Dating Impossible (13 page)

“JJ,” he said softly, “once again, I find myself coming over
here to check on you, worried out of my mind when you don’t answer the door,
and when I come to rescue you, find you in a delectable state of dishevelment.”

He ran the pad of his thumb over her moist lower lip. A
bundle of emotions tumbled across her features as anger plummeted into
uncertainty. The fire in her pale green gaze brightened, changing from
irritation and fury to white hot lust.

“I thought I told you no,” she said, removing his tie. “You’re
fucking complicating my already complicated life.”

There was not one hint of annoyance in her tone.
Triumphant at last!
A smile curved his
lips. Cruz kicked out of his loafers, uncaring that his socks stuck to the wet
floor. “Ah, baby,” he said, “you ought to know that I don’t take rejection
easily.”

His silk tie joined the suds on the floor. She grabbed the
ends of his Ralph Lauren shirt and ripped them apart. The buttons pinged and
panged as they scattered in all directions. She sucked in a breath and stared. Her
gaze on his bare chest lit him ablaze with fresh desire. He wrapped his hand
behind her neck, tangling his fingers in the ends of her wet hair, and tugged
her against him. Her wet flesh felt so damn good. The pressure in his cock as
it strained against his trousers became unbearable.

He captured her lips and as she opened under his demand. He
slipped his tongue inside. She tasted of wheat, barley and honey. The fresh
scent of roses slammed into him all over again. His hunger grew, building a
different kind of pressure inside of his soul. The terms of the kiss changed as
realization gripped him.

He was in
love with her.

Joy burst from his heart and radiated throughout his entire
body. He lifted his head and looked down into her beautiful face, bare of
makeup. He knew every freckle, every laugh line, every curve. With the soft
strains of Sheryl Crow’s voice surrounding them, this moment would be forever
etched in his memory.

Hesitation flashed in her eyes. “Cruz?”

Cruz pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and she sighed,
leaning into him. They stood there with her arms around his neck and her warm,
naked, wet body pressed to his. He savored the moment, and inhaled her fresh, rose-scented
skin. His desire hadn’t diminished one bit, but he felt the need to show her. Show
her how special she was to him and how much he needed her in his life.

He scooped her up in his arms and she squealed with delight.
With ease, he carried her to the bed and laid her gently on a throw blanket that
he recognized from the living room couch. “Where’s the bedspread?”

A slow, playful wicked smile spread across her face. “It was
time for a new one.”

After discarding the rest of his clothing, he joined her on
the bed. He licked, nipped, and kissed his way from behind her knee to her bald
pussy. “Out with the old?”

“S-something like that,” she answered on a breathy moan.

He spread her slick folds. Her legs opened wider and his
tongue delved into what she offered. She tasted so damn good. He inserted two
fingers into her velvety heat while he sucked on her clit.

“Cruz…ahh….” She groaned.

This is how he wanted JJ. All hot, needy, and squirming for
more. Calling his name and his name only. He took her to the edge and held back.

Not yet, my
sweet.

Slow. He needed to slow down. They’d had fast and furious
sex already. He begged for control. His cock about to burst just from the taste
of her cream and her warm pliant body writhing under his touch. The soft
mewling noises of her desire nearly drove him to bury himself deep inside of
her and never ever leave.

“Please…” she pleaded. “I need you,” she whispered and
reached for his hard cock. She enveloped the hard length of him with her
fingers. With a teasing squeeze, she guided him to her and lifted her hips off
the bed to meet him with a full, hard thrust. “Oh…yes…” she said with pure
feminine satisfaction. “You feel so damn good inside me.”

Cruz gasped, unprepared for the assault of slick, moist heat
that shrouded his cock. She gripped his ass and held him tight as she
encouraged him to move. Palms down on either side of her head, he lifted
himself up and stared down into her beautiful face as he began to push his cock
in and out in a slow, torturous rhythm. Emotions flitted across her face as
passion and need filled her. Fascinated, he watched the play. Ecstasy. Rapture.
Each feeling revealed in her expression by his increasing momentum.

