by Nola Cross
As he moved toward orgasm, he had the fleeting wish that he could somehow prolong all the delicious sensations of this moment: the sexy flush on her cheeks, the unique perfume of her body, the way her perfect breasts jiggled when he drove deep and hard inside her. He squeezed his eyes shut and impaled her once again, and then again.
And in a flash a stunning release was upon him, rolling through him with the force of an M1 Abrams tank. Every muscle in his body coiled tighter and tighter until he exploded in a burst of sensation, nearly causing him to lose his footing. Afterward, he lowered her to the bed and then braced himself with his palms on either side of her, waiting for the spinning stars to clear.
When he opened his eyes she was staring at him with a look of concern.
“Are you okay?”
He grinned. “Way better than okay, Dez. Way, way better.” He leaned down and kissed the golden swell of her right breast. “The question is, how was that for you?”
She gave him a shy smile. “I liked it.”
“Liked it? Is that all? I guess I’m not doing my job.” He kissed her breast again, this time letting his tongue flick across her nipple.
She sucked in her breath and let her eyes drift closed. “That feels so nice.”
Her voice was so quiet he barely heard her, but he saw the subtle bow of her back, the lift of her torso toward his mouth. He closed his lips over the firm nub he’d just licked, and this time he drew it in, suckling on her sweet flesh.
“Oh,” she sighed.
As passion lit her face once again, he gave a soft chuckle. “You’re gonna have to give me a few minutes to recover, Dez. Hold that thought, okay?”
She opened her eyes, looking uncertain. “I—we don’t have to…”
He kissed the tip of her nose and then stood and walked into the bathroom to dispose of the used condom. When he came back into the room she had gotten into the bed and was just smoothing the sheet over her breasts.
“I got kind of cold,” she said.
He had to fight a wave of disappointment at not finding her delectable body still splayed at the end of the bed, but he couldn’t let her know that. He ambled to the light switch and dialed it to a dimmer setting, then got into bed beside her.
* * * *
Desiree watched from under her lashes as Hawk came around the far side of the bed and pulled the covers back. Unclothed he was magnificent, his bronze skin molded tight to impressive musculature, the rugged planes of his face revealing his native heritage. He moved with the grace of a panther.
A surge of renewed arousal washed over her as her gaze traveled to his cock, now smaller and softer than it had been just moments before. Prior experience had taught her that all it took was the touch of her fingers or lips to bring the thing back to life, and she found herself anxious to try that again, wanting to give back some of the pleasure he’d just given her.
He grinned at her as he settled his body up close to hers. “Hi,” he said, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder.
“Hi.”
His physical presence seemed to fill the entire king-sized bed, and even though they had spent a good half hour in each other’s arms as they’d danced—and they’d just made love—she felt suddenly shy and awkward again. Hawk didn’t seem plagued by such emotions; he threw his big arm over her and drew her close to his heat. Snuggling into the curve of his naked body, she let her fingers stray over his mid-section, marveling at the hard planes of his chest and abs beneath his smooth skin. As her touch moved closer to his waist, he tensed against her.
His warm chuckle gusted close to her ear. “You’re gonna get yourself in trouble in another minute, Dez.”
Emboldened, she let her fingers creep lower. “Maybe that’s what I was going for.”
He made a sound like a low growl deep in his throat as his hand closed on her breast. Spangles of bright pleasure rippled through her, igniting a new fire between her thighs. She moaned and lay back, reveling in the rough texture of his fingertips as he teased her tender nipple. She’d never realized before how sensitive her breasts were; now it seemed like they must be flashing a neon sign: Touch me!
“Damn, you’re sexy.” Hawk’s words were muffled against her skin as he lowered his mouth to her eager flesh. His lips tugged, sending more spirals of arousal from her nipples to her core. And when his hand skimmed down her belly a moment later and settled on her mound, she let her thighs relax apart, inviting him in.
