Davis, Lexie - Tempted (Siren Publishing Classic) (8 page)

“Ali.” He withdrew his hand and licked his lips, tasting her. “I promise we’ll find a way to work it out if you’d consider it.”

She held a finger against his lips. “No talking. Not tonight. Fucking and cuddling is all we’re doing.”

She moved to straddle his hips. Before he had time to process it, his cock slipped inside her. They sat face to face, a bright flair of desire shone in her eyes. Ali combed her fingers through his hair and leaned in to kiss him. Her hips rocked against his, and Sean couldn’t hold back any longer. He gripped her hips and thrust hard.

The room grew hot fast as sweat rolled down his spine. He lay back and pulled her forward, changing the angle of his movements. Her pussy clamped him tighter, gliding along his shaft with just the right amount of friction. Her eager response matched his. He closed his eyes as she moved over him, each motion pure ecstasy. Ali’s lips found his and he opened to her kiss, succumbing to the pleasure she gave him.

Her hands slid along his sides as she urged him to touch her. He couldn’t deny. He reached between their bodies and found her clit. She fell apart in his arms, collapsing against his chest. He’d damn near give her anything and everything she asked him for.

After two more rounds of intense fucking, Sean held her, surrounded her, while she slept. He watched her, knowing the moment he took his eyes off her, she’d be gone.

And when he woke after sleep, his bed was empty, the sheets cold.

Chapter Seven

“You look terrible.” Nina sat across from Ali. She set her purse to the side and ignored her tray of food. “What happened? You’re supposed to come back from vacation happy. You don’t look too happy.”

Ali felt tears gathering in her eyes and didn’t bother hiding them. The day had been hell. It was her first day back and it seemed every trauma case around the country chose her hospital. She’d had a bus crash incident and had treated over forty people with everything from head wounds to paper-cut scratches. She shouldn’t have had time to think about Sean, but her mind flooded with memories of him. It’d been three days since she’d left. It felt like an eternity.

“Did you fall in love with my neighbor?” Nina stared at Ali, humor in her eyes. When Ali didn’t respond, Nina became serious. “You did. How on earth?”

“I don’t know.”

“Call him up.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Why not?” Nina asked, finally digging into her salad. “He travels to L.A. all the time, and you get every other weekend off. You could drive to Santa Barbra on those weekends. He could stay with you while in LA. Why isn’t it easy?”

“You know my schedule isn’t that simple.” Ali glanced over at a couple kissing at another table. “I wish it was that simple.”

“So cut back your hours.” Nina paused, waiting for Ali to meet her eyes. “You’ve been working your ass off at that hospital for how many years? And for what reason? I know you like your job, but you don’t have to work twenty-four seven. Especially since you have a man in your life now. Take time to be with him because Sean is a great guy.”

Nina’s words lingered in Ali’s mind long after she spoke them. She had two more incidents that kept her busy until time to go home, but her mind roamed. Maybe she would talk to her superiors about cutting back her hours. She didn’t really need the extra money and one of the new doctors needed to pay off college loans. It would make sense to give the other doctor the overtime. It might work.

Ali clocked out around six and sought out Dr. Mueller. “Can I talk with you a sec?”

“Sure, Dr. Aames. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to see about cutting back my hours.”

The other doctor smiled. “Nina told me you’d probably come see me.”

Ali frowned. “You know my friend, Nina?”

His smiled widened. “I’m kind of her boyfriend.”

Ali’s jaw dropped before she thought to conceal her reaction.

“I see you’re surprised,” he said with a chuckle. “Look, I know about the guy, and yes, I’ll approve your schedule change. What kind of cutback are we talking about?”

“I work over seventy hours a week now, but I’d like to cut it down to thirty-five.”

He shifted the clipboard in his hand. “You probably still have to do weekends.”

“That’s fine.”

He nodded. “Good. I don’t see any preliminary problems with that. We, of course, will miss you being around here all the time.”

She smiled. “Yeah, well, I think it’s time for a change.”

A really big one
, she added silently.

* * * *

“I have to say, I’m pretty impressed with your work.” Sean went over his friend’s concept from beginning to end. Maybe in a weird twist of fate, Trevor had finally grown up. “When are you prepared to launch the official game to the beta testers?”

“After your comments and approval.”

Sean went over the figures one last time. “It has my approval. Good work, Trevor.”

His friend beamed at him. “It was sort of my baby from the get-go. I just had a few to help make it a reality. Hopefully, it’ll keep me off the streets and working a job I love.”

That was the goal.

They chatted a bit longer, catching up on family and friends. It was Sean’s first trip to LA since April, and all he could think about was Ali. He knew she didn’t want to see him. But he had to see her, if only from afar, just to settle his peace of mind. He wanted to know she was all right.

He left Trevor’s office, taking the freeway to the hospital. She said she worked in ER, and he was taking a huge risk by dropping in unannounced. After he found parking, he headed into the Emergency doors and waited to talk with the nurse.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Uh, I need to see Ali—uh, Dr. Aames.”

Her gaze took him in from head to toe. “Are you sick or hurt in anyway?”

He glanced around the full room and back at the nurse. If he didn’t lie, he’d be here all night. “Stomach thing, I think.”

