hers. It was all lazy, luscious sizzle and simmer. She felt oddly safe and wanted to stay exactly where she was for as long as she possibly could.
He pulled back first and let his gaze wander boldly over her face as a small, puzzled smile curved his mouth. Apparently he saw something that made him thread his fingers in her hair and cup her cheek in his palm, brushing his thumb over her bottom lip. Her heart pounded almost painfully and her chest rose and fell rapidly with the need to draw in air. It felt as if she’d caught fire and the flames fed on every last ounce of oxygen in the room.
“Hope, that was …” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Not what her quivering hormones wanted to hear. She was pretty good with a snappy comeback, a quick retort, witty one-liners. But her senses were in freefall and they’d taken rational thought along for the ride.
“And I didn’t mean to kiss you back. This is a bad idea. The worst. Like kissing common sense goodbye.”
Amusement turned his eyes silver. “Sometimes common sense is highly overrated.”
“That’s probably the first thing you’ve ever said that I agree with.”
She wasn’t sure, what with the blood rushing to her head, but she thought he groaned softly before taking her mouth again. Her lips parted and his tongue slid inside, thoroughly plundering any reserves of willpower she had left.
Their hands were all over each other as they panted and moaned and turned in circles, the intricate choreography of a sensuous waltz. Hope felt the wall at her back and Jake pressing against her front. Want tightened in her belly as need pooled between her thighs.
It was as if their minds and bodies had melded. Jake cupped the backs of her thighs and lifted at the same time she wrapped her legs around him. The harsh sounds of their breathing filled the room and fueled the fire of her wild abandon.
He kissed her neck and brushed away the skinny strap of her dress in his impatience to get to her bare shoulder. Then he trailed his lips down to the very top of her breast just visible over the neckline. He drew his tongue over her skin before blowing on the moistness. The sensation of cool on her heated flesh drove her crazy and she wanted him inside her more than she could remember wanting anything in her life.
When his cell phone rang, she changed her mind. Now more than anything she wanted to put the heel of her stiletto straight through his SIM card.
He pulled back, breathing hard. “I’m on call.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I have to answer.” His voice was harsh.
“Right.”
As she let her legs slide to the floor, he reached to the holster on his belt and retrieved the phone, turning his back as he answered.
“Andrews.”
Hope smoothed her palms over the skirt of her dress as she drew in a shuddering breath. This was like stubbing your toe and the too-short span of time before the inevitable unfortunate consequences registered in the brain. It was going to be uncomfortable and she wanted to hang out in limbo for just a while longer. Otherwise she’d have to admit that a cell call was the only thing that had prevented her from having sex with a virtual stranger against the wall of her office.
Her only excuse was that she hadn’t had sex for a very, very long time.
“Everything went as expected.” Jake’s voice was surprisingly normal. “Yeah. Not a single hitch in the plan. Right. Thanks.” While listening, he glanced over his shoulder to look at her. Intensity glittered in his eyes as his gaze settled on her shoulder and the dress strap trailing down her arm. “Definitely. Details when I see you.”
She slid her thumb under the strap and righted it as he ended the call. “Emergency?”
It hadn’t sounded that way. But she could hope. Maybe he would have to rush off and spare her an awkward conversation.
“No.” He raked his fingers through his hair.
She blew out a breath, not quite meeting his gaze. “So …”
“So …”
The corners of his mouth tilted up. Clearly he was amused. Hope was not. Irritation aimed at herself straightened her spine and fueled the need to regroup.
“I take full responsibility for that,” she said.
One dark eyebrow arched upward. “That?”
“You know.”
“Not so much. The receptors in my brain are fried. Put a finer point on it for me.”
He was enjoying this, she realized and started to fume. But she’d be darned if she’d give him the satisfaction of confirming her acute discomfort. Or the fact that he’d majorly turned her on.
“The kiss,” she said, deliberately lifting her chin so their gazes locked. “My mistake. I freely own my part in what just happened.”
“Very generous of you.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his charcoal slacks. The black shirt and tone-on-tone tie fit his trim body perfectly. Dr. GQ wouldn’t have to worry about the fashion police.
“Not generous. Honest.”
“Still … An admission like that could be construed as encouragement. How do you know I won’t stoop to using it to my advantage?”
She refused to give any ground. “That mistake is on me, but the bigger one would be assuming you could use it for your own personal agenda.”
“Agenda? Personal?” A wolfish expression settled on his handsome face making it an uphill battle to get this conversation back on a professional plane.
“Don’t miscalculate, Doctor. My slip-up will not give you currency in the workplace.”
“Oh?”
“You can’t come up with an unrealistic wish list and expect me to smile politely just because I kissed you.”
Jake’s sinful smile was a clear indication that the message missed its mark. “At the risk of shattering your illusions, Hope, nothing about that kiss was polite, which suits me just fine.”
She groaned inwardly, still living in limbo and guarding herself from the guilt. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding my point.”
He shook his head. “On the contrary. I got it. But you don’t have all the facts.”
“Which are?”
“I actually came to see you tonight to tell you I told you so.”
“I don’t get it,” she said.
“Okay, here’s the deal. My wish list just might carry more weight since earlier tonight I was offered the contract to be the chief trauma surgeon. I’m officially your boss.”
And Hope was officially in trouble.
She’d
