Jesse

I stared at Dr. Lane, fighting the urge to tell her to go to hell.

“Did you just tell me to go to hell?” she asked without even looking up from the screen on the small computer tablet she held.

So much for keeping my thoughts to myself. She finally looked up, pushing her glasses up on her nose as she did.

“I guess I did,” I finally said with a sheepish smile. “I can’t believe you’re making me wait another two weeks before clearing me for full duty.”

She cocked her head to the side from where she sat on a rolling stool by the counter. Her gray eyes scanned my face, and I wondered what the hell she was thinking. She was so fucking uptight.

I was at a doctor’s appointment for a follow up after I dislocated my shoulder for the second time in a few months. Dr. Lane was a new doctor in Willow Brook. I was used to Dr. Johnson, or Doc as I called him, a rather cantankerous older man who definitely wasn’t as uptight.

Damn if she didn’t get under my skin. With her dark hair always pulled back, and her glasses, she gave off a distant vibe. For god’s sake, the woman wore her hair in a bun. I had no idea what her body looked like because she was always shrouded in a white lab coat. I suspected she had a banging body, or at least my cock thought so. Every damn time I saw her, I got tense — all over.

I rolled my offending shoulder, ignoring the slight twinge of soreness. “Helen said it was fine and I might be ready to be cleared,” I explained, referring to my physical therapist.

Dr. Lane was not nearly as warm and friendly as Helen. My physical therapist had a grandmotherly warmth to her and made me feel better every time I saw her. Unlike Dr. Lane who made me feel tense and irritable. If only she would clear me to return to full duty, maybe I could relax.

Dr. Lane adjusted her glasses again, turning her head slightly as she set the computer tablet on the counter. As she turned, I noticed for the first time that she had a streak of purple in her hair. Damn. I did not know what to make of that.

Before I had much time to contemplate the implications of said purple streak, she spoke. “I could, but honestly this is the second time you’ve dislocated it in a couple of months. I think if you wait a little longer before you push it too far, you probably won’t have the same problem again. I know you’re frustrated with me, but I actually do have your best interests at heart.”

I bit back another curse. Even if she made me tense, I wasn’t an asshole and prone to telling women to go to hell. I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair as I let my breath out in a sigh. I might’ve been annoyed, but I wasn’t an idiot. “Fine. I get your point. Helen said the same thing. She’s just a little easier to persuade than you,” I said, flashing a grin.

I couldn’t say why, but that streak of purple relaxed me. I supposed it cued me to the fact Dr. Lane might not be as uptight as I’d assumed. Dr. Lane‘s lips twitched, but she didn’t say anything. Something about her made me want to ruffle her feathers. Big time.

Except for days like today, the only other times I’d seen her had been on the heels of shift when I was dirty and grimy from dealing with a fire. Perhaps that was why she set me off—the contrast of her tidy form in comparison to mine. I was a hotshot firefighter, so when I came in after a day’s work, I was about the opposite of tidy. It also annoyed me to no end to deal with injuries. I’d now landed in Dr. Lane’s office twice due to dislocating my shoulder.

“So you don’t mind waiting another two weeks?” she asked.

I shrugged, my shoulder giving a slight twinge as I did, which should’ve been my cue that waiting was smart. I was bored out of my fucking mind being off of duty. It wasn’t that I couldn’t work. There was plenty to do, but I was relegated to light duty tasks when I preferred myself to throw myself into work. I loved my job as a firefighter. I loved the hard work and the physical challenge.

“I’ll manage it,” I finally said, sliding my hips off the examination table and standing.

It just so happened that Dr. Lane stepped off of the rolling stool at precisely the same time. When I lifted my head, I found her standing barely more than an inch away from me. Remember how I said she made me tense?

Lust slammed through me at her nearness. She smelled good, a wisp of lavender drifting up to me. Her eyes flicked up to mine, widening slightly. This close, I noticed her gray eyes contained a hint of violet. Her mouth parted slightly when she gasped, drawing my eyes right to her lips. I’d never even noticed her lips before.

