She lowered her voice, trying to sound like a dude. “You know what looks good on me? You, baby.”
She finished loading the washing machine and closed the door.
He scoffed. “I don’t sound like that.”
“Yes, you do. Especially when you’re trying to pick up women. It’s sad, really.”
“But effective. Women dig it.” He frowned a bit, thinking about his history with women. Sometimes, he attracted too many, and the trouble was sorting them out. He’d stopped juggling two and three at a time for that reason. The only woman he’d ever really wanted had never had a chance to fall for his pick-up voice.
Because he’d never used it on her. She was too classy to fall for lame bullshit.
“Right. Women dig it. Which is why you need two cell phones to handle all the numbers they throw at you.”
Her voice was light, as if she were still teasing him, but the bite of truth in her words stung a little.
“I don’t really have two cell phones.”
She turned to face him, her long, thick braid flopping over one shoulder. He’d love to free all that hair and have it wash over him while she rode him.
He stepped all the way into the room, and the space seemed to shrink even more. Two more small steps and he’d be close enough to feel her body heat. Close enough to run his fingers over the bare skin of her arms.
“Even if you did,” she said quietly, “that’s your business.”
Luke drew back a bit. What was going on here? One second, they’d been teasing each other, and the next, her face was flushed and the set of her mouth firm. Had he accumulated his fair share of women’s numbers over the years? Sure. She wasn’t a stranger to his love life; she’d been around him enough to see women come and go. She’d never seemed to care. Though, right now, she seemed a little…what? Jealous?
Then again, if he believed that she had a maxed-out list of numbers from other men, he might just lose his shit a little over it. Heat creeped up the back of his neck at the mere thought.
“True, it is my business,” he replied. “But the thought of it seems to piss you off.”
Why did that possibility give him a flicker of satisfaction? She huffed a short laugh, dismissing his theory.
“No. We just need to get our footing back, that’s all. You said one night, and we had that. And then last night threw me. Now…”
“Now?”
“Now you need to go back to being unreachable. And I’ll go back to being your friend.”
Unreachable? In what world had he ever been unreachable to her? It was more the other way around. Pedestal, and all.
“The way I remember it, you were out of my league, honey.”
She pulled open the dryer door and took out an armful of towels. “Right. Because I’m such an upper-crust snob.”
He grinned. They were back to teasing, and he loved it. “I forgot. All the peasants name their daughters Greer Imogen Worth.”
A grin tugged her lips, and she looked primed for a comeback, but her cell phone beeped and pulled her attention. She made a disgusted face as she read, rolling her eyes as she flashed him an image of a dress on the screen.
“My mother. She keeps sending me examples of dresses to wear to her sixtieth birthday party next week.”
She shoved the phone back into her pocket without sending a reply. Luke wanted to point out that this is what he was talking about. Another fancy party his family wouldn’t be invited to, with women in dresses that cost more than most people’s monthly income. With luck he’d get that promotion, and soon he’d know what it was like to breathe a little easier when the paychecks came. He might even be able to park a brand-new truck in his parents’ driveway for her mother to see.
Knowing Marvelene, she’d stick up her nose and refuse to be impressed.
God, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Promotion equals money equals Greer. He wouldn’t say anything to her until he was guaranteed the advancement; by then her job at the station would be close to ending, and she’d move on to whatever she decided to do—freeing them from the constraints of the no fraternization rule. Straight-up sex had never affected him before. He’d never wanted more with a woman afterward…only this one.
She put her hands behind her on the washing machine and crossed her ankles.
“What’s that look on your face, mister?”
He dropped his voice low enough that it wouldn’t echo into the hall.
“Sex with you was more than I ever imagined it would be. Trust me, I thought about it a lot over the years, wondering what your body would feel like, fantasizing about your breasts in my hands and your pussy under my tongue.”
His body started to heat. She swallowed hard and watched as he stepped into her.
“You tasted sweeter than I could have dreamed. And, yes, you shocked me with your dirty little mouth. You fucking stunned me, and I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t want more.”
Her chest rose and fell, yet despite it, she seemed a little breathless. “I know the feeling.”
He wanted to leave her with the truth of how much he’d loved taking her to bed, wished he could instill in her how she’d made him feel. He didn’t want to damage that by adding how much he wanted more—more they couldn’t give to each other. Not yet.
She licked her lips and it was almost his undoing. He needed to stay away, but he had to get closer. Last night hadn’t been close enough.
“This promotion is important for so many reasons. But you’re important to me, too. I need you to know that.”
Her eyes widened, the depths of them glistening. “I want you to have that promotion. You deserve it.” He moved closer. Hers lips parted as she fidgeted a bit. “If you don’t get this one, there’ll be another opportunity. Some things are fluid, you know? Opportunities show up…and some things keep…coming back around.”
She stumbled over the words, her cheeks going pink. He knew exactly what she was trying to say, and he couldn’t agree more.
“Some things do keep coming back around.”
She nodded. “Mm-hmm, and…choices. You know, certain choices about those…opportunities.”
