by Piper James
No. I couldn’t think that way. We’d made an agreement, and I wasn’t going to be the one to go against it and turn clingy. Casual and temporary.
That was all this was, and all it would ever be. And I was okay with that.
21
Rafe
Me: Hey, I miss you.
Ugh. I deleted the words that reeked of desperation. This thing with Jessa was supposed to be simple and light, easy to let go of when it ended…which was going to happen in a few weeks no matter how I felt about it. About her.
I shook my head to clear it. I wanted it to be this way. I didn’t have time for a serious relationship. My hands were full with work and all the patients I checked in on during my free time. I needed to stay focused.
The fact that I got hard every time I thought of Jessa, which was at least a hundred times a day, made keeping my focus a nearly impossible mission.
I’d been working double shifts for three days, and I was due to check in with Greg, but after my night with Jessa, I felt strange just dropping by unannounced like I had before—which was why I’d been trying to compose a text message for the last ten minutes.
“What are you still doing here?”
Ivy’s voice startled me, nearly making me drop my phone. I spun around to face her and tried to play it cool.
“I am just grabbing my stuff, then I’m out of here,” I said, casually waving a hand at the bank of lockers behind me.
“You’re acting weird,” she said, tilting her head to study me. Then her eyes narrowed. “Are you lying to me, Rafe Walton?”
Damn it. She’s so perceptive, which is a great trait for a nurse. Not so much a nosy best friend.
“I was trying to text Jessa.”
“Trying? Did you forget how to text? Here, let me show you.”
She made to snatch my phone from my hand, and I jerked it away with a scowl. “You’re hilarious. Seriously, though. I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you want to get together with her again?” she asked.
I’d told her about my night with Jessa, leaving out any specific details. She’d been ecstatic at first, then grew pensive when I mentioned the pact to keep it light and temporary.
“Yes,” I breathed. “I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Then tell her that. The truth is always best, Rafe.”
“I don’t want to sound needy,” I admitted. “It might scare her off.”
“Then just be cool. You could always text her the good old, you up?”
“Oh, my God, Ivy. Not helpful.”
“Netflix and chill?”
“Even worse,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my face.
“Then just be honest,” she suggested.
Before I could respond, she snatched my phone out of my hand and spun around. I tried to get it back, but she was wily and quick, her thumbs tapping against the screen as she turned this way and that. Finally, she relented, handing the device back to me.
“There. You’re welcome.”
As she spun in a whirl of blonde hair, I looked down at my phone with a frown.
Me: It’s time for your check-up. Full physical. Doctor’s orders.
“What the fuck, Ivy?” I whispered, my wide eyes staring at the screen without blinking until the little dot-bubble popped up, indicating Jessa was responding.
Shit.
My heart pounded in a way that made me wonder why her response was so important to me. I told myself it was a purely physical need. Our long night together had been amazing, and I wanted more of that.
Jessa: Well, I have always been one to listen to my doctor. I’m free tonight, if that works for you.
Me: I’ll be home in twenty.
Jessa: See you then.
She wanted me again as much as I wanted her. Oh, God, I really was going to have to thank Ivy for this.
I managed to make it home in twelve minutes, which gave me at least eight to take a quick shower before Jessa showed up. Thank God.
I was just stepping out of the shower when the doorbell rang, so I yanked on some sweatpants without drying off first—which was no easy feat—and hurried to the door with my towel around my neck and water dripping off my hair onto my face.
“Oh, holy hell,” she breathed as I swung the door open, her eyes widening before paving a trail down my body and back up again.
“Are you objectifying me, Miss Maddox?” I asked, stepping aside to let her in.
“Of course not,” she said, clearing her throat. “I’m just here for my check-up. Doctor’s orders.”
She wants to play doctor, eh? I’m definitely game.
“Please come in and have a seat. The doctor will be with you in a minute,” I said, giving her a polite smile.
