by Aliyah Burke
“I’d like to think so.” He curved a hand around the nape of her neck. “And I’d like it continue the way it’s heading.”
Butterflies fluttered in her gut. What would Tara and Shai think? That I was considering having a relationship with someone who was supposed to be a week fuck? Will I have the ability to keep it so I don’t fall and end up getting hurt? “Arizona and Iowa aren’t exactly neighbors, you know.”
He quirked a brow. “I’m aware of the geography. That’s minor. We can work logistics out for that. We have phones and can both travel.”
She sank her fingers into the hair along the nape of his neck. “That’s the other thing. You’re off a lot traveling the world helping people. What if there is a hot doctor where you go? Or nurse?”
Find reasons to keep it just fun and not serious. I have to keep myself safe from being hurt.
“Then they stay hot outside of my tent or room. I won’t stray, Eva. That’s not the type of man I am. I’ve been surrounded by women in skimpy bikinis since I arrived and none of them mattered to me until you walked into my line of sight. Only one woman here had the power to kick my libido into high gear. You.”
She dragged her tongue along her lower lip. He’s not making this easy. One of the main differences between him and previous men she’d been with, if they’d tried something like that, she wouldn’t have believed them for a second, but the words when they came off his lips, she fell for. Hook, line and sinker. He made her long to trust him. To believe what he said.
“I would be committed to our relationship. May need a lot of phone sex or video chat but I wouldn’t cheat.”
His sincerity floored her. A lot of the men she knew and casually dated wouldn’t have been so candid with her. Well, perhaps about the phone sex bit, but not what he wanted. “Phone sex and video chat, huh?”
“What am I supposed to say? But, yes, I want to hear your sexy voice on the phone, whispering naughty things in my ear as I jack off. Or watch you as you play with my pussy.” He slid two fingers up the leg of her shorts and grazed along her slit. “Pushing your fingers in and out, begging for my cock, wishing I was with there with you to lap your cream and fuck you. Have you on my face so I can eat your pussy while you are deep throating my cock.”
Eva gulped and rocked against his stiffening dick as well as his fingers teasing her clit with featherlike flicks. I wish I wasn’t wearing any clothing. And he called it ‘his’ pussy.
This man had turned her into a nymphomaniac. A label she’d wear proudly from this day forward. However, I believe this affliction will only be when it involves this man.
“Oh, God,” she whimpered. “I think that’s something we could arrange.”
“So, is that a yes?”
She gyrated her hips, bringing his fingers harder on her nub. “Yes.” The moan fell from her lips as she allowed her head to drop back. God, he was going to kill her. But she’d go with a huge ass smile on her face.
Grant tightened his grip and drew her face closer to his until they were nose to nose. “You and I will find a way to make this work, Eva Monroe.”
Damn, she loved the way her name rolled off his tongue. If he were the devil, she’d buy whatever he wanted to sell or give up anything he asked just to hear it again. And she told him such.
His chuckle wasn’t any less decadent. “So if I told you to get out of these clothes?”
“They’d be gone in a second.” She panted, still using his fingers as she wished but craving the cock that remained hidden behind a barrier of clothing.
“Good.” He finally pushed a finger deep inside her and kissed her as her moan escaped.
Their tongues twined around each other, stroking, sliding, rolling. In and out his fingers moved as she came around it. As the shocks ran through her, he added another and moved them faster.
He broke the kiss and took a quick bite to her lower lip and gave her a wicked grin. “Not now.”
She almost pouted. Instead, she recalled her stating she wanted to know more about him.
“You have another two hours of no sex. You have any more questions?” Grant tapped her on the end of her nose.
She released his hair and climbed off his lap, ready to jump him once more the moment he sucked his fingers in his mouth, cleaning off her cream. Keeping it all on the sex would be difficult because she truly did like him and wanted to know more about what made him tick.
“Tell me about what it’s like being part of that organization. I mean do you live in huts while you’re out there? Tents? Or nice hotels?” Eva stood and shimmed out of her shorts and panties.
Grant’s focus lasered in on her in seconds and a low growl emerged from his throat. “What are you doing?” he croaked.
She stared at the tent in his own shorts. “Asking you questions.” She pulled off her shirt and let it fall to the floor, leaving her completely naked. “And waiting for an answer.” With a smile, she smoothed her hands down her body before she walked to stand between his legs. Bending at the waist, she took hold of his shorts band and tugged. “Lift up.”
He did with a grunt and she pulled. Grant’s thick erection popped free and she ignored it for a second—not easy to do—to drag the shorts off the rest of the way. “I’m waiting for an answer.”
“To what?”
“My question. Where do you stay when you’re in these other countries? We don’t call them third world anymore. So what, underdeveloped? Isn’t that the correct term?”
He cleared his throat a few times. “Yes. And usually, I’m staying in huts or tents. No nice hotels where we are. We go where people need the most help, and that’s typically not in an area where there are nice hotels.”
“Running water?” She gestured at him. “Shirt off.”
