Page 18 of Playing Doctor

“Yeah, but right now, I’d really like a repeat of yours.” His gaze dropped to her mouth.

“So, what’s stopping you?”

It was all the invitation he needed. With a low curse, Gabe scraped his chair over, moved closer until he left her no room at all. His mouth took hers, claimed it for his own, not giving her a chance to recant the invitation. Not that she would. Not when she could taste the sweet, almond-flavored liquor of his drink as his tongue plunged inside, tangled with hers, only to retreat and plunge again.

“God, you taste good,” he murmured against her lips, before diving in for another taste. “Like wine and woman and sin.” His left arm slid over the back of her chair, circled her shoulders and pulled her close. His right hand moved over her stomach, the tip of his thumb brushing the soft underside of her breast. She arched up, offering him more. A soft moan rose up from her throat when he took it, encompassing her breast in the warmth of his palm.

Desire, dark and rich as the most potent wine, flowed with a fevered rush through her veins. Heat flooded her sex. The soft murmur of voices barely penetrated the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

Pulling back, Beth broke the seal of their lips. Her lids drifted up. His eyes blazed back at her.

The maître d’ breezed past them, seating another couple a few tables away. Gabe’s eyes tracked her progress, and then swung back to Beth. “This isn’t the place…”

The unfinished comment hung between them like bait dangling on a hook. The implication was clear—the choice was hers. She could rise up, take the bait and all it offered. Or she could cut and run. She took a breath, made the plunge.

“No, it isn’t.”

A muscle ticked in Gabe’s jaw. “Let’s go.”

He tossed a couple of bills on the table, took her hand, and led her out of the lounge.

Beth settled deeper into the car seat and watched the streetlights glide past her window as they drove back to her hotel, the silence broken only by the song playing on the radio.

Her body continued to thrum with feelings, sensations she’d thought long dead. She’d never had a one night stand, had never even contemplated having one…with any man, especially one she’d only known for a few hours, but that’s exactly what she was doing.

Thank you, Connie, for planting that seed in my head.

Who was she kidding? Placing the blame on her well-meaning friend wasn’t fair. She was human, after all. Had the same fantasies, desires, and needs that most women had. She had the secret toy—and a couple of its cousins—with all the bells and whistles tucked in the back of her lingerie drawer that served an immediate purpose, but a quick fix wasn’t what she wanted, what she needed tonight. She needed strong arms holding her against a long, muscled body, rough hands skimming over her skin…the smooth glide of a hard cock inside her.

She slid a sidelong glance at Gabe and watched the city lights play across his face. Yeah, she knew exactly what she needed, what she wanted, and who she wanted giving it to her. But he was quiet now, his elbow resting on the car door and his thumb absently tapping his mouth, a thoughtful frown worrying his brow as he concentrated on the traffic. The silence was killing her.

“Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Gabe pulled into the hotel parking lot and cut the engine. Hooking his wrist over the steering wheel, he turned and looked at her. “I’m not ready to end this, and I think…hope we’re on the same track. If not, then I apologize, but I think you should invite me up so we see where this goes.”

She was surprised and so very relieved to hear his words echo her own thoughts. There was no second-guessing what he was suggesting, no point in pretending otherwise. The anticipation sent a shimmer of excitement through her. Adrenaline raced through her veins at what she was about to say, what she was about to do.

“Yes, I’d like that,” she murmured, her voice a little shaky. When Gabe heaved out a sigh of relief and reached for her, she held up her hand. “But I have a stipulation.”

The expression on his face would have been comical if the situation wasn’t so emotionally charged, and Beth almost smiled. She’d bet her new stethoscope he was expecting her to say, no sex. Well, he couldn’t be further off the track. She wanted everything he could give her…and more.

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