Just now, I became acutely aware that they were full and soft. Damn, I wanted to kiss her. She stepped back quickly, her hips bumping into the counter against the wall behind her. The clipboard she’d been holding clattered to the floor.

“Oh shit!” she blurted out as she leaned over to pick it up.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how I looked at it, I leaned down reflexively at the same time. Our hands brushed and a jolt of electricity zinged through my arm. Her head bumped into my shoulder.

When she straightened, her cheeks were flushed pink. If I thought I’d wanted to kiss her a minute ago, now it was close to irresistible. I shackled the urge.

Meanwhile, the tidy Dr. Lane looked flustered and embarrassed. For the first time, I wasn’t annoyed with her. She finally seemed human.

“So you swear,” I said with a wink.

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. “Obviously I swear,” she finally said.

It was almost as if I could see her internally gather herself back together. She straightened, smoothed a hand over her hair, and then adjusted her glasses. I was starting to get the idea that might be a nervous habit of hers. I’d have given just about anything to see her hair loose.

My words were ahead of my brain. “Do I make you nervous?”

Slick dude. Because that’ll help her relax.

I caught myself about to roll my eyes at my own thoughts.

Dr. Lane looked taken aback by my question. She adjusted her glasses again, looking down at the clipboard I held in my hands. I handed it over to her, and she clutched it tightly to her chest.

“I don’t know if nervous is the right word,” she finally said. “You seem annoyed whenever you’re here, and I’m sorry for that.”

Her answer took me off guard. “Oh.” For a moment, I almost denied that I’d been annoyed both times I’d been here. But what the hell? It was the truth. Until now that was.

I shrugged. “Sorry about that. It’s not your fault I dislocated my shoulder twice. I don’t like being injured.”

She smiled—and promptly took my breath away.

Her face transformed, her eyes tilting at the corners and her warm smile softening her sharp features. “I don’t suppose anyone likes being hurt. Plus, you have a demanding job, and I imagine it’s hard for you to take a break.”

“That’s one way to put it,” I answered wryly, shackling my body’s out of control response to her. I needed to get out of this small room because her scent was filling my head and making me crazy. Just as I considered what to say to quickly leave, there was a knock at her door.

Charlie

I stared into Jesse Franklin’s eyes, little charges of electricity tingling through me from where we’d collided. My cheeks were hot, and I was flustered. But then, every time I saw Jesse Franklin, I was flustered. His gaze held mine—a rich, clear green. I’d never seen a man with eyes like his. With his dark amber hair tousled and wavy, his fit body, and his rugged features—a strong jaw, a prominent nose and angular cheekbones—well, he was unnervingly handsome.

His eyelashes were so thick, they nearly curled to touch his cheeks. It didn’t seem quite fair for man to have eyelashes like that. Nature had been generous to Jesse Franklin in the looks department. His mouth had a sensual look to it, always making me think completely inappropriate thoughts. He was a patient for god’s sake. He’d only been to see me for his dislocated shoulder. But still.

I clutched the clipboard to my chest as if it could shield me from the heat dancing through my body. For the first time ever, he didn’t seem annoyed with me. As I tried to gather my scattered thoughts into something sensible, there was a knock at the door. Thank God. My body had been frozen in place about an inch from Jesse whose physical presence was so potent, it made me a little crazy.

I stepped back, nearly dropping the clipboard again. Quickly opening the door, I found my medical assistant Rachel there. She smiled, glancing between Jesse and me. “Mrs. Stan is here to see you.”

I stared at her, her warm blue gaze unable to calm the anxiety that suddenly swirled inside of me. Mrs. Stan was code for a personal issue that had become way too common in my life lately. Worry galloped through my thoughts. I started to hurry out the door, coming to an abrupt stop when Jesse said my name.

“Do I need to make another appointment?” he asked.

