Hellraiser (Erotic Romance - Romantic Comedy) (5 page)

“I only dress up when I know I’ll have a lot of younger patients. Today it’s been mostly older kids. Well, except for Pepé Le Puke who lost his breakfast bug all over you.”

He frowned, studying her face. “You sure that’s all? I thought maybe you were pissed off because I kissed you this morning.”

Sam inhaled a sharp breath and covered her heart with her hand. She hadn’t expected him to just blurt that out. “No--I--no, not at all.” She tripped all over her words and felt her pulse go wild. “Why did you do it?”

“Damned if I know. Spontaneity has never been my strong point.”

She wanted to ask him to do it again, but didn’t. This man was jumbling up her thoughts and feelings and she had no idea how to make sense out of any of it. Sam swallowed hard. “Well, so far so good.”

Zach have a soft snort then turned and walked toward the bathroom.

Watching the doorway long after he’d left, Sam began to wonder if she should avoid being in the kitchen with Zach. This room seemed to bring out a very different side of him. Trouble was, she kind of liked that side of him.

Chapter Four

The following morning Zach stepped out of the shower, already in a bad mood, wondering what fun surprises today would bring. Once again he had been awoken by Sam’s loud music, this time it was the Beach Boys
California Girls
. Recalling their run-in the previous morning and how he had given into temptation and kissed her, he opted for a long shower instead. He hoped by the time he had finished getting dressed she would be downstairs in the office or in her room, then he could drink a cup of coffee in peace without being at the receiving end of her machine gun conversations.

As he dried himself off, thoughts of their kiss seeped into his brain. Until this very moment he hadn’t let himself mull over it very much. He wanted to tell himself that it was a spur of the moment thing and that it would never happen again. But, dammit, the way she responded to him had his fantasies kicking in, and he was eager for the next time when he’d kiss her…or more.

It had taken every ounce of power within him to act completely cool and nonchalant after the kiss. In reality, he wanted to scoop her up and carry her right to his bead and forget about work altogether. The woman was sweet, kooky, and passionate beyond anything imaginable. She was also annoying as hell, and he was a man who had no business even pondering an affair when his life was in such utter ruins.

With these thoughts running through his mind and his erection quickly springing to life, the door to the bathroom suddenly burst open. Zach stood up straight and saw Sam standing there with a surprised look on her face. “Do you mind?” He held the towel in front of him. When he looked down in the direction which she was gawking he saw that his dick pressed against the towel and seemed to be pointing right at her. He cleared his throat and held the towel a few inches away but still hiding his nakedness and arousal from her.

“I’m sorry.” Her gaze shot up to his face. “I’ve lived alone for two years and it’s just habit to walk into a room without knocking. I don‘t usually find naked men in my bathroom.”

He gave a curt nod. “Understandable, but I hope you get used to knocking soon. The lock is broken on the door handle.”

She held onto the doorknob but didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. “I was going to get that fixed but didn’t see any need to.” Her gaze roamed over him from his feet to his face and back again. Zach never felt so thoroughly examined.

He stared back at her wide-eyed. “Do you mind if we carry on this conversation when I’m dressed?”

That seemed to snap her out of it. She gave a soft laugh, waved him off and said, “Party pooper.” She finally left, closing the door. Zach heard her let out a soft moan on the other side of the door. The sound skated from his ears and poured down into his groin, adding more strength to his erection. Zach let out a moan himself as he dropped the towel and reached down grasping his shaft. Though self-love was a poor substitute for the real thing, he needed the release.

Putting his palm flat on the tiled wall to his left, he slid his right hand up to the head of his dick and down to the base in a steady rhythm. Within a minute he felt the tension gather in his balls as he allowed himself the luxury to fantasize about Sam in a French maid outfit, sliding her feminine body over his, teasing him with licks and nips until she came to rest between his thighs. He imagined her taking his stiff cock into her mouth, her full lips wrapping around his shaft as she sucked him. Now he had her on all-fours, lifting up the frilly skirt of her costume. In his fantasy she wasn’t wearing panties so he slid right into her, holding her hips as he stood on his knees and slowly pumped in and out of her tight pussy.

Zach felt the orgasm racing up so he grabbed the towel and bit on it to keep himself from crying out. He was always loud in the bedroom and didn’t want Sam to hear him jerking off in the bathroom. As he climaxed, he envisioned Sam coming at the same time he did, his hands on her breasts as he drove into her a final time until they collapsed on the bed weak and spent.

His heart felt like it was going to burst. It had been a long time since he’d allowed himself to fantasize and he felt a bit mortified that it had been centered on Sam. He’d known the woman all of two days! But, she had a way of getting under a man’s skin--in good and bad ways.

He cleaned up and shrugged off the feelings of shame. She’d never know he had masturbated to images of her, though every time he saw her now he’d picture her in a damnable French maid outfit.

Running a comb through his hair, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He didn’t like instability in his life. He loved structure, schedules, normalcy, and being as busy as possible. Here with Sam he had a lot of time to think, too much it seemed by his actions just a moment ago.

The guy in the mirror looked back at him and smiled. He hated that goofy-assed expression so he turned away, forcing a deep scowl that he hoped would stick.

* * *

The next few days went by with relative smoothness. A case of the flu was going around so most of their patients only needed exams and prescriptions for antibiotics and fever reducers. Zach seemed to be settling in okay, though Sam got the impression he was doing his best to avoid her. They’d meet in the morning for a little while after he had already showered and she had eaten. They would have a cup of coffee over mundane conversation and silent, uncomfortable stares.

After the other morning when she walked in on him naked and aroused she had constantly felt aware and eager to be in his company. One time yesterday she had stood at his bedroom doorway watching in silence while he looked outside the window. She wondered what he was thinking and feeling. If he was counting down the days until the lease was up, missing his ex, wishing he was vacationing in Hawaii, who knows what thoughts were going through his mind? She had quickly discovered that Zach Taylor was a man of few words and carefully guarded feelings. It drove her nuts.