She sat down where I indicated, and after holding up a finger to tell her to give me minute, I rushed to my bedroom and stripped off the sweats. I grabbed a clean pair of scrub pants from my closet and pulled them on with no boxers. Then, I rummaged through my medical bag, grabbing my stethoscope and draping it around my neck.
I rubbed my towel over my hair in an attempt to dry it, but opted to leave the water droplets on my chest and back…in the hopes that Jessa might be obliged to lick them off. Just the thought sent blood rushing to my cock and had me hurrying back to the living room.
“Well, Miss Maddox, what brings you in today?” I asked, stopping in front of her with a wide stance and a very obvious erection in my pants.
She licked her lips before biting the lower one, saying, “I’m here for my physical, Doctor Walton.”
“Good,” I said, my voice already husky with desire. “Why don’t you hop up on the exam table, and we’ll have a look.”
I pointed toward the dining area, and her eyes widened when she realized I wanted her to climb onto my actual table…like a feast just for me. Just the thought of it made my heart pound in my chest, waiting for her answer.
I watched her as she stood with a seductive grin, walked over to my dinner table, climbed onto it, and stretched out on her back. She was wearing a loose shirt and a short, flowy skirt that ended just above her knees.
Holy shit, that’s hot as fuck.
As I approached her, I plugged the stethoscope into my ears and said, “This is going to be cold.”
I pushed the diaphragm under her shirt and pressed it to her chest. Her heart was beating faster than mine, and her breathing was swift and erratic. My fingertips slipped under the edge of her bra, caressing the skin of her breast before I pulled my hand away.
Hanging the stethoscope back around my neck, I said, “You seem to have an accelerated heart rate and trouble breathing. This could be caused by any number of illnesses. Are you in any discomfort?”
“Yes, Doctor,” she said, pushing herself upright and arching her back in a way that set my whole body on fire.
“Show me where it hurts.” I meant to keep up the professional act, but the words came out in a breathy whisper as anticipation coursed through my veins.
“Okay,” she said softly, then placed her hands on her knees.
“Is that where it hurts?” I asked, my dick so hard it was almost painful.
“Nuh-uh,” she murmured, running her fingertips lightly up her inner thighs, taking that flimsy skirt up with them.
My lungs started working overtime, puffing short, sharp breaths as Jessa revealed inch after inch of smooth, tanned skin. When her skirt was pulled all the way up and her fingers brushed a tiny scrap of lace at the apex of her thighs, she nodded at me.
“Right here, Doctor.”
I nearly dropped my pants and drove into her right then and there. That’s what I wanted to do. But instead, I waited to see what she’d do next.
“I think you need to take a closer look.”
Moving in front of her, I gripped her knees and spread them wider. Jessa moved her hands, placing them on the table behind her and leaned back. My fingers traced the same path hers had, stroking the skin of her inner thighs and elicitin
g a throaty growl from her.
“Right here?” I asked as a fingertip brushed against the material of her panties.
“Yes,” she moaned. “That’s the spot.”
My fingers jerked the material aside, and my mouth was on her before she even finished speaking. Her legs slipped over my shoulders, gripping me tightly as she pulled her shirt off and fell back against the table, her breaths coming fast and loud.
It didn’t take long before she found her release, shouting my name as her body tensed and trembled. I unhooked her legs from my shoulders, stood up, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as I watched the tension drain out of her. A soft smile curved her lips as she lay there with closed eyes.
I wished I could’ve taken a picture. I never saw anything so beautiful in my life.
Her eyes popped open as if she felt my gaze burning through her. She sat up, wrapping her legs around my waist as a hand tangled in the elastic band of my pants and jerked me forward. Her mouth landed on mine, her teeth biting my lip before her tongue darted out to soothe it. She kissed me hard, seeming to revel in the taste of herself on my mouth.
Wrapping my arms around her, I picked her up and carried her toward my bedroom, but she mumbled something about the couch between kisses, so I changed direction. She unwrapped her limbs from my body before pushing me backward onto the couch.