He snagged the ends of the stethoscope around her neck and pulled. She slammed against him, her face tilted up, those full lips parted. He wanted her on her knees with her lips around his cock. God, he had to get a fucking grip. His dick was already hard and demanding, his body humming with an uncontrollable need for her.
“What choice are you going to make right now about this opportunity?”
She trapped her lower lip between her teeth, her chest heaving. “Is it the same one I missed out on last night?”
God, they shouldn’t. They shouldn’t! But he wanted it, and so did she.
“Fucking right it is.”
“Luke.” She hesitated then reached up on tiptoe and nibbled his earlobe with her teeth, giving it a hard pull before letting go.
“I never was one to walk away from a good opportunity.”
With a growl, he spun her and positioned her hands on the washing machine. “Don’t move.”
He checked the hallway, half expecting to find Coss eavesdropping by the door. Relieved to see the space empty, he kicked the door closed. There wasn’t a lock, so he’d have to be careful to listen hard for any sound that someone was coming.
“You can’t make a sound. Understood?”
The sound of her excited breathing already disobeyed him, but she nodded quickly. Roughly, he unfastened her pants and slid them down just enough that he could get his hand inside. He pulled her back so her perfect ass pressed against his erection. He leaned over her body, savoring the feel of her ass against him, and gathered the ends of the stethoscope in his other hand. He pulled it around her neck like a collar and hung on firmly while he slid his other hand down and cupped her mound.
“How does it feel to be at my mercy?”
God, she was already soaked, her wetness flooding his hand and coating his fingers as he swirled little
circles around her nub. Tensing, she leaned back against him for support, her back arched and her hands gripping the edge of the washer.
She mumbled something he couldn’t understand. He wished he could see her face and watch the pleasure play over her beautiful features. So, he was going to give her a raging orgasm with as little disruption as possible. She was going to walk out of here, and no one would be the wiser.
“Think about me fucking you. Think about how good it feels to have me slamming into you. You love that, don’t you?”
“Yes!”
A desperate, seductive sound escaped her, and it was almost his undoing. He was on the cusp of undoing his zipper and slamming into her.
Dragging this out, teasing her until she lost her mind, was forefront in his imagination, but he’d wrench a fast, hard orgasm out of her and enjoy the shockwave of it instead.
Kissing the side of her neck, he teased and played her clit until she covered her mouth with a hand and bucked and ground against his hand.
“There you go. There you go, Greer. Fuck yes.”
Her tender flesh swelled and hardened beneath his hand, her entire body going tight. Goose bumps exploded over her skin, followed by a hard tremor that had her nearly collapsing in his embrace. Whimpering quietly, she took a shaky breath and finally relaxed.
He tightened his arm around her, letting his hand linger between her legs, savoring this moment and the force of her release.
Realizing he might have been holding onto the stethoscope a little too tightly, he checked her neck for marks. There weren’t any.
Slowly, she withdrew from his arms and righted her pants with a trembling hand, tucking her shirt back into her waist. Luke used a towel from the basket to clean up, then took her shoulders gently in his hands. Their lips touched softly, their lust still heady and brewing. He felt it in her kiss, and his own potent need thrummed with a blatant reminder that he hadn’t come.
But she had, and it was more than enough.
She pulled back and looked up at him, leaving him speechless.
Her handheld radio began to beep from its spot in the basket on top of some towels. She grabbed it, not meeting his eyes as she moved around him to the door.
“I’ve got to go.”
She opened the door and startled as if someone was standing right there. Luke stepped back toward the wall to prevent being seen. Luckily, the angle of the door blocked him from view.
“There you are.” It was Coss. “Let’s go.”
“Yep,” she answered cheerily, sounding like she was leading him away. “You driving, or you want me to?”
Raking a hand through his hair, Luke let out a breath. He’d never been one for emotional or career suicide, but that was exactly what was going to happen if he didn’t get a grip.
Chapter Nine
Greer tried to concentrate on the report on her laptop screen, but Coss was driving so aggressively, she thought she might throw up.
“It’s an ambulance, not a race car.”
He ignored her light quip and took a sharp left. She put a hand to the door to steady herself and ride out the turn. She missed Luke’s steady driving. She was so used to working with him that she missed everything about him. Only two days into working with Coss, she wondered how she’d survived this long.
The emergency call she’d just been on would have gone so much smoother with her former partner. Instead, it had nearly turned into a circus, thanks to Coss telling a young mother that the pea up her six-year-old’s nose would get lodged in his lung and kill him if he didn’t get immediate surgery. Meanwhile, she’d had the child blow air out of his nose as hard as he could, and the pea came flying out. The mother had given her a hug, and the little boy promised to find another way to get out of eating his veggies. Coss had given her a half-assed lecture on never overstepping his seniority again.
She brushed it off.
It had been a simple thing, but helping that child made her feel good. She hadn’t needed to use any medical skills or tools, just some quick thinking and an encouraging voice to get a good outcome. It was nice that not every emergency deserved the name.
