The Prince's Intimate Abduction (The Samara Royal Family Series Book 2) (4 page)

“Dinner,” she announced as she handed him the large bowl of stew.  She moved back to the kitchen and brought out the platter filled with veggies and fruit, placing that next to him.  She then got her own bowl as well as the toast, wishing she could do something more interesting that simple toast. 

“It isn’t much, but it is filling and healthy,” she said apologetically.

“It’s great,” he said, then noticed her small bowl of stew.  “You’re going to have to help me eat some of this,” he told her.  “That’s not enough for a mouse to live on.

Raven laughed softly and shook her head.  “I don’t think you’re a very good judge of what a normal person eats during a meal.  Someone with your height and…” she gestured towards his shoulders and arms with her spoon, then had trouble remembering what she was talking about as her eyes collided with those very delicious muscles. 

Turk wanted to laugh but he couldn’t get out of this bed fast enough to answer her silent plea.  Damn, but he was going to…okay, he wouldn’t kill the bastards who had shot him.  He suspected that Raven would be upset if he killed anyone.  But he would hurt them.  Very badly.  And he wouldn’t allow Raven to heal them either!  They’d just have to find their own doctor because this one was taken. 

Very soon, he was going to prove that to her.  “Eat up,” he encouraged, then handed her a piece of toast. 

She nibbled on the toast and finished more than half of her stew, but it was hard to eat when this man was talking with her, teasing her about one subject or another.  All she wanted to do was either curl up on his lap or run away to hide so that he couldn’t know how much he affected her.  Their conversation over dinner was stilted, mostly because Raven was thinking about him as a man, not as a patient, then berating herself for that. 

After cleaning up their dinner dishes, Raven moved around the room, checking his temperature, checking things off on his chart, feeling his pulse and listening to his heart. 

Raven wrote something down on his chart but after she lifted her pen, she couldn’t read what she’d written.  When he’d been seriously wounded, she hadn’t allowed herself to see him as a man.  But now that he was moving around so much more easily and his vital signs were improving, she was becoming embarrassingly aware of him as a man.  “You’re doing well.  I’m amazed at your recovery rate.”  She was fussing, she thought.  But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop herself. 

“I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d kiss me, Raven,” Turk said as she bent over him once again to fix his sheets.

Raven froze, her grey, startled eyes caught by his darker ones.  She opened her mouth to tell him that there was no way she could kiss him but he took her hand, distracting her once again.  “Just one kiss.  You know it will do wonders for my health.”

His touch sent crazy thoughts and violent shivers throughout her body.  Raven shook her head.  “I can’t.  I’m your doctor.”

He smiled slightly, relieved to hear that she was using the excuse of being his doctor instead of trying to convince him that she wasn’t interested.  They were both interested in each other.  It was painfully obvious and he was eager to explore that attraction.  “Isn’t it in the Hippocratic Oath to make sure your patients suffer no hurt or damage?”

She snorted at his words, but secretly she was thrilled that he would even ask for a kiss.  She knew what she looked like and it most likely wasn’t like the other women who had shared his bed over the years.  She knew that she looked bedraggled and exhausted, too skinny and without flattering clothes.  Up until this man had looked at her, she’d never really considered her appearance, thinking only about medicine and learning more about healing.  But Turk had changed her world.  Significantly.  It was going to be hard to get back into a normal routine once he was on his way again. 

“You’re twisting things around,” she told him, still pulling at her wrist.  He wasn’t hurting her, but he wasn’t letting her go either.  In fact, he was tugging her gently and relentlessly towards the edge of his bed.  When she was sitting down, her hip pressed against his, she could feel her heart rate speed up.

“I don’t think I am,” he countered, his eyes dropping to her lips.  “I think I’m just advising my doctor on the best way to heal what ails me.”

“Kissing you isn’t going to help your oblique muscles heal,” she argued breathlessly, but her eyes dropped to his mouth, wondering, not for the first time, what it would be like to be kissed by this man.  Would he be gentle?  With all of that strength in his body, she’d bet he held all of that power in check. 

Or would he be demanding?  Would he ask for more than she could give? 

