“Touch me, Preston,” I groan. “Stop fighting it.”
He reaches out. His fingers fan my rib cage as he pulls me into him and proceeds to spin me around. Our chests brush with each heave of our breaths.
“What are you doing to me?” he mumbles as his heart hammers a familiar beat against mine. It screams of need and want. Of desperation and fear.
“I don’t know.” And I don’t. I have no clue what I’m doing. I’m blind to everything but this man.
“Tell me to stop.” His voice is husky.
“Touch me.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking.”
“But I do.” Hunger courses through me. A new resolve. I have no care for consequences. All I’m concerned about is what I want, and what I want is for him to touch me. For him to kiss me. For him to want me.
He stares at me with an expression that makes my whole body tremble. His emotions mirror my own.
It’s unequivocal.
It’s absolute.
This man wants to consume me and I yearn to let him.
“God damn it. I’m not supposed to feel this way.” The lights from the city trickle in through the window, illuminating his crystal blue eyes that are darkened with lust.
“Feel what way?” I breathe, my chest heaving.
“That I want you. That I need to touch you.”
I step toward his voice.
“So, touch me.”
“I can’t.” His eyes dilate. A look passes through them that has my knees going weak. The hot intensity of his stare sets off an inferno inside me.
“I’m not your patient anymore.”
And those words break the dam. He crosses the invisible line that separates our bodies. He reaches out and makes feather-like contact with the skin of my jaw. I become lost in a heady trance.
There’s a fervor growing inside me.
It’s intoxicating.
His hand travels the distance to the hollow of my neck. One touch and it’s over for me. Electricity quivers off the pads of his fingers as they trail down to the swell of my breast, peeking out from my blouse. The only thing that matters is his touch. He leans in closer, inhaling me. I feel his breath against me, tickling my skin.
“Eve.” It’s a warning.
Tilting my head upward, our gazes lock as he traces the lace of my exposed bra. The look in his eyes penetrates me to the core. It has everything inside me halting.
I need there to be no distance between us.
This feeling is all consuming.
I push to my tiptoes and our lips meet.
It’s soft.
A gentle touch.
The warmth of his mouth is intoxicating as the kisses grow harder, more passionate. He nips, he sucks, it seems as if he’s pulling me in ten different directions.
His movements are full of purpose, full of need.
His hands grip my hips as he presses his body into mine.
Snaking my arms around his neck, I deepen the kiss. The stroke of his tongue is fierce and possessive. Every cell in my body comes alive with this kiss.
I’m lost in the kiss.
I’m found in this kiss.
He pushes me back into the wall and I let out a broken sigh as I collide with the surface. His arms tighten around my waist, pressing us so close together there’s no separation between us. Lifting up, I rub my core against him. The hard ridge of his length presses against me. My body shudders at the contact. The feel of him against me makes me forget anything and everything other than my hunger for him.
Sensing my desire, Preston reaches around and lifts my legs to his hips. The movement pulls me in closer, making the friction more intense. He grinds into me. His arms that are still bracketed around me pull away as he separates my legs farther. The hand on the small of my back holds me steady.
He drags his mouth from my lips and trails his lips down my throat. A moan escapes and I can’t suppress the shivers from the feel of his tongue sliding against my skin. Warm hands lift the hem of my shirt. Fingers stroke my spine, and then graze across the swell of my hip.
My back arches.
His tongue glides across the skin above my breast, and frantic hands pull away at my blouse. Opening, exposing me to him. As the air hits my nipples, they pebble and peak. Continuing his exploration, Preston trails circles across my nipple. His teeth graze the sensitive flesh.
Pulling lightly. Nipping.
His hand slides down my body to the waistband of my pants. He pauses.
The pressure of his hand is a reminder of what I want. Of what I desire. Pushing my body firmly into his, I let him know what I need.
I need his hands on me. His fingers in me.
He finds the button and undoes it. Wedges his hand between the thin material and my skin.
The pads of his fingertips slowly work themselves further downward. Each inch they travel sends a wave of chills to flow through my body; each nerve ending is pricked alive.
He pushes his hand lower and lower until I feel him trace the lace covering my most intimate spot. A whisper against my sensitive flesh.
“Please,” I moan, rotating my hips to help alleviate the hunger growing inside me. The flimsy material that covers me moves aside and his fingers trace down the seam of my skin. The movements are so slow, every part of my body quivers with anticipation.
“Dr. Montgomery, your next patient is here.” The receptionist’s voice slams through our lust filled haze.
Preston’s head rears back at the same time he jerks back his hand. I lift my eyes to meet his stare. Regret. That’s what I see staring back at me, and it rips me to shreds.
I’m pinned by his eyes. I know I won’t like what’s coming, but I can’t make myself pull away. He doesn’t answer her, but puts distance between us. Our breathing is shallow.
Shock.
I see it in his eyes for what he just did.
They’re haunted and hollow. We both inhale and exhale. What the fuck am I still doing here? It feels as if my heart may break free from my chest, it’s beating so hard. Pulling away, I fix my skirt.
“You have lipstick . . . ” He reaches out, a
nd then catches himself. Our eyes lock in a moment that feels as if it will last a lifetime. There is so much remorse in his crystal blue eyes.
It breaks me apart. Severs me.
“I have to leave.” My voice is rough. My stomach crashes, and what’s left of my heart rips in two. Grabbing my coat from the back of the chair, I turn my back and head for the door.
“Eve.” I look over my shoulder and meet his gaze. With all my strength, I hold back the tears threatening to expel. One lone drop escapes and trails down my cheek. “I’ll write you a referral.” His mask is back on.
I don’t stop. I don’t say good-bye. I leave.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EVE
I SIT AT MY DESK, slowly nursing the once hot coffee in front of me. The heat has fizzled away as I stare lifelessly out the office window. Gray skies pour ice-cold rain. It bears down, hitting the pavement below mercilessly. I wonder if you can hear the sound of the tiny droplets when they crash against the concrete?
As if it matters what it sounds like.
As if anything so mundane matters right now.
I can’t concentrate on anything. Not when I’m lost in my own head. All I have done this morning is replay my moments with Preston.
Over and over again. How can something that feels so right be so wrong?
“Earth to Eve.”
I lift my head and am met with Sydney’s large brown eyes.
“Hey.”
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I say. It comes out dry and monotone. She grimaces at the tone. Things are still tense. Even though I’m not mad anymore and I’m working past it, it’s still a bit odd between us.
“Listen, I know you’re still mad at me, but no matter what you think, I’m your best friend, and as your best friend you need to realize I wasn’t born yesterday. You got a letter, hauled ass out of the apartment and didn’t return for hours. Then you came home, slammed the door and blasted music. I woke up and you were already gone. Seems to me something happened and you don’t want to tell me. I understand I broke the trust. But I promise you, with everything I have, I won’t squander your trust again. Please let me in.”
I let out a huff I didn’t realize I was holding. It’s time I let it go. I need to stop punishing her for a mistake she made long before she met me. It’s not fair to her that I’ve let it go this long.