Chapter Five
Trip swallowed. Hard. Standing at the door to the guest bedroom, he had an almost overwhelming urge to keep on going—to keep hold of Shelley’s hand and lead her to his bedroom. He’d stopped, but he hadn’t been able to make himself let go of her hand. Of course, he would—if she wanted him to—but he had the impression that maybe she didn’t.
Maybe wasn’t enough, though. He needed to know.
Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated as she stared up at him.
Maybe she wasn’t thinking along the same lines as he was …
And then she smiled. “It’s not entirely up to me. It’s up to us both. And if we’re going to sleep together, we should probably establish some ground rules first, don’t you think?”
He could only nod. His mouth was dry, and his dick had perked up at the words, sleep together . She was right, they should establish some ground rules. He’d managed to avoid this very situation for months because he didn’t want to make things awkward between them. He didn’t want to lose her—he needed her at the clinic, and with the more time that passed, the more he was starting to feel as though he needed her in his life.
Her next words made things a lot simpler for him.
“We’ve already established that I’m going to be leaving by the end of next month, right?”
His heart pounded in his chest. That wasn’t what he was hoping to hear. He nodded again—he should probably hear everything she had to say before he started asking for clarification.
The way she smiled hit him hard—she looked relieved.
“So, since we only have a month or so left, I think we’ll be okay, don’t you?”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“I mean, I understand why it would have been a bad idea to sleep together if I was going to stick around, but …”
His heart sank. As far as he was concerned, sleeping together meant hoping that she would stick around. He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head.
“I need to say it all while I’m feeling brave enough, Trip. Let me finish?”
“Okay.”
“If we do this now, and it turns out to be a disaster, promise me that we’ll laugh about it in the morning and put it behind us like it never happened.”
He frowned. “It’s not going to be a disaster.”
“I hope not, but it’s a possibility. So … Can you promise me that we won’t let it make things awkward?”
“I promise.” The last thing he wanted was for things to get awkward between them. Well, maybe that was the second to last thing. He’d take awkward if she was still here. The thought of her leaving? That was the very last thing he wanted.
She smiled. “And don’t worry. I’m not going to expect anything more. At the very most, if this goes well and we both want to do it again, then maybe we’ll have more chances before I leave—at the end of next month.”
She said that last part so emphatically that it felt like she was warning him. He shouldn’t go expecting or even hoping for any more time with her than that—because he wasn’t going to get it.
She looked up into his eyes. “So having heard my thoughts—what are yours?”
He looked down into her eyes for a long moment. There was so much that he wanted to say. He wanted to ask why she was so determined to leave—why she wouldn’t even consider staying—but she’d made herself clear.
He smiled. “I think I’d rather you come to my room.”
When she ran her tongue over her bottom lip and gave a slight nod, he tightened his grip on her hand and started walking.
When they reached the door to the primary bedroom, he stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong; I just haven’t done anything right yet.”
“What do you …”
He put his hands on her hips and backed her against the door. Her arms came up around his shoulders, and that prickling sensation raced down his spine when she caressed the back of his head.
He curled one arm around her waist and sank his fingers into her hair, tilting her head back as he leaned in. He brushed his lips over hers, then traced them with his tongue.
The little whimper she made as she opened up to him sent heat racing through his veins. He crushed her to his chest, loving the feel of her full breasts pressed against him as he claimed her mouth in a deep, searing kiss.
His cock throbbed inside his jeans as she kissed him back. She was as eager and as hungry as he was. Her hands roamed over his back and shoulders, and she pressed closer, rocking her hips against him when his hand closed around her ass.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard.
He cocked an eyebrow, and she smiled up at him and asked, “What?”
“Are you sure?”
She let out a short laugh. “You really need to ask? If you like, I can kiss you again—I thought the last one made it pretty clear, but …”
“I thought so, but I won’t ever take anything for granted between us.”
Her expression sobered. “Thank you. In that case, I’ll spell it out—take me to bed, Trip. Please?”
That last word had him reaching past her for the door handle and hustling her into his bedroom as fast as he could.
~ ~ ~
She might have been sleepy a few minutes ago, but as Trip wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest as he opened the door and walked them into his bedroom, she was wide awake.
He walked her all the way to his bed—his room was huge. When they reached it, he nuzzled his lips into the spot where her neck met her shoulder, sending goosebumps racing over her skin. She dug her fingers into the arm he kept around her middle when he brushed her hair away from her ear before nipping it.
“Still sure?” he breathed.
She spun around to face him and slid her fingers under the hem of his shirt. “One hundred percent certain,” she said as she pushed his shirt up.
When he pulled it off over his head, she licked her lips as she admired his naked chest and added, “Make that two hundred percent.”
He chuckled as he started to unbutton her blouse. “Make that two of us.”
As they fumbled with each other’s clothes, Shelley couldn’t stop smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had helped her to undress. The last few years of her marriage had been mostly sexless. She’d dated a few guys in the years since then, but she hadn’t slept with any of them.