“That’s it, baby,” he said. He was close to losing control.

No! Not yet. Think
of anything other than where you are right now.

She panted, her pussy tightening around him until she moaned
and screamed his name on a long shudder. Cruz captured her lips and swallowed
his name. Bliss and excitement clashed in an extreme crescendo and he spilled
his seed inside her. He collapsed on top of her. Sheer exhaustion overtook him,
but he found enough strength to move to her side and tuck her safely in the
crook of his arm so that her head lay on his shoulder. The scent of her
shampoo, roses and sex floated around him. For several moments, the only sound
was that of their mingled breaths as their respirations returned to normal.

So, this is
what love feels like. I could get used to this.

The sensation wasn’t as horrible as his brother Jett had
complained about. Cruz recalled that when Jett had realized he was in love with
Roxanne, he’d actually puked. A small chuckle rumbled through him. He hated to
admit it, but his mother had been right. A good woman—the right woman, he
corrected—was what had been missing in his life.

JJ lifted her head and looked down at him. “Cruz,” she said
in a grim tone.

He lifted up onto his elbows and pressed a soft kiss to her
lips. “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. I forgot to wear a condom.”

Surprise lit her face. “No…I… Shit. I didn’t even realize.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m on the pill, so no worries there.”

Disappointment settled in his gut. He’d never imagined
himself a father, but the thought of making a baby with JJ delighted him. “Nothing’s
a hundred percent. You know that, JJ.” He smiled. “Next time I will be more
careful.”

“There’s not going to be a next time, Cruz,” JJ said. “We
have a professional relationship. We can’t have a personal one as well. With
what happened…” She grimaced and her grip tightened on the sheets. “Things at
work are fucked up already. You’re the director of the ER. This is going to get
ugly.” A frown marred her brow. “I trust I don’t have to worry about STDs?”

Cruz cupped her cheek with his palm, marveling at the
softness of her skin. “No,” he said with a soft chuckle. “You don’t.” The
amusement in his gaze died as he studied her face. “Hey. I’m being serious
here. Don’t shut me out, sweetheart,” he said. “We will figure this out. I
promise.”

He enveloped her in a tender hug and kissed the top of her
head. “I brought your favorite Thai food and a bottle of wine. Hungry?”

I love you.

He bit back the words and they echoed silently within his
head. She wasn’t ready to hear them. Not yet. Her arms tightened around his
neck and hope flared within his heart.

Chapter
Fifteen

Dressed in cutoff jean shorts and a sapphire blue
embellished swing T-shirt that bared her midriff and her diamond belly ring, JJ
twisted her still damp hair in a loose knot on top of her head. She examined
her reflection in the mirror. Face void of makeup, her freckles shone like
bright sunspots. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen from Cruz’s
kisses. The satisfaction of a woman who’d just been thoroughly fucked glistened
on her face. And she had, that’s for damn sure. There wasn’t an inch of her
body Cruz hadn’t pleasured. He’d been so tender, careful with her. It was almost…almost
like he actually cared about her. A wistful smile brightened her face.

Well, of course he cared about her. They’d been life-long
friends after all. He wasn’t a complete jackass just because he screwed
anything in scrubs. Now they were… just friends with benefits. She winced and
hung her head in her hands. She had to be stronger. Every time he came a
knockin’ on her door—literally—they ended up having sex. The young girl inside
her wanted to melt into his arms and forget her past in
Beverly Hills
. Hell, the woman inside her
wanted to have a little bit of fun and make his obvious mission to date her
damn impossible. But she could do neither.

