Midnight Kiss (10 page)

Autumn glanced up. Was he serious? No one had ever mentioned her talking in her sleep before. What could she have been dreaming of? At least she hadn’t mentioned anything about the police force. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know I talked in my sleep.”

He noticed her sadness and relief. What was she scared of revealing? “Hey, it’s okay.” He placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose and was rewarded with a smile. Her naked breasts brushed against his chest. Desire stirred to life in the morning light. Thane moved a fraction of an inch away from the temptation. What he needed was safe ground. Somewhere where he could stand back and get the proper perspective on last night. “What do you usually do on a Sunday morning?”

“Read the morning paper.”

“Great!” A ten-minute drive should cool his libido. “Would you like me to get you one?”

Autumn frowned at the tone of his voice. He sounded as though he couldn’t get away fast enough. She backed away, taking the blanket with her. “You don’t have to get me the paper, Thane. I’m sure it’s on the porch by now.”

He was puzzled by her sudden retreat. “Right, paperboys.”

Nothing could be more awkward then waking up next to the wrong person. It was obvious he was having some problem adjusting to the situation. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him and regret for herself. “Thane?”

His gaze was fastened on the edge of the blanket covering the sweet swell of her breasts. Dozens of freckles danced with every breath she took. “Hmmm . . .”

“Let’s pretend this never happened. You go back to being the stuffy doctor and I’ll continue being the pain in your butt.” It sounded like a fair deal to her, considering it was breaking her heart.

Thane nearly fell out of bed in shock. His mind drew a blank for three seconds, before he roared, “What in the hell are you talking about?”

Autumn grasped the blanket tighter. “I’m letting you off the hook.”

“What hook?”

“Look, Mister First-Class-All-the-Way, I’m not used to this kind of scene, so sorry if I’m not as sophisticated as some of your bed partners.” Suspicious moisture gathered in her eyes. “You obviously want to leave, so go.”

Thane closed his mouth with a snap. “Where did you get that idea from?”

“Should I ignore the fact you have a foot on the floor and one eye on the door?”

He jerked his leg up and slid it under the blanket. “You’re right. I was ready to bolt.” He reached out his fingers and tenderly caressed her cheek. “I wanted to put some space between us.”

“Why?”

Thane brushed back a patch of wild curls from her creamy shoulder. “I told you yesterday. I’m scared.” His lips were gentle as they traced her delicate collarbone. “You do something to me.”

Her voice was a mere whisper as she asked, “What?”

“You make me forget I’m a doctor.” His mouth kissed a tantalizing freckle. “You’re showing me there is a lighter side to life.” He tugged at the blanket and uncovered a feast of speckles. “I wanted to leave so that I could gather my control before we make love again.”

The flush of delight swept up Autumn’s throat and onto her cheeks. He wasn’t leaving! Soft pillows cushioned her back as he lowered back down onto the bed. “Thane?”

He raised his mouth and kissed his name from her lips. “Hmmm . . . ?”

She smiled seductively. “I love the way you lose control.”

#

Autumn stretched on her toes, grabbed the light fixture for balance, and pushed in the last thumbtack. Casper was now hung. When she had made the ghost for the party, Thane had insisted she paint the face smiling and happy, instead of frightful, hence the name Casper. She climbed down the ladder and admired her work.

The game room was slowly turning into a haunted theater. Casper had a wing span of over six feet and seemed to be soaring down from the heavens. Black material was hung to hide the supply cabinets and to add a dark, dreary feeling to the room. Rubber bats, spiders, and frothy webs hung from light fixtures. All the furniture had been removed except the chairs, large-screen television, and one table against the back wall, which was going to serve as the refreshment center. The room was almost ready for the following day when the film festival would begin. All it needed was the plastic lifelike skeleton she had christened Horace from Thane’s office. She knew Horace would make the perfect usher, but Thane was proving a little bit harder to convince.

Thinking of Thane caused her heart rate to accelerate. Five nights of glorious loving hadn’t dulled the excitement she felt whenever he walked into a room. She was falling deeper in love with each passing night, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She knew it could never last. Some higher being was teasing her with impossible things. Thane Clayborne would never love a coward.

