by Lucy Ryder
It made him wonder what kind of men she knew.
“Only as a general statement, yeesh. All I’m saying is that generally if people do someone a favor they expect something in return. Besides…” she waved her fork in the air “…guys don’t…” She stopped abruptly. Face flaming, she dropped her gaze to stab bad-temperedly at her steak.
Ty leaned back in the booth, fascinated by the myriad emotions chasing across her delicate features. “Well, don’t stop there, Dr. Cutie,” he drawled. “Not when this conversation is getting so very interesting.” He waited for her reaction and when it came—in the form of a poisonous glare—he prompted, “Guys don’t what?”
Her soft mouth firmed. “Nothing.”
Leaning across the table, he repeated, “Guys don’t what?”
“Think of me that way, okay?” she snapped, pressing her lips together as though to prevent any more secrets from spilling out. “Happy now?”
Baffled, he studied her mutinous expression, searching for clues to her thoughts, and when she stubbornly remained silent, he asked mildly, “And what way is that?”
Her reply was a huge eye–roll, as though he was the dumbest person alive. Hiding a smile, he picked up his fork and speared a succulent piece of steak. “I hate to disagree with you,” he said dryly, “but guys most definitely think of you that way.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
BY THE TIME they left the restaurant, Paige was feeling pleasantly mellow. Whether it was from the excellent wine or the heat of Ty’s body as he steered her towards his SUV, she couldn’t tell, only that she felt relaxed for the first time in months. Years, maybe.
Okay, maybe not relaxed, she amended, catching sight of his hard profile and sculpted mouth in the dash glow. Buzzed. Like there was some weird energy source humming just beneath her skin.
It might have alarmed her if she’d been thinking clearly but she was still surprised by how much she’d enjoyed their spirited conversation—everything from her favorite toothpaste to the correct procedure for handling difficult patients.
She must have dozed off because the next thing she knew someone was shaking her. Muttering irritably, she tried to turn over but something had her pinned.
She frowned and opened her eyes, blinking in the light shining through the windshield. In the next instant she recognized… “Ty?”
She sat up and looked around, noting that they were parked in the street in front of the house. Her neighbor, looking big and badass, stood beside her open door, his face in darkness.
Her heart gave a funny little flutter that she told herself was alarm but she couldn’t quite convince herself.
“Whaddid I miss?” she slurred, shoving a hand through her hair in an attempt to wake up.
“Here I thought my scintillating conversation had left you speechless,” he drawled, and reached for her seat belt, “when all the while you were snoring.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “If it makes you feel better,” she said, sliding out only to stumble against him, “I don’t fall asleep on just anyone, you know.”
She was almost certain it wasn’t deliberate, but when he steadied her by pulling her against him, she decided to stay there a few moments longer to test her theory. Dropping her forehead against his warm solid chest, she gave a hum of pleasure because she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had held her. Or the last time she’d let anyone hold her, never mind lean on them.
It was kind of nice.
She shivered. Fine, so maybe nice wasn’t quite the right—
“You falling asleep there, Dr. Cutie?”
Okay, Paige thought with an inner sigh. Moment over.
She gave him a half-hearted punch for his transgression and shoved away. “I hate that name,” she muttered, turning to stomp down the path and up the porch stairs. “I really hate that name. And the next person to call me that is gonna be sorry.”
She stopped in front of her door and reached into her purse for her keys, sparing him an annoyed glance when he joined her. He was mostly in darkness but light from the single wall-sconce illuminated half his face, highlighting one cheekbone, his strong jaw and the deep bow of his top lip.
His mouth was smiling, suggesting he enjoyed baiting her.
She yanked out the front door key and pointed it at him accusingly. “You’re lucky you have such a pretty mouth,” she announced. “Or I might be tempted to punch it.”
He chuckled softly. “Men don’t have pretty mouths,” he said, snagging the key and inserting it in the lock. The door swung open and when she didn’t move, he propped his shoulder against the frame, his gaze amused, patient.
