Heart Trouble (4 page)

God, he wanted to touch her. To smother her lush mouth with a kiss that said he understood where she was coming from because he’d been there as well. Her breathing had gone a little fast as if she might want him to do just that, and the pulse point in the hollow of her throat—the one he wanted to touch with his tongue—fluttered like a bird’s wings.

Instead, she darted away, mumbling something about taking a shower. Sean’s shoulders sagged with disappointment. He needed a shower too, but his would be a cold one.

* * * *

Erin stood under the shower spray, letting the scalding water soothe the tension in her body. She could almost feel the endorphins in her bloodstream popping like tiny champagne bubbles. Too bad she couldn’t open the top of her skull and let it wash away her rampant thoughts.

Sean was attracted to her. Not the illusion he’d met earlier, but
her
…the real woman beneath all the sexy window dressing. He still hadn’t seen her at her worst, hair shoved back in a messy ponytail, no makeup, dark circles under her eyes, baggy scrubs splattered in blood and body fluids. He hadn’t seen her exhausted, irritable, and drained after a horrible shift. Men liked to talk a big game until reality smacked them in the face. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. Chances were good Sean would run too when things turned sour.

Despite the obstacles, there was no denying her attraction to him, and not just on a physical level. There were a lot of other things to like about Sean—his character, his kindness, his determination. But yes, she wanted him in her bed. More so than any man she’d ever met, let alone dated. When she’d stripped off her damp thong, and the cool air caressed her bare sex, she’d almost come from that minor contact alone. How sad and desperate was that?

The water pressure dipped, and the temperature dropped several degrees, telling her Sean was in her other shower. Soaping up that amazing body of his, hands sliding over slick skin, water sluicing down his muscled back, through the crack of his firm ass… Her pussy throbbed, and her nipples tightened at the hot mental image. Erin braced her hands on the tiled wall of the shower and glanced down at her breasts, almost afraid to touch them for fear she’d go off like a bottle rocket, complete with the scream.

She finished bathing so as not to hog all the hot water, then climbed from the shower and toweled off. Once she’d combed the tangles from her hair, brushed her teeth, and covered the cut on her knee with antibiotic ointment and a fresh bandage, she dressed for bed in a pair of pink boxers and a white tank top.

After swiping up her phone from the dresser, she crawled to the center of her bed, then lay back, watching the blades of the ceiling fan make lazy circles. She heard the sound of Sean moving around in the other room and remembered she hadn’t offered him a pillow, a blanket, or even a glass of water.

“Some fine hostess you are,” she grumbled to herself. He was, after all, there for a valid reason.

She’d pushed the possibility of someone breaking into her apartment aside while she’d been ruminating over her attraction to Sean, but the unsettling thought made her shiver with fear. How many times had she come home in the middle of the night, exhausted and hungry, without giving her safety a second thought? More than she wanted to acknowledge. Like most people, she’d grown complacent about making sure her windows and doors were locked up tight while she was asleep or out. Tonight was a stark reminder that she needed to be more careful. And how much it sucked to live alone sometimes. A roommate was out of the question, though. Aside from her unconventional work hours, Erin was too picky and prickly when it came to sharing her space.

Still, Sean was here out of a concern for her safety. The least she could do was see that he was comfortable on her couch.

Before she rose, she dialed Memorial Hospital to get a report on Henry. After being patched through to the ER and identifying herself, she was told he was stabilized. At this point, it was the best that could be hoped for. Erin left her number with the charge nurse to be notified if there were any complications overnight.

She dropped her phone onto the nightstand and wrapped a thin cotton robe around her body before she opened her bedroom door. After pulling a blanket and a spare pillow from the hall closet, she went to find Sean.

As Erin reached the edge of her living room, she halted her steps. Sean was standing at the glass slider looking down at the darkened courtyard behind her condo. He was naked from the waist up, jeans hanging low on his slim hips, long corded arms braced above his head on the door frame. His dark hair was still damp. Droplets of water glistened on his shoulders and back in the light spilling over him from the kitchen.

