Consumed by a Stranger (Craved Series #4) (3 page)

His
face looked hopeful and I had half a mind to agree. 

But
it was better that he leave so I could process what the hell just happened.
Plus, I was starting to talk rubbish now that I was giddy from having sex with
the one that got away. 

But
where would he go? Was this my cue to offer my place to him as a crash pad?

"Do
you want to nap here?" I asked, fumbling my offer of accommodation. 

"No,"
he said. "That's okay."

I
nodded. 

He
smiled. "But ask me again after dinner, and I might just take you up on
that."

I
felt my stomach twist. "Okay." The prospect of going on a date with
him in my real life as opposed to my fake vacation life was exhilarating.
"So you have somewhere to stay?"

"Yeah,"
he said. "I'm at The Drake."

I
raised my eyebrows. "Wow." I was desperately curious about what it cost
to stay there but too polite and embarrassed to ask. "Is it nice?"

Jack
shrugged. "Seems okay so far."

"Good,"
I said, suddenly conscious of the size of my apartment… and the number of
pillows going around without mints on them. "Is that where I should meet
you later or-?"

"No,"
he said. "I'll pick you up." 

"Okay."

"But
I should warn you I rented a bike so-"

"Seems
like a bold choice considering the unpredictability of the weather here."

He
shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a bold guy."

"So
I'm beginning to realize." I swung my feet off Jack's lap. 

"Do
you want me to help clear up?" he asked, nodding towards our cups. "I
don't mind."

"That's
okay," I said. "I’ll do it when you leave." After I'm done doing
cartwheels. 

"Okay."
He bent over and grabbed his clothes.

I
held the blanket to my chest and watched the muscles in his back flex and relax
as he got dressed. I couldn’t believe a guy as gorgeous as him was straight and
spoke English.

And
the fact that he spoke my language both in and out of the bedroom was enough to
make my head spin. 

After
he pulled his shirt over his head, I stood up and wrapped the blanket around me
like a towel, tucking the end in so it would stay up long enough for me to say
goodbye. 

"Did
you want to take your coffee to go?" I asked, noticing his nearly full mug
on the table.

"As
delicious as it was-"

"That's
okay," I said. "You don't have to bullshit me."

"It
probably just wasn't sweet enough for me because I'm used to Thai coffees
now."

"Sorry,"
I said. "I'm afraid I'm all out of condensed milk."

"You
and every coffee shop in Seattle no doubt."

"Probably."

He
made his way around the corner to the front door. "I'll pick you up at
seven thirty," he said. "If that works for you."

"Sounds
good," I said, stepping ahead of him to open the door. 

Jack
moved in the doorway and ran one hand over the chenille blanket from my thigh
to my waist before lifting his eyes to mine. "It's good to see you again."

"You
too," I said, focusing on his blue eyes. 

"Thanks
for giving me a chance to explain."

That’s
when I decided I would never mention that I could’ve saved him a lot of trouble
if I'd just opened the door in the first place. 

"I'll
see you later," I said. 

He
leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, and even after everything we'd done,
his lips still set my cheek on fire.

And
then he was gone. 

I
closed the door and leaned my back against it, letting out the most satisfied
sigh ever.

When
I noticed the flowers were still on the entry way table, I picked them up and
smelled them as deeply as I could, as if I could fill my whole body with their
floral scent. 

Why
would a handsome doctor fly from the other side of the world to see an
unemployed woman who thought ice cream was a food group and couldn't even make
a decent cup of coffee?

I
must’ve been dreaming. 

I
went to the kitchen to put the flowers in water, moving as nervously as someone
whose just learned an asteroid is about to hit Earth but decides to go about
what they were doing anyway. 

Unfortunately,
the only vase I had was far too small for the bouquet so I filled my glass
popcorn bowl with water and propped the flowers up in it for the time
being. 

Then
I leaned my head in the front room and stared at the couch. It was a totally
different couch than it had been before, a couch I couldn't even look at
without smiling like some kind of idiot. 

