"Oh," I said. I shrugged. "You sure?" I felt a small twinge of rejection, but I knew he didn't mean it that way. I still felt it, though.
"Kaylee, I wish more than anything I could stay with you tonight, but my flight leaves in an hour and I have to be on it. I'll probably be late for my meeting as is." Owen's blue eyes held mine and I could see the wish reflected in their depths.
"What do you mean, you'll be late as is? It can't be any later than nine and New York is, what, a three hour flight?" I asked slowly.
"The meeting isn't in New York. It's in Abu Dhabi. And I guess technically the meeting isn't tomorrow, but the time changes just get confusing." He looked up apologetically. "I really just wanted to see you again."
"You flew three hours in the wrong direction, just to bring me Chinese food and flowers?"
"Basically."
I was floored. No one had ever done anything like that for me. I felt a warm glow start in my chest, a happiness that made me smile involuntarily. He really did like me.
I leaned over and kissed him. The world was tipsy and wonderful, but somehow incredibly right as our lips met. His hand grabbed the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in the mess of my ponytail, pulling me closer to him. I slid across the leather seat, heat and desire searing through me. All I wanted was to kiss him, to touch him, to be with him.
His shoulders were strong under my hands, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me into him. I loved the way he smelled, the way he tasted, the way he groaned into my kiss like it was the only thing in the world he had ever wanted. He nibbled on my bottom lip, his tongue dancing with mine as his hands roamed my back and sides.
I began unbuttoning his dress shirt, trying very hard not to simply just rip the buttons off instead. "Kaylee, my flight..." he groaned, but he didn't bother to finish the sentence, letting me continue working on his buttons. The last two, I ripped off.
As soon as his shirt was undone, he reached for my scrub top, lifting it easily over my head and tossing it next to the car door. I giggled as he ran a finger across the strap of the tank top I wore underneath, loving the way his fingers tickled across my skin. He slipped a strap off one shoulder, pushing the bra strap with it, and leaned forward to gently kiss the bare skin. I shivered with anticipation and he pushed the second set of straps off as well.
He licked his lips, his pupils going wide as he traced my collar bone from the shoulder to the center of my breast bone and down into my cl**vage. With gentle fingers, he caressed the swells of my br**sts peeking out from the tank top. I leaned my head back and let out a sigh of pleasure. This was exactly what I needed after a shift from hell.
"Excuse me sir, but it is time to go to the airport. If you give me the young lady's keys, I will start her car before we leave," the limo chauffeur’s voice came over the intercom. I stiffened for a moment, thinking he was watching us, but the privacy screen was still in place.
"If you give him your keys, he'll give us a few more minutes," Owen whispered, brushing a stray strand of dark hair off my cheek. I quickly scrambled for my coat, digging into the pockets for the worn keys. Owen hit the button on the privacy screen, lowering it just enough to let me slide the keys through.
"It's a gray Dodge Neon, third row from the end in the main employee lot," I told the driver before Owen raised the screen back up. I heard the car door open and close, soft footsteps disappearing into the night.
"We have only a couple of minutes," Owen whispered. His eyes were dark with want as he looked me up and down, seeing something that he wanted very badly. "But I just can't say no."
"Then we better make it quick," I replied, kissing him fiercely. I still wasn't looking for a relationship, but when a perfectly muscled man flies three hours to bring you dinner and flowers, it's hard to say no. Especially when your body is screaming yes.
"I don't have a condom," he said softly. I gave him a wicked grin.
"It's okay. I'm on birth control... and I trust you."
He pulled down sharply on my shirt, dragging my bra along with it and exposing my br**sts to him. His tongue was on my nipple in an instant, turning it into a hard nub of pleasure in his mouth. I moaned softly, pushing my chest further into his face and reaching to fumble with his belt.
I felt his strong hands slide over mine, easily undoing the button and zipper. I let my hand slide into the opening of his pants, and gasped as I felt his full length ready for my touch. He bit down softly, sending a gentle shock through me and deep into my core. I ran my hands up and down the length of his shaft, feeling him somehow continue to swell.
I pulled at the strings holding my scrub pants to my hips, feeling the comfortable fabric loosen and fall. Owen sped it along, pulling them off as I kicked my clogs off and squirmed out of my pants. As soon as my legs were free, I straddled Owen's lap, kissing him and drawing his tongue into my mouth. His manhood pressed up against my underwear, begging for entrance, and I pushed my h*ps down into him.
He wrapped one arm around me, his fingers splaying on my back while the other slid my panties to the side. For a glorious moment he sat poised at my entrance, our eyes locked, breathing heavy. Then slowly, so slowly, he slid into me, inch by glorious inch, until I could hold no more.
A shiver of pleasure ran down my spine, and I began rocking back and forth, taking as much of him into me as I could. I never wanted this to end, but I heard the driver open the door and start the engine. Owen pulled me closer to him, thrusting his h*ps upward with a need that couldn't be stopped. His hands pulled my h*ps and back into him, our bodies pressed together, skin rubbing against skin.
The limo slowed to a stop, and I knew we didn't have much time.
