‘I want you,’ she said, in a voice she barely recognised as her own: it was husky, breathy, womanly.
‘There’s something I have to do first,’ he said.
‘What’s that?’
‘This,’ he said, reaching behind her head to release the clasp that confined her hair so it tumbled freely around her shoulders.
And then his head came down slowly, ever so slowly, until his mouth stole her breath away in a kiss that branded her finally as his.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
KITTY felt the red-hot urgency that coursed through him as his mouth ravaged hers. It whipped along her nerve-endings like an electric current, making her vibrate with longing within seconds. She clawed at him with wild hands, desperate to feel his skin against hers, to taste the salt of his flesh, to explore the contours of his body, to have him at her mercy.
She got under his shirt and stroked his chest with her hands, but it wasn’t enough.
She wanted to feel him.
She worked at his trouser fastening, finally releasing it to claim her prize. He was powerfully aroused, hard and thick, swollen with the need she could feel hammering through his blood.
His mouth ground against hers, hungry and insatiable. Her skin shivered all over in delight as he roughly tugged at her clothes. His mouth captured her breast, sucking on it, releasing it to stroke it with his tongue, and then sucking on it again. He did the same to her other breast, making her cry out loud with the spine-tingling pleasure of it.
He went back to her mouth, walking her backwards out of the room. A stool fell over, a picture on the wall got dislodged, a lamp on a table in the hallway almost fell to the floor, but still he didn’t lift his mouth off hers.
Kitty felt a mattress underneath her back and then his body coming down over her. She clung to him, kissing him back with heated fervour as he was kissing her.
Somehow she wriggled out of her clothes, while he dispensed with his in between passionate kisses and caresses that made her gasp and cry out loud.
‘Now,’ she panted as he came back over her, pinning her with his weight.
‘Not yet,’ he said, moving down her body with his hot mouth. ‘I have things to do.’
Kitty snatched in a breath as he kissed and stroked his way down to her belly button. She dug her fingers into his hair as he went lower. This was new territory for her. She didn’t know if she could do this. It was too intimate.
‘Relax,’ he said. ‘You’re too tense.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Yes, you can,’ he said. ‘Let your thighs go. That’s it. Trust me. I won’t rush you. Take all the time you need.’
She closed her eyes and let herself go with the sensations as he explored her with soft strokes of his tongue. The tension built and built. All her nerves seemed to be gathered at one point, hovering there for some final trigger to catapult her over the edge.
At last she was there.
She soared over the precipice, free falling into a whirling sea of powerful sensations that drove every thought out of her head. She was suspended, floating, drifting in a world she hadn’t visited before, an erotic world of delights and delicious feelings of satiation.
‘Oh, God …’ She put a hand over her eyes, suddenly shy at how undone she had become.
Jake came back over her, tugging her hand away from her face. ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Don’t hide from me.’
‘I can’t believe you just did that,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’
‘You haven’t done that before?’
‘I’ve never felt comfortable about it,’ she confessed.
He brushed her hair back off her face. ‘Every couple has their comfort zones,’ he said. ‘What’s right for one will not always be right for another.’
‘I can imagine there’s not much you haven’t been comfortable with,’ Kitty said.
He gave a could-mean-anything smile. ‘I have my boundaries.’
She ran her hands over his chest, slowly tiptoeing her fingers below his navel. ‘I guess I’ll have to figure out what they are, won’t I?’
‘I can hardly wait,’ he said, and covered her mouth with his.
Kitty hadn’t thought it possible to feel the same level of desire so soon, but within moments she was writhing beneath him, aching for the completion she craved. She felt him hard against her, close but not close enough. She caressed him, delighting in the way he responded with a deep groan as she moved over the blunt tip of him. She felt the ooze of his pre-ejaculating fluid—that primal response of his body that left her in no doubt of how much he wanted her.
