Strictly Business (21 page)

Seeing his bleak expression, Nina offered genuine words of comfort. She knew the longer Ben stayed in his coma, the poorer his prognosis for recovery.
This was a familiar realm for her. This she was trained to handle. She’d much rather contemplate the circumstances of others and do what she could to ease their situation than grapple with her own issues.

Following lunch, Wade
rose from the couch and offered his hand. “Come on…”

Nina peered up at him, confusion
lifting her brow. She opened her mouth to speak, but he quickly silenced her with his gentle lips. The sliding caress of his mouth caused a moan deep in her throat, igniting her need for him. He dragged her up against him and together they stumbled down the hall.

She
followed him through the door to the marble bath and offered no protest when he stripped her out of her shorts, underwear, and shirt. Cool air feathered against her naked flesh, and she shivered. He left her alone to fill the giant tub; he added an aromatic soap then returned to pull her against him and rub warmth into her arms with his big palms.

She
slipped her arms around his waist and pillowed her head on his chest, absorbing the rhythmic thumping of his heart. The heat of his body was enough to send a slow current snaking through her. Her nipples poked his chest and the juncture of her thighs grew dewy with need.

“I figured a bubble bath might relax you
,” he mumbled against the top of her head.

She sank into the tub with a satisfied purr.
The satiny warmth engulfed her, jets of soapy water swirling and ebbing along her sensitive skin. She welcomed the quiescence and purred when he moved behind the tub and started to gently massage her shoulders. She allowed him to ease the burden of her innermost thoughts.

She wanted to forget about his case, forget about the foiled attempt on her life, and forget about Marie
Deluse. Although she hadn’t allowed her fear to take root, she was anxious about her pending promotion and the fact that she was actively plotting against someone who was involved in making decisions regarding her future. She had no idea when or
if
he would be brought to justice.

Wade’s
long nimble fingers probed her shoulders, kneading and soothing a buttery path, effectively luring her mind from her errant thoughts. She arched her back and crooned, wishing he’d apply the same attention to her aching nipples.

“Don’t stay in too long or you’ll turn into a prune
,” he advised, rising from behind her. She could hear the diluted strain in his deep voice.

“St
ay.” Nina heard herself whisper when he turned towards the door.

He
turned around, and his gorgeous blue eyes locked with hers. She could sense his barely leashed desire and it spurred her own.

“Nina
… You’ve been through so much…” His voice trailed off as she moved to her knees in the tub, her wet heavy breasts swaying with her movements. The heat caused the confines of her ponytail to curl in spirals against her slick skin.

His throat work convulsively as she
hooked a finger into a belt loop of his jeans and dragged him closer. Her palm roamed over the large bulge in his jeans she was now eye level with, causing a moan to rumble from his throat.

“Nina,” he croaked as her touch grew bolder. Even as he spoke his hips rocked into the cup of her hand. “You should be resting. Are—are you up to it?”

Nina grin
ned and peered up at him. “The question is, Wade, are you
up
to it?” At those words she gripped him tightly and nibbled along the long hot ridge in his jeans. She knew the promise beneath, and the thought of it literally made her mouth water.

Wade quirked a brow, surprised and thrilled by her boldness.

“Ahh…God…” He struggled not to move, but the teasing nips were driving him crazy. He almost doubled over when she unbuttoned his jeans and took his engorged tip into the warm cavern of her mouth. Pleasure burned along his stiff rod and took root in his groin, drawing his sack tight.

She sucked him into her
mouth, causing Wade to growl each time his mushroom head hit the back of her throat.

Wade stared, transfixed
with the carnal sight of Nina’s lips whispering over him. His cock was engorged and rampant, twitching with pleasure as she fanned flames along his thick column. His passion ignited and flamed. He had to lock his hands behind his back to resist the urge to grip her head and buck wildly into her mouth. His knees almost buckled as she fisted his wide base and lapped greedily at his balls.

“
Aaaaah, Nina! God…that’s good...so good! You’re driving me crazy!”

Hot
precum dribbled from his tip and trailed down his length. Nina tracked it with her searing tongue and consumed his shaft, moaning and twisting her head to take as much of him as she could. A lightning bolt of pleasure shot through him, tearing a low jungle cry from his larynx. He felt the sharp buzz of impending orgasm along every nerve ending and gritted his teeth to hold it back. As desperately as his body longed for release, he wanted to be inside her. With herculean effort he pulled his hips away, releasing his throbbing shaft from the suction of her lips with a loud pop.

