“We’ve only got till nine, sweetheart. Drag your feet like that again, and I’ll carry you.”
Her mouth rounded in a perfect little O. “Anyone ever tell you you can be a little bossy?”
I laughed, slipping the pad of my thumb across the soft angle of her cheekbone. So close. Close enough to kiss, just one taste… “You just wait.”
THREE
Thorn
I draped one protective arm over the most gorgeous girl I’d ever laid eyes on. By my side, she shone in a strappy, black sequined dress that draped over her curves, cutting really fucking low at the back and skimming the generous curve of her hips and that crazy-delectable heart-shaped ass. I’d protested repeatedly last night when she’d taken it into the dressing room at Bloomingdale’s. Damn if I wanted another man’s eyes eating up her body the way mine did, and that dress left little to the imagination.
Watching Carly model that dress had made me so fucking hard in the changing room, I’d nearly spat bullets. I had to grit my teeth to stifle the swell in my jeans. She’d hidden her gorgeous body beneath layers of clothing, but the way she’d stepped out of that room and peered up at me had made me want to do things.
Say things.
Christ, it made me think things I never had before.
I’d met plenty of women in my thirty-two years, but never had one made me think about anything long term. Anything real.
Carly made me think real.
She turned to me then, the sweet curve of her lips curving up in a soft grin, and the soft glow of lights washed us in shadow. “You look very handsome.”
She adjusted the bow tie at my throat.
I shuddered when her fingers grazed my skin.
My dick jumped, my fingers tightening at the curve of her bare shoulders. “You’re the beautiful one here. I can’t think about anyone else in this room when you’re next to me.”
Her eyebrows shot up, her fingers stilling at my neck. “Wow.”
I slid a thumb up the curve of her jaw, enjoying the slow shudder that pulsed through her. “Close your mouth, little one.” I drifted closer, my teeth grazing her earlobe. “Or I’ll be tempted to fill it with something.”
Her sweet little lips pressed closed, her eyes darkening as her pupils dilated with desire. I knew all the signs—I was a doctor, after all. A rapid pulse, shifting thighs, and the fact that she couldn’t seem to stop herself from touching me. Her breast grazed my chest.
“That look tells me you want it.” I cupped my palm at her neck, thankful for the low lighting that shrouded us. “The way your heart is racing tells me you need it.”
I rested a palm over her rapidly firing heart, the curve of her breast lush and creamy under the pads of my fingertips.
“Can’t we just go back to your place?” she begged adorably.
I laughed, pulling her a little tighter against me, flexing my hips to make sure she felt how fucking badly I wanted inside of her. “I love your enthusiasm, little one, but we’ve got to be on our best behavior, at least for a few hours.”
“I’m sick of playing the good girl. I thought this was my one night off.” She pouted.
“Stop acting like a child, or I’ll have to take you to a dark corner and put you over my knee.”
Her eyebrow arched then, something like a grin twitching her lips.
“Christ, Carly. You’ve gotta stop giving me that look.”
I shifted my aching cock behind my suit pants. These fucking things were always too restrictive for me. I preferred the freedom of a pair of scrubs.
“You’re not going to last all night.” She smirked, crossing her arms and inadvertently causing her gorgeous tits to push together. I wanted my hands on her, my tongue lapping at all the delicate spots that would make her come—and then come again.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Carly. What the hell did I get myself into when I swiped right?”
She burst out laughing, giving my dick a quick squeeze before she threaded her fingers through mine and pulled me away from the dark wall we’d been hovering near. “I need a drink, Doctor.”
She was such a fucking surprise.
How I ever landed this smart, sassy, gorgeous date who made me want to fuck her straight into the wall I’d never know.
Carly was a walking, talking angel I’d never seen coming.
I snuggled Carly a little closer an hour later, my hands itching to feel the skin hidden beneath that dress. Instead, I was focused on the chief of staff, rambling on in our small group at the bar. A few doctors laughed, indulging his overinflated ego, begging to buy his drinks, and I was stuck in the middle of it all.
I hated these fucking staff events.
I hated everything political about this industry.