by MJ Carnal
Kevin’s lips crashed against hers. His perfect lips were like silk. He wrapped his left hand in her hair and pulled while his right hand yanked her body against his. He tasted of mint and heaven. His tongue begged for entrance and with a moan, she allowed it. He deepened the kiss, tongues dueling, teeth scraping, bodies grinding. The heat overwhelmed her. The kiss was wrapped in lust but underneath the desire, there was something more. Love? It couldn’t be. His heart hammered in his chest and his breathing sped. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, anchoring herself to him. When her second moan sounded, he couldn’t help himself. “Andi.” Her name left his lips on a whisper.
“Kevin.” Her legs wrapped around him and she nibbled at his neck. “What are we doing?” She panted.
“Stop talking.” His fingers dipped underneath her bikini top and found the piercing that had been torturing his dreams. He pulled and her head fell back. “I want to see it.”
Her head nodded frantically. Heat pooled between her legs. “Yes.”
He untied her top and moaned when her tanned breasts spilled out. The piercing taunted him. He ran his fingers over her nipple and her legs trembled. “Perfect.” His tongue circled it and she whimpered. She had told him once that she could come just by playing with her piercing and he intended to find out if that was true. His teeth grabbed the ring and pulled lightly, rolling it in his lips.
“Oh my God.” Andi grasped the edge of the counter so hard that her knuckles turned white.
His voice was strained. “Can you come like this?” He pulled again.
Her eyes shut and she bit her lip. “I’m almost there.”
He smiled. The woman was going to be his undoing. His cock strained against his swim trunks. He wasn’t sure just playing with her nipples wouldn’t make him come too. He had never been so turned on in all his life. He bit the edge of the piercing and pulled hard. Her hands grabbed his hair and pulled his mouth closer.
Her breathing was coming in short bursts. He knew she was close. “I was kidding the day on the boat. Oh my God. Shit. I just wanted to torture you.” Her body hummed with excitement. “I haven’t been with anyone since I got the piercing. Oh my God, Kevin.”
He pulled one more time and she shattered. Her legs shook, her body trembled and as she called out his name, he grabbed himself and squeezed, willing the orgasm that was roaring toward him to stop. She slumped against him and bit his shoulder.
Too late. He exploded, weeks of built up frustration and fantasy surging forth, reminding him that this woman was different. She hadn’t touched him and he had found more pleasure in this moment than he ever had before. He groaned and tried to step back but she pulled him against her, rubbing her body against his, feeling the heat of her grind against him. “Andi.”
“Think they’d miss us if we disappeared into the guest room for an hour?” Andi’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Please, Kevin.”
The back door slammed and they jumped apart. “Hey Andrea. Where are you?” Steve’s voice got closer and Andi’s eyes widened.
“Go.” Kevin whispered and handed her the bikini top that had fallen to the floor. She knocked the beer off the counter in her race to leave the kitchen and Kevin chuckled. “I got it. Go.”
He bent over to pick up the glass that had broken when Steve stepped into the doorway. “Whoa. Need some help?”
“I got it. You’re barefoot.” Kevin smiled at him. Yep. Score one for Merck.
“Have you seen Andrea?” He looked down the hall and back at Kevin.
“Sorry, man. I haven’t.”
As Steve walked away to join the others by the pool, Kevin chuckled. This was a competition he was not going to lose. He had waited forever for a moment like that and there was no way that Steven Wainwright was standing in his way now.
Chapter 7
“What’s up with you?” Caleb settled into the couch and looked over his reading glasses at Kevin. “Women trouble?”
“No comment.” Kevin flipped through the channels on Caleb’s flat screen.
“Why are you here again?” Caleb leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
“I want to date your sister.”
Caleb swallowed his water wrong. “What’s your definition of date?” He choked out his words.
“Take her out, asshole. Dinner. Something. Alone.”
Laughter echoed from the front porch and made Kevin and Caleb look up. Muffled voices got louder as they approached the door. Kevin recognized Andi’s voice. But one was distinctly male.
“Give me a break. I would win every single time.” Andi stepped into the foyer and stopped dead in her tracks. Her face blushed and her heart raced.
“What’s up Wain?” Caleb stood and hugged Steve. “What brings you all the way out here?”
“I ran into Andi at a radio function at the hospital. We grabbed a burger after work.” Steve walked toward Kevin and extended a hand for him to shake. “How are you, bro?”
“I’m feeling a little sick actually.” Kevin stood to leave. “I was just on my way out.”
“Why don’t you stay for awhile?” Andi walked into the living room. “Have a guy’s night.”
Kevin stared her down. The heat from his gaze made her weak in the knees. The room became silent. She guaranteed you could hear her heart double timing it in her chest.
“I have somewhere I need to be.” His voice was quiet but his body language was completely possessive as his stare shifted to Steve. “Have a great time with lover boy.”
Andi ground her teeth. “Let me guess. Bambi needs a backrub.”
“Nope. Candy needs a lick.” Kevin shook Caleb’s hand and ground his teeth.
Andi followed him to the door. “Don’t forget to video tape it. You may want to watch it back and see what you could have done better.”