Her last thought—just before his fingers parted her and slipped inside—was that she loved him even more than she had known. And the one thing that would have made this moment more perfect would have been if he loved her too.
Yeah, in your dreams. Time to grow up, girl.
Desi closed her eyes against her naïve fantasies and gave herself over to the delicious sensations of being naked in Hawk’s arms.
* * * *
Hawk opened his eyes, his vision slowly adjusting to the low light in the hotel room. The first gray suggestion of dawn peeked between the opening in the drapes, and he realized the muted strains of satellite radio jazz were no longer playing from the TV. Had he gotten up and turned it off at some point in the night? He couldn’t recall.
Maybe Desi had turned it off.
Desi.
She lay behind him, her warm, lithe body spooning his, one golden arm atop the blankets, encircling his middle. His gaze focused on the dim outline of her hand, and desire surged through him at the memory of her fingers caressing his cock. They’d done the deed three—no, four times during the night, and with each encounter she’d become bolder and more self-assured.
He grinned in the darkness. For someone with no experience, Desiree had taken to sex like the proverbial duck to water, and more than once he had caught himself wishing that he lived closer to her. His immediate plans now included getting her into bed on a regular basis, even if it meant a two-hour drive both ways. She was eager and playful, and he’d never been with a woman who satisfied him quite so completely.
He loved everything about her.
Love. Holy fuck. A horrible, hot sensation of dread raced through him, almost making him nauseous. He hadn’t said anything about that aloud, had he? It was one thing to feel it, to admit it to himself. And quite another to declare his love to someone else.
His fingers brushed the feather amulet at his throat as he listened to the soft sound of Desi’s breathing. Steady and even. Like Desi herself. Still sound asleep, she was oblivious to the turmoil roiling inside him. He breathed a quick sigh of relief. He just needed to keep it that way.
He began to relax more as he pushed the blankets down and got out of bed. In the bathroom he stood under the shower, welcoming the hot sting of the water on his shoulders and the return of relative order to his thoughts. Nothing needed to change between him and Dez just because they were going to be having regular sex. He’d been more than clear about that with her from the beginning—there would be no emotional attachments—and she had no right to expect anything more from him.
Deep in his thoughts, he didn’t hear the bathroom door open. He started as Desi pushed the shower curtain aside and climbed in behind him.
“Good morning,” she purred, her hands coming around him to cup his pecs. His belly tightened and his cock got stiff as she laid her cheek against his back and used her thumbs to tease his nipples. “I woke up and you were gone.”
“Uh, yeah, good morning,” he managed. She rubbed her breasts against him, and then he felt the soft thatch of her lower curls brush his buttocks. His erection got stiffer.
“Are you going to share that hot water with me?” She placed a kiss on his shoulder blade and then ducked down and snuck around him. Before he knew what was happening, she had backed her sweet little ass up against his rock-hard cock and was hogging all the shower stream.
“Oh no you don’t.” He laughed and spanned her waist with his hands, intending to lift her out of the way. But the slick round contours of her bottom against his belly were to
o alluring to ignore. He groaned as she reached around to grasp him, guiding him between her thighs from behind. He slid in to the tight, wet crevice, but he wanted more. “Oh God. Bend over, Dez.”
Using the grab bars mounted on the side wall and at the front of the tub, she steadied herself, leaned farther forward and spread her legs wide, presenting him with what was no doubt his favorite view of all time.
“Oh, baby,” he ground out, his cock slipping into her honeyed warmth.
As he found the depths of her beautiful body once more, he let out a long sigh of contentment. If he didn’t know better, he would have said they were made exactly for each other.
Chapter 22
Desi raced up the front steps ahead of Hawk. Tossing her overnight bag down on the porch, she turned and clapped her hands in triumph.
“Told you I’d beat you,” she crowed.
He grinned as he set the heavy suitcase down on the top step and stopped to catch his breath. “I’ll get you next time, Miss Speedy.”
“So you always say, Mr. Ironcloud. So you always say.”
