Double Take

by Leslie Kelly

  She screamed in shocked delight.

  Ignoring her, Mike continued to make love to her with his tongue, only moving up to pay attention to her clit when he was sure she was on the verge of exploding. He sucked the pearly little button into his mouth, flicked it, toyed with it and fingered her again, bringing her higher. So very high, until they were both shaking with the intensity.

  “Lindsey?” he muttered against her sex.

  “What?”

  “You can fall now.”

  He put his mouth on her again, and she did as she was told. She’d climbed to the heights and now she leaped off, a climax slamming into her so hard her body shuddered. Her toes curled, her hands clenched the headboard, her skin shone with a rosy glow.

  While she rode it out, looking the epitome of sensual woman, he got up and stripped out of the rest of his clothes. He grabbed a condom from the pocket of his pants—he’d put it there this week, after he’d met her on the ferry, and was very glad to have followed the impulse.

  Lindsey was still quivering, her gasps slowly turning into sighs, though her eyes remained closed. She was a limp, boneless heap. Her thighs were open, her breasts red and marked by his mouth.

  She looked utterly wanton. And he had to be in her or he would die.

  He moved back between her legs and her eyes flew open.

  “Can I please hold you?” she asked.

  Nodding solemnly, he stayed still as she reached for him, sliding her fingers into his hair, holding him tight, like she was afraid he’d go somewhere. As if.

  “That was amazing,” she said.

  “I know.”

  He dropped his face to hers and caught her mouth in a hungry kiss, even as he pulled one of her legs up around his hip and opened her even wider for his ultimate possession. He nudged against her wet heat, his cock sinking between her folds and then into her tight, slick core.

  She wrapped around him, took him inch by inch, arched her hips up in welcome. And the deeper he sank, the more certain he was that he’d fallen and landed in heaven.

  “Oh, yes,” she cried, nipping at his jaw, raking her nails down his back. He didn’t return to their game, didn’t tell her what to do. This was elemental—primal. Instinct had taken them both over and they were helpless to do anything but come together in a storm of need.

  She tightened her leg around his hip, urging him deeper, and he was unable to resist driving all the way into her with a powerful thrust. He sank deep, until he was seated to the hilt.

  She let out a little scream.

  “Are you all right?”

  “No,” she said, breathless, hoarse. “But I’m all messed up in the very best way.”

  That didn’t make sense, but he understood it anyway. She’d let down her guard, broken her own rules. Lindsey had opened up to him in every way she possibly could. Because of that trust, that confidence in him, he was sure she was savoring the same amazing, life-changing pleasure he was, as the two of them rocked and thrust, gave and took.

  He was possessed by her, wanting to possess her back. He didn’t feel like he could ever get into her deeply enough, but he tried. Oh, God, he tried. Grabbing her leg, he pushed it higher until it draped over his shoulder, and she gasped as he claimed that much more of her.

  They rocked hard, slaves to their bodies. The tension spiraled out of control. She urged him on, groaning, begging, thrusting. Until finally, with that little back-of-the-throat cry he’d recognize for the rest of his life, she came again.

  Which was enough to bring him right along with her.

  * * *

  LINDSEY WOKE WITH a surprised start, not sure what had awakened her from the amazingly hot dream she’d been having.

  It took her a second to figure out where she was and to understand the truth: it had not been a dream. The weight of a strong, masculine arm draped across her waist, the beat of a heart against her shoulder and the soft, even exhalations against her temple proved it.

  Everything came flooding back, from the minute he’d knocked on the door until the moment they’d both been gripped in the crazy passion that had them pounding, breathless, sweaty and insane.

  And the rest. God, the rest of it. Did I really submit to his every demand?

  Yes. She had.

  She closed her eyes again, letting herself remember every moment, letting herself believe. It hadn’t been a fantasy creeping up from the inner recesses of her mind, some longing she’d never known she felt. She really had surrendered herself, body, mind and spirit, to a man she’d only met a week ago.

  A man who now slept with her in her bed. A man with whom she had fallen asleep.

  That shocked her, and she blinked, glancing over at the bedside clock. It was 2:00 a.m. After the amazing sex, she’d fallen asleep, as if it was an everyday occurrence. He’d obviously gotten up to turn off the lights and rejoined her, holding her as tightly in his sleep as he had when awake.

  He’d warned her he would, yet Mike had no idea he’d broken down yet another of her barriers. She lay very still in the circle of his arms, feeling the scrape of his leg, the warmth of his skin, the press of his half-aroused sex against her hip.

  It took her only a moment to realize she was waiting for the panic to set in, and another to acknowledge that it hadn’t.

  She was okay. Actually, she was fine. Good. Thrilled even.

  Because, just remembering the way she’d delivered herself into his hands, and how seriously he’d taken that responsibility, was enough to give her not only reassurance, but chills of satisfaction.

