The Boss and Nurse Albright (13 page)

It made her want to love him.

She broke free from the self-imposed caution and took two long strides to meet him. Her hands cupped his face, forced him to look into her eyes. She prided herself on reading people, and it was pain and hope she saw in his gaze. Overwhelmed by the sacredness of his admission, and the dusty and goofy-looking stuffed toy he offered, she longed to ease his pain. An optimistic rise in her heart caused her to throw away all caution and
concern, and she covered his face with kisses. Instead of worrying about herself, she’d think only of him.

And, without hesitation, he kissed her back.

Jason caught her lips with his own and feathered kisses at each corner. Happy kisses. Smiling kisses. Laughter bubbled up between them, then disappeared as her hands wrapped around his neck and his arms stretched around her back.

They kissed, as they always had, with passion and lust, and when the heat had turned up to the point of no return, and Jason gave no sign of quitting before the fun began, she walked him down the hall to her bedroom.

Jason found Claire’s bedroom to be reflective of her: uncluttered, bright and colorful. Daffodil-yellow walls, a large dark wood bed frame with a padded leather head-board. Extra pillows encased in patterned and solid-colored shams to complement the muted green duvet. One lone dresser across the room matched the bed, and a full length oval-shaped mirror on a stand took up residence in the other corner.

He glanced at Claire; color was rising to her cheeks. He’d done that to her—his kisses, his craving to be inside her; his single-minded desire to finally break out of his self-imposed celibacy.

He wanted nothing more than to express with his body how he felt about Claire. Words couldn’t do justice to the cresting, powerful feelings rolling through him. He pulled her sweatshirt over her head, happy to find she wore nothing beneath it.

His hands roamed across the soft tissue of her warm
breasts, and quickly found the silken rosy skin around her nipples. They tightened from his touch, and teased him to take them into his mouth. When he did, her encouraging murmurs and invitations made him rock-hard.

She stripped off his shirt, and soon they were both naked, his sailor’s tan a contrast to her creamy tones. She smiled at him with blazing eyes, and he took her mouth with his, holding her flush to his body. Her long and slender legs allowed their stomachs to touch, sending a shockwave of tingles across his skin, and his erection grew firmer.

He smoothed his hands across her back and along the curve of her hips, then pulled her closer. She felt like heaven and smelled like a tropical garden. They stood undulating body to body through several more penetrating kisses, until he couldn’t take another second standing up.

He lifted Claire, placed her on the bed and lay down beside her. Her arms quickly wrapped him close, and their kissing started all over again. His hand traced along her flat stomach and found the light patch of hair he’d only glimpsed before. He kissed her mouth, searched for and found the dampened smooth skin between her legs, and the area that made her moan when his finger slid over it. He lingered there and, with their lips and tongues penetrating each other’s mouths, his fingers mimicked the motion below.

She rocked against him, quickening his touch, and wrapped her leg around his hip, pressing the tip of his erection to her thigh, sending a shock wave through his groin. While his excitement flourished, he brought her to quick release.

He watched her; his own nerve endings vibrated and tingled as he strained with longing. Sensations from every part of his body converged in a powerful force until he had to be inside her. It had been four years since he’d made love; he couldn’t wait one more second. He rolled her to her back and parted her legs, pressing hard and long at her entrance.

Claire’s hands held tight on his hips, urging him inside. The inviting expression on her face from earlier had changed to one of pure need.

Crazy with desire, he looked into her fiery eyes. Her surprisingly strong hands urged him deeper, and he didn’t put up a fight. His response was no longer under his control. He slipped inside her luscious warmth and thought only of Claire as they rocked together toward satisfaction. Forgotten sensations and her exquisite body lured him deeper, straining for relief.

She rolled on top and held his shoulders as their hips lifted and rolled like the sea. The vision of her straddling him nearly sent him over the edge much sooner than he wanted. But she was all powerful, and her controlled rhythm pushed his desire to the brink. He flipped her onto her back and drove deeper inside, again and again, and she rose and spasmed around him, driving out the last of his resistance.

