by Leanne Banks
Andie laughed, but Eli was shocked to see tears in her eyes. He reached for her, but she shook her head and held up her hands to ward him off. “Germs,” she said, pressing her fingers to the corners of her eyes. “Do you have any idea how long it has been since someone looked after me like this?” She looked up at the ceiling as if she were remembering. “I must have been ten or eleven with a horrible case of strep throat. My mother hadn’t gotten a job yet and she coddled me for three days. Soon after that, my father injured his back, so my mother went to work, and I took care of my brothers until I left home.”
“Until you left home to take care of more people,” Eli said, thinking Andie’s statement made several things click together in his mind.
She shrugged and blew her nose. “Destiny.” She looked up at him again. “I don’t want to offend your masculine sensibilities, but this is so sweet. I don’t know how to thank you.”
Slightly uncomfortable with her praise, he raised an eyebrow. “I guess that depends on how grateful you are.”
She hesitated half a beat, then caught on. “Is this going to involve whips and chains or twin cheerleaders?”
Eli barked out a laugh. “Neither. With your courtesan background, you should be able to come up with something inventive.”
“Inventive,” she repeated with a scowl. “The reason a favored courtesan is favored is because she knows her master’s secrets,” she said, slyly emphasizing Eli’s last name.
He wondered how a woman who’d sneezed ten times in the past thirty minutes and had a pink nose and bloodshot eyes, managed to turn him inside out. “So the courtesan wants to know the master’s secrets.”
“Yes.” Her voice was hushed.
He’d heard the same quality in her voice before when she’d been bare beneath him. The atmosphere in the room shifted to sexual curiosity and electric anticipation. Feeling his body heat, he moved closer to her and lowered his voice. “I’m partial to satin on beds and skin. And I’ve always been curious about feathers.”
Her eyes widened and he brushed his mouth across her forehead before she could protest. “Get well soon, Andie.”
* * *
Although Eli hovered over Andie when she was sick, he didn’t bring up marriage again. She should have been relieved. Instead his comments about Fletch haunted her during those long hours when she had nothing to do but rest. She knew children grew attached, and Fletch was particularly vulnerable since he’d lost his mother. She wondered about the wisdom of her deepening relationship with Eli, because as good as it seemed right now, it might not work out.
The idea that Fletch could be hurt troubled her deeply. The idea of not being a part of Eli’s and Fletch’s lives, however, filled her with grief.
Once she returned to work, she was so busy she didn’t have time to dwell on painful possibilities. Her first day back, Andie connected so many tubes to her new two-year-old patient she wondered if it were possible to add any more.
If only people would be more diligent about securing their children in car seats. This little guy’s injuries were extensive. He was on a ventilator, and they’d used meds to keep him deeply sedated. If he started coming up from that sedation, he would inevitably try to pull out his tubes. Still worried about his head injuries, she gave the tow-haired boy one last glance before she nodded toward the nurse who’d just returned from lunch.
After she entered everything into the computer, she stopped by the nurses’ station. “I’m gonna grab something to eat,” she told Missy, the PICU day shift supervisor.
“Fine,” Missy said with a quick smile and handed her a slip of paper. “Here’s your phone message. I took it myself. He’s got a nice voice.”
Andie glanced at the name and smiled. “Yes, he does.” Eli had never called her at work. Growing more curious with each passing moment, she want to the staff lounge to use the phone and had to get past three professional screeners. As soon as she told them her name, however, they put her through.
“Sorry,” Eli greeted her, sounding out of breath. “I was away from my desk, so your call went back to the switchboard.”
Andie twisted the phone cord. “No problem. It’s nice hearing from you. Having a good day?”
“Pretty good. And you?”
Thinking of her newest patient, she sighed. “Automobile accident. The kid wasn’t in a car seat, so he bounced around like a Ping-Pong ball. I’ve got a very sick two-year-old.”
“I’m sorry.”
