Roping the Wind (13 page)

‘No?’

The lights changed and they inched forward only to stop again.

‘Didn’t we just agree to keep our personal lives out of this affair?’ Helen asked.

‘I sure didn’t.’

Helen found she was grinding her teeth.

‘Come on, spill,’ Jay said.

She revved the engine as the lights changed and shot forward, making Jay slam his hand against the dashboard. ‘My ex-husband was a complete prick. And like most pricks he couldn’t keep out of women’s panties.’

‘He cheated on you?’

This time she risked a glance at him.

‘Why the hell would anyone cheat on you?’ he asked.

‘Thanks for the boost to my ego, but he’s a man. That’s all there is to it.’

‘Not all men cheat.’

‘Just most of them, which makes it extra hard for a woman to find one who doesn’t.’

‘When I get married I’m not going to cheat.’

Helen gave him a small superior smile. ‘That’s what they all say.’

His hand dropped onto her knee. ‘Honey, you sure are a bitter and disillusioned woman.’

She turned right at the next light and realized she had no idea where they were headed.

‘Seeing as we’re not likely to get married, Jay, I’ll leave you to your delusions.’

He chuckled and squeezed her knee. ‘If you’re set on taking me to my evening class, you need to head for the Cow Palace. The college is close by.’

The navigation system bleeped. ‘I think I know how to get there, but punch in the address and then I’ll be sure.’

He worked out how to use her car’s system with a speed that astounded her. She still wasn’t quite sure how to use it sometimes. The traffic grid in San Francisco wasn’t exactly straightforward. When the route was set, she was relieved to see that they were going the right way.

‘How long is the class?’

‘A couple of hours and then a bit more if you need it. Rob, the guy who runs it, pretty much gives me all the access I need.’

‘This is for your leatherwork?’

‘Yeah.’

‘I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work someday.’ He had no idea how much the scent of leather, the feel of it against her skin, turned her on.

He turned to smile at her. ‘And I might just let you do that.’

‘See? We can make progress if we both try.’ Helen winced, wishing she sounded less like an old schoolmarm.

‘I can see you Thursday night if that works.’

Helen turned into the college parking lot and stopped the car. ‘I think that’s OK.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Would you like to come over to my place?’

He unbuckled his seat belt and studied her. She closed her eyes as he brushed her cheek with his fingertip.

‘You look tired,’ Jay said.

She barely resisted the urge to dump all her problems in his lap. ‘It’s been a tough day.’

He leant in to kiss her. The citrus scent of his aftershave stole through her senses making her ache.

‘Damn, I wish I still had my truck. If I did, I’d be inside you now.’

She glanced down at the narrow console between their seats. ‘This probably isn’t the best car for sex.’

‘I’d manage if I had to but I’d appreciate a bit more room to fuck you properly.’ He bit down slowly on her ear. ‘Thanks for the ride. Go home and get some sleep. You’ll need it.’

He kissed her again, this time more intensely. She responded with a deep need of her own. At that moment, she wanted to beg him to come back home, sleep in her bed and hold her tight. It was difficult to release him.

‘Have a good class and see you Thursday.’

She almost pushed him out of the car. Jay stood where she’d left him mouthing something as she drove away. She was halfway home before she realized he had no idea where she lived.

Chapter Eleven

‘I hear you’ve got yourself a new man.’

Although she knew Nancy was standing by the door, Helen didn’t bother to look up from her paperwork.

‘Dr Baker said he saw some guy in your car yesterday.’

‘Did he really?’ Helen kept her tone even, her head bent over her work.

‘I also heard you’ve applied for Professor Hart’s job.’

‘And?’

Nancy cleared her throat. ‘You won’t get it, you know.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘Because everyone knows exactly how you got to be so successful so young.’

Helen raised her head to look Nancy directly in the eyes. ‘You have a problem with a woman using her brain?’

Nancy crossed her arms over her ample chest. ‘I have a problem with women doctors who think they are better than everyone else.’

