by Lori Ryan
“What was that thing at the end?” she asked, her eyes round with surprise.
“I’m a doctor,” he winked, leaning over her.
“I definitely think I’m going to need another exam.” She laughed.
“That can be arranged.” He dragged her body higher on the bed so he could fit over her then turned and grabbed the condom he’d set aside earlier. He opened the package in record time and slipped it on.
He glanced down at the sight before him. Never had he seen anything more alluring than Kayleigh Montgomery, sated and waiting for him. He prayed that he didn’t come as soon as he entered her.
Something deep inside him pulsed red hot with desire and all-consuming need. “Now, my pirate wench” he said, “I need to check you for weapons or contraband.” He traced a circle around her belly button.
Kayleigh squirmed and giggled.
“Be still, wench,” he said, slapping her thigh.
She sucked in a breath and for a moment he thought maybe he’d gone too far. When his eyes met hers, he saw the same dark lust he felt.
He grinned. “There’ll be more where that came from if you can’t do as you’re told.”
“Yes sir,” she said on a moan as she stared down at his erection.
“Please don’t hurt me.” She gave a coy smile.
I think it’s me who may get hurt, he almost said out loud, surprised by his thoughts.
She stared up at him as if she’d heard his words.
Aaron acted in self-preservation when he redirected her. “Hands above your head, lass.”
A slow smirk spread across her lips. God she was beautiful.
He slid inside her, giving her no warning as he pushed in to the hilt. Her heat enveloped him and he clamped down his teeth, gulping down air to keep from coming.
She gasped.
He stared down at her face and his chest ached. All trace of amusement was gone. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“More than okay.” She smiled, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“May the prisoner make one request, though?”
He slid out of her and slowly pushed back in, more gently this time. “Go ahead.”
Her eyes fluttered and her head fell back as her legs tightened around him. “Is it okay if this wench asks for a kiss?”
Was it okay? Kissing Kayleigh sounded like the most amazing thing he’d heard of in a long time. He leaned down and as his lips pressed against hers, he was lost, like he always was when they kissed.
A spark lit him from within and he lifted her hips. Changing the angle, he pumped into her, harder, faster, his yearning a burning need inside.
“Aaron,” she cried out, leaning her head back
Her body clenched around him. He moved faster still, his hips slamming into hers in fevered frenzy. He couldn’t get enough of her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.
“Kayleigh,” he moaned against her skin.
She pushed against him, arching her back as her body went tense. She yelled his name and he was thankful only her vet clinic was next door or someone might call the police, fearing she was being murdered.
Her body shook in his arms, convulsing, pulling him in closer to his own release. Seconds later, it hit him like a bulldozer and he crashed over the edge, pulsing inside her with a moan. He laid on top of her, trying to catch his breath.
“Captain,” she said underneath him, pressing into his chest with her hands.
“I’m sorry.” He pushed off her. “I was probably crushing you.”
He gazed down at her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes glazed.
She smiled, an unmistakable look of pleasure washing over her beautiful face. “Your body felt good pressed against mine. You’re like one of those thunder vests dogs wear.”
His brows knitted. “A what?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head, running her fingers through his hair.
“Let me take care of this,” he said, rolling off her and going to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he reentered the bedroom, she was under the covers, the dog at her feet.
“Sorry,” she said, pointing down at the dog. “She likes to sleep with me.”
“You still naked under those sheets?”
She grinned. “See for yourself.”
He lifted the covers. “Yep, still naked.”
“Still naked,” she said, the look of desire in her eyes hard to miss.
“Then there’s really nothing to be sorry for. Is there room in there for me?”
“Of course.” She rolled to her side and lifted the blanket.
He scooted in beside her and covered them, snuggling in next to her. They laid on their sides and he stared at her face, tucking a piece of wayward hair behind her ear. “You’re gorgeous, but you probably already know that.”
“It never hurts to hear it. From the right person.” Her eyes cut to the mattress.
“Hey.” He lifted her chin. “What does that mean, from the right person.”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
He watched her, knowing the best way to get Kayleigh to talk was to say nothing.
She rolled onto her back and let out a hard sigh. “Fine, Oprah.”
He laughed.
“When I was young, my mother put me in all kinds of pageants and charm schools. If it was a contest about looks, she put me in it.” She paused. “She would always say, ‘Kayleigh, you’re such a pretty girl, I hope your looks never fade.’”
“That’s harsh,” he said, rolling over her so he could see her face.
Her eyes opened and she stared up, seemingly lost in her memories.
“Yeah, I know that now but back then, being pretty was the only way I could earn my mother’s affection. She never said, ‘Kayleigh you’re so smart’ or ‘Kayleigh you’re so creative.’ Her approval was based on the physical only, and her love always seemed conditional. Like, if I didn’t meet her expectations, I could lose it.”
He slid a hand across her waist and rolled her toward him, tucking her close. “I’m sorry that happened to you,” he said earnestly. “My dad was hard on us but only when he knew we were slacking and could do better. His love was never contingent on anything, though. That must have been hard for you.”
