Shocking the Medic (Pulse series)

by Otto, Elizabeth

  Her stomach growled again. Inside, the restaurant was packed. People were taking handfuls of peanuts from metal pails on their tables, and tossing the empty shells onto the floor. She wrinkled her nose as she crunched discarded shells with her flip-flops. The waitress showed them to a table and offered their own bucket of peanuts. Luke didn’t waste any time cracking one open and tossing the shell at her.

  They both ordered New York strip, medium-well with a side of mushrooms and onions. She was glad she’d thrown mints in her purse. She sipped a margarita while they waited for their food. He watched people coming and going. It was calm and comfortable and perfect just sitting together. He had a beautiful profile, with thick, dark lashes and a strong jaw. His hair curled around his ear, giving him an almost boyish appearance—like when he was younger, before the deep lines around his eyes, or the hint of stress he wore like a shadow. Time and the job had changed him into a more serious but just as devastatingly hot version of the stunning boy who used to get off on putting spiders under her pillow.

  Luke had been her everything, and in the secret place in her heart that wanted him so much, she told herself that he needed her, too. She held on to that little daydream as he took out a different girl every weekend. When she was never offered a spot on his arm like all the others, she had put the hope to rest. He was never going to need or want her the way she did him.

  And it was taking all of her will and strength not to give in to false hopes that now that they were older and more settled, there might be a chance for them. Hopes that wanted nothing more than to bloom and grow like vines, wrapping around them both. They’d had sex without promises, and she’d take that again and again until he tossed her aside like the rest. Then, and only then, would she break.

  She supposed she was waiting for the fall, had always been waiting for it, so she could hit the proverbial rock bottom and finally move on, maybe with a semblance of their friendship intact, depending on just how badly she shattered.

  “Damn, girl. Thirsty?”

  He motioned to her drink. She was startled to see it was almost empty. She must have been sipping while she was lost in thought.

  “Oops.”

  The waitress came with their food, and neither of them wasted any time in digging in. They ate in silence. He kept people watching, something he did when he was pondering something. She couldn’t shake her thoughts, and he seemed to be thinking some deep thoughts of his own. Funny, how they always fed off each other like this.

  “You know,” he finally said, “you never told me why you left law.”

  “You never told me why you refused to sleep with me that night.”

  He stopped cutting his steak. She set her fork down, slightly mortified that she’d said that out loud. Really, what did it matter now? He’d taken her to bed, given her the fantasy and then some.

  “We’ve made up for it since then, remember?”

  Hell yes, she remembered. She took another bite. A fuzzy haze misted through her brain thanks to the margarita. Luke resumed his meal, blatantly refusing to answer her.

  Sher threw a peanut shell at him. It bounced off his chest. “We’re going to call a draw on this conversation, then?”

  “If you’re not going to answer my question.”

  True, she wasn’t. And he wasn’t going to, either.

  They were adults, and this was slightly ridiculous. But she couldn’t see having this conversation in public. What she had to say, if she could bring herself to say the words, was very private. She’d been holding on to it so long, Greer didn’t know how she’d feel while she told him. It should be a simple thing, really, to just come out with it already. But behind the wall she’d put up between her heart and Luke, her emotions were so tender and delicate that it wouldn’t take much to bring her to tears. No way was she going to both spill her secrets and bawl like a baby in a place that encouraged you to throw your food on the floor.

  “I was never the man for you.” He pushed his plate to the side and leaned his forearms on the table.

  She opened her mouth to reply, but she had no idea how to respond. He leaned in a little over the table and saved her the trouble of thinking. His voice was intimately low, the heated timber of it giving her a chill.

  “I want to see you in the future you envision for yourself, with a partner who can give you what you need. What you want.”

  The word “want” came out with a pained tinge.

  “I shouldn’t want you in my bed, but I do. I fucking do. I could say just one more time and that’s it, and I might honestly think, in the stupid way men do, that’s for the best. But I don’t mean it. One more time will never be enough; not after what we’ve shared.”