The harshness of reality slapped her in the face. Especially
after the events of today. If Cruz—or anyone else for that matter—found out
that she’d been accused of stealing narcotics, it didn’t matter she’d been
innocent. A shiver zipped along her spine and chilled her heart. She had to get
that mess sorted out before it blew her career to smithereens. Would Cruz
understand? Uncertainty clenched her jaw shut. She couldn’t risk telling him. With
his overinflated sense of right and wrong, there was a possibility that she
could lose his friendship for good and it wrenched her gut.

JJ exhaled and straightened her shoulders. Besides, her drug
screen would turn out clean. She’d already changed her password to the Pyxis machine.
A small bit of confidence returned. Once the hospital completed its
investigation on the narcotics theft, her name would be cleared. There were
cameras posted in all the nursing stations, usually near the medication
dispensing machines. She made a mental note to check where the one was located
in the emergency room.

The scent of spicy Thai reached her. She inhaled deeply. Her
stomach grumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in hours. JJ couldn’t put it
off anymore. Time to have the talk with Cruz. He had to understand that tonight
was their last.

Barefoot, she padded into the kitchen. Shirtless, Cruz
hummed to himself an old rock tune while he dished out the food onto paper
plates. His wet trousers were rolled at the ankles. She smiled, unable to help
herself. He looked so damn cute and wickedly sexy all at the same time. Wine
bottle uncorked, it sat breathing on the counter. She pulled up a wrought iron
leather stool, sat at the counter, and plopped her chin in her hand as she
stared. He looked up and smiled in return. His gray eyes shined with warmth and
happiness.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said, pouring her a glass of her
favorite Dalton Oak aged
Shiraz
.

JJ rolled her eyes. “You need a magnifying glass,” she said.
She sipped the wine and shook her head in wonderment. “How do you always know
what I like?”

Cruz rounded the counter and sat on the vacant stool beside
her, placing the plates in front of them. “Because I pay attention to what
interests me,” he said. “And don’t roll your eyes at me, young lady. I love
your face free of makeup and your hair all in disarray. You look like a hot
mess.”

His mouth captured hers in a lingering kiss. Her girlhood
butterflies fluttered in her stomach. God, how she wanted more nights like this.
JJ broke the kiss and she drank deeply, savoring the mingled taste of both Cruz
and the
Shiraz
on her lips. They sat in compatible silence while they ate.

Finally, Cruz wiped his mouth with his napkin and patted his
abdomen. “That was superb.”

“Yes,” JJ agreed. “Better than the beer and snack crackers
that were on my dinner menu.”

Cruz raised his brows.

“Bad day,” she said. “You have no idea how humiliating it
was to sit there and be accused of stealing that morphine. And”—she shrugged,
feigning nonchalance—“I was so pissed off by the time I’d taken that drug test,
I barely kept my mouth shut.”

Cruz reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Hey,”
he said, “we will find out who did this. I promise. Okay?”

Tears stung her eyes. His support and unwavering belief in her
innocence meant more to her than anything. “Thank you, Cruz.” She just couldn’t
go through the hell she’d gone through in
Beverly
Hills
again. She wasn’t sure she could bear the pain
and accusations. She closed her eyes for a brief second and sucked in a deep
breath. Moisture spilled through her lashes and rolled down her cheek. “We need
to talk and you really need to listen for once in your hard-headed life.”

His thumb wiped her tear away. “I’m listening,” he said with
a stubborn smile on his too handsome face. “Doesn’t mean I have to like what
you’re going to say.”

Despite the despair filling her heart, JJ laughed. She
couldn’t help it. He was so damn incorrigible. “Tonight was…” She searched for
words that wouldn’t come. She frowned.

“Worth repeating,” he said.

His hand slipped lazily to the nape of her neck and he
gently massaged the tension that held her muscles taut. JJ’s chaotic thoughts
scattered and she melted into his skillful fingers. “Yes—ah, no.” She shook her
head and stood to walk around to the other side of the counter. “Cruz, you need
to listen to me. Our careers could have serious repercussions here. I’m accused
of stealing narcotics and you’re
my boss
.
This can’t happen anymore. You need to leave.”