“You do,” she insisted, stepping close. Reaching out a finger, she traced the sculpted lines she suddenly wanted on hers more than she’d wanted anything, including that last mouthful of decadent chocolate dessert.
It took a moment to realize he’d stilled and when she did she abruptly dropped her hand and spun away, eager to pretend the rejection hadn’t stung. Ty caught her hand and used it to tug her around. “That wasn’t a rejection,” he murmured, lifting her hand to his mouth.
At the move her eyes flew up and he held her gaze as he gently bit down on the soft pad of her finger.
Tingles instantly shot up her arm, and her knees wobbled. “What…?”
“That,” he murmured, taking a nip out of another finger, “was surprise you didn’t slug me. And just so we’re clear here, there is nothing pretty about me.”
His voice, deep and velvet-soft rasped against her flesh and spread delicious warmth across her flesh. “You, on the other hand…” his arm snaked around her and he yanked her against him hard enough to knock a startled gasp from her “…are pretty everywhere.” His hot gaze dropped to her mouth. “Especially here.”
Then he dipped his head and kissed her, laughing softly when she gasped again. He ignored the invitation, sliding south to gently kiss her throat and the fluttering pulse at the base of her neck.
“You drive me crazy, do you know that?”
Oh, yeah. Crazy, she knew. Crazy she was feeling right now—especially with his warm mouth moving up her throat and sparking a prickly heat in her blood.
“G-good crazy?” she rasped, her hands coming up to clutch at his shoulders. “Or…b-bad?”
He sucked a patch of delicate skin into his mouth, drawing a ragged moan from her throat. “Bad,” he murmured. “Very…very…bad.”
A heavy lassitude invaded her limbs and she was tempted to slide right to the floor in a puddle of pleasure, but she locked her knees and demanded, “Is that good bad…or—”
“Good,” he interrupted hoarsely. “Bad…but good. Definitely good.” And before Paige could draw in another breath, he whipped her through the front door and backed her up against the interior wall. “So good,” he continued as though he hadn’t just scrambled her brains, “that I want to find out just…how…bad you…can be.”
Breathless at the speed with which he’d moved, Paige gaped up at him, partly because she couldn’t move—but mostly because he’d shoved a thigh between hers. He moved and the hem of her dress rose another couple of inches, causing the material of his jeans to scrape roughly against her inner thighs.
A good kind of rough—the kind that promptly sent a rush of liquid heat flooding her belly.
“What…what are you doing?” she squeaked, shocked more by the sensations flooding her than the fact that she was letting him manhandle her. Again.
Instead of replying, he nudged the door closed and pressed his muscled thigh closer to ground zero. And then…oh, boy…she experienced a rush to rival all rushes. Her head went light and her limbs heavy or she would have objected to what he did next.
Muttering something beneath his breath, his mouth came down on hers as a big warm hand slid up her thigh. The kiss was hot and hungry and just a little bit out of control, but the instant he cupped her bottom, she jolted.
“I…um… Ty?” She felt intoxicated—a little tipsy, a lot off balan
ce—like she’d downed an entire bottle of red wine instead of just two glasses.
“You taste good,” he murmured against her throat. “Like fruit…” Another inhalation. “Or…marshmallows.”
“Cherries,” she blurted out breathlessly. “It’s…um…cherries.” Maybe. Probably. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe and when his teeth gently raked the tendon in her throat, she lost all feeling in her legs. She would have slid to the floor except for the hard thigh between hers.
“You make me hungry,” he growled, moving up her throat to nip at her chin and swipe his tongue along her bottom lip.
His fingers squeezed her bottom and a desperate pulsing began deep in her belly. She shuddered. “I…uh…you’ve just eaten.”
His chuckle was soft and deep. “Not that kind of hunger,” he murmured, tracing an invisible line of fire from the corner of her mouth to her ear with his tongue. “The kind that’s been driving me crazy since…the night…you…decorated…me in pink.” Each word or phrase was accompanied by a nip with his sharp white teeth. “But things are about to change.”
She heard a moan. Probably hers. “They…are?”
