Secret Santa (4 page)

He bowed his head, his large hands sliding
down her calf and along the slender ankle. His fingers hooked under
the straps, drawing the sodden shoes off her feet.

“Hell Jo, your feet are like blocks of ice!”
He exclaimed, checking them over and not passing up the chance to
touch her, regardless of the excuse. He flicked a glance up, caught
her looking at him and the expression in them took his breath
away.

Hope, and something else. Something so small
and new he didn’t recognise it at first. But then realisation
kicked in. It was trust and hope - just starting to blossom and
poke its head above the soil like the emerging shoot of a new
plant. And just as easily crushed.

Drew moved without thinking, his thumb
stroking along her cheekbone as his hand slid into the nape of her
neck. Gentle pressure pulled her towards him, his eyes flicking
down from hers to her lips for a second. Leaving her in no doubt to
what he wanted to do, giving her the chance to pull away if she
wanted to.

But Jo didn’t want to, her small pink tongue
snaking out to wet her lips in anticipation. A move which tore a
groan from the throat of the big man on his knees in front of her.
“Christ Jo, you’ll be the death of me,” he whispered, his breath
soft against her lips.

She didn’t answer, couldn’t answer. She was
lost in the darkness and heat which swirled in his eyes. She was
used to him being grumpy, his conversation a series of barked
orders, so his humour and the gentleness in his hands blew her
away. He touched her as though she was worth something, as though
she was the most precious thing in the world and more delicate than
fine china. For a woman used to the violent side of a man’s temper
and the back of his hand, the feeling was heady. Seductive.

His lips covered hers, brushing against them.
Gentle pressure coaxed her into responding to him, not that her
response was long in coming. He rose on his knees, still taller
than she despite the fact she sat on the bed and he was knelt on
the floor, and gathered her close to his chest. Cradling her as he
tilted her head back to drink from her lips.

His tongue swept out, brushing against the
seam of her lips, and Jo was lost. The butterflies which had been
having their own little jive down into her stomach went into a full
on riot as liquid fire raced through her veins. She moaned, the
sound lost in his mouth as he took advantage of the opportunity and
slid his tongue past her lips, stroking along hers. Teasing a
little, inviting her to come and play with soft brushes and
retreats. Without realising Jo relaxed, the trust which had begun
to grow earlier blossoming and flowering between them.

Her hands crept up to his shoulders,
smoothing the fabric over the heavy muscles. He must work out to be
built like this, surely? The thought swirled away as the kiss
deepened. The movements of his tongue against hers changed from
teasing to demanding, sweeping her along in a maelstrom of
sensation which had her gasping.

He broke away, resting his forehead against
hers as he caught his breath. “I’m sorry love… I got carried away.
I didn’t mean to scare you,” He muttered, his eyes pressed closed,
tension radiating from his body. Wonder filled Jo, amazement that
she could affect him like this.

She smiled, ran gentle fingertips down his
cheekbone, her eyes on his face. He was beautiful, in a darkly
masculine way. Another shiver ran through her as he opened his
eyes, the dark orbs locking with hers. The tension rose, awareness
stretching between them until it was almost another person in the
room.

Jo’s stomach fluttered again as she held his
gaze. She hadn’t been so bold, not with a man, for years. But there
was something about him, something reassuring. It had always been
there despite his gruff attitude. An attitude she realised he used
to keep people at arm’s length. Could he be the same as she was?
Locked in his loneliness like she was in hers.

She knew she had to make a decision, or let
the moment slip away perhaps never to return. She screwed up her
courage, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake. “I’m not scared
Drew.”

Her voice was soft but he heard her, desire
slamming into him at light speed. His body tightened, taking his
breath away with the intensity of his need.

God, she was going to kill him off here
and now if she kept looking at him like that!
All he wanted to
do was push her back onto the makeshift bed, strip her clothes off
and make love to her until they didn’t have the energy to move.

He drew a deep breath, fighting the urge down
until he could move without leaping on her and scaring the life out
of her. “Honey, you need to stop looking at me that way.” His voice
was hoarse with strain. “Or I won’t be held accountable for my
actions.”