  Greer reached out and snagged his hand, gripping it hard. She didn’t want him to ever get his fill of her. She didn’t want to let go.

  A shadow beside them made them look. The waitress was standing there, clearly uncomfortable to have walked into their conversation. She held out a finger to indicate “I’ll just give you a minute” and darted off.

  Luke gave a slow grin and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’d better leave a big tip for putting her through that.”

  “Actually, it’s okay.” The waitress had sidled quietly back up to the table. “Considering I mostly wait on men who hold their beards to the side while they eat, this is the most romantic thing I’ve experienced in a while.”

  She placed a black holder on the table with the bill and a yellow ticket attached before she left.

  It was a pass for one free night at the adjoining motel.

  “She’s subtle, huh?”

  Luke dug out his wallet and threw down some cash for the bill. Disappointed that the intensity of the moment, and the blatant honesty he had shared, were over, Greer polished off her water to cool the slow burn his words had started inside her.

  “Ready?” He waited until she nodded before sliding out of his seat. Something hit the window next to their booth, making her jump. Curious, she pulled the red-and-white-checkered curtain aside. Rain pummeled the glass, highlighted by the outside lights. It looked almost horizontal as it splattered against the building. The overhead lights flickered, causing a low murmur of surprise to go through the room.

  He motioned for her to wait in her seat as he walked to the front. She lost sight of him for a moment, then he came back with a shake of his head. Pulling out his cell phone, he tapped around and his shoulders tightened.

  “Look at the red. We’re in for it until early morning.”

  He showed her the weather radar he’d pulled up on his app. Heavy rain and high winds with the potential for hail, moving through until one a.m. As if to punctuate the prediction, small beads of hail began clinking off the metal roof. Greer watched them scatter like little plastic beads all over the sidewalk outside.

  “I hate weather like this.” She rubbed her arms, suddenly nervous that Luke would want to try driving through it.

  He leaned past her and grabbed something off the table. He produced it for her view and her pulse ticked up.

  It was the motel ticket.

  His pupils dilated, the blue of his irises going dark. “Don’t worry, Lucky. I’m going to show you how to have fun in the rain.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Luke swiped the room card and pushed open the door. He wasn’t expecting much, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t need a palace to seduce the beautiful woman next to him, he only needed a reason. Greer walked in ahead of him, and he flicked on the light. Fully expecting 1970s orange-and-green decor, he was surprised to find a modern room in silver and blue.

  She threw her purse on the bed as he locked the door, already imagining her all spread out on top of the geometric quilt, her hair spilling over the side.

  He came up behind her and put a hand to the back of her neck and whispered in her ear.

  “Take off your dress.”

  He held her nape as she moved her hair to one side and slid down the thin straps of her sundress. It fel
l with a flutter to her feet. The smooth rise of her ass was luscious and naked.

  “Where are your panties”

  She gave a playful shrug. “I didn’t put any on today.”

  His cock twitched and pressed uncomfortably against his jeans. “You haven’t been wearing any this entire time?”

  “No.”

  He’d thought more than once about running his hand up her leg and beneath her dress on the drive. It was a good thing he hadn’t, or they’d have ended up in a ditch somewhere. With his free hand, Luke unsnapped her bra, and she slid it down her arms and onto the floor. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he turned her, taking a second to enjoy the view of her bare breasts, and the soft swell of her tummy and hips. Tilting her head with a pull of his hand, he crushed his lips to hers and inhaled her soft breath. He kissed her until her lips swelled beneath his, and then he kissed her again, harder, sweeping his tongue through her mouth and savoring her sweetness. She was panting when he stepped back.

  Pulling an ottoman from beneath a desk, he placed a pillow on top and positioned her to kneel before it and lay her upper body on top. God, her perfect ass was front and center in his view, her legs crossed at the ankles as she held the position and waited.