He complied, and when he was as naked as she, she climbed back on his lap, aligning his cock against her wetness.
“What?” His question was low and rough, sounding as if he’d gargled with a bucket of gravel.
She rotated her hips. “Just asking if there was running water?”
“Not always, no.” His breathing had changed.
“Okay, let’s finish out this two-hour-question-and-answer period I still have.” She pressed close, her breasts mashing against his chest. “This is going to be fun. No sex, remember?”
“You’re going to pay for this torture, Eva,” he warned.
“I’m looking forward to that.” She nipped his shoulder and rubbed her slit along his length once more. “More than you could possibly imagine.”
* * * *
Grant pulled away from Eva’s mouth. He didn’t want to let her go to get on his plane. She’d accompanied him to the airport, herself having another two days here. “I could extend my stay.”
“You have patients waiting for you, Grant. Go on, get on the plane.”
“I’m going to miss you, Eva Monroe.”
“Likewise.” She hugged him tightly as if she loathed to let him go.
He would be fine with that, not keen on leaving her here as it was.
“We have numbers and you’ll call when you land, so go. Thank you, for making this the perfect vacation for me.” She cupped his cheek.
Resting his forehead against hers, he inhaled deeply, allowing her scent to wash over him once more. Dammit, it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he’d gone and done something stupid like fall in love with her. He wasn’t a boy who played games. He was a man who knew what or who he wanted. And now that he’d found her, he didn’t want to let her go.
They shared one more kiss, then he lifted his bag and walked inside the airport. Turning back, she waved with a smile and climbed in the taxi before it pulled away from the curb. He continued on to his flight.
As he settled in to his seat, he sent her a text telling her he was about to take off. Her responding text came within seconds.
Have a safe flight.
Call you when I land.
Her smiley face had his lips turning up a tiny bit. He
turned off his phone as they backed away from the gate and stored it as they taxied. The moment they hit cruising altitude, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Dozing was the best he’d accomplished by the time the plane landed in Phoenix. He walked off the plane and dug for his phone. As he waited at baggage claim, he didn’t call his sister but instead called Eva.
She didn’t pick up and his heart sank. Had she found someone else?
Christ, now I’m whining like a little bitch.
Moments later, his phone vibrated. He looked at it and smiled.
Sorry, on call with my sister. Will call you back when I’m done? Hope you had a good flight.
He smiled until he glanced around, wondering if people were watching him and thinking he was grinning like an idiot. Then decided he didn’t give a damn.
Looking forward to it.
Grabbing his bag from the conveyor belt, he strode for the exit and the parking garage. He slid his phone in his pocket and picked up his pace, wanting to be away from the crowds when she called him back. At his vehicle, he unlocked the hatch and tossed in his suitcase. Slipping behind the wheel, he plugged in his phone after he started the engine.
He yanked the parking stub from the visor and shifted into gear to get to the cashier. After paying for his stay, he headed out of Phoenix to his apartment in Glendale. He was tired and wanted nothing more than a shower and some uninterrupted sleep.
Still nothing from Eva, so he dropped his bag by the foot of his bed, stripped from his traveling clothes and walked naked to his bathroom. Reaching in to turn on the water, he put the dirty clothes in his hamper. He put his phone on the bathroom counter, then stepped into the hot stream and groaned.
His muscles were cramped from the flight. He didn’t fly first class because he was cheap and tended to save his money to splurge on things when he was overseas. The water pelted his shoulders and he stood there for a moment, enjoying the massage. He washed with his Irish Spring body wash and closed his eyes as he thought of the showers he’d shared with Eva over the past couple of days. His dick stiffened at the thought of her creamy skin lathered with suds.
He ran his hands over his chest, wishing they were hers. Her softer touch that could be firm around his dick as she stroked him.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he held his shaft, pinched the head and took a deep breath. Up and down, he fisted himself, the soap making the gliding motion smooth and slick.
Slick like Eva when she’s aroused. Not as hot or tight as her, though, even if he gripped harder. He jerked faster, widening his stance, imagining her kneeling between them, blue eyes up on his face as she sucked him into her mouth.
“Fuck,” he uttered.
The swaying of her breasts as she rode him or he fucked her from behind, holding those globes in his hands, pinching and twisting her nipples. The way her pussy sucked him in and didn’t want to let him go. All of it ran on a loop in his mind’s eye as he jerked off in the rising steam.
He rested his arm on the tile wall of the shower and breathed heavily as he pulled faster. His balls drew tight and he hissed in a breath. Grant came with a low roar as his release shot free.
It wasn’t what he craved, but it would do for now. At least until he got his hands on Eva and had her with him.
Finishing up his shower, he stepped out onto the thick mat and reached for a towel. He’d finished tying it around his waist when his cell began to ring. Heart skipping a few beats, he grabbed for it with a smile on his face. One that fell when he saw his sister was calling.
Not that he didn’t want to talk to her, but most, he wanted Eva’s voice in his ear.
“What’s up, sis?”
“Dad had an accident and is in the hospital. I’m booking us flights to Italy. We leave in three hours. Grab a bag and meet me here.”