“Oh, yeah.” Ty murmured something that sounded a lot like, “And I’m going to start right here.” Then his hand slid beneath her panties to squeeze her naked bottom and Paige nearly shot through the roof. Suddenly, any thoughts of resisting—yeah, right—faded and all she could concentrate on were the sensations invading her body.
A whimper escaped that might have embarrassed her if she’d been able to think clearly.
She wasn’t. She could only feel.
And, boy, there was suddenly a heck of a lot to feel. His chest, his hands, his mouth…his belly—oh, God—those rock-hard abs and thighs…everything between. Every…long…thick…hard…inch.
He growled and the sound stuck her as thrilling and unbearably exciting. Breathing heavily, Ty lifted his head.
“Say it.”
“Uh… I… What?”
“Say it.”
“This is a b-bad idea?”
“The very worst,” he murmured agreeably. So agreeably that she pulled back and tried to shove him off her but he simply pressed closer, cupping the back of her head in his big palm and brushing his mouth across her cheekbone, her mouth…her chin…her neck. In fact, everywhere he could reach. Barely-there caresses that made her shudder and lose her train of thought.
He must have felt it too because his mouth caught hers and suddenly he was devouring it like he’d been starved of oxygen and wanted to gulp it all in at once. Fill his lungs…fill himself with her.
“Paige,” he rasped, sucking in air like a drowning victim. “If you’re going to stop…do it…now. Before I—”
“Don’t,” she growled fiercely, arching into his gently grinding movements. “Don’t…you…dare…stop or…or I’ll… Oh…” She was unravelling faster than she could drag air into her lungs. “If you stop, I…promise…” another breathy moan followed by a growl “… I’ll… I’ll hurt you.”
His chuckle was as rough and ragged as her breathing. “Oh, yeah?” he said, teasing her with sharp little nips to her shoulder. “How bad can it be, Dr. Cutie?”
“Three brothers,” she reminded him, turning her head to nip at his jaw in punishment. “They taught me to fight…dirty.”
He stilled and after a couple of beats leaned back to look into her face. Eyes, hot and heavy, glittered beneath the slash of his dark brows.
“How dirty?” he demanded, looking dubious and hopeful at the same time.
Her slow smile was filled with reckless mischief. “Very…very dirty,” she promised, and launched herself at him.
*
Stunned by the suddenness of her move, Ty stumbled back a few steps, barely catching her before she thudded against him. And before he could draw in his next ragged breath she wrapped her slender legs around his hips, grabbed his hair and yanked his mouth to hers.
Ty staggered backwards under the assault. His knees were as steady as cooked noodles and he felt drunk, as if he’d spent all weekend on a bender. But that was probably because she was sucking the air from his lungs and rubbing against his erection like she couldn’t get enough.
“Wait…” he rasped, seeing stars and weaving like a drunken reveler at Mardi Gras. “God…wait!” They stumbled into the entrance table, knocking over the flashlight. Paige snorted a laugh against his mouth and clenched her thigh muscles, the move killing off a few more trillion brain cells.
He muttered a curse under his breath and changed direction, heading for the living room, needing to get them horizontal before he lost all feeling in his legs.
Paige refused to co-operate, sliding her tongue against his and then giggling like a loon when they bumped into the wall, the archway and then a side table. A lamp went crashing to the floor and he lurched sideways. The next instant they tumbled onto the couch in a tangle of limbs.
For long tense moments neither of them moved except for their ragged breathing. It took him a few extra beats to realize that Paige was shaking, her whole body trembling.
Aw, man. Had he hurt her? He’d meant to twist so that she landed on him…not the other way around.
“Paige,” he said, gently running a trembling hand down the elegant line of her spine. She was small, delicate and sweet…and gasping like he’d crushed her chest. “Paige…” he rasped, “you…okay?”
Then she gave a muffled snort and tried to bite him and Ty finally caught on. He fisted a hand in her hair and yanked her up and—yep, just as he’d thought.
He stared at her. Okay. Not so sweet.