He reached past her for a condom in one of the bedside drawers. She pushed aside the thought of all the other women he had done this with before. She had gone into this with her eyes wide open. She had known she wasn’t the first. She knew she wouldn’t be the last.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
Kitty painted on a carefree smile. ‘Nothing.’
He captured her chin, his eyes holding hers. ‘We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,’ he said.
‘I am ready,’ she said. ‘It’s just I can’t help thinking of how many times you’ve done this. Do you say and do the same thing each and every time?’
He frowned. ‘This is about us, Kitty. It’s not about anyone else. What we experience together is unique.’
‘If you close your eyes I could be just anyone.’
‘You’re not just anyone,’ he said. ‘You’re you. You taste different. You feel different. You smell different. You are different.’
She circled one of his flat nipples with her finger. ‘I want you to always remember this,’ she said. ‘You know … long after I’ve gone back to England.’ She looked into his eyes. ‘Will you promise me that?’
He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. ‘I thought we agreed on no promises.’
‘Just this one.’
He held her gaze for a heartbeat. ‘I promise.’
She traced his top lip with her fingertip. ‘You’re a lot nicer on closer inspection, Jake Chandler,’ she said. ‘I think I might not detest you quite so much after all.’
He gave her a cautionary look. ‘You’re not falling in love with me, are you?’
‘Not a chance,’ she said, and pulled his head down until his mouth met hers.
Jake lay awake in the early hours of the morning, not sure what was wrong until he realised Kitty was still lying in the bed beside him. He had a rule he stuck to rigorously. No sleepovers. It made the boundaries blur too much. He didn’t care for the morning-after routine. Women had a tendency to see things differently in the cold hard light of morning. In spite of everything they said to the contrary they always wanted more than he was prepared to give. Before he knew it there would be a toothbrush left in his bathroom or a few items of clothes left in his wardrobe.
It was simpler to avoid the issue.
No one got hurt that way.
Last night he had acted on primal instincts alone. He had wanted to connect with Kitty physically, to feel the movement of her body around him, to remind himself of the rhythms of life. He had wanted to block out the mental anguish of his guilt. But those few precious moments of oblivion had done much more than release him from his torment. His body had recognised something in her that spoke to him much more than just physically. It had been like hearing a language he’d thought he had forgotten. The caress of her mouth and hands hadn’t felt like just another sexual partner delivering pleasure. Her hands and mouth had felt worshipful, reverent almost. Her tentative touch and her passionate responses had awoken in him a desire to feel more than sexual satisfaction.
He looked at her in the silvery light of the moon. She was lying on her side, the cotton sheet draped over her slim form, showing every delightful contour from her neat bottom and thighs to her creamy breasts. Her hair was like a fluffy cloud around her head. He couldn’t help reaching out and running his fingers through it, tethering himself to her via those
silky strands. She gave a little murmur and nestled closer into the pillow, her lips curved in a small but blissful smile.
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the satiny skin of her shoulder. She smelt of fresh flowers, but he also picked up a faint trace of his own masculine scent clinging to her skin that made something shift deep inside his stomach, like a gear slipping from its cogs.
She opened her eyes and smiled at him shyly. ‘What time is it?’
Jake brushed a strand of hair off her forehead while he mentally shoved that gear back into line. ‘Time you were tucked up in your own bed,’ he said.
A flicker of hurt passed through her gaze. ‘You want me to leave?’ she asked.
‘We both have to work in the morning,’ he said, getting up from the bed and reaching for his boxer shorts and stepping into them. He went over to the window and stared sightlessly at the view. ‘It’s going to be a big day for Robbie. I want to be there for him.’
Jake heard the soft padding of her footsteps over the carpet, and then he felt her arms gently encircle his waist from behind. He put one of his hands over her linked ones, his body already aching to have her again. He felt her cheek rest against his back, her soft breath like a caress over his skin.
After a few moments he turned around and cradled her face in his hands, his eyes holding hers. ‘You really should go home while you’ve got the chance,’ he said.