Thinking only of Claire, the here and now, he thrust against her perfect fit, until he caught up with her and they came together. His release was the most intense since he’d been a randy teenager. It racked throughout his body and seemed to last forever. He caught his breath and watched while her eyes fluttered and her
face strained against the same consuming sensations he felt rolling through his body.

After years of deep-seated pain, he’d finally plunged into new territory and had rediscovered long forgotten feelings. She’d given him profound pleasure and, from the look of Claire’s euphoric smile, he’d done the same for her.

Before he could think another thought, Claire pulled him toward her soft and inviting body, and they lay entwined in a state of bliss in the kind and welcoming light of her bedroom.

“D
OCK-TO
W
AH-DURS
!”

The next morning, Claire’s eyes popped open to find Gina jumping on the bed in her powder-puff-pink sleeper. She’d meant to wake Jason up early before Gina got up, and to have it appear as if he’d shown up for breakfast, but they’d made love throughout the night and finally, just before dawn, collapsed in deep sleep.

Their hunger for each other had been equal and nearly insatiable. She’d never been pushed to such limits with her husband. Jason had spent four years living as if a monk, and when he’d finally broken through his unnatural vigil, his basic need had been astounding.

Not having ever been in this situation since her divorce, Claire scrambled to think of something to say to Gina.

Jason rose up on his elbows, dark brown hair draped across his forehead. “Hey, squirt, who told you to wake us up?”

“Why you here?” Gina asked.

He glanced at Claire, who wanted to hide under the sheets. “Um, he brought you a present.”
He had a mind-blowing surprise for Mommy, too!

“Where is it?” Gina, who had stopped long enough to ask her question, jumped up and down again. Fortunately, her curiosity about her mother’s bed partner had been overshadowed by the present, though in the future she vowed to be much more discreet.

Claire sent Gina off to the living room to retrieve the giraffe from the couch, then glanced at Jason. “What should we do?”

He pecked her on the lips, threw back the covers and slid into his jeans before Gina could find him in all his gorgeous male glory. “I’ll make breakfast. That’s what we’ll do.”

Gina came galloping down the hall. “It’s Gemina! It’s Gemina!”

“That’s right, squirt, it’s Gemina,” he said.

After a surprisingly relaxed morning together, Jason left to make his hospital rounds with a promise to call Claire later. Somewhere after the coffee and before the French toast, she felt a subtle shift in his demeanor, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what had occurred. She hoped he didn’t regret what they’d done. He kissed her goodbye, but Gina giggled and commented, “You kissing, Mommy,” and Jason cut the cool kiss short.

Claire went about her usual Saturday chores, though nothing was remotely the same from the last time she’d cleaned her house. Last weekend she’d been confused and frustrated by Jason’s unpredictable behavior, and this weekend he’d left her both aroused and sated, happy and concerned. Why did life have to be so confusing?

Her body hadn’t hummed this much since puberty, and she’d risked total openness with Jason last night. If he rejected her now, it might tear her to the core, but she’d survive. Because she’d held something back.

Her heart.

She had to.

Claire was in charge of her feelings and she’d guard them, because of Gina. Her baby had already gotten attached to “Dock-to Wah-durs” and Claire couldn’t bear the thought of Gina getting her heart broken.

Driving home to change his clothes before checking in on his list of hospitalized patients, Jason got hit by a tailwind. He’d broken through a huge barrier with Claire, and the results had been amazing. Claire was everything in a lover he’d missed. The long legs, high small breasts, and curves in all the right places were definitely a plus, but something else made the difference when they’d made love. She was open, responsive, and assertive. Just thinking about her made his body react.

He felt alive today. He’d come out of his coma. The sensations that had rippled through him last night had cleared his head. Rippled? More like white water rafting, he thought with another grin erupting.

The beach looked whiter, the water clearer, and the sky endlessly blue. And, for someone who’d never given a damn about palm trees, today, their existence added the perfect touch to his picturesque city. Was this what he’d been missing out on? He continued to grin and thought about Claire in several appealing positions, and almost turned his car around.