She nodded and released a deep sigh.
“What about your father?”
“Like I said, he was supportive, when he was around.”
Aaron thought of his own life as a surgeon. His schedule over the last few years had left little room for recreation or family. Hell, it had taken his own father’s death and his mother’s collapse to get him home, except for the occasional holiday. Was that the life he wanted? Was it what he would want for his future family? He’d never really thought about a future outside of surgery until he returned to Canyon Creek. Maybe because for the first time he felt like his future had been ripped away from him.
“You’re so lucky,” she said staring up at him.
“How’s that?”
“You have such a great mom. She loves you guys so much.”
She did. And he’d been a shit son not coming home sooner to take care of her. She’d devoted her life to him and his brothers.
“Yeah, she is.” He sat and thought about family for a long while.
She lifted onto one elbow. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to kill the afterglow.”
He laughed, playing with a strand of her hair that fell onto his chest. “You didn’t. At least not for me.”
She smiled and kissed him gently.
He ran a hand over her naked thigh. “Besides, I’m pretty sure we can make more afterglow.”
She giggled and fell onto his chest, her fingers making circles up and down his body. He was already rock hard again but he needed to talk to her.
“Are you still going back home to Boston for your brother’s wedding?”
Her hand stopped moving. “I don’t know.” She shrugged.
He realized she’d p
robably extended the invitation to go with her just to get his mind off his own problems. But after hearing about her family, he believed now more than ever that she needed closure with them.
“I think you should.”
She peeked up at him. “Why?”
“Family’s important.”
She pushed up on her hands and he tried to keep his eyes focused on her face and not her glorious breasts. It wasn’t easy, but in his defense, she was naked. “That’s rich, coming from a man who’s been home, what two times in the last two years?”
He’d poked the lion and he knew she’d strike back. He pushed back her hair and slid it over her shoulder, revealing even more of her chest but he kept his eyes locked on hers. “You’re right,” he said. “I totally fucked up. I missed out on spending time with my father because I was too busy. In the end it cost me more than you can imagine. I don’t want to do that again.” He paused. “And I’d hate to see you do it.”
Her eyes searched his, hers glistening with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, Aaron, I didn’t mean to be cruel.”
“You weren’t cruel,” he said, pulling her down to his chest. “You were honest. Like I’m being honest with you.” Their breathing found a rhythm that matched and Aaron couldn’t remember feeling more at peace. He turned and kissed her head. “They need to see you, Kayleigh. And you need to see them.”
“You said you’d go with me,” she said. Her head was turned away, so he barely heard her.
“I will. I meant it.”
She stared down at him, her long blonde hair forming a curtain around their faces. Her cheeks were stained and he knew she’d let some of those tears fall when her head was turned away. She’d hidden it from him intentionally.
“I’ll go with you if you decide you want to go,” he said.
“Okay,” she said softly, leaning down to kiss him. Before he could deepen their embrace, she sat up, her legs straddling his hips. She was smiling now, that beautiful, gorgeous smile that made men do stupid things, like travel thousands of miles with her to visit her dysfunctional family.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his hands caressing her thighs.
She grabbed his wrists and yanked his hands above his heads. Which put her breasts right in his line of sight. Before he could reach out and touch them, she sat back on her heels.
“There’s a mutiny at sea, Cap’n. The captives are taking over the ship.”
He laced his fingers behind his head, completely okay with the rebellion. “Are you holding me hostage?”
“That I am, mate,” she growled out in her best pirate voice.
“Nice. Please tell me you’re not going to make me walk the plank.”
She laughed. “It would be a fitting sentence, but no. For you, we’re going to have all hands on deck.” She held up her fingers and wiggled them in the air.
“Well, shiver me timbers.” He laughed.
She wrapped her hands around his erection and squeezed.
He bucked up against her. “Kayleigh.” It came out a growl.
“No back talk from the captive,” she said, giving him another squeeze. She loosened her hold and her hand began to move.
Christ, she felt good.
She wiggled her hips down his body until her legs were straddling his knees. He grew harder in her hands. Slowly she lowered her face, licking her lips, her eyes never leaving his. As she lowered her mouth and took him in, the term “There she blows,” took on a much different meaning.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kayleigh sat back in her chair with a sigh. She’d been staring at the numbers on her laptop every break she got. Now it was lunch time and rather than run out to the café with her staff, she’d decided to stay in the office and brutalize herself more.
She’d never been a math whiz but even she knew she couldn’t crunch the numbers any harder than she already had. Her only option to raise more revenue was to raise her prices. Many of her clients could barely afford her rates now. Canyon Creek was a ski town, so there were a few people who had money, but a lot of those people were tourists or people who lived in town only part of the year.
Many of the “townies”—the people who lived and worked in town all year—didn’t have income on a steady basis. And the income they had wasn’t big.
