Strictly Professional (17 page)

“Doctor Cooper,” Savannah and Brandon both replied and her mother’s eyebrow rose in question.

“Doctor Cooper feel at home. He may have the room next to Savannah’s.”

“Mother!”

“Yes, dear?”

“He can’t stay here.” She chanced a look at Brandon, but saw no help in the smirk on his lips and the twinkle in his eye. “You can’t stay here, Brandon.”

“Why not? Your mother has very kindly offered me the room next to yours.”

“I don’t believe this.” She turned to her mother. “Mother!”

“He’s staying and I’ll hear no more about it.” Maria faced Brandon and said, “What would you like for dinner, Doctor Cooper? I’m sure the cook would be happy to make one of your favorites.”

Savannah gritted her teeth so hard her jaw hurt when he flashed a dimpled smile and allowed Maria to escort him into the house to get him settled.

I’m going to kill him!

* * * *

That night, Brandon stared at the ceiling above him and listened to the crickets outside the window. He had to grin when he thought about the look on Savannah’s face as he came through the door of her parent’s house.

I’ll have to call Sabrina tomorrow and thank her for the message at the hospital. I should have known Savannah would run here. Without the information supplied by her sister, I wouldn’t have known where to find her though. I’m glad I didn’t have to fight with her parents to be near her.

The boards creaked on the other side of the wall near his head and he knew she paced the floor. He had to fight the urge to go to her and pull her into his arms.

Soon. I have to convince her that we belong together, raising this baby.

The last eight months had been hell on earth. She wouldn’t let him near her and he had to fight at every turn to be a part of the pregnancy. His son. Brandon’s smile spread across his face in a wide grin. At first the idea of Savannah being pregnant sent his mind spinning, but after a while, he liked the idea of having a child and having her as the baby’s mother made it all the sweeter.

After several minutes of hearing her pace, he got up from the bed, opened the door, and moved down the hall to her door before he tapped lightly.

“Who is it?”

“Me.”

She hesitated for a second before she peered through the crack she’d created. “What?”

“What’s wrong?”

She frowned. “Nothing. Why?”

“I can hear you pacing.”

“My backs hurting a bit. That’s all. I’ll be fine. Go back to bed.”

He put his hand against the wood and held the door when she tried to close it. Her widened gaze met his.

“Let me inside and I’ll help you.”

Her perfectly arch eyebrow rose. “Help me?”

“I’ll rub your back so you can sleep.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

He frowned. “No.”

She fought the urge to accept his suggestion as indecision rippled across her features and she bit her lip. A deep sigh rushed from her mouth before she opened the door. “All right.”

He moved inside her room and said, “Good. Is there some lotion or oil around?”

“I have some massage oil on my dresser.” A crooked grin lifted one corner of his mouth and her eyes narrowed. “Don’t get any ideas, Brandon.”

“Me?”

She shook her head before she slipped beneath the covers on her bed, pulled her nightgown over her head to bare her back, and raised her arms above her.

Desire rushed through him like waves rolling in on the beach when the side of her naked breast peeked out. He hadn’t been with any woman since the two of them had created this wonderful life growing within her womb and he could sure tell.

“Is this all right? I can’t lie on my stomach.”

He rubbed some of the oil into his palms and started at her neck. “It’s fine. I can reach everything.”

She moaned softly. “That feels wonderful.” Her stomach rippled and her hand moved to caress the rounded skin.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Your son doesn’t like it when I lay on my side.”

“Stubborn already.”

“Just like his father,” she mumbled.

“And his mother,” Brandon added.

He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he heard her snort. “This poor kid doesn’t stand a chance.”

Brandon chuckled and moved his hands further down her spine and across her lower back. Her moan of ecstasy brought a smile to his lips. He loved the feel of her skin and if this simple task made her feel better, he had no problem enjoying what he was doing.

“Good?”

“You have no idea.”

For over half an hour, he moved his hands over her back and neck, rolling the muscles into plaint, relaxed tissue until her breathing slowed and she snored softly. He pulled the sheet over her and leaned down to brush his lips over hers. “Sweet dreams, love.”

Her stomach rolled and he placed his hand on the spot bulging outward with a soft smile. He felt a bump against his hand and his heart swelled with love for the baby she protected beneath her breast. The light flipped off with the pressure of his fingers and he slipped out the door of her room, softly closing it behind him.

* * * *

“Good morning,” Brandon said as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Savannah replied when he took a seat across from her.

“How did you sleep?”

