The Best Of The Year - Medical Romance. Carol Marinelli
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Paula with him as he’d gone up one step and then another without any thought as to how it would affect her career or the lives of her patients. Sorry that he never got to hold her and tell her that before she’d slipped away.
“I didn’t tell you to gain your sympathy. I told you so you’d never make a decision you regretted.”
She stared at him for several seconds, a bunch of emotions running over that beautiful face of hers. Then her mouth tipped to the side in a half-smile. “Too late. I’ve done plenty of things I’ve regretted.”
“Like your ski instructor?”
Her brows went up, and her smile grew. “I’m sure you didn’t mean that as in, ‘Do you regret doing your ski instructor?’ That does not sound good, Jack Perry.”
Relief swept over him. She wasn’t going to sit here and make him dissect his every regret or say that he shouldn’t feel guilt over his wife’s death. Or that he shouldn’t take pills to sleep. She’d catalogued what he’d shared and was okay with moving past it. He was just as happy to keep the ball rolling in that direction.
“Well, how about this, then. Do you regret doing me?”
She drew imaginary circles on the wooden surface of the bar with her finger. “I think you have that event reversed, Doctor. I seem to remember you doing me.”
“Is that so?” His body began to show a definite spark of interest in where this conversation was headed. “I think there was a little give-and-take going on there at the end.”
“Your beans are getting cold,” she said innocently, scooping up a bite of her own and popping it into her mouth.
He couldn’t prevent a smile. “That’s about the only thing getting cold.” He’d indulge her. But now that she’d thrown open the door, he had no intention of slamming it shut again, agreement or no agreement.
Why not enjoy each other for the next week or so? There was nothing wrong with that, and as long as they were both okay with it...
So he dug into his own food with gusto. Putting off the inevitable would only make it that much sweeter. “What time do you have to be back?” He wanted to make sure he enjoyed every decadent second of their time together.
“Actually, I’m not due back until tomorrow, unless there’s an emergency.”
“I didn’t pack clothes for an overnight stay.”
Her lips pursed as she looked him over. “Who said you needed clothes?”
Okay, so there was no mistaking those words. “Did you bring me out here just for this?” Not that he’d mind. At all.
“No, but now that we’re here I’m thinking it might not be a bad idea. Unless you’d rather go back to the lodge.”
Oh, sure. He was just going to smile and say, “Thanks but, no, thanks.” Not hardly. Not with this particular woman.
“Going back is not on my agenda. In fact, my schedule just became wide open.”
“Good, because I’m thinking the thick blanket I brought would look pretty darn good in front of the fire.”
He picked up his chicken. “I can think of something else that would look even better.” He took a bite, still staring at her.
“Mmm. So can I.” She blew out a breath. “Wow. I don’t know if Ellory is rubbing off on me or if it’s you. I’m not usually this forward.”
He swallowed his food, chasing it down with a slug of wine. “I like it. It’s a whole lot easier knowing where you stand than having to guess.”
That was one of the things that had bothered him most about Paula’s death. He’d never been entirely sure whether she’d wanted to move to Texas or if she’d been doing it just to please him. The heart of his guilt lay in that uncertainty. If she hadn’t wanted to come and had just spoken up, he would have stayed in California. Gladly. Now he’d never know. He pushed back the thought.
Mira sipped at her own wine. “It’s funny. I’ve always been a good girl. Quiet. Obedient. It’s why I love Ellory so much. She’s spontaneous and fearless. She always goes after what she wants, rarely letting anything stand in her way.”
“And you do?”
“Sometimes.” Her mouth twisted. “I think I work too hard to meet other people’s expectations of me. I forget who I am at times.”
He set his glass down and touched a finger to her cheek. “I think you’re the girl who’s sitting at this bar right now. And the girl who worked so hard to rescue those people after the avalanche. There’s more to you than you realize, Mira Dupris.” His fingertip traveled along her jaw and then down her neck. “And you blow me away. Every time I look at you. Talk to you. I haven’t been with many women since my wife’s death. And never more than once, but with you...”
Taking a deep breath, he decided to go for broke. “But with you I find myself wanting a next time. And a next.”
And maybe that revelation was where the healing finally began in earnest.
She gave a visible swallow then said, “I feel the same way. You were supposed to be just one more guy. But you’re not.”
He planted his hands on either side of her stool, gripping it tight and turning it toward him. Then he hauled it closer and leaned in. “I’m glad.”
His mouth met hers and that familiar rush of heat washed over him, undiminished, just as strong as it had been the first time they’d kissed. That combination of sweet and sexy that went straight to his gut.
Hands touched the back of his neck and then curled around it as if afraid he was going to back away. Not likely. All he wanted was more.
Beneath her winter coat she’d worn a creamy turtleneck that, when he reached up to touch her, met his fingers with a buttery softness he wanted to lose himself in. Just like he wanted to lose himself in her. Skimming up her sides, he laid his palms on her back, luxuriating in the feel of her.
God, she just did it for him.
He didn’t want to examine the whys right now, just wanted to enjoy being with her, absorb a little bit of that joie de vivre she had, just like a vampire.
Mira made a little sound in her throat, the kind that slid over a man like silk...that made him want to draw more of those sexy gasps and capture them inside his mouth.
“Hey,” he whispered. “Let’s break out that blanket.”
She blinked at him with glazed eyes for a second before nodding and getting off the stool. She walked over to the sofa, and hell if his gaze didn’t stick right to her ass, admiring every little twitch and jiggle it made as she moved.
Yeah, he had it bad.
He joined her, taking an edge of the blanket and spreading it in front of the fire. He couldn’t wait to see the warm glow worship every inch of her skin. Because he planned to kneel at that particular altar himself for most of the night.
When he moved toward her, she shook her head, making him frown. Then he realized why, when she pulled the turtleneck over her head, revealing a peach bra that was so thin he could see the buds of her nipples pressed tight against the satiny fabric. Jack’s mouth watered.
Her hands went to her back.
“Don’t take it off,” he murmured.
She bit her lip but did as he asked, leaving the garment in place. Her fingers toyed with the button on her jeans, glancing at him in question.
“Definitely.”
His body hardened, a thumping going through his head as she undid her pants and slowly pushed them down her hips.
Her panties matched her bra, just like they had the last time they’d