Meet Me In Alaska (BWWM Pregnancy Romance) (3 page)

Chapter 5

The front door opened 15 minutes later, and Jenna helped me get my bags together and get into her SUV. She looked worried and annoyed that I was out of the house, but she must have noticed that I looked pissed, so she let it go.

Jenna pulled up out in front of Mick’s and ran in to grab us some coffee and muffins. Apparently, she didn’t have to pay. They were all so worried about me that she had to beg them not to swarm the car. I was so grateful she kept them at bay. I was not in the mood for that after the situation with Eric.

When we got to the office, all of the staff looked horrified when they saw my face. I wanted to tell them thanks a lot, but I knew they couldn’t help it. Maybe Eric had actually been disgusted by my nasty-looking face, and that was why he really pushed me away.

Jenna made sure I was settled in at my desk in my small office before she went about her day. She had plenty of work to do that kept her out of my hair. I had a full day of appointments coming up, so I took some ibuprofen and hoped for the best.

From 8:00 to 12:00, I saw 10 patients. The Smith twins were in with a nasty case of strep throat. Mrs. Filkins came in for her six-month checkup for her heart. Joe Robinson came in with a big cut on his hand from fight with a table saw. I had to stitch that one up using my one good eye.

The highlight was when Anna Webster brought in her two-week-old baby girl Charlotte. I had actually delivered her right there in the office when Anna’s labor progressed much quicker than she thought it would. It was the first time I had ever delivered a baby on my own, and it was both beautiful and terrifying. Anna had been so thankful that she named her daughter Charlotte Malia after me. I sat and held her in my arms, so happy that she didn’t really have her sight yet and wouldn’t be frightened by the gory aftermath of my accident.

By noon I was starving, and Jenna ordered subs from Tony’s Pizza down the street. My small turkey was just what I needed, and I had a soda so the caffeine would help keep me going until 4:00. Jenna did mention that maybe I should take a half day, but I refused. I could rest when I got home.

After an afternoon full of rashes, chest pain, persistent coughs, and blood pressure checks, I could barely stand on my one good foot anymore. When we locked the doors for the night, I had never felt more relieved.

We gathered up our stuff and I hobbled out to Jenna’s SUV on my crutches. The annoyed feeling had eased into a burning embarrassment over my behavior with Eric. I just wanted to go home and drown my sorrows in ice cream and bad TV.

“Um, Malia? Did you already make arrangements for someone else to pick you up?”

“No why?”

“Well, I think someone has other ideas for you tonight.”

When I made my way around her SUV, I saw what she was talking about. Eric Langdon stood there leaning against his giant truck with a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. He was wearing a pressed shirt, clean jeans, and shined-up boots. He looked nervous, bouncing from foot to foot before he noticed us standing there looking at him. That’s when his megawatt smile came out and he moved toward us.

“Good evening, ladies. I hope your day wasn’t too hectic. Jenna, I was hoping to give Malia a ride home. Is that okay with you?”

I saw a sly smile on her face as she enjoyed every second of this awkward situation. I knew she probably had something to do with this, but I wasn’t about to call her out right then. She would get an earful later, though.

“Of course it’s okay with me, Eric. What girl could refuse a ride from you? You clean up really nice, Mr. Langdon.”

“Oh stop. Mr. Langdon is my father! Doc, what do ya say? Can I take you home?” As he asked me this, I saw the questions in his eyes. It almost seemed as if he was pleading with me not to break his fragile heart and spirit. I couldn’t crush him. After all, he had been sweet to me.

“Sure. I’ll take a ride from you. Thank you, Eric. Jenna, I will see you in the morning, bright and early. Thanks for everything today.”

“You’re welcome! Call me if you need anything tonight!”

As she took off out of the parking lot, I started to get nervous. Here we were back together, much sooner than I had originally anticipated. I really thought he wouldn’t come back around after when I’d said to him that morning, half-naked in my bedroom. I felt like I might throw up.

“Can I please help you up into the truck, Doc?” I nodded in response and let him lift me. My body betrayed me by reacting so positively to his touch. He set me down quite gently in the passenger seat and ran around to his side, joining me in a matter of seconds.

He maneuvered us out of there quickly, and neither one of us spoke. There was either nothing to say or too much to say. I wanted to put my hand on his knee or hold his hand, but I didn’t know if that was a part of his dating rulebook. He just watched the road, and I could see his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel in what looked like a show of attempted restraint.

He pulled into my driveway and turned off the truck. He came around and helped me down, but I immediately started heading toward the house using my crutches. I needed that little bit of independence that I could stand my ground. I assumed he already thought I was an emotional mess.

I managed to make it into the house without stumbling. When I opened the door, the smell of something cooking immediately took over my senses. I turned and gave Eric a questioning look.

“What’s going on here?”

“I asked Jenna if she would let me in your house to do something special for you, so she snuck out earlier and let me in. I threw together a lasagna for us to have together. I figured you weren’t up to going out yet, and I wanted to have a proper date with you before I lose my self-control and take advantage of you before you’re ready.”

“So you can cook, too? What about the ranch? Don’t you need to be there?”

“I worked extra hard today to get everything done so that I could plan this for you. My mom was a great cook, and she believed her sons needed to be good on the ranch and in the kitchen. She was prepping us to be husbands.”

“Wow, Eric. Thank you. All day I wallowed in my misery because I thought you had rejected me. Now here you are being extra sweet and thoughtful. And like I could resist you when you’re all dressed up like that. You are a sight for one eye today, that’s for sure.”

I started giggling at my own joke, and he joined me. I felt the tension in the air lift, and I tried to let go of my animosity over the scene in my bedroom. I couldn’t let my stubbornness stop me from having good time with this sweet, handsome man. No one said I had to marry him right then. It was just the two of us taking time to get to know each other.

