He held her steady against him, with one arm wrapped around her waist and his palm pressed against her lower back, forcing her body down toward the bed and her ass even higher. “I want to get in deep,” he said, just the words alone making him harder.
She nearly whimpered in response. The trembling of her body was driving him crazy. Her legs shook slightly and he could see her wetness dripping down her inner thighs. The knowledge that he was having this effect on her was sexy as hell. Seeing her so vulnerable yet holding all the cards had him so close to the edge already. She had no idea the power she had over him.
He slid his cock along the folds slowly, torturously careful...moving back and forth while his hips thrust forward against her ass. Her perfect, shapely, sexy ass...
“Please, Reed... I need you inside me... I’m so close and I need to feel your hard, thick cock inside of me,” she begged.
She only had to ask once. He plunged in deep, hard, and the unexpectedness made her cry out, but then the sound turned to a deep moan of pleasure that had his own breath coming heavy as he pumped inside of her.
“Fast or slow?” he asked, pulling all the way out to the very edge, then sliding all the way back in.
“Fast. Really fast... I can’t last long,” she said.
He made several deliberate, slow movements in and out—the pleasure so intense it was almost painful. He could feel his own orgasm rising. The intensity increasing with each stroke. Faster, harder he thrust into her...over and over, gripping her ass, his fingers digging deep into her soft flesh, rocking desperately into her body.
Her fingers tangled with the bedsheets and her legs trembled furiously, supporting both of their weight as he rested against her, going deeper with each thrust.
“Oh my God, Reed...”
“Look back at me,” he said, reaching for her hair. He gripped it in one hand as she turned her beautiful face to look over her shoulder toward him.
Her gaze locking with his was more of a turn-on than any other sensation.
The timing of their climax was perfectly in sync. A final thrust later, she let out a cry, just as his own orgasm knocked all other thoughts out of his mind. He closed his eyes as he held on tight to her, riding out the waves of pleasure wrapping around them both.
He thought he was going to pass out.
He took a deep breath as he slowly slid out of her, removed the condom and fell onto the bed next to her. Drawing her into him, he kissed her finally, desperate for a taste of her mouth. Lips he wasn’t sure he could ever get enough of. His tongue fought with hers, searching for more, craving more...never ever getting enough. He held her tight and she clung to him just as desperately.
One more week... Would he be strong enough to let her go?
* * *
HOURS LATER, ERIKA rolled to her side in Reed’s bed and reached out for him, but she didn’t feel Reed next to her. Opening her eyes, she sat up and scanned the room. He wasn’t there.
She listened, but the apartment was silent. Had he gotten a call from the station and gone out without her? She wouldn’t have heard him get up or leave. Sleeping in his bed had given her the best sleep she’d gotten...maybe her entire life.
Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she stood and left the room. Following a faint stream of light, she made her way down the hallway to the living room.
He was sitting at his desk, laptop open, his back to her. Still partly naked, he took her breath away. He was gorgeous inside and out and he made her feel so many different emotions all at once. For someone whose life didn’t normally include emotion, the effect was dizzying, but it was quickly becoming a high she craved.
He didn’t turn—obviously he hadn’t heard her come down the hall—so she took a second to stare at him. The shape of the muscles in his back and shoulders, the messy dark hair... How was she going to leave him?
This forced vacation had quickly become exactly what she’d needed. She’d successfully vacated her life. She barely recognized this relaxed, sexual woman she’d become in a few days.
“Hey...did I wake you?” he asked, turning, perhaps sensing her presence.
“No. I just woke up and missed you.”
He quickly minimized the browser on his laptop as she walked toward him.
She shook her head, glancing at his desktop background—a picture of the S & R team in front of the rescue chopper. “Looking at porn?” she teased. Though she was curious about what could have him up out of bed when he’d practically passed out next to her only an hour before.
He grinned, pulling her toward him. “Don’t need that with you here,” he said, pulling her down onto his lap and burying his face in her neck. “You smell amazing.”
She shivered at the feel of his warm lips pressed against her collarbone. “What were you doing?”
“Nothing. Couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” His hands slid the length of her thighs, disappearing beneath the edge of the T-shirt.
God, his touch drove her crazy. She clenched her legs together, already feeling a pulsating in her vagina. Would she ever get enough of him? Could she wear out this urge, these feelings and walk away with just some incredible memories to help her get through her long days and frantic schedule back at the hospital?
His fingers inched higher, up over her stomach and ribs, and his hand cupped her breast. He massaged gently, then pinched one nipple. “I love these breasts,” he said, biting her earlobe.
She closed her eyes, savoring the pleasurable sensations of his mouth, his touch.
“So, I’m fairly confident I know the answer to this...but I have to ask—there’s no one special in your life back in the city, is there?” he whispered.
She wasn’t at all offended by the question or his assumption. “No one.”
He smoothed her hair away from her neck as he continued to place kisses along it. “My last relationship ended about three years ago.” She could barely label it a relationship, but for lack of better term.
