by K. C. Crowne
“Now that’s where you’re wrong – I’m not the lyin’ sort.”
One more laugh escaped me as I stepped into the master bathroom and shut the door. Patrick was a lot of things, but dull sure as hell wasn’t one of them. The man could make me laugh like no one else.
I slipped out of my robe as I approached the shower, turning on the hot water and waiting for it to warm. I stepped into the shower, the feeling of the steaming water on my skin pure pleasure. As much fun as the sex last night had been, I was ready to be clean.
I closed my eyes as I soaked my hair, letting the water and the soap do its thing. When I opened them, I gasped in fright. The door opened as a figure entered the bathroom.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning on going to the bathroom while I’m in here,” I said. “We haven’t known each other that long.”
He chuckled as he stepped over. As he got close, I could see that he was wearing nothing but his boxer-briefs. The sight sent a surge of heat through my pussy, and I gasped with desire.
“Nah, I thought I’d help a busy woman in the shower.” Patrick pulled open the shower door, taking off his underwear and tossing them aside.
“What the hell are you doing?”
He placed his big hands on my back, working the soap there into a lather. “Making sure every inch of you gets nice and clean.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him to get out of the shower. When his hands began to move down my back and over my soap-slicked curves, I knew there was no sense in denying what I wanted.
He placed his lips on my shoulder, his kiss moving up along the slope of my neck as he placed his right hand on the flat plane of my belly. He kept going down until I could feel his fingertips through the neatly trimmed hair above my core.
“Now,” he murmured. “I want you to close your eyes and think about your favorite part of yesterday. We had lots of fun, so you’ve got plenty to pick from.”
I bit my lip, closing my eyes and doing as he asked.
“Where are you right now?” he asked, his fingers sliding between my lips.
“I’m at the office, in the exam room. You’re on the chair, and I’m riding you.”
“Mmm, that was one of my favorite parts, too.” He slid his fingers inside me and I gasped, the pleasure sudden and intense. “Now where are you?”
“I’m…” I had to shift my weight from one foot to the other to even be able to speak. “I’m here. We’re in bed. And you’re on top of me, filling me over and over.”
“You like the way my cock feels inside you?” he asked.
His prick was totally hard and pressed against my ass. Part of me wanted to bend over and grab it, to take it in right then. But he wouldn’t have let it happen, I was sure of it.
“So fucking much,” I moaned.
His fingers moved in and out of me faster and faster, his thumb making perfect, steady circles around my clit. My hand shot out to the wet, tiled wall of the shower to hold myself up. My knees wobbled underneath me, and when the orgasm hit, Patrick wrapped his arm around my waist to hold me up, his other hand still penetrating me.
I leaned forward as the orgasm faded, taking in one deep breath after another. And when it was done, I was ready to return the favor. I turned and took his erect cock into my hand.
“Tell me what you want,” I whispered against his lips, my heart still racing.
“I want you to finish your shower and get ready for work.”
“Huh?”
He gently removed my hand from his stiff, wet cock. “We’ve got busy days ahead of us. I just wanted to make sure yours got off to a good start.”
“You’re something else,” I said, shaking my head at him.
He flashed me a mischievous grin before kissing me, then stepping out of the shower.
As he left, I couldn’t do a thing but watch him.
The man was perfect. And it scared the hell out of me.
Chapter 19
PATRICK
Two weeks later…
“And…it’s done.”
I was seated at the kitchen bar in the main house of Finn and Kenna’s estate. My brother and I were gathered in front of a laptop finalizing the contract for my donation to the clinic. Early evening light streamed in the through the western windows.
I hit send on the email to my money man. The computer made the “whoosh” sound of an email being delivered.
“That’s it,” Finn said, clapping his hand down on my back. “You’re now the top donor of the Westbrook Clinic.”
“Contract still needs to take a pass in front of my lawyer’s eyes,” I reminded him. “But I’m sure he’ll approve.”
“How does it feel?”
I sat back, pretty pleased with myself. “Damn good,” I confessed. “Happy that we’ve finally got this thing hammered out.”
“Paperwork and contracts and all that are no fun,” Finn agreed with a nod. “Best part is when the money finally gets into the hands of the people who need it.”
“And that should be next week,” I said. “Assuming this all goes through. Though I’ve already been donating a little money to the clinic on the sly.”
“That right?” Finn lifted an eyebrow.
“Yeah – the security situation there’s atrocious. Locks and that’s it. I hired a security firm to post a guard in the lobby for the time bein’. But when this cash goes through, they can outfit the clinic with proper security – cameras and motion sensors and an alarm system and all that.”
“That’ll be good. The clinic’s no good if people don’t feel safe goin’ there.”
“My thinkin’ exactly, brother.”
“Not to mention doctors might feel a little better about donatin’ their time if they’re not worried about safety.”
I took a sip from my beer, spinning the bottle a bit as I considered the plans for the clinic over the next few weeks and months.
“And what about Pitt?” I asked. “He still thinkin’ of bringin’ the clinic under his wing?”
