Authors: Brenda Jackson
Branding her.
She gasped, arched her body into his, felt him going deeper, burying himself to the hilt inside of her till she could barely take anymore. And then he leaned her back and went for her breasts, opening his mouth again one dark nipple and another. Licking, laving, cherishing; she moaned deep within her throat.
He began moving his hips, pumping in and out of her in a desperate rhythm, a hot torrid mating, and with the same urgent frenzy, she met him stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust.
And when he left her breasts to capture her mouth, he mimicked the mating beat of their bodies. The intensity was too great, emotions too strong, need too overwhelming. She needed his release as much as she needed her own. She wanted to feel him as much as a woman could feel any man and she tightened her inner muscles around him, clamping and milking him. She knew just what she wanted and just what she intended to get. He’d said he wanted to come inside of her and she was going to give him his wish, which would drive her closer to her own.
She shifted her body to allow him greater penetration as he continued to kiss her long and hard. And she felt herself falling and pulled her mouth free to scream when an orgasm of gigantic proportions rammed through her at the same time she felt him shuddering with the force of his release—hot, thick—that didn’t seemed to stop, flooding her insides while his deep, guttural groan filled the room.
Another scream was torn from her lips as everything exploded inside of her and she experienced the earth-shaking, mind-blowing, toe-curling orgasm she’d craved.
Bright and early the next morning Brandy woke up curled up against the hard, masculine body asleep beside her. Her body trembled from the inside out as memories flooded her mind. After they had made love on her desk, they had proceeded to do so again on the kitchen table, the floor, the wall, then finally in the shower, before they’d dried off and collapsed in her bed, where she got the best sleep of her life. They’d had a cumulative total of five years to make up for and they’d done it in grand style—even now she wasn’t sure if she could move. Yet she wanted him again, this time in bed. She smiled, feeling downright insatiable, potently needy, and basking in the aura of feeling so desired. When she felt him move beside her she turned and met his sleepy gaze.
“You, Brandy Bennett, are something else,” Grey whispered into the tangled mass of braids that covered her head as well as his shoulder. “Don’t ever doubt your capabilities as a woman. Not ever.”
Brandy nodded, unable to speak. This man, this ultra beautiful man, had reminded her over and over again all through the night just what it felt like to be a woman, a woman in the purest sensuous sense of the word. A woman made to mate with her man. A woman who could satisfy his every desire and rock his world while rocking her own.
And he’d also given her something else. A sense of worth and value. In his arms she felt cherished and possessed.
Unable to speak at the moment, she moved closer to him, his warmth, his naked body, and she then inhaled his male scent. Robust. Exhilarating. Overpowering.
Addictive.
And when he suddenly shifted positions, covering his hard thighs with hers, shifting her beneath him, she wrapped her arms around, totally prepared and willing to indulge in more fantasies with him.
For the time being they were unwilling to let reality invade this very extraordinary moment they were sharing.
Chapter 18
E
ven before he pried open his eyes, he smelled her scent. It was a luscious fragrance that overpowered the hospital’s antiseptic smell.
Cord Jeffries pulled himself from the clutches of a deep sleep and tried to mentally pull everything together in his mind to reconstruct the reason he was lying in a hospital bed with tubes and equipment hooked up to his body.
Then he remembered.
All Dev’s warnings had come to pass and Cord had literally fallen on his face in exhaustion. The thought of what happened was down right embarrassing, but utterly beneficial since it had brought the woman of his dreams to his side.
He glanced across the room at her. She was asleep on a cot that had been placed in the room. The thin blanket that had intended to cover her was now on the floor, and the angle in which she lay on her side revealed the slit in the side of her dress.
His gaze ran the length of her body, lingering on the portion of thighs exposed by the split and thought it was a damn good thing he was already flat on his back or he definitely would have been knocked there. Her thighs were firm, voluptuous and well stacked. He could just imagine having those thick thighs wrapped around him in the heart of passion. In fact he had done more than just imagine it, he had dreamed it several times since meeting her.
He closed his eyes again as a question invaded his thoughts. Why was she here in his hospital room where it was apparent that she had spent the night? Granted he had taken ill in her bookstore, but still, what she’d done had gone way above and beyond mere concern for a customer and that realization warmed him inside. Other than Dev and Mr. Phillips, it had been a long time since anyone had cared about him. Even Diane hadn’t shown this much interest and concern when they’d been married.
As he continued to feast his eyes on her, he noticed that one of her arms was thrown over her head in an utterly sexy pose, which made the front of her dress gape open just a little, but well enough for him to get a glimpse of the top of her breasts. Even from a distance they looked creamy, smooth, and soft, and he could imagine the palm of his hand kneading them, and the tips of his fingers caressing her nipples. Hell, he wouldn’t mind getting the chance to suck on them too, since they looked like the kind he could definitely get enjoyment from.
It had been Cord’s intent to study her some more while she slept, and he became somewhat disappointed when she slowly came awake. But then again, he enjoyed seeing her stretch her body and even liked the way she moaned away sleep before fully opening her amber colored eyes. He would love hearing her make a similar sound while he was planted firmly inside of her.