Flustered, I turned back to him, adjusting my glasses and trying not to sound too worried. “Of course you do. I’m sorry to rush off. Just a small emergency. Sandy in reception will schedule your next follow up. In the meantime, keep going to see Helen and I’m confident in two weeks, we’ll be able to clear you for work.”

Jesse held my gaze for a beat, and yet again heat bloomed through me. Under the circumstances, I couldn’t believe my body’s reaction to him. Because lately, my life had been anything but inviting for desire or romance. In fact, I’d put those ideas on ice.

As I started hurrying down the hallway, Jesse walked with me, easily keeping pace with his long stride. I was too frazzled to make polite conversation, turning into the door that led to my private office as soon as I reached it.

“I’ll see you in a two weeks,” I said quickly before stepping into my office and closing the door behind me. Leaning against it with a sigh, I took several slow breaths to calm my pulse. I couldn’t relax though. I hurried over to my desk, snatching my cell phone off of it and hitting speed dial.

My mother picked up on the first ring. “Where are you? Your father’s not home yet, and this doesn’t seem like home.”

A bite of grief slammed into me. I took a slow breath and swallowed my tears. “Hey Mom, I’ll be home in just a little bit, okay?”

“Where is your father?” she countered, her voice confused.

“He won’t be here tonight,” I finally said.

I listened as she asked me a few more questions, and I answered with my usual rote answers, trying to keep my tone level and the worry out of my voice. After I hung up, there was a quick knock at my door. “Come in,” I called out.

Rachel stepped through the door, closing it behind her. “Everything okay with your mom?”

I looked up into her warm gaze. I wanted to burst into tears, but now definitely wasn’t the time. “She’s fine. I wish she would remember my dad’s dead.” My heart thumped another beat of grief.

Rachel’s eyes searched my face, but I battened down the hatches inside and took a deep breath. I could handle this. Snagging my coffee mug off my desk, I took a sip of the long cold coffee, the cool bitterness fortifying me.

“Hey, at least Jesse Franklin wasn’t too cranky with me today,” I said with a chuckle.

Rachel grinned. “I noticed.” She paused, cocking her head to the side with a gleam entering her gaze. “I think he likes you.”

“Huh?” I asked as I shrugged into my jacket and snatched my purse off of my desk.

“Exactly what I said. He was watching your ass the whole time we walked down the hallway.”

A flash of heat scored me, but I ignored it.

“Um, I think you’re crazy. No way was Jesse Franklin checking out my ass.”

“Way,” Rachel countered with a grin. “He totally was.”

“So what? He’s my patient and the last thing I have time for is anything related to romance.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “You know Dr. Johnson met his wife here in the clinic, right? We’re almost in the middle of nowhere, and the only thing you’ve treated Jesse for is a dislocated shoulder. Get over it.”

I reached her side, curling my hand around the doorknob. “I have a niece and a mother to take care of and that’s my whole life.”

Opening the door, I brushed past her. She called out after me. “Yeah, well maybe it would be good to expand your horizons.”

I didn’t reply because I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed to go, or the tears pressing hot at the backs of my eyes and the emotion tightening my throat would let loose. Hurrying down the hallway, I mentally ran through what I needed to pick up at the grocery store before racing home as fast as possible.

Jesse Franklin, whether or not he had been staring at my ass, wasn’t a man I could consider. I barely had time for fantasies. Not to mention, if he knew anything about my crazy life, he’d run far and fast in the opposite direction. Any sane man would.

Jesse

A week had passed since my last appointment with the delectable Dr. Lane. Damn. She’d kept my thoughts occupied to say the least. Just a few seconds of her guard down and she’d set my body on fire. I was oddly looking forward to my next doctor’s appointment. I was still impatient to be cleared for work because I was bored out of my fucking mind.