“Was it serious?” His hands continued to massage her breasts as he kissed the hollow at the base of her throat.
“It could have been, but it just didn’t work out. My chosen profession makes it challenging to fully commit to someone. Late nights at the hospital, being committed to the job more than anything else.” She shrugged. It was a trade-off she had always been okay with.
Reed nodded. He understood that. His career was similar.
“I’m not an easy one to love,” she murmured, resting her head against him.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he whispered.
She shivered. She hadn’t exactly worked through her feelings for him yet, but love didn’t seem like an impossibility. Was he already there?
“Any bitter heartbreaks along the way?” he asked, running his hands along her sides. Grabbing her waist, he lifted her and repositioned her on his lap. Her body straddled him and she felt his cock hard against her leg.
She shook her head, pressing her pelvis against him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in love. For real.” Right now, she wouldn’t have been able to recall anyone else even if there had been someone special in her past. All she could think about was him. And he was making it difficult to think.
Reed slipped a hand between her legs and immediately slid two fingers inside her. She sucked in a breath as his thumb circled her clit. Damn, it took nothing for her to get excited. A simple touch, a few kisses and she was ready to go.
He stood, lifting her body onto the edge of the desk. “I’ve been wanting to do something...” he said, lowering himself onto his knees in front of her and placing her legs over his shoulders.
She gripped the edge of the desk, her heart racing. “What’s that?” she asked, knowing the answer.
“I want to taste you. Lick you. Put my tongue inside this delicious body,” he murmured, his lips moving closer to her fol
ds.
She’d never had anyone go down on her before and her mind raced. “Are you sure?” Sex had never been adventurous for her. She was opening her mind and body to a lot of new experiences with Reed.
Opening her heart, as well?
“I’m definitely sure,” Reed said. He grinned at her before lowering his head. A second later she felt his tongue lick her wet folds.
Holy shit. She couldn’t breathe as he continued to lap up her wetness eagerly, his hands pressing against her inner thighs, holding her apart, giving him better access to every inch of her. “Oh my God...do you want to stop?” she asked, though it was the last thing she wanted.
“Not on your life. I’m just getting started,” Reed said, immediately returning his lips to her. He sucked on her clit as he slid a finger inside slowly, then another one. She clenched tight around them as he continued licking and sucking her folds. His tongue flicked her clit as his fingers moved in and out.
She struggled to hold on to the desk as her orgasm rose. So fast. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d never been this sex-crazed before. Now she couldn’t get enough. She’d definitely been missing out.
Would he let her return the favor? The thought had her pulse racing. She had enjoyed it the night before. The idea of taking Reed in her mouth again brought her dangerously close to the edge. “I’m going to come, Reed.”
“Good. Come for me. Let me taste you...” he said against her. The words caused a rippling vibration to rush through her.
When his tongue returned to her folds, she pushed her pelvis forward, craving more. He gripped her thighs tight, holding them farther apart as his fingers worked their magic inside, bringing her to orgasm. The intensity of the pleasure was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and her arms nearly gave out as she struggled to support herself on the desk.
Reed moved away slowly and stood. “How was that?”
She reached for him and pulled his mouth toward hers, kissing him hard, aroused once more by the taste of her on his lips. Her tongue slid inside his mouth and she clung to the rippling tremors of her orgasm aftershock. He pulled back slowly and lifted her in his arms. “Let’s go back to bed,” he said, carrying her down the hall.
“Tired now?” she asked, kissing his neck and snuggling into his solid, warm chest.
“Not even a little bit,” he said.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DOGGY BREATH WAS her morning wake-up call. Opening her eyes, Erika saw Diva inches away, staring at her. Her tongue dangled from the side of her mouth and she panted as though she’d run a marathon. She pawed the bedsheets but kept her distance.
“You’re really trying hard not to lick me, aren’t you?” she said, petting the dog’s ears. She was cute with her white-and-gray fur and crystal-blue eyes.
“I am,” Reed said, appearing in the doorway of the bedroom with a mug of coffee.
Erika smiled as she sat up. “Coffee delivered to me in bed. I could get used to that,” she said.
“Who said this is yours?”
She extended her hands. “Give me my coffee.”
Reed laughed, propping up several pillows behind her and handing her a cup before sliding back in beneath the sheets. “If delivering morning coffee is all it takes to keep you here, it can certainly be arranged,” he said with a wink.
Her chest constricted slightly. They still hadn’t talked about what was going on between them or if there was anything to hold on to when she went back to Anchorage. She wasn’t great at initiating conversations about feelings, so she sipped her coffee.
“So, I have to ask...”
Shit. Here it was. The conversation she wasn’t ready for yet.
“Why the forced vacation?” he asked.
Oh. That was easier. Though not by much. She sighed. Most hospitals were forcing their doctors to work overtime every day, not encouraging them to take time off. Understaffed and overworked was the reality of most hospitals, including Alaska General Hospital. “The board of directors is coming down hard on policies these days. They saw the hours I was working and thought I was getting a little burned-out.”
