Roping the Wind (11 page)

Helen opened her eyes to find Jay collapsed over her. With a yelp, he rolled off her and lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

‘Shit.’

Helen couldn’t move. Her left knee was lodged perilously close to her left ear. She wondered distantly if she’d ever seen it that close before and whether she’d ever be able to walk again.

Jay reached across and slowly lowered her legs to the ground. ‘Well, I think that proves who’s got the most stamina.’

‘That would be me. I came twice. You only managed it once.’

He chuckled and laid his large warm hand on her belly. ‘Hell. Let’s call it a draw shall we, and concentrate on getting off this floor.’

Helen tried to move and stifled a whimper. ‘I don’t think I can.’

Chapter Nine

Jay swore again and carefully got to his knees. His jeans were wedged uncomfortably below his butt. He paused to pull them up and shed the condom. Helen lay on the suede rug, her eyes closed, her skin flushed with arousal. Her legs were still wide open and he could see every inch of her well-fucked well-creamed pussy. His cock twitched and he grimaced.

Damn, his knee hurt. He hadn’t planned to put Helen under him and fuck her without mercy. She hadn’t complained though. She’d taken every hard thrust and given it right back to him. His shaft thickened again and he fought the temptation to bury himself back inside her until she begged him to do her again.

He grabbed his shirt from the arm of the couch and gave it to Helen. Taking her hand, he hauled her into a sitting position. ‘Put this on or I’m going to be inside you again.’

‘I wouldn’t mind.’

She turned her head to look at him and he tried to ignore the invitation in her gaze.

‘My knee would.’

Immediately her expression became all business. ‘Do you have an ice pack?’

He wanted to kick himself for drawing her attention to his knee but he nodded in the direction of the freezer. She pushed her arms into his shirtsleeves and got carefully to her feet. He tried not to groan as she bent over the freezer drawer, exposing her naked ass and rumpled stockings to his lustful gaze.

‘There’s a knee brace in the drawer behind you too. The ice pack fits inside it.’

As carefully as he could he scooted back until he sat against the bottom of the couch, his right leg stretched out in front of him, his left bent at the knee. When Helen applied the ice pack he winced.

‘That feels good, in a weird, painful kind of way.’

She knelt beside him and felt around his kneecap, her gaze focused and calm. ‘There doesn’t seem to be any swelling. You should know not to put too much pressure on it.’

‘Well, hell, doc, I wasn’t thinking about my knee, I was thinking about fucking you.’

‘I shouldn’t have been so demanding. I forgot about your knee and I’m supposed to be a doctor.’ She continued to touch his leg, strands of her hair drifting across his groin.

He caught her chin in his fingers. ‘I’m glad you forgot, and you weren’t too demanding. I was the one who turned it into some kind of competition.’

Her laughter warmed his skin. ‘You’re a guy. Of course you did.’ Her fingers lingered on his knee, tracing the scars from the surgery. His cock stiffened as she leant forward and kissed his knee. Damn, there was no way she was going to miss that. It was practically poking her in the eye.

Turning her head, he watched in horrified delight as she licked the crown of his cock with the tip of her tongue. Her eyes were half-closed as if she was trying to guess the mystery flavor.

He slid a hand into her hair. ‘Do that again.’

Her tongue made a swirling foray around the exposed head of his cock and then paused to penetrate the oozing slit. He groaned as she continued the little stabbing motion, his body tense with delight.

‘Wait,’ he groaned. She stopped, her inquiring gaze fixed on his. Retaining his position on the floor, he picked her up until she straddled him, facing his cock. He pushed the shirt up until it exposed her butt.

‘What about your knee?’

‘Forget my knee. You’ve already kissed it better. Kiss my cock instead.’

He drew her hips back until her sex was presented to his mouth.

‘Do it, Helen.’

He waited until her lips closed over his crown and then licked her clit. He couldn’t believe how wet and ready she was for him again. His tongue penetrated her channel and she shuddered, pressing her pussy back into his face until he wallowed in her creamy sex. Not that he minded the sensation. It wasn’t a bad way to suffocate.