I’d barely landed when she straddled me, rubbing herself against the erection straining against my scrub pants. I groaned and grabbed two fistfuls of her ass, kneading it while guiding the angle of her movement.
Jessa’s mouth blazed a trail across my jaw to my ear, where she whispered, “I’ve been daydreaming about doing this with a skirt on, but I think it would be even better if we were naked.”
I slung her off my lap onto the couch next to me where she landed in a tangled heap. She laughed and began righting herself as I hurried to my bedroom. I grabbed a condom from the nightstand drawer. I paused, and then grabbed two more.
No clue how this night is going to go, I thought, tugging my pants down and stepping out of them as I left my room to hurry back to Jessa.
But she wasn’t on the couch. My heart stopped as my eyes darted around, searching for her.
I sighed with relief at seeing her by the door, her shirt on inside out and her hand on the…doorknob? Was she leaving?
My brain was trying to catch up and decipher what was happening when a familiar voice called out, “Well, I could have gone my whole life without seeing that.”
“Nate?” I was still brain dead from the shock of seeing him there, a small female form huddled behind him.
“Fuck, Rafe, put some clothes on, for Christ’s sake.”
Lola?
My eyes darted from my siblings to Jessa, who stood nearby with a blush staining her face. She looked mortified as her brown eyes dipped to my crotch before darting back up to meet my eyes. I looked down at my very noticeable, very naked hard-on.
“Oh, shit,” I yelled, covering myself with my hands before spinning to run bare-assed back to my room.
“I guess you forgot our dinner plans,” Nate called out behind me as I went.
I threw a middle finger salute over my shoulder as I disappeared down the hall, and his laughter followed in my wake. I had completely forgotten they were coming over. And now, my baby sister had seen my cock.
“Fuck me,” I groaned, pulling on some clothes.
I’d never had anything like this happen to me before. I was always careful. Methodical. Discreet.
What was Jessa Maddox doing to me?
22
Jessa
“Wow, you’ve changed.”
Nate’s crystal blue eyes wandered up and down my body, but not in a sexual way. He seemed to be trying to prove I actually was who I said I was, especially when his gaze landed on my face. I opened my mouth into a wide smile and pointed at my teeth.
“No more braces,” I said.
“Yeah, and no more weird hair or acne, either,” he responded.
“Nate!” Lola chastised him. “That was rude.” Then she held out a hand to me. “I’m this asshole’s sister, Lola.”
“Jessa,” I said, shaking her hand.
“Who’s an asshole?” Rafe asked as he re-entered the room, this time fully dressed. I still couldn’t believe what just happened. I never should’ve answered the door, but in my defense, I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.
I smiled at him and hooked a thumb at his brother. “This one had the nerve to bring up my unfortunate high school years.”
“Hey,” Nate said, walking to the table and setting down bags of food, “I was just trying to pay you a compliment. You’re hot now.”
I nodded at his words, not really hearing them as I watched his hands rummage around in the paper bags of food. I opened my mouth to protest as he pulled out what looked to be a burrito and moved to set it on the tabletop.
“Stop,” Rafe ordered before I could intercede. “Let me clean that table first.”
“Looks clean to me,” Nate said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the wood.
“Just let me do it,” Rafe said, nudging him out of the way as he sprayed disinfectant cleaner on the wood and wiped it with a soft cloth.
He looked up at me and winked, and I couldn’t stop the giggle the burst through my lips. Nate began unpacking the food he’d brought without noticing anything was amiss, but Lola sidled up next to me.
“Oh, my God, you guys did it on the table, didn’t you?” she whispered, her face darkening.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted, earning another blush.
I studied her a minute. I knew she was younger than the brothers, but she had to be twenty or twenty-one. Yet her reaction seemed like that of a total innocent. I shook my head. It really wasn’t any of my business.
