by Krista Lakes
He groaned and pressed his head into the curve of my shoulder. I whimpered with pleasure my head falling back against the wall as he completed me in a way I'd never experienced before. This was better than any sex I'd ever had, and we were just at the first stroke.
Together we found our rhythm, rocking our bodies and using the wall as leverage. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, using my leg to keep him wrapped close to me. I loved the way his breath caught at thrust, like each one was better than the one before.
The only thing that existed now was the pleasure he gave me. It became so intense and so focused. It seemed that the only thing I could do was try to remind myself to breathe. My nails dug into his back, yet he kept his relentless pounding. I didn't want him to stop. I never wanted him to stop.
The intensity of it all was dizzying. It was pure euphoria. I rode the wave as far as it would take me and when it peaked, I whimpered my mouth falling open as he pushed me into bliss. My knees buckled and it was only this arms holding me up as I shook against his strength.
I gasped for breath, wanting still more. There was still more for him to give me. He leaned forward and kissed me sweetly, a cocky smile plastered on his face.
“Good?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
I nodded because I couldn't remember how to say yes. He gave me a wicked grin and started the rocking of his hips yet again.
I closed my eyes, losing myself to the sensation. I didn't think. I just felt. I felt his muscles under my fingers. They were strong and lean, his skin hot and damp with sweat. I felt his hips crash into mine, filling me with pleasure in every thrust. I felt his breath on my shoulder, hot and heavy. My own body cried out for more of him. I couldn't get enough.
My entire being was consumed with fire and lust. I craved every inch of his fantastic length and ached to have his skin against mine. His taste drove me wild, his scent made me shiver for him, and the low, masculine groans of his voice created liquid desire deep in my core.
“Hannah,” he groaned, his voice tight with need. “Hannah...”
I knew what was about to happen. We hadn't put on a condom, I wasn't on birth control, and I knew there was no way either of us was going to be able to stop.
I didn't care. Now wasn't the time for thinking. Now was the time of doing. I wanted this now more than anything I'd ever wanted in my whole life. It was worth any risk.
“Come for me,” I whispered, closing my eyes and pressing my cheek into his.
He exploded, his muscles taut and hard. He shuddered against me, losing himself to me. The man that was so in control at all times lost control in me. The low groan of release as he buried himself and shuddered sent me over the edge. He did it to me without even trying. Together, we found bliss.
Jacob Matthews was mine. For this moment, he was mine. He was the person I'd wanted since I was old enough to want a man. And for this second, I had him. He'd had me since the moment I'd first seen him in that leather jacket walking into to school like he owned the place.
The only sound in the room was the two of us breathing. He panted, his forehead pressed into the curve of my shoulder. My leg still wrapped around his perfect ass and my arms held him tight to me. A sheen of sweat coated both of us.
He kissed my shoulder, his stubble scraping the delicate skin when he lifted his head. Our eyes met and I lost myself to his baby blues.
I was the luckiest girl in the world.
I unwrapped my leg from around him and we stood toe to toe for a moment. My phone buzzed and I could faintly hear the sound of a car pulling into the clinic's parking lot. Either Donna was back or our food had arrived. My bet was on the food.
He had his hands around the outside of my shoulders and it felt good to be in his arms. It felt safe. He leaned forward and gently kissed my lips. This time, it was more sensual than sexual, and it sent a different kind of tingle through me.
After the delicate kiss, he pulled away, but kept his eyes locked with mine. I felt myself melting into them. Their beautiful light-blue color seemed to ignite as a ray of sunshine from the window poured over them.
He took a step back and I mourned the loss of him. I felt complete with him inside of me, holding me with him. We were two pieces that were made to fit together.
My phone buzzed again and there was the faint sound of a knock on the glass front doors. Our dinner was definitely here.
“I got it.” Jacob was already reaching for his pants. He dressed quickly, and unlocked the back room to get our food.
I stared out after him for a moment before scrambling to get my own clothes on. Once dressed, I wasn't sure if I'd just fallen asleep and dreamed what just happened or if my wildest dreams really had come true.
Chapter 13
I sat nervously on the small couch in the break room, my knee bouncing as I tried to figure out what was going to happen next. I was dressed now, and my brain was taking over and rethinking my body's decisions.
I'd just had sex with my boss.
Really, really, really hot awesome sex. But with my boss.
I had no idea what Jacob was going to say when he walked back into the break room. Was he going to pretend it didn't happen? Was he going to say it was amazing? Was he going to want to go again?
The uncertainty of it all was killing me.
The door to the break room swung open and my entire body stiffened and turned. I swallowed hard, unsure of what I would say or do next. I wasn't sure what I was going to say to Jacob, but I knew I had to say something.
Until Donna and her two teenage boys walked in. There was no way to have a conversation about anything that just happened with them in the room.
“Donna?” My voice cracked a little with surprise. “What are you and the boys doing here?”
“Danny does the deliveries for the bakery,” Donna explained. “I had him move you two up in line to be delivered earlier.”
