Prescription for Desire

by Candace Shaw

  She placed the cell phone back on the floor and bit into one of the fries.

  “I love when a man can cook, and cook well. My brother-in-law owns a restaurant on Beale called Lillian’s, and brother can surely throw down. You may have to give him your burger recipe. I’m impressed, but don’t tell my sister Shelbi that.”

  She loves a man that can cook. I’ll have to cook more often.

  “I’ll have to check that place out one day … whenever I get back to the States.” He hesitated for a minute by biting into his burger, and then taking a sip of his beer. “Does your boyfriend cook?”

  Raven wrinkled her brow. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” She shrugged with a wistful expression and lowered her eyes, twirling a cucumber around in the dressing. “It’s just me and my dog, Sahara.”

  “Oh … I assumed that your man had just sent you a text. You were quite giddy a minute ago.”

  A surprised look formed on her face. “No. That was my mother. One of my favorite patients had a little girl today.”

  “Your mother delivered the baby?” he asked, relieved to know she was single, but then curious as to why she looked sad when she said it’s just me. Did some punk break her heart? What a fool he was.

  “No. She’s a primary care physician like you, but she could if she had to.” She took a bit bite of her burger and moaned happily again.

  “Sooooo … not trying to be nosy or in your business, but did you just get out of a relationship? You seemed sad when I mentioned the boyfriend thing.” There, he’d said it, and was waiting on pins and needles as she finished chewing.

  “Not a boyfriend.” She paused for a moment with a gulp. “My husband died about three years ago …” Her voice trailed off, and she looked away for a moment before resting her eyes back on him.

  Armand was definitely not expecting that answer, and now felt horrible about asking her. He had no idea she was a widow. He’d seen her paperwork before she arrived, but it only had Arrington listed as her last name. It hadn’t occurred to him she’d been married before.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Raven. Forgive me for prying.”

  With a soft smile, she shrugged. “No problem. I have good and bad days, but overall as time goes on I’m stronger. I miss him very much, but I know he wouldn’t want me to mourn forever.”

  “That’s a very positive outlook. Have you started to date again?”

  “I’ve dated, but nothing too serious. I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon, so it’s not a priority at the moment.”

  He nodded his head. “Makes complete sense, but you never want to get married again?”

  “No,” she shrugged, “not really.”

  “What about children? You’d make a wonderful mother. I saw you with Isabella today. She definitely took a liking to you.”

  A melancholy expression washed over her face, and even though she smiled, it was more of forced one that seemed to be hiding a frown.

  “No, that won’t be happening.” She popped the last of her burger into her mouth. “Isabella is such an adorable little girl. I’m sure everyone there is smitten with her.”

  He smiled wide. “Oh yes. She has everyone wrapped around her pretty little finger, including me. Israel is a great kid, too.”

  He carried their dishes to the sink, and she offered to wash them since he prepared dinner.

  “So enough about me,” Raven began as she rinsed the plates and sat them in the draining rack on the counter, “what about you? I saw how those women were admiring you at the airport, making googley eyes at you.”

  Armand nodded and left his spot on the couch to lean against the counter next to her. “Oh, you mean like you were?” he teased even though it was true.

  “Very funny. So …”

  “I’m not seeing anyone. I’ve been in a few long-term relationships, but my main priority at the moment is my career. I’ve dated, but lately I keep going out with young, immature women who seem to only care about their hair and the latest fashions. So, I’ve taken a break, sort of.”

  “Maybe you should date someone your own age.” She winked.

  “Hmmm … or maybe someone your age.” He stepped closer to her. “Maybe you?”

  “You’re still wet behind the ears,” Raven said with a smirk. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman my age.” She flicked some suds on him. “And you certainly wouldn’t know what to do with me.”

  That was all the ammunition he needed. “Really?” He pulled her by the waist to him, and a surprised moan escaped her quivering lips. His hands reached slightly under the hem of her T-shirt, and he glided them on her smooth brown skin. “Let me show you.”

  Armand lowered his mouth and kissed her. It was gentle at first, as he savored her warmth, sliding his tongue inside of her mouth to find hers that willingly responded and returned the kiss with the same slow, intoxicating rhythm. Her eyes fluttered shut as she moved her hands to his face, pulling him deeper into her as their kisses intensified with every passing second. Her stimulating moans were muffled on his lips, and he continued running his hands over her hips and plump butt, just as he had imagined the first time he saw her.

  Raven meshed her body into his and ran one of her hands to his belt. He hoped she would unbuckle it, but it seemed as if she was holding on to it to keep herself from falling over. He picked her up and carried her to the couch, their kissing never missed a beat.

  They’d barely made it there before she wrapped her legs around his waist, and his lips left hers, planting kisses on the side of her neck and down to the top of her breasts. Her skin was just how he’d imagined it. Warm. Soft. Tantalizing. He found himself becoming lost in her, but the strong, magnetic force of her juicy lips pulled him back to them, She bestowed deep, wild kisses on him that were nearly knocking him over the edge. Her fervent moans filled the air, and she shoved him back on to the couch, climbing on top of him. Her hips slowly moved on his erection, which was pretty much at full attention, especially when her lips moved over to his ear, and nibbled and tugged on the lobe. Her tongue flicked across it, sending his hands to bury in her hair. The woman was driving him to an exquisite insanity that he rather enjoyed, and couldn’t get enough of.

