Chapter One
Ethan
It had been a shitty day. As a reproductive endocrinologist (fertility specialist), I should’ve been used to delivering bad news as well as good. But, telling a couple who desperately want a baby that their attempts had been unsuccessful never got any easier. Today, I’d had to inform six out of seven patients that their struggle wasn’t over. And, one of those couples was in the process of losing their baby.
On top of that, my partner had informed me that he and his wife were moving, and he wanted to sell his share of the practice. I didn’t care about buying back his share, I could more than afford it, but he announced that they were leaving in one week. Which meant I’d have to take on his clients until I could find another doctor or two to join my practice. My schedule was already packed to the brim, and the thought of trying to balance all the patients in our clinic had strung me tighter than a wire.
I fucking needed to get drunk. I intended to drown my sorrows with a bottle of vodka while sitting on the deck of my Malibu home. Between the alcohol and the sounds of the ocean, I figured I’d find some mind-numbing peace at some point.
However, my best friend, Nash, had dragged me to a local bar, informing me that getting shit-faced alone in my house was pathetic. He was right, but I wasn’t going to tell him that.
“You need to get laid, man,” Nash stated before tossing back his third Kamikaze.
I scoffed and cocked my head to the side, narrowing my eyes at him. “What do you know about getting laid, asshole? How long has Aubrey worked for you?”
Nash glared at me and ran his hands through his unruly blond hair. Then he sighed. “Three months.”
I raised a single brow. “And how many times have you fucked her during that time?”
“Touché.” Nash acceded with a shrug. Then he punched me in the arm hard enough to leave a deep fucking bruise.
“What the fuck?” I gasped as pain radiated up and down my arm.
“Don’t talk about my woman and fucking in the same sentence ever again.”
I choked out a laugh and rolled my eyes. “Damn, Nash. You’ve got it bad.”
His lips turned up in an unapologetic grin. “Fuck yeah, I do. Anyway, it’s just a matter of time. Aubrey already knows she’s mine, she just doesn’t want to admit it.”
I chuckled and shook my head as I picked up the tiny glass of liquid. The vodka burned on the way down, but it numbed some of the lingering darkness from my day.
“Rum and Coke, please.”
My ears perked up immediately when I heard the sweet voice of the woman ordering next to me. I swiveled my head to get a look at her and almost fell off my barstool. Possession hit me in the solar plexus, stealing my breath. It was followed by a wave of lust so strong I had to clench my hands into fists to keep from pulling her onto my lap and kissing the fuck out of her.
She was absolutely stunning. Long, almost black hair hung in soft curls to the small of her back and my fingers curled tighter, itching to delve into the silky strands. She must have felt the pull between us because her head turned, and her curious gaze locked with mine. Her dark brown eyes were somewhat narrow, framed with thick, sooty lashes. When she blinked, they brushed the top of her high cheekbones.
Her nose was straight, and a tiny diamond stud winked at me on one side. Pink gloss covered her wide, full lips that I had an urgent desire to taste. I was instantly obsessed with those gorgeous lips. I wanted to do all kinds of dirty things to them. Her tongue darted out to lick along the bottom one, making it shiny and even more tempting.
I stifled a groan and tore my eyes away as they continued their slow appraisal of her body. My arousal grew at the sight of her high, lush tits, pressing against a soft purple sweater. And her little black skirt that showed off her tight, round ass, and endless legs that would look amazing wrapped around me.
When I finished with my inspection, I lifted my gaze to meet hers once again. She smirked and performed the same scrutinization of my body, making me chuckle. Her brown eyes sparkled with appreciation as they journeyed back up to land on my face.
We stared at each other in silence for what was probably only a minute but seemed like hours. The bartender broke our connection as he set her drink on the shiny wooden surface.
“On the house,” he said with a wink, his eyes running over her, lingering on her breasts.
Rage instantly flared inside me and I leaned over the bar so we were face to face. “Put it on my tab,” I insisted, keeping my voice low and deadly. My tone and steely expression must have gotten my point across because he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and backed up before moving to the other end of the bar to serve another customer.