She gave him a saucy smile and reached out to pat his cheek as if he were an errant schoolboy. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her up hard against his chest and lowered his mouth to hers. Her eyes drifted closed, and her lush lips parted for him. Soft sounds of surrender came from her throat as she pressed her curvy body to his.
They’d just spent the last weekend of the summer at a beachfront resort on the Oregon coast. They’d walked on the sand and visited all the little touristy shops and galleries. But his favorite things had been the in-room hot tub and the huge bed that faced the third floor ocean view. Their recent amorous activity did nothing to stop him now from reacting to her with a fierce hunger. He plundered her luscious mouth as if they’d been apart for weeks. And when they paused for breath, her eyes were glazed with an answering passion.
A trio of moths danced around the yellow bulb suspended above their heads, one of them bumbling close. He batted it away as he looked down into her upturned face. It occurred to him that she had never looked more beautiful.
“You want to come inside?” She ran her fingers through the hair at his temple, the gentle scrape of her nails on his scalp sending a series of delicious shock waves down his spine.
“Maybe for a minute. I’ll take your bags to your room, but I need to get on the road soon. Traffic is gonna be a bitch on I-5 north.” He tipped his head toward the street. “I notice Paul’s car is here. I thought he and Wes were heading out for the weekend too.”
She shrugged. “Maybe they got back early.”
Inside the little house, light blazed in every room and Adele’s latest hit blasted from the living room stereo. They found Tracy, Paul, and Wes sitting around the kitchen table playing hearts and drinking beer.
“Hey guys.” Desi stopped behind Tracy’s chair and gave her friend’s shoulders a quick squeeze. “Who’s winning?”
“I am,” Paul said. “As usual. You guys want to play?”
Hawk shook his head. “Sorry. I need to head home. Early day at the garage tomorrow.”
Desi excused herself to use the bathroom. As soon as she was gone Tracy turned to him. “How’s this long-distance romance thing going?”
“We’re making it work.”
After three months of spending almost every weekend together, the word romance still made him cringe, but he hid his discomfort with what he hoped was a casual smile. What he and Desi had going suited him fine. Sometimes he came here to Portland and sometimes she made the trip to Tacoma. Now and then they skipped a weekend if she had to work extra shifts at the hospital or had an exam to study for. On those nights he didn’t seem to sleep as well. But that happened to everyone sometimes, right?
“And how does Desiree feel about it?” Paul raised his beer and took a swig while he waited for Hawk’s response.
As three pairs of eyes bored into him, an uneasy heat crept up his neck.
“She’s fine with it,” he ground out.
“Uh-huh,” Paul said at last, raising his brows and giving Wes the side-eye.
“Is there something you all want to tell me?”
He’d just about had it with the heavy innuendo. If they had something to say, they should go ahead and get it out on the table. In the time he and Desi had been dating, he’d come to like her housemates. Tracy was a character, and Paul was pretty easygoing. But this line of questioning was way out of his comfort zone.
“No,” Paul said. “It’s just that we want to make sure our girl is being taken care of. We don’t want to see her get hurt.”
“I’d never hurt Dez.” He glanced toward the front door, fighting the urge to bolt.
Tracy set her hand of cards face-down on the table. “On purpose, no. Of course you wouldn’t. But what about if the two of you don’t end up wanting the same thing?”
“Has Desi said she’s unhappy?” He couldn’t seem to keep the belligerent tone from his voice.
“Why would I be unhappy?” They all turned toward the sound of Desi’s voice. She stood in the kitchen doorway with a frown on her face. “Are you guys ganging up on Hawk for some reason?”
“Only a little.” Tracy gave her a sheepish smile.
“He can take it,” Paul said. “He’s a big, tough guy.”
Wes barked a laugh.
Just then Desi’s cellphone began to chime. Still looking puzzled, she pulled it out of her purse and checked the caller ID. “It’s my boss,” she told them. “Hello. This is Desiree.”