"Sir, your flight is in less than twenty minutes," the disembodied voice came through the intercom. Owen's mouth opened as he panted for breath, his body beginning to shake with exertion. I kissed his ear, feeling the velvety softness across my lips as I whispered his name. I wanted him so badly, my entire spine was on fire with longing.
We locked eyes, and his mouth dropped open. I nodded silently, quickly, letting him know it was okay. With a groan of release, Owen spasmed underneath me. I leaned my head against him, his shoulders heaving with effort. He wrapped his arms around me, keeping me close for a moment longer, absorbing me into him.
"That wasn't quite what I expected when I came out here," he murmured into my ponytail as it ran down my back. "I really did just come to bring you flowers."
I giggled and sat up, looking into his perfect face. His hair was mussed and his cheeks flushed, but his eyes held mine like a magnet. I didn't want to ever look away.
"Just don't go telling anyone that all it takes is flowers," I said, only half joking. Owen stretched his neck and kissed the tip of my nose.
"Never."
A knock on the privacy glass broke into our moment as the driver reminded us that we couldn't stay like this forever. Owen kissed me once again before helping me slide onto the seat and back into my pants. We were both dressed again in moments, hardly a trace left behind as Owen opened the door to let me out.
It was dark and cold outside, and all I wanted to do was jump back into the limo and back into Owen's arms. One look at him told me that he felt the same way, but he dutifully opened the driver's door to my beaten up little Neon. Emma had offered to buy me a new one, but this one worked just fine, other than an old battery.
I set the bouquet of flowers and the bags of extra Chinese food in the back seat, coming back around for one more kiss. Owen pulled me close, his lips and tongue hot compared to the winter's night. I kissed him like I was drowning and he was air. Like I needed him in order to breathe. I wasn't sure anymore that I didn't.
The chauffeur coughed discreetly after too short a time. Owen cupped my cheek and gave me one last quick kiss that made my lips tingle for more before turning away. I got into the warm driver's seat and watched as he hurried into the limousine. I raised my hand, not wanting to wave goodbye as the door closed and he drove off into the night.
I drove home, unable to decide if I was happy or sad. The two emotions played tug-of-war, pulling me toward glad I had seen him back to gloomy he had left. I barely made it into pajamas before collapsing in bed, drifting into dreams of Owen.
Chapter 10
Six A.M. came far too early the next day. I groaned and rolled out of bed, the wood floor creaking and cold under my feet. I heard the automatic coffee pot sputter, and I trudged into the kitchen, wishing I could just go back to my dreams with Owen.
The flowers were still in the plastic on my kitchen table. At least I had put them in water before collapsing into bed, so they were still beautiful and vibrant. I lowered the cellophane wrapping and took a deep breath. The soft floral notes didn't remind me of the ocean anymore. They reminded me of someone with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. I smiled, enjoying the memory. I wondered what Owen was doing right then.
I snapped myself out of my thoughts, quickly drinking my coffee so that I could get in the shower. I had another twelve-hour shift in front of me, and no matter how much I would rather spend my morning daydreaming, I had work to do.
***
The ER was busy for the first half of the morning. Patients trickled in at a steady rate, keeping me busy as I raced around between the rooms. Despite the work, I was walking on air. I knew I had a silly smile on my face as I went through my routine, but I didn't care. I had seen Owen last night and it had been fantastic. There was nothing that could spoil this day for me.
"Hey, Kaylee, you have a visitor in the waiting room," Allie called from the desk. I frowned slightly. It couldn't be Owen, he was probably in the middle of a desert by now. No one else would need to come visit me at work, or at least they would know to call first.
"Who is it?"
"Security didn't say."
I handed her the chart I had just finished and told her I would be back in a minute. Visitors weren't allowed in the actual ER, so I headed out to the waiting room to see who it was. The heavy metal doors dividing the waiting room from the ER clanked shut behind me and my heart sank. Standing there joking with the security guard was my ex-boyfriend.
"What are you doing here, Michael?" I asked, trying to stay polite. I had told him a hundred times not to bother me at work. I had been the one to break it off with him, but I got the feeling that he wasn't ready to let me go.
"I came to see you, Kay! I thought we could get lunch." I hated when he called me Kay. You mean, you thought I would buy you lunch. He smiled at me like he was doing me the favor. I motioned him away from the security guard to a quiet corner so that we could talk privately.
"Michael, I am really busy today. You know that I've asked you not to visit me at work." I was trying very hard not to get angry. This was just so typical of him.
"I just wanted to see you, Kay. Things have been really hard, and I miss you," he said. His big brown eyes begged me to forgive him, to just love him. I had fallen into those eyes too many times, but never again. This relationship was not healthy. I had spent too much time falling for his tricks to make me do things for him while he did nothing in return.
I thought of all the times he had asked me to take care of things, but how he was always busy or too tired to help me when I needed it. All the condescending comments and cruel teasing. The lack of compliments. How he had made me feel like I was never going to be good enough for anyone but him, but he would keep me because he was just that good of a guy. The way he put me down so I would do anything to please him. An anger I didn't even realize was there bubbled up.