Four
Claire
Sipping my morning coffee, I called into the shop the next morning.
“Andrews’ Antiques,” Aaron answered.
I took a deep breath and tried to shove down the still-simmering rage I felt toward Chuck. It wasn’t Aaron’s problem to deal with.
“Hey Aaron, it’s me.”
“What’s up?”
“I’m not going to be able to make it in today. Ella’s got the flu and I need to be home with her. Can you cover for me?”
“Sure thing boss. Tell Elephant that Uncle Aaron says she needs to get better real soon.”
I grinned, tension seeping out of me. “You’re the best,” I said, clicking the phone off.
One problem taken care of and most people probably weren’t even awake yet. Feeling accomplished, I started to pull stuff out of the freezer to make some soup. I knew it was unlikely that Ella would be up for a few more hours — especially not since she woke me up at three A.M. and got a dose of cold medicine.
I was still pissed at Chuck. Pissed that he didn’t recognize the symptoms of illness in his daughter, pissed that now I knew I couldn’t trust him to take care of her while she was sick, pissed that I was ever stupid enough to hook up with him and think starting a family with him was a good idea.
But there was a time when Chuck was the best I thought I could do. He was cute and handy, I knew I’d never have to worry about my car breaking down because he’d take good care of it. And it’s not like there were a ton of age-appropriate prospects on the mountain. So we’d just sort of fallen together and did what we thought we were supposed to until it became obvious it wasn’t going to work. And as much as I tried to keep things amicable between us for Ella’s sake, he sure as hell didn’t make it easy.
But Chuck wasn’t the only prospect on the mountain anymore. Dr. Bradford was here now and he was something else. I didn’t know what it was about him that made my insides turn to jelly and my brain stop working. It might have been those dark features, giving a whole new meaning to tall, dark, and handsome. The guy was pretty huge for a doctor, built more like a football player with big, broad shoulders and muscular arms that weren’t hidden at all by his white coat. But it wasn’t just that he was insanely attractive that had me thinking about him again. It was the way he was with Ella — and me, if I’m honest — how kind he was and patient.
And maybe I was imagining it, but I could have sworn he looked at me with a certain gleam in his eyes. A spark of light that sent shivers down my spine and wetness to my core.
The things a man like that could do to me. Those big hands covering my body, skilled fingers exploring my anatomy, knowing just how to draw out every bit of pleasure.
I’d fooled around with a couple of guys before Chuck, and things with him weren’t exactly bad, but nothing I’d ever had with a guy could compare to what I could achieve on my own, which was more than a little disappointing. As much as I loved getting myself off, the idea of someone else doing it was much hotter.
Even hotter to think about it being Luke.
Just his name was enough to send a tremor of anticipation between my legs. I looked at the clock, then at the stuff thawing on the counter. I had time. I drained my coffee mug and darted off to my bedroom, thoughts of the good doctor swirling in my mind.
I’d barely gotten to my bed before my hand was plunging down the front of my pajama pants, fingers teasing my slick wetness, imagining his fingers in their place. I pictured those dark eyes boring into mine, looking to the very depths of my soul as he circled my clit, making me gasp. I was certain that a man of his profession would have no trouble finding what seemed to be elusive to so many others.
I imagined him whispering my name as his lips trailed down my neck, latching onto my nipple, fingers sliding inside my clenching, needy sex. God how I needed this. First one finger, then two, curling inside me, his thumb still drawing lazy circles around my clit as I panted and squirmed against him, trying to get more, practically begging for it.
“Luke,” I whispered into the silence of my room, imagining his dark eyes watching me all the time, a low rumbling growl rippling from his throat, making my body crave him all the more.
I wished he was actually there. I wanted to touch him. I wanted to see his muscles bared, run my fingers down his torso, trailing through the soft patch of hair that led below his waistband. I wanted to take his cock in my hand and lead him into me, spread my legs wide and beg him to fuck me.
That idea, the idea of Luke Bradford fucking me, hard and demanding, mercilessly with reckless abandon, made every muscle in my body clench with desire.
I knew it was ridiculous to be fantasizing about him like this. I knew I was just getting myself all worked up for nothing because when I went back into his office on Monday, I’d be nothing but polite and shy all over again. Whoever this wild, sex-crazed woman was right now, she wouldn’t be there when I saw him again.
But instead of discouraging me, that just egged me on. It was a harmless fantasy, and it was a damn good one, so why deny myself?
The doctor’s dark eyes in my imagination brought me back to the task at hand, his look harder, almost like he was scolding me for letting my mind stray away from him. I shivered thinking about that gaze as my fingers teased me, keeping me far away from release as a punishment.