  Some of her patients had confessed they liked being tied up, even spanked. She’d had her own opinions about that, essentially thinking, No way in hell would I ever do it. But she’d always been able to ignore her own reactions and focus on helping her patients understand why they made the choices they did. They talked a lot about why they wanted what they wanted, and how to ensure their relationships were healthy ones... Even ones with spankings.

  All that meant she should be able to understand why she’d made the choice she had made last night. The truth flitted around the edges of her mind, not quite coming into focus. Undoubtedly, it was partly to do with her own physical needs...and partly to do with the man who’d demanded the right to fulfill them. Beyond that, she couldn’t put the entire picture together. She only knew it had been the best sex of her life and that she would never regret it.

  “You’re awake,” he whispered. She hadn’t even realized he was no longer sleeping, and the voice coming out of the darkness startled her for a second.

  As if sensing that, he tightened his arm around her, pulling her even closer, and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

  “I can’t believe I fell asleep right away,” she admitted.

  “You obviously needed it. I doubt you’ve slept well this week. New place, new bed and all that.”

  “Maybe.” She turned to face him, lifting her leg and sliding it over his. The position pressed them that much closer together, and a shiver of delight went through her. She felt him hardening, second by second. With a shimmy and a thrust, she could have him inside her again.

  She wanted that very much, but there was the issue of birth control to consider. She hadn’t bothered to bring her diaphragm to the island, never in a million years thinking she’d require it. Mike had taken care of things last night, thank God, but unless he came doubly prepared, they were going to be out of luck as far as that went, at least until tomorrow.

  Of course, there were other things they could do.

  Other pleasures to explore.

  “Maybe you just wore me out,” she said, licking her lips as she imagined what else she’d like to do to him and with him.

  “It’s mutual.” He ran his hand down her side, reaching her hip and tugging her even closer against him. He was as ha
rd as a rock now, his cock nestled in the folds of her sex, which was slick and welcoming. But he made no effort to go further.

  “No more condoms, huh?” she asked.

  He sighed heavily. “Nope. You?”

  “Nary a one. And I don’t have anything else.”

  “Well, damn, so much for believing you were a Girl Scout.”

  “I take it you weren’t a Scout, either?”

  “Hey, I came prepared for round one.”

  True. She didn’t ask him why. She honestly didn’t want to know whether he always went around with a condom in his pocket, or if he’d put it in there only after he’d met her. One answer might depress her, the other might annoy her. So it was best not to ask the question.

  “I don’t suppose there’s an all-night pharmacy around here where we could stock up for rounds two through ten?”

  “First, even if there were an all-night pharmacy, I’m not sure it would be wise for the police chief and the new schoolteacher to walk in there at two in the morning and buy rubbers.”

  “Maybe not,” she said with a heavy sigh that wasn’t quite feigned. Remembering what he’d said, she asked, “What’s second?”

  “Second...ten?” he said, half laughing, half groaning.

  “Oh, come on. You’re young, you’re strong. Where’s all that hot Italian blood I’ve heard about?” she teased.

  “At this particular moment,” he said as he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck, “it’s all in my cock. But there’s not much I can do about that, now, is there?”

  “Sure there is,” she said, arching back so he could trace his tongue down to the hollow of her throat. His breath was warm against her skin, his lips soft and tender. “All you have to do is tell me what you want.”

  He lifted his head and stared at her, his dark eyes gleaming in the shadowy room, lit only by a hint of moonlight spilling in the front window. His hair was tousled, his jaw shadowed, his expression hungry. Lindsey was certain she’d never seen a sexier sight in her life.

  “Not ask you?” he said, catching her emphasis.

  She stroked a muscular shoulder, scraping her nails lightly across that smooth skin. “I’m finding I take direction better than I thought I ever would.”

  “What if I directed you to go get something out of your toy box for us to play with?”

  Shivering, shocked by the excitement that rushed through her, she said, “Well, you’d have to give me a few minutes to dig it out of the closet.”

  “Why don’t you do that?” he said, kissing her collarbone, his hand stroking her thigh. “Pick out your favorite.”

  “I don’t have one. I was serious when I said I’ve never used any of them.”

  He paused, his hand staying where it was, and lifted his head until they were face-to-face. “Yeah. About that...?”

  She understood what he was asking. They’d avoided the topic for a week, she’d never come out and told him what she really did for a living, or why she had a vast collection of sexual aids. She owed him an explanation, especially after what had happened with the Kama Sutra found in the parking lot.

  Steeling herself for his reaction, whatever it might be, she said, “In my real life, I’m a counselor.”

  “Like, at a high school?”

  That was probably a logical assumption for him to make, but she laughed lightly. “I mean, a psychological counselor. A therapist. I work—I mean, I hope I still work—at a health-and-wellness center in downtown Chicago.”

  Mike sat up straight, the sheets falling onto his lap. She eyed that big, broad chest, with its light sprinkling of dark, wiry hair. He was so nice to look at. The man was amazingly handsome during the day, but he was made to wear night.

  Right now, though, he’d been thoroughly distracted from all the things he did so well during the night. Gaping down at her, he asked, “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you a doctor?”

