Seven
SEVEN
Kat
“So, I’m going to want you to follow up in three weeks, and we’ll see how everything looks then.”
“Thanks, Doc.”
I smiled at my patient and asked, “Do you have any additional questions for me?”
He considered me a moment before he shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. None that I can think of now, anyway.”
“Well, if that changes after you leave here, please don’t hesitate to call the office.”
With a nod of acknowledgement, he said, “I’ll remember that.”
“Alright, sir. You’re all set to go. And if nothing else comes up, I’ll see you in three weeks.”
“Sounds good. Thanks again, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome.” I opened the door and stepped out of the room. “You can head down the hall, and one of the girls at the front can get you all checked out.”
My patient turned and made his way down the hall. I went in the opposite direction toward my private office. That had been my final patient of the day. It had been a long afternoon, and I was eager to head out for the night. But I had a few administrative tasks I needed to take care of in my office first, including answering some emails and submitting paperwork for lab tests.
I got through that as quickly as I could—several members of the staff stopping in to bid me farewell for the night—gathered up my things and made my way to the exit.
By the time I made it to my car, all I wanted to do was head home and have dinner. But I turned on my car and realized I needed to stop for gas.
I sighed as I put my car in reverse and pulled out of my spot. At least I hadn’t agreed to meet up with Graham tonight, because then I’d feel the need to rush.
It surprised me how often he popped into my head at random times throughout the day. We’d been getting together several times a week at his place, and the arrangement seemed to be working well for the both of us.
I couldn’t speak for Graham, of course, but I had to believe that since he continued to agree to having me meet up with him, he must have liked what was happening between us.
I certainly did.
In fact, it was safe to say, I was relieved by it.
At this point, another three weeks had passed since we’d started seeing each other through the week and not just on the weekends, so it had been more than a month since we’d met at the pub. In fact, it was only a matter of a few weeks before the weather would change and spring would be in full bloom.
My relief came from the fact that I’d been fortunate enough to find someone like Graham. I was enjoying myself with him. He was willing to meet up regularly to give us both what we needed and wanted, and I didn’t have to worry about having to go out and meet new people continuously. In a way, it was like being in a relationship without all the messiness or potential heartbreak.
Of course, I realized it wouldn’t last forever, but for now, it was working for the both of us, so I really couldn’t complain. And I wasn’t going to spend my time worrying about what the future would bring or what I’d do when we decided to call it quits.
Just over ten minutes after I left work, I had turned into the gas station. I dug through my purse, found my wallet, and pulled out my debit card. And the second I had the pump in my hand and had put it into the car to fill my tank, I looked over at another pump and was shocked by what, or more precisely, who I saw.
Graham was standing there, filling his own tank, and his eyes were on me.
I lifted my free hand, offering a wave and a smile. He didn’t wave, but his lips turned up slightly as he jerked his chin up.
Graham’s house wasn’t nearby, so I could only assume he worked in the area. Seeing him here, at a place outside where we usually met up with one another, forced me to confront the truth.
I didn’t know him.
Other than knowing his first name, where he lived, and that he was an excellent lover, I knew not a single thing about Graham. Not where he worked, his last name, or anything about his family. I didn’t know what he liked to do in his free time or what his favorite food was.
And though it hadn’t necessarily bothered me before, now that I’d come to that realization, I had to admit that it frustrated me. I didn’t particularly like the feeling of unease that washed over me.
But I had to tamp that feeling down, because Graham had finished filling his car and was making his way in my direction. Other than the nerves I’d experienced the day I met him in the pub, I hadn’t suffered any anxiety being around him.
Now, out in broad daylight, where I couldn’t just rely on sex to get us through, I was unsure how this was going to go.
Maybe it was my nerves getting the best of me, but when Graham came to a stop in front of me, I didn’t give him the opportunity to speak. “What are you doing here at my gas station?”
A crease formed between his brows, his eyes narrowing. I’d almost forgotten about his ability to be so gruff. In all the days we’d been hooking up with one another, Graham hadn’t really showed me that side of him. Then again, when he was experiencing what the two of us had been experiencing in those moments, I wasn’t quite sure he’d really have any reason to scowl.
“Well, I can honestly say that I didn’t know it was your gas station.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not actually my station. It’s just that I only live about five minutes from here.”
Something washed over his expression, a look I’d never seen on his face before now. Though, I guess that was to be expected, considering we never had actual conversations. As quickly as I saw that look, it was gone.
“I just left work and decided to stop here. I can avoid it in the future, if it’s off limits.”
