Titan: We fell in love — in the cruelest of ways

by Fields, MJ

  “Give me a ride, little lamb?” Shadows asks Mary.

  “Sure,” she says quietly then looks around at the shocked expressions. “He doesn’t need to drink and drive.”

  “He can get a cab,” Jax suggests, and Shadows throws daggers at him with his eyes.

  “I’ll be fine, won’t I?” she asks Shadows.

  “Fuck yes, you will.” He stands. “Take me home, little lamb.”

  After everyone hugs him and tells him to fly safe, he looks at me almost apologetically.

  I shake my head at him. “Go.”

  3

  Solo

  Titan

  Sitting at the bar, I look around, not seeing a damn woman who catches my eye. It’s not the first time I’ve flown solo, so I’m not nervous in the least. The issue remains in it being a lot harder picking out a woman who won’t catch feelings when it’s one man and not two. But that’s not going to change. I’m now flying solo, again.

  Am I bitter? No. But I still have no desire to put a woman in that situation. But both Frankie and Mary know what’s up, and both Irons and Shadows are men of honor. They will figure out a way to balance career and love. It’s helpful that both women are very aware of what kind of life they are signing up for.

  But it’s not for me.

  It’s time to find a different route, and I’m no stranger to that.

  Maybe this shouldn’t be done on the fly, but I’ll be damned if I let all traditions be broken.

  After my fourth drink, I give a little less of a fuck and turn around to see who else has wandered in, hoping like hell I see someone of interest.

  And I do, immediately.

  I spot a woman at the jukebox, her back toward me as she punches in numbers for a song. She has a flowing, little sundress on and a denim jacket. Her legs are long, lean, and sun-kissed, and she’s wearing flip-flops, not heels. I usually prefer heels since they tend to accentuate the calf muscles, but hers don’t need it. Perfect legs. Her blonde hair is wavy and hangs below her shoulders, and even though it’s night, she has sunglasses on top of her head.

  Being a frequent flyer here, I know she’s not a local. I would remember a round, high, and tight ass like that. All evidence points to the fact that she’s on vacation.

  I scan the room to see several men looking at her and decide I better make a move before any of these assholes do. So, I stand up and walk over to her.

  From a foot away, in a room full of testosterone and the aroma of stale beer from the kegs, I can smell her light floral scent.

  I like it.

  When we get to the room, there will be no need to shower the trace of tanning lotion off her before we’re naked between the sheets.

  A new song starts to play. “I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined. I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned.”

  I recognize the song from an old MTV reality show some of the guys used to watch.

  “Starting over?”

  Her back stiffens.

  “The song suggests you’re starting over.”

  Laughing, she replies, “In a way, but I didn’t pick this one.” Her voice is silky, soothing, almost familiar. Then she asks, “You?”

  “A new day,” I answer as she leans back a little.

  When she turns her head and looks up at me, I fight not to spit out my beer.

  Laurie O’Neil. Dr. Laurie O’Neil.

  She smiles and shakes her head a bit but doesn’t move away.

  I’ve never been around her while drinking. Never been in a position where I was forced to hold back. I know I should, but she’s not moving. Therefore, I’m not about to move back either.

  “What’s up, Doc?”

  She turns around and shrugs. “A new day.”

  “Where’s your boyfriend?” I don’t look around to see if the suit is here.

  “Ex-boyfriend. We split a few weeks ago,” she says, looking down.

  “Didn’t he just move in with you?”

  “Poor judgment call on my end. Luckily, Calee never took to him.”

  “They say kids and dogs can sense what we can’t.”

  “I agree.”

  “He hurt you?”

  She shakes her head. “Just wasn’t meant to be.” She steps away from the jukebox. “Buy me a drink, Lieutenant?”

  I follow her to the bar.

  Leaning over, she calls the bartender over. “Two of whatever he’s drinking.” Then she shrugs off her jacket, throws it over the back of the barstool.

