Aubrey.”

  She shook her head. “Not really, no. But I do like to read Sports Illustrated and I remember the interview they did with you when you retired. I’m actually more of a basketball fan.”

  Jordan and Max exchanged a grin after observing the bewildered expression on Finn’s face. It wasn’t very often that a female didn’t succumb to the charm that he liked to lay on as thick as a layer of peanut butter over jelly.

  “Well, it was nice of you two to stop by, but we won’t keep you any longer,” Jordan told them, making it very obvious that he expected them to take a hike now that they’d finagled their way into meeting Aubrey.

  But Finn and Max deliberately didn’t take the hint, and in fact pulled out the two empty chairs at the table and took a seat.

  “You’re not keeping us from anything,” assured Finn in a smooth voice, giving Aubrey the sort of flirtatious smile that made Jordan want to rip his lips off. “I’m supposed to meet a - ah, friend later this evening but not for a couple of hours yet. That’s plenty of time to have another drink and get to know more about this beautiful lady. Maxwell - what about you? Anyplace you need to be within the next hour or so?”

  Max shook his head. “Not at all.”

  Finn motioned a waiter over, while Jordan glared openly at both men, not bothering to hide his displeasure with them. Max merely shrugged, while that wily bastard Finn flashed an unholy grin, letting Jordan know that there would be no easy way out of this revolting situation.

  And for the next half hour, Jordan silently fumed as both of his friends chatted easily with Aubrey, asking her all manner of questions about herself, and acting as though they’d known her fo
r years instead of mere minutes. Finn, as usual, did most of the talking since it was hard to get a word in edgewise whenever he was in a room, but Max, to his credit, also took part in the conversation that felt more like an inquisition to Jordan.

  If Aubrey was aware of his annoyance, she gave no indication, and seemed perfectly content to chat with his friends. She ignored Finn’s blatant flirting for the most part, and Jordan couldn’t stop himself from smirking as she smoothly but sweetly continued to give him the brush-off. With Max she was much warmer, and for the first time in what seemed like years the uptight Brit actually laughed and smiled in a genuine manner.

  And it was Max who diplomatically reminded Finn that they really did need to be on their way now, that they had intruded enough on Jordan and Aubrey for one night. Reluctantly, Finn got to his feet, but not before really pissing Jordan off by giving Aubrey a farewell peck on the cheek.

  “Well, now I’ve really made Jordan mad, so I guess we’d better head out,” Finn told her in a far too cheerful manner. “But I’ve got to tell you, Aubrey, that I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much. It was a very, very great pleasure to meet you. Isn’t that right, Max?”

  Max, as always, was far more discrete and reserved, merely giving Aubrey a polite smile and shaking her hand in farewell. “I hope that you continue to enjoy your stay here in San Francisco, Aubrey. And I’m certain we’ll be seeing you and Jordan again very soon.”

  “Oh, now, that you can count on,” replied Finn, his face wreathed in another of those stupidly aggravating smiles. “In fact, there’s a big charity ball coming up in a couple of weeks, biggest social event of the summer, and the three of us always attend. I’m sure Jordan’s mentioned it to you.”