She gave many of these residents discounted rates, or let them pay her with goods. Kayleigh had never been good at saying no, especially in the face of an animal and the person who loved it.
“Knock, knock,” someone said.
Kayleigh jumped and glanced up in her doorway. Her frown quickly turned to a smile.
Aaron.
After their night together, she felt closer to him and that scared the shit out of her. He was only here temporarily, although now that she thought about it, he never talked about going back to Chicago. She wasn’t sure how she would feel if he stayed. She knew, though, if he did end up leaving, it would hurt like hell.
When, she reminded herself. She couldn’t get her hopes up at all that he might stay. That just wasn’t a smart thing to do.
“I was helping Doc Olson at the clinic and stopped by the café for lunch. I tried to text you but you didn’t answer.”
She felt the pockets of her coat. Her phone wasn’t in either of them.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I ran into Shelly and Audra at the café. They said you refused to leave the office so I brought lunch to you.” He held up a huge take-out bag.
Her heart did a little flip. A man who fed her could easily steal her heart. “What did you bring?” She cleared a spot on her abused desk.
“When was the last time you saw the bottom of this thing?” he asked, laughing.
“Ha, ha, very funny,” she said, lifting stacks of folders and depositing them onto the floor. When she’d finally cleared off enough space, Aaron set the bag down and began removing the contents.
“I wasn’t sure what you liked so I have a couple of choices.”
What day of the week was it, she wondered. Days blended together with her schedule. It had been nice to take the four days off, but inevitably she’d always come back to a mess. She couldn’t complain though. The animals were cared for while she was away, and that’s where her priorities were. If the paperwork piled up, she could live with that.
She smelled the delicious aroma of fried chicken. It must be Thursday.
“I’ve got a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and fried okra, with a side of heart attack.”
Kayleigh laughed. “I’ll take it.” She scooped up the container and set it in front of her, unrolling the pack of plastic utensils.
“Huh.” Aaron shrugged and pulled out the other container.
“What?” She scooted her chair in and opened her meal. The smell hit her hard and she drooled like Pavlov’s dog.
“Didn’t picture you for a fried chicken kind of gal,” he said.
She picked up the chicken leg and bit into it like she hadn’t eaten in days. “Why?” she asked around a mouthful of food.
He laughed. “Slow down, Sea Biscuit.”
“What?” Her face scrunched. “Did you just call me a horse?”
“You’re attacking that food like a horse.”
“I’m hungry.”
“I can see.”
She peered over the top of her container. “What did you get?”
He opened the lid and she winced.
“Salad? Really?”
“Don’t laugh,” he said. “I seriously thought I’d be eating the chicken, not you.”
She burst into laughter. “If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m not really a salad eating kind of girl.”
He raised a brow and smiled. “Oh, I’ve noticed, trust me.”
That smile, it did things to her. Things that it shouldn’t in the middle of the day, in her office. And yet she couldn’t help herself.
“Earth to Kayleigh.”
She blinked several times. Damn. She’d gotten lost in a fantasy.
His smile broadened and he winked. “Hmm, hmm, should I give you a penny?”
“For what?” she asked, biting into the chicken leg again.
“For your thoughts.”
She cocked a brow. “I’m pretty sure you know what they were.”
“Same as mine probably.” He squirmed in his seat.
“Uncomfortable?” She laughed as he rearranged himself.
“I swear I just came here for lunch.” The sexy gleam in his hazel brown eyes said he was up for other things.
She swallowed her bite in one gulp that she was pretty sure was audible. “Water,” she half-shouted. “We need water.” She jumped from her seat and bolted toward the small break room, yanking open the fridge. Reaching inside for two bottles, she rested for a moment letting the frigid air cool her heated skin.
“You okay in there?” Aaron shouted from her office, laughter in his voice.
She closed the door and quickly made her way back into her office, skirting around him. The heat radiating from his intimate look was lethal.
She handed him a bottle of water. “Here you go.”
He grabbed it from her, fingers skimming across hers. “Thanks.”
“So what were you working on when I got here?” He nodded toward her laptop that was still open and filled with spreadsheets, most of which were glowing red.
She closed the computer. “Just paperwork and stuff.”
His eyes went to a sheet of paper on the corner of her desk. It was her schedule for her vet school loan payback.
“Have you ever thought about maybe pooling your services, say with Doc?”
“How so?” She shoved in a mouthful of mashed potatoes. God, she loved comfort food.
“I don’t know, maybe bulk medicine, antibiotics, surgical supplies. I’m not sure what all a vet uses but I’m sure some of it’s the same as what doctors need. Maybe there would be some economies of scale if you pooled your orders.”
Kayleigh shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.” It had never occurred to her to ask around for help.
Aaron laughed.
“What?”
“You’re so stubborn, you’ve never thought of asking for help have you?”
“Whatever.” She stabbed a big bite of his salad, figuring she needed to make up for this cholesterol feast in front of her. “I’m just…” How could she put it without sounding like she was a bitch?