She smiled and watched through the passenger window as the street went by. For the first time in days, her neck and shoulders weren’t tight and uncomfortable. Maybe she was starting to finally put the stress of the building collapse behind her. Or maybe the spontaneous orgasm with Luke in the laundry room had helped.
Either way, it was good to feel normal and confident again, like she really could do this job.
“Stopping for coffee.” Coss slammed on the brakes and weaved the ambulance into a parking spot alongside the curb. She held on to the dash until he’d fully stopped. He gave her a quizzical look and motioned her out of the ambulance.
“You sick? You’re pale.”
She undid her seat belt. “I’ve never ridden in the Indy 500 before, I guess.”
Coss smirked. “I think Almeda was too easy on you, newbie. You’re riding with a real medic now, so get used to it.”
“You know, inferiority complexes are proven to cause impotence.”
He gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. The air inside the cab seemed thicker, and she had the sudden urge to bail.
“Better be careful, Greer. You think you’re Luke’s first probie? He had his fun with a few of them before the new rules went into place, and you don’t see any of those women working here anymore, do ya?”
Coss jumped out and slammed the door, giving her a wink as he walked past the windshield and into the coffee shop. He’d meant to stun her with his words, and she hated to admit that he had. Really wanting coffee, but not wanting to wait in line with Coss, she waited a minute before jumping out and going inside. Since her assignment with Coss, he’d turned from overly friendly to condescending and rude. She had no idea what she’d done to elicit the behavior change, but the result wasn’t fun.
Luke had admitted that he’d fooled around a time or two. Okay, to be real, he’d man-whored his way around the city. He’d always had a way with women, and she’d hardly ever known him without a female on his arm.
She used to want to die from jealousy over those women. They’d shared his smiles, his time, and most of them, probably his bed. For years, she’d watched Luke parade one after another past her. And then she’d finally had her chance, and he’d walked away. So, sue her if she was eager to take him to her bed now that she’d finally had him. Of course, it came at the wrong time—a dangerous time for them both. If Coss knew about them, he’d out them in a nanosecond. But she couldn’t stop craving Luke’s touch, and the feel of his body on hers. She couldn’t stop reliving the sensation of sliding her palm into his and having his fingers close around hers as if he were holding something precious.
She made her way into the crowded shop. Her stomach growled at the scent of coffee and sweets. Coss was ahead in line, thankfully. But then he turned, spotted her, and came back to join her.
She frowned, losing her appetite.
“Hungry?”
All traces of his earlier contempt were gone. Normally, she tried not to put her lawyer hat on and start questioning people’s motives. She’d learned early on in her law career that analyzing the people closest to you usually ended in resentment and disaster, and others just weren’t worth the effort. But Coss was tipping her off that there was more beneath his passive-aggressive surface than he wanted her to know.
“I was,” she clipped.
“Ah, come on, Greer. Don’t be like that.”
She straightened and smiled at someone as they walked by. She kept the smile in place, though her voice was tight with the tone that always got her noticed in the courtroom.
“I don’t tolerate pretentious assholes, Coss. Unless you have something to say that is directly and explicitly related to our working relationship, keep your mouth shut.”
“Seriously?”
“Do you need me to say it one more time, perhaps slower, so you can catch up?”
His eyes bored into hers, but she didn’t back down. His throat moved hard as he swallowed, and a small muscle twitched above his brow. Anyone could tell that he was having a hard time not running his mouth, but to her surprise, he refrained. Men like him always had to have the last word.
“Hey, uh, excuse me.”
She turned to see a young man approach. His shoulders were slumped and dark hollows played beneath his eyes. His hands were shoved into the front pockets of rumpled jeans, and he looked like he hadn’t bathed in a few days. She took a small step back. Cos moved beside her and crossed his arms.
“Help you?”
“Yeah, I think? Maybe.” The man looked around before standing in front of Coss. “Were you guys working when, um…when the building fell the other day?”
Her pulse picked up, the hunger in her gut going sour. “I’m sorry, but we’re not able to discuss calls.”
The man’s slender hands moved with a slight tremble. “I figured. I—I know. It’s just, uh…I’m trying to find out what happened. No one will tell me what happened.”
Tears shone in his eyes, the sight of them going right to her heart. The emotional pain rolling off him was palpable. Greer lightly touched his arm and stepped out of line, moving them both to the side, where there was more privacy.
“Did you know the victim?”
One tear rolled over his cheek, then another.
“Eugene. Yeah, he was my stepfather.”
Eugene. Her chest swelled. An image of the bricks piled on top of the mangled car played in her mind. She could taste the dust coating her lips.
“He and my mom were separated, you know, so no one will really tell us what happened. The cops just said it was under investigation, but that was it. I mean, why? What happened?”
“Sorry, son. We can’t help you.” Coss butted in with a tug on her sleeve to lead her away. She pushed at his hand, her attention on the young man.
“I was there. I saw it happen.”
“Greer,” Coss warned.
“I wasn’t officially on duty, but I saw the whole thing. We, my friend and I, we tried to help him, but there was nothing we could do.”
Shocking the Medic (Pulse series) Page 7