by Natalie Ann
She stood up and had to stop herself from leaning up and kissing him. He must have seen what she was going to do and smirked at her, but then winked. “Special benefits,” he said to her again and then walked away.
Grey was wearing her down, he knew it, he saw it, and he just had to bide his time.
By the time he was done scoping cartilage and bone fragments out of his patient’s knee, he realized that Sierra still had thirty minutes left on her shift.
He went to the lounge to shower and change, but shot her off a text that he’d be ready when she was done if she just wanted to come to his office. That would give him some more time too.
He was at his desk when his phone buzzed. “Yes.”
“There’s a Sierra Stone out here waiting for you. She’s just sitting in the waiting area and I asked if I could help her and she said she was here for you.”
“Yes, she is.” He was going to say he’d be out in five minutes, but then changed his mind. “Do you mind showing her back here?”
“No problem, Dr. Baxter.”
He didn’t think it was strange to have a nurse from another department waiting for him without an appointment. It could be for any reason and no one would question it.
He was packing up his laptop when he heard footsteps and looked up. “Hey. Come in. I’m almost ready.”
“I was going to just wait out there, but they asked if they could help me. Hope it was okay to say I was here to see you.”
“Of course. You work here. Or we all have the same employer, no one is going to think anything about it.”
“That’s true. Do you have anything in your house for dinner? Or do you expect me to cook for you tonight too?”
She was smiling at him and he just wanted to yank her in and kiss her right in his office, not mindful of who might walk by.
Screw it, he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Her eyes went wide, but she grinned back. “You’re playing with fire doing this here. Someone could walk by.”
“So?” he said. “You don’t work for me.”
“True. Nor do I want to.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“That’s messy and you know it. You even said you don’t make a habit of dating employees of the hospital you might run into again. We are in different buildings and may never have crossed paths if it wasn’t for Cori. But we’ve got mutual friends, so have you changed your mind?”
“You seemed to have changed your mind about dating doctors.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. He had her there.
“Hey, Grey. Oops, didn’t know you had company. Hi, Sierra.”
Grey didn’t let go of her. “Jack,” he said.
“Just wanted to see if we were still on Monday morning for that meeting.” Jack was smiling at them.
“I’ll be here around seven. It seems we are the only ones here that early, so it works.”
“See you then,” Jack said. “Have a great weekend, you two.”
“Caught,” she said.
“He knows about us. How is that being caught?”
She frowned but didn’t answer. He finally let go of her and she said, “Dinner?”
“I thought we could order pizza.”
“Pizza sounds great.”
He grabbed his laptop, lab coat, and put it over his arm. “Ready? You’ve got my address in case you lose me, right?”
“I’ve got it in my phone and I’m ready to have it give me directions. Don’t worry, you can’t lose me that easily.”
He read a deeper meaning behind her words whether she meant them or not.
20
Dark and Broody
“This house is huge,” she said when she followed him in through the garage. She pulled behind him, but he motioned her to the garage stall next to him. She wasn’t sure if he was being considerate or just didn’t want anyone to know he had an overnight guest.
And how do you ask that without coming off as needy or insecure? She’d never thought she was either of those things and didn’t want to start now.
“I know it’s a lot of house for one person, but I looked at it like an investment. The property values seem to increase each year. I’ve been here five years now and the house is already worth a lot more than I paid for it.”
She couldn’t even imagine the cost of it. “So show me around. Tell me about it. Other than I can tell a single guy lives here.”
There wasn’t a lot of color or decor. Dark hardwood floors, light-colored walls with white trim and simple solid-colored curtains over blinds.
“This is the kitchen, as you can see.”
She could. It was nice and modern but didn’t have a ton of character. Cherry wood cabinets, black granite. There was an island with the stovetop in it on one side, three stools on the other, a wall oven close by. It was a good-sized room but kind of boring.
“It’s nice. Did you pick out everything yourself?”
“Actually no,” he said. “The house was already under construction when I was looking. I think someone fell through but the kitchen and baths had been laid out and cabinets and fixtures ordered. I could have changed them but would have had to pay the difference. They were fine for me though.”
She nodded. “They’re nice. They suit you. I don’t see you as a light and bright person but more dark and broody.”
“I don’t think I’m dark or broody at all. That would be my brother Jake if it was any of us. Even Colt loves to argue. I’m the laid back one of the family.”
“So show me the rest,” she said, taking his hand and holding it for some reason. The urge to be touching him at all times was just so massive, making her wonder if she was becoming needy after all.
“Family room.”
“I’m seeing a pattern here.” Dark brown leather furniture, big and soft looking. A massive flat screen TV on the wall. This place did scream single man.
“I guess you’re right. I never considered that. What did you think of Colt’s house? He’s a single man.”
“He had more decor and color for sure. I don’t want to say it had a woman’s touch, but it had character.”
