by Cathryn Fox
“Like what?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Misguided youth, maybe.” She pointed to the open door. “That was way too easy for you.”
He laughed. “Yeah, something like that,” he said. “Come here.” He scooped her up, carried her inside, and set her on the paper-lined examination table.
“This could very easily be classified as breaking and entering.” She shot a glance around after he turned on the lights. “I don’t want to end up in jail.”
“I’ll take the rap.”
“How heroic of you.”
He grinned. “Let me have a look.” He sat at the end of the examination table, and dropped the leaf. Her leg dangled over the edge, but he took her foot into his hand and bent forward to examine her wound, the position feeling far too intimate. She went up on her elbows to watch, and his warm breath caressed her inner thigh as his eyes narrowed in concentration.
“I can see the stinger. I’ll have to remove it, and then we need to clean the area and bandage it. You okay with me doing that?”
Nope, not one little bit, but she had no choice.
“How do you know so much about stingrays?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied him dubiously.
“Boy Scouts.”
He stepped away and began rooting through the drawers, pulling out gauze, antiseptic, and what looked like a pair of tweezers. He scooped up a towel and rolled it. Her blood pulsed hot as he repositioned himself between her open legs, his forehead creasing. She tucked her sundress around her body and smoothed it down to her knees.
Beginning at her ankles, warm fingers touched her legs. His callused hands slid over her bare skin as he spread her thighs wider, loosening her tucked dress so he could place a towel under her leg to lift it. His muscles rippled with the movements, and it was all she could do to keep her gaze off his naked chest. Dammit, why couldn’t he have left his shirt on for his run? Seeing him like this was doing the craziest things to the needy spot between her legs.
His hands climbed higher, and her dress slipped up to her hips, once again giving him an unobstructed view of her panties. She wasn’t really sure why her dress needed to be that high, or why being laid out in the clinic like this, Josh deep between her legs, felt so sexual and…naughty. A shiver moved through her, and she took a breath and tried not to concentrate on the sweet sensations dancing inside her. But she failed, miserably.
He stilled for a second and darted her a quick glance. “You okay?”
Get it together, before he figures out what his touch is doing to you.
“Yeah, just nerves.” And arousal. A whole lot of arousal. Best to leave that alone and unspoken, though.
Leaving her spread wide open on the table, he turned, filled a basin full of water, and dipped a cloth into it. “This could have been a lot worse. The barb is small, not a lot of damage, and not too much swelling around the laceration. I think it was just a baby stingray.” Blue eyes shot to hers, a tenderness there that she’d never seen before. The muscles along his jaw softened as his gaze moved over her face. “You still feel okay?”
Her breath grew shallow. “A little lightheaded,” she said, although she was pretty sure it had nothing do with the sting and everything to do with Josh and his touch.
As his eyes filled with a gentle concern, worry flitted across his face. He frowned. “Sometimes it can take two to three hours for the symptoms to worsen. I don’t want you alone tonight.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Deft hands moved over the wound, dousing it in warm water. She winced, and he pulled back giving her a moment of reprieve. “Are you friends with any of the women from work? Any that you can stay with tonight?”
“Not really.”
Tweezers in hand, he leaned in, his head practically between her legs, his breath so damn hot on her thighs she was pretty certain she was going to orgasm. “This might sting.”
“It already stings, so just yank it,” she said, needing the pain to get her mind of her throbbing sex.
He grinned. “Okay. Clench down, this is going to hurt.” A quick tug and he had the stinger free from her heel. Blood oozed from the wound, and he pressed gauze to it as he held up the tweezers to show her the stinger.
“Souvenir?”
“No. I don’t want to remember any of this.” Especially how good his hands felt on her body.
He gestured to the gauze. “Can you hold this? Apply pressure.”
She sat up and held the dressing as he covered a bandage in ointment. He tapped her hand and she pulled it away. His warm eyes moved over his handiwork as he applied the bandage. His touch was gentle, intimate, and far too personal.
I really shouldn’t like it that much.
He exhaled slowly, crossed his arms, and gave a slow shake of his head. “It was a valiant effort, Holly.”
“Valiant effort? What are you talking about?”
Oh God, does he know I’m aroused and doing a piss-poor job at hiding it?
“Next time you should try to step on a bigger ray. I’m afraid this one didn’t do enough damage to send you home.”
She pursed her lips, relief moving through her. Okay, so he didn’t know what his touch had done to her. Thank God. “You think I stepped on a ray on purpose?”
“When a king cobra is nowhere to be found…” He pushed his hair back, and she caught his sexy grin. “Way to work with what you have, adapt to your environment, and use the resources at your disposal. I’m impressed.”
Charming. Sexy. Funny. Talk about the perfect trifecta. She trembled, a restless ache moving through her as his muscles flexed and relaxed again. Why the hell was he still single? Wait, maybe he wasn’t. Her gaze shot to his ring finger, only to find it empty. Though, that didn’t mean anything these days.
“Not married,” he said.
Jeez, he didn’t miss a thing. “Wasn’t asking,” she shot back, but that still didn’t answer the question of why a guy like him wasn’t hitched. “But since you brought it up, why not?”
