Lincoln Hospital (Trauma #1) (17 page)

She took a deep breath and pulled the door open, pleased to see him dressed semi-casually in a fitted dress shirt and a pair of dark jeans.  He held a bottle of red wine and a slow, sexy, smile passed over his face as he looked her up and down.

“Hi,” she said shyly and opened the door to let him in.

“Hi, back.  You look gorgeous,” he told her as he stepped inside and kissed her cheek.  She sighed and she closed the door behind him.

“Thank you.” She took the wine and headed into the kitchen to check on dinner. “Make yourself at home and I’ll pour us a glass.”

Cian roamed around her small living area, checking out her space.  He’d been there once before but hadn’t taken the time to really look at the place.  Unlike his apartment, pieces of Athena were everywhere.  Framed photographs of her and Sabine covered almost every surface and there was even one of the six interns, likely from their first day since Bianca was in it.  His heart twisted seeing her face and the guilt at what had happened to her started to rise up again.  He shoved it aside, reminding himself for the millionth time that he’d tried to get to her in time.  He was inadvertently at fault, but her death was more a tragic accident.

“Is this you and your father?” he called out to her, picking up a framed photo of her and an older man in front of a Christmas tree.  Their arms were wrapped around each other and their smiles were full of love.

“Where?” She poked her head out of the side of the kitchen and seeing him with the frame, nodded.  “Yes.  That’s the last Christmas we spent together before he passed away.”

“I’m sorry,” he told her as she carried out the two glasses of wine, handing one to him.  A sad smile crossed her face as she took the photo from him and looked down at it.

“Thank you.  I still can’t believe he’s gone.  I’ve caught myself hundreds of times going to pick up the phone to call and share something with him.  It makes the pain fresh all over again every time I realize that I can’t.”

“I understand,” he mumbled, taking a sip of her wine.  She had no idea how completely he knew how she felt. Placing the frame back on her small end table, she smiled.

“Anyway, enough of this sad talk.  Dinner is just about ready if you want to sit down?  I hope you like pasta.”

What he liked, was watching her ass as she walked back into the kitchen.  The sway of her hips was gentle and the dress stretched just perfectly across it.  His hands itched to grab that little ass and lift her up and onto his cock, feel her tight body pressed against him as he kissed her senseless and filled her over and over with powerful thrusts until she was screaming out his name and begging for more.

“—recipe.  It’s my favorite.” He came back to the moment just as she was carrying a large steaming bowl of pasta and a plate of freshly baked bread into the dining room, setting them on the table beside a large serving spoon.  “There’s just something about this one that I love, I hope you like the way everything tastes.” She glanced up at him and smiled.  Even in her sexy as fuck red heels he still towered over her by a few inches.  She went to move back into the kitchen to grab a few more napkins just as he went to move to take his seat and that was it.  Their bodies collided and the spark was electric.  The second their skin connected he could no longer resist and he snatched her into his arms, feeding off the look of shocked surprise in her olive eyes.

His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that seared her down to her soul as his hands encircled her waist and lifted her up, sitting her on the dining room table and leaning down to deepen the kiss.  Her hands found their way into his dark hair as she pulled him impossibly closer, desperate for more.  His tongue swept inside to find hers and they dueled in a battle for control as she moaned.  The more of him he gave her, the more she wanted to discover, until she’d unlocked every secret he was hiding.

The harder she fought the attraction, the more her body ached to feel his touch.  He had the power to make her lose all self-control.  And she liked it. Liked the way he made her feel. He dragged his mouth away from hers and picked her up off the table, wrapping his arms around his waist as he headed in the direction of the bedrooms.

“Which one?” he asked against her mouth.

“There,” she gestured with her head and he kicked the door open heading straight for her king-sized bed.  Dropping her down, he trailed his hands down her smooth legs to remove her shoes, smirking when her body trembled at his feather-light touch.

Moving back up her body, he found the zipper on the side and slowly tugged it down, then watched as she shyly pulled the dress up and over her head. Her long dark hair fell back around her shoulders, covering her perfect breasts in a sexy display.  He growled and leaned in, lowering his head and teasing a nipple through the delicate lace of her bra.

“Fuck, Athena.  You smell amazing and you’re so fucking delicious.” Cian reached around behind her and unhooked her bra letting it fall down her arms, baring her to him.  Her breasts were full with pink hued nipples that he couldn’t resist.  He tweaked one between his thumb and forefinger, rolling and tugging while he sucked the other into his mouth, licking her ever so gently. She arched into him as he switched and repeated the same on the other side.  The little sounds she was making in the back of her throat were driving him fucking crazy.

Athena could barely stand it and if he kept it up, he was going to make her cum from just his attention on her tits.  Her fingers found the buttons on his shirt and made quick work of ridding him of it, her hands traveling over his six-pack headed for the V that made her mouth water.  Unbuckling his belt, she slipped her hand into his boxers and found him hard and pulsing.  His cock was long and thick and her pussy definitely took notice as she felt dampness pool between her legs as she wrapped her hand around him and began to stroke him in a slow manner.

He groaned and not moving his mouth from her nipple cupped her aching pussy through her panties.

“Soaked, baby.  I fucking love that,” he mumbled and trailed hot kisses down her stomach, circling her belly button with his tongue before stopping at her panty line.  Not wanting to go slow any longer, he pushed them aside and used two fingers to spread her juices as he rubbed up and over her clit and then sinking them deep inside.  She gasped and he moaned as he filled her to the knuckle.  She was tight and hot and felt so fucking good.  She was already starting to clamp down on his fingers; he increased the speed until he was fucking her with his hand, feeling her build closer and closer.

