Surrender to the Stars: An Enemies to Lovers, Hospital Romance

by Swati MH

  I unhurriedly drag my eyes down to her mouth, letting the electricity crackle between us, when her tongue peeks out, wetting her soft pink lips--the same ones I’ve thought about all fucking day. My body responds with unabashed pleasure, my thin pajama bottoms doing nothing to hide my straining hard-on against her stomach. As if to eliminate even the tiniest of space between us, I press her farther into me, seeking friction, my hand squeezing the bottom of her delicious ass. She stares at me--her eyes a mixture of surprise and lust--and the smallest moan escapes her.

  My voice comes out as a growl from the lion’s den. “Cassie.”

  That’s it. That’s all it takes for her to close the small gap between our mouths. She presses her lips to mine, her eyelids fluttering closed on their own accord. I slide one hand up her back to burrow my fingers at the nape of her neck while my other sweeps across her cheek, caressing her soft skin. Her lips are wet and plump, like fruit hanging in a spring garden. My tongue traces the valley in between her lips, pleading entry as she grasps the short hairs on the back of my head, pulling gently. She parts her lips, breathing another moan into my mouth and securing her spot as the most delicious woman I’ve ever tasted.

  I want to swallow her, order her in every flavor. If I never drink again, I’d die a happy man.

  Our tongues collide like entangled dancers exploring a new stage, and I feel the vibration of her heart on my chest almost in rhythm with my own. Without breaking contact, I walk her backward into my living room, guiding her to the couch. Her eyes open, exploring mine, a familiar hesitation surfacing again.

  “Do you want to stop?” I ask, though I’m praying that she doesn’t.

  Her gaze shifts almost imperceptibly from mine to my lips before she shakes her head, sending relief soaring through me.

  Cupping her face, I wait for her eyes to meet mine. “Just for tonight, just for this moment, get out of your head, sweetheart. Don’t think about a single thing except being here with me. Let me show you how much I want you. How long I’ve wanted you.”

  Tonight, I’ll show her exactly how I’ve been feeling. Tomorrow, I’ll deal with those feelings.

  She leans into me, kissing me again and pulling me down onto the couch with her. I raise myself on my forearms, my body hovering over hers, the impatient organ between my legs begging to be freed. I break away from her mouth and kiss along the soft skin of her jaw to her neck. Sliding the strap of her dress across her shoulder, I pull it down, exposing the skin above her breast. She writhes below me, pushing her hips up to meet mine, telling me exactly what she likes with just soft exhales.

  We adjust in sync as she leans forward and unzips her dress. I pull it off of her, throwing it to crumple onto the floor. Taking in the sight of her delicious creamy skin, I run a thumb over the feather tattoo under her breast and then over her nipple, erect under her cream-colored strapless bra. She pants, telling me exactly how much she wants this.

  How can anyone be so beautiful in the most effortless way? There’s not a lick of makeup on her, but the natural flush of her cheeks, the long curls of her eyelashes, and the perfect pout of her lips would have runway models envious.

  Slipping my hand behind her back, I unhook her bra and throw it near the heap of her dress. I stare at the sight of her gorgeous breasts, begging to be teased and sucked. Readying to do exactly that, I cover one nipple with my mouth, pulling it between my teeth, while cupping the other. She bucks under me. “Oh, God!” Moving to the other one, I do the same--rolling the tip of her breast leisurely around my tongue, feeling the hardened bud between my teeth.

  I could listen to her moans all night.

  Soon she’s pushing on my shoulders, silently telling me to move farther down and I’m more than happy to oblige. As I make my way down to her flat stomach, tasting as much skin as I can in one go, I cup the apex between her thighs, feeling the heat of her wet panties on my fingertips. The proof of her desire has me feeling crazed, like a caveman having discovered fire. “You’re so wet. Just for me.”

  She writhes again, a slight hiss escaping her lips. “Please.”

  Sliding her panties to the side, I glide a finger over her wet mound and then slowly inside her, eliciting a loud moan. “Tell me, little firecracker, how much do you want me?”