Nina couldn’t suppress her satisfied smile. She loved
the effect she had on him. She enjoyed hearing his moans and cries of pleasure, loved knowing she was the one responsible for reducing this big powerful body to a trembling mass of lust.

She watched as he stepped out of the jeans that had
billowed around his ankles and quickly ditch his tee shirt. There was a line of faint bruising down the length of his left arm. His body was gloriously solid all over, broad sculpted shoulders, tight abs, narrow waist, and strong athletic legs that were sprinkled with dark hair. His tumid member jutted proudly from a thatch of thick dark spirals. He took a step closer to the tub, eyes trailing a meandering path down the length of her naked body as he laced their fingers and pulled her up.

“Come on, let’s get you rinsed.”

She
laughed as a trail of suds followed her to the glass shower. She skirted him as he scooped up handfuls of foam and ineffectively tossed them at her like sticky snowballs. He slipped into the shower behind her, chuckling as he adjusted the spray of water that spewed from multiple faucets. She reveled in the steamy warmth, shivering as he trailed an unhurried path over her skin, rinsing the soap from her body.

His
fingers painted a slow intricate pattern of circles on her lower abdomen and skated through her wet curls, stirring lava into her blood. Her lids lowered, she almost groaned in frustration, wishing his route would extend lower to where she craved his touch most.

“Think I
rinsed everywhere?” he inquired teasingly.

Nina caught her bottom lip between her teeth. Her lids rolled up and met his gaze. Slowly she shook her head, not trusting her voice to speak.

“I thought I was so thorough…whatever could I have missed?” His heated breath dusted along her neck and chest. “Did I miss
this
spot?” His tongue savored one nipple, then his hot mouth closed over her breast, dragging a startled cry from her.

She
gasped and shook her head, the wet suctioning of his lips drawing the desire between her legs to an exquisite point. His fingers idled behind her, sliding through the warm water pounding at her back. A single finger delved into the crease of her ass, moving along sensitive skin; she tensed and trembled simultaneously.

“
This
spot?”

Her
breath was erratic and coarse, her body a gelatinous mass of nerves and sensation. She managed to shake her head, acutely aware of his questing fingers. They dipped down between her drenched thighs and fluttered lightly over her aching nub.

“
This
spot?”

She
sought purchase from his solid shoulders. Her knees went weak as sharp pleasure clawed through her. Her head fell back, and a low moan curled up from her throat. Wade dotted her feminine folds, drumming his fingers along her cleft and used the flow of her essence to slowly glide his path.

“
Did I find the spot I missed?” His deep voice found her in her sensual abyss.

A
guttural groan was all she could manage because at that moment he speared a long finger deep into her swollen aching flesh, sending her spiraling into orgasm. With a grunt he backed her quivering body up against the gray marble wall of the shower.

He devoured her mouth, plundering its depths with his velvety tongue. Nina felt the
sudden coolness of the wall against her back; her shaky thighs circled his hips as he hoisted her up. She held on to his broad shoulders, startled by the sudden change in position. Every cell in her body drummed with anticipation; her ache for him was so intense that it was almost painful. Her recent orgasm only served to prime her for a deeper fulfillment. The sound of the rushing water behind them filled her head, and a hazy mist blanketed the large shower stall.

With a
gutteral groan Wade positioned himself at her entrance and lowered her onto his straining length. Her head lolled as she experienced the delicious stretch of her flesh around him. Shards of heat jetted from her center and sizzled through her. He breathed her name again and again as if he too was locked in the rapture. He arched and buried himself to the hilt, giving them both a moment to bask at the edge of undiluted pleasure.

Slowly the need began to crest
, and Nina looked down into his eyes. The carnal lust she saw there was raw and untamed. His blue eyes deepened to a dusky violet as he braced his legs and withdrew slowly. He kept the bulging tip buried in her wetness and she clamped down, missing the entire length of him. She expelled a sudden
whoosh
of air as he pumped into her hard. His cock was hot and slippery, bathed by their fluids.