“That’s the talk. I know Duncan’s had big plans to open some free clinics. Westbrook would be a solid place to start – it’s already up and runnin’, after all.”
Finn rose from his seat and stepped around the kitchen bar, opening the cabinet above the tall, stainless steel fridge and taking out a bottle of whiskey.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked with a grin, craning my neck to catch a glimpse of the label.
“Redbreast twenty-one year,” he said, flicking up his eyebrows as he showed me the bottle. “Best Irish whiskey there is, if you ask me. Figured big plans deserve a good toast.”
“Don’t need to ask me twice.”
He fetched a pair of shot glasses from another cupboard and filled them to the brim with the gorgeous, amber liquid. My mouth watered in anticipation as he set one of them in front of me.
“To big plans,” I said, raising my glass.
“And not just with the clinic.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Drink and I’ll tell you.”
We tapped glasses, speaking out a slainte in unison before throwing back the whiskey. It burned just right, the rich, nutty flavor washing over my tongue, the booze warming me as soon as it settled in my belly. Nothing tasted better, aside from the kiss of a certain Dr. Lola Bridges.
“Now,” I said, setting the shot glass onto the bar. “What’s this talk about?”
He took out two drinking glasses and poured a finger for me and himself. “Had to grab somethin’ from the guest house yesterday. And when I went in there, I couldn’t help but notice you had Zillow up on your computer. Nosy brother I am, I took a closer look and saw you were checkin’ out home prices for the area.”
“Busted,” I said with a grin.
“Busted indeed. And I know things have been goin’ well with Lola…”
“Just stuff I’m thinkin’ about. Still need to have a conversation with her about it.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “But for what it’s worth, you know I’d love to have you in town. And that’s to say nothin’ of how the kids and Kenna would feel about it.”
I sipped my drink, considering the matter. My phone buzzed in my pocket – a text from Lola letting me know she was ten minutes away.
“Speakin’ of Lola,” I said, flipping the screen toward Finn and letting him see. He nodded. “I need to run to the guest house and get a few things in order. Mind sendin’ her back when she gets here?”
“My pleasure, brother.” The glint in his eye revealed he was thrilled as all hell about the idea of his brother finding someone.
I was thrilled about it, too. As I headed to the guest house, I thought about the last couple of weeks that I’d spent with Lola. We’d been damn near inseparable since the evening I’d gone to visit her at the clinic, when we’d had our fun in the exam room, and it hadn’t been the only time we’d hooked up after hours at the clinic since then.
We’d had so much fun together, meeting nearly evening after work. We explored the city and the nature surrounding it, and Lola had accompanied me on more than a few photo trips. We ate food, we saw sights, we made love. And each time I saw her, I’d become more and more certain there was something happening between us, something real, something that you only found once in a lifetime.
That feeling was enough to get me thinking about my future, whether or not I really wanted to spend the rest of my life travelling, totally unattached and rootless. In a way, it was scary as hell. I’d been so damn certain of myself and what I wanted only for an amazing woman to arrive in my life and turn it all upside down in the best way possible.
I was in the guest house checking my email when a soft knock sounded at the door. I leaned back in my seat to see that it was the woman herself. I grinned, my heart skipping a beat the way it always did when I saw her.
“There she is,” I said, putting my hands on her hips and pulling her into the house.
She let out a happy shriek as I yanked her inside. “And here you are,” she replied once inside.
We gazed into each other’s eyes the way we always seemed to, gazing and smiling, needing nothing more than to be in each other’s company. Then we kissed, her lips sending a surge of electricity through my body as it always did. My cock stiffened in my jeans, and after a few moments of her mouth on mine, all I wanted was to pull her over to the bed and make love to her.
“Now,” she said, taking her lips from mine. “Pretty sure we’re thinking the same thing.”
“Is that right?” I asked with a challenging smile.
“I mean, you’re not exactly making it a secret.” She placed her hand on my cock and gave it a gentle squeeze. The sensation of her hand on me pushed me to the limits of my desire – I wanted her so badly it hurt. “Buuut…”
“Buuut?”
“Kenna and the kids showed up at the same time as me. And they brought some pizza with them to celebrate your finalizing your donation to the clinic. So…”
“So might not be a good idea to keep them waiting while we have a quickie.”
She nodded. “And besides…” Her hand traveled to my cock again. “I’ve been thinking about you as much as I’m sure you’ve been thinking about me. And a quickie isn’t what I want.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. What I’ve got in mind is you and me going nice and slow…”
“God, I love it when you talk like that.”
She smiled. “Have to say, you’re about the only man who’s ever brought it out of me.”
“Now that’s an honor. And deal – pizza now, dessert later.”
We sealed it with a kiss. She stepped back and looked around. I realized this was the first time she’d seen the guest house since our relationship had grown serious.
“This is you place, huh?” she asked. “It’s quaint.”
“It is, but it’s cozy and it’s all I need for the moment. Though I have been thinkin’…”
“About what?” She sat down next to me, unzipping her puffy, dark green coat as she did.