She brought her head closer to his and his mouth captured hers just as she climaxed, her scream getting lost in their kiss.

He pulled back to watch her head fall back and the rosy glow spread over her body.  She was fucking magnificent. The monster living in his veins screamed to devour her.  The man he wanted to be fought to protect her.  Regardless what side of him prevailed, the truth was clear. She was his for the taking.

He pushed his boxers the rest of the way down his legs and she got an eyeful of him in all his naked glory. He was hard, lean muscle and without thinking, she ran her tongue up and over this toned abs, wanting to taste him.  He knelt between her legs and lifting them over his shoulders, speared her with his tongue as he lapped at her pussy, letting his mouth roam over her in a slow, leisurely exploration that sent her spiraling towards her next orgasm.  He speared her with his tongue and continued to drive her closer and closer to the edge and when she finally exploded, he moaned; the taste of her was so damn intoxicating and sweet.

“Condom?” he asked, not sure how much longer he could hold back from sinking balls deep into her. She gestured at the bedside table and he plucked one out and rolled it on.

“You’re so fucking sexy, baby. I fucking love watching you come apart for me.  Your greedy little pussy wants more doesn’t it?” His dirty talk had her blushing but he was right; she wanted his cock in her so bad.

“I need to feel you, Cian.  All of you,” their eyes locked and again the chemistry sizzled.  Unable to wait any longer, he sank into her slowly, giving her time to adjust to his size as he stretched and filled her.

“Fuck, you’re tight,” he groaned as her wet heat latched onto him, pulling him deeper.  He set a rhythm that was slow and meant to give her time to get used to the feel of him but she was having none of that as she bucked her hips to meet him thrust for thrust, forcing him to drive into her deeper.

It wasn’t long before he could feel the familiar sensation building inside him.  Wanting to bring her to another climax, he reached between their bodies and found her hard little nub, pinching and twisting it.  When he felt her tighten around him again and yell out, “Cian!” he let himself go and pushed stream after stream of his release into her, grunting out her name as he collapsed on top of her.

Rolling to his side, he got up to discard the condom.  Coming back, he did something he hadn’t let himself do in a very long time.  He let himself relax and drawing her into the circle of his arms, he enjoyed the feel of her warm body next to his.  Their hearts raced in unison and for a moment, he felt content.

“So much for dinner, huh?” she joked and his shout of laughter surprised both of them.

“Don’t worry, Payne.  I won’t leave here tonight until I know you’re fully satisfied.”

A
FTER THEIR DATE, Cian and Athena didn’t see much of each other for a few days due to busy schedules on both their parts.  He’d snuck out in the wee hours of the night, after making love to her three more times and binging on re-heated pasta with her in bed.  Her laugh, her smile, every tiny thing about her was starting to affect him.  When she’d finally fallen asleep, he’d slipped from her bed and left a note saying he didn’t want to wake her.

On the drive home, the guilt started to set in as he thought back over what they’d done.  What would Hannah think?  How could he do something so intimate with Athena?  Something he’d last shared with only his wife.  Shame and self-loathing washed over him.  What kind of man was he that he was enjoying life with another woman while his wife rotted in the ground because he hadn’t been able to save her? As much as he knew it was going to hurt Athena, he needed to cut all contact with her to strictly professional. He’d let his emotions get in the way after Bianca’s death and that was on him.  Athena was a pure soul who deserved someone that would be able to walk with her in the light, not lurk in the dark like him.

He didn’t have time to mull over how he was going to break her heart as his next target was emerging from the gas station a few miles away from the hospital.  He mentally reviewed the information he’d collected on her in his portfolio:

Marian Seely, age 41

752 Main Street, Queens

Accused of child pornography, child molestation, accessary to sexual assault of a minor,

suspected in the death of at least one child

Case was brought to trial, but thrown out due to evidence being lost and/or tampered

with.

A mistrial was filed and Marian was set free

The information of the mistrial boiled Cian’s blood.  Someone screwed up at the lab and all physical evidence was mistakenly discarded, leaving them with nothing to tie her to the crimes. She was guilty as fucking sin and everyone knew it, but without a conviction, she walked free as a bird.

He watched her get in her car and then walked over and rapped on her window, making sure to keep the needle in his hand hidden.

She rolled down the window and let her brown eyes travel down his body.  “Well, hello, handsome.  What can I do for you?” Her attempt to flirt with him churned his stomach.  She was attractive, but given what she did for her extra-curricular activities, he’d rather bite his own cock off than let it near a cunt like her.

“Hi, yourself.  Listen, my GPS quit in my Jag—” he motioned to his sleek silver car parked at the pump behind him, watching her eyes light up at the sight of it. “Any way you can give me directions? I’m not from around here.” He flashed her a dazzling grin to back up his lie.

“Those foreign cars aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, huh?” she smirked at him and it took everything in him not to smash her face off the steering wheel. “Let me get my phone and I’ll see if I can look up directions to where you need to be.  Maybe you’ll have time for a cup of coffee before you get back on the road?” She raised a brow at him, letting him know coffee was not what she was interested in.

“Maybe I will,” he winked at her and wanted to punch himself in the face, but needed to play along.  She turned her body to reach for her purse and quick as a snake, he reached out and inserted the needle into her neck.

“Ouch!  What the f—” Her body immediately went into convulsions as the drugs worked through her bloodstream.

He pulled out his phone and dialed 911, shouting for help and grinning with glee on the inside.

Thirty minutes later, the team was assembled and ready in the OR.  After he’d scrubbed, he snapped on his gloves and picked up a new tool.  An eight-inch long knife that he’d been dying to use on one of his patients.  With what Marian had gotten away with, she was the perfect candidate for what he had planned.