“How very nice of you,” I replied. Jacob walked in behind the two teens and Donna and shrugged as I made eye contact with him. He wasn't sure what they were doing here either.
“Alright, I have sandwiches and two of Katie's special brownies.” Donna started pulling things out of the bag her tallest son held.
“Mom, I'm supposed to deliver the stuff,” the teen told her softly.
“Do you want me to put it back?” she asked, pausing with only one brownie left to go. The poor kid sighed and shook his head. Donna continued setting the food out.
“And I got the spinach salad. Where is it?” Donna mumbled, looking around. “Oh, here it is.”
“Are you eating with us?” Dr. Matthews asked. He sounded pleasant but the slight twitch in his eyebrow said he wasn't pleased.
“Just me and Chris,” Donna replied, setting out another sandwich. “Danny has more deliveries.”
“Oh. That's too bad,” I replied automatically. I moved to the table and sat down in front of my food.
“Dr. Matthews, you sit here,” Donna instructed, pointing to the seat across from me. “I made sure Katie knew which sandwich was yours so she could pack extra love into it.”
Jacob's eye twitched hard. Extra love from Katie wasn't something that needed to be said so soon after what Jacob and I had just done.
“Let's eat.” Donna smiled around the table, oblivious to the fact that neither Jacob or I wanted her or her son there.
Conversation was quiet and simple. We made poor Chris talk about school and how his summer was going. He was starting high school in the fall and his voice kept cracking every time he spoke. I swear I've never eaten a sandwich faster than I did for that meal.
All I wanted was to get Jacob alone for a moment so that we could talk about what we'd just done. I knew it was a spur of the moment decision, but I needed to know if it was just an adrenaline release or something more.
I wanted, and yet was terrified, of him saying it was something more.
“That was delicious. Thank you for bringing us dinner,” I said, standing u
p from the table. I'd eaten faster than the teenage boy.
“Oh, my pleasure. You two worked hard today,” Donna replied with a smile.
“Dr. Matthews, could I talk to you in my office for a second?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “I just wanted to go over some things that happened. You know, for my charting.”
“Right. Charting.” His blue eyes met mine and he nodded. “Of course.”
It was then that my phone chirped. I glanced down at it to see my mother's number, as well as two missed calls from her. Internal alarm bells starting going off. The whole reason I was back in Riversville was to help my father manage his health.
I stopped dead in my tracks. From the corner of my eye I saw Jacob stop moving as well, but I ignored him and read the text from my mother.
* * *
Your father needs you.
* * *
I thought I was ready to take care of my father. I thought that all my years of nursing would prepare me for this moment, but I wasn't ready. It was my dad. The man I loved all my life. And he needed me.
“Are you okay?” Jacob asked, his brows furrowed.
“My dad needs me,” I said, still staring at my phone. I looked up at him and saw concern and understanding in his eyes.
“You should go. We'll go over your charting later,” he told me.
“Thanks.” I took a step out of the room before remembering my manners. My dad would be angry with me if I didn't have manners because of him. “Thanks for bringing dinner, Donna. And it was good to see you, Chris.”
“Bye, Hannah. See you tomorrow,” Donna replied, taking a big fork full of salad. I looked back at Jacob one last time and he motioned me to go. I hesitated for just a second before running to my car to get to my father.
Chapter 14
My father was fine.
He and my mother were simply engaged in a discussion on who the actress was on the new TV show they were watching and if she had been on another TV show they also watched.
My father insisted that I would know exactly who they were talking about and that I would prove him right the moment I heard who they were talking about. So, they called me. Repeatedly.
Asking Google or the internet apparently never occurred to them.
After successfully identifying the actress and figuring out that yes, she was on that other show, I went home. I knew Jacob wouldn't stay at the clinic all night waiting for me to come back to discuss our feelings. That didn't stop me from doing a drive-by on my way past, though.
The lights were all off and I felt like an idiot as I sped up and headed the rest of the way back to my house. I justified the drive-by in that it was only four blocks out of my way. Maybe traffic was backed up by a tractor and I'd actually saved time.
I could pretend that was reasonable.
Once home, I thought of calling Jacob. We needed to have a conversation about what just happened. It had felt so right at the time, but I wasn't sure it was the right thing overall. He was my boss. We weren't supposed to have a sexual relationship.
But I didn't have the guts to call him. I knew he wouldn't call me because he thought I was dealing with a medical emergency for my dad. It was up to me to call him, and I was way too chicken to do it.
Instead, I played Solitaire on my phone trying to work up the courage until I passed out on the couch. I woke up with a crick in my neck and a dead phone. At least the sun woke me, so I wasn't late to work.
However, the entire drive there was torture.
What was I going to say to Jacob? We had sex in the break room, and to be honest, I would never look at that room the same way again. But, he was my friend. And my boss. This was suddenly very awkward and as far from professional as we could get.
Donna was parked in the front, but I didn't see Jacob's motorcycle or his car. I checked my watch to see that I was about ten minutes early, but I had been hoping he'd be early too so that we could talk before patients arrived.
I hoped that he wasn't going to be late just to avoid talking to me.