“I’m trying not to be insulted that you don’t think I’ve got any character.”
“Oh no,” she said, putting her arms around him. “You’ve got plenty of character; it’s your house that doesn’t.”
“My office is there, formal living room there, across the hall is the dining room. There was a half bath and laundry room by the garage entrance, I’m sure you saw them.”
“I did,” she said. He was pulling her up the stairs.
“Four bedrooms up here. Three are guest, two are empty, one has a queen size bed in it and a dresser. My old furniture.”
“I really can’t believe the space you’ve got here.”
“Hall bath,” he said, opening the door. “I don’t even go in there. I just use my master or the one downstairs. I only come in here and dust every few months.”
“Months?”
“Don’t judge,” he said. “I’m not sure the last time I opened the doors to the guest rooms.”
She giggled. “I get it. There are only so many hours in the day. But you are pretty neat. I didn’t expect any differently. Unless of course you spent the past few days cleaning because you knew I’d be here along with your family.”
“I am neat, but I also cleaned up the dust bunnies that were mating in the corners, wiped down the windows and such. I didn’t get to bed until midnight.”
“I want to laugh, but I find that kind of sweet too.”
“Nothing sweet about it. If my mother finds dust she loves to point it out to us by saying she’d come clean the house. No, thank you. I don’t need my mother going through my stuff.”
“I would think not.”
He opened the door to the master and she walked in. His room was blue; at least it was a different color than white. There was a gray and blue bedspread on a king sized bed with a dark cherry wood headboard.
“Just think of all the things we can do in a bed that size,” she said.
“I’m planning on it.” He pulled her through to the bathroom and her jaw hit the floor. She knew it. “What do you think of the tub?”
She looked at the long tub against the wall with a bench all around it. “That’s a big tub.” She moved forward. “And a lot of jets.”
“What are you doing?” he asked when she toed her shoes off and started to pull her shirt over her head.
“Getting ready for a bath.”
He reached over and turned the taps on. “I guess we are taking a bath first.”
“Got any condoms in here?” she asked.
He moved over to a drawer and pulled a box out. “Ready to go.”
“Time to strip for me then.” She was pulling the string on her scrubs and then letting them fall to the floor. “I normally shower when I get home from work, so sorry if you are wondering why I’m doing this. I just figured why waste the water.”
“I don’t have any problem with jumping in that tub with you. I wish I had some bubble bath.”
“Bubbles are good but not necessary.” She reached her hand for his cock that was standing at full attention and pointing right at her. “What is needed is this.”
While the water filled in the tub, Grey threaded his fingers in her hair, brought his mouth down to hers and proceeded to show her how hungry he was. Maybe as much as she was. Maybe wanting her the same as she did him.
“I know it wasn’t that long ago that we were all over each other, but it sure the hell feels like it,” he said.
“A week is a long time when you’re needy. I’m definitely needy. That’s enough water,” she said, turning the taps off. “Get that condom and get in the tub.”
“Going right for it,” he said. “No foreplay?”
“Foreplay is for later. You wondered if I could ride, I’m going to show you that I can.”
He stepped into the tub with a grin on his face, then sat down. She followed, spread her legs, and then impaled herself, taking him deep. Taking him in fully. Making her groan and hold still to savor the feeling.
“I know you can mount,” he said, his hands coming up and cupping her breasts, his thumbs brushing across the nipples, then pinching them. She yelped and jerked up. “That got a reaction out of you. It’s almost like spurring your backside to get you to move.”
“Isn’t the rider supposed to do that?” Her nails went down and started to lightly scratch his thigh, but it was enough to buck up into her.
“I think we both understand what works in a situation like this.”
She slid up and then went back down, the water making tiny waves. She hadn’t wanted too much in there so they didn’t make that big of a mess, but now it was the last thing on her mind.
He yanked her forward, his lips going to one nipple, sucking on her, biting a little, then licking to make it better. Her inner muscles clenched him tight with that move so he did it again.
“You’re so tight when you do that.”
“You’re causing it,” she said back.
“Then I’ll do it some more.”
He wasn’t kidding either. The more he pinched one nipple, the more he nibbled on the other. Her body was being assaulted with a combination of pain and pleasure like never before and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could go.
Water was splashing up and around them, her breathing was increasing, his back arching, sending him even deeper yet.
“Keep that up, Grey,” she said.
He did, bucking up, her slamming down. They had one hell of a rhythm and her body was almost singing out in joy over it.
“Just squeeze it out of me,” he told her. “You’re right there, I know you are.”
She bobbed up a few more times until she knew she was ready to come, then she sat down hard and held still letting him feel her squeezing and pulsing until he gripped her hips and started to slam into her, building up another group of explosions that had her shouting out his name.