Meanwhile, that afternoon my dog was pacing by the windows, whining and occasionally barking, his gaze focused on the trees to the side of my house. Waffle was a mutt, although the vet was pretty confident she was mostly hound. She had floppy ears and silky fur with black and gold markings. The last time she’d been like this, I’d discovered a few hikers on the back of my property. I didn’t mind the live and let live life style in Alaska, but I wasn’t cool with people walking on my property without my permission.

With Waffle at my side, I headed out into the trees through the melting, patchy snow. I knew I wouldn’t have to look too long because she’d lead me straight to whatever, or whoever, had her worked up. A few minutes later, I reached the back corner of my property. I watched Waffle sniff along a set of footprints following a trail that ran from my property to the adjoining property.

Puzzled, I followed her, eyeing the meandering path of footprints. They weren’t what I expected. I’d have expected hiking boot treads and most likely larger. These footprints were small and barely much larger than the size of my own hand. They were small enough, I even wondered if it was a kid just wandering around. Within a few minutes, the sound of Waffle bounding through the trees slowed.

Magpies chattered in the forest around me and nearby squirrels made all kinds of racket, clearly offended by our presence here. Glancing up, my mouth dropped open. An elderly woman garbed in a flowing skirt and blouse was looking down at Waffle and stroking a hand down her back. She stood on a small rise, looking out over a valley in the distance.

This part of Alaska was a mix of mostly spruce forest mingled with birch and cottonwood. Willow Brook was in the foothills of the Alaska Range, offering small valleys and openings amongst the trees. This section of land belonged to Claire Parker, who had moved out of state years back and rented the home on her property. I didn’t actually know who was renting it at the moment.

I approached the woman, completely puzzled as to what she was doing out here. She most certainly wasn’t dressed for the weather. It was early spring, technically, which didn’t mean much. There was still snow on the ground and winter held the air in its teeth, the sharp bite of cold still strong. A skirt and blouse would be no match against hypothermia if she were out here for long. She was engrossed in petting Waffle, talking to her softly.

“Hello?” I called as I approached.

She turned, a gentle smile breaking across her face. “Hello,” she replied as if it was perfectly normal to be standing in the woods this time of year wearing sneakers, but otherwise dressed as if she were going out for dinner. Her face was lined and weathered. She was quite lovely with long black hair shot through with silver, held back with a barrette on the top of her head. Her eyes were wide and gray with a hint of violet to them. She reminded me of someone, but the situation was so incongruous, I couldn’t put my finger on who.

“I’m looking for Danny,” she said as if I should know who that was.

I wasn’t familiar with anyone named Danny. She looked befuddled and was clearly oblivious to the fact that if she were out here for too long, she would easily get hypothermia. Even though I didn’t know this woman at all, I decided to just be as friendly and walk her back to my place to take her down to the hospital. Calling the station at this point wouldn’t get her there any quicker. We had a good half-mile walk to my house.

“Well, I’m not sure where Danny is, but my name is Jesse. Why don’t you come with me and then maybe I can help you find him?”

She seemed to like that idea, smiling brightly. “Okay,” she said with another stroke along Waffle’s back. She walked at my side as we headed back through the woods. Waffle seemed as concerned about her as I was, sticking close to her side as we trudged slowly through the melting snow. Shrugging out of my jacket, I draped it over her shoulders when I saw the fine shiver running through her.

“I don’t think I’ve met you before,” I said conversationally.

“Oh no?” she replied, as if puzzled by this. “I’m from here. Just down the road. Charlie, Emily, Danny and me.”

“I didn’t catch your name,” I replied, hoping she’d offer it up.

She stumbled slightly when her foot caught on a root, and I steadied her with a hand.

“Oh, I’m Olive. Do you know Charlie?”

“You know, I’m not sure I do,” I offered, running through the various Charlie’s I knew locally.

Despite the rest of Olive’s outfit not making a lick of sense for this weather, she had on good sneakers. They wouldn’t keep the moisture out and certainly wouldn’t have kept her warm if she’d stayed out much longer, but they were perfectly fine for walking. In short order, we reached my place. Once we were in my truck, I called our station dispatcher Maisie to let her know I was bringing Olive into the hospital. I was concerned about her and fairly certain she was completely lost.