“I can’t,” she whispered urgently when that thought popped into her head. 

His eyes and his hand wouldn’t release her.  “You can.  Just come closer, Raven.”

Her eyes moved from his lips to his dark gaze, her body conflicted with her mind.  “It isn’t right.”

“It feels very right,” he countered.  “Just try it and let’s see what happens.”

Her eyes shifted.  She could feel the heat of his body against her hip, and then against her breasts as he pulled her against him.  She was practically laying against his chest and…she loved the feel of his hard muscles against her softer breasts.  She wanted to revel in the beauty of that feeling, closing her eyes as the sensations swamped her. 

Demanding, she thought a moment before his tongue moved between her lips.  And then there wasn’t any more thinking.  It was just feeling, surviving that kiss and all of the heat that swamped over her.  She tilted her head, or maybe he tilted it for her, either way, the kiss deepened and she moaned as she realized that she’d never been properly kissed until this moment.  

Over and over his mouth slanted against hers, asking for more, demanding more.  She felt like her whole body was on fire and wanted to both run away and come closer to the heat.  One hand moved higher, resting against his shoulder while his fingers tangled in her hair, moving her head so that he could deepen the kiss even more.  His lips teased and taunted while his tongue invaded, explored.  She had never experienced anything so wildly erotic as this man’s kiss. 

When he lifted his head, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, shocked because she wanted more.  She’d never wanted more!  She’d always been relieved when her boyfriends or fiancé had finally finished kissing her at the end of a date and she could be alone again. 

“What are you thinking about, Raven?” he asked, his body hardening as she pressed her curves against his chest.  He wanted to reach up and tear her tee-shirt from her body, to fill his hands with her soft, full breasts, to touch her nipples and watch her face as he did so.  He suspected she would be the ultimate lover; responsive, glorious and curious. 

Unfortunately, sanity returned with his question and he could have beaten himself for interrupting what was the best kiss he’d ever experienced. 

Raven extricated her hair from his fingers and pulled back, lowering her lashes to hide the desire she was sure was reflected in her eyes.  “I’m thinking that you aren’t truly attracted to me,” she sighed, sitting up and pulling away from him.  She reached up to adjust her hair, but he’d pulled the band out and her hair was falling in chaotic mess around her shoulders. 

“I’m not?” he asked, releasing her, but only for the moment.  He wanted to laugh but the pain of his throbbing erection was keeping the humor away. 

She stood up and stepped backwards, keeping her eyes away from his body.  Walking towards the counter, she shifted several of the items on the surface, organizing them for easier use.  “No.  You’re suffering from the age-old issue of a simple transference.  You’re misunderstanding your feelings of gratitude towards me for feelings of attraction.”

She shrugged, almost dropping the box of medicine she was pretending to put away.  “It happens,” she told him.  “But don’t worry, I won’t take the kiss for anything more than that.”  And with those words, she walked out of her recovery room, hurrying down the hallway until she was behind her own bedroom door.  With all the lights out in the clinic, she leaned her head back against the rough wood and took several deep breaths.  Then several more. 

She kept doing that until her body calmed down enough for her to move without tripping over herself. 

Turk watched his woman rush out of the room, his body hard and throbbing but he knew that he still hadn’t recovered enough to do anything about his need.  Very soon though, he was going to prove to the lovely doctor that her theory about transference was completely wrong. 

Yes, he was going to make her head spin with how wrong her thinking was. 

He didn’t mind though.  He’d carefully, slowly and thoroughly demonstrate how very wrong she was.  And they were both going to enjoy the process. 

“You’re going to have to go in and check on him,” Ben said at the end of the next day.  They were filing away all of the charts from the day’s patients and she had been fluttering around, going towards the doors where Turk was resting then rushing away from them again. 

Raven glanced up, her eyes wide.  “Could you…”

Ben almost laughed out loud at her hopeful expression.  But he’d been working with the pretty doctor for too long and he was thrilled that she had finally discovered a man that showed her what it was like to be a woman. 