Helen got to her feet. ‘Then let’s hope I don’t get the job because I’d sure hate to lose you.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Only that if I do succeed, you probably wouldn’t feel comfortable working under me. I’d make sure you got a great reference though.’
Not.

She smiled brightly at Nancy as she moved past her. At least she knew where Nancy’s loyalties lay and they definitely weren’t with her. So much for female unity in the workforce. Fueled with rage, she continued down the hall until she found herself staring at the main notice board. There was a new sheet of paper on the top right-hand corner headed ‘Initial candidates’.

An all too familiar name caught her eye and she moved closer to confirm her suspicions. There it was: Dr David Campion, orthopedic surgeon extraordinaire. Her second husband and, in her opinion, an even bigger loser than her first, although most people considered him a raging success.

Would David ever stop competing with her? She hadn’t realized how obsessed he was about coming out on top until after their marriage, when he’d expected her to give way to him both professionally and emotionally. For Helen, the final straw had come when he’d sabotaged her application to head up the department they both worked for. He’d sent a supposedly private email revealing she was trying to get pregnant to the entire department and the selection committee.

Of course he had apologized profusely and insisted it was a mistake but it undermined her enough to let him receive the promotion in her stead and then insist on her resignation. It hadn’t helped when she realized the email was actually about his latest mistress who really was pregnant and eager to move into Helen’s house.

There were four other names on the list, most of whom she recognized. Two of them were current colleagues, the guys who had walked out on her and Tara yesterday at lunch time. Helen stored the information in her head until she could get home and research the rest.

When she returned to her desk, Nancy had disappeared. A single white envelope addressed in Professor Hart’s handwriting lay in her in-tray.

‘Dear Dr Kinsale. Thank you for your application for the position of department head. The faculty would like to invite you to an informal drinks evening at the doctors’ lounge to meet the other candidates and the selection committee on Friday at six. Please RSVP.’

Helen stared at the professor’s almost illegible handwriting. This would be the first opportunity for the candidates to get a good look at each other and start staking their claims. Helen sighed. The thought of being trapped in the same room as her ex was almost enough to make her regret her decision to enter the race.

Perhaps David wouldn’t be able to make it. His new wife, Carrie-Ann, was very possessive and apparently pregnant with their second child. Helen scolded herself for her cowardly attitude. She’d decided three years ago that she wasn’t going to let David manipulate her anymore. Going to the drinks evening was a good way of showing how much she’d grown and how little she needed him.

She picked up the phone to call Jay. He answered on the fourth ring.

‘I forgot to tell you where I lived,’ she said.

‘I know.’ He chuckled, the sound warming her even through the static.

‘I don’t actually live at the hospital, you know, despite what a lot of my patients think.’

‘You don’t? Wait a sec, I’ll get a pen. OK, go ahead.’

She recited her address, made certain he knew his way to Pacific Heights and hung up. She smiled at Professor Hart’s letter and emailed a reply. By the time Friday evening rolled along, she should be looking just fine and dandy after all that sex with Jay. That would show her ex just how much better her life was without him.

Jay paid off the cab and checked the address one more time. He should have expected Dr Helen to live somewhere fancy. The much-photographed Victorian houses of Pacific Heights suited her perfectly. Classy, yeah, but with a distinctly quirky personality. He mounted the stone steps and pressed the third bell.

‘Come on up, Jay.’

He smiled as the door buzzed and then pushed it open. Helen sounded breathless. Was she as excited to see him as he was to see her? He’d been walking around with a perpetual hard-on ever since they’d had sex. It was almost like being a teenager again but this time he had more to look forward to than a copy of
Playboy
and his fist.

Helen opened the door to her second-floor apartment and he stepped inside. He paused briefly to admire the evening sun as it streamed in through a large bay window at the front of the room, allowing a view of the San Francisco hills and colorful house fronts.

‘Nice place, Dr Helen.’

She shrugged. ‘I like it.’

She wore a simple green T-shirt and khaki Capri pants. Her toenails were painted dark red. Jay reached out and drew her close for a long, lingering kiss. She sighed into his mouth, her fingers entwining in his hair. He kissed her more deeply, his blood heating, his cock swelling against her flat stomach.