She held his look with those soft grey eyes of hers. ‘Maybe I’m not ready to be sent off home like a child who’s overstayed her welcome.’
He stroked the cushion of her bottom lip with one of his thumbs. ‘Maybe I don’t want company right now,’ he said, while his body betrayed him shamelessly where it was surging against the softness of hers.
She gave him a coy smile. ‘Maybe you’re lying.’
He brought his mouth down just above hers. ‘Maybe you’re right,’ he said, and covered her lips with his.
* * *
Kitty slipped out of Jake’s bed while he was still sleeping, just as dawn was breaking. She carried her shoes and was almost at the front door when he came out of the bedroom with just a towel draped around his hips.
‘You should’ve woken me,’ he said, rubbing a hand over his stubbly jaw.
‘I wasn’t sure what the protocol was,’ Kitty said, dropping her shoes to place her feet in them.
He frowned and let his hand fall by his side. ‘Are you angry with me?’
She shrugged. ‘Why would I be angry? You told me the rules. No strings. No promises.’
There was a taut little silence.
‘I liked having you stay last night,’ he said. ‘I liked it a lot.’
Kitty searched his gaze for a moment. ‘I liked it too.’
He came over to where she was standing. Her body was within a mere hair’s breadth of his. She could feel the sensual energy transmitting from his body to hers. Her insides seemed to shift inside her in an effort to bridge that tiny distance.
‘I’d like to see you after work,’ he said. ‘Let’s have dinner. I’ll book somewhere on the waterfront in Rushcutters Bay.’
Kitty was conscious of the emotionally charged day ahead for him. ‘What if I cook dinner for you at my place?’ she suggested.
He gave her a ghost of a smile. ‘The way to a man’s heart?’
‘I think it would take a lot more than my meagre culinary ability to break through that stronghold,’ she said lightly.
His eyes studied hers for a heartbeat or two. ‘I’ve never spent the whole night with anyone before,’ he said.
Kitty raised her brows. ‘One of your rules?’
‘Sort of,’ he said. ‘I don’t usually sleep well with someone else in the room, let alone the bed.’
‘I hope I didn’t snore.’
His mouth tilted in another smile. ‘No, you were very quiet,’ he said. ‘I hardly knew you were there.’
‘Such scintillating company,’ Kitty said. ‘I’ll have to lift my game.’
His gaze waltzed with hers in a sensual two-step, each step incrementally tightening the tension that simmered between them. ‘Have you got time for breakfast?’ he asked.
‘I’ve sort of got in the habit of skipping it.’
‘It’s the most important meal of the day.’
‘So I’ve heard.’
He circled her waist with his arms and brought her flush against his body. ‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’ he said.
A tremor shuddered through her body. ‘As of last night, I think I do,’ she said. ‘But I really need to shower and get ready for work. I have this boss who might fire me if I turn up late.’
‘I’m sure if you just smiled at him he’d melt.’
Kitty smiled at him and watched as his dark blue eyes softened. ‘Great tip—thanks,’ she said. ‘I’ll keep it in mind.’
He pressed a brush-like kiss to her mouth. ‘I’ll meet you in the car park in half an hour,’ he said. ‘I’ll drive you to my mate the mechanic’s to pick up your car.’
‘I can catch a cab,’ Kitty said.
He trailed a finger down her cheek. ‘Half an hour,’ he said. ‘Don’t be late.’
It was close to lunchtime before Kitty saw Jake on the unit. He was walking past just as she was coming out of Bay Three, where she had finished assessing an elderly patient with a broken wrist. She almost ran into him, but he steadied her with his hands.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going.’
Kitty looked at the shadow of worry in his eyes. ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked.
He dropped his hands from her arms. ‘Lewis Beck wants to operate today,’ he said. ‘He shuffled his cases around to fit Robbie in this afternoon. It’s all happening so fast. This time yesterday I thought my brother was just a lay-about jerk. Now I’m facing the prospect of losing him.’