“Better after you came in.”

Maria’s eyebrow rose in question when Savannah looked at her mother.

“What?”

“Nothing, sweetheart.”

She rolled her eyes. “Mother, I had a lot of back pain last night. Brandon heard me pacing the floor so he offered to rub my back for me. Isn’t that right, Brandon?”

A sexy grin lifted the corners of his mouth, making his dimples peek out. Savannah’s heart slammed against her ribs when he leveled his baby blues on her.

“Yes.”

“And...and I fell asleep.” She looked from her mother back to him and then at her mother again when the two of them exchanged looks. “Oh stop it, will you?” She stood, picked up her plate, and put it in the sink. “I’m going back upstairs to take a shower.” Savannah waved a finger in his direction when the grin returned to his lips. “And don’t get any ideas about joining me either.”

She held her breath when she headed for the stairs, almost hoping he would follow her even though she told him not to.

I’m such a hypocrite!
When she reached the top, she shot a glance behind her, but disappointment skittered down her back when he still sat at the table with her mother.

This is ridiculous.

She shook her head and headed toward her room.

A few minutes later, she stood next to the shower stall. During her childhood, two of the girls shared one bathroom, the same one that now joined her room and Brandon’s. She quickly shed her clothes, turned on the warm water, and stepped into the stream with a sigh. Her thoughts drifted back to the morning their baby had been conceived and her body reacted to the lack of intimacy since then. Her nipples tightened into hard nubs and tingled when she remembered his mouth and when he’d sucked her clit between his lips, she’d almost crawled out of her skin. She moaned softly when her palms slid over her hardened nipples and one hand slipped over her rounding stomach to rasp against her clit.

“Can I help?”

She jumped and squealed when her eyes popped open to see Brandon standing propped against the doorjamb between his room and hers. “Shit! Damn it, Brandon. You scared the crap out of me!”

He pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward her with a wicked gleam in his eyes, one she wasn’t sure she wanted to explore. Her mouth started to water when he pulled his t-shirt out of the waistband of his jeans and pulled it over his head. The sculpted pectorals and his six-pack abs rippled when he moved.

“What are you doing?”

His fingers unsnapped his jean. “I’m going to help you. I’m sure you find it hard to reach,” he paused when he pulled the zipper down, “certain spots.”

The tempo of her heart doubled when he dropped his jeans and his boxers to the floor. Her pussy filled and pulsed with need so strong, she thought for sure she’d die.

“No use wasting water.”

She bit her lip and fought the moan of desire rumbling in her chest.

He stepped inside the shower stall and whispered, “Turn around and I’ll wash your back. I’m sure there is still oil there that needs to be washed off.”

“Mmm...I’m sure there is,” she said, turning around and presenting him with her back.

His slick, soapy hands found the muscles of her neck and skimmed across her shoulders. She moaned and tipped her head forward, letting her hair fall in a dark curtain around her face.

“Feel good?” he whispered in her ear before his teeth nibbled the lobe.

“Heavenly. You have wonderful hands. You should have been a surgeon.”

He chuckled softly. “Nah. I like the adrenaline of the emergency room.”

“Mmm... me too.”

He stood close—too close. His cock fit snuggly against the crack of her ass and she had to fight the urge to rock her hips. The hair on his chest tickled her back when he ran his hands down her arms and around to her breasts, rasping his palms over her nipples.

“Um, Brandon?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not my back.”

He laughed. “Want me to stop?”

“Hell, no,” she murmured when she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Good.”

His hand slid over her abdomen and the baby kicked.

“Your son is active today.”

“Think he’ll mind of I make love to his mother?”

Her heart clenched.
Make love?
She turned around in his arms to stare into his face. “I don’t think he’ll mind. I know I won’t.”

Brandon wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her face closer to his. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered against her lips.

She choked back a sob.

“Don’t cry.”

“Stupid hormones,” she said as she wiped a tear.

A grin lifted the corners of his mouth before it met hers in a kiss that melted her heart.

She moaned when he fit his mouth better against hers and stroked the crease of her lips with his tongue. One hand slipped over her breast in a soft caress before it slid down her side and between her legs. His lips blazed a path across her cheek to her ear and she shivered when he licked her earlobe then nibbled it with his teeth. A lick to the soft piece of skin beneath her ear and she almost lost it. She whimpered when his lips moved further down, took her nipple between his lips, and sucked. Her fingers wrapped in his hair and she spread her thighs when his finger rasped across her clit in a torturous caress.