She grunted from the rapid, deep plunges, loving the rough possession as much as her Master’s ejaculation spewing down her throat. Another pinch on her clit tossed her into the throes of climax again, this time the pleasure as intense as his possession. Forced to relinquish Kurt’s softening cock, she wrapped her arms around his hips and laid her head on his damp crotch, bracing herself for the continued onslaught.
“That’s my girl, Krista. Give him more of your sugar, baby, for me,” Kurt crooned as he sifted his fingers through her hair, his soft, coaxing voice pushing her towards another climax as Dax rammed into her over and over. Dax pulled two more orgasms from her before releasing his own on a loud grunt.
Krista jerked upright in bed, her sweat-slick body shaking, her heart pounding so hard she feared it would burst through her chest. She’d never dreamed of that night in such vivid detail before, and never had the dream focused on Dax more than Kurt. Flinging back the covers, she padded through the dark into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Drinking it, she was reminded of the bottled water he’d thrust at her last night and the smoldering heat in his glare. She’d never seen him so pissed, which was probably why he’d stalked off and sent Sandie to keep her company until they reached the marina.
Most of the drive back to her house had been spent in uncomfortable silence, broken only once when he’d cursed missing a light, and once when he’d pulled up at her bungalow and asked if she would be all right. Her butt hurt, her nipples still throbbed and her pussy remained empty, so she’d been tempted to toss back, ‘Hell no, I’m not all right.’ Instead, she’d replied with a terse, ‘I’m fine.’ His easy acceptance of that evasive answer added to her overall disappointment and she’d fallen into bed with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Krista’s low curse and the slam of her glass on the counter echoed in the darkened great room. How dare he? Gazing out the window above the kitchen sink, she felt a slow, simmering anger build inside her. First he’d avoided her after Kurt fell ill, making sure he timed his visits to their house as she was leaving, or didn’t stick around if she returned and he was still there. The friendly, concerned doctor she’d known before their one night together only showed his face at the hospital, when others were around. Then he’d bailed on her and his promise to Kurt after the funeral. She remembered how happy she’d been hearing he was back, the slow roll of her heart when she’d first seen him entering the OR room and he’d looked at her as he had before he’d ever been invited to share her body.
But last night had been the worst betrayal. She hadn’t asked him to top her, hadn’t wanted to go there with him even though she knew she’d be comfortable with him. He’d barged in and insisted on taking over when she’d been weak from the first orgasm she’d had in over two years, one brought on by his mouth and hands. That wasn’t fair, just as withholding himself wasn’t. And, damn it, it just pissed her off. She had one day to get herself under control, to be able to see him again and hide her hurt and anger, and act like everything was okay. And to get up the nerve to tell him it was over.
Krista’s anger sustained her through a dreary, rainy Sunday, made longer when Alessa called to say she couldn’t make their weekly get-together. Struck with nauseating menstrual cramps every month that kept her in bed with a heating pad or hanging over the commode, her friend hadn’t found anything to alleviate the awful ordeal that kept her down for the first day or two.
Monday morning, Krista managed to set aside her ill temper and vowed not to let Dr. Dax Hayes see how much he’d hurt her.
As luck would have it, he was the first person Krista saw when she entered the OR, a smile stretching his sensuous mouth, his green eyes lit with pleasure as he conversed with Marybeth. Her heart rolled over and her throat clogged with an emotion she was very much afraid resembled jealousy. Maybe she didn’t need to tell him it was over. That should relieve her, but it just left her feeling sad.
“Good morning, Krista,” Shelly greeted her, drawing her attention away from the couple.
“Hey, Shelly.” Before she could think it through, she rushed ahead and asked her supervisor, “Has your position been filled yet?”
“No, please tell me you’re interested,” she answered, leading the way into the vacant employee lounge. “I have to turn in my top three choices among the applicants by the end of this week. I’ll include you, if you want it. But remember, the only time you’ll be assisting will be when we’re short-handed. Otherwise, it’s a lot of administrative duties.”