Kitty touched him on the arm. ‘Robbie’s in very good hands, Jake,’ she said.
‘I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to allay patients and their relatives’ fears over surgical procedures,’ he said. ‘But it’s so different when it’s your own relative. Robbie’s my kid brother. He’s only twenty-four. He’s got his whole life ahead of him. What if something goes wrong?’
‘Nothing will go wrong, Jake,’ Kitty said. ‘He’s young and otherwise healthy. You have to stay positive for his sake as well as your own.’
He scraped a hand through his hair. ‘I know, I know.’ He dropped his hand and gave her a brief thin-lipped smile. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’
He glanced at his watch. ‘I’d better get back to see Robbie before they take him down to Theatre,’ he said. ‘Any problems here?’
‘No, everything’s fine,’ Kitty said. ‘Lei’s a great registrar. We’ve got things covered.’
‘Good,’ he said. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
Jake waited until the anaesthetist had done his pre-surgical assessment before he entered Robbie’s room. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked.
‘Nervous,’ Robbie said. ‘I’m not sure I like the thought of my head being cut open.’
‘The scar will be a great talking point,’ Jake said.
‘I’ll look like a skinhead until my hair grows back.’
‘Robbie,’ Jake began, ‘there’s something I need to say—’
‘It’s cool, Jake,’ Robbie said. ‘I was a jerk not to get the scan done. Jen and Rosie chewed my ears off about it earlier this morning. They said it’s made it so much harder on you. That you feel guilty. That you feel it’s your fault or something. But it’s not. I’m an adult. I should’ve got myself checked out.’
Jake grasped his brother’s hand. ‘I’m sorry for not being there for you. I can’t believe how badly I handled things.’
‘You’ve managed things just fine,’ Robbie said. ‘You always do. You’re there for all of us, all the time. I’ve been thinking about it … you know, while I’ve been lying here doing nothing. Yo
u stepped up to the plate when Mum died. No one asked you if you wanted to. You just did it.’
‘I wanted to do it.’
‘Yeah, but it’s not been easy, has it?’ Robbie said. ‘You’ve made a lot of sacrifices for us. When Rosie got pregnant, for instance. You were really looking forward to that trip. I know you were. If things had been different you could’ve worked overseas for a couple of years. But you didn’t get the chance. You gave it up for us.’
Jake shrugged it off. ‘I’ll head overseas some time.’
‘That English doctor seems nice,’ Robbie said. ‘What’s the story with you two?’
Jake smiled. ‘She’s a sweetheart, isn’t she?’
Robbie’s brows lifted. ‘Does Rosie know about this?’
‘You know about that stupid bet, huh?’
‘Rosie told me,’ Robbie said, and punched him playfully on the upper arm. ‘Looks like you’d better pay up.’
‘It is that obvious?’ Jake asked.
Robbie gave his eyes a little roll. ‘You were always going to lose, Jake.’
‘Yeah, well, I was going great guns until Kitty Cargill came along,’ Jake said.
Robbie grinned. ‘That’s what I meant.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BEFORE Kitty left work she spoke to Jake, who informed her Robbie’s surgery had gone well and that he was now in recovery. Jake planned to wait until he was moved to the high dependency unit before he came home to have dinner with her.
Kitty was making a mango, rocket and feta cheese salad when her mobile started to ring. She picked it up without checking the caller ID. ‘Hello?’
‘Kitty, it’s me—Sophie … Please don’t hang up.’
Kitty drew in a little breath. ‘I’m kind of busy right now,’ she said. ‘I have someone coming for dinner in a few minutes.’
‘I won’t hold you up … it’s just that I really miss you,’ Sophie said. ‘I never thought it would be like this … You know, you so far away when I’m about to get married.’
Well, if you hadn’t pinched my future husband maybe I’d be there right by your side as your maid of honour, as we’d always planned since we were seven years old, she thought.
Medical Duo - Dr Chandler's Sleeping Beauty & Christmas with Dr Delicious Page 13