  Not surprisingly, she doesn’t respond. Instead, she pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and closes her lids, still squirming under me. Loving that I know how desperate I’m making her, I pump my finger inside of her a couple of times before pulling it out teasingly. “I guess I have your answer, then.”

  “No! Please,” she pants, her hand squeezing my shoulder. “Put it back!”

  I lick the skin above her panties, rubbing the palm of my hand along her thigh. “Then tell me how much you want me.”

  She shakes her head side to side, unyielding. Stubborn as always.

  Dragging my fingers into her panties again, I use one to slide along her slick opening without giving her more. Her hips leap under my hand, trying to chase the friction. My eyes lock with hers, challenging, letting her know exactly what she has to lose.

  “Fine! I want you, okay? I’ve wanted you for just as long. Now fucking finish me or you’re going to get punched in the face!” A flash of hot anger crosses her face and if I wasn’t hard enough already, now I’m about to explode.

  I’ve wanted you for just as long.

  I chuckle, not able to decide what surprises me more--her words or the fact that she’s actually here in my living room, lying underneath me. Not risking her bolting out of here after her surprisingly candid admission, I happily give into her demand. Dragging her panties off, I take in the sight of her bare before me. She’s exquisite, like an original masterpiece.

  Taking off my T-shirt and dropping my pajama pants to the ground, I kneel in between her legs and look up at the pinks in her cheeks. She watches me in anticipation like she’s been waiting to unwrap a present, and a present is what I’ll give her--something that’ll ruin her for anyone after me. Slipping my tongue into her folds, I lick from bottom to top. She whimpers, her eyes rolling back into her head before they flutter shut. “Cassie, I need your eyes on me. Watch me make you come undone.”

  This time she keeps her defiance at bay. Opening her eyes, she shoves her hand into my hair, tilting forward to watch me. I go to work doing exactly what I promised--lapping at her, licking, sucking, pulling at her pulsing arousal. She mewls, her fingers pulling my hair. “Please, Vik, don’t stop.”

  I don’t plan on it.

  Knowing exactly what she needs, I thrust two fingers inside her, working her as I slowly continue to feast on her. “You taste like dessert.” And I could devour her every night. The thought passes through me as I continue to please her. It’s not lost on me that I haven’t had such a thought in years. Within minutes, she’s screaming, gripping my head to her as if I’d slide away if she didn’t. Arching under me, she lets out a long moan as she finds her release.

  Slowly making my way up her body, I kiss her glistening skin with abandon, like I’ve wanted to since I saw her this morning. I nuzzle into her neck, my hands roaming around her breasts, feeling her heartbeat decelerate. “Are you all burned up, little firecracker, or do you have more in you?”

  She hears the teasing in my voice and wraps her legs around my waist. “Please. I was just getting started. The question is, can you handle more?”

  “I can handle everything you have to give me. Give me everything you’ve got.” The truth of that statement hits me differently than she likely heard. She takes it as mere words, but she has no idea that I’ve never demanded that before--not in the same way. I push the thought to the back of my mind to ponder later.

  With that, she presses on my shoulders to push me off before facing the backrest of the couch, giving me a delightful view of her delectable ass. Momentarily caught off guard, I smirk before stripping out of my boxers and reaching for the foil in my wallet.

  She’s full of surprises tonight.

 
14

  Cassie

  You’re naturally protective--certainly of your loved ones but also of your heart. So, it’s not a surprise that when Mercury is in retrograde this week, you protect that heart of yours even more fiercely than usual.

  I’ve heard of people having out-of-body experiences--a feeling of floating above one’s body and looking down at all the action like an invisible narrator. That’s precisely the feeling I’m having as Vik prepares my body to be ravished and claimed.

  Again.

  What happened to the Cassie who weighs each potential reaction for every action? Which version of me willingly walked up the flight of stairs to Vik’s apartment and asked him to finish her? Where am I thinking this will go? This is Vik Bedi we’re talking about; the same guy who has a contact list of willing sexual participants long enough to reach the Atlantic. I’m not supposed to be on that list! I’ve never been on that list!

