Flaming Desire - Part 1 (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (6 page)

He glanced at me. “I don’t know,” he said. “I was going to ask, but Dr. Linder cut me off.”

“So let’s take a look at her chart.” I pointed to an iPad tablet laying on the counter near the computer. “The tablet accesses the EMR system we use here at the hospital…” As I directed him through the steps to access the dashboard of the system and then to log on to gain entry into the database of information on the patient, I was pleased to see that he was paying close attention and focusing on his task. He proved to be a quick learner, which didn’t really surprise me. Nothing about this guy surprised me.

As he tapped on the screen and then transferred information into the hospital’s main computer system, I wondered what had drawn him into nursing. Then again, what had drawn me into nursing? Why did most people, men or women, go into the nursing field? It certainly wasn’t money. Nursing was hard. A lot of work, even more stress, oodles of frustration, and moderate pay at best.

“Finished,” he said.

I glanced down at the tablet and then at the computer screen, comparing the data. “Okay, after you click Save, all this data goes to the health information department. Everything will be updated into the hospital system’s database and input into the tele-health system as well. Her primary physician can access the information of everything that happened here, access her chart, and coordinate her care from his office in the event that he can’t get here to see her this evening.”

“She’s not going to be released?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but it’s doubtful. I would assume, with half her scalp lifted from her skull, that they’re going to observe her for a while for signs of subdural hematoma. Even if she is released, I doubt she’d leave the hospital, not with her daughter here.” I shook my head. “I hope they’re able to save her leg.”

Neither of us said anything for several minutes, and then I looked up at the clock and realized it was time to clock out. “Shift’s over. We’ll clock out, and then you can walk me to my car. We need to talk.”

Five minutes later, we emerged from the building. The sun was just beginning to descend into the western horizon, but the early evening air was cool and a slight breeze tugged at my hair. I sighed. I loved my job and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but there were times like today that I really wished I had a full-time job that I could do outdoors.

“What do you want to talk to me about?”

I got right to the point. “I’ve been told that you’ve alienated one of the doctors—”

“Doctor Linder?” Matt asked.

I nodded.

“He’s a prick.”

Startled, I almost laughed. “Didn’t take you long to peg him, did it?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t say anything earlier because I didn’t want to embarrass you for one, and for two, I’m not familiar with how things work at this hospital. But I did see the good doctor leaving the supply closet just moments before Vanessa did. I could tell by the look on his face and the smirk he gave you what had been going on in there.”

I said nothing, surprised that Matt had seen and not said anything.

“Look, I know stuff like this happens in the workplace—any workplace. But what’s the protocol here? Has that happened before?”

I nodded. “It’s a tricky situation,” I explained. “I can’t report him without evidence to back it up. You see, Matt, we’re
just
nurses… and as you know, nurses don’t have that much power when it comes to the doctors and surgeons.” I shrugged. “Most of the physicians here are good people. Still, there are some, like Doctor Linder, who take advantage. I’ve seen it happen elsewhere too. Santa Fe General is not unique.”

“He’s an arrogant ass,” Matt said. “But your point is well taken.”

I nodded and began to walk toward my car, not really surprised that Matt kept in step with me. I didn’t want to be rude and tell him to go away, because to be honest with myself, I didn’t. Still, I had to be careful. I was his mentor, even if it was only for the next couple of days. We would also be going on the ride-alongs with the paramedics in the morning. I was supposed to set a good example, but I didn’t suppose there was anything wrong with him walking me to my car, was there? Besides, it was getting dark, and I appreciated the escort.

“So, Jesse—”

“Jessica,” I sighed.

“So Jessica, what do you do in your downtime?”

I glanced up at him in surprise. “Why?”

He shook his head. “Just an attempt at friendly conversation.”

We were steps away from my car now. I pulled the keys from my purse and pushed a button on the remote. My headlight and taillights flashed, and then I pressed another button. The back window popped open. Reaching for the door handle, I opened the door toward me. I looked up at him only to find him staring at the contents stowed behind the rear passenger seats. “What?”

He grinned. “For one, I just didn’t expect you to drive a Jeep,” he said, shrugging.

“Really?” I asked. “And what exactly did you expect I would drive?” Was he flirting?

“Oh, I don’t know, a Camry maybe, or a Ford Focus.”

