didn’t need to prove anything to me. I didn’t care if you could skate or not. I just wanted you to enjoy the day.” His serious gaze told her he was worried she’d pushed herself too hard.
“I did. Every last minute. Even when I fell on my ass,” she said with a grin.
He scowled at her comment. “You won’t be feeling so generous about that tomorrow.”
She smoothed the frown lines on either side of his luscious mouth with her fingers. “I will if you take care of me like you promised,” she said, her voice deep and husky.
Next thing she knew, she was back in his arms as he carried her to the front door. He smelled delicious, a combination of outdoors and sexy man, and she tangled her fingers in his hair as he somehow worked the key, never putting her down as he let them in.
“What’d you have to promise Sawyer to get this cabin again?” she asked as she kicked off her shoes and let them fall to the floor.
He laughed, the deep sound rumbling through her. “Just my firstborn.” On his kidding words, his gaze snared hers and her breath caught at the intensity she saw there.
Luke and kids. The idea, once planted, no matter how lightly, buzzed around her brain. Alexa loved kids, workedwith them when she could, because as patients, they were far more fun than cranky adults. Hence her youth center hours and free medical care for them. She was beginning to think she’d never have a family of her own. With one joking comment, this man caused a yearning deep in her soul.
“Alexa? Lex?” Luke asked. “What’s wrong?” He laid her down on the bed and eased next to her.
She blinked and deliberately cleared her mind. “Not a single thing,” she assured him.
Fanciful thoughts and feelings about a man she’d known a few days were ridiculous. What he was giving her in this precious time, the chance to experience
life
and to live all she’d been missing, was priceless. When he was gone, she knew she’d have choices to make about how she wanted to go forward from here.
But right now, she had him.
And just like he taught her, she intended to live in the here and now. So she unzipped her jacket, shrugged it off, and tossed it to the floor, then reached for his zipper and did the same to his.
He wore a fitted long sleeve thermal in a chocolate brown that brought out the gold in his eyes and accentuated the muscles in his chest and arms. With her mouth watering, she tugged at the bottom of the shirt, pulling it out of his jeans and working it up and over his head. With a targeted toss, the shirt hit his jacket on the floor.
“Hey, I thought I was going to take care of you?”
If that’s what the man wanted, that’s what he’d get, Alexa thought. “Go for it,” she told him. “I’m all yours.”
With a low growl from deep in his throat, he raised himself up on one knee and began divesting her of her clothes, piece by piece. Her jeans, damp from her many falls on the ice, took some effort, but finally he’d bared her to him, except for her lacy underwear and matching bra.
“You take my breath away, darlin’.”
Her breath caught and her throat swelled. “You do thesame to me. But more than that, you make me feel good. Special. I’ll never forget that.” She glanced away, embarrassed that she was revealing so much, yet unable to hold back the words.
“You
are
special.”
Not according to her father.
Surgeons like you are a dime a dozen, Alexa. Try harder. Do better. Give more of yourself or you’ll never stand out.
God, she was so sick of his words tormenting her. She’d taken the full day off, covered her patients with a reliable doctor, and deliberately not checked in with her service or looked at her phone. Yet the pressure remained, a subtle heaviness in her chest and that damned voice in her head.
“Lex,” Luke said in a concerned tone.
“I’m here.” She smiled into his warm eyes, liking how he shortened her name. It was special.
“You weren’t.”
“I am now,” she
“I did. Every last minute. Even when I fell on my ass,” she said with a grin.
He scowled at her comment. “You won’t be feeling so generous about that tomorrow.”
She smoothed the frown lines on either side of his luscious mouth with her fingers. “I will if you take care of me like you promised,” she said, her voice deep and husky.
Next thing she knew, she was back in his arms as he carried her to the front door. He smelled delicious, a combination of outdoors and sexy man, and she tangled her fingers in his hair as he somehow worked the key, never putting her down as he let them in.
“What’d you have to promise Sawyer to get this cabin again?” she asked as she kicked off her shoes and let them fall to the floor.
He laughed, the deep sound rumbling through her. “Just my firstborn.” On his kidding words, his gaze snared hers and her breath caught at the intensity she saw there.
Luke and kids. The idea, once planted, no matter how lightly, buzzed around her brain. Alexa loved kids, workedwith them when she could, because as patients, they were far more fun than cranky adults. Hence her youth center hours and free medical care for them. She was beginning to think she’d never have a family of her own. With one joking comment, this man caused a yearning deep in her soul.
“Alexa? Lex?” Luke asked. “What’s wrong?” He laid her down on the bed and eased next to her.
She blinked and deliberately cleared her mind. “Not a single thing,” she assured him.
Fanciful thoughts and feelings about a man she’d known a few days were ridiculous. What he was giving her in this precious time, the chance to experience
life
and to live all she’d been missing, was priceless. When he was gone, she knew she’d have choices to make about how she wanted to go forward from here.
But right now, she had him.
And just like he taught her, she intended to live in the here and now. So she unzipped her jacket, shrugged it off, and tossed it to the floor, then reached for his zipper and did the same to his.
He wore a fitted long sleeve thermal in a chocolate brown that brought out the gold in his eyes and accentuated the muscles in his chest and arms. With her mouth watering, she tugged at the bottom of the shirt, pulling it out of his jeans and working it up and over his head. With a targeted toss, the shirt hit his jacket on the floor.
“Hey, I thought I was going to take care of you?”
If that’s what the man wanted, that’s what he’d get, Alexa thought. “Go for it,” she told him. “I’m all yours.”
With a low growl from deep in his throat, he raised himself up on one knee and began divesting her of her clothes, piece by piece. Her jeans, damp from her many falls on the ice, took some effort, but finally he’d bared her to him, except for her lacy underwear and matching bra.
“You take my breath away, darlin’.”
Her breath caught and her throat swelled. “You do thesame to me. But more than that, you make me feel good. Special. I’ll never forget that.” She glanced away, embarrassed that she was revealing so much, yet unable to hold back the words.
“You
are
special.”
Not according to her father.
Surgeons like you are a dime a dozen, Alexa. Try harder. Do better. Give more of yourself or you’ll never stand out.
God, she was so sick of his words tormenting her. She’d taken the full day off, covered her patients with a reliable doctor, and deliberately not checked in with her service or looked at her phone. Yet the pressure remained, a subtle heaviness in her chest and that damned voice in her head.
“Lex,” Luke said in a concerned tone.
“I’m here.” She smiled into his warm eyes, liking how he shortened her name. It was special.
“You weren’t.”
“I am now,” she
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