B
unching his shoulders, he cupped her buttocks and pumped furiously into her slick passage. Nina’s hands clawed at his shoulders and she gasped and moaned, the delicious spasms demanding a voice. Wade’s pounding was so forceful that she slid a few inches up the steamy marble with each thrust. His tongue bathed her neck and chest with wet sultry kisses, and he issued her name through clenched teeth.

“
Yes! Yes! Yes! More...more…”
Nina cried, feeling the slow build of another climax teasing her hot flesh. Her fingers entwined themselves in his thick dark hair, and she latched on.

Wade b
ent his knees and jack-hammered into her, rending a long moan from deep in her chest. A rapturous fireball flew through her body, igniting everything it touched. Her inner muscles rippled and tightened around his thick shaft and she felt his body stiffen; his cock pulsed and bucked deep inside her. A hoarse endless roar was muffled against her neck as he swiveled his hips and poured his semen into her.

She
deflated against him. She knew that if he weren’t supporting her she’d melt to the floor in a gelatinous heap. Her body was still quivering from her climax and her fingers clenched deep in his hair. He eased out of her, causing them both to moan, and in one swift motion slipped an arm around her shoulders and another beneath her knees. He cradled her to him and snuggled her close to his chest as he carried her sated body to his room.

He
deposited her into his king size bed and she purred as she felt the kiss of cool sheets against her bare skin. He brushed back her damp curls from her face and skimmed his lips across her forehead and the tender bruise there. She whimpered when he moved away, and he promised a quick return, his eyes transparently adoring.

Wade
toweled them both off, tucked her under his comforter and slid in beside her. His heart stroked warmth through his chest when she turned and nestled against him. Marveling at how well they fit together, he knew this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life.

CHAPTER   TEN

Nina startled awake, her heart pounding furiously. She
probed the darkness with her eyes, trying to scatter her disequilibrium. Her first troubled thought was that she was late for work, which for her would be a first. She spied a digital clock on a nightstand and with a sigh of relief realized she still had a few hours before the start of her shift. She was in Wade’s room and the heavy curtains were drawn. She could hear him talking on the phone in the adjoining bathroom and wondered if Marie Deluse had finally reached him. A punch of jealously hit her and she chastised herself.

M
oments later he hurried into the room and assuaged her expanding curiosity.

“
There’ve been some new developments,” he whispered, meeting her questioning stare. His naked legs were quickly stepping into jeans as he cradled his cell phone between his ear and shoulders, raptly listening to his caller.

She
sat up, a palm bracing a sheet over her naked breasts. She watched Wade intently. His eyebrows were pleated in deep concentration as he scuttled about the room pulling on the rest of his clothes.

“I should be there in fifteen
,” he said finally and signed off.

“
Joe?”

“No, that was Andrew, my law partner.” Wade
snapped on his Rolex. His long legs brought him to the bed in a few quick strides. “We’re meeting at the office. I’m not sure exactly what information Joe has, but Andrew wants a meeting. Joel, my other partner has been talking to the State Insurance Board and he wants to fill us in too.” Wade sighed heavily, his blue eyes weary. He couldn’t wait for this damn case to wrap up, although he knew it would be months, years even before its legal finality.

“I’ve
gotta go. I should be back in a few hours. We’ll talk more then.” He bent down to kiss her goodbye.

“I might not be here when you get back. I’ve a shift tonight.”

“You
what
?” Her words sent a chill sliding down his spine.

She
ignored his incredulous expression. His mounting anger was etched in the tight lines of his face. She met his gaze calmly.

“I
have to go to work tonight. I’m a physician. There are patients who need me. I can’t
not
show up for work.”

“Nina. You were attacked this morning.
It’s not safe at WMH,” he spat out slowly, every word a sharp jab.

She
found his phonated speech offensive. He was speaking to her as if she were a child. She was trying to stay calm, but they’d had this discussion before and he should know where she stood. Her career meant everything to her.

“My promotion—.”

“Fuck your promotion!” Wade exploded.

Nina
felt her cheeks heat with rage. She wished she weren’t lying naked in his bed at that moment. It only added to her disadvantage when confronting this six-four giant. Pockets of memories of her ex flashed before her, making her flame lividly. She struggled to blink back tears.

“Just because you screwed me doesn’t mea
n you get to tell me what to do!”