As soon as I explained, Maisie sighed. “Oh thank God. I didn’t even know you were on duty.”

“I’m not, but Waffle was pacing, so I took her out. We found her at the back corner of my property. What’s up?”

Maisie started to reply, but then got another call. “Gotta go. I’ll call when I can.”

We arrived at the hospital, and Holly Blake was the nurse who met us at the ER. For that, I was relieved. I’d known Holly for a few years, and she was steady as a rock. Her blonde hair was tied up in the slapdash ponytail and her brown eyes crinkled at the corners with her smile when she saw me. She seemed to recognize Olive. Before I had a chance to ask questions, she led us to an examination room and situated Olive in a chair.

“I’ll call Charlie in just a minute,” she said to Olive. Catching my eyes, she nudged her head to the side, indicating we should step out.

Once we were in the hallway, she started to speak, but we were cut off by Dr. Lane, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. She came hurrying down the hall, skidding to a stop in front of us. “Please tell me she’s okay.”

Holly nodded quickly. “She’s fine, Charlie. Go on in,” she said, gesturing to the door.

The pieces started to fall into place. This was the Charlie Olive was talking about. What the hell was going on?

Dr. Lane, as I knew her, didn’t even bother to say hello, her eyes flicking to me and then away as she hurried into the room.

“Who is that?” I asked Holly as soon as Dr. Lane closed the door behind her.

“That’s Charlie’s mother. She has dementia, and she gets lost. A lot.”

As I stared at Holly, absorbing the implications, a sad look crossed her face. “I can’t believe what that must be like. Lately, it’s been happening almost every few days. Where did you find her?”

“Waffle was restless, whining and barking, so I thought there were some hikers on my property. I headed out to the back corner to check, and we found her instead. She was asking where Danny was.”

Holly nodded as of all of this made perfect sense. “Yeah, they live right next door to you in Claire’s place. Danny is Olive’s late husband, but she forgets he passed away a few years ago. Anyway, we’re so glad you found her.”

Holly’s pager went off. “Gotta go. If Charlie comes out, tell her another nurse will be here in a sec.” She hurried off, giving me a little wave. Another nurse approached and stepped into the room.

This would normally be the cue for me to go. I had no reason to hang around at this point. Yet, I didn’t quite feel right about leaving just yet. The nurse came out another moment later with Olive in a wheelchair. Olive smiled brightly at me, waving as she passed by. The nurse flashed a distracted smile as she spoke to Olive. “We’re just gonna check on a few things.”

I stood there in the hallway, wondering if Dr. Lane was okay. I’d just about talking myself into leaving when I heard the sound of sobbing. I rapped my knuckles sharply on the door and stepped in without even pausing to think. Dr. Lane was leaning against the examination table in the center of the room, her hands over her face as she took a shuddering breath.

She didn’t appear to have heard me knocking or stepping into the room. “Are you okay?”

Her breath stuttered, and she lifted her head. Her gray eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed and damp from her tears. She swiped at them with her thumb, collecting herself quickly. “Thank you for finding her. She’s been gone for over an hour, and I’ve been so worried.”

“It was kind of by accident. I’m not even on duty, so I didn’t know you’d put a call in. She wandered onto my property earlier. My dog was pacing and whining. Honestly, I thought she was a hiker on my property without permission, so I walked out there to check. That’s how I found her. I’d like to take credit, but you should thank Waffle, not me.”

“Waffle?” she asked, a smile barely teasing the corners of her lips.

I really wanted her to smile. I didn’t like seeing her like this. The Dr. Lane I knew, all two times I’d met her, was put together and sharp. My heart twisted to see her look so concerned.

“My dog,” I explained.