He shrugged. “Not interested.”
Had some girl hurt him?
She frowned and looked at her feet. “Me, neither,” she said. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested—on some level she was. It was just that she didn’t trust guys. In the end they all wanted something from her, or were too afraid of her father to stick around.
I get it. I’m not enough for anyone to stay or fight for.
He arched a brow, disbelief all over his face. “Really?”
“Why so surprised?”
“I don’t know. I guess…” He frowned and looked down, like he wasn’t sure what to say. After a thoughtful moment, he said, “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t be interested in a relationship.”
She squared her shoulders. “I’m just not. Anyway, thanks for the help.” She threw her legs over the exam table. “I should get back to the villa.”
“Wait.” He put his hand on her thigh, preventing her from fleeing, and ohmigod, while she hated anyone telling her what she could and couldn’t do, the way he was holding her down, his big fingers biting into her flesh, filled her with a strange kind of pleasure.
“I was serious about you staying with someone.” His voice dropped, and when his eyes locked on hers, her sex clenched. She squeezed her thighs and took a deep breath to pull herself together.
“I told you I’d be okay.”
He gave a slow shake of his head. “Are you always this stubborn?”
“Are you always this bossy?” she shot back, one hand on her hip.
His head reared back. “You think this is me being bossy?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He lifted her clear from the exam table, and she yelped as he settled her against him. “I’ll show you bossy.”
Chapter Four
It was the lacy white panties that did him in.
Frilly, girly, so goddamn sexy it was all he could do to keep a measure of calm as he removed
the stinger and bandaged her foot. Yeah, sure, he didn’t have to push her dress up that high, but once he started over her creamy thighs, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. As a former SEAL he might have faced some of the roughest terrain, harshest climates, and the most dangerous of enemies, but keeping his cock in his pants as Holly’s legs widened for him was climbing its way to the number one spot for the hardest mission he’d faced yet. And yes, hardest had taken on a whole new meaning.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she asked as he carried her outdoors and kicked the clinic door shut behind them. It closed with a thud and vibrated all the way to his balls.
“Taking you back to your villa.”
She wiggled in his arms and a surge of pleasure shot through him. “Josh, really. I’m fine.”
“You might want to stop moving like that,” he bit out between clenched teeth.
“What? Why?”
His nerves twisted. “Just take my word on it, okay.”
She slipped lower in his arms, and he groaned as her hip rubbed against his cock. Her head snapped up, and her eyes widened when they met his. Her body visibly shook as sexual energy arced between them. “Oh,” she said on a breathless whisper. Her warm breath fluttered over his bare flesh, and he felt it all the way to his groin.
“Yeah, oh.”
She schooled her features, but she wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all him. Something potent had passed between them when she’d jumped into the pool to save him. She could pretend otherwise all she wanted, but her expressions were transparent. But even if she did act on what was happening between them, he was not going to give in to his urges.
“Maybe you should put me down, then,” she said.
“No, and I’m not leaving you, Holly.” She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. “Protest all you want, but I know there can be aftereffects from a sting, and until I know you’re okay, you’re stuck with me.”
“So, you’re just going to sit in my room and watch me for the next couple hours?”
“Yes,” he said, unless, of course, she had other ideas about how to pass the time.
Cool it, dude.
“You’re wasting your time if you ask me.”
“Nothing better to do.” Given that it was a small sting, and there wasn’t much swelling, he was 99 percent certain that she’d be fine, but he still wasn’t leaving her. It wasn’t just the SEAL in him that wanted to protect her. It was the man.
One small hand splayed over his chest, holding on as he wove through the paths, taking a shortcut to her villa. His muscles shifted and bunched under her soft touch, and she gave a little breathy sigh. Her warm breath fell over him and stroked all the way to his cock. He dipped his head, her lips so close to his all he had to do was inch forward for a taste. Why is it, again, I can’t have her?
Oh, right, she’s the boss’s daughter and I’m here to protect her!
Flustered, he picked up the pace, and when he reached her villa, he rushed up the three flights of stairs. “Key card,” he said when he reached her door.
She pursed her lips. “Why don’t you just hack into it like you did at the clinic?”
“If that’s what you want.”
He set her down, and as she balanced on one leg, he pulled her against him to provide support. Digging his knife from his pocket, he pulled open a blade, slid it into the crack of the door, and jimmied the lock until the door opened.
She shook her head. “Ohmigod, is it really that easy?”
“It’s really that easy,” he said.
After opening the door, he stepped into her room and carried her to the bed. But seeing her sitting there, looking up at him with those big, brown eyes, was more than he could take.
As desire slammed into him, he turned and plunked himself down in the chair by the window, determined to get his shit together and keep his distance.
“If you insist on staying, you might want to put a shirt on,” she bit out, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed like she wanted to gobble them back up. “Wait, I mean…”
Hyperaware of the way she kept looking at him, he asked, “You mean what?”
“I have the air conditioning on high. You’re going to freeze.”
“I’m fine.”