Yet something else held him back, and it came in a tiny pink package. The breakfast scene in the kitchen had felt too much like old times with his family. He’d managed to separate Claire from Jessica—they were very different in stature, appearance, personality, demeanor, well, just about everything. But each glance at Gina reminded him of Hanna and the injustice of her life being stolen. Gina’s big blue eyes, and the innocence they reflected, tore at his heart and kept the old wounds raw and jagged. She was easy enough to be around, with a good disposition in general, but he had found himself recoiling from her as the morning had gone on. He couldn’t help it.

As he drove past the harbor, Jason spotted his boat down the dock. “I can’t quit thinking about Hanna when I’m around Gina,” he muttered as he pushed the gas for a green light.

He needed to think of a way for him and Claire to be together all by themselves. And that realization made him aware of an old and constant companion—guilt.

That evening, Jason showed up at Claire’s house with Chinese takeout, and a kids’ DVD for Gina. After eating dinner, Claire and Jason snuggled and kissed while Gina sat rapt, watching
Pinocchio
.

As the hour drew on, Claire expected Jason to stay and make love to her again. Instead, he got up to leave. “I’ve got an early day sailing tomorrow. Hey, would you like to come out with me?”

She knew his passion for sailing. She also knew the sun was deadly for her Lupus. And what about Gina? “Too much sun can set off a flare.”

He anchored his hand under her chin and drew her close enough to kiss. After a slow, warm and teasing taste of what he could do to her, he broke it off. “That’s why they make broad-brimmed hats and thirty block sunscreen.”

She fought off her schoolgirlish reaction to him. They’d explored every part of each other last night; what was there to feel shy about? “You’ve got a point, but maybe another time? I don’t have anyone to watch Gina tomorrow.” She didn’t want to hit him over the head with it, but she definitely wanted to give him a hint about including her daughter, who’d never been sailing, either.

“Next weekend. Just you and me.” He reached for her hands. “Come away with me.” He lifted a brow and the tempting glint in his eyes seemed irresistible.

She brushed away the hair from across his brow and the plethora of thoughts and questions racing through her mind: Do I dare let go and run with this man? Is it a mistake to get involved with my boss? Has he really had a breakthrough? Will he pull back again? What about Gina? “OK.”

He kissed her again, slower this time. They folded into each other and shared lingering, inviting kisses. He breathed deep and glanced toward her bedroom. She smiled and rested her forehead to his, clearly on the same wavelength.

“I’d better go,” he whispered.

Surprised by the contradiction, she took a chance. “You can stay if you want to.”

“You know I do, but…” he said, avoiding her eyes.

She could feel him retreating. She tried to put herself in his position. It had been four years since he’d lost everything. He was finally venturing back into life. Another night of passionate lovemaking might be too overwhelming. She’d let him define his own re-entry.

“I’ve got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow,” he said.

“I understand,” she said, her emotions contradicting her words. The best she could do was
try
to understand.

One step forward, two steps back, Jason thought as he drove up the coast past the small college and toward home. He could have been making love to Claire right this minute, but he’d taken the coward’s route and left. He didn’t want her to think he was using her, and he’d been out of the loop for so long, he hadn’t a clue what a guy did in a situation like this. If he went with his feelings he’d be making love to Claire right now, but he’d put on the brakes. Something told him to slow down.

With Claire, he wouldn’t just be dating her, he’d be involved with Gina, too. He’d made it over one hurdle, only to stumble on the next. Claire was a package deal, and though her daughter was as cute as a button, the double whammy of moving beyond being a devout widower into a relationship,
and
having to be a father of sorts, too…well, it boggled his mind and messed with his mojo.

He’d been in a pleasant light state of sleep that morning, slowly feeling his body come alive—in one part in particular—when the earthquake named Gina had rocked and rolled into the bedroom. He’d been thinking about making love to Claire again, but Gina
had changed his plans. Fortunately, they’d made love a couple of times last night. He may have been out of practice but, with Claire’s amazing help, he’d quickly gotten into the swing of things. And they’d been damn good together. A satisfied smile stretched across his face, then quickly faded.

Gina popped into his thoughts again. The little one had a father. He wouldn’t be stepping into anyone’s shoes. It was Hanna, his precious girl, who tugged at his memory and gazed at him with her huge brown eyes. He’d finally made peace with Jessica and his desire for Claire, but who would have guessed that losing his child would be the hardest thing to let go of?

Don’t forget me, Daddy.