His sincerity washed some of her tension away. “Thanks.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “So what’s going on in the world of chromosomes and genes today?”
“Same thing—still looking for a bad gene.” His hesitation was brief, but full. “There’s this research award. It’s fairly prestigious, and they announced the winners today.”
Andie heard the restrained excitement in his voice and smiled. “They did?”
“Yeah, they did.” Eli paused again. “I was one of them.”
“Terrific!” she said, loud enough to turn the heads of the other staff in the lounge. “Congratulations. You’ve worked hard, and you deserve it,” she told him emphatically, wishing she understood his work better. “Can you tell me what it’s for?”
Eli laughed, clearly pleased with her enthusiasm. “It’s an award based on research papers presented at a national conference. Why don’t I tell you more about it tonight?”
“I’m on a twelve-hour shift, so I can’t get off early. Can we make it a late dinner at my place?”
“I’ll be there.”
They hung up and after Andie finished her shift, she stopped by a Chinese restaurant and a specialty store Sam had recommended. Every time Andie looked in her shopping bag, she groaned aloud and considered going back, but Eli deserved a celebration and she was damn well determined to give him one he wouldn’t forget.
* * *
Andie opened the door before he could knock twice.
Eli simply stared.
She must have just gotten out of the shower, because her hair was wet and combed back from her face, making her eyes look huge enough for him to lose himself in them. She smelled of apricots, and she wore a full-length, belted ivory satin robe that bared the soft skin of her throat and her pink toes. It was the kind of garment that made a man want to touch—the robe and the woman beneath it. Eli’s pulse shot up to the second story of Andie’s little Cape Cod.
He might have been fooled into believing she wasn’t the least bit self-conscious if he hadn’t noticed the color of her cheeks and if she hadn’t been asking him questions, then answering them before he had a chance to open his mouth.
“Do you like Chinese? It’s not gourmet cuisine, but at least we won’t have to wait for it. Cashew shrimp, sweet ‘n’ sour pork, sesame chicken, stir-fry vegetables and rice.” She waved toward the table, set with a crisp white cloth, flatware, china and candles. “Have a seat, and I’ll light the candles. Were your co-workers excited about your award?”
Andie struck the match, but it didn’t catch. She tried a second match, then a third. “I bet your director was patting himself on the back for hiring you.”
Eli saw her hands tremble and felt his chest grow tight. Andie was uneasy. He stepped closer and covered her hands with his. “I like Chinese. My co-workers were pleased and a little envious. Dr. Berylman was borderline nauseating. Sweetheart, look at me.” She finally met his gaze. “Why are you so nervous?”
She took a deep breath, then bit her lip. “Give me a break. It’s my first night as a courtesan.” She smiled slowly. “At least in this century.” Leaning forward, she kissed him. Quick and soft, the caress was a delicious taunt. “Would you light the candles while I pour the wine?”
“Courtesan,” he echoed in a rough voice. He barely restrained the urge to take her back in his arms and finish that kiss. For that matter, he wouldn’t mind taking her on the kitchen table.
She poured the wine and nodded. “That’s right and I’m practicing on you.” When s
he leaned forward to put the glasses on the table, the robe gaped to reveal the slope of her breasts and the shadow of her nipple.
Stifling a groan, Eli tugged at his collar. “Are you going to tell me what you have planned?”
She shook her head. “That would spoil the fun.”
Distracted as hell, he lit the candles. It took him three matches and a few muttered curses to do the job. He wondered what she was going to do to him.
He sat down and watched her serve an assortment of the food on his plate, and start on hers. “It just occurred to me that you’re going to be entirely too far away if you sit there.”
She looked confused. “Then what do you sug—”
Eli pulled her onto his lap. “We can share.” Then he kissed her the way he’d wanted to since he’d walked in the door. Tasting her, drawing out her response, he ran his hands over the cool satin of her robe, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath it.