“Nope.  You gotta do it, Doc.  You know the issues surrounding that kind of wound better than I do.  I’m more likely to miss something.”  He waited and watched, noticed the blush form on her cheeks and tried to hide his smile.  “There’s no reason to be afraid of him,” he said with a cautious tone.  “He’s just a man.”

Raven dropped the charts onto the counter, taking a deep breath as she looked down at her feet.  Mentally, she debated what to say, how to handle this.  In the end, she looked back up at her friend, admitting it all.  “He’s not just a man, Ben,” she whispered in frustration.  “He’s…”

“Hot,” Ben chuckled. 

“Yes.”

“And that’s a problem…why?”

She was gripping the edge of the countertop.  “Because there’s absolutely no future possible between a man like him and a woman like me.”

“You mean a beautiful woman and a handsome man?  I’m not sure I see the problem,” he teased. 

Raven groaned.  “Soldier and doctor.  The two professions sort of cross each other out, wouldn’t you say?”

Ben shrugged.  “I don’t think you should look at it like that.  Maybe you should just realize that this is the first man who has awakened the woman inside of you.  Maybe even ignore the doctor part of you for a while and simply enjoy the woman part of you.”

Raven shook her head but Ben was already grabbing his bag, ready to head out for the night.  “Either way you look at this situation, you still need to go in there and make sure that his bullet wound is healing correctly.  Oh, and he mentioned earlier today that his headache had eased up.  So I don’t think he suffered from a concussion.  Although from the size of the lump on his head, I can’t figure out how he’d avoided that.”  Ben walked out, shaking his head in amazement. 

Raven looked at the now closed clinic doors, then over to the doors that separated the lobby from the small surgery and recovery areas.  Then down at her feet she tried to figure out what she was going to do. 

She straightened the perfectly neat files, then dumped them onto the receptionist’s desk.  She’d help Ben to get them filed tomorrow. 

Looking over at the doors again, she locked the clinic, then walked over to the recovery room.  With a determined chin, she walked through and looked around.  The man in question wasn’t laying in the bed, but where…

“I agree with Ben,” Turk said. 

Raven’s eyes jerked to the left and found the man looking down at her as he leaned against the countertop. 

“Agree with him about what?” she asked, sounding breathless.  He was wearing one of the other shirts a villager had loaned her and it was buttoned at the bottom, but Turk’s shoulders were still too wide and muscular to contain those muscles, so the buttons were open at the top, revealing the light dusting of dark hair sprinkled across the expanse of chest. 

Raven tried.  She put her best efforts into it, but in the end, her eyes couldn’t stop the downward glance at his amazing chest. 

Turk couldn’t stop his body from reacting when she looked at him like that.  Her eyes were devouring him, hot and needy.  “You’re a woman, Raven.”

Raven backed up slightly, surprised by the heat that hit her with his words.  “Yes.  I’m fully aware of that.”

“Are you?  Or is Ben right and you’ve been so focused on becoming a doctor that you forgot that you’re also a woman?”

She was gasping for breath now, not sure how to answer him.  “I’m a doctor first.”

His hand reached out and touched her cheek, her neck.  “You don’t have to separate them from each other.”

She knew there was a very good reason why she should, why the two of them wouldn’t work.  But when his hand moved down her neck, she wasn’t sure she remembered how to blink, much less a valid reason why she should avoid any sort of relationship with this man.

“You’re very beautiful,” he commented, sounding almost as if he were talking to himself. 

“I’m not.  I’m very plain.  Very ordinary.”

Turk smiled slightly, amazed because he could tell that she truly believed that about herself.  “You’re about the most unordinary woman I’ve ever met.  Your eyes alone mesmerize me.”

Raven looked up at him, stunned by his words.  Mesmerized?  She’d never mesmerized anyone!  She tossed that around in her mind, realized that she kind of liked that. 

“And you’re truly beautiful.  Your skin is soft and perfect, so pale, I can almost see the veins underneath the delicate surface.”  His fingers were smoothing over her skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. 

“I’m plain.”

He shook his head.  “Never plain, Raven,” he said and moved closer.  Bending down, he kissed along her skin where his fingers had just moved, shocking her with the feelings that touch generated inside of her. 