‘Pants again.’

She shivered as he slid his hand down her back and below the waistband of her pants. His fingers caught in the string of her panties and he tugged on the fabric.

‘Take them off.’

He released her long enough to watch her shimmy out of her pants leaving her in her T-shirt and tiny green satin panties. She licked her lips; her nipples poked through the soft cotton of her top. Did she even have a bra on?

‘T-shirt too.’

She pulled that over her head, messing her hair until it waved around her shoulders. No bra. She kept her gaze fixed on his. He liked that. Slowly, he unbuckled his belt and drew the leather free. Her eyes flicked to his belt.

‘Come here.’

She walked toward him until her breasts brushed the front of his shirt. One-handed, he unbuttoned his jeans and let his erection spring free. He worked a condom over his heated flesh. Her nipples tightened and he smelt her arousal. He ran a hand down his aching wet shaft.

‘I need to fuck, right now. No foreplay, no kissing, just hard and fast.’

Her pupils dilated and she reached for him. With a growl, he picked her up, his cock brushing the triangle of satin that covered her clit. Her legs encircled his hips, pressing her wet heat against the underside of his straining shaft. He backed her up to the nearest wall.

He slid his fingers between them to push her panties to one side and thrust into her, penetrating her tightness until he could go no further. As he pumped into her, her fingers dug into his shoulders, driving him on, and her heels pressed into his ass keeping him firmly inside.

He fucked her hard, rubbing her clit in time to his thrusts, determined to make her come with him. When he felt the first quiver of her climax, he worked her faster, slamming his cock into her welcoming warmth until he had to come or his balls would explode.

They came together and he closed his eyes at the intensity of the sensations roaring through him. Helen’s legs relaxed around him and he allowed them to slide to the floor. He opened his eyes to find her staring up at him.

‘I knew I wouldn’t hurt you.’ He touched her lip with the finger he’d used on her clit. ‘You were already wet and ready for me, weren’t you?’ His cock jerked inside her as she licked his fingertip. ‘Did you touch yourself? Did you get yourself hot for me?’

She bit his finger as he slid out of her.

‘I like to think that you did, although according to our deal, your body belongs to me and I should really be giving you permission.’ He grinned as she drew in a sharp breath and pressed his hand over her lips. ‘Uh-oh, darlin’. Don’t be shooting your mouth off. I don’t want to have to get mad at you.’

Over the top of his hand, her blue eyes snapped murder.

Without releasing her, he leant down and picked up his leather belt. ‘How about I put you over my knee? We’ll call it a round dozen if you promise to ask me nicely next time you want to play with yourself.’ He paused to catch her reaction, realized her entire attention was fixed on his leather belt. Lust and dark excitement stirred deep in his belly. He lowered his voice. ‘You like the sound of that, yeah?’ He looped the belt in his fist and brought it up to caress her throat, then slid the soft leather down toward her breasts. Her nipples puckered as he rubbed the belt over them. Her breathing shortened to soft pants and he took his hand away from her mouth.

‘Yeah, you do, don’t you?’

Helen couldn’t take her gaze off the leather as it caressed her breasts. A bitter-sweet memory of Cory fucking her dressed only in his chaps made her shudder. She always associated the smell of leather with sex.

Jay slid the belt lower, rubbing it over her stomach. Mesmerized, she waited to see what he would do next.

‘Take off your panties and open your legs.’

She did what he said, couldn’t stop herself and didn’t want to stop herself. Her panties hit the floor. He opened his hand and allowed the belt to fall in one straight line. It slapped against her mound, the leather warm and supple. Her clit started to throb and her sex creamed.

‘Let’s try this before I spank you.’

He slid the buckle end of the belt back through the first loop of his jeans to anchor it. Reaching behind her, he drew the rest of the belt between her legs, the leather flat against her soaking wet sex. He wound the excess around his left hand and pressed his fist into the small of her back.