Pushing against his chest, she pulled back and took a couple of deep breaths. “This is going to go much faster than I’d planned if you don’t stop that.”
“Is that a promise?” he asked, his interest caught by the way the satin slipped loose from the belt of the robe.
Before he knew it, she popped a bite of cashew shrimp in his mouth. “Tell me more about the award.”
He swallowed the bite. “Token money,” he said with a shrug. “But it looks great on the resumé, and when they’re deciding on grants it doesn’t—” He stopped when she began to unbutton his shirt. “What are you doing?”
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out,” she told him. “I’m helping you get more comfortable.”
He felt the brush of cool satin on his chest and his gut tightened. “Well, don’t stop there,” he muttered when she undid the button closest to his pants.
Giving him a chiding look, she handed him the wine. Eli downed the glassful in three swallows.
“When they’re deciding on grants,” she prompted, lifting the fork to his mouth.
He took the fork and served her instead. “These kinds of awards don’t hurt at all. Corporations like them. The National Institute of Health likes them. Everybody—” He broke off. “Just out of curiosity, you are prepared for everything, aren’t you?” He was referring to his dwindling supply of contraceptives.
Andie poured more wine in his glass. “I got something from my doctor, so we won’t need any more...” She waved her hand and sipped the wine.
“Condoms,” he finished in a rough voice. She couldn’t have known. He’d never told her, but one of his most vivid fantasies was to make love with Andie with nothing between them. That tore it. He stood with her in his arms. “Let’s go.”
“But we haven’t finished dinner.”
He strode toward her bedroom. “I’m not hungry anymore.”
“I’ve got Black Forest cake from the bakery.”
“Later.”
“You’re not sharing,” she told him, her voice faintly accusing.
His heart pounding against his rib cage, Eli stopped and took a deep mind-clearing breath. “You’re right,” he muttered, and allowed her to slide down to her feet. He wondered if his pressing desire to make love to her had something to do with his fear that she was going to slip away from him. Losing Andie would be like losing his center, he realized. Nothing would ever be quite right again. Clenching his jaw with the effort, he tried to rein his thoughts and emotions under control. He wondered if she had a clue how important she was to him.
She put her hands on either side of his face so he would meet her gaze. “You’re very tense. Can you tell me what’s going on?”
He thought about it, thought about trying to extract a promise, beg for a vow, all the while knowing he couldn’t extract or beg to get what he wanted. She had to be ready to give it. “I’m wondering when you’re going to have your way with me,” he said instead.
She smiled. “Trust me. You’re going to like this.”
She was so earnest she nearly broke his heart. “Okay, I’m in your hands.”
Her smile broadened. “Let’s finish dinner in the bedroom.”
She returned to the table to get his plate and wine, and Eli closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.
She played a CD, something soft and sultry, then turned off the lights and lit more candles. Between bites of Chinese food, she massaged his neck and back, chasing the tension from his neck to another demanding part of his anatomy. She charmed him with harmless bits of gossip and got him to talk about his job. He stole a few kisses and when he mentioned he was warm, she helped him out of his jeans. She wasn’t being deliberately provocative, just friendly.
Eli had never realized friendly could be so damn sexy.
After a couple of glasses of wine she gave up fighting with her robe and let the lapels hang open, exposing her small uptilted ivory breasts. Eli gave up fighting and pulled her into his arms.
Andie melted into Eli’s hard strong body and offered her open mouth to his. His tongue slid inside and the room began to tilt from side to side. Her mouth kept getting dry from a combination of talking and nerves. Now she was suffering the effects of a little too much wine and not enough of Eli. Her heart pounded against pulse points in her temple and throat and deep inside her secret places.
He kissed her voraciously, taking her, coaxing her to take him. Neither seemed able to get enough. His mouth alternately sucking her lower lip and tasting her with deft strokes of his tongue, he slipped the robe from her shoulders. In a distant corner of her mind, she felt it whisper down her back.