After she thrust papers his direction, she assured him Dr. Aames would see him…eventually.
The stuff you do for a woman, Graham.
Sean spotted a few doctors gathering at the main triage desk and decided to forgo the paperwork and sneak inside.

“I’m not coming in to work tomorrow,” Ali told the nurse. “I’ve cut back my hours, so I could possibly have a life.”

The nurse chuckled. “It’s about time, Dr. Aames.”

Sean came up beside her. “Excuse me? Do you have a Band-Aid?”

He watched Ali closely, smiling inside when she recognized his voice. She pretended he didn’t faze her while the nurse reached inside a drawer to retrieve a Band-Aid.

“I’m sorry. All I have is Hello Kitty. Maybe the other triage desk has some plain ones. We mainly deal with pediatric cases here.”

“That’s fine.”

Ali turned toward him as he took the Band-Aid from the nurse. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I was in the neighborhood…”

She grabbed his arm and ushered him toward one of the vacant rooms, closing the door behind them. Sean smiled when she pulled him to her for a kiss. At least he didn’t repulse her. His hands slid down her sides, stopping when he reached her ass. He cupped both cheeks in his palms and squeezed.

Ali pulled back. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

He pressed his forehead against hers. “Then what was I supposed to do?”

Ali swallowed and met his eyes. “I can’t talk about that right now.”

“When can you talk about it?” He pressed a hand against her lower back.

“Tonight. After work.” She kissed him and smiled. “When there aren’t traumas all around and whiny people complaining we haven’t gotten to them yet.”

He lifted a hand to brush a finger against her cheek. Something in her eyes changed. She wasn’t scared like she had been their last night together. He’d overheard her say something about changing her schedule to have a life. Was she planning on trying to make it work between them? He hoped so.

“Come on. I’ll give you directions to my house. You can meet me there after six. I don’t live too far from here, but traffic can be a bitch.” Ali grabbed his hand, leading him out into the chaos of the emergency department. They dodged gurneys as they made their way back to the triage desk.

“This place is nuts.”

Ali smiled. “And it’s only Tuesday.”

She wrote directions for him on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Thankfully, the place was so busy the staff didn’t notice them. Sean brushed his hand along the small of her back, wishing like crazy he could feel the heat of her skin.

“I’ll see you later.” She gave him a small smile.

“Alessandra?”

Ali’s head turned toward the voice that called from behind them. “Chad.”

Sean met the other man’s eyes. He was the typical rich guy. Instead of wearing scrubs like Ali, he wore an expensive suit and lab coat. His hair was styled to perfection, not one strand out of place. Wrinkles lined his eyes, though he had classic good looks.

“Uh, I wanted to know if you were free tonight.” Chad didn’t take his eyes off Sean.

“Why?” Ali brushed him off, reaching for a clipboard from the counter. “Your fiancée not pleasing you anymore?”

“Um…” Chad lowered his voice. “Can I speak to you in private?”

Ali signed discharge papers and slammed the clipboard closed. “No, you can’t.”

Sean reached out to brush his fingers against her arm. Ali paused and leaned in to kiss him. She probably had a million and one things to do, considering the room around them, yet she took a few seconds to remind Sean he was hers. He liked the feeling.

“I’ll see you at home.” She brushed her hand down his chest, never taking her eyes from his.

“Dr. Aames, GSW in trauma two,” a nurse called out.

Ali smiled, kissed Sean one more time, briefly, and gave her full attention to the nurse she’d talked with earlier. Sean glanced down at the paper, smiling before he stuffed it in his suit jacket.

“Are you and Alessandra dating?” Chad asked Sean.

Sean shrugged, debating whether or not the other man’s question deserved an answer. “What’s it to you?”

“She’s my—well, I’m trying to win her back. You understand.”

“She made it quite clear at the mall she didn’t want you back. As a matter of fact, she immediately came to me and told me how you kissed her and made her completely uncomfortable. I, of course, trust Ali, but you—I don’t trust you.”

“She kissed me.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Who are you? Some little punk she picked up off a campus somewhere? What are you trying to do, take her money? Is that what this is about? Look, I’ll pay you off if you never see her again. How much money do you want?”

“I don’t want your money. I’ve got all I need, and that includes Ali.” Sean walked away, satisfied with his retort. What Ali had seen in the other man, he’d never know.

After leaving the hospital, Sean decided to head to his hotel to finish up some last minute work before he met with Ali. He’d probably read too much into her actions, but he wanted to be with her. He only hoped she felt the same.

The summer day was hot, making his shirt stick to his back when he climbed from his car. He opted to stay at a hotel near Trevor’s company, which wasn’t too far from Ali’s house. After two hours passed, Sean glanced at his watch. He probably should get ready to meet Ali. He undid his dress shirt and dug in his bag for a T-shirt. A knock sounded at the door.

He dropped his bag and scooted it out of the way. Only two people knew he were in LA. He twisted the lock and opened the door. “I thought I was supposed to meet you.”

Ali shrugged. “Hotels can be sexy.”

He laughed. “How’d you find me?”

She smiled. “I have my ways.” She pushed past him and sat on the edge of the bed. “We have a lot to talk about.”

Sean closed and locked the door, then followed her inside the small room. “I’m hoping you’ll start out saying you’ve changed your mind, and you want to see where we’re going.”