"Fine." He tucked his hardening cock back into his jeans and stood. He reached out for me, and I sidestepped his touch. "Can I see you tonight?"
"No. This can't happen again."
"Why?"
"Because I'm supposed to be your therapist. The board frowns upon doctors sleeping with their patients. I'm sure they'd label this as sexual misconduct."
"Sexual misconduct? We're consenting adults."
"And I'm supposed to be a professional first. I should've conducted myself accordingly."
"The word conduct shouldn't even be associated with what just happened here. If you're thinking about your behavior when you fuck, then you're doing it wrong."
He approached me again, and this time I couldn't get away. He pulled my arm until I was pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around me like a steel band.
"Xander." I tried warning him off, pushing my head back as he leaned forward.
"One kiss, then I'll leave."
One kiss? I stared at him because we both knew one look between us was all it took.
"Come on, Avery," he whispered, his lips close enough to easily steal the kiss he'd asked for. "It's not fair that I've sunk my cock in you and still haven't tasted those pouty little lips." I frowned. "One day I'm going to make you smile."
He ensnared me with his green gaze, which sometimes looked gray. I couldn't figure out if his eyes changed colors or if they reflected amazing hues in their shimmering depths. Whenever he gave me that heavy-lidded stare with those soft-green eyes, I lost myself every single time.
He leaned in slowly, lightly pressing his lips against mine. He licked at my lips, then nipped them with his teeth until I surrendered, opening up to his invading tongue. The moment his tongue touched mine, he sucked me right back in. There was a madness in our attraction, a demented little ache which quickly blossomed into a salacious urgency that nagged at me-begged me to feed it. Never mind that it had just been satisfied minutes before.
And God, did Xander know how to satisfy that hunger. It would've been okay if the hunger went away, but it returned with a blaze as soon as we kissed. His lips were firm and strong, tongue plunging into my mouth with strong devouring strokes.
It was odd that we'd fucked before we'd kissed. But the kiss seemed more intimate, like we were sealing some bond we'd just created. Besides how wet it made me, it caused my heart to pound, that fluttering in my belly to blossom again, and a complete shutdown of my mind. He was fucking the sense out of my head with his tongue. He used it as effectively as his cock, teasing his way into my mouth, then ravaging me. His hands cupped my ass, fingers digging in as he pulled me up against his hardening cock.
If I wasn't carful, in a few short minutes, my legs would be wrapped around his waist and his cock would be driving deep within me again. I pushed at his chest; he ground into me. I pushed again and pulled my head back, breaking the kiss. He stared down at my lips. I almost saw his mind working in that wicked gleam in his eye. He wanted to kiss me again, most likely until I gave in and let him fuck me again. He was insatiable, but I was uncompromising as I slipped out from his hold and put the desk between us.
"This isn't over," he said before turning and leaving me alone with his scent wrapped around me and a bittersweet soreness between my legs. Xander Pierce was on a mission, and he was going to leave me completely annihilated.
Decisions
Avery
"I'm sorry I'm late," I said as I threw my jacket down on the bench opposite Matt and slid into the booth.
"It's fine. I ordered for you." Matt gestured at the Panini already situated on my side of the table. I'd been seeing patients at the hospital all morning and, honestly, I was still out of sorts over what happened with Xander.
"I did something really stupid, completely out of character, and unethical." I needed to confess. I'd been running over that scene in my office for two days and still couldn't figure out what to do.
"Calm down, Avery. Whatever it is it can't be that bad."
"I have this patient-"
"Xander." I gave him an irritated look. He smiled.
"Matt, I'm trying to not break doctor/patient confidentiality here."
He chuckled. "Uh-huh … Okay, so you have this mysterious patient, and … ?"
"He doesn't take our sessions seriously. He's cocky, arrogant, crude, pushy, and … "
"And?"
I covered my face with my hand and peeked through my fingers at Matt. "And I fucked him," I mumbled.
Matt choked on his food, picked up his glass of water, and drank it. Then he began to laugh.
"This isn't funny. I'm totally failing as his therapist, and it's probably because every time we're in the same room, I can't concentrate on anything but his sexy dimples and that body and how I want to lick his-"
"Wait … you're serious?" Matt gaped at me.
I nodded.
"First. Let's not get X-rated in here. We both know you're really good at licking … whatever it is you were going to say, but I digress. Since you've already stepped across the line, you need to resign as his therapist. I mean … you actually slept with him?" His eyebrows were furrowed, and he gazed at me like I was going to tell him I was joking at any minute.
I gave him a look that answered his question.
"Wow. I never thought you'd get over me." He smiled because we both knew our breakup was mutual, and moving on wasn't a problem. I just didn't want to complicate my life with a relationship. I rolled up a napkin and tossed it at his smug face.
"What am I going do, Matt?"
"I just told you. Quit."
"No … I mean what am I going to do about getting him to back off."
"Is that what you really want?"
I put my forehead on the table and sighed. "I don't know."
"Hey." I looked up. Matt leaned closer, with his forearm braced on the table. "I know you hate letting people in. Afraid to love because you're scared it'll get taken away. You don't have to love the guy. Just have fun while he's still in town."
I sighed. "I'm not afraid. I let Ellie in. I let you in."
"It took you years to really let me in. Before that, you were an ice queen."
"So what are you saying? That I shouldn't be wary when someone who can't even open up to me as a patient is slowly weaving their way into my life?"
"You should always be wary, sweetie, but let someone hop over that wall you've built every once in a while."
"And what happens when they get tired of hopping over it and knock it down? I'll be unprotected."
He covered my hands with his and looked at me with a serious gaze. "If he does anything to hurt you, I'll be here to help you rebuild that wall. Okay?"
I knew he would. Matt had been there for me since our second week of college. He'd been my lab partner, study partner, and friend. By the time I started medical school, he was my roommate and lover. We ended up being best friends and colleagues because we just didn't work as a couple. We had our own office while still occasionally working shifts at the local hospital. Everything was as we planned. Except we were both still single.
*~*~*
Two days later, I couldn't get Xander out my mind. He hadn't called or shown up, which made me nervous. I just wasn't sure if I was nervous he'd pop out when I least expected, or that I'd never see him again. I suspected I was more concerned with the latter.
After back-to-back sessions at my office, I got in my car and received a text from Ellie as I started the ignition.
Where are you?
Just leaving work.
I'm at the restaurant.
I'll be there in five.
We tried to have dinner every Friday night. Ellie had skipped out on me early the last three weeks in a row. I was hoping we'd get some time to shut off the rest of the world and just be us again.
The Italian restaurant was crowded when I arrived, but the hostess quickly ushered me to a table near the back where Ellie waited for me.
"We live in the same house but never see each other anymore." I slid into the booth.
"Finals are coming up and there's a lot happening on campus."
"When the semester ends, we should go to Aruba for a week." She looked unimpressed. "What? You love it there. We can sunbathe all day and have drinks by the beach at night."
"I can't, Avery. I'm going to try to get a summer job."
"Why?"
"Because I need to be able to pull my weight. You can't take care of me forever."
"I'm not planning to, but since I'm capable of doing it, youshould take advantage and concentrate on school." She nodded, but I wasn't convinced she agreed with me.