Then, when their gazes met and held, blatant awareness passed through them, and his body immediately became hard. The awareness they shared was the kind that neither could deny even had they wanted to. It was too potent, too overwhelming and way too staggering.
“Good morning,” he somehow found his voice to say, which cost him a lot. His throat felt dry, strained and almost as thick as the erection he shifted in bed to conceal, which was a good thing when she quickly sat up then crossed the room to him.
“Good morning, Cord. How do you feel?”
Her voice sounded husky and slumberous and it immediately gave him an adrenaline rush, which in his book said a lot for a man who was in the hospital for exhaustion. “I feel all right,” he murmured, his tone low and rough, and decided not to add,
especially since you’re here
.“Why did you stay all night? That cot couldn’t have been comfortable for you?”
She pushed a mass of hair that had flopped over in her face back and smiled with concern. “You passed out in my store, so of course I was concerned about you.”
Cord nodded. If that was the story she wanted him to buy then he would do it with every penny he had. But there was no way she could convince him that she made a habit of spending the night with every man who got ill in her store.
He then glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost seven in the morning. “How long have I been here?” he decided to ask. The happenings of yesterday were a bit foggy in his mind. The only thing he remembered before the fall was impatiently waiting for her to come out of the office where one of her employees had told him she was. And when she’d finally opened the office door and walked over, flanked by two other women, he thought seeing her again had been all that had mattered to him. He’d been like a thirsty man and she’d been the drink he craved. It was something even now he didn’t understand, considering his failure in the love department. He was glad Diane hadn’t completely destroyed his ability to want another woman, to engage in a meaningful relationship with someone else, or to seriously think of a solid future with a woman.
“You were brought in around six yesterday afternoon. The doctor gave you something to make you sleep,” she interrupted his thoughts by saying. “He said you needed your rest.”
Again Cord nodded. He could definitely agree with that. It was the best sleep he’d gotten in a long time, and to wake up to such a beautiful view was icing on the cake. Her eyes, he noted, continued to gaze at him, study him, the same way he was sure his eyes were studying her. Then suddenly, she reached out and wiped his brow, but didn’t stop there. Her fingers then moved lower to caress the stubble along his cheek and jaw.
“I guess I need a shave,” he managed to say. Her fingers on his face felt warm, seductive and soothing.
Instead of saying anything, she merely nodded. Her lips were parted and her mouth was slightly open and a thought that immediately came to his mind was that the place his tongue needed to be was inside her mouth. Something in his gaze must have conveyed that thought because she leaned over closer to him and he made an attempt to lean up closer to her and . . .
Harrumph.
The clearing of someone’s throat had them jumping apart like two teenagers who’d been caught in the back seat of a car. Cord frowned, not appreciating the untimely interruption and his frowned deepened further when he saw it was Dev who had come into the room unannounced.
“You could have knocked,” Cord grumbled, deciding to tuck the hospital blanket securely around his midsection to keep his predicament from Dev’s all knowing eyes. Amber had moved away from the bed and was now standing by the cot.
“Yes, I could have,” Dev said, grinning from ear to ear. “But as a doctor I really didn’t think I had to. I was told by the nurse that my patient was in bed weak as water, however, from my observations, you evidently have energy to manage some things.”
Dev then turned his attention to Amber and his brow lifted. “You’re the fianée, I assume?” he asked smiling.
“Fiancée?” Cord asked. Surprised by Dev’s statement, he turned his full attention to Amber. “You told someone you were my fiancée?” he asked curiously.
Amber tinted in embarrassment and wished there was someway she could crawl under Cord’s bed. “Ahh, yes,” she said to the doctor, unable at the time being to look at Cord. “I know I shouldn’t have lied but that was the only way they would tell me about his condition and I was extremely worried. He passed out in my bookstore and I was deeply concerned.”
Dev nodded. “Oh, I see.”
Cord raised eyes to the ceiling knowing Dev really didn’t see at all. Like him, Dev was probably trying to figure out why she would be so concern to the point of spending the night on an uncomfortable cot just to be near him.
“And since I know he’s doing fine I’ll leave now,” she quickly added when both men continued to look at her.
“Stay!”
The order was barked out simultaneously by Cord and the doctor, and it startled Amber. She jumped back in surprised.
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,” Cord said, trying to sit up in bed. “But I don’t want you to go yet.”
“And neither do I,” Dev chimed in, giving her a warm smile. “I’d like to ask you more questions about what happened yesterday.”
Amber’s face lit in concern. “Why? Do you think it was something else other than exhaustion that brought him here?”
Dev lifted a brow. He glanced over at Cord who gave him a nod to answer Amber. By right, any discussion regarding Cord’s condition was private and confidential: however, Cord had silently given the okay for him to tell her anything she wanted to know. “Since I’ve been concerned regarding Cord’s state of health for a long time, especially the long work hours, lack of sleep and his terrible eating habits, I think I can safely say that’s what brought him here, but still I need all to verify all the facts for my report.”