“You’re laughing?”
She gave another strangled snort and he dropped his head back, huffing out a laughing curse that had her giggling even louder. Then she tried to sort out their tangled limbs, managing somehow to shove her elbow in his trachea and knee him in the nuts.
“Holy hell, woman,” he growled through the roaring in his head. “Watch where you put that knee.”
He tried to grab her leg but his casted hand couldn’t get a grip. Finally, with much fumbling and giggling, she got her knees under her and sat up, straddling his hips, all flushed and tousled and glowing with triumph.
He blinked up at her, breath working its way in and out of his lungs like bellows. And then he promptly lost it again when he really looked at her—hair tousled, mouth red and slick and swollen from his kisses.
Her eyes sparkled with mirth and…yeah, arousal. No mistaking that. His heart gave a vicious kick against his ribs and he stilled, gazing up at her because, in that moment—flushed, half-naked and her face alight with laughter—he’d never seen anyone more beautiful.
For long moments they stared at each other. Something about his confused emotions must have shown on his face because her laughter faded and her eyes darkened uncertainly.
“If this is where you tell me that this is temporary and you’re leaving soon, I know,” she said, suddenly dead serious. “It’s okay. In fact, it’s great…really great, because…because that’s all I’m offering too. This…” she gestured wildly, nearly whacking him in the face “…is it. A one-night-only offer.”
Feeling both relieved and irritated, Ty caught her hand before she hurt herself or broke his nose. “That’s not what I was going to say,” he growled. “But I’m glad you said one night and not one time. Because, Dr. Carlyle, once won’t be nearly enough.”
Her brow rose. “Sounds like a challenge, Dr. Reese.”
Even as his hands slid from her knees to her hips, pulling her in hard, Ty was shaking his head. “Not…a…challenge,” he rasped. “A…promise.”
Damn…she felt good. Better than good. Especially when she uttered a laughing gasp and placed her lips on his throat. Her tongue flicked out, and fire flashed across his skin, eliciting a deep groan. She lifted her head to gloat and he gently wrapped a hand around her neck, catching her mouth to launch his own assault.
Within seconds she was making those
sexy sounds that threatened to blow his mind and she slid her soft palms down his chest to his zipper to press against his erection.
He felt his eyes roll back in his head. Her mouth curved and with her stormy eyes locked on him, she slowly straightened and…popped the button.
The whirr of his zipper was drowned by her appreciative hum and the next instant her hand slid into his opened jeans to wrap around his length. He gave an involuntary moan.
“You like?” she purred, nipping at his lip and setting off a series of shudders that licked at his spine like fire.
“Oh, yeah,” he croaked, wondering if he would be forced to turn in his man-card if he begged. And, man, he was close, very close to begging.
It took Ty less than five seconds to get naked, whipping around when she gasped.
“Omigod,” she squeaked. “You’re huge.”
Rolling his eyes, he huffed out a ragged laugh. “I’m not that big, Paige.” Then, abruptly realizing he’d just insulted himself, he quickly amended, “Okay, I am, but I’ll go slowly. I promise.”
With a wicked grin and a low appreciative sound, he lifted his hands to her breasts, brushing the backs of his fingers against the tight buds clearly visible through her dress. Her back arched and her head fell back, her eyes slowly drifting closed.
Her sigh sent an unnamed emotion slicing through to his chest to lodge right next to his heart. It felt a bit like heartburn but seemed an awful lot like affection and something much more dangerous…something he didn’t dare name.
Desperate to ignore it, he surged up and whipped Paige’s dress over her head. Her bra followed and, wrapping an arm around her, he flipped her over so he was kneeling between her splayed thighs.
Then he tugged her panties down her slender legs and tossed them over his shoulder before she could protest. And suddenly he couldn’t breathe because she was finally beneath him, naked and flushed, looking like a sensual feast when he had no idea what to sample first.
“Don’t…don’t look at me like that.”
He lifted his head and caught her biting her lip. Okay, so he did know where to start. He’d start at her mouth and work his way down to paradise.