  Nor will I ever be.

  This has to be a one night thing. Tomorrow, the previous inhabitant of this mind and body--the old, sensible Cassie--will resume her daily scheduled program. It’ll be like it never happened. It’s not like Vik would mind anyway. If the gossip amongst the nurses is true, the guy has yet to be with anyone twice. So, in a way, I’m playing by his rules and this is fairly convenient for us both. We’ll allow ourselves this one night of unrestrained fun and be rid of the tension that’s been stirring between us for the past couple of weeks. Once it’s out of our system, we’ll just resume business as usual. It’s pretty simple, really.

  So why do I feel like it’s not?

  Maybe because I’m not the girl who has a wild night and wakes up unfazed. Maybe because I’m the girl who's careful, considers the consequences, and stays on the straight and narrow. Because the last time I was less than careful, it left me with an irreparable wound so deep, that no matter how many babies I help save, no matter how much of myself I devote to others, it’s always ready to open back up.

  My mind is in a war of conflicting thoughts and opposing arguments, with a devil and an angel on each shoulder. Except, currently, the angel’s mouth is covered with heavy duty duct tape and her hands and feet tied. Somehow when it comes to Vik, the devil always has the last word. The smug look on my devil’s face says, “Be selfish for a night. Live for the moment and not by a carefully planned itinerary. It’s been too long since you did that, honey--hell, it may have been forever.”

  Who can argue with the devil?

  My body crackles under Vik’s touch like high voltage electricity. Turning my head slightly, I watch to make sure Vik sheaths himself. I’m on the pill, but one can never be too careful. One glance at the organ he’s currently holding and a buzz of panic fires through me. Holy hell, I really hope I’m able to walk tomorrow after being mauled by that. My eyes glaze over the outline of his chiseled abs and the way his thick forearm twitches as he pumps himself once. I almost orgasm just from the sight. He’s so delectable, it should be considered a sin!

  I didn’t miss the flicker of surprise that crossed his face when I moved into this position. Little does he know, it surprised me just the same. I’ve never been one to explore a wilder side, but that’s not the only reason I decided to let him take me from behind.

  There was something vulnerable, something intangible and deep that passed between us when I locked eyes with him earlier. My body shook both from the force of the strongest climax I’ve ever had and the tremor of fear that ran through it. His eyes begged me to give in, to let him get closer, to give him the keys to a kingdom with a vacant throne. Nothing prepared me for that exchange--full of false promises and unkept secrets. My heart begged me to give in, to cave to the desire taking shape somewhere under the surface, but some piece of my rational brain warned me that this was exactly what I couldn’t do. It told me that even though I was letting my body take center stage in this experience, my heart needed to stay hidden in the backstage shadows.

  Because he’d surely crumble it if he got a hold of it.

  And I wouldn’t let that happen again.

  Since the time I met him a year ago to the time I reacquainted with him recently, Vik has slowly taken over every reasonable thought in my mind. Now, he’s taken over anything my body has ever experienced with another man and lit it on fire. It will no longer remember anything but Vik’s needy and bruising touch. He just releveled the playing field and reset the score to zero. Any experience of the flesh with anyone else from here on out will be substandard in comparison.

  Damn it! Why couldn’t he have been awful in bed?

  Vik grabs my hips on either side and lowers his face to my ear. “Buckle up, little firecracker. You’re in for a hell of a ride.”

  A hum of energy races through me from the tinge of his heated skin against my back. I’m already dripping with need but his gritty voice takes me over the edge. “Don’t waste your energy on words, Doctor Bedi. Less talk, more act--”

  Before I can even finish my retort, Vik thrusts into me so hard and deep that I almost feel him in my chest. The last word out of my mouth turns into gibberish as I feel the fullness of him inside me. He stops momentarily, circling his hips and making my insides pulse. I hear him groan. “God, you feel so good. So fucking tight.”

  I press back against him, letting him know that he needs to continue what he started and he needs to do it fast! Vik chuckles, knowing exactly what I’m demanding before pulling back and driving into me again. “So impatient.”