He’d never forget her.

Never.

Monday at work, Claire worried she and Jason were a bit obvious when they grinned at each other like fools, and when she turned four shades of red, while he went directly into bedroom eyes mode right in front of Gaby. But it was the first time they’d seen each other since Saturday, and they’d happened to meet up at the receptionist’s desk. How could one day away from each other seem like a week?

He’d called her Sunday night when he’d arrived home from sailing. After they’d chatted for a while, something that seemed effortless and as if he’d been gone for weeks with so much to catch up on, they’d made plans to eat lunch together. And, if it was another beautiful spring day, they’d eat under the ash tree. She’d
fixed her special chicken salad with sliced grapes, celery, walnuts and cinnamon, and had brought chocolate chip cookies because she’d remembered they were his favorite.

Later that day all the nurses, even René, made a double take out the kitchen window as she and Jason sat on the bench under the tree, laughing and eating together.

The late spring weather was inviting and warm enough for Claire to leave her lab coat in her office. She wore a fuchsia-colored top and, around her neck, several strings of tiny beads in various shades of purple. She’d applied vanilla and spice body lotion, and had used the curling iron on her hair. He’d made her feel pretty again, not like the unattractive, chronically ill woman her husband had seen. She wanted to impress Jason, to keep him looking at her as if she were the prettiest girl in the room and, judging by Jason’s continuous enamored gaze as they ate, she’d achieved her goal.

Nibbling on a walnut, she smiled a Mona Lisa smile and thought about her new guy and her great job, and how life was definitely looking up.

“Do you remember the first week you started here?” he asked.

Quickly swimming out of her thoughts, she nodded. “Of course.”

“The day you ate your lunch out here and thought a bee had flown into your hair?”

She stopped mid-chew. He’d given her a beekeeper’s hat after that day. It was the first sign she’d had that the guy had a sense of humor, but his gesture had rankled her and made her feel embarrassed.

There was an impish glint in his gaze. “I saw the whole thing,” he said, a smile tickling at one edge of his mouth, soon spreading to the other side.

She cuffed him on the arm as her face grew hot. “How embarrassing. Why do you have to bring it up again?”

“I thought it was cute. Enchanting. I knew you’d be someone special to me right then, because you could make me laugh, make me feel things, but I kept myself in denial for as long as I could.”

Were these wonderful confessions coming from the closed off man she knew Jason Rogers to be? Touched by his openness, she squeezed his arm. She wanted to blurt out her “special” feelings for him, too, but being at work and realizing people might be watching, and so early in the relationship, she opted to keep it light.

And to add a little spice. “You weren’t exactly the easiest man to work with, you know,” she said.

“And you came off a little ditzy.” He grinned and popped a whole cookie into his mouth.

Claire tried to be insulted, but Jason’s cockeyed and charming expression defused her reaction. She liked the new swagger to his style. It turned her on.

After he’d swallowed, he glanced over his shoulder toward the kitchen window, where Gaby and the nurses had huddled around the sink as if washing dishes, a poor excuse to spy on them. He turned back to Claire and leaned forward. “Why don’t we really give them something to talk about?”

He took her by the hand and led her around the other side of the enormous tree trunk and, once safely out of
their view, he did what she’d been hoping he’d do ever since she’d seen him that morning. He kissed her.

The week at the clinic sped by with manageable patients, no medical surprises, and a kindling heat in Claire’s belly to make love with Jason again. He’d apparently wanted to make sure she’d go sailing with him by holding off on getting skin to skin until the weekend. With her awakened physical desire for Jason, against her better judgment, she agreed to try the wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves and sunscreen method for dealing with the sun on his sailboat. She also hoped for an overcast sky.

Thursday afternoon, Claire got word that Mrs. Densmore was being discharged from the hospital. She’d have a home health aid around the clock the first few days, and nurses visiting a couple of times a week, but Claire felt compelled to accompany her home and make sure everything was in proper order.

When she arrived at the hospital ward, she came prepared to be sent to the business office and, with her credit card in hand, hoping she’d have enough to pay the balance for whatever had accrued, she marched down the hall.

“She’s all set to go,” the nurse in charge of Mrs Densmore said.