Doctor's Delight (16 page)

Relaxing,
Cherry told him about the upcoming wedding. She didn’t even notice
herself leaning in against him. The street lights flicked on and
they passed other strolling couples and some families, as well as
office people still leaving their offices long after knock-off
time.

Rick stopped at
an ice cream parlour and talked her into soft serve ice creams.
“After all,” he said, “We didn’t finish our pizza.”

“And who’s
fault would that be?” she asked dryly.

“Yours,” he
returned cheerfully, paying for the ice creams and handing one to
her.

“You wish.”

He followed her
out onto the street. “You’re the shy one. Me, I could have sat
there and eaten the last of the pizza right under the disapproving
glare of that old lady, no problems.” Slinging one arm around her
shoulder, he nudged her into a slow walk. “She was probably
jealous.”

“Your modesty
is awe-inspiring.”

“I know. Bask
in it.”

Laughing,
Cherry licked the ice cream that was already starting to melt.

They walked
slowly in companionable silence, and by the time they’d reached the
hotel parking lot, they’d both finished their ice creams. Cherry
didn’t notice that they were at Rick’s door until he took out his
key and unlocked the door. Immediately, she stepped back.

Arching one
brow questioningly, he looked at her over his shoulder.

“I need to go.”
She smiled and took another step backwards.

His gaze was
searching as he turned fully to face her. “It’s still early.”

“It’s…” She
glanced at her watch. “Eight o’clock.” Early. Damn. Good. Hell, she
didn’t know.

Reaching out,
he snagged her wrist in a gentle, but firm, clasp. “Cherry.”

“Yes?”

He laughed
suddenly, shaking his head. “You aren’t what I’m used to.”

“You knew that
already.” Her stomach was in knots.

“And that’s
what I love about you.” He tugged her closer, and God help her, she
didn’t resist. His voice lowered. “Stay the night with me.”

Cold and heat
combined flushed through her. The heat of desire, of the memory of
his hard body surging above her, against her, into her. The cold of
fear, her imperfect body bared to his gaze. Fear and desire warred
inside her.

Fear won,
raising its ugly head and making her cringe inwardly, too scared to
allow herself to be exposed to this perfect specimen of manhood. If
only I was slim. If only I wasn’t fat. If only I had a decent body.
The taunting words prickled through her mind like poison ivy,
digging deep and tearing open wounds that bled out doubt,
self-consciousness, and the echoes of cruel words she’d heard from
as young as she could remember.

She looked up
at Rick. So handsome, so strong, a body that was hard and muscled,
a man that made most women glance at him twice, even three
times.

And he expected
her to share her fat, dimply body with him. “I can’t.”

“Can’t?” His
arm slid around her waist, drawing her against him, the heat of his
body seeping into her chilled one. “Or won’t?” When she looked
down, he placed a finger under her chin to angle her head back up
so he could study her face.

It took all her
strength of will to give him a small smile. “Can’t.”

“Won’t.”

Her smile
faltered. “Don’t be silly.”

“Are you scared
of me?”

“No.”

“Are you scared
to be intimate with me?”

Not for the
reason he was thinking. She shook her head.

“Liar.” The
word came without anger, but there was a thread of steel in it.
That thread of steel was something Cherry was starting to
recognize.

It was enough
to make her stiffen and start to pull away, only to stop when
muffled giggles and hushed words broke the silence. She glanced
sideways to see a couple, obviously a little the worse for wear
with alcohol, stumble to their room not less than two doors away.
The man had his arm around the tall, slender woman, and she was
pressed against his side. While he tried to get the key in the
door, she giggled and kissed him, her fingers combing through his
hair, her long, slim leg twining around his leg. He laughed, his
hand on that slender thigh, her back slamming against the door as
he turned her. They kissed hard, and even though they weren’t clear
in the glow from the overhead veranda lights, it was clear there
was a lot of tongue involved in that kissing.

Cherry’s heart
bumped uncomfortably as she watched the byplay while in the arms of
Rick. A glance up revealed that he, too, was watching, but as
though he felt her scrutiny, his gaze swung back down to her.