She wanted to go to him, smooth her hands up his muscled back, lick away the water still clinging to his warm skin. Know what that strong body felt like moving under her fingertips. What he’d taste like on her tongue. When she inadvertently sighed out loud, he turned his head her direction, then approached.

“Do you have to work tomorrow?” he asked, taking the items from her hands and tossing them on the couch.

At least he didn’t sound upset with her over their conversation earlier. Not that he’d been angry, more like he was confused as to why she was trying to push him away after flirting with him. She didn’t want to push him away, not really. He just needed to know upfront what she was like once all the false advertising had been stripped away.

For a moment she couldn’t reply to his question, too mesmerized by the sight of his sculpted torso so close. He had a light dusting of nearly black chest hair that thinned to a narrow strip and disappeared into the waistband of his jeans. A brief fantasy of following that treasure trail with her fingers and lips flashed through her mind.

Her cheeks flushed hot when she met his gaze. His eyes were heavy-lidded, almost as though he’d read her thoughts. Crap, she needed to get a grip on herself. They’d just met. They barely knew each other. She’d never had a one-night stand in her life, didn’t know how to handle this undeniable pull Sean had over her.

“I, um…go in at six p.m. I’m supposed to work a twelve-hour shift, but it can morph into more, depending on how busy we are. Saturdays are always busy.”

“We’ll call a locksmith first thing in the morning.” He propped his hands on his hips, drawing her attention back to the sinewy oblique muscles that ran above his hip bones—that well-developed area on a man’s body some of the nurses playfully called the “Vacuous V,” because when you looked at it, your mind went blank. Appropriate in this instance too. Sean didn’t have an ounce of body fat anywhere.

She nodded, forcing her brain to think of something else other than his mouthwatering physique. “I checked on Henry. He’s stable.”

“That’s good to hear.” He frowned. “Dude looked way too young to have a heart attack.”

“Cardiac arrest,” Erin corrected. “There’s a difference. Not a lot of warning beforehand. It could’ve been drug induced. He was in a bar partying.”

“Scary way to learn a lesson.”

“But a powerful one. I should send Tess a message letting her know too,” Erin said, hitching her thumb over her shoulder toward her bedroom. “Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. There’s water and juice in the fridge. The remote for the television is on the bar. If you like it cooler, feel free to adjust the—”

He held up his hand and chuckled, halting her embarrassing babbling. “Thanks for being so hospitable, but I’ll be fine.”

“Well, if you’re sure… Good night then.” She turned away and padded to her bedroom.
Fleeing again.

“’Night,” he said to her back.

Chapter Four

Erin blew out a frustrated breath and rolled her head on the pillow to glare at her alarm clock.
1:08 a.m.

She’d been lying there for over an hour trying to fall asleep, but her overactive mind refused to cooperate. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Sean. Watching her as she’d approached him in the bar tonight. Smiling at her while they’d talked. Standing in front of that damn window half-naked. Then her fantasies took over.

She’d thought about masturbating, trying to take the edge off, but even that wouldn’t be enough to purge her brain of the carnal images of him above her, naked and sweaty, driving into her body. It would only leave her feeling empty, wanting the real thing. Especially when the real thing was achingly close and not at all opposed to the idea either.

Erin rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and sat up with a resigned sigh, swinging her feet to the carpeted floor.

She eased open her bedroom door and crept down the hallway, stopping halfway to listen for the sounds of Sean snoring in sleep. When she didn’t hear anything but quiet, she continued until she was standing at the foot of her couch, wondering what in the hell she was going to do now that she was there. Follow her instincts, she supposed. Give in to the sudden feverishness of her libido. Get herself into trouble, no doubt.

His eyes were open, watching her.
Of course he is, he’s a cop, you nitwit. Did you think you’d be all stealthy and sneak up on him like a sex ninja?

The filtered moonlight bathed one side of his face while the other side remained shadowed. He hadn’t bothered with the blanket, and he still wore his jeans, the top button undone for comfort, she guessed. And God help her, was it ever hot knowing how easy it would be to slide his zipper down and take him in hand, inside her, or into her mouth. His feet were crossed at the ankles, hands resting on his stomach as his chest rose and fell evenly. He didn’t speak, barely blinked, only waited for her to do something.