  Raven stopped the passion between them and whispered, “Are you sure you know what to do with a woman my age?” She raised her head up and stared down at him with a sly smile.

  “Um …” he stuttered. What the hell just happened?

  She leaned down and gave him a profound, sensual kiss as a guttural groan escaped him. She took the kiss even deeper, circling her tongue around his in a French kiss so unreal to him that a sense of being completely joined and in tune with her rushed through his body. It shook him for a minute … almost scared him, for it had never happened with any other woman before.

  She stopped, lifting all the way off of him. Grabbing her beer, she sat on the floor next to the couch.

  “You were saying?” She downed the rest of her beer and sat the empty bottle on the coffee table.

  Armand sat up and stared at her in bewilderment. True, she’d just put some type of hex on him that made him think she was actually in control, and that they had some type of spiritual and mental connection. And while he did lose it for a moment, he definitely wasn’t going to let her think—or even know—that tidbit of information.

  He pulled her to her feet and held her firmly in his embrace.

  “Well, it seems to me that this young man just awakened a passion and desire in an older woman that needed a man like me to bring it out. Therefore, the real question is can you handle a younger man? Better yet, can you handle me?”

  Her eyes glazed over as she inhaled and bit her bottom lip. He leaned in to kiss her gently, and whispered with his lips still on hers, “Because I’ve told you before, my age has nothing to do with my experiences, Raven. And it certainly doesn’t have anything to do with all of the ways I intend to drive you completely insane.”

  Her lips quivered on his and her body tremb
led in his arms. He leaned in to kiss her again, but a startling ringing noise jerked both of their heads in its direction.

  Her Doctors Unlimited cell phone rang, and she pulled away from him to retrieve it from the kitchen counter.

  She cleared her throat before answering the call. “Hello?”

  He kept her eyes on her, and the seductive expression she’d worn with him earlier vanished into a concerned, serious one as she listened to whoever was calling her from the hospital.

  “Okay. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “That was Suzanne. A woman just checked in with severe side pains and bleeding,” Raven answered, grabbing her personal cell phone and keys from the coffee table. “I gotta go.”

  She came to stand in front of him, and kissed him on the cheek. “Dinner was perfect,” she said, rushing out of the door. It opened again, and she poked her head in briefly. “Thank you for a lovely time. Oh, and save me some fries.” She closed it, and he heard her apartment door open and shut.

  Armand laid on the couch, which was still warm from their body heat just moments before. Her flirty, orchid scent loomed in the air and on the pillow. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply. Everything about her set his blood on fire. The seductive and passionate way she moved in his arms. The smoothness of her skin, and its sexy scent, practically had him clamoring for more. The music she made when he kissed her and the hot way she tasted was like no other.

  He almost laughed at himself at his thoughts. Sure he’d found other women he’d been intimate with stunning and sexy, but with Raven she was so much more than that. She’d aroused more than just his manhood. She’d awakened his heart and soul, but he knew he couldn’t take it any further with her. She would only be in Argentina for a few months; then it was back to her life in the States with her family and their medical practice. He’d been in a long-distance relationship before that led to both of them wanting to date other people, which eventually led to an amicable break-up. Raven was the type of woman he wouldn’t want to be away from for more than a day if she was all his.

  He opened one eye to look at the clock on the microwave. He had a few more hours before he was due to begin his nighttime rounds. However, after his encounter with Raven, his adrenaline was pumping. He jumped up, placed the left over fries into a container for her, and took a quick shower before heading out the door and down to the hospital.

  Armand wasn’t sure what to expect in the next few months with Raven, but the kiss they shared was so much more than just a onetime occurrence. He didn’t want a fling with her, but at the same time he knew that any kind of relationship past her leaving would be impossible.

  Chapter Five

  Raven leaned back in her chair in her office and closed her eyes. She’d just finished surgery on the patient that had arrived in the middle of her hanging out with, or rather kissing, Armand. She was somewhat glad she was saved by the ringing of her phone, because she’d almost been to the point of seducing him right there on the couch. Luckily, she was able to control herself even though the thought of going further with him placed a wide smile across her face.

  Since her late husband, she’d found herself in a few other men’s arms. The thought of Howard watching from Heaven would always enter her mind, and she would immediately stop before the kissing would go any further. Except one time, and she’d regretted it ever since. When she was with Armand that thought never occurred. She didn’t know what to make of it. In a way, she felt guilty for she couldn’t imagine loving another man again as much as she loved Howard. On the other hand, she knew it was a sign that she was finally moving on. Regardless, she would only be in Argentina for a short time, therefore a relationship with Armand would be out of the question. Raven had never been the sort to have a fling, even though her baby sister had suggested it. She decided that the next time she had a chance to speak to Armand in private, she would inform him that there wouldn’t be any more kisses. Being alone with him in his apartment was clearly a mistake, and she couldn’t risk that again.