The raw heat in
his eyes made her mouth dry, and she looked away once more in time
to see the door swing open behind the couple and they stumbled
inside, their laughter abruptly halted by their door shutting.

They were
inside and obviously planned a sex session.

Rick’s gaze was
till burning a hole through the top of her head, so she took a deep
breath that made her breasts push against his hard chest and
glanced up once more. His eyes were still hot, desire clear to see.
Clear to feel, too, if the hardening length against her belly was
anything to go by.

Her insides
were like jelly.

“Cherry.” Her
name came out in husky tones.

She meant to
say “No.” She meant to give an excuse and walk away. She meant to
put distance between herself and this intoxicating man. She meant
to…but what came out was a whispered, “I don’t know the rules.”

“There are
none.” His breath was on her temple.

“I can’t do
this.” A shiver went through her as his lips brushed her skin.

Long fingers at
the small of her back spread, tugging her even closer. “You can.”
Those hands slid down to cup her generous derriere. “You will.” His
lips were gliding with excruciating slowness down her cheek.

The heat of his
body, his clean, masculine scent, the strength in his arms and the
assuredness of his actions made her blood pump faster, sent a
thrill of coiled heat through to her womanhood.

She wanted to,
God knew she wanted him, but fear still nibbled torturously at her
conscience. Lips trembling, she tried to find the words in her
scattered thoughts to deny him, to deny herself, but then he kissed
her. His lips came down on hers, muffling the words before they
could be properly formed, and every thought she’d managed to
capture was swept away under the skilled onslaught of his kiss.

Rick kissed her
deep, his tongue ravishing her mouth, one of his hands coming up to
cup the back of her head, his other hand pressing her into his
body, the hardness of his erection a brand against her belly.

Caught up in
the drugging kiss, she was only dimly aware of being led into his
room, one slow, hazy step at a time. The door shut, and then she
was against it, her back to the hard wood and Rick’s knee between
her thighs, his hands cupping her cheeks as he kissed her with an
almost frightening intensity.

It stirred her
blood, made her nerves tingle, and desire curled higher inside
her.

That magical
mouth slid across to her throat, leaving her gasping for breath as
skilful fingers trailed down to cup one breast through the silk of
her blouse. The hard palm cupped her, shaped her, pressed gently.
Fire flared to life inside her, and she grabbed his shoulders,
pressing forward against him, feeling the hardness of his thigh
between her softer ones.

“Yes,” he
breathed hotly against her throat. “Oh God, yes, Cherry.”

And then that
hard palm was under her blouse, seeking and searching and finding
her breast, cupping her once more through the lacy bra cup. His
fingertips skimmed the edges of the bra, dipping in a little,
teasing.

“We need less
clothes.” His laugh was rough, low. “A lot less clothes.” He
shifted and the light snapped on suddenly, flaring bright in the
room. His eyes as he gazed down at her was full of heat, a dark
green with carnal knowledge and anticipation.

Cherry froze,
feeling like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

Rick’s hand
went to her waist, smoothing underneath her blouse as he returned
to nuzzling her throat, his tongue licking across her pulse.

Desire still
churned through her, but… Reaching up, she snapped the light
off.

He went still
as the room was again plunged into dimness, the only light that of
the veranda globe through the open curtains.

Their gasping
breaths filled the room.

Finally, he
said roughly, “Let me turn on the light.”

“No.” In the
dimness she looked him directly in the eyes, seeing their glitter.
“Please. No.”

“You have
nothing to be ashamed of.” His palms stroked the indent of her
waist, sending heat pooling in her loins.

But fear still
ruled part of her brain. The part that was still thinking, however
sluggishly. “You said – you said there were no rules. So that
includes having to have a light on.”

He was silent
for so long that her self-consciousness started to rear up, her
desire crumbling beneath its onslaught. “This was a mistake. I—”
She didn’t get another word out.

Rick took her
mouth, his kiss carnal, and the embers of her desire that were
still flickering flared to life once more beneath the skill of his
hands, the masterfulness of his kiss.