So do something.

Gathering her courage, Erin licked her lips and stepped to the side of the couch, then straddled his hips and sank down onto him. He sucked in a sharp, hissing breath the second their bodies touched. She caught his wrists when he reached for her and pinned them above his head on the pillow. With his kind of strength, it was a futile effort on her part, but he allowed it nonetheless.

“Sometimes…after an intense emotional experience, people crave…sex,” she said, her voice just above a whisper and a little too shaky for her taste.

She noticed the muscle in his jaw jump, felt his body tighten beneath her, his cock hardening behind his fly. She fought the urge to grind against that thick ridge of denim-covered heat.

“You tryin’ to justify this in your mind? Assign it some sort of clinical explanation so it makes sense to you?”

Wincing at the tinge of anger in his voice, she shook her head once, even though he was right. That was what she was doing, rationalizing, because in her brain, everything had to have a logical explanation. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“So you weren’t feeling any chemistry between us
before
that guy collapsed?” he asked, curling his hands into fists, then releasing them. “Nothing at all?”

Stalling, she dropped her chin to her chest, closed her eyes. If she said no, he would call her a liar, and he would be right about that too.

Erin wasn’t a virgin, nor was she chaste. She’d enjoyed certain aspects of the few brief relationships she’d been in, including the sex. Well, mostly the sex. But never had she felt with any of those men the kind of soul-deep attraction she felt to Sean Rembert. It had been instantaneous and persistent, not waning once since the moment she’d laid eyes on him. Even as she’d worked on Henry, subconsciously she’d remained aware of his presence. It scared the hell out of her, and she had a feeling Sean knew that.

“I didn’t expect to.” She met his gaze and found it tender. “Not like this.”

The pulse in his wrists spiked beneath her grazing thumbs. His expression softened with her admission. “I guess that answers one of my questions then.”

She nodded.

“It’s okay to want something, Erin. Even if you don’t understand it.”

Was he trying to convince himself with that sentiment as much as he was her?

“I need to touch you,” he said. “Can I have my hands back now?”

In that instant she knew he understood. Understood her confusion, her hesitancy, her desire to try to hold on to her fracturing control when it came to him. This was uncharted territory for her. It was disconcerting, yet irresistible, intoxicating. But as she released his wrists, that need for control slipped a little. When he pitched forward and plowed his hands through her hair, tilting her face back, it disappeared altogether.

His mouth covered hers, and her mind emptied.

Sean’s kiss wasn’t soft and tentative; it was dark and deeply possessive. It stirred something inside her she’d never felt before, aside from bone-jarring lust. A little voice inside her head whispered, “
He’s different
. This
could be different
.”

She returned the kiss with equal hunger, parting her lips so his tongue could slide over hers. The kiss went on and on, changing angles and intensity, until they both pulled away, mouths wet, chests rising and falling with their rapid breaths, hands still clutching at each other.

“I know I’ve never wanted something so much,” he said against the corner of her mouth. “Tell me you want it too.”

No question. “I want this.”

Sean swiveled with her on his lap, planted his feet on the floor, and cupped her ass in his palms. “Hold on to me.”

Erin linked her hands behind his neck as he stood, carrying her down the hallway toward her bedroom as if she weighed no more than a sleeping child.

“Damn, it’s dark in here,” he mumbled as he pushed the door open with his foot.

“I have to sleep a lot during the day,” she said.

“Right, I forgot about that.”

He stretched Erin out across her bed and left her there to part her heavy dark-green curtains, flooding the room with pale blue moonlight.

“Much better. Now I can see you.” He leaned over her again and kissed her, but before she could wrap her limbs around him and pull him closer, he lifted his head. “Don’t move a muscle. I’ll be right back,” he said, giving her bottom lip a sharp warning nip with his teeth.

Erin watched him leave the bedroom, her heart beating wildly. She heard him rummaging around in the living room, then walking back down the hall. Desire streaked through her bloodstream like a lit fuse.