I was shocked at the emotions flowing through me. I’d never felt jealousy like this, much less an overwhelming feeling of possession. I took a deep, calming breath before returning my attention to the goddess next to me.
Her head was cocked to the side and she was studying me with probing eyes. Her neutral expression didn’t give anything away, and I wondered if I’d scared her off with my intensity.
I reached out a hand an
d ran my index finger down her cheek before tracing her lips. They immediately parted and her breath caught in her throat. I nodded with satisfaction. She was as affected by me as I was by her.
“What’s your name, lips?” My voice was hoarse from the lust tightening my every muscle.
She raised a single dark eyebrow but didn’t comment on the nickname, answering the question instead. “Madison.”
“Are you single, Madison?”
She nodded her head and smirked at me as though to ask, “What are you going to do about it?”
Oh, you just wait and see, baby.
“Well, Madison. I’m Ethan and I’m going to be brutally honest because I don’t want to waste another minute with you.” Her other brow joined the first and I grinned boldly. “I want to take you home and fuck those sexy lips every way I can think of. Then bury myself inside your beautiful body until neither of us has the strength to move.”
Madison’s cheeks bloomed with pink and her mouth formed a little O, prompting more images of them wrapped around my cock.
I stood and held out my hand, waiting for her to decide. My heart was pounding and I prayed she didn’t turn down my invitation because I wasn’t sure I had the power to walk away. It was entirely possible that I would just throw her over my shoulder and take her to a dark corner where I could convince her that this was a brilliant plan.
“I know you feel this thing between us, lips,” I cajoled, not even trying to mask the hunger I was sure she could see on my face.
“I’ll come with you on one condition,” she said, a smile playing at her mouth and a twinkle entering her eyes. I raised a brow, mirroring her earlier expression.
Her smile morphed into a wicked grin sending bolts of electricity straight to my dick. “I get to do dirty things to your mouth too.”
I threw my head back as a deep belly laugh exploded from my chest. She placed her hand in mine and I squeezed it tight as my laughter subsided. “Done.”
I twisted slightly to let Nash know I was leaving. He was leaning his back on the bar, his feet crossed at the ankle and his arms folded. He was grinning from ear to ear and gave me a chin lift. I returned the gesture before pivoting and leading Madison through the crowd and out into the warm summer night.
Chapter Two
Madison
Holy moly. Was I really doing this? I cast a quick glance at the perfectness of Ethan’s ass as we walked outside and decided that I really was going to have a one-night stand with a guy I’d just met at a bar less than five minutes ago.
“You’re a dangerous man.”
He cocked his head to the side and the edges of his lips curved up in a barely-there grin. “Who me? You’ve got it all wrong, lips. I’m perfectly harmless.”
My gaze swept down his six-foot-two, muscular frame before I titled my head back to take in his thick, brown hair and melted chocolate eyes again. “They could literally use your picture in the dictionary next to the term tall, dark, and dangerous.” I swept my free hand up and down. “My panties practically went up in flames when you looked at me. That’s the exact opposite of harmless.”
His dark eyes gleamed with male satisfaction, and his grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “You say that like I’m supposed to be sorry, but that’s the second-best news I’ve heard all day.”
“And what’s the first-best?”
He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. “When you said you’d come home with me.”
“Which just goes to prove how dangerous you are since you managed to talk me into doing something completely out of character without having to do much of anything to convince me.” Actually, calling it completely out of character was an understatement since I could count the number of times I’d had sex on one hand. None of them were good experiences, but flirting with Ethan turned me on more than anything I’d done with anyone else.
He tugged me around the corner and towards a sleek Jaguar parked in the lot next to the bar. When we reached it, he pressed my back against the passenger door and caged me in with his hands against the roof of the car. “I’m not sure I have the strength to let you walk away from me now. Not after you said you’d come home with me if I let you do dirty things to my mouth too. But if you aren’t sure—”
I rose up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was brief, just to stop him from talking, but it still packed a powerful punch to my system. It only confirmed what I already knew; the chemistry between us was off the charts. “I’m not saying that I’m not sure. I just want you to know I’m not the kind of girl who picks up guys in bars.”
