“How about you? What do you fear?”
“That I’ll never have another night like this.”
Shay watched him for a moment, then leaned toward him and cupped his cheek. “That was the nicest thing that has been said to me in a long time and I needed that.” Her lips touched his.
They were as sweet and plump as he remembered. And he wanted more.
Shay’s arms wrapped around his waist as she moved closer, her soft body pressing against his. His heart went into overdrive as his blood heated. She felt so good against him. She opened her mouth to him. Matt invaded, taking and giving. Shay returned the need.
Thunder rolled and Shay pulled back. “We’ve got to go. She jumped up and Matt followed.
“It looks like we’re going to get a third light show that I hadn’t planned on. This time of the year the thunderstorms can be dangerous. We especially don’t want to be in the trees when it comes over us. It can get scary out here quickly.”
Fighting his disappointment, Matt grabbed up the blanket into a wad and took her hand. “Then let’s move.”
Soon they were making the return trip to the house. They had made it out of the trees when the first drop of rain hit him. The wind bellowed against them and a couple of times Shay had to work to keep the four-wheeler steady. The lightning flashed with too much frequency and too close for his taste. He leaned over Shay in an effort to protect her from the pelting rain. With great relief, she pulled up under the shed.
“Leave this stuff.” She indicated the items strapped to the back of the four-wheeler. “We’ll get it in the morning. Run for the front porch. That’ll be easier than trying to go in the back. We can take off some of these wet clothes before we go in the house.”
Hand in hand they raced across the yard. Lightning flashed again and Matt saw a smile on Shay’s face. Now that they had made it to safety, she was enjoying the experience. When they got to the end of the porch, he picked her up and placed her on her feet under the roof into the dry then he stepped up beside her. Shay had left a light on beside the door.
“This is some weather. Not here one minute and then on top of you the next.”
She shrugged. “I warned you.”
He grinned. “That you did.”
Shay pulled off her shoes and windbreaker. “Turn around.”
“Why?”
Her hands went to the hem of her shirt. She gave him a challenging look. “Because I’m going to take off these wet clothes before I go into the house and get us towels.”
“You do know I’m a doctor, don’t you? I’ve seen bodies in underwear before.”
Her look didn’t change. “That may be so, but you’ve not seen mine.”
“Not because I don’t want to.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He shouldn’t be thinking it either. Hadn’t he already decided that he wasn’t what Shay needed in her life? That they were traveling down two different roads? He should be keeping his distance instead of making suggestive remarks. Kissing her. “I’ll be a gentleman and turn around.”
He waited for the door to close before he stripped off his shirt and dropped it with a plop on the wooden boards. How was he going to stay here with Shay and not act on his attraction to her especially after their kiss? While she talked as if she didn’t want to get involved with him, she’d brought him to her special place and kissed him. Was she as confused by what she felt as he was?
Shay returned wearing a large T-shirt that covered her to the top of her thighs. He swallowed hard. She’d never looked more amazing or vulnerable. Her focus left his eyes and dropped to his chest.
“Shay?”
“Mmm.”
“Can I get a towel?”
“Oh, yeah.” She threw him a towel. He used it on his hair.
“When you’re done leave the wet stuff out here and we’ll see about them tomorrow.”
“Is this a new way to get me naked? If it is, I like it.”
Shay looked away from him. “No. I just don’t want my floors sopping wet. I worked too hard on them to see them ruined.” She began toweling her long hair.
“Let me help you.” He stepped close behind her, taking the towel from her.
“I can do it.”
“I know that, but I’d like to.”
Her gaze met his for a moment, then she dipped her head toward him.
Matt gently rubbed the top of her head then started on the ends of her hair, putting sections between the terrycloth and rubbing it together. What was happening to him? He’d never given another woman this type of care. Shay had a way of bringing out the tenderness in him.
“That feels so nice.” She moaned and looked at him.
“Shay, don’t look at me that way.”
“How’s that?”
He sighed. “As if I were a man worthy of you.”
“Who said you weren’t?” She came up on her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth.
“Shay, think about what you’re doing. If we take this further, I want you to know I can’t make any promises. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m a big girl. I know the score and what I want. I can take care of myself. Right now, at this minute, I want you.”
The towel joined his shirt in a pile. His hands cupped her shoulders as he felt her warm, sure hands at his waistband.
She released the button on his jeans. “I told you these had to come off.”
His breath caught. This he hadn’t anticipated from Shay, but he sure liked it.
With a deliberate tug, she lowered his zipper. “I can’t have a guest who won’t mind.”
His mouth found hers. Her hands roamed his chest. She shivered. He pulled her against him.
When he broke the kiss, she said, “I want you to make love to me. I need... I just need.”
* * *
Shay had no idea what had come over her. She’d never acted like this before. That had been one of John’s complaints about her: she wasn’t aggressive enough. Here with Matt, it hadn’t occurred to her he wouldn’t welcome her attention. With John it had been all about him. With Matt he gave more than he took. She’d seen him do it in so many ways.