  Stunning, absolutely stunning, I can’t help thinking as I eye her body’s form. It’s much different than when she’s covered in a lab coat at the hospital or when she was wearing a cardigan or oversized T-shirt the few times I have seen her outside the facility.

  She snaps her fingers and gains my attention in a different way now. Still, I take my time looking up and into her green eyes.

  She shakes her head as her full lips turn up slightly. “So, it’s true then?”

  “Not a clue what it is you’re asking, so I’m not about to confirm nor deny, Doc.”

  “You have no game without your shadows.” She smiles as she sits down and picks up the beer.

  I sit next to her, pick up the fresh draft, and take a drink, giving myself time to consider my words. If I play it safe and confirm her suspicions, this stops. If I tell her the truth, this ends with her in my bed.

  I turn and look at her. “The use of the word game would mean there is a winner when the last chip falls.” I take my time looking from her eyes to her lips then down her neck to the cleavage spilling out of her sundress. Then I slowly make my way back up to her eyes. “I always play to win, Doc.”

  “Is that so?” The confidence in the way she replies is much different than what I’m used to, but it’s not off-putting. It’s refreshing. It’s a challenge.

  “There is no game when it comes to two people—”

  She holds up three fingers. “Three.”

  I look over my shoulder then lean in close as I look over hers. I turn toward her ear and whisper, “I don’t see a third.” I sit back. “If that’s what you’re into, I apologize. It’s no longer being offered.”

  She takes another drink and acts as if she’s pondering the thought. “What exactly is being offered, Lieutenant?”

  “You ever hear of a preflight cocktail?”

  She smirks. “No, but I’ve heard a lot about revenge cake.”

  I didn’t much like the mention of my shadows, and her use of his line makes my heartbeat increase. The thought of him touching her makes me angry. “That’s his thing, Doc, not mine.” I start to sit back farther, distancing myself physically and mentally, reminding myself of why I’ve never made a move on her before, because she was with Will.

  When she throws her head back and laughs, it surprises me. And if not for the fact that this is the first time I have seen Dr. Laurie figuratively let her hair down, I might get annoyed by this. But I can’t help smiling, even though I wish I could stop it. I blame letting down my guard on the fact that I’ve reached my limit on how much alcohol I have consumed prior to this move.

  When she stops laughing, she takes another drink as she looks over her glass at me. Setting it down, she asks, “What is your thing, Lieutenant?”

  “A gentleman never tells. But whoever’s on the receiving end never forgets.”

  “Are you offering more than a drink, Lieutenant?”

  “It all depends on what it is you’re seeking, Doc.” I have officially stepped over the line.

  “Do you mean what I look for in a lover?”

  I shake my head.

  “No? Then what?”

  “I don’t offer more than a night.”

  Again, she laughs. “I wasn’t asking for your hand in marriage, Tanner.”

  My heart quickens again when she uses my name, which is bewildering to me. I’m not puzzled often. Hell, I could solve a Rubik’s Cube at three years old.

  It feels damn goo
d to be challenged.

  “I was told that you don’t get over someone until you get under someone else.” She drinks down the rest of her beer then sets it on the worn oak bar. Then she pushes back and stands, grabbing her jacket. “All I ask is for respect and the promise you won’t fall in love.”

  I choke out, “What?”

  “Take me to bed, Lieutenant Titan.”

  I stand and reach in my pocket for some cash, tossing it on the bar, then begin to follow her.

  She reaches for the door, but I beat her to it. As I push it open, I whisper, “This stays between us.”

  She walks out and looks back at me, raising an eyebrow. “It better.”

  Damn.

  Looking down at my phone to call a car, I feel her eyes on me, the heat resonating between us. I don’t look at her for two reasons. One, I’m used to calling the shots. I’m used to women who are more submissive or free-spirited, and I’m hoping to get that control back. And two, this is the woman I have wanted since the first day I saw her but knew I shouldn’t ever touch. Knowing she’s down for tonight means I can finally get this out of my system. And I’d prefer it to be in bed than on the damn pavement beneath my size thirteens.