I stood there, my hands stuffed in my pockets as I fought the urge to pull her into my arms. Because she looked sad and worried, nothing like the buttoned up, proper doctor I was used to seeing. Right now, she didn’t have on her lab coat. She had on a pair of leggings and a fitted T-shirt. Her hair, usually pulled back tightly, had fallen loose as if she’d run her hands through it a few too many times. It fell in a tousle around her shoulders, that streak of purple I’d noticed before standing out amidst the glossy brown locks.

Even though it was completely nonsensical given the setting, my body had some thoughts about how she looked. Her T-shirt was pulled tight across her breasts. Garbed in her lab coat at her office, I wouldn’t have guessed she had curves like this. But damn, she had curves for days.

Get your mind out of the gutter dude. She’s upset because her mom got lost.

“Dr. Lane…” I started to say.

She shook her head. “No need to call me that, just call me Charlie. That’s what everyone else calls me anyway.”

“Ah, so it took me finding your lost mom to get that privilege?” I asked with a careful smile.

She rolled her eyes. “No, it wasn’t that. You were just too cranky with me, so I never got around to it. Neil always says he never goes by Dr. Johnson because the town’s too small.”

“True, some of us call him Doc, but the rest of us call him Neil. I’m sorry about your mom. Next time she goes missing, just give me a call first because I’m right next door. Next door is about a quarter-mile down the road, but still. Waffle can help find her quick. I’m not saying don’t call 9-1-1, I’m just saying it’s easy for me to help look for her.”

Charlie nodded, dragging her sleeve across her face. “I need to find someone to watch her during the day, but she gets upset every time I bring it up.”

“She mentioned that she lived here for years, but that doesn’t seem right. I mean, you just moved here a bit ago, right?”

Charlie lips curled in a tired smile. “My parents lived here a long time ago. Actually, I was born close to here. My dad was stationed at Fort Richardson, just outside of Anchorage. He later got stationed elsewhere, but they always missed Alaska and meant to move back here. You know how it goes though. They meant to do it, but it never happened. After my dad died, I thought maybe she’d like it because she talked about it so much.”

“That makes sense,” I replied.

Charlie’s shoulders rose and fell with a shuddering breath. Her gaze broke from mine, and she turned to snag a tissue off the counter nearby, blowing her nose quickly and then grabbing another one to dab at her eyes.

“You must think I’m an idiot,” she muttered. “Crying, moving here just because my mom missed it.”

“Not at all,” I said, meaning it completely. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, when we got here, my mom wasn’t as bad as she is now. But she’s gone downhill fast. I didn’t really think about what it meant to get a house in the woods where she could wander off. It would be better if we were somewhere where there were more people around.”

I stared at her for a moment, unsure what to say but then I figured I might as well be honest. “I don’t know. If you were in a busy area, she could wander off and just get lost in the city. At least here, once everybody gets to know her, people will keep an eye out for her. Plus, now that I know you’re my neighbor, I can check on her when I’m around. It’s not a big deal. I’ll bring Waffle over to visit her too.”

Charlie stared at me, and then burst out laughing. Tears were rolling down her cheeks again by the time she stopped. Again, I found myself resisting the urge to pull her into my arms. “What’s so funny?”

She gulped in air and then shrugged. “Having your dog visit her. I dunno. It seemed funny.”

“I suppose so, but if it weren’t for Waffle, I might not have found her today. If she gets to know your mom, she’ll find her easy every time. She’s a hound mix, and let me tell you, she follows her nose.”

Charlie’s gray eyes scanned my face, a small smile teasing her lips. “I guess that makes sense then.”

We stared at each other, the room getting quiet. I didn’t know what else to say. Her mother was fine, and I should leave. There was no reason for me to linger. Yet, I found myself wanting to say. Actually, what I wanted to do was kiss her. But that was totally out of place and half-crazy, and I damn well knew it.

I started to turn just as Charlie moved. The room was small. Her phone rang. She slipped her phone out of her pocket, glancing at the screen. “I have to take this if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, of course. I’ll just…”

“No, don’t go,” she said.