Jo dropped her eyes, her pale cheeks flooding
with crimson. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was making you
uncomfortable,” she whispered, the barest scrap of sound as she
scooted backwards on the bed. Escaping from him to huddle in the
corner of the bed.

Drew hissed in frustration, crawling onto the
bed after her and pulling her into his arms, half settled across
his lap.

“You
weren’t
making me uncomfortable,
not at all sweetheart.” He told her, his broad back resting against
the cushions of the sofa as he stroked the loose hair back from her
face. He smiled into her worried eyes.

“The only discomfort I’m in is physical… I’m
not going to lie to you Jo, I want you. I have since I first saw
you in the trauma room, looking lost but determined not to show it.
Then you smiled at me and I was done for,” he admitted in a soft
voice, the world contracting to the two of them in this small room
with its dodgy bed and single heater. But for now, he didn’t want
to be anywhere else in the world.

“Oh…” Her lips formed a soft circle to match
the soft sound she made. A small line creased her eyebrows,
suspicion shadowing her eyes, as though she couldn’t believe that.
Couldn’t believe that he would find her attractive. Her words
confirmed that.

“You do? Really?”

Drew’s temper flared again. Her bastard of an
ex had really done a number on her self confidence. Right at this
moment Drew wanted to tear him limb from limb. Slowly. He fought
down his reaction in case he scared her, a smile curving his lips
instead.

“Yes Jo, really,” His voice was like warm
silk as he cradled her against his broad chest, using his free hand
to brush the hair back from her face. His thumb trailed along her
cheekbone down to her lips. He traced their outline in a feather
soft movement. She still looked unconvinced so he carried on. “All
I want to do is lie you back on this bed and strip off everything
you’re wearing. Then I want to kiss and taste every inch of you…”
his voice grew thicker, hoarser.

“Oh screw this-“He pulled her closer. Actions
spoke louder than words and if he had to show her, then so be it.
He’d been good up to now. Hell just her and a bed in the same room
was enough to test the patience of a saint, and Drew wasn’t a
saint. Not by a long stretch of the imagination.

She moaned as he kissed her again but this
time his kiss was nothing like the gentle, exploratory kisses he’d
given her before. It was dark and dangerous, thrilling her in ways
she didn’t know existed and demanding her response.

A response she gave eagerly, arching her back
and lifting her hands to spear into the hair at the nape of his
neck. Holding his head down to hers as he ravaged her lips. She
couldn’t get enough, shivering as his tongue swept in again. His
hand, large and warm, stroked up her back. Up past the low back of
her top, following the line of her spine as far as he could then
across along her shoulder.

His lips left hers, kissing along her jaw and
then under. Soft, nibbling little kisses. On automatic Jo lifted
her chin, baring her throat to allow him better access. A low
rumble of approval sounded in his broad chest as his finger slid
under the strap of her top and bra. Then he paused, as though
waiting for her to stop him. When she didn’t he started to slide
them down, smoothing his large hand over her shoulder and leaving
fire in its wake.

“Tell me if you want to stop Jo,” he breathed
against her neck. “And I’ll stop. I don’t know how but somehow I’ll
manage it…”

She chuckled, a gentle finger under his chin
bringing his face up to hers. “And if I don’t want to stop?”

He nodded, arousal tightening the planes of
his face and giving him an almost cruel look. Jo sat up, her
decision made. It was time to put all the crap associated with her
marriage behind and heal. She needed this night, need this with
Drew, more than she’d realised.

She lifted the hem of her evening top and
pulled it off in one smooth movement, dropping it unheeded to the
floor. He sucked his breath in, his hands around her waist and his
eyes reverent as they feasted on the tender mounds of flesh
revealed to him. Naked to the waist but for her delicate lace bra
Jo felt a little vulnerable.

“Your turn.” She plucked at his shirt with a
shaky hand. They were shaking that much that she’d never be able to
undo the buttons, much as she wanted to. But she didn’t have to.
Drew snapped the top two buttons free and pulled the whole garment
over his head to reveal his muscled, toned torso beneath.