Trip pushed her jeans down before doing the same with his own. He hesitated when he saw her smile.
“Are you laughing at me?” he asked with a chuckle. “I’ll admit I haven’t done this in a while.”
She ran her hand over his shoulder—and down his biceps. “Not laughing at you. I was thinking the same thing myself—it’s been … more than a while for me. I was smiling at how eager we both are.”
He looked so damned sexy when he smirked like that. “Eager is an understatement,” he said as he reached behind her and unhooked her bra.
She let it fall down her arms and stood a little straighter when he ogled her breasts—there was no other word for it. She cupped her hands underneath them.
“I take it you’re not an ass man, then?”
He gave her a guilty smile. “Never have been.”
She closed her eyes and let her hands fall to her sides when he brushed his thumbs over her nipples. She opened her eyes again in a hurry when his hands moved to her waist, and he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. He was right there beside her before she’d even stopped laughing.
“Too much?” he asked.
“No! I like it—in fact, scratch that—I love it.”
“Good to know, I’ll remember that. I should have asked first, though.”
“I’m glad you didn’t ask. And for future reference, any time you feel like picking me up and throwing me down on your bed, you have my express permission to do so. No asking required, okay?”
She loved the gleam in his eye as he said, “Noted—and thank you. But I’m warning you now, I’m going to remind you that you said that.”
She held her arms up to him. “You have my permission to do that, too. But less talk, more action, please.”
He curled his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “You’re beautiful, Shelley.”
“And so are you. But we already knew that we like what we see, now we get to discover if we like how we feel.”
She bit down on her bottom lip when he frowned. She should probably heed her own request and do less talking.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “I told you it’s been a long while for me. I don’t have any condoms. I didn’t think. I …”
She loved the way he smiled when he added, “But it’s all good. I can still make it worth you coming to my bed with me, even if I can’t make love to you.” He ducked his head and teased her nipple with the tip of his tongue. “There are more ways to make you come than just making love to you.”
His hand slid down over her stomach, his fingers hooking into the waistband of her panties. He eased them down her legs before pushing his boxers off. When he reached for her again, she caught his wrist just before he could touch her.
“Is the lack of a condom enough to stop us?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t it?”
“I sure as hell don’t need one for contraception. And I had my annual checkup just before I came to Montana—I’m clean. You?”
He held her gaze for a long moment. “I’m clean, and I don’t need it for contraception, either. I had a vasectomy years ago.”
“It’s okay if you’re not comfortable,” she told him.
He smirked. “I feel like I should be the one reassuring you.”
“I don’t see why. It’s a question of trust—and that goes both ways.”
“You’re right.” Warmth bloomed in her chest when he added, “I trust you.”
“And I trust you.” She reached down between them and curled her fingers around him. He was hot, and hard—and so thick that ripples of excitement zapped through her. “So …”
He rolled them so that he was looking down into her eyes. “So, now that we’ve cleared that up … I still say that making love to you isn’t the only way I can make you come—and we have all night.”
He dropped his head and claimed her mouth in a kiss that left her clinging to him. She’d found him attractive since the first moment she’d laid eyes on him. Now, with his naked body hovering over hers, his tongue dueling with her own, and his hard length pressed against her thigh, she felt as though she might dissolve into a puddle of desire.
She gripped his wrists when his mouth left hers and he kissed his way along her jaw. She moaned when he nipped her neck and writhed under him when he clamped her hands to her sides while he teased her nipples with his lips and tongue.
“Trip!” she breathed when he finally lifted his head.
“Shelley,” he returned. “Want to know a secret?”
She nodded eagerly, loving the little smirk on his face. He looked so self-assured, so open to her and to what they were doing.
“I’ve spent more than a few nights thinking about this—wishing that I had you here in my bed like this.”
A big smile spread across her face. “You have?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Honestly?”
“That’s not something I’d bullshit you about. I didn’t know if it would ever happen between us, but I hoped.”
He crawled down over her body, kissing her stomach before parting her thighs with his hands.
“I hoped, too. And now here we are.”
“Here we are,” she echoed. All her breath caught in her chest as he teased her entrance with the tip of his tongue.
She tangled her fingers in his hair when he closed his mouth over her, swirling his tongue over her clit. Her back arched up off the bed when he eased two fingers inside her, easing them slowly in and out until she was panting, desperate for more.
When he added a third finger and picked up the pace, all she could do was grip the sheet beneath her. Then he closed his lips around her clit and sucked, and she let go, gasping his name as she spun away on waves of pleasure that seemed to carry her higher and higher until she felt she might evaporate into nothingness.
He gently brought her back down, until she was back in her body—a sweaty, quivering mess. She covered her eyes with her hand, and he scrambled up to bring his face level with hers.
“You okay?”