  Whipping off his shirt, he dropped to his knees behind her, placing a kiss on one round ass cheek. A trio of soft moans fluttered from her lips as he kissed his way over her backside taking time to tease her lower spine until goose bumps flared on her skin.

  Peppering kisses over her tailbone, he caressed her inner thigh with his hand, then her mound, easily parting her.

  “You want more?” he asked.

  “God, yes.”

  Sliding a finger inside her, he slowly worked it in and out before adding another. She tightened around him as he began a firm rhythm. She was so wet, he added another finger with ease, pumping them into her as he rubbed her nub until she was bucking and swaying against the ottoman. He wanted to kick out of his clothes and slide deep inside her, but watching her coming apart beneath his hands was too fucking hot. She spread her legs wider. The view made him crazy with need. Bending low over her again, he carefully slid a fourth finger inside her tight channel.

  “Oh God.” She gripped the sides of the ottoman with her hands. “You’re hitting that spot so good.” Her voice was thick and tortured.

  Inside, she swelled and pressed against his touch, almost like her body was trying to push him out.

  Clenching against his hand, she gave a cry the entire first floor probably heard. His chest swelled, knowing he was making her feel this good, go this crazy. Her hands gripped the sides of the pillow as she buried her face, crying out as her body tensed and she came hard against him.

  Somehow, he managed to kick off his shoes, and stood to strip off his pants. Then, he helped her turn onto her back with her legs bent over the edge of the ottoman. Her face was flushed, her eyes glassy as she scooted up until she lie on the ottoman with her head touching the edge. She beckoned him with the curve of one finger.

  “Come here and get on your knees.”

  Kneeling in front of her, he took her face in his hands. She looked at him upside down as she grabbed his cock and urged him forward a little more. He scooted closer, and she took him into her mouth. The first contact caused chills to burst along his lower spine. He ran his hands down the sides of her neck to her shoulders and cupped her breasts in his hands as she took him deeper.

  “Jesus Christ!”

  Never had he imagined his best friend would be the kind of girl to master the deep-throat. He’d been fantasizing about her all wrong. She was a sex kitten through and through, and the more they played, the more she showed just how naughty she could be.

  She breathed through her nose, the muscles along her neck tight as she took him as deep as he’d go. The tingling at the base of his spine got stronger, as a familiar tightness started in his thighs. The tight grip of her throat made him see stars every time he slowly thrust, and if he kept this up, he was going to explode.

  He carefully backed away from her, taking his time to withdraw from the heat of her mouth.

  “Get up.” He urged her to stand, smiling at how her legs trembled. God, he loved that they could make each other feel like this. He sat on the edge of the cushion with a leg on either side, and had her sit facing him. Gripping her hips, he pulled her forward until she leaned back and her thighs came to rest on top of his. Her hips were angled up, with his thighs beneath her and her upper back resting on the length of the ottoman. He angled his hips and drove his cock into her. From this angle, he’d be able to hit her G-spot again. Giving her that pleasure was all he could think about.

  From the way she tossed her head and grabbed his wrists, he figured he found it.

  “Luke, Luke, Luke.” She panted his name. The desperate tone to her voice pushed him toward the edge. He gripped her hips harder, thrust deeper with his hips tipped up just enough that he rubbed that spot inside her over and over.

  “Yes, that’s it!” She dug her nails into his flesh, and he let himself go, spilling deep inside her tight body. A crack of thunder shook the room, the lights flickering before the room went dark.

  He held onto her thighs until the pleasure passed and she stopped shaking and the dark closed into his awareness.

  “Shit.” Still breathing hard, he scrambled around on the floor for his jeans and fished his cell phone from his pocket. Turning on the flashlight app, he tossed the phone on the bed. Greer lay still, eyes closed and a smile on her pouty lips. In the illumination, her hair looked white, like an angel’s.

  She’d always been his angel.