“Thank fuck,” he sighed, dropping his forehead against mine.
A startled laugh burst out of me, making him grin again. He stared into my eyes, down at my mouth, and then back up again.
“If we’re going to do this, we should go,” I whispered against his lips.
“There’s no if about it.” He pulled me against his firm chest, kissing me hard and fast before opening the door and helping me into the car. He didn’t waste any time after he climbed into the driver’s side, pulling out of the lot with a squeal of the tires. My hands were trembling with a mixture of nerves and excitement, until he reached over and threaded his fingers through mine. “My place isn’t far.”
“That’s good.”
Yup, that was my totally lame response. Not that it wasn’t good, because it was. If he lived far away, grabbing a ride home after our night together would be crazy expensive. But I didn’t know what else to say since we didn’t really know anything about each other except for first names. Which reminded me...
“This might sound completely crazy, but when we get to your place do you mind if I drop a pin at our location and send it to my best friend?”
He flashed me another panty-melting grin. “It doesn’t sound crazy to me. I’m good with whatever it takes for you to feel safe and comfortable.”
“So it’s a normal thing to do?”
“Fuck if I know.” His hand squeezed mine as he shrugged his broad shoulders. “Picking women up in bars isn’t really my thing.”
My eyes went wide with surprise since he’d seemed so confident when he told me he wanted to take me home tonight. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” When he stopped at a red light, he lifted our hands and pressed a kiss against my knuckles. “I hadn’t even wanted to go to the bar tonight, but my best friend talked me into it. And now I’m going to owe him big since I found you there.”
The way he was talking, it sounded like he saw this as more than a one-night stand. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part; which was crazy considering the plans I had tomorrow morning. It’d taken me too long to set that into motion, and I couldn’t turn back now—no matter what happened with Ethan tonight.
He must’ve mistaken my silence for disbelief because he squeezed my hand again and said, “It’s been a long damn time since a woman has caught my interest, Madison. And I’ve never reacted to anyone the way I am to you. Trust me when I tell you that this is different. You’re different.”
Any second-thoughts I might have had flew right out the window at his declaration. “I believe you.”
“Good.” He released my hand to grip the wheel as he made a sharp left turn and pulled into a driveway. “Because we’re here.”
Nervous butterflies swirled in my belly when he parked in the garage, got out of the car, and rounded it to open my door. But they disappeared as he reached down to help me out because placing my hand in his felt right. Then he yanked me against his chest and kissed any and all sense out of me. “Hurry up and get me inside.”
“As you wish,” he whispered against my lips.
Walking hand-in-hand, we dashed into his house. We didn’t make it very far, not even bothering to turn on any lights before he pinned me against a wall and devoured my mouth. After he robbed me off all breath, his mouth trailed along my cheek, down to my neck, and finally to the sensitive spot just behind my ear. Running his h
ands through my hair, he ground his hips into me and I felt every hard inch of the proof that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
But it still wasn’t enough, so I yanked him closer. His lips returned to my mine, and I gently sucked his tongue into my mouth. A strangled moan poured out of him, sending a shiver along my spine. Panting, he ripped his mouth from mine and stared down at me with heated, dark eyes. “You taste even better than I imagined.”
“It’s probably just the rum and Coke. Maybe you should’ve been drinking them tonight instead of vodka,” I teased.
He nibbled on my bottom lip and groaned. “Nope, it’s definitely not the rum and Coke, you didn’t even get the chance to drink. It’s all you.”
His hands went under my ass, and he lifted me off my feet. My arms went around his neck, and I dug my fingers into his muscular shoulders. “It’s a good thing I like your kisses more than the drink I missed out on.”
“Then I guess I’d better give you more.”