“Your touch feels unbelievable, but this is my time to worship you. You can return the favor later.”
His lips taking possession of hers again prevented her from answering. She gave his erection one more stroke before she ran her hands up his back to his shoulders, pulling him closer so that he lay flush against her. The feel of his length between her legs was just as she remembered it. She shivered in anticipation of him taking possession of her. He rolled away from her and she almost cried in frustration until she realized he was taking care of protection. Before she knew it, he was back on top of her.
Dawn looked up and got lost in the sea of his eyes. They shot sapphire sparks her way and she felt them deep her soul.
“I’ve dreamed about this moment for so long,” he whispered against her mouth. “On nights when I didn’t think I could go on, spend another day on the ocean, your face would drift across my memory. Even though I hurt you so badly. You were always in my mind.”
He kissed her then and she opened herself totally to him. She reached down and grabbed his firm buttocks, encouraging him to take possession of her. He answered her request and with one fluid movement they were joined together. It felt so right. He filled her and completed her. With each of his thrusts the past hurts of how he’d left her were cast aside and replaced with joy. She let herself not think and just feel. She lifted her hips to deepen his touch. She could feel her climax building, her muscles tensing in anticipation of the release that was soon to come. It wasn’t long and sensations rippled from their joined bodies to her toes. She cried out her completion as Andrew groaned out her name.
Dawn clung to him as she came down from the heights they’d travelled together. She’d never felt closer to him than she did at that moment. She didn’t think it could get any better.
* * *
Andrew jolted awake, the remnants of the dream filtered through his mind like a fog creeping over a still lake. He closed his eyes, trying to grasp at what had woken him. Figments of a boat and Dawn being in the water and him not being able to get to her. Memories of when he’d been stuck in the ocean, clinging to a life ring, waiting for the rescue team to find him. He’d had no idea where the rest of the crew had ended up after the boat had been swamped by the wave. He banished the thoughts—he didn’t want to think about that time. Or the friends he’d lost. He moved to get out of bed. As if walking would clear his mind.
“What’s wrong?” Dawn’s sleepy voice reminded him he wasn’t alone. How could he have forgotten that she was lying with him? That they’d shared one of the most amazing experiences of his life. They had been good together when they were younger, but tonight it was even sweeter and hotter than it had been.
“Nothing, honey, just can’t sleep.”
When her hand reached out and stroked his back, he felt some of the tension leaving his body. He heard the rustling of the sheets, feeling Dawn move. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He instantly hardened.
“Perhaps I can help you relax enough so you can go back to sleep?”
He laughed and sucked in a breath as Dawn’s hands trailed down his chest. He stopped the progression of her hand before she got too far. He brought the hand to his mouth, turned it, and kissed the fleshy part of her palm.
“I like the way you think,” he said as he reached around and pulled her until she was nestled in his lap. The sheet had been lost in his action and he took his fill of her gorgeous body. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of her. He took possession of her lips and let his hands trail once again over her body. The deeper the kiss went the further away the memories from his brush with death went. He had always lived in the moment and he wasn’t planning on changing that.
* * *
Something was brushing her cheek and it was annoying. Dawn didn’t want to wake up. She was having a wonderful dream; she’d spent the night in Andrew’s arms.
“Wake up, sleepy head; I’ve got a day of adventure planned.”
Dawn cracked an eye open and saw something red. She opened her other eye and sitting on the pillow next to her was a red rose. Now she knew what had been brushing against her cheek. She reached out and picked it up, bringing it to her nose, inhaling the sweet perfume.
“Adventure? Does this adventure include lazing on the beach?” she asked as she sat up, gripping the sheet to prevent it from falling. She heard the swift intake of Andrew’s breath; looking up, she saw the desire flaring to life again in his eyes. She was tempted to let the sheet fall, just to see what his reaction would be. “Or does adventure mean staying right here?”
“You can’t sway me, even though it sounds good. I’ve got lots of things to show you.” He leaned in and kissed her nose, moving away before she could reach out and pull him down onto the bed. “Now eat and shower.”
“Spoilsport.”
* * *
Dawn sat on the beach while she watched Andrew surf the six-foot waves. They’d spent a great day visiting wineries, sampling wines. Kissing at every opportunity they could. And now while Andrew tackled the wilds of the ocean, she tried not to panic every time one of the waves dumped him into their swirling depths. She held her breath until his head popped up each time. She could almost see the joy coming from him as he battled the elements. This was the essence of him. He’d always sought adventure. How long would she be able to hold his interest? How long before his thirst for another adventure took over and he left her high and dry?
She lay down on the towel, flinging her arm across her face so she couldn’t see him anymore. A million thoughts were running through her mind. Should she continue to see Andrew or should she end things after this weekend? But if she did that, would it seem like she was using him? But if she continued to see him and he left her would her heart be able to take the loss again? It was no use denying it—after all that he’d organized so far for this weekend, she was falling for him again. Her feelings for him had never died, she knew that. But now they were deeper than before, stronger, and to suffer another loss… well, she wasn’t sure if she could.