“Please,” I asked in a breathy whine, my eyes shut tight, my hips grinding against my own fingers. I wanted to come so badly, but it wasn’t happening, even as I started to move my fingers faster, my other hand going under my shirt to toy with my nipples. I don’t know why the doctor was such a tease in my imagination, but he was, bringing me so close, over and over again, only to back off just when I was about to reach the summit.
I imagined his hands raking up and down my sides, his eyes drinking in my body — which I’d normally be ashamed of, but under his gaze, I felt sexy. The fantasy was so real that I could almost feel the warmth of his body over me. Could almost feel the hard length of his cock pressing against me with a promise.
In a growl, imaginary Luke said, “Come for me,” and every muscle in my entire body clenched, white lights bursting behind my eyes, my fingers barely moving because it felt so good and I wanted it to last.
But then there was another sound. A whimper that wasn’t me, and I actually did stop, straining to hear.
Then Ella’s cough echoed down the hall and a feeble “Mom?” followed it.
I sighed, the moment lost, the elusive orgasm escaped. So much for that.
Reluctantly, I righted my clothes, padded silently across the hall to the bathroom to wash my hands, and then popped my head into Ella’s room with a sympathetic smile.
“Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?” I went over to her bedside and put the back of my hand to her forehead. She was clammy, but not burning up anymore and relief washed through me.
“Thirsty,” she said, clinging to her stuffed elephant, Tubby.
I brushed her hair from her forehead and smiled. “All right, let Mommy get you some water.”
“Can I have a popsicle?” she asked, eyes wide and innocent.
“For breakfast?!” I answered, sounding shocked and appalled even though I was fighting off laughter. I’d have to give Dr. Bradford a piece of my mind for telling my four year-old she could have popsicles as medicine.
“Please Mommy?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “Okay, but only this once.”
Her little face suddenly lit up, looking much less sick, suspiciously, but kids had a way of doing that. “Orange please,” she said grinning.
“But soup for lunch, deal?”
Her smile faded a little, but she nodded. “Okay.”
Yeah, I was definitely going to have to have some good-natured words with Luke about the things he said in front of toddlers. But then I remembered Ella’s tiny giggle when he said it and decided it was probably worth it. In that moment she’d been feeling awful and I was angry and upset and worried and she could probably sense that, even when she wasn’t fully lucid. Luke’s little joke eased all the worry away like a magic wand and hearing Ella’s laugh when I was so scared was exactly what I needed.
So I guessed it was okay if that meant my four year-old wanted popsicles for breakfast any time she got sick.
But even as I was tending to my child, making sure she was comfortable, setting up a tablet with cartoons for her in bed, making soup and catching up on cleaning — and sanitizing — the house with my first day off in forever, I couldn’t get my earlier fantasies out of my head. I couldn’t stop seeing Luke’s eyes, the firm, determined set of his jaw, or his heart-stopping grin. It was distracting to say the least, but more than that, it started to feel highly inappropriate. If I couldn’t stop this before the appointment on Monday, I was likely to make a giant fool of myself.
Even that knowledge wasn’t really enough to dampen how much I wanted him and thought about him, though. Even thinking about what an idiot I’d look like for throwing myself at him, I still couldn’t stop the fantasies. I couldn’t stop looking forward to the appointment.
By mid-afternoon, Ella was bouncing off the walls. She’d had her popsicle, and a nap, and then soup, and apparently was feeling completely better. I briefly considered calling Dr. Bradford’s office to cancel the follow-up appointment. Ella was feeling better and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t manage to pick up the phone and dial the number. I wanted to see him again too badly.
And yeah, I could probably have waited and spotted him around town at some point in the future, but he’d already been up on the mountain for a year and I’d never seen him. How long would it take for me to catch another glimpse of him? And I’d already mentioned I didn’t have insurance, I couldn’t just invent injuries or illness to see him when I knew I didn’t have any way to pay him.
That just reminded me of our conversation on that very subject. With him saying there were other ways to pay for services than money.
I had been totally obvious within about thirty seconds that he didn’t mean it the way it sounded, but in that brief moment, I’d been offended, yeah, but also incredibly aroused. I wasn’t the type of girl to use my body to get ahead in anything. Not that I’d ever really had the opportunity, but with Luke… I’d probably be willing to consider it if I didn’t know the whole town would be talking about it in a day.
That was another problem with dating on the mountain — there was no such thing as privacy, and most of these folks didn’t even know the meaning of the word discretion. I knew I should just dismiss any and all thoughts of the hot doctor and me getting up to anything, but I couldn’t quite relay the message to my body, and the fantasies never stopped.