But I should have known better.
Because I was already lost.
The room spun and the ground shook and lights flashed where I knelt before him on my knees.
An offering.
His.
Kale gripped me as if he were determined to never let me go. His beautiful, glorious body stretched taut. Muscle keening, twisting, covered in a light sheen of sweat.
“Hope, baby, oh . . . fuck . . . yes.”
His hips surged forward, and I took him as deeply as I could. Tears pricked my eyes as he pressed all the way into my throat.
He throbbed and jerked and poured in my mouth.
And that spinning room canted, my axis knocked.
I felt almost frantic as I swallowed around him.
Because all I could see was hope spread out in front of me.
17
Kale
Struggling for a breath, I stared down at her staring up at me, my hands still twisted in that perfect mass of red, lush hair.
Affection.
It pulled and taunted and teased. Stretched tight across my chest. The squeeze in my lungs was almost painful, already lacking breath and looking at her stealing more.
I had no fucking clue how to make sense of what I was feeling. How to understand how this woman had singlehandedly made me question everything.
What I wanted and where I was going and what I stood for.
I wasn’t supposed to need anyone, my devotion all locked up on the fact my patients needed me. My fate sealed the day I’d failed.
Yet, there she was, looking at me like I might be something better. Something more than just the Dr. tacked to the front of my name.
Fear tumbled through my spirit.
Because I couldn’t—wouldn’t—allow myself to fail.
Not ever again.
And I’d molded myself into accepting being a doctor was my only identity, but this girl was making me wonder if I might have a chance to find something more in the middle of it. Something good and right that might be meant for me.
Or maybe fate really was a cruel bitch. Teasing me in the worst of ways. Putting this woman and her kid in front of me. Knowing I’d never make it through a repeat.
Hope’s chest heaved as her tumultuous green eyes watched me like she wanted to crawl around inside me to discover all that I was. Though, hidden deep, flickering right on the recesses, was a spec of that shyness, that uncertainty of where to go from there.
She dropped her gaze and gathered the top of her dress, covering herself and fumbling with the buttons because those exquisite tits were still exposed.
All it took was a glance of her, and I was kicked in the gut with a fresh bolt of lust. Didn’t help that her panties were crumpled on my floor, the memory of getting my first real taste of Harley Hope Masterson forever ingrained on my mind.
Strawberries and cream.
Sweet, sweet heat.
The girl was calm and a raging fire.
Peace and a hurricane.
Modest and demure with straight shot of vixen.
Quickly, I pulled up my jeans and readjusted myself, figuring the last thing I needed was to be standing there looking like some kind of pathetic fucker caught with his pants around his ankles.
Not when she kept stealing peeks at me. Wondering where we stood when every time we crossed paths, we just got deeper and deeper. Running faster and faster down that path she wasn’t sure she should follow me down.
I had no answer, but I no longer knew how to stay away. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
I stretched my hand out to her. “Come here.”
With an affected smile, she accepted it, and I helped pull her to her feet. She wobbled on her heels and shaky knees.
I tucked her against my chest, wrapped my arms around her, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You just blew my mind, Harley Hope. Where exactly did you come from? Because if you disappear, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to hunt you down.”
“Stalker,” she mumbled on a breathy laugh.
My own laugh was full. Hearty. Happy.
Because right then? That was exactly what I was.
I wrapped her even closer, swaying her slowly in the pour of light that tumbled in through the windows behind us.
Those dark places inside me light.
She released a contented sigh, her breath lifting chills that sped across my chest.
“I liked doing it,” she finally whispered like a confession right over the thunder that was my heart.
Another chuckle rippled free, my lips murmuring against the crown of her head. “Have to admit, I liked you doing it, too.”
She glanced up to meet my eyes. The warmth held in that mossy green swept through me like a caress. “Are you sure you aren’t just telling me that because you don’t want to make me feel bad?”
“Uh . . . considering I’m probably going to be begging you to do it again in about ten minutes, think you can safely assume that was no platitude.” Then I glanced around my loft, eyes going wide with the tease. “See . . . no blowing of smoke anywhere.” I hugged her back to me. “You’re the only fire around here, Shortcake.”