A cold drop of water splashed onto her arm, followed by another. She lifted her arm an inch and saw Andrew standing over here, his face alight with happiness.
“Do you think you could move? You’re blocking my sun,” she asked as she sat up and folded her arms across her chest. What she really wanted to do was reach up and bring his face down and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.
She jumped up when instead of moving away, Andrew shook his head and sprayed her with droplets of cold sea water. He then reached out and grabbed, pulling her flush against his wet, hard chest. She gave into her instincts and looped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so that she could kiss him.
She let all her thoughts of break-ups and adventures and dreams broken fly out of her brain and only felt the sensations of his cool lips on hers. Even though he’d spent the last hour in the water, his body was warm. She groaned in delight as she felt him harden against her belly. It had been the same every time they’d touched lips throughout the day. Their bodies clamoring to be close to each other again.
Dawn reluctantly pulled her lips away from his, a shiver coursing through her. She didn’t know if it was from their shared kiss and the desire she felt for him. Or the fact that she was damp from being in his embrace.
“Did you have fun?” she asked.
While still in his arms, she watched as Andrew turned and looked at the water. She held her breath, waiting to see what he would say next. He seemed to hesitate, as if he was thinking about what he wanted to say. Had he been nervous going for a surf? He hadn’t looked like it, but there was just something about the way he pondered his answer that had her mind wondering.
“It was fantastic. I haven’t been surfing for ages. It was great to be out amongst the waves.”
Her heart fell at his words. Clearly he wasn’t afraid or nervous of anything. As much as she tried to hope that the lure of adventure wasn�
�t a big priority anymore, it seemed he still loved it.
She tried to smile as he kissed the tip of her nose. “But,” he said. “Being right here with you, sharing this weekend with you, is more exhilarating than those waves.”
The darkness from a few minutes ago evaporated. Maybe there was hope for them after all.
* * *
Dawn leaned on the railing of the balcony, it was the last night at the resort and she didn’t want to go back to her world of endless night shifts. Spending the last few days with Andrew had shown her what she had been missing out on. She’d thought she’d had it all figured out. How wrong she’d been.
“I’m going to miss this view,” Andrew murmured by her ear, causing her pulse to leap to life, like the kangaroos leaping across the grassy expanse she was looking at.
“They are majestic creatures. I’ve never seen so many kangaroos close up. They’re beautiful.”
“I wasn’t talking about the kangaroos. I was talking about you.”
“Me?” she asked as she turned her back on the view and looked at him. The balcony was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. In the muted light, Andrew had never looked so handsome and it took everything she had not to fall into his arms and beg to stay here forever.
“Yes, you.” He must have read her mind because in the next instant he gathered her close, holding her for quiet moments before he continued. “I know you’re doubting it, but I meant every word I said on the beach. I’ve enjoyed every minute we’ve spent together this weekend.”
“Me too,” she sighed out as she laid her head on his chest. “I wish we didn’t have to go back. I’m not sure I’m ready to face the endless night shift again.”
“Why don’t you change? Surely it can’t be that hard to be asked to be put on days instead of nights?”
“If only it was that easy.” Oh, how she would love to be able to walk into Admin and request a change effective immediately, but it just wouldn’t happen.
“Of course it is, no one should be bound by a decision made in grief so many years ago.”
She pulled away from Andrew’s hold. It was hard to concentrate when her body was screaming at her to just be quiet and kiss him until they ended up on that king bed again.
“You don’t understand,” she said. “Sophie, the Nursing Unit Manager, is on maternity leave. She relies on me to ensure the nurses are managed competently during the night shift and that they have a voice should any problems occur.”
She walked to the other end of the balcony and sat down on the wrought iron chair, waiting for Andrew to sit in the matching one.
“So are you saying you can’t do anything until she returns? When will that be?”
“She had the baby the first night we saw each other in the ER.”
“Which means she still has a fairly long time before she returns, is that right?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure if she will return. She doesn’t need to work, but her husband is the ER registrar, so she may return to work with him on a part-time basis.”
Andrew was sitting so quietly she couldn’t tell what he was thinking or what he was going to do. A tension filled the air around them. What she could say to make the situation go back to what it was? But if the truth be told, it was something they needed to discuss, maybe just not at that moment.
“I guess we’ll just make the most of the time we can spend together then.” Andrew reached across the small expanse between the two chairs and grabbed her hand, drawing small circles in her palm. “I don’t want to not have you in my life. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to see you.”
Dawn got up and went over to him, sitting on his lap. She curled her arms around his neck again and kissed him just below his ear. She inhaled his musky scent, feeling secure in his arms.
“Thank you for being understanding. I’m so glad you came back into my life.”
“Me too, my Dawn, me too.”
12
Dawn leaned out of her car, pressed the button on the intercom, and gave her name. The gate across the front of the driveway opened and she drove up the paved road to the majestic white house. She parked her car and took a deep breath. She’d phoned ahead and told Sophie she wanted to see her. But now that she was here, her nerves were starting to take a hold of her. It was stupid; really, she had no reason to be nervous. Sophie was a friend and she’d sounded excited on the phone when Dawn had called earlier to check if it was okay to drop by for a visit.