As she sat at the reception desk confirming a few appointments for the following day, the mother of Zach’s last patient paid and left in a hurry. Sam thought it was strange since most parents tended to talk a bit before leaving, but she was glad that the workday was over. She locked the front door and flipped over the sign so it read
closed
then went in search of Zach.

“Oh, for shit’s sake.” She heard him muttering from the bathroom used for the patients. The door was closed so she knocked, her pulse picking up speed as she recalled barging in on him when he had just stepped out of the shower.

“Is everything okay?”

The doorknob twisted and Zach stood there looking both angry and helpless as he pulled on the stick of a lollipop that seemed to be stuck in his hair.

“Oh my!” Sam laughed.

“Glad you find this so friggin’ funny.” He went back to the mirror, trying to tug the candy out.

Sam went into the small room. “Don’t keep doing that, you’ll just make it worse. Bend your head so I can get a better look. How did that happen, anyway?” It was stuck good.

“One of the patients, a four-year-old girl, was crying after her shot so I gave her a piggy back ride. Somehow her sucker got lodged in my hair.”

“That’s why I give kids lollipops on their way out. I sat on one once and didn’t notice that I had a lime sucker stuck to my butt all day long.” She tried pulling the hair off the candy, but there was just too much. “I think I’m going to have to cut it out.”

He took a step back from her and shook his head. “What if I wash my hair? Or maybe try peanut butter, I’ve heard that that works.”

She pursed her lips as she eyed the sticky red mess. “It works on taking gum out of hair, thought I’m not sure about a lollipop, but let’s give it a try.”

Sam led Zach up to the kitchen and retrieved the jar of peanut butter. “Have a seat.” She gestured to one of the chairs and he took one. Walking back over, she stood directly in front of him and scooped out some of the gooey peanut butter and smeared it on the candy. She massaged it in, taking her time, enjoying the nearness of him. “I’m not sure if this is working.” Her voice was low and she felt a wave of familiar wooziness wash over her as she felt his hands on her hips.

“Keep trying. It might take awhile.” Sam noted that Zach’s voice was as smooth and rich as hot fudge dripping down a sundae. He ran his hands up her rib cage then back down to her hips and up again in a slow sexy way that had her aching to sit on his lap and kiss him.

As if propelled into another dimension, Sam wasn’t even sure what she was doing now. The lollipop was as stuck as ever and Zach had peanut butter all over the top of his head. He looked up at her and the desire she saw in his eyes made her breath catch. The smell of peanut butter filled the air and she couldn’t help but find it slightly erotic.

He didn’t make a move and she wondered if he was waiting for her to kiss him this time. So she did. Sensations and emotions washed over her as she pressed her mouth closer to his and sat on his lap. Opening her mouth wider, she slid her tongue into his mouth and felt his join in the dance. Her arms went around his neck and she squirmed on his lap, yearning for closer contact, longing for less clothes and more friction between their bodies.

She felt his warm hand slide under her blouse and up to cup one of her lace covered breasts. When he pinched her nipple she gasped and he swallowed the sound. For a moment she trailed kisses over his firm jaw and down his neck, biting gently then with more pressure as he spurred her on with whispered words of encouragement.

Zach pulled her top up and licked her nipples through her bra. Sam wanted to feel him closer so reached in back of her and unhooked the item of clothing, uncaring that she was getting peanut butter on it. When her breasts were freed he took each one in his hands and rubbed his face over them. Sam closed her eyes at the ecstasy of his touch then inhaled a sharp breath when he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked it.

Just as she was about to forget the candy in his hair, the peanut butter that was here, there and everywhere now, and drag him to her bedroom, her cell phone rang.
No!
She didn’t want this interruption. She wanted to be swept away on this cloud of lust and see where she and Zach drifted.

The doctor in her knew she couldn’t ignore the call though. “I’m sorry.” She stood up and pulled her blouse down then turned away from Zach, trying to catch her breath. She carefully reached into the pocket of her jeans and took out her cell, holding it between two fingers so she wouldn‘t end up with a gooey mess all over it. The call was short; a father whose daughter had fallen off her bike and may have broken her arm. Since the office here couldn’t handle x-rays and casts, she directed him to the nearest urgent care then hung up.

She turned back around and Zach’s expression was unreadable. How could he do that? Get all worked up then just turn to stone. It bothered the hell out of her.

“Zach, I--”

“Let’s just get this out of my hair, shall we?”

Sam let out a low growl of frustration and went to wash her hands then rummaged around in the whatnot drawer. “Sure thing.” She came back with a pair of scissors.

“What are you going to do with those?” He made a move to stand but she put a hand on his shoulder holding him in place.

“Look, you want the candy out of your hair, we tried the peanut butter and you see where that got us.” She watched as his eyes dipped down to her lips and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “This is Plan Z, and I doubt we’ll get into any trouble considering a sharp object is involved.”

“Go for it.” He looked straight ahead then closed his eyes as if the procedure would be painful or bloody.

“All done.” She tossed the wad of hair covered candy into the trash.

He reached up and felt the area. “Thanks.”

“Why don’t you go take a shower and get all of that peanut butter out of your hair and I’ll make dinner?” She neglected to tell him that there was now a bald spot where the candy used to be. Okay, maybe she cut it a bit shorter than she needed to, but she was slightly miffed that he could kiss her like she’d never been kissed before then act like he had total amnesia about it.

“Sounds good. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” He seemed eager to leave her presence. Truth is, she was eager too. She needed time to collect her senses. Would it always be like this while he was living here? If so, she had half a mind to burn that damnable lease to ashes.