“Been thinkin’ about puttin’ down some roots, maybe findin’ somethin’ a bit more…permanent.”
“Wow. That’s certainly some news. What’s got you thinking this way?”
“Well, it’s been damn good bein’ here with my brother and his family. Fun to be the cool uncle, you know? And then there’s the matter of a certain woman I met while I was here.”
Her eyes flashed with surprise. “You’re serious? You’re thinking of staying here because of me?”
“You’re one reason among many, gorgeous,” I said, not a shred of hesitation to my voice.
She appeared conflicted, glancing down at the small Ikea coffee table in front of the couch. “That’s…sweet.”
I frowned. “You don’t seem too enthused.”
“It’s not that,” she rushed to assure me. “It’s not that I don’t like the idea of it. It’s more that I’m still unsure of where this is going between us. How do you know we’re going to last? Aren’t you afraid it’s too early to be making big life decisions like that?”
“You’re right – it’s all still new between you and me. But Lola, I’m the kind of man who goes with what my gut tells me. And right now, it’s screaming that you and I have somethin’ special.”
“But what if it doesn’t work out? What if I decide I can’t balance work and a relationship, or hell, you turn out to be a total asshole.” She smiled slightly at this last statement.
“Then we’ll deal with that if it happens. I go with what life throws at me, yeah? All I know is that I’d be a damn fool if I didn’t see how what we have plays out.”
Relief appeared on her face along with a warm smile. I leaned over and kissed her. “Now,” I said. “We’ve got more pressin’ matters to attend to, if you ask me.”
“You mean dinner?”
I hopped off the couch and stepped over to the closet, opening it and taking out the small bag of toys Lola and I had bought for the kids during our last trip downtown.
“That’s right,” Lola said, getting up. “Gotta make sure those kids are good and spoiled.”
“And I got a little somethin’ for Finn and Kenna.” I reached in the bag and pulled out a framed picture – the final version of the fox photo.
“Wow,” she breathed after staring at it. “That’s amazing.”
I was proud as hell of the shot, to be honest. I’d punched up the colors, giving the picture of the fox a dramatic, movie-like presentation. “Figured I’d give them the first one before I started shoppin’ it around to the nature magazines.”
“You’ve got some real talent, you know that?”
“Just a little knack I’ve got,” I said with a wink. “Now, let’s get in there.”
We kissed again before we headed out of the guest house. The sun had dipped low since Lola had arrived, the western sky a wild orange over the mountains. Scenery like that only made me more certain of my decision to stay in Denver – sunsets like those were a photographer’s dream.
The kids went wild when we entered the house. Guinness, their new black lab puppy, galloped clumsily to greet us as we walked in the back door.
I was ready for some celebrating. And more than that, I was ready for another evening with the woman I couldn’t get enough of.
Chapter 20
LOLA
If I hadn’t been a fan of Patrick before, that evening would’ve done the job.
The kids had rushed up to us the second we’d walked in, both oohing and aahing over the gifts we’d brought. And to my surprise, the twins were crazy about the fox photo, wanting to know all the details about the little animal in the shot. They’d asked if the fox was Patrick’s, if it let him pet it, if he could bring it over to the house so they could meet him. And he’d teased them, telling them he’d have to go back to the forest and talk to the fox, tell him the idea – the fox was shy, he’d explained.
The evening had been a w
ild whirlwind of activity. The kids and the puppy ran around like mad, Patrick joining in and getting them even more hopped up. Only when the kids were full of pizza and ice cream did they calm down enough to get them to bed. Patrick had carried them upstairs with Finn, each taking a twin.
The sight of Sophie’s little head resting on his shoulder as he carried her up, her eyelids heavy with sleep…it was about the most precious thing I’d ever seen in my life. The man was born to be a father. But the question was, did he want to be one? He wanted to put down some roots, to make Denver his home – at least for the time being. It was a long distance from that to wanting to be a father, however. And on top of it all, I still wasn’t certain that being a mother was what I wanted.
Regardless of what I might decide, my short time with Patrick made me think about subjects I hadn’t considered in a long, long time. Was it a sign that there was something serious happening between us? Something real?
Patrick trotted down the stairs alone. “The twins have requested their ma,” he said to Kenna.
“Oh, where’s my head?” Kenna asked as she set down her glass of wine and rose. “As if those kids would go to bed without their good night kiss.” She turned her attention to me and flashed a mischievous smile, glancing over at Patrick as he approached. “We’ll finish this later.”
“Of course, we will.”
We’d been chatting about Patrick, of course. Kenna wanted to know all the dirty details about what was going on between us. And I’d played it close to the chest, not wanting to speak out of turn. After all, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted.
“So,” Patrick said, dropping into the seat where Kenna had been. “Somethin’ I wanted to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”
He reached over to one of the pizza boxes, tearing off a piece of crust and popping it in his mouth. “Got a photography trip ahead. And I want you to come with me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to me to go on a trip? To where? When?”
“Told you I was doin’ that book on the secret, haunted places in America, yeah? First one is the Stanley Hotel.”