Sweet Surrender (6 page)

“Hmm, don’t tell Father Charlie or my aunt, Sister Mary Agnes at St. Regis. I’d lose my status as oldest living altar boy and be defrocked.”

Stifling a laugh, she bit her lip. He grinned, already celebrating his victory as she relaxed in his hold.

“You are very persuasive, doctor,” she said, eyeing him warily.

He gave her a huge smile. “Call me Marc, please.”

After a moment, she nodded her agreement. “Okay, Marc. You’ve worn me down, but we eat, talk like two normal people on a date, and that’s it. I have to work the next day so I have to be home early. Absolutely no sex or funny business whatsoever, got it?”

He gave a mock shudder. “You sound exactly like Mary Agnes when you scold, so yes, I got it. I will be on my best behavior.”

“I need my head examined.”

“No, Jess, you need to be brave and go after what you want.”

“And you’re what I want?’ She quirked a smooth brow at him; despite her challenging tone, her blue eyes danced with amusement. “That’s pretty cocky.”

He rose to the challenge, in more ways than one, and went about proving he was exactly what she wanted with a full on the lips, open-mouthed kiss that included tongue this time, and lots of it. She tasted as sweet and hot as he knew she would. As his tongue delved deep, she let out a moan. Her hands rose to grip his shoulders, her nails digging in and biting into his flesh through his scrub top. He welcomed her response regardless of the pain, his hands unable to resist sliding back to her ass for another sample of the rounded half-moons that had been tormenting him for weeks.

The door rattled behind them as someone jiggled the handle. The sudden interruption yanked him abruptly to awareness of their situation. “Hey,” a voice called from the hallway, “who locked the door?” A series of knocks followed. “Is anyone in there?”

Reluctantly, he lifted his head, smiling as her lips tried to follow his. As he rose to his full height, his mouth quickly left her range and her eyes sprang open.

“Get the key from Josie, some genius locked the door,” the same voice called.

“Oh, my God! They’ll think—”

“Yeah, they probably will.”

She glared at him, her eyes dipping to his foolish grin. “Did you do this on purpose?”

“No, but they’ll find out eventually. It’s best to have it out in the open now and get it over with.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re the stud hero and I’ll merely be another notch on your belt.”

“After that kiss, you think so?”

Her mouth fell open to say something else as keys jingled. He stepped back, running his hands over her hair, trying to smooth the curls he had tousled. Before he let her go, he caressed her cheek, the edge of his thumb running softly down her face to the edge of her jaw. “
Bellissima,
” he murmured, his eyes intent on hers for a brief moment before his hand dropped.

“Into the bathroom,
cara,
quickly
.
Anyone seeing you now will know you’ve been thoroughly kissed.”

With a small squeal, she fled, the door closing behind her just as the locker room door burst open. Marc gave the two surgical technicians a nod, then left whistling, letting the chips fall where they may. He’d won the first round, earning several kisses and Jessie’s agreement for dinner. It was shaping up to be an excellent day.

Chapter Four

Marc’s fingers brushed her shoulders lightly as he helped her off with her coat. It was early spring in southeastern Michigan, which meant unpredictable weather, anywhere from summer-like heat to snow showers. Today was definitely the latter; it was cool and breezy, and snow lay on the ground.

As they followed the maître d’ to their table, Marc’s hand rested on her lower back, the warmth of his hand seeping into her skin. She’d been on pins and needles all day. Not only about seeing the sexy doctor, whose kisses yesterday had practically set fire to her panties, but also because of where he was taking her. She was used to fast food and blue jeans, and the Forest Grill was fine dining and elegance, which meant cheeseburgers and denim were not on the menu. Fortunately, she’d been off today and had time to comb the consignment shops for something appropriate to wear.

She’d found a gem at her third stop, picking up a beaded black cocktail dress with three-quarter-length sleeves and a conservative boat neckline. The sheer sleeves and overlay as well as the V-back made it sexy without appearing slutty. She was going for classy, not cheap, and thought she had pulled it off pretty well. It was short and showed off a lot of leg. She’d toned down the glare from her winter white skin with sheer black stockings. Her hair in an updo was pulled high at her crown in a simple clip, which let the natural ringlets fall loose over her shoulders and down her back. The fringe of side-swept bangs in front gave it a softer appearance.