So, he worked nearby. And he was dressed casually. I wanted to wrack my brain about all the businesses in the area and try to come up with which would be the place he worked, but I didn’t have that kind of time.
What I did know was that I liked the idea of catching him here on occasion. An impromptu meeting that could turn into something fun and exciting. So much of what Graham and I had between us was planned, and I thought a little spontaneity might spice things up even more.
The pump clicked off, and after I put it back in its cradle, I insisted, “That’s not necessary. It doesn’t bother me that you’re here. Maybe this is a sign.”
He cocked a brow. “A sign?”
I shrugged, doing my best to appear indifferent. I didn’t want to humiliate myself completely. “I mean, I know we hadn’t planned to meet up with one another tonight, but you’re here, I’m here, and my house is only five minutes away.”
It had been more than a month. We always met at his place. I figured it was okay for him to know where I lived at this point.
He considered my offer for a moment, his eyes roaming over my face in the process. “You want to get together now?”
My eyes dipped lower and roamed over him, landing on his hands and recalling how much I liked the feel of them on my body. Aches of pleasure flooded my body, and I shifted on my feet to press my thighs together a bit tighter.
Apparently, I was no longer concerned about embarrassing myself because I returned my attention to his face and offered a suggestive look.
I took one step in his direction and lifted my hand to the exposed skin of my collarbone. Graham’s eyes dropped to where I allowed my fingertips to caress my skin there, and the look in his eyes intensified when I unbuttoned the top button of my shirt.
His gaze lingered there until I spoke, my voice a touch over a whisper and very inviting. “Well, I just don’t like the idea of wasting an opportunity. If you don’t have any other plans, I think a spur-of-the-moment decision could be a lot of fun.”
Graham’s jaw clenched several times—his eyes drifting toward my cleavage twice—before he cleared his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”
I drew in a deep breath through my nose at the relief I felt. “Are you sure?”
Graham dipped his chin. “If you want me to follow you to your place on my way home, Kat, I can make that detour.”
A shiver ran along my spine. I licked my lips and nodded. “Okay. Follow me, then.”
We both got in our vehicles and the next several minutes passed in a blur as I drove home, feeling my belly trembling with excitement. It was strange. Graham and I had been having sex for weeks now. What made this time any different? Surely, it couldn’t be just that he was going to be at my place for the first time.
It had to be something else.
Was it that it hadn’t been planned? Was it that he was willing in a situation like this? Or, was it that whatever other plans he might have had were not as important to him as this?
By the time we got back to my place, I pulled into my garage, leaving the door open for him to walk in that way. I led us to the door, hit the button on the wall to close the overhead garage door, and the two of us walked inside.
I dumped my things just inside the door.
Graham didn’t give me the opportunity to get more than just a few steps into the kitchen when he reached for my wrist from behind and spun me around. I gasped, my hands flying to his chest as he hauled me close to his body. Graham barely gave me a moment to tip my chin up to look at him, and his mouth was descending on mine.
Like always, we became a frenzied mess. Like always, we tore at each other’s clothing, needing the skin contact as quickly as possible. And like always, Graham managed to find a way to leave me panting and begging for more.
We hadn’t made it very far through the house, and Graham wasn’t interested in finding a comfortable surface. He didn’t care about making it to the bed or even a couch.
No.
Once we were both stripped of our shoes and clothes, Graham hoisted me right onto the table in the dining area and took care of business there.
God, it was hot.
Everything about it, from Graham himself and the strength he possessed to just pick me up and put me where he wanted me to the feverish need that controlled us and had us unable to contain the burn between us, was intense.
If only we met at another time…
My thoughts trailed off. I didn’t need to sit around wondering what might have been possible. It’d do me no good.
And for now, I was more than content with what I had.
Graham pounded into me forcefully. I was sure that by the time we finished, the table would be several feet away from where it had been before he put me on top of it.
Between the rough strokes, the bruising kisses, and the teasing touches, it was no surprise I was on the verge of an orgasm long before I wanted to be. But I’d learned how it was with Graham. There was nothing I could do to stop from getting what he wanted me to have when he wanted me to have it.
So, it was coming, and all I could do was brace for it.
Several thrusts, a caress over my breasts, and some deep, prolonged eye contact later, it happened. My body exploded around his, my back arching off the table. Graham saw me through my orgasm, and when I made it to the other side, his heated gaze roamed over my flushed skin.
Something darkened in his stare. Something dark and primal and, dare I say, possessive.
His grunts and growls grew louder, deeper. His strokes came faster, harder.