  “My car’s over here.”

  “Doc, I think you’ve got two licenses to protect—your driver’s and your medical.”

  “I’ve had one drink, and we’re wasting time.”

  I look up to see her walking quickly to the white Porsche Cayenne.

  She looks back and smiles. “Don’t chicken out on me now.”

  I walk toward her car. Then, once I’m inside, I look in the back seat and see a booster seat, which quickly reminds me of the fact she’s someone’s mother. She’s Will’s baby’s momma.

  The engine starts as resignation begins to set in. Then she has her hand on my chin, turning me to face her.

  “Tonight, I’m just another woman starting over.” Her grasp loosens before she slides her hand up my jaw and around my neck to pull me in.

  Not wanting to be led, I grip the back of her neck and pull her lips to mine. I fist her silky blonde hair and pull it back as she opens to me. Bending down, I then lick inside her hot, sweet mouth and swallow her moans as I taste her. She grabs my shoulders and digs her nails into them, stroking her tongue with mine.

  I run my hand up her leg, feeling how smooth her skin is, and my blood runs hot. Under the hem of her sundress, I slowly make my way to her panties, rubbing my thumb over the thin string and fighting the need to snap it, to rush to get to where I want desperately to be—between her thick, firm thighs.

  I pull back, needing a breath and some distance before I take her right here, right now.

  “The Hilton,” I breathe out.

  Watching her hands tremble as she reaches down to the leather console to put the car in gear, I’m pleased that just a kiss caused her to react that way and am hopeful that she’ll yield to my control when I’m deep inside her.

  “Doc, you just passed the— ”

  “We’re not going to a hotel.” Her voice is lower now, raspy.

  “I’m not going to your place and risk Calee—”

  “I would never take you to my house and chance that.”

  It’s clear I’ve hit a nerve. “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “We’re going to yours.”

  “That’s not how this works.” I shake my head, brows creased.

  She turns down my road. “I don’t care if your place is a mess. I do care about doing the walk of shame out of a hotel room and chance getting noticed. I do work in the area and would like to keep my reputation in good standing.”

  “First, my place isn’t a mess. Second …” I stop when she pulls into my driveway. Turning, I look at her in disbelief. “How do you know where I live?”

  She puts the vehicle in park and kills the engine. Opening the door, she answers point blank, “Same way you know where I live.”

  She gets out and shuts the door. When she walks around to my side, I quickly open my door before she opens the damn thing for me. Then, stepping out, I decide to set the record straight.

  “This has to go a certain way, Doc,” I call after her as she walks quickly to my front door. “I suggest you don’t …”

  I stop when the yard lights up and run to the garage to get inside and disarm the alarm before the system starts to scream and wakes up the entire neighborhood. I punch in the code and hold my thumb against the screen.

  “Step one, Doc,” I tell her as she hurries toward me. The garage begins to open, and I duck underneath to get to the control panel to punch in another code. “I have a system.”

  “I see that,” she says quietly from behind me.

  I turn to give her a little bit of hell when she closes the distance between us and looks up at me. “I have needs and very little time for them to be met.”

  “Doc …” I begin before she wraps her hands around my neck and jumps up, wrapping her legs around me to kiss me. My mind goes blank.

  With one hand, I grab her ass to make sure she doesn’t fall as I move toward the door. Our tongues fight for control, and I’m finding myself losing a battle and wanting to surrender all too easily, but this will never be like that … not again.

  I hold her against the wall and press my body tight against hers to keep her in place. I swear to God above, she purrs.

  I pull away from the kiss before I devour her mouth, finding her eyes are closed and she’s trying to slow her breathing.

  I hit the buttons to disarm the system then open the door with one hand and carry her inside.