She pushed at his pants, the wet material making it difficult to get them off. He chuckled. He took a pace back and finished the job, stepping out of his jeans. His length stood tall and proud behind his knit boxers. She could hardly remember the last time she’d been desired so obviously. It was empowering.
Matt brought her against him. She basked in his warmth, her hands circling his waist and kneading his back.
He kissed her forehead. “I need you too.”
She took his hand, leading him inside and down the hall to her bedroom.
He stopped in the doorway. “I believe this is the most feminine room I’ve ever been in.”
She’d chosen to do it in a pale blue with plenty of pillows. A quilt made of pastel flowers covered the brass bed, with its high headboard and a footboard. It sat catty-corner to the door, making a statement in the space. A French provincial dresser with a large mirror was stationed against one wall. She’d positioned an overstuffed chair next to a window with a floor lamp behind it. The ruffled curtains in white with a hint of blue dots finished the look.
“This is all me.”
Matt stepped around her and looped his arm loosely at her waist. “I like ‘the’ you. And I like your bedroom. I like you in your feminine bedroom even better.”
“You don’t think all this—” she waved a hand around “—will hurt your performance?”
He grinned. “Why don’t you let me know what you think in the morning. By the way, the room suits you.” His fingers were featherlight as they trailed down her arm. “Soft, sweet and sensual.”
She shivered, her nerves alive from Matt
’s touch. Shay liked that description of herself. For too long she’d had to act strong and resilient. Be what others expected of her.
He teased the hem of her shirt. “I think we should get under the covers where you can be warm.”
The storm still raged outside. Rain tapped against the window. The light in the kitchen flickered and went out.
“There went the electricity. Wait here a second.” She went to the dresser and opened the top drawer and found the matches she kept there. On the next flash of lightning, she lifted the glass chimney of the oil lamp sitting on top of the dresser. She lit the wick. Light flickered softly around them.
“I’m glad you lit it. I want to see you. To appreciate all of you.” He tugged off her shirt then kissed her. As he did, he reached around her and unhooked her bra. His hands brushed the straps down her arms. It fell to the floor between them.
Matt cupped a breast in each of his hands. He lifted them as if testing their weight. “Perfect.”
The way he whispered the word with such reverence made her believe it. He kissed the top of one just above the nipple straining for his touch. Moving to the other breast, he placed his warm mouth over the nipple and sucked. She shuddered. Her center clenched. Biting her bottom lip, Shay stopped herself from moaning her pleasure as her fingers fed through his hair.
As his devotion continued, Matt’s thumb hooked into the elastic of her panties at her hips. He tugged them down to her knees, then let them drop to the floor. Standing, he held her hand as she stepped out of them. Backing away to arm’s length, his gaze started up her body.
Shay moved to cover herself. Matt stopped her, taking her hands. “You are breathtaking. Please let me admire you. Just so amazing in the lamplight.” His eyes locked with hers. “You’re amazing all the time.”
She loved hearing that from him. Over that past few years, she hadn’t felt as if she were amazing in any area of her life. At the clinic she been giving back to the community that had supported her, while knowing the man who had been her life for so long no longer wanted her. Not just that, but had replaced her with another woman. She needed someone to see her. Matt did.
He walked backward toward the bed, bringing her with him. Pushing pillows to the floor, he jerked the quilt back. He turned her around, so she stood with her back to the bed before he picked her up and placed her on it.
As she watched, Matt removed his boxers. He then lay on his side next to her. He propped his head on his hand. His other came to her belly, his finger drawing small circles on her skin. She sucked in air as her core heated.
She reached to touch him. He stopped her. “No, stay still. Just feel. I want to enjoy you. We have all night.”
Shay wasn’t sure she could remain immobile. Her body tingled all over. Her blood roared through her veins to her center, creating a throbbing pool. Matt asked the impossible.
His fingers left a hot then cold trail as they traveled up to her breasts. He brushed a finger over her nipple. Her middle contracted. She squirmed.
“You liked that.” Pure satisfaction hung in his voice. He gave her other breast the same caress before he leaned over and took it into his mouth.
She moaned, her hips flexing. She reached for him.
“Not yet.” He placed her hand on the bed again then returned to loving her breasts. His tongue twisted and tugged. Her breasts went heavy with need. She closed her eyes, soaking in the sublime sensations flooding her body.
Matt’s hand continued to work its magic as his mouth left a path of sweet nips along her neck. Her hands fisted in the sheet. Not soon enough for her, his mouth claimed her in a feverish kiss making her think of nothing but him. The need built like the storm outside into something out of control.
His hand left her breasts and skimmed down her ribs, across the plain of her stomach, and brushed her curls before cupping her between the legs. He didn’t have to ask her to open for him. She had moved well past the point of no return. The want had taken over her mind. She wanted...had to have him now.
Matt’s finger slipped into her ready center. She lifted her hips to meet the push and pull of his hand. Nerves at a heightened pitch tumbled over each other and grew, curled into themselves until she exploded with the fury, and experienced honeyed pleasure.