Kevin grabbed her and pulled her out the front door. Shoving her against the side of the house, he leaned down, his mouth just inches from her’s. His voice was husky and full of lust. “Don’t ever doubt my skills, doll. You got off and all I did was suck on this.” His hand reached under her scrub top and pinched her nipple. “If you need a reminder of what a real man can do, give me a call.”
With that, he turned and made his way down the driveway.
“What the fuck was that?” Steve threw himself onto the couch Kevin had just vacated.
Caleb ran his hands through his hair and yanked. “Not my place.”
“That dude is wound tight.” Steve grabbed the remote but stopped when he noticed Caleb’s glare. “What?”
“Where is Amber?”
Steve’s face turned grim. “She’s been out a lot with her friends.”
“It’s none of my business, man, but you’ve been engaged a long time. I can’t wait to marry Jena. What’s the hold up?” Caleb set down his manuscript to give Steve his full attention.
Steve shut his eyes and laid his head back on the pillows. “I’ve asked her to nail down a date for two years.”
“She’s too busy nailing everything else.” Andi cringed when she heard the anger in her voice. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I don’t know that for a fact. Talk is cheap, Andrea.”
“You should talk to Moretti.” Caleb was tired of seeing his friend hurt. And knowing that they had kept things from him for so long was weighing heavily on him. If Jena was cheating, he would want to know. “I learned my lesson a long time ago. I’m not sticking my nose in anyone’s business. I just think it would do you some good to talk to him.”
His face mirrored the agony happening inside of him. He felt the betrayal without knowing the story. Andi took his hand and held it. “I’ll go with you. Whenever you’re ready.”
Steve stood up without saying anything and headed for the door. Andi ran after him. “Steve, wait.”
He stopped at the edge of the porch. “I’m going to find Amber and ask her one last time if there’s something she needs to
tell me. I’m tired of this shit.”
“Please calm down before you drive.” Andi reached out and grabbed his arm but he flinched away. “Come back inside. It’s starting to rain. Amber will be there in the morning.”
“Will she, Andi?” Steve took a deep breath. His eyes were red.
Kevin cleared his throat and they both jumped. “Everything ok?”
“It’s fine.” They said in unison.
Kevin pointed to the carport. “I’m on the bike so I’m going to wait out the rain.”
Steve stepped into the downpour and held his arms out to his sides. “I’ve got to go track down the woman that’s going to wreck me.”
“I’m going in.” Andi stomped into the house.
“Wait.” Kevin grabbed her hand.
She sighed in defeat. “What do you want, Kevin?”
“You.”
“What?” Andi shook her head.
“I don’t think I stuttered. I think you want the same thing.” Kevin pushed his body against hers. “Tell me you don’t.”
Andi stepped back but he followed her. “Look. I’m tired of the bullshit. I have no doubt it would be fun but I don’t want to fuck around. Especially with someone who has been with more people this week than I have in my lifetime.”
“Why are you always so hateful?” Kevin took a step back. “You may think you know my past, but don’t try to pretend to know who I really am. You’re judge and jury, Andi. I was guilty before the trial even started.”
She put her hands on her hips. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means that it’s been months. Months! You’re too wrapped up in your hatred of men to see what’s right in front of your face.”
“I don’t hate men.”
“Then it must just be me you hate.” Kevin shoved his helmet on his head and stepped off the porch.
“Where are you going? It’s pouring. You can’t ride in this.”
“I can go out there and get cold on my way home. Or I can sit here and let you torture me some more. I choose the cold.” Kevin jogged to his bike. In one fluid movement, he straddled the seat and the engine roared to life.
A tear fell down Andi’s face. She was falling in love with him and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Chapter 8
Andi closed the door to the room that would forever change her life. She heard the crying from behind the door and held onto the wall to keep her balance. Tears filled her eyes and her heart broke in her chest. It had been a month since she was taken off the neurosurgery rotation and thrust into obstetrics. But her eight year old patient had stayed close to her heart. When she received the call that there were only moments left, she ran to say her last goodbye. She held his hand as he took his last breath and pronounced his death seconds later. Watching his mother break apart had been her undoing.
She wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath before she slid to the floor. She tucked her legs under her and buried her face in her knees. In all her years in the medical field, she had not felt anything more powerful or devastating than losing a child to a brain tumor. Her body trembled.
“Andi?” Kevin’s voice was little more than a whisper. “What happened?”
She met his eyes and shivered. “Hi.”
He sat next to her and took her hand. “Are you ok?”
She nodded. “I lost a pretty important patient today. I know they say we can’t get attached but sometimes you just can’t help it.”
His face seemed pale. She reached out and touched his cheek. “Are you sick?”
He gave her a fake smile. “I’ve got the toothache from hell. I have a date with an oral surgeon in a few days and I’m just really run down. Jena’s got a B12 shot with my name on it.” He shifted uncomfortably in her stare. “I’ve been traveling a good bit for work.”
“I heard you were gone.” She stood up and extended her hand to him. “Come on. I’ll help you find J.”