He
looked like he was about the throttle her. He raked long fingers through his hair and swore vividly. Calming, he said, “I—I care about you. I’m only concerned for your safety.”

“As am I, but I can’t hide out in your apartment forever. Besides, I wasn’t attacked at the hospital. There’re always people around. I work in the emergency room with about fifty other
staff members.”

“Yeah, and one or God knows how many of them are criminals!”

“Wade, I have a commitment which I take very seriously.”

She watched emotions flicker across his face.
“What about your head? You’re hurt. Can’t you take a sick day or something?”

Nina
held his blue gaze unwaveringly. She saw how little he understood her, saw how little he comprehended what medicine meant to her. He could care less about her dreams and goals, and it pained her deeply. If she stumbled now when her dreams were so close to being realized, she could lose everything.

She was already taking a huge chance by aiding Wade, but in that she had to follow her conscience.
Her career was all she had. Who knew what would happen when this case was all over. Her usefulness to him would cease. She had to be prepared to move on with her life and career.

She understood the potential
physical danger, but she would literally be surrounded by people all night long. She had already allowed fear to displace her from her apartment. She wouldn’t allow it to staunch her passion. She was about to tell Wade this when his cell phone chirped noisily.

“Damn
, I have to go,” he said, reading Andrew’s number on the display. He ignored the call and fastened his attention on the cause of his anger and frustration. He gentled his voice and entreated, “Nina, promise me you won’t go anywhere until I get back. Promise me you’ll call in sick. Just this one night, then we’ll figure something out.”

Nina knew
he took her silence as acquiescence. She was weary of arguing. She allowed her lips to tilt into a resigned smile, but inside her gut roiled with ire and disappointment. He gave her impassive lips a quick kiss and was gone before a single tear breached her affected composure.

Wade almost mowed down the gentleman in front of him who’d hailed
the cab. With a stilted apology he slipped into the back seat of the idling vehicle and slammed the door. He fired off his destination in clipped tones and to the cabby’s chagrin dictated the route in which to get there.

Wade sat back and willed himself to take a calming breath. His heart banged
nosily against his ribs and his palms were moist with fear. The information he’d received tonight was enough to make his blood run cold. Apparently the State Insurance Board had already suspected the insurance company of fraud and misconduct. It had launched its own investigation months ago. He’d spent the better part of his meeting comparing notes and cross referencing data with one of their agents.

During the meeting
he had received an urgent call from Ben’s doctor informing him that Ben was now conscious and insisting on speaking to him. Wade had immediately raced to St. Vincent’s hospital, relieved that his friend had recovered. His joy had been short lived when he’d heard what his friend had to say. He’d expected to be gone for just an hour or so, but the unexpected events had detained him well into the night.

He hit the redial button on his cell phone again; he dialed his home number, desperately wishing for Nina to answer and assure him she was safe. He’d had no luck reaching her on her cell phone. He knew in his gut where she was, but somehow clung to a slither of hope that she’d listened to him earlier, that she’d considered what he’d said and trusted him just a little. When his home machine answered again he hung up and called the concierges at his apartment building.

Michael confirmed his worst nightmare. Nina had been seen leaving the building dressed in scrubs, apparently headed to work. Wade cursed so violently that the cab driver startled and hit the brakes
. Muttering an apology, he bellowed a new destination.

He
felt the cab slow when they encountered a knot of congestion. Stretching his neck through the window, he saw bright orange cones indicating road work ahead. Another oath escaped as his frustration and helplessness mounted. Unbidden thoughts of Aunt Bev streamed through his mind, his pain and anguish as fresh as it was when he’d stood helplessly by and watched her slip away.

This resurgence of emotion was a jolt of realization for him. All these years he’d directed
rage and hatred at his old family physician. Those consuming emotions had been fueled by guilt and anger at himself. Guilt and anger because he’d done nothing to help his aunt. Like her, he’d trusted their long time doctor. He had to forgive himself. Nina helped him to see that not every doctor was made from the same mold, and he wasn’t powerless. He’d do whatever was necessary to save Nina. He couldn’t lose her. He had to figure out some way of reaching her. He had to think of some way to get her out of WMH before it was too late.