Her mouth surrounded his shaft, sucking and pulling hard enough to make him writhe. She seemed to know just how he liked it. A touch of roughness and a sense of danger, the fear of her pushing him over the edge or making him beg. In response, he flicked her clit with his tongue until it was as hard and swollen as his cock. He rubbed his chin against her tender flesh until she moved restlessly against him, demanding more, seeking his mouth. As his climax approached, he increased the pressure of his strokes, sucking on her clit as her teeth clamped around the base of his cock and sent them both into release.

He groaned, thrusting his tongue as deep into her channel as he could while he waited for his cock to stop pulsing. God, she was good with her mouth. For once his cock had been right all along.

Helen sat up, careful not to touch Jay’s outstretched right leg. Despite their frantic lovemaking, the ice pack had remained in place. She surreptitiously studied his knee, which appeared to be bearing up well, considering. It took all her energy to crawl off Jay and all her courage to face him. He lay back against the couch, his face relaxed, and a satisfied smirk on his lips. Would he be shocked by her excessive demands? David had always hated it when she’d wanted to be fucked more than once. Eventually she’d stopped asking. She licked her lips and tasted Jay’s come. She folded her arms across her breasts. ‘I’d just like to say that I don’t behave like this with all my patients.’

He opened one eye. ‘Only a select few, right? Damn, I’d love to see you turn up for an appointment with me with nothing under your white coat but skin.’

She shivered at the erotic image he presented. He reached out to touch her thigh.

‘Be a good doc and help me up, would you?’

She maneuvered him back onto the couch and checked his knee again. While he got settled, she retrieved her clothing and put herself back together. He smiled as she threw him his shirt.

‘It looked better on you,’ he said.

She studied his muscular chest and abs. His fair hair hardly showed up on his chest but she knew it was there. He hadn’t bothered to do up his jeans and his cock was half-erect.

‘You might have a point. If it was up to me, I’d confiscate all your shirts.’

His grin was slow and sultry. ‘Why, thank you, ma’am. I aim to please.’

Helen avoided his gaze and attempted to smooth the creases out of her skirt. If she didn’t concentrate, she’d be running her fingers over his slick skin and hoping for another bout of amazing sex. He was like a drug. Despite her agreement to let him be in control, she had to maintain some standards.

‘You promised to show me how you cut your hand.’

He blinked at her and scratched his head. ‘I did?’ He struggled to his feet, gradually putting weight on his right leg. Helen breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped confidently toward the recessed dining area. He flicked on a light to expose a glass and steel dining table covered in bits of leather. Helen went over, picked up some of the scraps and pressed them to her nose. The scent was intoxicating.

‘What are you making?’

His smile was self-deprecating. ‘It’s going to be a belt, if I ever finish it.’ He moved past her and picked up a longer piece of leather.

Helen took it from him, marveling at the intricately woven strands and the rainbow of colors. ‘It’s beautiful.’

He shrugged, his shoulder brushing hers. ‘It’s crap.’

Why did he sound so defensive? Did he think she’d find his hobby amusing? She put the belt back on the table and picked up one of the craft knives. ‘I can see why you cut yourself. These things are sharp.’

‘No sharper than a scalpel, and I don’t see you walking around wearing Band Aids.’

‘I learnt to take care, just like you will.’ She held his gaze, saw the defensiveness in his. ‘It’s no big deal.’

He took the blade from her hand and placed it carefully on the table. ‘I did some leather work in the rehab place the sports medicine team sent me to.’

‘The Beeches, right? They have an excellent reputation.’ She stroked the leather belt, reluctant to leave it. ‘You obviously have a gift for it.’

‘Yeah, right. What kind of man makes his living fooling around with bits of leather?’

‘A talented one?’

He turned away from her and walked back into the kitchen. She followed more slowly, watching the rigid set of his shoulders and the way he flung open the refrigerator door. He took out two beers and slammed them onto the granite countertop.

‘What else do you make?’

‘Cowboy boots.’