She glanced one last time around the room and nodded. Not bad for one night’s work. She packed up her tools and turned off the lights. Time to find Thane, who had been helping to decorate but had been called away to examine one of his patients complaining about chest pains. She closed the game room doors and headed for his office. Time was her enemy. One day Thane would find out what had happened in the back alley in New York and despise her, but until that day she was going to grab every precious moment and hang on for dear life.

Autumn stepped into his office and silently watched him work. This was the Thane that held her in awe. His nose was buried in a thick book, and concentration was etched into his face. The desk light encircled him in its glare, and the desk was littered with open books and magazines. Doc Clayborne was trying to save the world, one elderly senior citizen at a time.

Being careful not to make a sound, she placed her bag on the floor and sat down on the couch near the door. She kicked off her sneakers, tucked her feet under her, and silently watched the man she loved.

Thane closed his eyes and massaged the back of his neck. Why was the answer eluding him? He had been over Harvey’s symptoms a hundred times in his mind, but they weren’t adding up to a diagnosis. Some piece of the puzzle was still missing. He pinched the bridge of his nose trying to relieve the strain. He glanced at his watch and jumped up. It was almost midnight. He had completely forgotten about Autumn.

He glanced toward the door and spotted her. She was curled up on the couch sound asleep. He walked across the room and knelt down in front of her. How long had she been there? His hand was tender as he brushed back a mass of curls and studied her. With her creamy-soft complexion and sweet mouth, Autumn had the face of an angel. And Lord knew she was no angel. Angels didn’t turn another person’s life completely upside down.

Thane nibbled on her ear. “Honey, time to wake up. Come on, sleepyhead, let’s go home.”

In her half-wakened state Autumn smiled. She liked the way he said home. It sounded so ordinary and everlasting tumbling off his lips. “What time is it?”

“Midnight.” He lightly brushed her lips with his.

Her arms encircled his neck. “I like kisses at midnight.”

Thane chuckled and shook his head. “You would.” He glanced at the open door to his office and sighed. “Let’s go home, and you can have all the kisses you like.”

She lightly blew in his ear and pouted. “By then it won’t be midnight.”

His lips captured the sexy pout in a heated kiss. Desire flowed down his back as the tip of her tongue traced his lip. He placed his hands on her shoulders and broke the fevered embrace. He glanced at the illuminated face of his watch. “We still have five minutes.” He pulled her up off the couch and shoved her sneakers into her hands. “Hurry up.”

Autumn stifled a giggle as Thane switched off the light and yanked her down the hall. She loved it when he lost control. It proved they did have something in common, and it made him more human. They slipped by the last nurse’s station without anyone noticing and made their escape out across the parking lot.

Autumn hopped from one foot to the other as cold moisture from the asphalt soaked into her socks. “Hurry up. I’m losing the feeling in my toes.”

Thane finally jammed the right key into the car door and unlocked it. He quickly shoved her onto the seat and slid in after her. The slamming of the door and the starting of the engine filled the night air. “Why didn’t you put your shoes on?”

She watched as he played with some controls on the dash. “You didn’t give me any time.”

He reached for her feet and yanked the damp socks off. His hands were warm as they started to rub the circulation back into them. “Some doctor I am.”

Autumn rested her back against the passenger door as the heat of his hands traveled up her legs. “Everything would have been fine if you didn’t always insist on locking your car.” A purr of satisfaction filled the chilly car as heat poured into it. “Who do you think is going to steal if from the parking lot of a rest home? The over-the-hill gang?”

He placed one toasty foot on his thigh and reached for the other. “Who was the one whispering what she wanted to be doing at the stroke of midnight in my ear as I tried to find the right key?”

Autumn’s laugh was low and full of promise as she slowly rotated the foot resting on his lap. She glanced at the clock on the dash. “We have two minutes.”

Disbelief mixed with excitement. “You can’t be serious! We’re in a parking lot.”

Her foot pressed her advantage. “There’s not a soul around.” Graceful fingers started to undo the row of buttons down her blouse. “I missed you today.”