Her nude body clearly sent his libido into overdrive. Everything about him said how much he wanted her, from the way he strained against her to the way his hands sought every intimacy. He squeezed her breasts and plucked at her nipples, then skimmed his restless hands down to her waist and hips. Pushing her thighs further apart, he thrust against her and she felt his bare masculinity rubbing in her most sensitive places.
Then she remembered.
She tried to pull away. “One more thing,” she managed between broken breaths. “Just one more,” she said as she untangled her legs from his, accidentally brushing his erection in the process.
“Oh, God,” he muttered, still holding her.
“Please,” she urged, fighting her own desire to have him inside her.
Making a sound of raw need, he allowed her to slip from his arms. “You’re killing me,” he told her in a rough, husky voice.
Andie looked at him and her chest ached. His eyes, hooded and darker than the green of the forest, glinted with sexual intent. He lay sprawled on the bed, his muscled chest rising and falling with the force of his breath, and so aroused his erection pushed out of his briefs. She sensed the dark, demanding need driving him, yet he was obviously determined to hold it in check.
On trembling knees, she scooted off the bed and pulled out her purchase from the novelty store. For a moment, she wondered if she was crazy to do this. In the same moment, she decided she wanted to know what it felt like to go a little crazy. Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding the bit of insanity behind her back.
Eli’s unrelenting gaze locked onto her. “Well?”
Forcing a smile, she lifted the wispy feather for him to see.
Eli stared at it. “Oh, my God.”
“I wanted to do something really special to celebrate your winning the award.”
His eyes still trained in horrified fascination at the feather, Eli swallowed hard. “Dinner is special. Champagne is special. This is—” He shook his head, unable to finish.
A twinge of uncertainty pulled at her. “You said you were curious about feathers.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I said that, but...”
She bit her lip. “You don’t want me to—”
“I didn’t say that,” he said quickly. His chest lifted on a full breath and he met her gaze again. “You’re enjoying this.”
With the devil licking through her ve
ins, she twirled the feather between her fingers. “I know how I could enjoy it more.”
If possible, his eyes darkened further. “Okay. Here’s the deal. If you use it on me, then I get to use it on you.”
“Deal,” she said immediately. This was Eli’s fantasy. She suspected it wouldn’t have nearly as much of an effect on her.
Spreading his arms out on either side of him, he closed his eyes. “Okay. I hope my life insurance is paid up,” he muttered under his breath.
Her heart swelled and she swirled the feather under his chin. When he flinched, she kissed him. There was a method to her madness. She bent over him and twirled the feather down his chest to his abdomen. Watching a shudder ripple through him, she smiled and kissed his belly button.
His stomach was rigid with tension. “What are you doing?”
“Relax,” she whispered. “Everywhere the feather goes, I’m going to kiss you.” She skimmed the feather over his toes and planted a soft kiss there.
He twitched and his eyes flew open. “You’re going to—”
“Shh. You’re breaking my concentration.” She brushed the downy fluff over his knees and thighs, then pressed her lips there, too.
He gave an injured growl of protest and pleasure. His nostrils flared. “This is one hell of a celebration,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Let’s slip these off,” she said in a voice that was husky to her own ears. She eased his briefs down his hips.
Andie took the fantasy a little further and swirled the feather up his fully aroused masculinity. He shuddered, arching toward her, his green eyes telling her he’d reached his limit. “Andie—”
Before she replaced the feather with her mouth, she whispered, “Congratulations, darling. I love you.”
Chapter Fourteen
An hour and a half later, Andie lay as still as possible, waiting for her heart rate to approach normal. The satin sheet cradled her body in softness while Eli’s arm rested heavily around her waist. A few of the candles still glimmered, and the room smelled of sweet vanilla and sex.
Andie stared at the man beside her in amazement. Like an indolent lion, he’d indulged her even though she’d tested his patience.