I frowned and made a face. “I do a lot of driving between here and Colorado—”

“Seriously?”

I tucked my purse inside a plastic storage crate near the door like I always did, wondering why he stared so curiously at the items in the back. “Yes,” I replied. “I have several friends up there and we get together several times a year—”

He gestured to the supplies I kept for wildfire fighting neatly organized in the back of the Jeep. Ropes. First aid kit. Helmet. Protective gear. He then focused his attention on a pile of supplies tucked up against the back seat. A claw tool. A fire ax, shovel, and beneath the pile, the edge of a firefighter’s helmet. He stared from me to the supplies and back again.

“What?”

“You’ve got quite a rig back there,” he commented. “Mine is almost exactly like it.”

I smiled. You’re an independent contractor too, own your own rig and gear?”

“Most of it,” he said. “If I’m close, I drive, which I’m sure you do as well, considering your choice of vehicles.”

I laughed. He had me pegged. It was a common practice with most contracted wildfire firefighters, hotshots and smoke-jumpers, especially those signed on with the National Forest Service or other agencies. Other than that, independent contractors like us would be grouped into teams and flown into trouble spots by the agency in charge, along with their equipment.

He gave me an appraising look. “Advanced ACLS?”

I nodded. I was Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certified.

He grinned. I felt an odd sense of pleasure and pride.

I closed the back door and then turned to move toward the side of the Jeep. I thought he was going to step back, but he didn’t, and once again, I bumped into him. Felt his rock hard chest. My hand brushed up against his pants and I realized that he was sporting what I sensed was the beginning of a hard-on. Seriously? Just seeing my rig got him off?

He gently placed his hands on my shoulders until I regained my balance. He stared down at me, his expression serious. “I’m just going to throw this out here, Jesse—”

“Jessica,” I said, although my voice only came out a whisper.

“I’m attracted to you,” he said bluntly. “I know you’re my mentor, and I appreciate that and recognize the boundaries. At the same time, as you obviously just felt, I do have to admit that I’m attracted to you.”

I stared at him a moment, not sure he had just said that. Was he always so blunt? Again I felt the heat of the blush travel up into my cheeks, although I doubted he could see it in the growing darkness. Thank goodness for small favors. Desire surged through me. Would it really matter if I admitted the same? I quickly shook my head. Foolishness. I had enough to do without getting involved with someone like Matt. He was obviously a player. I too had seen the looks women had given him today; the contemplation, the open desire in many of their expressions. I might feel the same, but I certainly wasn’t going to admit it. I wasn’t as easy as Vanessa, that was for sure.

“Want to go have a drink, talk about this?”

I took a step back even though I longed more than anything to throw my arms around him, feel his lips on mine, and make out with him. “I don’t drink.”

“I don’t either, really,” he grinned. “Would it be totally inappropriate if I kissed you?”

The switch in topic startled me. “Yes,” I said, my eyes not leaving his for a moment. Nevertheless, I didn’t move as he slowly leaned over me. He was going to kiss me. Every nerve in my body anticipated it while my brain kept shouting at me to walk away. Still, I had nowhere to go. My back was practically pressed up against the side of the Jeep. Matt was standing so close to me that I felt the heat emanating from his body. The truth of the matter was, I didn’t want to escape. I wanted him to kiss me. I just wouldn’t say the words.

He obviously didn’t need them. At first, the touch of his lips was light, feathery, and oh so soft. Then, the pressure gradually increased until I responded. Boy did I! My ears began to ring and I vaguely heard the sound of keys dropping. Oh God, I had never been kissed like this. I refused to contemplate exactly how skilled Matt was at kissing when the tip of his tongue caressed first my upper lip, then my lower one, gently urging my lips apart.

He braced his hands on the hood of the Jeep on either side of my head as his kiss deepened. I didn’t know what to do with my hands, so I tentatively placed them on his waist. I felt his muscles clench at my touch. Oh God. His tongue was in my mouth, swirling, tangling, and teasing mine. After the briefest hesitation, and quite instinctively, my tongue did some tangling of its own.