And the next thing I knew, Graham’s head dropped back, the muscles in his chest and shoulders flexing as the veins in his neck appeared. His fingers dug into my hips, and his body shuddered.
He was breathtaking.
He was exquisite.
And even though my orgasm had come and gone, I felt my pulse quicken at the sight of him finding his release.
When he stopped moving and had gotten in several labored breaths, he dropped his chin and opened his eyes, a glowing countenance radiating from them. That look caused a flutter in my stomach and a tingle between my legs.
It gave me the confidence to tease him. “And here I thought detours were the worst kinds of traffic delays.”
To my utter surprise and delight, Graham threw his head back as he burst into a fit of laughter.
I’d never seen him like that, and the sight and sound of it held me captive. I was useless to do anything but watch and be fascinated by it.
At some point, Graham seemed to catch himself, to stop the amusement prematurely. That’s when he stepped back and pulled himself from my body. I was instantly affected by the loss, and I knew it had nothing to do with no longer having him inside me.
Graham attempted to play it off, but I could see right through it. “Yeah, I’d say this was a far more enjoyable route home.”
Before I could move or say anything in return, my stomach growled loudly. Graham halted, his brows shooting up.
“Sorry. I… I normally come home and make dinner right away, and since I had lunch a bit earlier today and just had this”—I waved my finger between us—“apparently, I’ve worked up an appetite.”
“It would seem so. Um, the bathroom?”
I hopped down from the table and pointed behind him. “Right over there.”
Graham picked up his jeans and underwear and took off toward the restroom. I normally wouldn’t have put my work clothing back on, but for now, it would have to suffice. By the time I was dressed again, Graham returned from the bathroom.
Something passed between us, and it felt like a pivotal moment. Unfortunately, I misjudged it all, because I said, “Would you like… I can whip something up quickly, if you’d like to stay for dinner.”
He fumbled for words, his hand raking through his hair. “Kat, I’m… I’m sorry, but you know that’s not what we have.”
It was like taking a knife to the gut.
Pain bloomed in my throat, like a boulder had been lodged in the center of it. I shook my head and insisted, “Right. Right, I’m sorry. I know that. I was just… Well, never mind.”
“I should probably get going.”
Nodding my head furiously, feeling myself on the verge of losing it, I agreed. “Yeah, that’s probably wise.”
Graham picked up his shirt, pulled it over his head, and went for his sneakers. I stood there awkwardly, refusing to open my mouth again for fear of what might come out of it.
When he stood up, dressed the same as he’d been when he walked into the house, I jerked my head to the door that led out to the garage. Graham followed behind me, and when I tapped on the button to open the overhead garage door, nothing happened.
I tapped on it again and got the same result.
“Ugh, seriously?” I clipped.
“What’s wrong?”
I stomped over to my car and muttered, “Nothing. That stupid button likes to stop working randomly. It’ll be fine one day, stop working the next, and work again when I wake up the following morning. And when it’s not functioning properly, I can only use the garage door opener I have in my car. That doesn’t seem to give me any trouble.”
“It’s probably an issue with the contact inside the assembly. You might just need to solder some new contacts on.”
I arched a brow. “Okay, I don’t know what that means, so I’m going to go out on a limb and guess I’m not capable of fixing it.” I lifted my garage door opener from the car and tapped on the button. The door opened. “I’ll stick to this.”
“Well, you could replace the entire assembly, too,” he suggested. “That’d probably be easier.”
I inhaled deeply. “Unfortunately, that’s outside of my skill set as well.”
Graham held my gaze for a few seconds, something I wouldn’t attempt to read passing through his expression, before he merely dipped his chin with understanding. “Alright. Well, I guess I’m going to get out of here.”
“Have a good night, Graham.”
“You, too, Kat. I’ll see you on Friday.”
At least there was that. We might not have had anything more than that, but Graham was still interested in seeing me on Friday. “I’ll be there.”
At that, he turned and walked toward his car. I watched him go. And when he made it to his door and looked back, I couldn’t stop the wave of longing from washing over me.
I hit the button to close the door, tossed the opener back in the car, and ran back inside. Without letting myself think, I climbed the stairs and made my way toward the bathroom. I stripped out of my clothes again and hopped in the shower. And only after I was under the spray did I allow the words to digest.
You know that’s not what we have.
I knew.
Of course, I knew.
It was what I’d said I wanted, what I’d agreed to from the start.
But now I knew I’d messed up.
Because it bothered me tremendously to hear him say that.
I’d gone into this telling myself this was how I’d avoid heartbreak and be happy.
But I’d spun my own web this time.
Weeks of false bravado had been nothing more than a lie.