She wanted him.
Needed him. But only on her terms, in the dimness where she could
feel comfortable, where she could pretend to be someone she wasn’t,
someone beautiful and slender. In the dimness she could press up
against him, could handle having him stroke and caress her.

Her blouse was
slipped over her head, her bra unhooked and drawn from her as Rick
kissed her hotly, his mouth ravaging hers, his so-knowing hands
stoking the flames of desire higher.

In the dimness
she was free to mould her hands to his back, to feel the skin laid
over muscle as he moved. She could kiss him back as hotly, letting
her inhibitions fly free.

Finding the hem
of his t-shirt, she tugged it up, and he lifted his arms to pull it
over his head and discard it to the side. The hardness of his
muscle-ribbed abdomen was a delight to her fingers as she danced
them lightly over the swells. His shoulders were big in the gloom,
looming over her, rounding as he bent low once more, his lips
trailing down her throat and lower, skimming across her collarbone,
his tongue sweeping into the hollow.

And his hands -
dear God, his hands cupped her bare breasts, weighing the generous
globes, and she swore he left the imprint of his fingers on her
skin. Heat spiralled out from his very touch, her nipples peaking,
aching, and she bit off a moan as his thumbs brushed over the
tender, hard nubs.

“Don’t hold
back,” he ordered huskily, his breath damp on her skin where the
curve of her shoulder met the curve of her neck. “Moan for me,
baby. Let me know what pleases you.”

Cherry couldn’t
think. Everything pleased her. Everything made her shiver with
desire, her blood feeling as though it was a river of pure fire
going through her, torching her nerves and sensations.

One of his
hands brushed along her belly, a long finger dipping into her
belly-button and making her suck in a deep breath. His laugh was
low, rough with desire.

Desire for her.
He couldn’t hide it, it was so clear, and she revelled in it.

Here in the
dimness, she revelled in a handsome man’s lust for her. Rick’s lust
for her.

Strong fingers
hooked into the waistband of her pedal pushers and thrust them
downwards, taking her lacy panties on the way. The material pooled
at her feet, and she stepped out of them, kicking off her ballet
flats at the same time.

Here in the
dimness she grew bolder, her own fingers spreading over the smooth
swells of his pectorals, her palms gliding across small, male
nipples that were already hard. Rick growled his pleasure against
her throat.

Moving her
hands further down, she glided over the six pack of his stomach and
lower. Lower. Caught up in hot desire, she slid her fingers down
the front of his jeans and almost immediately she encountered the
weeping head of his shaft. She felt the length of him jump against
her hand.

“Oh God,” he
groaned huskily. “Cherry. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” With
every word he nipped her shoulder.

Emboldened, she
popped the snap of the jeans and slid the zipper down carefully,
and his shaft, encased in his boxers, nudged her hand. In seconds
she’d pulled the soft material down and then he was there, that
hot, rigid length surging free, and she cupped her hand around
it.

In a split
second she was disappointed that she couldn’t see him, that she
couldn’t explore him in the pure light at her leisure, but almost
immediately she stuffed the thought back into the nasty little box
from which it had come out.

No regrets. No
regrets tonight. Tonight was hers. His. Theirs.

In dimness.

In dimness she
could be anything, his every fantasy, her every fantasy. Darkness
was her friend.

Rick was her
lover.

He shifted, his
arm moving, and she gasped as he cupped her mound, his fingers
sliding through the curls protecting her secrets, one long finger
pushing relentlessly between the swollen folds of her labia to rub
against the slickness spilling from her.

“Rick…” His
name was a moan in the night.

“Cherry.” Her
name was rasp of hedonistic heat.

And then that
long finger was inside her, pushing deep, alien and thrilling all
at once. Her thighs clamped shut as she sought to pull him out,
keep him in, straining up on her tiptoes.

Rick’s laugh
was all male, possessive and satisfied. “You’re mine, Cherry.” He
withdrew his finger, dragging along the side of her sheath
deliberately, making her squirm against him as he pressed her body
between his and the hard surface of the wooden door. He slid his
finger out of her and up to caress the little clitoris budding
higher up in her folds.