Kevin smiled as he slipped his fingers through hers. She stepped a little closer to him as they walked down the hall. The hospital was quiet and it was getting dark outside. Andi knew she had a few more hours on duty but took a minute to enjoy feeling him so close.
She hadn’t seen him since the night in the rain. She had decided she needed some time to reflect on the feelings that had surfaced for him. She had asked Ryan and Caleb about him a few times but he had been spending time traveling with a few photographers for a fitness apparel company. He looked tired and his face was drawn. She had a strong urge to take care of him.
“There’s my favorite patient.” Jena gave Kevin a hug and Andi flinched. Realizing what she had said, Jena backtracked. “I have your stuff on my desk. I have a patient coming up from recovery so give me just a few minutes.”
“I can give him the shot.” Andi looked between Kevin and Jena. “If that’s ok?”
Jena nodded at Kevin. “Yes. There are two injections on my desk. The one with the white label gets injected into the abdomen and the blue label into the buttocks. There’s a bag on the desk that has the other five injections. Take those with you. They are twice a day until surgery.”
“Why am I giving an injection in the abdomen? What surgery?” Andi asked Jena at the same time her patient rounded the corner from the operating room. “Kevin?”
“Listen. Don’t ask me a bunch of stuff I’m not ready to answer. Can we just get this over with? I’m a total pussy around needles.”
Andi smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. She took him into Jena’s office and he immediately removed his shirt. She washed her hands and put on some gloves. Grabbing an alcohol pad, she ran it over the spot on his abdomen. She grabbed the syringe and held his hand. “You ready?”
He took a deep breath. “Yep.”
Once she gave the injection, she stared at the syringe. When Kevin cleared his throat, she locked eyes with him. “Why am I giving you a Lovenox injection?” He was silent. “Please don’t shut me out.”
“Andi, I think I like fighting with you more than the look you are giving me right now.” Kevin picked up the B12 shot and handed it to her. “Please give me this one and then we can talk.”
Andi gave him the injection and helped him put his shirt back on. Her worry was written all over her face. She reached out and touched his chest. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he covered her hand with his and smiled down at her. She stared into his intense, gray eyes. Her heart fluttered. “Can I kiss you?” The words were out before she could stop herself.
His lips brushed against hers. They were feather light. He pulled back and kissed her eye lids, her jaw and her mouth once more. When she moaned, he deepened the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him impossibly close. The passion in his kiss was more intense than anything she had ever felt. She had one serious relationship in her past and although she had loved him, she had never felt anything that felt as right as kissing Kevin.
He ended the kiss and put his forehead against hers. “Your mouth does wicked things to my body, slick.”
“Ditto, Deuce.” She giggled when he picked her up and hugged her.
“I have an appointment.” He looked at his watch and cringed. “Can we get a late dinner?”
“Yes. You owe me an explanation.”
He kissed her forehead before heading out of Jena’s office. As Andi disposed of the needles, she couldn’t help the feeling of dread that came over her.
Caleb and Steve sat on the boat after a hard workout at the gym. They were both exhausted and wanted to take in the peace and quiet of an evening on the water. “Talk to Moretti yet?”
Steve groaned. “No. Get off my back about Amber. I will eventually. This isn’t easy for me.”
“I won’t push.” Caleb leaned his head against the headrest and sighed. “I wouldn’t leave LA for all the money in the world.”
“Jena still talking about missing Seattle?”
Caleb laughed. “Daily. Then she remembers the rain. What’s new with Amb
er?”
“I can’t help that I love her.” Steve’s body tensed. “But she’s toxic and I’m dragging out the inevitable.”
“I’m sorry man.”
“What’s wrong with Kevin?” Andi’s voice was stern as she stepped onto the boat. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Caleb shook his head. “I don’t know. Why? You two get in a fight?”
Steve laughed and fist bumped Caleb.
“I’m serious. What’s wrong with him?” Andi sat down and stared at her brother.
“I’m serious. I don’t know. Why do you think something’s wrong?”
“I just injected a vial of blood thinner into his gut at Jena’s instruction.”
“What?” Caleb sat up straighter. “I don’t understand. Why would you give him a blood thinner?”
“I think that’s what she’s asking you.” Steve looked at Andi. “Did he just have surgery?”
Andi stood up and laughed. “You are both idiots. You don’t know shit. But if Jena is keeping something big from me, it will be a problem.”
Caleb got defensive. “We don’t keep things from each other. Ever.”
“If he’s a patient she does.” Andi stepped off the boat to go get ready for her dinner.
Chapter 9
Andi stepped into the restaurant and rolled her eyes when she saw the waitress leaning all over Kevin. Her boobs were spilling out of the top of her shirt and her fake nails ran down his arm. Kevin was being polite but she could tell he was uncomfortable. She would have fun with this.
“Hello honey. Were you waiting long?” Andi kissed him on the mouth and took the seat across from him. She glanced at the waitress. “I’ll have a glass of chardonnay. And if you would remove your hands from my husband’s shoulders, I would appreciate it very much. Thanks.”
Kevin choked on his water. He loved playful Andi and was glad she was the one that came to dinner. “My wife doesn’t like to wait for her chardonnay.” She waved the waitress away and laughed. “Thank you.”