As he seated her politely, she murmured a thank you and accepted the menu from the waiter as Marc took the chair beside her. As she opened the menu, she gave the gorgeous man beside her a sidelong glance. She had a moment to observe him as he spoke to the waiter. His low rumble was stirring behind a surgical mask, but as she watched his mouth move, she couldn’t help notice he had the fullest, softest looking lips she’d ever seen on a man. No wonder his kisses felt so good. She had to get a grip before she jumped his bones in the middle of the five-star restaurant.

“I’ll take the wine list first, please,” Marc said as he slid the menu from her fingers and set it aside. She watched the man scurry away before turning back to observe her date for the evening. Black-as-sin hair, olive complexion heralding his Italian heritage, broad shoulders barely contained in his perfectly fitted suit coat, which had to have been tailor-made for him. A gold and black wristwatch gleamed in the candlelight and she knew if she studied it more closely, it would say Rolex. He seemed perfect and much too refined for her. Self-doubt crept in along with a certainty that she was way out of her league.

She had asked about him at work. He came from a wealthy family, his parents connected in the elite society of suburban Detroit, such as it was. As she listened to him discuss wine with the waiter, Jessie looked down at the elaborate table setting and frowned. She knew nothing about fine dining or upper-class endeavors like wine tasting. She didn’t know anything about wine at all other than it had to be under ten dollars on her budget and have a cap, not a cork, since she didn’t own a corkscrew. She and her friends called it redneck wine: chilled and cheap, red and sweet. Therefore, she gave him a neutral nod when he made a suggestion, happy to let the decision be his.

Feeling more nervous now, she looked down, fiddling with her linen napkin while taking pains to spread it precisely over her lap. She reminded herself to eat something, bread or an appetizer at least. If she started with alcohol on an empty stomach, she’d start giggling, make a fool out of herself, and was sure all her bluster of no funny business would be out the window.

“You’re stunning tonight, Jessica.”

Her head came up. Seeing that she was the focus of his golden brown gaze, her eyes flickered quickly away. “Thank you,” she murmured with a slight flush of her cheeks, unused to such praise. “Please call me Jessie, though. Jessica is who my mother always yelled at when something got broken.”

He chuckled. “I quite understand. I was Marcus Antonio when I was in hot water.”

She flashed him a grin, always knowing him as an authority figure; she was having a difficult time picturing him as a boy and being chastised.

“That dress is very pretty. Dare I ask if you picked it up special for tonight?”

“You can ask, though no girl is going to answer that honestly. A yes could make me appear over-anxious, a no meaning I didn’t care enough to make an effort. Either way, there is no good answer. You’ll have to decide for yourself.”

“Either way, it is quite becoming and the lace very sexy.”

Her color heightened and thankfully, with perfect timing, the waiter returned with their wine. Working as a surgical nurse for the past several years, the less-than-becoming apparel she wore garnered few compliments, the baggy garb and hair covering even fewer second glances. Sure, she’d been told she was pretty in the past and men had admired her curvy figure, comparing her to Jessica Rabbit or Joan from
Mad Men,
but as she’d worked on her career, she found it annoying, her looks being more of a hindrance than anything else. In truth, she often tried to downplay her assets, working tirelessly at being seen as more than tits and ass. Happily, she donned surgical scrubs, which didn’t lend themselves to avowals of unbridled lust or undying love when men saw her. During those years, she hadn’t minded being passed over and blending into the wallpaper, but it had been too long since she’d been flattered by a man. She hadn’t realized that she missed it.

There was a long silence, which was becoming rather awkward. Although Marc didn’t seem to mind in the least as he sat back and studied her, a small smile on his sexy lips. Still, she searched for something to fill in the lagging conversation. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s nice to get dressed up for a change.”

“I don’t suppose you have much time for social functions with school and work.”

“How did you know I’m in school?”

“You mentioned it, twelve credits you said, right?”

She remembered. He was kind to downplay where she mentioned it, practically yelling it at him in The Fifth Tavern. Her face heated and she pressed her cool hands against her cheeks. “I’m mortified that I lost my temper like that.”