He helped me into the house and led me straight into the dining room where he had set the table and even lit a candle.

“I wanted to have some wine here for us, but I know you’re on some serious painkillers. I had to go with some sparkling cider instead. Let’s get you settled.”

He took me around to one of the chairs and had me sit down. Then he pulled a second chair up and gently set my swollen ankle on the cushion.

“You really don’t have to spoil me like this, Eric. You’re too sweet. I really wasn’t sure what was going to come of this after this morning.”

“Why don’t we have some dinner and then we can talk about this.”

I nodded my head in agreement. I realized that my stomach was growling, and the lasagna smelled so good.

He placed a healthy portion down in front of me, along with a piece of buttery garlic bread. We both dug right in, and I probably should have been more ladylike. I just couldn’t help but devour it. There was very little talking during the meal, but there were a lot of smiles and stolen glances. No other man had ever made me feel like I could be in his presence without having to fill the silence with unnecessary conversation. The only reason I felt a little bit on edge was because I was so attracted to him.

When we were both done, he cleared the table and came back in with a bowl of strawberry shortcake and two spoons. This time he sat right next to me.

“Open up, Doc. Let me know what you think.” I opened up my mouth, blushing a bit at the thought of him feeding me. The spoon went to my lips and I licked off every bit of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, taking my time and locking my eyes with his.

“Your turn. Open up.”

He looked a bit surprised that I returned the favor, but he obliged and parted his lips. I put a big spoonful in his mouth and started to come undone watching him carefully lick the spoon clean. It was getting harder and harder to behave myself, but I didn’t want to push my luck after his earlier rejection.

He smiled and gave me another spoonful, but this one was bigger and messier than the last. It was all I could do to keep it in my mouth.

“Um, it looks like you missed a little bit. Let me help you with that.”

I expected him to grab a napkin and wipe it off, but instead he leaned in very close and licked it off my lip. He lingered there for a moment, but I was too scared to make a move. I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself from shaking or let him feel how heavy I was breathing.

To my surprise, he didn’t pull away. Instead he wound a hand gently through my hair and pulled me in for a kiss. He was tentative at first, but the temperature rose quickly. Soon our tongues were having a war and the situation seemed very similar to the scene in my bedroom.

I reached out and pulled him as close as he could get when we were seated in different chairs. My ankle limited my movements, but I made up for that with my mouth. I wanted him more than I ever remembered wanting anything. I didn’t care about his past or his future in that moment. I just needed him.

He broke the kiss, and the dread of what was to come immediately settled in my stomach. If he rejected me again, I was going to ask him to leave my house and never come back. I didn’t need to be led on by a man who had no intention of seeing his advances through.

I put my hands in my lap and dug  my fingernails into my palms to stay calm. I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes. Suddenly his hand was under my chin, and he lifted my face so he could look into my eyes. I knew the look on my face betrayed me and told him everything I felt.

“Hey, Doc. What’s with the tears?”

“I am starting to think you don’t want me. Every time things start to get hot between us, you pull away. I can’t handle another man who doesn’t know what he wants or just doesn’t really want me.”

“Well, I know exactly what I want. You. Now. I was pulling away to ask you if you thought we should go to your room where we could be more comfortable. That ankle has to hurt the way we’re all tangled up now.”

“Oh. I feel stupid now. I guess my self-confidence has been shot ever since I was cheated on.”

“Well, let me reassure you, I think you’re hot as hell. And any man who lets you go is a damn fool. But I need to be honest and let you know I don’t have all my shit together. I have the future of the ranch weighing on my shoulders. I have to take care of my dad. And I have a heart that is still not quite healed after being left for bigger and better things. I’m a work in progress, and I can’t promise you perfection. But I can promise to be faithful, honest, and loving.”

“I think you can tell that my shit is far from together, Eric. I ran away to Alaska to get away from a man who broke my spirit. I’m still not used to the weather or the lifestyle here. I’m far away from every part of my comfort zone. So I guess it makes sense that we’re both a little bit broken. Maybe that’s a good thing.”

“Maybe, Doc.” He smiled and planted another long kiss on my lips. I was the one who pulled away this time.

“You feel like giving me a lift to my bedroom, Cowboy?”

“It would be my pleasure, Doc.”

He stood up and got his arms around me, lifting me swiftly and carrying me down the dark hallway to my room. It was just as we had left it that morning. A pang of nervousness jolted me, and I had to talk myself down from it.

Eric turned on the lights, and part of me wished he would turn them off. I was feeling shy and afraid of letting him see all of me. But I knew I had to let it go and trust him.

He set me in the middle of my bed gently, and then he joined me. Before kissing me, he rubbed his rough fingers across my cheek and down my neck while he looked into my eyes. That simple gesture was more erotic than most of the sex I ever had in my life.

When our lips locked this time, I knew there was no turning back. My hands ran down his muscular back and gripped his firm ass. Every inch of him felt so good that I wanted nothing more than to get him naked.

He moved from my mouth and started trailing soft kisses along my jaw, down my neck, and to my earlobe. I felt like I was on fire and I was still fully clothed. His kisses moved down to my collar bone and across my ample cleavage. My back arched when he did this, and I felt him giggle a little bit against my bare skin.

I pushed him away a bit and sat up. Reaching for the hem of my shirt, I pulled it over my head. Then I reached around behind me, and before I lost my nerve, unhooked my bra and took it off. I saw his gaze rest on my full, naked breasts, and he licked his lips.

His mouth returned to mine, and his hands cupped the weight of my breasts. He lightly pinched my nipples between his fingers, making them harden under his touch. Then he maneuvered himself so that his face was lined up with my left breast. When his tongue circled my nipple, wetness began to pool between my legs. I was ready to give myself to him completely.