In seconds, I felt dampness in my panties and my nipples hardened. I felt the pounding of my pulse in my neck. Never in my life had I been kissed so thoroughly, so seductively, and his hands weren’t even touching me! Yet. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever as my bones turned liquid and I felt myself trembling. Then, as suddenly as it began, he lifted his lips from mine, stared down at me a moment, and then straightened.

He cleared his throat. I removed my hands from his waist as he bent down to retrieve the keys I had dropped onto the asphalt. He handed them to me and then grinned.

“Come on, Jesse, let’s go grab a bite and a coke or something. Talk some more.”

I didn’t even try to correct him about my proper name as he turned and began to walk toward a cluster of cars in the next row of vehicles. My body burned with desire even though I tried to tamp it down. Never in my life had I… if the kiss hadn’t stopped when it had, would I have stopped it? Would I have done what I wanted to do? Would I really have unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock like I had watched Vanessa do with Doctor Linder?

Just the thought of it cause the ember of desire burning low in my belly to surge hot again. Damn. I was definitely in trouble now, I thought, following him to his car.

The sunset to the west painted the desert landscape in brilliant orange and purples. Sunrise and sunset were my favorite times of the day. It seemed as if the desert landscape around Santa Fe did its best to awe and inspire every time the sun rose or set. I never minded getting up early because I knew that ju
st seeing the sunrise would lift my spirits.

I followed Matt to his black Ford F-250 with a metal cargo container stored in the bed just below the rear window. I began to have second thoughts about going with him for something to eat. Was I blurring the lines? I knew there were no rules regarding fraternizing outside of the hospital, but after all, I was his mentor for the time being.

Would hooking up with Matt, even one time, blur my objectivity? This was an important time in his career path. Would a fling with him—no matter how much I desired it—prove a distraction not only to me but for him?

From what I had seen today, I doubted if Matt would be apt to make many mistakes, but it had been his first day. And all things told, it had been a relatively calm and quiet day in the ER.

“What do you feel like?” he asked, pressing a button on the remote control that unlocked the doors of the truck.

“Like?” I wasn’t sure of my decision, still focused on whether I should even go with him or not. He appeared to sense my hesitance.

“To eat, Jessie,” he said. “Come on, no big deal, we’ll just get a quick bite to eat and then I’ll bring you back here to the parking lot for your car, okay?”

What was I doing? I didn’t even know him. For all I knew, he could be a serial killer in disguise. I made a noise in my throat and shook my head. Where the hell had
that
come from?

Still, could such a good-looking guy be interested in me? I wasn’t what I considered beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, and I thought I looked okay, but I was no model material. I was put together well enough, but I certainly didn’t have boobs like Megan, fake or not. I was more athletic and muscular than other girls I knew, but just as I thought of my nursing, I took my job as a volunteer wildfire fighter seriously. I worked out every day, could bench press—oh, what the hell?

Hesitantly, I agreed. He opened the passenger side door and as I reached up for the grab handle to climb in, he made his way around the front of the truck and into the driver’s seat. The truck still had that new smell to it, but not super new, so I figured it was at least a couple of months old.

I wasn’t at all surprised that he drove a truck. It seemed as if all the macho, alpha men out here drove trucks, and it was certainly a more common sight on highways from here to Montana than any other vehicle. The interior was clean. When he turned on the ignition, the dashboard lights lit up in reds and blues, casting a dull glow inside the interior of the cab.

“I’m still relatively new to this town. What do you recommend?”

I shrugged. “Nothing fancy. What about McDonald’s?”

He laughed and nodded. “You want McDonald’s, you get McDonald’s.”

I directed him to the closest one only a few blocks away. When we pulled into the parking lot, he turned to me and lifted his eyebrows. I gestured for him to pull through the drive-thru. He did. When he asked me what I wanted and I told him, he laughed again, shaking his head in amusement.

Several minutes later, he pulled out of the drive-thru and parked on the far side of the parking lot. The interior of the cab now smelled of burgers and fries. He turned off the engine and then passed me the Happy Meal box I had ordered while he pulled a box of chicken nuggets from the bag.

For several moments, we ate in silence. While I felt a little awkward, it wasn’t too bad. The silence wasn’t too uncomfortable—in fact, I began to relax, glad that he didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with idle chit-chat.