As she got out of the car, she looked at the house. She knew both Sophie and Alex had had river front apartments, but with the addition of a baby to their family, they’d decided to sell both and buy a house. Dawn also understood the need for the security gate at the front. Sophie was from a wealthy family and even though it was highly unlikely that anything would happen, both of them had wanted to ensure that their baby daughter and any future children they had would be safe.
She gave herself a mental shake and then walked up to the imposing wood door. It was hard to believe that behind that door lived the most welcoming couple ever. She recalled when Sophie had lived by herself, she had let every staff member know that her house was always open to anyone should they need anything. She only hoped that that was still the case because she was about to ask something very big of the other woman.
Before she could knock on the door, it was swung open.
“Dawn, come in, it’s so good to see you.” Dawn marveled at how relaxed Sophie looked as a new mother. She remembered the first couple of months with Brody. How tired she’d been and how harassed she’d always looked.
“Hi, it’s great to see you, and can I say, you look fantastic.” She gave Sophie a quick hug before walking in.
Sophie laughed as she closed the door. “Thank you, but Alex is the reason I’m feeling human today. He wouldn’t let me get up to Louisa when she wanted to be fed during the night. He insisted on feeding her himself with the milk I’d expressed during the day.”
Dawn could imagine Alex doing that. From the moment that Sophie’s life had been in danger and he’d declared his love for her, he’d put her needs above his own. The love the two of them shared was something she hoped she could have with Andrew.
“Didn’t Alex have to work this morning?” Even though she was on her days off, she had looked at the roster before she’d left.
Sophie nodded as she led her towards the back of the house to a room that had a magnificent view of the river and the city. In the corner, tucked securely under a blanket, was the baby sleeping peacefully in her swinging chair. Dawn walked over and gazed down at the baby. It didn’t hurt as much as she’d thought it would. She went to reach out and touch the baby’s cheek, but pulled back at the last minute.
“Are you okay, Dawn?” Sophie asked quietly.
With one last look at the baby, Dawn turned and smiled at Sophie. “I’m fine, she’s a beautiful baby. I’m sure Alex is already doting on her.”
Dawn had to laugh as Sophie rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it, he’s already told me that he’s not going to let her date until she’s finished with college. I just agreed with him. I’ll break it to him gently when she’s on her first date at sixteen that he was being delusional.”
Dawn could imagine Alex saying those words. She sat down on the soft sofa that Sophie indicated. In front of her, set out on the coffee table, was a pot of coffee and some cake and cookies.
“You didn’t have to go to this trouble, Sophie. I know what it’s like to have a small baby.”
Sophie waved off her concerns. “Believe me when I say it was no hardship to put the coffee machine on and open the packets on the cake and cookies. Alex is still trying to insist we get someone to cook, but I’ve told him we don’t need it. I’m going to make sure my daughter grows up knowing that she can be independent and not need to depend on anyone. I couldn’t breathe without some member of staff asking me if I needed anything when I was growing up. It was stifling.”
Dawn was surprised that
Sophie had shared some insight into her childhood. There had been gossip around the hospital about how her father hadn’t been happy with his daughter’s choice of career. In Dawn’s opinion the world was lucky to have such a caring nurse like Sophie.
“So,” Sophie said as she bit into a cookie. “What brings you here? Not that I’m not really happy to see you, but I can see something is on your mind.”
Dawn wasn’t sure where to begin. On the way to the house, she’d gone over in her mind what she was going to say and how she was going to say it. But now that she was seated across from Sophie, her thought processes had shut down.
“How about I take a guess as to why you’re here,” Sophie said as the silence between them had grown. “You want to stop doing night shift?”
Dawn was shocked that Sophie had known exactly what she wanted to talk about. “Yes, but how did you know that?”
Sophie laughed and patted Dawn’s hand. “Phoebe mentioned something to me about a certain ‘hot’ paramedic. But Alex commented that a lot of people were saying that you seem happier. You can’t hide anything in the ER.”
“You and Alex managed to,” Dawn grumbled, feeling mortified that she was the brunt of the gossip around the water cooler. “But essentially, yes, I’m here to talk about possible changes to my shifts and what that will mean to the department.”
“I think I told you months ago that if you ever wanted to change your shifts that I was happy to accommodate you. I knew you’d come out of your grief one day.”
“But I know that you rely on me to make sure the nursing side of the department runs well in the evenings.”
“Sure, but I want you to be happy, and I can see in your demeanor that you are. You are in a much better place than you were when I left. We can work something out. It’s about time some of the other nurses stepped up. I’ve appreciated everything you’ve done, but now it’s time to spread the load. And if the staff complains, well, they can go look somewhere else. But I don’t think they will, because everyone is just so happy to see a lightness in you again, Dawn.”
Rescuing Dawn: Lovers Unmasked: Book 2 Page 14