And
then I realized how I could confirm that this was actually happening.

Megan.

I
went to my room and grabbed my phone off the bed. 

"You
sneaky bitch," I said when she answered.

"What
are you talking about?"

"I'd
say guess who just showed up at my apartment, but that would be silly, wouldn't
it? Because you know damn well who it was."

"Who?"

"Don't
play dumb. He said you were the one that told him how to find me."

"So?"

"So
what?"

"Aren’t
you happy he had a chance to explain himself?"

"As
opposed to thinking he just stood me up?" I asked. "Of course."

"Good,"
she said. "I thought his explanation warranted the opportunity to
apologize in person."

"Agreed."

"So
what happened? I'm assuming he's not there or you would be too busy to call."
She lowered her voice. "If you get my meaning."

"Are
you at work?"

"Did
Jack Quinn just knock on your door?"

"I
want to say yes, but I'm sort of having an out of body experience."

"Where
did he go?" she asked. "Why isn't he there?"

"We'll
he came… and then he came again, and then he left."

"Damn
girl, you work fast."

"I
was going to suggest we go somewhere to talk, but one thing led to
another."

"Yeah,
well, I'm not surprised. If I went that far to see about a guy, I'd want to get
some, too."

"He's
taking me out tonight, but he went back to the The Drake for a rest so I could
get some work done."

"Like
you could possibly work at a time like this."

"I
know."

"Where
are you going to dinner?"

"I
don't know."

"How
long is he staying in town?"

"I
don't know."

"Wow,
you weren't kidding. You didn't waste any time talking at all."

"I
thought I would never see him again."

"Well,
you do have me to thank since I'm the one that remembered to leave my contact
information with the handsome guy I met in paradise."

"Yeah,
I guess I owe you one."

"I'm
just glad it worked out. At least now you have some closure- or not-"

"Anything's
better than the way things ended before."

"Exactly.
That's what I figured."

"I
don't know how this is going to sound, but does it seem odd to you that someone
like Jack would come this far to see me. I mean, the guy could have anyone he
wants?"

"But
he wants you."

"Does
he though? Or is this just some kind of game? I mean, it's not like the money's
an issue for him. Maybe he just wanted a few more American fucks and knew I was
sure thing."

"Don't
be ridiculous. He likes you a lot."

I
knew better than to think that amazing sex necessarily equaled genuine
feelings. “How can you be so sure?"

"Cause
when he got a hold of me, he wouldn't take no for an answer, and he said nicer
things about you than even I would say."

"Really?"

"Yeah,"
she said. "And you know if I didn't think you should give him a chance,
I'd say so."

"I
know."

"But
he's one of the good guys, Audrey," she said. "So don't blow
it."

I
was in such a good mood when I left Audrey's, I was sure people in the street
could sense it. 

And
why wouldn't I be? I'd just flown around the world without knowing if she would
even let me in, and she was delighted to see me. 

And
so was her body. I felt pins and needles just thinking about the way she
shuddered over me, the way it felt to have her breasts pinned against my chest.

She
was such a gorgeous woman it was hard to believe that she hadn't been snatched up. She’d
obviously been dating the wrong guys. Even the fact that she thought I stood
her up was unfathomable to me.

Had
she really been treated so poorly in the past that she would allow herself to
believe that?

It
was like she had no idea how much she had going for her. I didn't know how she
could be so confident and yet so self-unaware. And I felt ridiculously
fortunate that our paths crossed when they did because I really needed some
excitement in my life, some direction, some inspiration. 

Maybe
she didn't believe in muses, but she certainly made me a believer. I felt like
I could do anything when I looked in her eyes, like I could be anything. Not
only did I like her, but I liked myself better when I was with her.

Her
taste was still on my lips as I walked through the doors of the shopping
center, dodging the people flowing towards the exit like a fish swimming
upstream. Having her again worked up my appetite, and I needed something to
settle my stomach before I tried to nap. 

I
considered getting room service, but I didn't want the challenge of trying to stay
awake while I waited for it. I figured it was better to get something now and
let it digest as I made my way back to the hotel. 