21
Talk Shop
They were sitting at his island eating their pizza. She had a glass of wine in front of her; he had his beer. “So you like my tub?” he asked, smirking at her.
“Not as much as I liked what we did in it.”
“Maybe we can try some more another time?”
“I can’t wait to sit in the tub and just relax.” He held her stare. “Sorry, was that too presumptuous of me?”
“No.” He decided to just take a risk and put it out there. “What do we have?”
“It looks like we’ve got dinner at your island after some fabulous sex.”
He tilted his head. “You know what I mean. What is this we have between us? Is it just friends with benefits? Because the last time I checked, that definition was when one of us got an itch and not something that included lunch dates and pizza at the island.”
She put her half-eaten slice down and picked up her wine, downing most of it. “I really don’t know what we have. What do you want to have?”
“What do you want?” he asked back.
“We aren’t going to get anywhere if we do this,” she said.
“No. I guess I like what we have. I’d like more of it, but in my mind it’s more than just being friends. Sure, we’re friends. I like and respect you, but I’d like to say we are more in a relationship than the casual friends that you keep saying.”
“You’re saying it too,” she argued.
“In the beginning I was. Now I’m throwing it out there to get a reaction from you. To feel you out. It’s not working so I figured it was best to be truthful.”
“You want the truth? I guess I don’t know what this is or what I want, but I do think it’s more than what we agreed on. It feels that way to me and it’s kind of scary.”
“Because I represent everything you said you hated?” he asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know her answer to that but knew he had to ask.
“I guess there is a part of me that is pretty confused. I know you aren’t like the Calvins of the world. You never would be either. Though I felt the way I did about him after everything happened, and there were plenty of doctors that turned me off, there were plenty that were great guys too.”
“I get you had a bad experience. I want to say I’d back you if I were there, but the truth is if it didn’t concern me directly, I’d probably stay away like most did.”
“That’s exactly what happened. I expected it. I didn’t think people who didn’t know me were going to come to my defense. But I’m a damn good OR nurse and I had a great relationship with a lot of doctors. Many of them turned their noses at me when this happened. Others pretended they didn’t know me.”
“And it was hurtful?” he guessed.
“Not as hurtful as my friends that turned their back on me. The same nurses who were whispering about it themselves. But they saw how I was being labeled and treated and they didn’t want it to happen to them. I understood, I did. Standing up to Calvin wasn’t the first time I went to bat for others. I’d done it my whole life. I just never had it backfire like it did. It made me realize I should keep my mouth shut more now.”
He reached his hand over and laid it on hers. “I’m sorry you went through that. I’m sorry it’s still bothering you, but you did the right thing. Sometimes in life the right things hurt us though.”
He knew that all too well. Molly wasn’t right for him. Looking back, he realized everyone around him saw it but him.
When Molly left she broke his heart and shattered his trust in women for years.
Then he just decided work had to come first anyway. There’d be time for a relationship. There’d be time for a family.
Until he woke up at thirty-five and realized he was alone and wished he weren’t but couldn’t figure out how to fix it. How to open himself up.
He should thank Cori for her blind date setup rather than busting on her over it. Thank her that he discovered something with Sierra and that he
wanted so much more of.
“So what about you?” she asked. “What was right but hurt you in the end?”
“I told you,” he said. “My ex. We didn’t want the same things or at least at the same time. She decided not to wait for me to catch up.”
“Then it’s her loss,” she said.
“I’m beginning to think it was.”
“I think you’ve got enough food,” she said when he brought out chips and some dip.
“Do you think?”
“You cut up pepperoni and cheese and bought a veggie platter. I made potato salad and mac and cheese. Your mother is bringing dessert, Alexa is bringing pasta salad, and Rachel said she was bringing some more snacks. Don’t you think that’s enough with the steaks?”
“It is. We always have big meals like this,” he said. “And somehow Colt ends up always bringing drinks. I can’t figure it out.”
“You said he caters his own parties. Doesn’t he cook at all?”
“He does, but he’s kind of lazy too. If he’s out to impress a woman he is all over pretending he’s Bobby Flay. If it’s a family party, he brings the booze.”
Sierra looked around his kitchen island to make sure they were set when the doorbell rang and someone walked in.
“How come it’s always sunnier over here in Paradise?” Colt asked.
“Don’t be an ass,” Grey said.
“Hi, Sierra. I see you’re still hanging around. Grey hasn’t bored you to death yet.”
“He’s not boring,” she said, surprised to hear that.
“I forget you’re a nurse. You two probably talk shop all the time.”
“No,” she said. “Not really. Once we leave the hospital, that’s it. We spend more time talking about you.”
Colt’s smile dropped and Grey burst out laughing. “She got you there.”
Jake and Rachel came in, followed by Alexa and Grey’s parents. It was almost like they all drove together, though she heard a lot of random car doors to tell her otherwise.