What if he really regretted what we did? What if he pretended it didn't happen?
I wasn't sure what I would do. I knew that we couldn't date. Not in our town. The town wanted the perfect fairy tale of the good doctor dating the town star baker. They didn't want their most eligible bachelor knocking his boots with the nurse that didn't belong here.
He was the bad boy come home triumphant and I was the girl that left and wasn't staying. If anyone in town thought that the two of us were even thinking of dating one another, I'd be destroyed. He was practically married to Katie in the eyes of the town. I would be the other woman. It wouldn't be pretty.
I swallowed hard before getting out of my car and going inside. I'd actually put on makeup this morning and had attempted to tame my curly hair into something that looked nice. I'd mostly managed to look pretty, and I'd hoped it would give me more confidence that it was. I was a nervous, guilty wreck.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that what we did was a bad thing. We weren't a couple and we weren't ever going to be. He was my boss. I was leaving in a year or so. I was going to have a major loss in my life. It just wouldn't work out and I should have stopped it before it got this far.
I didn't even want to think about the part of the night where we didn't use a condom. That was stupid. I blamed the adrenaline and the fact that he was so hot I didn't want to stop. It was just one more thing that told me the whole experience, while amazing, was not something we should repeat.
I said hello to Donna and headed to my office to drop off my things. I needed to restock supplies and make sure that the rooms were cleaned up from the night before. I realized I hadn't done any of my usual closing routines and that patients would be here any minute.
I ran to exam room four and threw open the door, expecting to see dried blood and birthing goop. Instead, the room was spotless and everything restocked. I stared at it for a moment before going to the next room to find that it too was cleaned and ready for the day.
I went back to room four just to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Every exam room was clean and ready. Someone had done my job for me last night after I took off to take care of my dad.
“Oh, Dr. Matthews cleaned up last night,” Donna informed me, peeking over my shoulder at the clean room. “I can honestly say I've never seen Dr. Taggert do that. This new generation of doctors is something else.”
I knew it had nothing to do with what generation of doctors Jacob was part of. It was because of me. He had cleaned up to help me out.
He was too good to be true.
“That Katie sure is a lucky woman,” Donna continued. “I heard his mother is planning on performing the ceremony herself. The whole town will be invited.”
“What?” I asked, not quite following.
“Dr. Matthews and Katie. You know they're practically engaged, right?”
“Practically isn't actually,” I replied. “Why is everyone so dead set on this wedding? I don't even think they're actually a real couple.”
Donna raised her eyebrows. “Do you have a problem with Katie?”
“No, I like Katie.” I sighed. How could I explain this without giving myself away? “I just haven't seen them as a couple.”
“That's just because Katie is so busy,” Donna explained. “They make such a perfect couple. It's a fairy tale. He saved her dad, you know. And can you imagine their babies? They'd be so perfect. The entire Bridge Club agrees.”
I sighed again. Delusion seemed to be my town's strength. It didn't matter that Jacob and Katie weren't actually a couple. The town, powered by the Ladies' Bridge Club, insisted they were.
Guilt tugged a little bit harder on my soul as I went over the schedule for the day in my office.
If the town found out what happened in that break room, they would hate us. Me especially, but Jacob would lose patients over it. It could damage his business if anyone found out. I didn't want to be the one to bring tha
t to happen.
I heard the front door open and shut. My heart sped up and my palms got sweaty. Jacob was here. The moment I'd been fixated on all night was here. I took a deep breath, smoothed my hair, and raised my chin up. I could do this.
I walked with confidence to the front desk, ready to have a grown up conversation.
Except, Jacob wasn't there. It was Abigail St. James checking in for an appointment.
“Okay, Abigail, you're all checked in,” Donna told her. She turned and saw me. “Oh, perfect timing, Hannah. Our first patient is here.”
I gave a fake smile. “Of course. Come on back with me.”
Abigail audibly rolled her eyes, but came with me.
“Let's get your weight,” I said, stopping at the office scale.
“I was just here. I don't need to see those numbers.” She crossed her arms and glared at me. “I'm here for a rash, not your sick need to be skinny.”
I sighed. “Okay, then. We'll just head to room two.”
Once inside, I managed to take her blood pressure and temperature without too much complaint.
“When is Dr. Matthews going to be here?” Abigail asked when I finished.
“Any time now. You're the first patient here, but you did beat him in today.”
“Ugh. Figures I'd have to deal with you.”
I frowned slightly, unsure of why she was being so hostile today. I knew she didn't like me and that she hadn't liked me since high school, but usually she at least pretended to be polite.
“Is there something bothering you?” I asked her.
She narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
“I saw you. I saw you with Dr. Matthews and I can't believe that even you would stoop so low.”
Panic fluttered in my chest. There was a small window in the break room, but I was fairly sure the blinds were pulled in it. Could she have stopped by the office yesterday and seen us?
“What do you mean?” I asked, deciding to play dumb. Maybe she hadn't seen anything. Maybe I could just say he was checking out a suspicious mole for me. That's why I was naked.