It took his mind a few moments to process what she’d stated. “What happened?”
“Myocardial infarction.” A few deep breaths. “It’s serious, Grant. He’s going to need a CABG. There are also some complications, but Mom couldn’t spit it out. She needs us with her right now.”
His legs trembled. Shit. The blockage of his arteries was so severe he needed to have a coronary artery bypass graft surgery? He smoothed a hand down his face, wiping off the water dripping down from his hair. “How many vessels?”
“Quadruple.”
“How did we not know about this? I know Mom watches what he eats and they exercise, so how the hell did we miss the signs?”
“You know as well as I do that it may not be noticeable.” Her voice grew muffled for a moment before getting louder again. “Don’t be late, Grant. I have our tickets. Bring your passport.”
“I’m on my way.”
Dressed in minutes, he dumped his vacation clothing out of his bag and shoved in new. Bag in hand, he scooped up his keys and phone then headed back out the door he’d just come in a short time ago.
He made it to the airport in record time. His sister texted him where to meet her and he parked before rushing in. She stood where she’d said she’d be and he took her in for a moment. She looked small and tiny, the baby sister he used to protect and tease, not the capable woman he knew she was.
This had her rattled to the core.
“Lucy,” he said, approaching her.
“Grant, thank God.” She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. “What if—”
“No.” He refused to consider that in any regard. “Do not even go there. He’s strong. We have to be strong for Mom.”
She nodded, released him, and wiped off her cheeks. “Right. Let’s go.” Digging into her pocket, she pulled out his ticket. “Here you go.”
They made their way to security and through that, with an extra pat down, they were on their way to the gate. He pulled out his cell after they reached there and checked to see if he’d missed the call from Eva.
Nothing.
He could go for hearing her voice right about now. Instead of calling, he sent her a text message.
About to board a plane for Italy. Will call you later after I land.
“Who’s put the silly grin on your face?” Lucy asked as he sat beside her.
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, big brother. I never seen that look on your face before, so I’m assuming it’s from a girl. Who is she? What does she do? Where does she live? When do we get to meet her?”
“Slow down there, sis.” He shook his head over her grin. At least she wasn’t crying, so he could take her ribbing. Besides, he did want them to meet. He didn’t have any plans of allowing Eva to run out of his life.
“You met her recently, right? Last time I saw you this glow wasn’t there. You were tired. Now you’re tired with a glow.”
“It’s called sweat, sis. We live in Arizona, it’s hot.”
She shook her head. “We’re in air conditioning.”
“And I’d just gotten out of the shower when you called.”
Another shake. “Try again, brother dearest.”
Grant sighed. “I met her on my vacation, all right?”
Her brilliant smile tugged at him. They’d almost lost her in a car accident when she was sixteen. It had taken a long time for her to recover, and walk again, much less be able to stand for the hours required to do a job in the emergency room.
“And?” she drew out. “What’s her name?”
“Eva.”
“Sounds like a princess. But I’ll not judge, yet. What does she do?”
“She’s a pediatric oncologist.”
“I like her already.”
So did he. Grant leaned over and kissed his sister on the cheek. “So do I, sis. So do I.” He waited for their plane to board, all the while, checking for a message from Eva.
Chapter Five
Eva scowled as she dashed up the sidewalk to the hospital. She’d tried to call Grant numerous times since receiving his text about going to Italy.
There’d been nothing, no responding text,
no calls. Nada. Zip. Zero. The man could have fallen off the face of the earth and she would know the same information she did now.
“Morning, Dr. Monroe.”
“Morning, Jeffery,” her automatic reply fell as she passed the front desk on her way to the staff’s break room.
“How was your vacation?”
“Just what I needed.”
“Must have been great with the sex until you no longer move.”
She stepped back to face the man at the counter, blinking before she stared at him in shock. It hit her. Amber Eyes. He had been the man in the bar who’d watched her with smiling eyes.
Eva covered her face, knowing it heated with her embarrassment. “I can’t believe you heard that. I suppose everyone heard that.”
He nodded. “Pretty much. Don’t worry about it. Just having some fun.”
“Thank you for that at least.”
So what if I fell for the man I was just supposed to have a fling with? So what, if he hasn’t called me back or texted me? I’m a big girl, I can handle the disappointment. Wasn’t supposed to be attached to him anyway.
The man, bless his heart, didn’t know she was pining for someone, so he just smiled and congratulated her once more on a great vacation.
She continued on to the staff room and pushed into the darkened interior.
“I’m fucking miserable,” she groused as she opened her locker and pulled out her scrubs.
She would give herself until she changed and walked back out to sulk and feel sorry for herself. Then she had to have her game face on and be happy. These small children were in the fight of their lives and she, with her minor man issues, wasn’t at all important or worth crying over.
“Get over yourself, Eva,” she said to her reflection in her locker mirror. Reaching back in, she pulled out a coral reef skull cap and put it on her head. She made a point to wear something bright and cheerful. So the colorful fish would be great for the day.