I ate quickly, more due to habit than out of any sense of nervousness. At work, even during my lunch breaks, I never knew when I would be needed, so didn’t tend to linger over meals. Matt didn’t either. No doubt about it, we shared several things in common which made him even more attractive to me than he already was. I wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. It’d been a long time since I had dated anyone, and to be honest with myself, he hadn’t made any overtures, other than this request to go grab a bite to eat and that kiss. I didn’t consider this a date or anything, merely a gesture of friendship.

The crumbling of soft cardboard and the wrinkling of the fast food bag jolted my thoughts back to the present. I turned and saw that he had finished eating. I was too, leaving half the fries uneaten. I handed him the Happy Meal box and he crumpled that up too, placing all the trash into a plastic grocery bag into the space behind the seat.

I lifted the small Coke cup from the drink holder and placed the straw in my mouth, sipping my Coke while he did the same. He literally siphoned his Coke through the straw until, in only a matter of seconds, I heard the gurgling sputter of the straw sucking on ice cubes. I placed my own half-drained soda back in the cup holder and then turned to face him.

“Matt, I—”

Before I could get the words out of my mouth, he was leaning toward me. Oh God, he was going to kiss me—again. I should refuse, but the thought of his lips on mine once more was too tempting. I threw caution to the wind and met him half way.

When his lips touched mine for the second time, I reacted the same way I had the first time. You’d think I’d never been kissed before! Truth was though, I’d never been kissed like
this
. When his lips met mine, it was as if they were worshiping my lips. The kiss started off soft, almost like the flapping of butterfly wings, and his head moved in just a way that gave so much depth, feeling, and passion to a mere touching of the lips.

I fell immediately under the spell, relishing every sensation that his lips evoked in me. Once again, I realized that what I had experienced before, with other guys’ kisses anyway, couldn’t even compare to this. Matt’s kisses made me feel as if I had been missing out all my life.

As the kiss deepened and his tongue ventured inside my mouth, I felt every muscle in my body relax. I settled against him, and before I knew it, I was lying half on my side and half on my back on the bench seat, my head and shoulders cradled in the crook of his left arm.

His right hand settled on my right hip and his left hand rested on the steering wheel, supporting me in a half-reclining position. My side was pressed against his upper body. So warm. So hard and yet I reveled in the hardness. My buttocks was nestled close to his hips, my right breast touching his chest. His kiss deepened and a low and glorious moan escaped my throat. He responded by deepening the kiss.

Way back in the nether reaches of my mind, I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t allow him to take advantage—no, he wasn’t taking advantage. I was allowing it. Even more so, I invited it. Wanted it. I couldn’t stop myself, couldn’t resist. Every nerve in my body began to thrum and tingle. The burning sensations below my waist were too intense to ignore.

My right arm was trapped between our bodies, but my left hand was free and I tentatively reached up to trace my fingers along his upper arm, along his biceps, and up over his shoulder toward his neck. So solid everywhere I touched. Such heat. Such strength. My hand cradled the side of his face, my fingers tracing the line of his jaw, feeling the stubble of hair against the softness of my fingertips. My fingers found their way into his hair, as they had itched to do since I first saw him. Soft, silky, luscious hair. I wanted to tangle it in my fingers, to revel in the texture and softness of it.

He responded with a groan of his own. Shifting me a bit higher with his left arm, his hand still braced on the steering wheel, his right hand now moved from my hip and up toward my stomach. Every place he touched burned with heat. I tensed my muscles at every touch, and then relaxed, my tongue delving deeply into his mouth. My heart pounded in my chest, my breath coming faster now. Beneath my lower back, I sensed something changing, and realized he had a hard-on. His cock nestled along the inside of his thigh, growing long and firm with every second that passed.

Just the thought that I could make him hard with passion thrilled me. I made another noise in my throat and instinctively lifted my chest, as if offering my breasts to him as a gift. His hand made its way up beneath my scrub top, skimmed along my toned abdomen and upper ribs, leaving burning heat in its wake. He then gently shoved my bra up over my breasts. For several seconds, he didn’t touch me and I nearly cried out in protest. Finally, I felt his index finger tracing around the curvature of my breasts before he cupped one breast with his warm palm, cradling its weight, testing its size. His thumb brushed across my nipple and it responded immediately, hardening into a round nub. His thumb circled the nub and then my areola. My breath came faster now, the pulse in my neck throbbing with desire. I felt dampness between my legs.

