Dare Me (Take Me 2)
Page 109
“Did you get what you wanted, Jude? Were you satisfied with the encounter?”
“No,” he told her without a blink of his eye. “I never am, Kate. Not totally.”
“How so? In what capacity?”
“I don’t come,” he blatantly said. “That happens later, after I’ve called my car service to take home whomever I picked up for the evening.”
“Later?”
“Yes, Kate. Later. When I’m alone. In the shower.”
“All right.”
She clutched his shirt a bit tighter, he noted.
Did the subject matter unnerve the usually unflappable Dr. Stockman?
She queried, “What do you think about when you’re alone, Jude? When you’re masturbating in the shower after you’ve sent someone home?”
“Enough of the extreme professionalism, Kate.” He took a step closer to her. And felt the unmistakable shift in the air. A crackle of electricity that had nothing to do with the tempest outside. “Don’t be so damn clinical with me when we’re delving this deep. Ask me what I think about when I jerk off.”
His gaze held hers and he caught the flare of heat in her tawny irises.
Holy fuck.
He’d been wrong all along—all this time.
Kate wasn’t immune to him.
She just hid it incredibly well. Until now.
While her eyes remained locked with his, she inched forward, seemingly involuntarily, nearly closing the gap between them.
“What do you think about when you jerk off, Jude?”
“Damn,” he murmured. “My bad. I meant, who do I think about…?”
“Jude. Don’t push my buttons. Just tell me outright—”
“You, Kate.” He knew his gaze was even more penetrating as he said, “It’s always you. For the two years you were my therapist and for the entire year you haven’t been. I think about you, Kate. I imagine you naked, beneath me, wanting me more than you want your next breath.”
Her jaw slackened, but for a moment. Then she took a step away, retreating.
“I’m allowed to fucking say it, Kate,” he quietly contended. “You’re not my shrink.”
“I—”
“You’re allowed to fucking respond. To say something, anything. You’re not my shrink,” he repeated.
“I have a professional obligation to uphold and—”
“Kate. There’s no official doctor/patient scenario here. And damn it… You’ve been clutching my shirt for five minutes now. Stop staring me in the eyes and take a good, long look at me.” Jude unfolded his arms in a silent dare.
Kate’s glossy lips pursed. “You’re crossing boundaries, Jude. I came here to help you with—”
“I’m not crossing boundaries. You asked a question. I answered it. And by the hitch of your breath, Kate, and the fire in your eyes…I’d say you liked my answer.”
She gaped again. Clearly shocked by his audacity. Though she shouldn’t be. He’d never sugar-coated things for her. Baring his soul did not come naturally or easily to Jude McMillan, but Kate possessed the uncanny ability to peel away the layers.