He tugged her close. “You can keep me warm.”
“You don’t have to walk me to work.” But if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t ready to let him go. A few more minutes of his captivating smile would make the rest of her day so much better.
“I know, but I want to.”
Normally, she would have pulled away. Ash was a stranger, but there was an easiness between them, a familiarity she hadn’t experienced in a long time. And it was cold, the perfect excuse to snuggle into the warmth of his body.
He brought her to the doors of the emergency department and pulled up short, giving a low whistle. “Big place.”
Empty ambulances filled two of the five loading bays. She pulled him over to the staff entrance, an awning sheltering them from the cold. With a practiced flick of her badge, she activated the exterior security lock that opened the outer set of doors. She gestured for him to follow her inside to the small antechamber.
For a moment, the world narrowed down to the two of them. One set of doors led to the frigid world outside. The other set would take her into the chaos of one of the country’s busiest trauma centers. But, for now, they were alone. Sadly, their time was almost at an end. She tried to memorize the planes of his face and the hard angle of his jaw.
He pressed the pad of his thumb against her lower lip. “I feel bad about your drink.”
Her knees nearly bucked, weakened under the press of that thumb. He had found a way inside her private bubble, and the way he took her in with those mesmerizing eyes made her world tilt and tremble.
When he cupped her jaw, her stomach tumbled. Pressing her palm to her belly did nothing to calm the riot going on in there.
And then it happened. His eyes shifted between her mouth and her eyes, and he leaned in for a kiss.
Chapter Four
Skye took a step back,closing herself off to Ash’s imminent kiss. This was where she worked, and while no one could see them, someone could walk into the small entrance at any moment.
What was she doing anyhow? Getting back at Spencer?And, while she was angry, hurt, and devastated, wouldn’t she be guilty of a similar sin, letting this stranger have his kiss?
Why was she thinking of Spencer at all?
Recklesswas a word that didn’t belong in her rigid existence. Every step in her life had occurred after intense deliberation. It was the only way she’d survived her childhood. She had taken a broken little girl and transformed her into a successful physician, precisely because she’d measured and weighed every risk, knowing what she was willing to lose.
Things with Spencer hadn’t been perfect. Perhaps some of it had been her fault. The lingering scars from her past caused issues. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d looked outside their relationship for sex. Despite their difficulties though, a future with Spencer had had merit.
And maybe that highlighted the problem. Maybe she didn’t need safe anymore. Maybe it was time to do the unthinkable.
Ash traced the seam of her lips with his thumb, his eyes focused on where he pressed. A stillness enveloped her as his head lowered, and his lips closed the distance.
Screw Spencer.
She owed no loyalty to him.
And rational thought? Time to toss it out the window.
This was going to happen—even if her coworkers were just beyond those double doors.
Carpe diem.
She’d spent too much time being careful. In the end, by choosing Spencer, she’d still gotten hurt. Maybe it was time not to worry and to simply live in the moment without all her usual ponderous rationalization.
When Ash’s lips touched hers, he gave a cautious caress, nothing like Spencer's rough and insistent demands. A smoldering heat replaced the chill from the outside air. His breath released, and she shuddered. Her eyes closed, and she leaned into him, returning his touch with a more hesitant glide of her lips against his.
His fingers swept down her jawline, trailed down her neck, and cupped the back of her head, tangling in the lengths of her hair. He supported her head and opened her lips with his warmth, letting her taste spiced coffee on his tongue. When he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close, she placed a hand against his stomach, tracing the toned muscles underneath. His fingers massaged through the layers of her clothing, strong and confident, and she luxuriated in his exploration, sure but not rushed like Spencer. Then, Ash disentangled his other hand from her hair and pulled back from the kiss.
For a moment, they were separated.
They stared at each other, their faces a breath apart. She had never experienced a more intimate moment, and she couldn’t help but compare this with the thousands of kisses she had shared with Spencer, so cold when contrasted with the desire this man stirred.
His expression softened, as if asking,Is this okay?