I wanted to move, to gasp for breath, but at the same time didn’t want to lose contact with his lips. I had never felt so… I couldn’t even think of a word to describe it. He began to gently rotate my nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and just when I couldn’t stand it anymore, he gently grasped the nipple and pulled, tugging gently, encouraging my nipples to harden even more. More than anything I wanted to feel his mouth where his fingers were producing such wonderful sensations, but our position in the truck wasn’t conducive to me moving one inch.

I began to make noises in my throat, the sounds of my desire and passion demanding more, needing more. His hand left my breast and I mewled in protest. I heard the soft chuckle in his throat as his tongue dove deeper into my mouth, playing tag with mine. His hand inched downward along the smooth skin of my abdomen and then reached the top of my scrubs. With deft fingers, he untied the bow of the shoelace-style string that held my pants just above my hips. Slowly, as if giving me a chance to stop him, he inched his fingers downward.

I couldn’t wait for his hand to touch my pussy, but he seemed to take a great deal of pleasure in teasing me. His hand explored the top of my pubis, gently probing my shaved nest of curls as they ever-so-slowly ventured further south. Then, making a strangled sound in his own throat, he dipped his hand downward, cupping my entire pussy in the warmth of his palm.

He briefly lifted his mouth from mine and murmured. “So warm… so wet…”

Before I could respond, his lips found mine again, his tongue swirling, probing, venturing ever further inside the dark recesses of my mouth while his fingers caressed my wet slit. The palm of his hand nestled against my clitoris. Instinctively, my hips rose up to meet it. With another groan, I pressed upward and then his middle finger probed a moment and then slid deep inside me.

Nearly groaning with ecstasy, I could only go along for the ride he took me on, unable to touch him anywhere while he seemed to more than enjoy evoking a myriad of feelings and sensations in my body. As his finger plunged and then retreated, he kept equal pace with his tongue. As much as I could, I widened my knees, offering him greater access and maneuverability. I was shameless. I was acting like a wanton and didn’t even care. I wanted more.

Beneath my back, his cock hardened into a rock, and his breath accelerated as my passion increased. It seemed as if he enjoyed the journey that took me to my peak, and in my passion, I realized that he was quite an unselfish lover. I wasn’t sure if it was because I hadn’t had sex in so long or it was his gifted fingers and tongue, but in a matter of seconds, my hips were rocking desperately against his firm palm. I encouraged his finger to go deeper, his thumb to rub harder.

He obliged, and with his tongue keeping pace, I felt the waves of ecstasy pulse, thrusting me inexorably to an earth-shattering climax. My internal muscles clenched around his finger, as if desperately seeking to keep him inside me. The waves of contractions continued, releasing a huge rush of endorphins and serotonin that had me riding a wave of bliss for what seemed like forever.

Finally, my breath coming in harsh gasps, he pulled his finger from inside me and slowly pulled his hand from my pants, leaving a trail of warmth and wetness as he did. He began to break off the kiss, as if knowing how to keep pace with my slowly ebbing contractions.

Seconds later, he gazed down at me and smiled.

“Well,” he said.

I stared up at him, feeling like a lethargic lump of jelly. My head was spinning, the blood still racing through my veins. I tried to speak, but the only sound that issued from my throat was a faint squeaking noise. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Well indeed,” I said. I made a move to sit up, and he helped me back onto my side of the seat. I felt warm and lethargic. I stared down at his crotch a moment, saw the hard length of his erection along his thigh and then reached out my hand to stroke it.

He groaned. Leaning slightly back in his seat, he fumbled with the string of his own scrub pants. With one swift move, he reached inside and pulled his dick from his pants. His cock was engorged, pointing straight up at the ceiling. Without even hesitating, I repositioned myself on the seat and lowered my head to take him into my mouth. Thoughts of Vanessa and Doctor Linder briefly flashed through my mind, and then I pushed them away. That had been disgusting. This… this was amazing.

The tip of his cock was slick, and I sucked on it for a moment as if I were sucking on a Popsicle. He made a low groan in his throat as he leaned his head back, his left hand still on the steering wheel, his right hand now gently resting on my upper back, fingers splayed. He wasn’t guiding me so I had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted. I did.