Which didn’t appeal to Krista in the least, but it would keep her from having to work side by side with Dax, forced to hear his deep voice and watch those talented hands work their magic on his patients as efficiently as he had on her body. Before she could change her mind, she blurted, “Yes, I’m ready for a change.”
“Okay, I’ll let you know what the big boss decides, but I’ll name you as my top pick.”
“Thanks, Shelly. I’m going to miss you.”
Marybeth entered just then, along with another nurse, her look smug when she glanced at them then turned away, as if offering them a morning greeting was beneath her.
“There are some things, and people, I won’t miss,” Shelly muttered under her breath.
Krista didn’t see Dax again until Wednesday morning, and she patted herself on the back when she passed him in the hall and greeted him with a friendly, but reserved, “Good morning, Dr. Hayes.” She didn’t wait to hear the question in his eyes as she rushed to add, “I’m needed in OR three, stat. Have a nice day, Doctor.” She felt his frown and questioning gaze follow her into the room and didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the door swung shut behind her and he didn’t follow.
Later that day, after checking the rest of the week’s schedule, her heart sank and her irritation stirred anew. It wasn’t the heart valve repair she was assigned to assist him with in the morning that bothered her as much as seeing she’d been given Friday off and scheduled to come in on Saturday. Since she’d already worked her monthly weekend for September and knew Saturday was the picnic Marybeth had been coordinating to celebrate Dax’s return, she suspected the nurse had something to do with the schedule change.
Krista thought about lying and telling the manipulating woman she was welcome to him, but why stoop so low? She had only herself to blame for opening her heart for the possibility of more with the one man besides Kurt who encouraged her submissive tendencies and seemed to understand her needs. She left work vowing to get herself under control and to make sure Dax knew their temporary arrangement had ended.
That was easier said than done, she discovered the next morning as he entered the room she was still prepping for their surgery. Being alone with him again, even with the length of the room separating them, caused her to fumble the pack of sterilized instruments she’d tossed onto the cart, and one dropped.
“Damn it,” she swore, picking it up then scooping all of them back into the bag.
“Calm down.” Dax crossed the room and took the now contaminated bag of surgical tools from her tight grip. Squeezing her arm in reassurance, he maintained his light clasp as he said, “It’s no big deal. Grab another bag and tell me why you’ve been avoiding me all week.”
He used his stern Dom voice, which shook Krista’s resolve for a moment, then Marybeth breezed in and blistered her with a scathing glare when she noticed his hand on her before schooling her features. “Goodness, don’t you have this room prepped yet, Krista? Our patient is on his way in.”
Stepping away from Dax, Krista replied coolly, “I have just one more tool cart to see to.” She ignored his scowl and Marybeth’s smirk, and went about her job as others entered the room along with the gurney holding their patient.
With nothing but the surgery bed separating them for the next two hours, Krista couldn’t avoid looking into Dax’s penetrating green eyes every time she handed him an instrument. Dax never let anything interfere or distract him from his work, and that included her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same
about herself when Marybeth brought up the picnic.
“Saturday looks like it’ll be perfect weather for our picnic, Dr. Dax,” she all but purred as she brushed her arm next to his.
Clay, the attending physician’s assistant, and the anesthetist both commented how they were looking forward to it before Dax pinned her with a look and asked, “And you, Krista? Are you looking forward to it?”
“Sorry, Doctor.” She slapped the clamp into his outstretched hand with noticeable force. “I’m working Saturday. I’m sure everyone will have a good time.” Between the letdown and sense of betrayal she couldn’t shake from his refusal last weekend to fuck her, and now her uncharacteristic, unjustified jealousy when they weren’t even in a committed relationship, her emotions were all over the place, leaving her with the only plausible explanation. She was in love with a man who didn’t love her.
That revelation caused her hand to shake and she almost dropped the small sponge he’d asked for into the patient’s open chest, drawing an outraged gasp from Marybeth. “Really! If you can’t be more careful, then maybe these cases are too complicated for you to handle.”