“Suit yourself.” She stood, hobbled to the thermostat, and dropped the temperature even more. “Actually, I find it a bit hot in here.”
With his gaze latched on the lush curve of her ass, he said, “Me, too.”
She spun to face him, and he sat there, completely still, as they glared at each other. Hand on her hip, she asked, “Just how long do you plan to stay?”
“Until I know you’re okay.”
Her chin lifted a little higher. “I’m fine.”
Stubborn.
“Maybe you’re hot because you have a fever.” he said. “Did you ever think of that?”
“I don’t have a fever.”
“Then why are you hot?”
“I just am. You just said you were hot, too. Maybe you have a fever.”
“Maybe I do.” Oh, he had a fever all right. He was burning up inside—for her. She started back toward the bed but winced when she came down too hard on her foot. A surge of protectiveness shot through him. “Jesus, Holly.” He crossed the room and scooped her up. Could the woman be any more obstinate…or fucking adorable? “What’s wrong with me helping you? We’re friends aren’t we? And friends help friends, right?”
She frowned, went quiet for a moment, like she needed to think on that, then came out with, “I don’t really…like…”
He set her on the bed and dropped to his knees in front of her. “What don’t you like?” he asked softly. Her throat made a sound as she swallowed, and he reached out to brush her hair off her face. Her hand shot up and closed over his, but then she jerked it back.
“Ouch.”
“What?”
She rubbed her wrist. “I think I landed on my hand when I fell.”
“You should have told me when were at the clinic.”
“I didn’t realize it hurt until now.”
“Let me see.” He took her hand in his and brought it close for an examination. With a slight twist, he checked the joints, and ran his finger along the bone. “Push against my hand.” She did as he asked, then grimaced.
“That hurts,” she said.
“Sorry. I just needed to check if it was broken, but I don’t think it is. We won’t know for sure until we get an X-ray tomorrow, but I think it’s just a strain. Do you have anything I could wrap it with?” His thumb brushed the underside of her arm, a slow sweep. Christ, her skin was so fucking soft.
“Yeah.” She nodded to her open suitcase. “I have a few scarves in the pouch.”
Josh reached inside the sack and pulled out a colorful scarf. “I’m going to ice your hand first, then wrap your wrist, just to keep it stabilized. If there is a slight crack, this will help.”
He found an ice bucket in her bathroom and said, “I’ll be back in a second.” He stuck the remote control between her door and the frame to keep it open and made his way to the ice machine, giving his hard cock a moment of reprieve. Any more time around her and he couldn’t be sure which part of him would be calling the shots.
Okay, Josh, get it together.
When he returned, kicking the remote out of the way, she gave an exaggerated sigh, as if she was so over this. Too bad. He wasn’t leaving until he knew she was okay. He put the ice in a washcloth, knelt on the floor in front of her, and held it to her wrist.
“I can do it,” she said.
“I can do it, too.”
Her warm breath fell over him as he continued to ice her wrist. After a while, he pulled it away, and satisfied that there was no swelling—well, there was swelling, but it was in his groin area—he folded the scarf diagonally and wrapped it around her wrist, using a knot to tie it in place. Color moved into her cheeks as he tested the pressure by pushing one finger inside.
“Did you learn
that in Boy Scouts, too?” she asked, then brushed her tongue over her bottom lip like she was parched.
Jesus, she was sexy. “No, actually Mrs. J was a nurse. She taught me things.” He placed his hand on her thigh, and her legs inched open as she relaxed into his touch. All signs pointed south, and he made the stupid mistake of looking down. A jolt of desire zinged through him, and the need to inch that dress up again, to get his mouth on her creamy thighs, pulled at him hard.
Fuck me.
“Mrs. J?”
She leaned into him, and as her hair fell forward, he fought the urge to look down a second time, to gift himself with another view of her panties. If he did, he knew he’d be done for. So fucking done for.
He grabbed an unopened bottle of water from her dresser, cracked the top, and handed it to her. She took a big drink, smiled her gratitude, and handed it back.
“My…ah, my foster mother.” Why the hell was he telling her that? He never talked about his childhood with anyone. He put the bottle to his mouth and took a swig of water to clear his throat and his addled brain.
“Oh? What kinds of things did she teach you?”
He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, everything inside him urging him to run, to get as far away from her as possible before he did something he could only regret. But when he lifted his eyes to hers and caught heat in her gaze, the sultry way she was looking at him, it stole the last vestige of his control.
He put his hands on her knees, brushing his thumbs over her warm skin. “Just that maybe sometimes all a small injury needs is a little kiss to make it feel better.”
What the fuck?
What is this woman doing to me?
Acting on impulse, he picked her hand up again and pressed his mouth to her wrist, close to the scarf. She sucked in a quick breath as he brushed his lips over her flesh gently, a barely there kiss.
“Better?” he asked, her sweet taste lingering on his tongue.
She regarded him with wide eyes then whispered, “Ah, yeah.”
With the rough pad of his thumb, he stroked her inner wrist, reveling in the softness, the sweet scent of her skin. He closed his eyes against the rush of heat. Jesus what would she taste like?