Her mouth watered, her hands itching to slide
over the expanse of male flesh revealed to her. And she could, it
was all there for her to explore. With a daring Jo didn’t know she
had she leaned forwards and kissed his shoulder. He made a noise in
the back of his throat, somewhere between pleasure and
encouragement, so she carried on, trailing a line of kisses down
his collarbone and onto his chest.

He took her hand, his fingers lacing with
hers for a moment and squeezing for a second in approval and
support. He transferred his grip to around her wrist, drawing her
hand from his waist and pushing it lower.

“See what you do to me Jo?” he asked, placing
her hand over the hardness tenting his pants. She stilled, her lips
hovering over his nipple. Her fingers spread out, judging the girth
and size of him through the fabric. Hell, he was big. Bigger than
James, far bigger.

Warmth spread from her stomach, from her
belly down to the core between her thighs. Her arousal spiked
higher as her body clenched, aching to feel him there, filling her.
She stroked him through the barrier of his clothes and chuckled as
he made a strangled noise. “I think you might be a little
overdressed, don’t you, Doctor Carson?”

“Oh I definitely agree Nurse Micheals, the
same goes for you,” he breathed, his eyes twinkling with mirth,
playing along as he sat on the edge of the bed and shucked off his
remaining clothes quicker than Jo had seen anyone ever disrobe.

He turned back to her and her eyes widened;
latching onto that engorged part of him that was wholly male. Her
small pink tongue darted out, wetting her lips in nervous
anticipation. An action that had his eyes darkening yet another
notch, locking onto the small movement.

“I think that I should help you out of those
clothes, make sure you didn’t suffer any other ill effects from our
dash in the snow.” He moved with purpose, crawling over the bed to
her and pulling her under him. Jo went for the wide eyed, innocent
look.

“Oh of course Doctor, if you think that’s b…
est.” Her voice cracked as he leaned down to lave the swell of her
breasts over the top of her bra with a warm brush of his tongue.
Under the black satin her nipples puckered tightly, begging for
attention.

“Well, this has to go for starters.”

His finger traced the underside of her
breast, even the softest touch the other side of the satin making
her squirm. He reached the clasp between her breasts, playing with
it for a moment until she was ready to scream in frustration, slap
his hands away and undo the bloody thing herself. With a feral
grin, more a flash of white teeth, he pressed the catch. The
tension released, the bra parted, her breasts freed from their
confinement as the underwear fell away.

“Perfect.”

The word was uttered against her skin as he
leaned forwards and wrapped his lips around her nipple. Her back
arched as it was pulled into the warm, wet cavern of his mouth and
he suckled gently. It was heavenly! Pleasure and need coursed
through her blood as he took his time, paying attention to one
breast then the other with maddening leisure. Taking his time over
the task until she was all but squirming on the bed under him.

“Drew,” she gasped, her hands smoothing over
his shoulders, down his arms. In fact anywhere she could reach to
touch him. “You’re driving me mad!”

He looked up, speared her with dark eyes.
“Good, payback… you’ve been driving me mad for months.” He moved
lower, settling his big body between her thighs as he kissed the
valley between her breasts, moving lower along her stomach. She
sucked her breath in, knowing where he was heading from the
direction and the wicked look in his eyes.

He hooked a finger under the delicate strap
of her lacy thong. “These are pretty but they have to come off I
think, in the name of proper evaluation of course.”

Slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, he
pulled the tiny garment down her legs and away. Her cheeks burned
with colour as he moved back up her body, parting her legs with his
big hands. Even in the warm room, the breeze that blew over her
sensitized flesh was cooler than her body temperature. A
temperature that neared boiling point as he kissed up along her
inner thigh.

Anticipation held her in its tight grasp as
he moved higher, nearer to her centre; nearer to the place she
needed his touch. His warm breath danced over her needy flesh. The
first warm brush of his tongue was electric, the second had her
moaning in pleasure and the third just blew her mind. She lifted
her hands over her head, trying to find something to hold on as his
clever tongue and fingers almost drove her mindless with
pleasure.