Stiffening her shoulders, Krista addressed Dax, who scowled at her. “Sorry, Doctor. It won’t happen again.”
“Let’s concentrate on our patient, people, and not the weekend’s social calendar,” he rebuked both of them.
Krista studiously avoided looking at his face again, and only spoke when asked a direct question for the next hour. Her relief when Dax ordered the PA to close up was short-lived when he snapped at her. “Krista, leave the clean-up for now and follow me.” Marybeth’s Cheshire Cat smirk grated on her already frayed nerves as she stripped off her gloves, mask and gown and followed his angry stride into the small, private doctor’s lounge, her heart tripping with her newfound feelings.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Dax demanded as soon as the door shut behind them. “Does your attitude have something to do with your disobedience last weekend?”
Krista stiffened. Looking into his cold face and hearing the derision behind his question, she knew she couldn’t do this, knew she had to sever all ties if she was going to get over him. She couldn’t keep walking down this dead-end road. “I’m sorry, Doctor…”
Slicing his hand between the gap separating them, he ground out, “Cut the crap, Krista. We’ll—”
Her anger rose so fast, it surprised even her when she got in his face. “I apologized for my careless job performance, Doctor. If that’s not good enough for you, I’ll gladly turn in my resignation. I don’t need this crap.”
She spun out of the room and went back to work before he could stop her, the scathing tone of his voice when he’d reduced her feelings to crap still ringing in her ears. Maybe that was unfair, since he had no clue how she felt, which she realized now was why she’d taken his rejection of sex again so personally. It wouldn’t have bothered her if any other Dom preferred her mouth over her pussy. Hunting down Shelly, she got permission to clock out early since the afternoon schedule was so light, and drove home in a blur of unshed tears.
Chapter 12
Tipping her head back, Krista drained the wine glass, her eyes taking in the star-studded, inky black sky, noting the flash of lightning off in the distance. Good. The start of hurricane season always increased the chance of severe thunderstorms, and tonight she was in the mood for one. The sultry night air did little to thaw the chill she’d suffered from since Thursday. It certainly hadn’t improved her mood when she’d found out this afternoon Marybeth had been the one responsible for her working today, and missing Dax’s welcome back picnic. Was he with her now? Had they carried the afternoon celebration on into the dark hours of the night, in private? Her lips curled as she reached for the wine bottle on the table next to her and rocked the patio glider with one bare foot. If so, maybe he’d shock the nurse with a swat on her fat ass, or by pinning her against the side of her house. For all her promiscuous ways, Krista doubted Marybeth would respond well to his dominant preferences. Not like Krista would, and did.
Looking at the wine bottle, she was surprised to see how much she’d already gone through, then gave a mental shrug and emptied it into her glass. Okay, she had to concede Marybeth didn’t have a fat ass, damn it. And she had longer legs, bigger boobs and pretty blonde hair instead of dullsville brown. Double damn it. Well, if that was what—who—he wanted, he could have her. No, no he can’t, the least sober part of her brain argued. He should have to pay for making her fall in love with him, shouldn’t he? It wasn’t fair to finally admit she was ready to move on from the grief and loneliness that had consumed her for the past eighteen months only to be rejected by the first man, and Dom, she enjoyed submitting to since losing Kurt. When would she learn life wasn’t fair?
The familiar, smooth purr of a vintage Corvette penetrated her foggy senses, but she ignored the hope that sputtered to life inside her. It wasn’t him, and even if he did surprise the hell out of her by showing up tonight, she wouldn’t welcome him. No, she was done with Dr. Dax Hayes; not going there again.
He should let it go, Dax lectured himself yet again as he pulled up in front of Krista’s home at 11:00 pm Saturday night. God knew, he shouldn’t be here now. He was pissed. Not at her, but at his own weakness and the mistake he’d made in dropping her off last weekend without pulling the truth about her defiance out of her. It was her eyes, they got to him every time. She tried with body language and facial expressions to hide her emotions, but those damned eyes gave her away every time. When she was angry, they spit blue fire. They widened and her pupils dilated, drenching them with neediness when her submissive nature took hold, and swam with unshed tears he couldn’t resist when sadness or disappointment weighed her down.