“Were you?”
She hadn’t thought so, until she’d started to relax that week and the stress began to melt away. “I don’t know. Maybe. I certainly didn’t agree a week ago, but this break has definitely made me realize that I’d been going too fast for too long.” She paused. “I’m definitely feeling more focused, more relaxed...ready to go back.”
She felt him stiffen slightly and realized what going back meant. She sat a little higher and turned to face him. “I’m not necessarily ready to leave you...” She avoided his gaze, staring at his smooth chest and upper abs that were partially hidden by the bedsheet. Definitely not ready to leave this body and the things he could do to hers.
“That’s good to hear,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I’d like to spend as much time with you as possible this week.”
She did, too, but, “What about Cass?” Her friend was due back that evening and she wanted to spend time with her, as well. How would Cassie feel about her and Reed? Could they all hang out together? Would that be awkward?
In truth, she never wanted to leave this bed for the rest of her vacation.
“I think she’ll be okay...” he said, but even he seemed to think things might be awkward. Especially seeing as how they could hardly be around one another without kissing or touching or ripping each other’s clothes off. How would Cassie feel if she wanted to spend the nights in Reed’s bed instead of crashing on her couch?
She bit her lip.
“Look, don’t worry...we’ll figure something out.”
Would they figure something out for after this week was over as well? Or was this just a nice perk to her vacation—an unexpected, wonderful enhancement to her break from reality.
“Hey, I said, don’t worry...” Reed said, squeezing her hand. “Cassie will be fine. She’ll be happy to see that you’re enjoying your vacation.” He leaned closer and kissed her.
His lips brushed hers gently, barely grazing, teasing, erasing her worry and doubt. All she felt was peace and comfort and an insatiable desire for this hot, sexy hero who knew all the right places to touch, to kiss, to tease... Maybe she wasn’t as ready to go back as she thought. Given the choice in that moment, it would be a torturous decision to make.
Diva moved into the space between them and started to circle, wagging her tail.
“Someone has to pee,” Reed said, releasing her hand and tossing the bedsheet back. “I’ll take her for a quick walk, pick up breakfast and be right back.” He set his coffee mug on the bedside table and reached for his discarded jeans from the floor.
Erika watched as he zipped and buckled them, her mouth salivating at the sight of him in just a pair of low-hanging denim. Damn, it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. He reached for his shirt, but she stopped him. “Wait!” Reaching for her cell on the table, she opened the camera app.
“Are you taking a picture of me?” His amusement was evident, but he dropped the shirt and struck a Superman pose.
She laughed as she snapped several pics.
He flexed his biceps, then turned to give her an amazing shot of his ass as he leaned against the doorframe, one arm extended overhead, accentuating those delicious-looking back and shoulder muscles. “Did you get enough or should I keep posing?” he asked over his shoulder.
“This should be good,” she said, scrolling through the pics. “Something to remember you by.”
Crawling back across the bed, he kissed her again. “I hope I’ve already given you a few things to remember,” he said against her lips.
If Diva wasn’t about to pee on his bed, she’d pull him back beneath the covers right now and ask for more memories. But the dog’s high-pitched whine suggested they better get a move on.
“You bet
ter go.” She tossed the sheet aside and stood when her phone chimed with new emails. “Wow—I haven’t had good cell reception at your place and suddenly all my emails come in...” She groaned as eighty-six new ones appeared.
Nope. Definitely not ready to go back to work just yet.
“Can I use your laptop to answer a few of these?” she asked, noticing several questions from board members regarding the clinical trials. No one else on the team had been cc’d on them. They’d be expecting her usual immediate response. Maybe she should make them wait until she returned from the vacation they insisted she take. Forward them a copy of her forced vacation letter.
“Of course. There’s no password and it connects to Wi-Fi automatically.” He pulled on his shirt and a new pair of socks. “I’ll be back soon. Make yourself comfortable,” he said as they walked to the living room.
“I’m naked under your T-shirt—can’t really get much more comfortable than that,” she said with a laugh, leaning on tiptoes to kiss him again at the door.
“True enough.” He tugged on his boots, grabbed Diva’s leash and his coat and left the condo. “See you in a bit.”
She carried her coffee to the desk and set it down right where he’d gone down on her the night before. Her cheeks flushed at the memory. It was definitely one she wouldn’t forget. Nothing about him was anything she could forget.
Seeing more emails appear on her phone, she opened an internet browser and logged in to her hospital email account. She scanned them quickly, looking for urgent ones first. The first few were simple answers she could do without pulling up her notes from her own computer—questions about the selection of the trial candidates. The main criteria was a weak immune system. They were looking to help patients whose success rate was in jeopardy.
Other emails contained questions that she’d need some time to figure out. And unfortunately, they were ones that needed addressing soon.
She fought the urge to point out that this was why she didn’t take time off—they had to see their mistake by now. She sighed as several more emails arrived.
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