  “Not an M.D., but yes, a psychologist.”

  “What on earth are you doing working as a teacher?”

  Lindsey sighed as she realized the mood had definitely been broken. It appeared they were going to have to talk instead of getting to the naughty things she wanted to do to him.

  “I’m on a leave of absence,” she admitted. “But the timing was perfect because of Callie’s situation. I’ve tried hard not to let anybody find out who I am. I don’t think the therapist-moonlighting-as-teacher thing would go over very well here.”

  “Definitely not.”

  She caught her lip between her teeth, eyeing him apologetically. “That’s one reason I tried to avoid getting involved with you. If this all comes crashing down, and you get caught in the cross fire, you could lose your job, especially with that whole stupid incident with the book. I’d be devastated if you were fired because of me.”

  “I won’t be.”

  “I’m so very thankful that you got out of the Chicago P.D. before you got seriously hurt.”

  Not saying anything, he lifted a hand and rubbed a scar on the base of his throat, as if by habit. She’d noticed it before—she’d kissed it a few hours ago.

  Understanding, she murmured, “Is that a reminder of your last job?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Just my bad luck to run into a desperate gangbanger with a long knife, who was out to earn his stripes.”

  An inch closer to his jugular, and he would have bled out. She didn’t have to be an M.D. to know that.

  Lindsey had to close her eyes and swallow hard to give herself a moment to come to grips with that. He could so easily have been killed, could have, without a doubt, ceased to exist before she’d ever gotten the chance to know him. That realization stunned and horrified her, and again, she wondered if she’d made a mistake getting involved with him. Because, God forbid he ever had to return to that life, especially because of a stupid job!

  Finally, she replied, “Actually, I think it’s your good luck that his knife wasn’t longer or his aim wasn’t better.”

  “Forget about all that. It’s in the past,” he said. Then he went back to her explanation. “What’s this leave of absence about?”

  “It’s about getting me out of the way because I’m a liability.”

  “What?”

  “My employers asked me to go. They are calling it a leave of absence, but the truth is, it’s more like probation. I have to keep my nose clean, stay out of the papers, not draw any unpleasant attention that would reflect badly on the center. Maybe then they’ll welcome me back.”

  “Assholes,” he said, lying down again to draw her close.

  She didn’t say anything for a moment, a little stunned at his reaction. There had been no, “What did you do?” No, “Why?” just an indictment of whoever had done something to hurt her.

  Oh, this man was special in so many ways. So loyal and so trustworthy. Which was why she decided to trust him and just reveal everything.

  “I work for an extremely conservative practice. Very old school and stodgy. Unfortunately, the media got ahold of some excerpts of my dissertation on female orgasms and made a big joke out of it, putting my name, and the center’s, through the tabloid wringer.”

  He shook his head, as if clearing it to understand. “Women’s... Wait, what kind of counselor are you?”

  Too late to retreat now.

  “I’m a sex therapist. I specialize in female sexual disorders.”

  He shot up again. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, he jumped out of the bed, standing naked beside it, gaping down at her. His brows shot up as his eyes rounded. His mouth fell open, snapped shut then opened again, as if he didn’t know what to say. Finally he managed, “You’re joking.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  He was clearly having a hard time wrapping his mind around it.
“You teach people how to have sex?”

  “Not exactly. It’s more about helping patients—primarily women—understand their bodies and figure out why they make the choices they do when it comes to their sex lives. That’s why I have all the toys, by the way.”

  He nodded slowly. “Like pharmacies giving out free drugs to doctors so they’ll prescribe the drugs to their patients.”

  “Exactly!” she exclaimed, glad he’d understood so quickly. “I have definitely recommended vibrators to some of my non-orgasmic patients.”

  He swiped a hand through his hair, shaking his head, still a little shell-shocked. She supposed it was a bit much to take in, since he’d viewed her as the small-town teacher she’d been portraying.

  “Mike, are you all right?”

  She knew what his problem was. It was the same problem all the men she slept with had when they found out what she did. They were intimidated, thinking they were having sex with an “expert,” wondering if they were being judged or evaluated. She understood, which was why, in the past, she rarely told her lovers what she did for a living. Considering her relationships rarely lasted long, and never got to the point of true intimacy, it had never been a problem keeping that detail secret.

  Mike, though, had already barreled through those defenses, just as he’d warned her he would. Revealing her profession hadn’t been just about making him understand about the toys. She also wanted him to know her—really know her—the way few people did.

  When he didn’t answer, she said, “Are we all right?”

  She wasn’t sure what “we” meant yet, but she realized she would not be satisfied with just one night with the man. The timing and location were beyond bad; nothing had changed in that regard. The only thing that had changed was that they both now knew how worth the effort a hot, secret affair would be.

  “We’re fine,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her. He reached out and brushed her hair back off her cheek, the caress tender and gentle. “But I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before. Having sex with a sex therapist? Talk about something to give a guy performance anxiety!”

  She purred. “Baby if that’s your standard performance, you have nothing to be anxious about. Ever.”