She hated the note of concern in his voice. She moved her hand and smiled. “That was amazing! I was … oh, screw it, I’ll say it—I’m embarrassed. You just saw me at my most vulnerable and look at me now. I’m …”
“Beautiful,” he finished for her.
She made a face at him, but he nodded.
“I thought you were beautiful that first day you walked into the clinic. I think you’re beautiful every time I see you—you are, Shelley. You’re gorgeous.” He smiled. “But I’ve never seen you as beautiful as you are right now. You gave yourself up to me—to pleasure. And now … now you look …” he chuckled. “You look the way you should.”
She gave him a puzzled look. “And how’s that?”
“You’ve got that freshly fucked look, and it suits you.”
She laughed out loud, and he joined her as he ran his hand over her hair.
“It’s funny and it’s true. And if you’ll let me, I’d like to make sure you look this way a lot more.”
She caught his hand and pressed her cheek into it as he ran it down her face. “I’d like that, but you know, technically …”
He chuckled. “And there’s the lawyer in you. Technically, you can’t look freshly fucked yet, but it’s not a problem. I’ll get right on that.”
He dropped a kiss on her lips, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close for a moment. “Please don’t let’s mess this up, Trip.”
He held her gaze for a long moment before he nodded. “We won’t.”
~ ~ ~
Trip gripped her hips tightly and took her with him as he rolled onto his back. When she was sitting astride him, her eyes shone as she smiled down at him.
“Smooth move.”
He shook his head. “Not really.”
He hated the idea that she might think he was going through the motions—repeating moves that were his norm. For one thing, he didn’t have a norm, and for another … It hit him that he wouldn’t have dreamed of hauling Katrina around to where he wanted her. She used to dictate what happened between them in bed, just like she dictated the rest of their relationship.
He squeezed Shelley’s hips, wanting to keep his focus on her. “I just knew where I wanted you. I take it you don’t mind?”
“Mind? Are you asking if I mind being on top, or mind you putting me exactly where you want me? In fact, you don’t need to answer that—it doesn’t matter. Either way, I don’t mind. I love it. I’ll tell you the same thing I did about throwing me on the bed—you have my express permission to do so.”
He smiled and ran his hands up her sides, loving the way she quivered under his touch. “I appreciate it—I won’t abuse the privilege, though.”
She laughed. “You couldn’t—I’m only giving you permission because I like it so much. You’re good. Now …”
He chuckled at the way she raised her eyebrows.
“Too much talking, not enough action again?” he asked.
She nodded as she curled her fingers around him. “You read my mind.”
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath as she stroked his length—it felt so damned good. He tightened his grip on her hips, lifting her slightly as he said, “I’m done talking.”
He clenched his jaw as she slowly lowered herself onto him. It had been a long time—years—since he’d made love to a woman. But that wasn’t the only reason this felt so good—so different. It was because of Shelley. She was different. The way he felt about her was different and …
He let out a low growl. Every thought fled from his mind when she lifted up and then ground down against him.
“Damn,” he breathed.
“Are you going to make me do all the work here?”
He looked up and loved the humor in her eyes as she continued to lift and lower herself. The way her body welcomed him inside her felt so good. Her inner muscles fluttered around him, gripping his cock as she drew him deeper.
He reached up to touch her nipples as she picked up the pace, thrusting his hips faster and harder until her breasts started to bounce in his hands. When she gripped his wrists and let her head fall back, all the pent-up desire rushed through his veins. The tension built at the base of his spine, and he drove deeper still, holding her in place to receive him.
“Trip!”
The way she gasped his name sent him over the edge, there was so much desire, so much … emotion in her voice.
“Shelley, honey, I’m going to …”
“Oh god, yes! Please. Now!”
Any concerns he’d had about getting there without her evaporated when her thighs started to quiver, and her inner muscles clamped his cock tight. That prickly feeling ran down his spine, and he tensed.
“Shelley!” he gasped as he let go.
Her body gripped him tight, pulsating around him, sending waves of pleasure racing through his veins as he came hard. He felt as though their bodies melded into one as they clung to each other and soared away on a high that he didn’t ever want to come down from.
When she finally slumped down over him, he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to his chest.
“Wow!” she muttered.
“You can say that again.”
She lifted her head just enough that she could look into his eyes. “I will—later, after I recover, and that might take a while.”
He held her a little tighter and she raised her eyebrows. “What are you thinking, Dr. Harvey?”
He chuckled. “You said earlier that if this went well, and we both enjoyed it, then we might get to do it again…” He let his words trail off, not wanting to add what else she’d said— before she left . “This is me putting in an official request for more.”
She nodded happily. “I’d like that, Trip.”
He caught his fingers in her hair and brought her head down to him. This kiss was lazier, more comfortable than the ones they’d shared earlier. It was no less passionate, but there was a level of intimacy, connection, He didn’t know what the right word was, but there was something more between them now.
He tightened his arm around her, wanting to hold on and not let her go. His heart sank when he remembered that the only reason she’d come into his bed was because she intended to leave town soon.