Hawk watched as the expression on her face changed from mild bemusement to shocked concern. “All right,” she said after a moment. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
She clicked the phone off and turned to face them. Her cheeks had an odd gray tinge.
“What’s wrong?” Tracy asked.
“That was the hospital where I work. Apparently one of the patients I came into contact with this past week has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus. I have to report in right now for a twenty-one day quarantine.”
* * * *
Desi grabbed her overnight bag and started for her room. Her thoughts tumbled over each other like drunken acrobats. Ebola! Holy crap!
As she dumped the soiled clothing out of her bag and onto her bed, she struggled to recall all the patients she’d assisted with on Friday. There had been a kid with an earache, another one with a broken arm, and a construction worker who had tangled with a nail gun. A pregnant woman with pre-eclampsia, and a couple who had been in a minor car accident.
Then she remembered. Right at the end of her shift a stout, middle-aged man had come in with a fever and body aches. The treating doctor had prescribed flu medication and sent the man home. It must have been him. He must have lied about having traveled out of the country.
Luckily, she’d only had brief contact with him as she assisted the charge nurse, Becky Cameron, with taking his vitals. But it would take just a single sneeze or cough to spread the deadly virus.
Her belly clenched anew. Had the man been wearing a mask? According to hospital protocol, anyone with a temperature above one hundred degrees was required to wear a protective facemask at all times, but she couldn’t recall if he’d had one on.
“This quarantine is just a precaution,” her boss had reassured her.
She would probably be okay.
She shoved her fears away and tried to think about what to bring with her. She’d need to swap out her dirty clothes for clean ones and pack her full-sized toiletries instead of the travel-sized shampoo and toothpaste she’d taken to the beach. Tracy could bring her fresh clothes every few days. Oh, and she’d need her e-reader and laptop for sure.
She was so preoccupied, she didn’t notice that Hawk had followed her to her bedroom. He stood watching her with an expression of strained disbelief on his face.
“Ebola! How did you get exposed to Ebola? Don’t they have all kinds of safety procedures in place for that kind of thing?”
“Yeah,
they do. This guy came into the ER on Friday with a fever, but I think he must have lied about having been to West Africa, otherwise he would have been placed in isolation as soon as he checked in.” She opened her dresser drawer and took out several pairs of undies.
Hawk threw up his hands, his eyes blazing with a strange expression. “Dez, how can you be so calm about this? Isn’t Ebola fatal?”
“About half the time, yes, in patients who develop the full-blown illness. But I would have had to come into direct contact with his blood or saliva. I’m pretty sure he was wearing a facemask the whole time. Chances are small that any of us will be infected.”
“Any of us? You mean there’s a chance I might get sick too?”
She smiled at the consternation in his voice. “No. I meant any of the hospital staff. A person is only contagious once they develop symptoms. I don’t have any symptoms, so you’re safe.” She patted his cheek as she brushed past him.
Rushing to gather everything else she wanted to take, she grabbed her favorite pillow and tucked it under her arm. “I guess I’m ready. Trace can bring me anything else I need. You better get on the road or you’ll be falling asleep at the wheel.”
“I’m driving you to the hospital.”
“You don’t need to do that. I can get there just fine, and it’s no problem if I leave my car in the employee parking lot for the next three weeks.”
“I said I’m driving you.”
That dark, primal fire flashed again in his eyes and his nostrils flared with a fierce protectiveness. As he came around the bed toward her she experienced a sudden stab of love for him so powerful it was almost like pain. Her lips trembled as she bit back the words she longed to say out loud.
These last three months with Hawk had been the most amazing time of her life. Not only was he a wonderful lover, but he was lots of fun to be around the rest of the time too. Somewhere along the way she’d begun to think of him as her best friend. The hours they spent together—when they weren’t in bed—were often peppered with friendly debate and deep discussions on a range of topics from spiritual to political. They’d found they agreed on most things.