“You can’t…”

“I know, it’s too dangerous here.  But soon, we’re going to be in a place that isn’t and I’m going to make love to you, Raven.  I’m going to prove to you just how beautiful I think you are.”

He didn’t give her a chance to argue with him.  His mouth covered hers in a kiss that was so completely different from the kiss of the previous night.  It was hard, demanding, crazy and she whimpered when he deepened the kiss, his tongue moving along her lips and insisting on entry.  She gave in to his demand but only because she wanted that kiss as well.  She wanted more, but she wasn’t sure how to ask for it. 

Thankfully, Turk knew what she wanted and was more than willing to give it to her.  Despite the healing bullet wound, he pulled her against him, lifting her higher so that their bodies were better aligned.  It was as if he could read her mind and that threw her more into the whirlwind of need. 

When his hand moved against her back, then lower so that his large hands were cradling her bottom, pressing her hips against his, she almost cried out as the ache in her body intensified.  She wasn’t sure what to do, how to handle this, but he knew.  And he was more than willing to show her. 

“Touch me,” Turk commanded, lifting his mouth for only a small moment to give that command before he was kissing her again. 

Raven was more than happy to comply.  This man had been her temptation for too long and her fingers ached to feel all of those strong muscles.  When her fingers moved over his shoulders, she felt his kiss intensify and she reveled in it, arching closer to him. 

When he moved his mouth to her neck, her fingers were clenching at his shoulders, trying to make sense of all of this.  It was crazy and too fast.  She didn’t understand how he could make her feel like this! 

The bleating sound caught his attention and Raven pulled back out of his arms, desperate for a moment of sanity. 

“What is that sound?” he asked, not letting her leave him completely.  His hands were still on her hips, his fingers rubbing the sensitive flesh of her waist. 

Raven listened for a long moment, worried that the disgusting men were coming back.  But the sound wasn’t that of engines roaring or guns banging against the wooden clinic door.  The bleating sound was coming from behind the clinic. 

With a relieved sigh, Raven moved out of his arms and put some space between them.  “That’s Sam.  He’s my goat.  He’s just an ornery old guy that produces milk for some of my pregnant ladies.  Not all of them can afford milk during their pregnancies.”

Turk thought it was amazing that she wanted to help her patients so much that she was willing to take care of a goat, but he still was puzzled.  “Sam?  A guy?”

Raven had turned away, trying to get her mind back in focus.  But she heard and understood the question.  “Yeah.  Well, he’s really a she.  I’d originally named him Samantha because she was so sweet and followed me around.  She really was cute.  But then she grew up and started eating everything around, including the neighbor’s plants.  So they all helped me build a fence to lock her in at night.” 

He waited, sensing that there was more to the story.  “And?” he prompted when she looked like she was just going to stop there. 

She sighed.  “Well, she kept sneaking out at night and,” she shrugged her shoulders, “I sort of got mad one day and declared him a guy because he was so irritating.”

Turk stared at her for a long moment before he threw his head back and laughed.  It hurt his side from the effort, but he couldn’t stop the laughter.  She looked adorable, telling him that she’d decided that a goat was male simply because he annoyed her. 

“Well, that sort of explains a lot,” he said and took her hands in his, pulling her back.  This time, though, he only kissed her lightly and backed away.  “Okay, so what’s for dinner tonight?  I’m cooking.”

Raven looked up and down the man’s strong, tall body.  “You know how to cook?”

He lifted a dark eyebrow right back at her.  “I know how to heat up food in a pot, which is exactly what you’ve been doing for me, isn’t it?”

She laughed at his challenge.  “Okay, valid point.  You can cook dinner.  And the choices for tonight’s dining experience are in the cabinet over the stove.  Just choose whatever you like.” 

He started to step away, heading for the kitchen and she realized that he was walking without any hesitation.  “You’re really okay, aren’t you?” she asked, a terrified knot forming in her stomach. 

He turned back to her and nodded.  “Yeah, I’m okay,” and he disappeared. 

That made her feel horrible because it meant only one thing.  Either he was going to get out of the clinic under his own steam or the other men were going to retrieve their prisoner. 

Neither option was good!