  4

  Inside

  Laurie

  He slides his mouth from my lips, down my chin, and to my neck as my ass hits a cold, hard surface and he pulls away from me. I reach out for him in fear that one of us will find our wits and call this off, but he steps back quickly and turns his back to me. That fear increases.

  I watch as he walks to one of the stark white walls and hits another security screen. My heart is racing, and I try to calm myself to slow it, but it’s difficult when I look at him.

  It’s much more challenging than I thought it would be outside of a professional setting. I was sure that, out of uniform, my body wouldn’t react to just the sight of him, but now he’s wearing dark denim jeans and a black V-neck T-shirt that fits like a glove, stretched across his strong back. He’s tall, with a lean, muscular build, and an ass like none other. With each move he makes, my desire for him increases.

  With one hand on the wall, he leans in, and I watch as he takes in slow, deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself, too. I’m as certain that he’s fighting for the control he needs as I am fighting the fact that my attraction to him is making me lose mine as well.

  Taking a deep breath and hoping to give him time while I stow away my controlling tendencies, I look around his spacious kitchen. All the appliances are stainless steel, and the cabinets are a gray, washed wood, the color of driftwood that has been battered by sand and surf for years. The room is impeccably clean with nothing on the counters. The exact opposite of my counter space that is littered with sippy cups and barely touched boxes that contain some sort of snack that I bought in hopes that Calee would enjoy something different.

  Calee is my life, my everything.

  I saw a meme once that said, “I can’t settle for just anything, my daughter is watching me.” From that day on, I promised I would stop comparing every man who showed interest in me to her father, the only man who ever caused butterflies in my belly until I saw Tanner Titan. I wanted her to see the love a man and woman could share, just like I had been raised seeing.

  Tonight isn’t about love, though. It’s about getting my needs met. Needs that haven’t been fulfilled in four years because I was afraid to let another man into my heart or bed. Men like Will and Titan.

  “I’m struggling here, Doc.”

  I look back at him as he leans back against the wall.

  I don’t want him second-g
uessing this, so I try to make light of this situation, as I have been all night. “I have a prescription pad and could easily write you one for the little blue pill.” I cast my eyes down and see the outline of his cock in his jeans. “But I don’t think that’s the issue.”

  “This”—he motions between us—“attraction needs to be dealt with, but it won’t happen again.”

  “I thought we covered this at the bar?” I reach down, grip the hem of my dress and, pulling out all the courage I have, lift it up and over my head. Tossing it on the floor, I tell him flat out, “I also told you I haven’t a lot of time to waste.”

  I inhale sharply, filling my lungs in preparation for the moment he steals my breath, as he takes two long strides, closing the distance between us. He then crashes his lips against mine as he slides his hand up my back then stalls for a split-second as he quickly unhooks my strapless bra and pulls it away from my body.

  Reaching between us, I run my hand up his hard body, pushing his shirt up. He pulls away from my lips and leans over a bit as I pull it over his head. Then I throw his shirt to the floor as he cups my breasts with his big, strong hands, lifting, squeezing, and then rolling my aching nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

  I arch my back, pushing them against his hands, closing my eyes and moaning, the sensations he evokes in my body heightening my arousal.

  “Patience,” he whispers, bending down and licking one then the other.

  I open my mouth to beg, to plead, to yell. My head is spinning, my body pulsing, and the butterflies, so many butterflies …

  He sucks on one of my nipples hard, so hard that I feel it between my legs.

  Releasing his grip on my breasts, he leans in and opens his mouth wider, sucking half my breast into his mouth as he pushes me back onto the counter so I’m holding myself up on my elbows as he rocks against me.

  I wrap my legs around his waist and grind against him as he releases my breast and moves to the next. Biting, sucking, groaning, I moan and whimper at the overwhelming sensations caused by not only his mouth but the heat of his skin against mine, the friction, the way he smells like a man, the way he touches me … the way a man should touch a woman.