So
while it was never my intention to walk into the bookstore, it was like my feet
had a mind of their own. And before I knew it, I’d made my way to the health
and fitness section and found myself standing in front of my book. 

There
I was on the cover. Arms crossed over my bare chest while a stethoscope hung between
my pecs. Why I ever agreed to that was beyond me, but at least my agent was
right. It did sell books. 

I
picked up the hardcover copy on top of the small stack and turned it over in my
hands. It wasn't dusty or anything, but it was weird to see so few copies when
the last thing I remember was having a prominent display in every book store
across the country. 

The
blurb on the back was short and professional. It listed my medical credentials
and the testimonials from people whose lives I helped change before I decided
to write the book. 

And
reading it again was bittersweet. 

I
knew writing it was a good thing. I helped a lot of people improve their
quality of life in a massive and measurable way, and that was definitely
something I was proud of. 

But
I hadn't done much since, and it was hard to imagine that a weight loss book might
be my greatest life's work, especially when I was still so young. 

Sure,
I threw myself into a lot of expensive hobbies, which is what I imagine most
guys would do if they started earning fuck you money at the age I did. But I
couldn't expect hobbies to sustain me for the rest of my life. 

Still,
the book in my hands was proof enough that when I set my mind to something, there
was no stopping me. 

It
was like the Audrey thing. Or even my commitment to my Dad. When I applied
myself, I was relentless. 

And
part of me craved having a passion like that again.

Obviously,
I was more committed than ever to getting my Dad the help he needed, and I was
going to do everything I could to convince Audrey that no man could make her as
happy as I could. 

But
neither of those things were going to happen overnight, and touching down in
America again alerted me to the healthy buzz of productivity and ambition that
was currently lacking in my life. 

And
I needed to get it back. 

But
that was a bigger project than I could tackle today. For the moment, I needed a
snack and a nap, and I needed to think of something epic to do with Audrey
tonight because our last date consisted of toasted cheese sandwiches and canned
beer.

And
I was eager to show her that my taste in food was just as compelling as my
taste in women. 

Fortunately,
when I walked out of the bookstore, I saw a tourist guide to Seattle featuring
a picture of the Space Needle and it hit me. I would make sure I gave her
another night she would never forget- and hopefully another orgasm that would
make her putty in my hands. 

Not
because I was interested in controlling her, but because having her filled me
with the surge of energy I craved. Besides, now that I knew how difficult
things had been for her lately, I was more determined than ever to take her
mind off the pressure she was under.

After
all, my money made it a lot easier to be unemployed with a sick parent. How she
was coping was a mystery to me. I knew how hard it was to have a loved one that
wouldn’t help themselves, and it killed me to think that she was dealing with
that, too.

Plus,
if I remembered correctly from our first dinner date, her Dad wasn’t only an
alcoholic. He was paralyzed from the waist down and couldn't work. 

I
couldn’t even imagine the stress her Mom must be feeling. Which reminded me… Seeing
as how I was only a short flight away from my own Mom, it was only right that I
go see her before I headed back to Thailand, hopefully with Audrey in
tow. 

It
would be great to introduce her to my Mom. I was sure they would get along. Not
only was my Mom super sweet and fairly feisty herself, but I knew she would be relieved
to discover I finally found a woman I could get series about.

She’d
been on my case for years saying I needed to settle down, especially since she
was under the impression that I’d been doing nothing but dicking around for the
last few years. Of course, that would’ve been my impression too based on the
only time she came to visit me. 

Not
that I could blame her. Seeing my Dad was difficult for her despite the fact that
she'd moved on.

And
I’ve no doubt she wasn’t thrilled about having a son who'd thrown away a
massive heap of opportunities and an enviably high standard of living so he
could drink banana milkshakes and be alone on a paddle board. 

It
wasn’t exactly a Mother's dream for her son.

But
that would make it even more fun to set her fears to rest and tell her I had a new
woman in my life, a woman I couldn't wait to see again.