He opened the beers, handed her one, and brought the other to his mouth. His throat worked as he swallowed, reminding her of his mouth on her sex. She clenched her fists. The stubborn set of his jaw made her want to punch him real hard.

‘And why are you telling me this if it makes you so angry?’

He paused and lowered the bottle to glare at her. ‘You asked how I cut my hand.’

‘Fine.’ She gave him back the beer, marched back over to the couch and grabbed her purse.

Jay watched her, a frown in his eyes. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Home.’

He put the beers down and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. ‘I thought you were going to stay the night.’

‘Well, you thought wrong, didn’t you?’

He took a step toward her. ‘I don’t want you to go.’

‘But I’m going anyway.’

‘Helen, it’s late. It’s dangerous out there. Stay here.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘No thanks. I got what I came for.’

‘And what was that?’

‘Sex and an explanation as to how you cut your hand.’

He folded his arms across his chest. ‘That’s it?’

‘That’s all I’ve been offered. It’s been fun. Call me when you get over whatever it is that’s making you so mad and maybe we can have a real discussion like a couple of adults.’

‘Helen . . .’

She headed for the door, aware that she wanted to cry but totally unwilling to let Jay know he’d affected her so badly. The door closed behind her and she let out her breath. She’d forgotten their deal was all about sex and didn’t include getting close to him. Dammit, the man was as uptight as he claimed she was. How could he move so fast from white-hot passion to completely shutting her out?

The elevator arrived and she stepped in. In the mirrored surfaces she looked emotionally wrecked, her eyes over-bright, her mouth still swollen from Jay’s kisses. She smoothed down her hair and straightened her clothes. It wasn’t that late and she’d valet parked. Jay believed she was a fragile flower but she was quite capable of getting around the city without putting herself into danger.

As she exited the elevator, she blew her reflection a kiss. Now she was out of his sight, she could function like a normal person again. She shouldn’t have let her sexual attraction for him delude her into thinking he wanted any kind of relationship with her. And if Jay wanted to behave like a sulky kid, that was his choice. She didn’t have to put up with it, whatever their bargain.

Chapter Ten

‘Fuck!’

Jay barely restrained himself from hurling the phone to the polished kitchen floor. He’d tried to call Helen at least ten times and she either wasn’t picking up or she didn’t want to talk to him. Somehow he guessed it was the latter. He left another terse message and hung up.

He couldn’t say he was surprised. He’d managed to turn the best fuck of his life into a disaster. How in the hell had he let himself do that?

He grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the counter and chugged it down, wincing at the slightly bitter taste. It was a new thing for him to actually try to analyze what he’d done wrong. In all his other relationships he’d been happy to let things slide if they didn’t work out, but this time it was different. Dr Helen had gotten under his skin.

He tossed the carton in the trash. And why was he so pissed off? Because she’d tried to get to know him, that’s why. She’d been interested in his new line of work and he’d frozen up and pushed her away.

The phone rang and he leapt for it.

‘Helen?’

‘Nope.’

‘Oh, damn, it’s you, Grayson.’

His brother sighed. ‘What’s up?’

‘Not much.’

‘Glad to hear you are your usual communicative self.’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m just checking up on you. I said I would.’

Jay scratched his unshaven chin. ‘Hey, Grayson. If you’ve offended a chick, what do you do to make it up to her?’

The silence was so long Jay started to sweat.

‘Let me get this straight. You can’t be bothered to answer a civil question and now you’re asking for advice?’

‘Yeah, you’re the big bro. You’re supposed to know about these things, right?’

‘Right, and I’ve been such a success with women recently, haven’t I?’

Jay set his teeth. Damn, he’d forgotten about Grayson’s broken engagement. ‘Forget I asked. I’m doing good, see ya.’

‘Jay, wait a minute. This “chick” of yours. Is the relationship serious or casual?’

‘Sexual.’

‘So not very important.’

‘Are you kidding?’

‘OK, so what did you do?’

Jay glowered at the phone. ‘I’m not giving you details so you can get your rocks off. Let’s just say, I forgot that women like to communicate.’