Thane’s gaze never left the pale strip of skin being revealed as he turned off the engine. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” He ran his hands up over her jean-clad calves and thighs. “We have a nice warm bed at home.”

Autumn slid lower on the seat and rubbed against his arousal. Her lips were moist and hot against his ear. “I want you, Thane.”

He reached for the snap on her jeans. Why did she have to say that? He might have been able to control his desire long enough to drive them home. But not after her sweet voice admitted wanting him. It was the closest she had ever come to expressing her feelings. His mouth was demanding as he unzipped her jeans. “We could be arrested.”

Autumn sighed as his fingers slipped into her panties and found her ache. “I’ll post bail.” In a feverish rush, jeans were pushed down her legs as she released his hardness from his pants. Amid the tangle of arms, legs, and pants, Thane entered her in one quick stroke. She shot a quick glance at the clock on the dash before closing her eyes in ecstasy. All four numbers were rolling up: one, two, double zero.

#

Half an hour later Thane held her close to his heart. “Woman, I still can’t believe we did that.”

Autumn chuckled against his chest. Ever since they had come to their senses in the parking lot, that was about all Thane could say. The poor boy was obviously in shock. He had managed to safely drive them back to her house, undress, and climb into her warm bed while muttering the same thing over and over. “Now, Thane, don’t go crazy on me. You’re the doctor here.”

“I’m a medical doctor, not a psychologist. What I need is help.”

She raised her head and grinned. “I thought you did quite well all by yourself.”

Thane stared at her upturned face for a full minute before the meaning behind her words hit him. He chuckled. “Do you have any idea what I felt like?”

“A pretzel.”

“Brat. It was quite a shock for this old body to be found in that position.” He gently rubbed the sweet curve of her bottom. “I’m just glad no one came along.”

She understood his concern. When she had caught her breath and realized what they had done, she had been appalled by her behavior. With quick, jerky movements she had straightened her clothes and sat in silence as Thane drove. If someone had come along and recognized Thane, his position at the home would have been jeopardized. The hunger she felt for Thane could have ruined everything he had worked for in his whole life. “I don’t think they could have seen in. The windows were too steamed up.”

Thane wished the small amount of light coming from the hall would reach the bed. Autumn’s voice sounded strange. Who could blame her for being upset after what had happened? If someone had recognized her, the rumors would have started to fly. They might have even made their way to her grandfather. Where was his head? He protectively tightened his hold and pulled her closer. “It’s okay, no one saw us.” He kissed the top of her head. “Get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow.”

Autumn yawned and snuggled closer. Her lips formed the words
I love you
against his chest, but not a sound reached his ears.

#

The harsh ringing of the telephone woke Autumn from her peaceful slumber. In a daze she grabbed Thane’s shirt, slipped her arms into the sleeves, and made her way into the kitchen, wondering why she didn’t get a second phone installed in the bedroom. She blinked as she flipped on the light and picked up the offending receiver. “This better be important.”

“Ms. O’Neil?”

Autumn’s gaze focused on the clock. Who would be calling at two o’clock in the morning? “Yes?”

“This is Head Nurse Karen Nagel at Maple Leaf Nursing Home. I don’t want to alarm you, but we seem to have a slight problem here.”

Autumn’s voice trembled as she asked, “What’s wrong?” She felt Thane come up behind her and wrap his arms around her waist.

“Now, don’t panic. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation, but your grandfather has seemed to have disappeared.”

Black dots danced in front of her eyes as she clutched Thane’s arm. Her voice rose with hysteria. “What?”

“What’s wrong?” Thane demanded.

“It’s Paddy. He’s gone,” Autumn whispered.

Thane paled visibly and took the phone from Autumn’s trembling fingers. “Ms. O’Neil. Ms. O’Neil, are you there?”

“This is Doctor Clayborne.” His voice broke as he said his last name. Damn, he had really liked Paddy. “What happened?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. “Oh, Doctor Clayborne, we were going to call you next to get your opinion.”

Thane frowned at the phone in his hand. “Opinion on what?”