  Pleased with that decision, Raven smiled confidently and finished typing her report into the computer. However, the doctor and motherly nature part of her wasn’t happy, and her smile changed just as quickly as it had arrived. The woman she’d just performed surgery on had an ectopic pregnancy and didn’t even know she was pregnant. One of the reasons why Raven loved being an obstetrician was to bring life into the world, but having to tell a woman she was losing a baby, or her baby had already died, was certainly one of the downfalls of her profession. Plus, she knew the feeling. Having lost twins to a miscarriage was one of her biggest secrets. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her family and friends, but it all happened so suddenly after Howard’s death with the miscarriage following a month later. She didn’t want people feeling doubly sorry for her. Therefore, only her mother and best friend knew of the true pain she’d suffered.

  A light knock on the door closed her thoughts of sadness as she said in a pleasant voice, “Come in.” She glanced at her watch. It was just after midnight, and she was ready to go to sleep. She prayed this wouldn’t be another emergency.

  Armand peeked his head in. “Hey, I just wanted to check on you.”

  Raven was definitely not ready to see him. She’d hoped to avoid him until she could muster up the courage to discuss what happened earlier.

  “I’m fine. I was just taking a breather before I go back and check on Ms. Rodriguez.”

  He closed the door and leaned on it. “No need. I just did. She’s resting. Kay and Dr. Watkins are on duty tonight.”

  “Hmmm … it’s a habit,” she answered, knowing she would still check on her patient. “I just like to make sure before I leave that my patients are comfortable. Of course, if anything happens, I’m only an elevator ride away, not across town.”

  Displaying a sleepy smile, he crossed the room. He sat in the chair in front of the desk with an expression that read he wanted to talk.

  Her heart hammered against her chest. She decided that this would be a good time to tell him no more unprofessional fraternizing could happen between them. Nonetheless, the way his shirt lay unbuttoned in a sexy manner, exposing a smooth chest that she’d forgotten to sample earlier. The tempting scene was tantalizing enough to make her say the hell with it and finish what they’d started earlier.

  She cleared her throat as the fresh scent of his cologne filled the small office, distracting her from thinking straight. She was scared if she opened her mouth, she would be a completely tongue-tied, gibberish woman. Raven was relieved that he began to speak first.

  “Well, in addition to making sure you were fine after the surgery, I was also coming to talk to you about what happened earlier between us, Raven.”

  Oh for goodness sakes! Must he say my name? Definitely not making this any easier.

  “That can’t happen again,” she stated in a serious, confident tone despite the fact that she wanted it to happen again and again.

  A handsome grin extended across his charismatic face, which made her want to push the desk out of her way and straddle his lap to continue the session that had begun in his apartment. Instead, she mentally glued her bottom to the chair.

  “And I agree. You’re only going to be here for a little bit. I would hate for us to start something and you leave, then I never see you again,” he said sincerely.

  “I agree as well. I’m not a fling type of woman.”

  He nodded understandably. “No, of course not … because if you were, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He leaned in toward her and raised the side of his mouth into a cocky, yet serious smirk. “I’d have you laid out across this desk.”

  Her breath caught in her throat at his seductive tone and she stood, grabbing her tablet and walking around the desk with lead legs. The visual she’d imagined sent ripples of heat rushing through her veins, and if she didn’t get out of that small office and away from him soon, she would definitely let h
im lay her across the desk to let him do whatever he wanted.

  “Well … I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she said, extending her hand to shake his. Instead, he stood and pulled her to him. She gasped, but didn’t struggle against him. She was perfectly comfortable in his warm embrace. If he kissed her, she knew in her heart she wouldn’t mind at all and definitely wouldn’t stop him.

  His gray eyes appeared darker as he stared down at her hard and dangerously. A shiver of anticipation ran from her head to her toenails, and her heartbeat sped up. He lowered his head, and his lips were just a mere half an inch from hers.

  “Just to be clear, I’m not on the same page, but sometimes you have to do the right thing even when you don’t want to. I respect your wishes, that’s all.”

  Armand kissed her lightly, lingering his lips on her trembling ones. He inhaled and let go of her as quickly as he’d pulled her to him. Clearing his throat, he stepped toward the door.

  “Good night, Raven.”

  After he left, she slumped into the chair he’d just occupied, deciding to wait a few minutes before leaving. She definitely didn’t want to be in the elevator with him, for she’d have the urge to hit the emergency shut off and seduce him.

  Now she was in a state of confusion. Something about never kissing Armand or being in his arms again made her a little sad. Perfect. I find the one guy I could actually give myself to, but can’t because I’ll only be here for a short time.

  She stood and headed toward the door with a sarcastic chuckle as she realized she was ready to start dating again. While that would be great when she finally returned to the States, it was too bad it wouldn’t be Armand.

  *****

  “Are you okay, Catalina?” Raven asked her sixteen-year-old patient who had just experienced her first pap smear. As the girl squeezed her eyes shut, her mother patted her daughter’s hand. Raven took her gloves off. “You can sit up. I’m all done.”