Nina draped her stethoscope around her neck and sighed. She
and Dr. Tanno hadn’t stopped running from the moment they’d assumed duty. There’d been a four car pile-up about a mile away and all the injured had been brought to WMH’s ER. Tending the patients had given her little time to stop and think, or for that matter, respond to the darkly accusing eyes of her best friend. Sally had been trying to get her alone all night.

She’d
apparently stopped by Nina’s apartment that morning, and was shocked to hear from Mrs. Witkin that Nina hadn’t been seen in more than a week, and that she’d been the victim of a break-in. Of course, Mrs. Witkin couldn’t omit the details about the gorgeous blue-eyed man who’d been seen numerous times in her company.

She
had no idea what she’d say to Sally. She groaned inwardly when she saw her friend plotting a determined course straight for her. Sally stopped in front of her. Her nurse’s whites were almost glowing beneath the harsh lights. Her face, which was usually quick to smile, now frowned deeply with worry.

“We need to talk. I kno
w you’re still seeing that jerk,”   Sally accused flatly.

Nina blew out a breath and motioned her to a nearby alcove.

“Sally, there’s a lot you don’t know…”

“Apparently
,” she scoffed loudly, then lowered her voice to a beseeching whisper when an attendant strolled by. “Nina, why are you still hanging around with that creep? He’s done nothing but made you miserable! What sort of business does he have you wrapped up in? Didn’t his investigator get shot? What happened at your apartment?”

Nina couldn’t get a word
pass the rapid fire of questions her friend shot at her. She stammered and ran her palms over her tired eyes, inadvertently pushing back the hair she’d worn down. Sally gasp suddenly, pointing to the bruise on her temple. Nina witnessed a look of horror contorted her friends face.

“
Oh my God
. Nina, did he do this to you?”

“No!” Nina protested
. “Sally, no. Wade would never. I—I ah, fell down.”

Even as she said the words they sounded lame to her. She watched Sally shake her head in angry disbelief. Her b
rown eyes narrowed suspiciously, casting off waves of contempt.

“W
e need a serious sit-down, girl! This man’s got you wrapped around his little finger like a—”

Nina never
managed to refute Sally’s vehement accusations. She heard her friend murmur angrily and turned her head to follow her piercing gaze. Maria Deluse was standing not ten feet away from them, impatiently tapping her Jimmy Choos. Nina swallowed her shock, genuinely perplexed by the unexpected appearance.

“
What the fu—?” Sally exclaimed, balling up her fists.

Nina halted Sally with a quick tug on her arm
when she stepped around to confront the other woman. Marie’s face was exquisitely decorated, her expression almost bored as she studied her nails then pointedly glared at Nina.

“Sally, stop. I can handle this
,”  Nina assured, trying to discourage her friend’s aggressive posturing.

Confusion and anger warred within Nina. She didn’t know why Marie would suddenly show up at her job
, but she intuitively knew it had to do with Wade. Ignoring her friend fuming behind her, she approached Marie.

“Can I help you?”
she asked tentatively.

Marie regarded her as though
she was examining a bug on her designer shoes. At length she said, “Wade sent me.”

“What?” Nina’s eyebrows rose in confusion.

Marie sighed dramatically and shifted her weight to a lengthy leg. “He needs to speak with you urgently. He wants you to meet him outside.”

Nina shook her head in an attempt to clear it and make room to process
the information Marie was telling her.

“If he needed to speak to me so urgently why didn’t he come in?”

Marie’s eyes met hers. Her focus was steady and penetrating. “For obvious reasons.”

Marie’s last words hovered between them like
a nebulous cloud. Nina searched her face, trying to decipher if the reasons she alluded to were simultaneously understood. Nina gazed doubtfully.

“Listen, I have better things to do than spend time in an emergency room. I live close by and Wade called me. He asked if
I could come by and get you. Apparently he’s been trying to reach you. He wants you to meet him out back. There’s something urgent he needs to speak to you about.”

She
suddenly remembered that Wade had had a meeting with his partners to discuss his case. What could he have found out that would require such urgency? Considering the threat that had occurred on her life, and how concerned he’d been before he’d left for the meeting, she was sure the matter was crucial. It made sense that he didn’t want to raise suspicion by coming into the ER. What vexed her beyond words was the fact that he’d sent his lover to fetch her. Again, a painful reminder that he was a free agent.