“So, Rafe, how’s things?” Nate called out, shooting me a roguish grin as he unwrapped a burrito and took a big bite.
“Things were great until you showed up,” Rafe grumbled.
“Hey, you’re the one who demanded we come tonight. Not our fault you got distracted and forgot.”
Watching this banter between them caused a small pang in my chest. Was this what it was like to have a real family? Brothers and sisters? Sure, Nate was goading Rafe and trying to embarrass me, but it seemed good-natured, like he was reveling in having something to hold over his brother’s head.
“Are you guys dating?” Lola asked, pulling a styrofoam tray from a bag and settling into a chair.
“No,” Rafe and I both said at the same time.
Lola’s head jerked back, a little frown creasing her forehead. “Okay,” she said drawing out the word for emphasis. “I was just going to say, if you are, that’s awesome. But you’re not. So…okay, then.”
“Friends with benefits, then?” Nate said, his gaze darting between us.
“Nate. Shut. Up,” Rafe growled. “Enough with the third degree, both of you. Is there enough food for Jessa?” He looked at me. “Are you hungry?”
I had just been contemplating making my excuses and leaving so Rafe could have dinner with his family, but the hopeful look on his face gave me pause. He wanted me to stay. His eyes practically begged me not to go—probably so he could finish what we’d started.
And I was totally game for that, so I said, “Sure. I could eat.”
The blinding smile he shot me caused my heart to skip a beat. God, I was so attracted to Rafe, it was positively magnetic. I felt myself being pulled toward him, ignoring the tiny voice in my brain that screamed, run away!
I took a seat at the table, and Rafe handed me a plate of rolled tacos. Grabbing a burrito for himself, he sat down, scooching his chair closer to mine. Unwrapping his burrito, he pointed it at me.
“We can share, if you want.”
I smiled as he brought it to my mouth. I took a bite, keeping my gaze locked on his, and a small moan vibrated in his chest. Lola coughed, and Nate chuckled, shocking me back to reality. I needed to keep it tog
ether and remember that we weren’t alone.
“So, Nate,” I said after I swallowed the food in my mouth, “how are things at the shop?”
I knew he’d opened an auto repair shop in town, and it seemed to be pretty successful. Dad had even taken his car there a few times for oil changes and repairs.
“Things are good,” Nate said. “We are outselling and outranking every other shop in town, and I just scored a contract with the police department. Walton’s will now be servicing all the patrol cars in the fleet.”
“Wow, congratulations,” I said, impressed. “That’s amazing.”
“I saw your Jeep out front,” he said, pointing at me with a tortilla chip. “When’s the last time you had that thing serviced?”
“I don’t know. Maybe thirty-thousand miles ago?”
“You should bring it in,” he said. “I can have the boys run a full diagnostic. We’ll get her running in tip-top shape for you.”
“God, Nate. Stop,” Lola said, shaking her head before looking at me. “Sorry, my brother is worse than a used car salesman sometimes.”
I laughed. “It’s okay. And he’s right. It probably is due for a tune-up.”
Rafe’s hand snaked over to snag a rolled taco from my plate, shoving half of it into his mouth before biting it off. I picked up one for myself, dipped it into the guacamole, and took a much smaller bite. As I chewed, Rafe reached over and rubbed his thumb across the corner of my lips. I stared at the green smudge as he pulled his thumb away and stuck it into his mouth, sucking the guacamole from the tip.
I squeezed my thighs together as an ache formed inside me, begging to be filled. Everything he did was erotic, and I wasn’t sure if it was intentional or just my own raging hormones begging for more sex.
What I was sure of, though, was that his brother and sister were sitting right in front of us, and I needed to get myself under control.
One night with Rafe had ruined me. Ruined my whole philosophy about men and how I had zero need for them. Because, damn…I needed him something bad. Memories of that night and what happened before his siblings got here flitted through my mind, making me squirm with need. I was sure my panties were soaking wet.