Dev then looked at her curiously. “Why? Do you think there’s something else I should check into?”
Amber shrugged. “He ate one of my cookies.”
Dev raised a curious brow. “And?”
“And I can’t cook although I thought I did a really good job on them. I followed my mother’s recipe to the letter.”
Dev chuckled. “Then I’m sure they were extremely good. But if I were you I wouldn’t worry about the fact that you can’t cook. Cord can’t cook either, and if his own cooking hasn’t killed him by now, nothing will.”
“Hey, watch it. I don’t appreciate being talked about like I’m not here.”
Amber glanced over at Cord and saw him smile. She also took note of the affection he displayed in his eyes for his doctor and immediately knew they shared more than a doctor-patient relationship. “The two of you are friends?” she blurted out.
“Sometimes,” Cord said frowning at the man.
“All the time,” the doctor countered and frowned back. Dev then offered his hand to Amber. “I’m Doctor Devin Phillips, best friend of this guy who wants to be difficult, and besides being his pretend-fiancée, you are?”
“Amber Stuart, and like I said the reason I told the—”
“You explained once Ms. Stuart, there’s no reason to explain again. I’m glad you cared enough to stay and check on him. I’ve been out of town at a medical convention and got back after midnight. And I’m about to impose some forced rest on my friend here.”
“I have work to do at the office, Dev.”
“Work that can wait, Cord. This here should be your wake up call. Maybe now you’ll take me seriously. I’ve already contacted Janelle and told her that if you call and ask her to bring work to your house to refuse you and I promised her she wouldn’t get fired. You need at least four solid days of rest, Cord, and I mean it. You either get it at home or I will make arrangements to keep your butt right here in this hospital for the next four days. So what’s it’s going to be.”
Cord didn’t say anything for the longest moment and then he said, “All right.”
Dev lifted a brow. “For some reason I don’t believe you. The other stipulation before I agree to release you is for you to hire a nurse to move in with you for the next four days. I want someone who’ll make sure you take your medicine, eat properly and—”
“In other words you want someone to spy on me and report back to you with information on every little thing I do.”
“Or refuse to do. You’re still not well, Cord. You need the next four days to regain your strength. No man should have been working the hours you’ve worked over the past six months and it’s time to stop. So what’s it going to be? Are you willing to have a live-in-nurse for the next four days?”
“No.”
“Then I have no choice but to keep you confined right here.”
Amber sighed. She could see that both men were extremely stubborn and decided to offer a solution. “I can do it.”
Cord’s gaze left Dev and shifted to Amber. “You can do what?”
“I can make sure you do all those things.”
Dev looked at Amber and frowned. “Are you saying that you’re willing to move in with him for four days to—”
“Be his spy?” Cord interrupted frowning.
Amber frowned at both men. “No, I don’t intend to be anyone’s spy. But I am willing to help out any way I can. I can easily arrange my schedule to take off four days and make sure Cord rests and gets the proper care he needs. After all, he did pass out in my store.”
Cord inwardly smiled when he knew he should feel like a downright heel. Amber was willing to come stay at his house and play nursemaid and by golly he intended to take her up on her offer. He could just see her taking care of him, feeding him, soothing him and possibly getting naughty with him. “Are you sure you want to do that?”he asked, hoping like hell that she
was
sure.
“Yes, I’m positive. And just to set the record straight, Cord. I will make sure that you follow Dr. Phillips’ orders so I hope you don’t think I’m some kind of a pushover because I’m not. You will do just what you’re supposed to do. Understood?”
Cord lifted a brow. Boy, the woman was downright bossy but hell he could deal with that. Besides, as soon as they got behind closed doors he intended to make her forget all about doctor orders. He planned to put another agenda in place. He smiled. “Understood.”
A few moments later, Amber had stepped out of the room while Dev checked Cord over. Cord knew he should be downright embarrassed when Dev couldn’t help but notice his erection that refused to go down.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Cord.”
Cord chuckled, deciding not to remind Dev of the many times he’d seen him in a similar state with his girlfriend Briana. All Briana had to do was to walk into a room and Dev’s midsection would go bonkers. “I have nothing to be ashamed of. As a doctor I’m sure you know there are certain things a man doesn’t have control of and arousal is one of them.”
Dev raised his eyes to the ceiling. “I’m not talking about that, Cord. At least not directly. I’m talking about your eagerness to take advantage of Amber Stuart.”
Cord frowned. “I’m not taking advantage of her. She volunteered.”
“Yeah, and you were right there, ready and quite enthusiastic about pouncing on her offer with blatant ideas in your head of pouncing on something else. I know you have an ulterior motive behind this.”
Cord smiled knowingly and had no intentions of denying that he had one. “Of course there’s an ulterior motive.I want to get to know her better. I told you a couple of weeks ago that the woman fascinates me. Can I help it if someone up there heard my prayers?”