Without even thinking about it, I simply nodded and waited.

“Hey Emily, what is it?”

Charlie listened and then nodded. “I’m with grandma at the hospital right now. We’ll be home in a little bit. I can pick up pizza on the way home.”

Whatever Emily’s reply was, it didn’t seem too friendly by the look on Charlie’s face. My curiosity about her was piling up. Nothing about her was fitting in with what I had expected. But then, I didn’t know what I’d expected.

After Charlie hung up the phone, her eyes caught mine. “My niece. She lives with us too. She’s fifteen years old, and she kind of hates me,” she offered with a sigh.

Warning bells should have been going off in my mind. Hell, she had a mother with dementia and apparently a teenager who hated her. I didn’t know what the hell I was thinking. Except I couldn’t stop looking at her. Her gorgeous gray eyes, that whimsical purple streak in her hair. To see her out of her usual lab coat and buttoned up look, fuck me. She still had her glasses on, but her tousled hair softened her features.

As she looked at me, the air started to heat, and my body tightened. I didn’t know what it was about her, but my usual warning signals seemed broken. I heard nothing and thought nothing. My entire focus narrowed to her—to the fine arch of her brows, the angle of her cheekbones, and her full lips, which seemed out of place in her otherwise sharp-featured face.

Her wide gray eyes stared back at me, darkening like the summer sky on a stormy day. The air hummed. Before I thought about it, but let’s face it, I wasn’t really thinking, not with my brain, I stepped in her direction. At the same time, she took a step, bringing us flush together. Lifting a hand, I slid my fingers through her hair, the locks silky soft. I could see her pulse fluttering in her neck. Her cheeks flushed pink, her lips parted, and the next thing I knew, I was threading my hand into her hair.

Cupping the nape of her neck, I dipped my head and dusted a kiss over her lips. A small sound came from her throat, something between a hum and a moan. Coming from her, it was like spurs to my need. I swiped my tongue along the seam of her lips. Her mouth opened on a gasp. She tasted divine—sweet with a hint of mint, her mouth warm and welcoming. The uptight Dr. Lane, excuse me Charlie, moaned into my mouth.

Fuck me. She kissed like a dream, her tongue tangling sensually with mine, her hand sliding up to grip my hair. I lost sight of everything but the feel of her against me, her mouth moving under mine and those luscious curves that I hadn’t known existed pressed against me.

A sharp knock at the door punctured the haze in my mind. I broke free, looking down into her gray eyes, dark and flashing silver.

“Oh,” she said, her eyes widening. Yet, she didn’t move and I didn’t want her to move.

Charlie

Staring up into Jesse’s eyes, I tried to catch my breath. I tried to think. But thought was hard to come by. All I could focus on was the feel of him against me.

The man might as well have been sculpted from stone, all coiled muscle and power. Just now, every inch of him was pressed against me. Somewhere in the middle of the madness of our kiss, his hand had slid down my spine to cup my bottom. I felt as if I were falling with butterflies spinning wildly in my core.

Desire throbbed inside, sending heat and liquid need sliding through my veins. Another sharp knock at the door nudged me, mentally kicking through the haze and madness in my mind.

“Oh!”

I forced myself to jump back. Because, let me tell you, my body did not want to move. I could’ve stood there for days with the feel of Jesse pressed against me. It wasn’t simply desire, it was feeling encompassed by his strength. Oh, and I might mention the man kissed like a dream. Soft and masterful. I nearly melted the moment his lips met mine and his hand threaded in my hair.

It was an act of will to step further away from him. My body was drawn so powerfully to his, like magnet to metal. Jesse’s eyes stayed on mine, making me feel as if he could see right through me. Yet, when I met his gaze, I didn’t feel the judgment I expected to see.

Oh no. It was something else altogether. The heat in his gaze seared me, and something else flickered underneath. My belly fluttered and my heart clenched.

Coming soon!

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