“Think nothing of it. I believe I mentioned how beautiful you are when you’re angry. I quite enjoyed it.” His grin was mildly lecherous as he waggled his eyebrows like Groucho Marx.

She couldn’t contain a small giggle, which quickly became soft laughter. When her mirth subsided, she reached out and tentatively touched his hand where it rested on the table. “Still, I apologize. I’m usually not so, um…” she stopped, searching for the right word, “volatile. You seem to bring out the bad girl in me.”

His hand twisted and clasped hers. “Apology accepted, Jess. And rest assured, bad girls are right up my alley.”

Jessie’s heart fluttered. He’d taken her innocent comment and made it sexual. His previous remarks about spanking her bottom popped unbidden into her head, along with the image of her bare cheeks beneath his swatting hand. Flames licked up her neck and across her cheeks, and Jessie knew that if she were to check a mirror, her ears would be red-tipped and steaming.

Marc squeezed her hand and brought it to his mouth. Her breath stopped when his lips brushed her knuckles. “I’m supposed to be on my best behavior, so let’s change the subject and let those blushes die down a bit, hmm?” He released his grip and folded his arms on the edge of the table, leaning in toward her but not touching. “So, tell me about school and what you have planned.”

She launched into an easy discussion about her pursuit of her post-graduate degree and career goals. He spoke at length about his clinic and his group’s plans for expansion. Before they knew it two hours had passed, their dinner salads and melt-in-your-mouth soft breadsticks were gone, the entrée of grilled flounder and poached shrimp with zucchini and smoked tomatoes was only a pleasant memory, and the crumb residue from the to-die-for five-layer lemon cream cake was being cleared away. All that was left were the dregs of their bottle of chardonnay, which Marc upended into her glass.

She arched a brow at him in silent accusation. He shrugged it off while explaining, “I’m driving, but nothing says you can’t enjoy another glass.”

Those wickedly sensual lips curving into a smile, showing perfectly straight gleaming white teeth, made her imagination run rampant. The thought of feeling those lips again, his mouth on her own, or on her neck, throat, or better yet, grazing her breasts, had her nearly squirming in her seat. Searching for something safe to say, she focused on their wonderful meal. “Now I know what the buzz is all about. The food here is phenomenal.”

“Yes, I have never left here unsatisfied.”

Wishing she could say the same, Jessie grabbed her wineglass. As she raised it to her lips, she felt his eyes upon her. As if his fingers stroked her skin, her nerve endings came to life, sending wisps of sensation throughout her body, most converging between her thighs and igniting her clit. Downing half the glass as he looked on, she struggled to find something to say. “Uh, at the risk of sounding cheesy… do you come here often?”

He laughed. “Not too often. As a bachelor, I eat out a lot, usually grabbing a sandwich or things on the go. So I jumped at the chance to be blown away by the chef here as well as having a gorgeous dinner companion to share it with.”

Ignoring the compliment, she nodded her understanding. “I live on sandwiches or Lean Cuisine most days.”

“Don’t let the chef hear such blasphemy or we’ll be tossed out on our ears.”

Smiling, their eyes met. “Thank you for dinner, Marc.”

“I suppose you need to go?”

“We both have surgery at eight o’clock, but I have to get up at five. We nurses arrive two hours early to prepare everything for you illustrious surgeons, you know.”

He signaled for the check and before long escorted her up the walk to her apartment; a two-bedroom unit about twenty minutes from the hospital. She’d picked it mainly because it was within her price range and she liked the way it was secluded away from the traffic by a thick stand of tall trees. The residents were mostly single professionals in their mid-twenties to late thirties, so she had made a few new friends. She’d also been drawn to the gym, pool, tennis courts, and weekend activities at the clubhouse. Of course, with her schedule she rarely had time to enjoy any of them.

As she fumbled in the dark with her keys, he took them and easily opened the door. “You need a security light out here, Jess. You should call the office tomorrow—it’s not safe.”

“I’ve done that a few times, yet it never seems to get done.” She reached in and flipped on her entryway light, which cast a pale glow over the front porch, as well as his frown as he stared at the fixture overhead. His eyes snapped back to her.