  If he could keep her this way, keep them exactly like this, he would. With a sigh, she scooted off him and flopped onto the bed.

  “We have a problem,” she said.

  He smoothed his bangs from his eyes and joined her on the bed. “Yeah, electricity is out.”

  “No. I’m hungry. Somebody didn’t give me time to finish my dinner.”

  “I was in a hurry for dessert.”

  She laughed, and he pulled her close and wrapped his body around her. Spooning had never been his thing, but the curve of her ass and the warmth of her back was perfect against his middle. She settled in like she belonged there.

  His throat went tight. A guy could get used to this every night.

  “Greer,” he whispered. “About the things I said at the restaurant…”

  “It’s okay. I know that despite everything, this is temporary.” Her voice was thick, sleepy. Or, was it something else? Temporary was a bitter word. She turned in his arms and put her face against his chest. “Besides, sex with you is doing exactly what you said it would. It’s helping me work through the bad stuff. You’re a good friend, Luke, to help me out like this.”

  She huffed a little laugh, teasing him, but he couldn’t return the jesting. The promotion and all that it offered was something he’d been working toward for months. Feeling this contentment, this peace, in her arms was years in the making. He wanted them equally, but he couldn’t have them both. There’d be no benefit to her if he didn’t get that job.

  She’d just been given a six-figure-plus job offer on a silver platter, and he was struggling to work his way up a ladder that could crack at any moment. If she stayed in EMS and he didn’t get the promotion, he’d never be able to give her the things she was used to. If she took the job at the law office, he’d be so far beneath her professionally and financially, he’d never see his balls again.

  “Temporary, exactly,” he said, but the words sounded empty.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Greer was happy he turned down her offer to let her drive.

  They’d gotten up at the crack of dawn to a beautiful pink sunrise and clear sky, picked up the vehicle parts, and headed home. Despite the off-the-charts sex, she hadn’t slept well with the wind and rain pummeling the thin motel walls. Cuddling next to Luke should have helped her sleep, but she’d so enjoyed the feel of his warm body next to
her, the pressure of his arm tossed over her chest, and the smell of his skin that she’d forced herself to stay awake as long as possible to savor it.

  Dozing in the warmth of sun that shone in her window, she sneaked peeks at him as he drove. His mouth moved, his head swaying side to side as he lip-synched to some pop song on the radio, completely oblivious that she was watching. Drumming one hand over the steering wheel, he wore an intense expression as if he were mentally playing on a stage somewhere. The song increased in tempo, and he ditched the silent act to sing the words in a strained, off-key voice.

  She giggled and slapped him playfully on the arm.

  He laughed and rubbed his shoulder in mock disdain. “Fake sleeping to spy on me? Pretty low, Lucky.”

  “Fake sleeping? Right. No one could sleep through that disaster.”

  He looked adorably pretend offended. “You mean art.”

  “No, I mean my ears are bleeding.”

  The dimple in his cheek deepened as he held back a smile. “Ouch.”

  She rolled her head against the headrest to look at him. It was nice to tease him, and for the first time in days, to feel so relaxed. “I really needed this little trip. Thanks for dragging me along.”

  “I wanted you to myself, far away where no one we know could hear you while you came.” He nodded like he was satisfied with himself, and turned onto her street. The skin on her arms flashed hot. Of course, he had to bring up the sex and make her regret even more that they were going back to normal.

  She was sad to see they’d arrived home already. He’d drop her off and head out to continue the rest of his day, and tomorrow they’d be back to work as usual. Too bad there wasn’t a way to add hot, covert sex to their daily routine, too. Getting out of town yesterday was a great idea, and they’d needed it. Sex aside, it seemed like the foundation of their long-standing friendship was back. The closeness and emotional intimacy had resurfaced.

  That place she kept locked away, the one reserved just for feelings about Luke? It had deepened and expanded, threatening to burst to the surface. Why couldn’t they have something more permanent together? A future? Long nights just holding each other, and a life to experience together?