Dax knew he should turn around and leave, but when had he ever acted wisely when it concerned Krista Matthews? If it had to end, then he wanted to at least try and salvage their friendship. That was the reasoning that propelled him here tonight after spending an afternoon avoiding Marybeth’s obvious overtures. When he’d asked Shelly about Krista’s shift change after hearing her tell him in surgery she’d be working, her supervisor had been only too happy to tell him who was responsible. He’d never dated or had an affair with anyone from work except Krista, and knowing Marybeth’s reputation for making the rounds with most of the doctors and residents, she would have been his last choice, had he been so inclined.
Krista’s refusal to take his calls the last two days had soured his mood further. Stomping up to the front door, he rapped sharply, not caring if he startled her. He wanted to know what her problem was, both last weekend and during surgery. Part of his job as her Dom was to see to her needs, and he couldn’t do that if she hid from him. The way she’d deliberately misconstrued his meaning when he’d told her to cut the crap still burned. One way or another, even if their short relationship was over, he intended to get to the bottom of her attitude.
Fisting his hand, he knocked louder and rang the bell again, but still no answer. Her Jeep sat in the drive and lights shone from several windows, so she was here, and awake. Marching around the side of the house, he headed to the back to rap on the glass slider. Thunder rumbled overhead as he rounded the corner and spotted Krista sitting on a glider, a nightshirt bunched up around her hips, with one foot curled under her, the other on the ground pushing the seat back and forth. She whipped her head around as he approached, and even with just a meager glow shining from a sconce next to the back door, he could make out the shock in her gaze.
Then she surprised him with her quick turnabout and sarcastic drawl. “Well, if it isn’t Dr. Hayes. Don’t you have better things to do than torment me?”
Krista’s heart leapt then stuttered as he crossed the yard and patio with slow, stealthy steps, the swirling anger in his eyes pinning her in place. Part of her wondered if the wine consumption had conjured him up, but when he stood before her and she could feel the heat of his probing eyes, she knew he was real, and here. And that stirr
ed to life her own temper.
“First you defy my order, then you refuse to give me a direct explanation for your poor behavior at work, then you ignore my calls for two days. You’re really racking them up, little one.”
“I’ve told you, don’t call me that.” Even if she now loved hearing the endearment, she couldn’t forget him if he continued to curl her toes with the way his voice went soft and caressing with those two words.
“I want to know what’s wrong.” He fisted his hands on his hips and continued to glare at her, as if causing this rift fell on her shoulders.
Krista had to crane her head back to look up at him and since he stood right in front of her, she couldn’t stand without shoving him aside. Somehow, she didn’t think he’d budge for her. “Nothing. You’ve done a great job. I’m ready to move on now, so if you left Marybeth’s bed early to come by here for seconds, you’ve wasted your time.”
Oh, she really didn’t like that smug look or his slow, drawled reply. “Jealous, little one?”
She snorted, wondering why she kept this up. Experience had taught her there was never a way to win with a Dom. Desperate to have him gone, she blurted without thinking, “You made it clear you don’t want me, but even so, she’s welcome to you.”
“Where on earth did you get the idea I don’t want you?” Dax knew—or suspected—that opinion stemmed from his not fucking her. She didn’t know he’d denied himself that pleasure out of sheer desperation to be able to walk away when the time came. But hearing the jealousy in her voice and seeing the hurt in her eyes killed whatever resolve he had managed to hold on to. Fear of her learning the truth and turning from him in hatred churned in his gut and increased his anger over the impossible corner he’d backed himself into.
As soon as it registered she’d revealed more than she wanted with that statement, she slid over and jumped to her feet, her stance combative as she fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I’m done with this, with you, Dr. Hayes. Leave the way you came.” When she went to step around him, he shifted and blocked her escape with his body but managed to keep his hands to himself even when hearing her say she was done with him snapped the last thread holding his emotions in check.