  Each thrust, each push eclipses the previous one, hurling me to the brink of insanity. Holding onto my hips, he continues, finding a rhythm that makes my body sing, rising to crescendo, and keeping it there for a few delicious seconds before shattering into a million pieces.

  Vik leans into me, dragging one of his hands from my hips, past the sides of my breasts, all the way to my hand grasping the backrest. Entangling our fingers together, he nuzzles his face into my hair, breathing me in. He uses his other hand to run his fingers through my slick mound again and I shudder from the movement. “You have no idea how fucking crazy you make me. Your insolent mouth, your round ass, and that golden confetti in your eyes. I feel like I’m starving when I’m near you.”

  That makes two of us.

  I reach behind me and grab onto the back of his neck, bringing him closer, chasing his intoxicating woodsy smell. I want it all over me. I want to capture it and take it home with me so I can wake up in it tomorrow.

  “I don’t just want you breathy, sweetheart . . .. I want you breathless.” Kissing my neck, he picks up the pace, hitting the exact spot that’s sure to have me seeing stars again in the next few seconds. Over and over.

  Three. Two. One . . ..

  I explode like a match to gunpowder, my head rolling back as I scream his name, digging my fingers deeper into the sofa. Within moments, Vik’s heavy breaths are in my ear and I swear, I could climax again just from that. Driving into me with more urgency, he pursues his release before groaning as he surrenders to the same exhilaration, spilling deep inside me.

  We rock against each other, trying to bring our heart rates back to normal levels. Goosebumps cover my body as the intensity and reality of the past few minutes hit me.

  I just had sex with Vik, the man I vowed to stay away from.

  Maybe this is just one of my more vivid dreams and I’ll wake up and feel . . . what? Sad that it didn’t really happen? Or relieved that it was all just a beautiful dream?

  Vik kisses the side of my head before untangling our fingers and straightening to pull out of me. When he walks to his bathroom, I search for my clothes and dress as quickly as possible.

  I need to get out of here. I need to clear my head.

  What the hell have I done?

  How did I let this happen?

  I hear the water running in his bathroom before his voice comes through. “Don’t you dare sneak out of here like a scared little weasel.” I gawk at the closed bathroom door. “I bought us your favorite snacks, and you promised me one n
ight. You don’t want to owe me again . . . or do you?” His voice is full of silky, pompous threats.

  I don’t recall any promise . . ..

  Before I can make up my mind, Vik comes out wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms and I almost drool from the side of my mouth. Good Lord, he is gorgeous, as if he should be encased in glass and admired from the outside. I shamelessly marvel at his disheveled dark hair, broad shoulders, and defined biceps as he walks toward me with a smug smile on his face.

  He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, and he loves it.

  Taking my purse from my hands and putting it back on the coffee table, he pulls me next to him on the couch, tucking me into his side and running the tip of his finger, like a whisper, up my arm, eliciting a blanket of goosebumps. “How was your date?”

  What date?

  I’m still trying to get my thoughts in order. Is this how this works with him? First he gives a woman multiple mind-bending orgasms, and then he settles in for chitchat? Can I even have a casual conversation with him given what just took place on this very sofa?

  Scooting away from his heady scent and gorgeous tan skin, I turn to him. “Vik, I don’t know how this works with you and others, but this can’t happen between us again. It was a lapse in judgment on my part and . . ..” I pinch the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut to avoid looking into his and swallow the lump forming in my throat. “We need to act like this never happened.”

  His warm hand encircles my wrist, gently pulling it down, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Why?”

  “Why, what?”

  “Why do we need to act like it never happened? We both had a great time and enjoyed each other’s company, so why pretend we didn’t?”

  Exasperated, I exhale. Why doesn’t he get the fact that he’ll break me? “Because we’re very different people. Because we want very different things. You’re looking for a good time for a night--maybe two if I’m lucky--and I’m looking for someone to hold on to every night. I don’t want to feel like a tissue, used a couple of times before being discarded and forgotten. I’ve made that mistake before--given my heart out too freely, trusted too quickly, and gotten burned too deeply--and I can’t do it again.