Matt continued to kiss her as if she were the most precious person in his life. He eased away and dropped a kiss on her shoulder.
Shay opened her eyes to find him watching her. A smile curved his gorgeous lips. She cupped his beard-covered cheek, brushing her thumb across his lips. “You’ve the most beautiful mouth.”
He chuckled. “I like yours too. If I leave you for a sec you promise not to move?”
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
He tapped her on the end of the nose with a fingertip and stood in all his nude glory. His manhood rose straight and thick in front of him. He headed out of the bedroom door giving her an amazing view of his tight butt. Matt was the best specimen of a man she’d ever seen. He soon returned with a foil package.
“Let me do that.” She sat up and took the square from him.
As he stood before her, she slowly rolled the protection over him. Finished, she kissed his stomach.
“Shay,” he hissed.
She took his hand and tugged him to the bed. He came down over her, his hot body covering hers. His length pressed her entrance.
“Are you sure, Shay?”
She gave him her best seductive smile. “Oh, I’m sure.”
* * *
Matt, unable to control his craving any longer, slowly entered her. He paused to appreciate the softness and acceptance of Shay. Her heat welcomed him. Nothing had ever felt this good, this right. His mouth found hers as he pulled back, then moved forward again.
Shay clung to him. Her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him to her. He pumped deeper, faster, harder. She tensed. Her fingers bit into his back.
With control beyond any he could have imagined, he sank into her once more.
Shay shuddered beneath him as she keened above the noise of the storm. “Matt.”
With a final thrust, he joined her in a release that shook him to the core. He buried his face in her neck and moved to lie down next to her, weak from pure fulfilment unlike any he’d ever experienced.
As his breathing eased, he reached for Shay’s hand, brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.
Under control once again, he nudged Shay to him and shifted around in the bed until his head lay on a pillow. He pulled the covers up over them.
She placed her hand in the center of his chest and caressed the patch of hair there. Soon her breathing turned even in sleep.
By the time he woke, the storm had become a steady rain. The side where Shay had been had gone cold. Where was she? If anything, he didn’t want her to regret what they had shared. Too many times he’d disappointed others. His mom, his stepfather, Jenna, even the board members in LA. Himself. He didn’t want to do it again with Shay. Particularly with Shay.
He climbed out of bed. Cool air washed over him. Looking into the hall, he could see light coming from under the bathroom door. He knocked lightly, then gave the door a gentle push. What he saw took his breath and shook his manhood into instantaneous attention.
A multitude of candles glowed around the room. Shay, with her hair piled on her head, sat in the large footed tub with bubbles surrounding her. Her face looked flushed from the heat but the sparkle in her eyes was all about a woman well loved.
She grinned. “Hey, there. I was wondering when you’d show up. Close the door. You’re letting the heat out.”
He kicked the door closed and walked toward her. Placing his hands on the rim of the tub, he leaned down and kissed her. She returned it. Standing, he released the towel and let it drop to the floor. “Is there room for one more?”
A teasing glint twinkled in
her eyes and she moved her legs to the side. “Only for a very special person.”
With a grin, he stepped into the tub, sinking under the warm water as he faced her. His legs went to either side of her hips. She lay her legs across his thighs.
“Hey, you’re splashing out the water,” Shay protested.
He ran a hand along her calf across her knee and started up her thigh before he came down again. “Is that really what you’re worried about?”
She lightly splashed the water in his direction.
“Now who’s spilling the water?” He found her foot beneath the water and brought it to his lips and kissed her instep then nipped at her ankle bone. At Shay’s quick inhale of breath, he smiled. He had her. Letting her foot go, it slid under the water. Her foot caressed the inside of his thigh. He reached for a breast peeking out of the bubbles, cupping it in his palm.
He grinned at her wickedly. “I’ll scrub you if you’ll scrub me.”
Her lips went pouty and she looked away from him as if not interested. “I washed up before you took over my bath.”
“Then you can concentrate on me.”
Her gaze met his, holding it as she came to her knees. “I can do that.”
Matt grinned as she moved toward him. Apparently, Shay no longer cared about water on her floor.
Her hand rested on his thigh and skimmed up it. “Is there any particular part you’d like me to start with?”
Red-hot desire shot though him. He grabbed her, pulling her along him as his mouth found hers. What had he done to deserve Shay?
CHAPTER NINE
MATT LEFT SHAY sleeping when he slipped out of bed. He pulled the bedroom door closed behind him as he headed to what was supposed to have been his bedroom. Picking up his bag off the floor, he found shorts and a T-shirt and pulled them on. He wouldn’t call himself a cook, but he could put together breakfast.
Putting his hands above his head, he stretched. When was the last time he’d felt this good about life, or been so at peace? He couldn’t say. Over the years he’d been with his share of women, but none had touched him like Shay. He’d never experienced such depth of caring even with Jenna. As awful as he thought being turned down by her and his work issues were, in an odd way they’d been a blessing. He’d come to Jackson and found Shay.
Taming the Hot-Shot Doc Page 11