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  Her eyes popped open, lips parting softly before her gaze averted and she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She was embarrassed. She was so fucking sweet. Christ, I wanted to ruin her already.

  “As you can guess, I’m Thorn.” I placed a hand at the dip of her back. “Nice to meet you, Carly. Have a seat.”

  “Ah, well…okay,” she stammered, allowing me to guide her to the table I’d been at. Jesus, I loved my hands on her. And what the hell was that feeling deep in my gut every time I looked at her? Like a punch to my stomach. Like someone lighting a match to my balls.

  “Nice to meet you too, Thorn.”

  I pulled the chair out for her, and she sat. I sat across from her, the table for two suddenly feeling impossibly smaller than it had just a minute ago. She was so close, her hand draped across the edge, dainty little fingertips and creamy skin…

  “I feel like I should tell you,” she started, eyes holding mine for a beat, “I’ve never done this before.” She shifted in her seat. “This isn’t really normal for me.”

  “So why did you do it, then?”

  She opened her mouth, pausing as if at a loss for words. “Why does anyone do it?”

  “There are a lot of reasons, I guess.”

  “Well, I did it for the most obvious one.”

  “Sex?” I prodded.

  She didn’t answer; only a blush crept up her chest and neck. A blush I wanted to follow with my tongue. My original intention hadn’t been sex at all—it’d only been for a friendly date to that stupid doctors’ ball. But now here I was, sitting across from the most stunning woman I’d ever seen, and she was telling me she was here for sex?

  Holy fucking shit.

  “Why are you here?” She found her voice, her chin up. So, she had a strong stubborn streak, even more interesting.

  My cock throbbed in my pants, the slow ache in my balls turning into a flaming fucking inferno.

  How long had it been since I’d gotten laid? I couldn’t even recall.

  Too fucking long.

  Way too fucking long.

  I shifted in my seat, instantly regretting this line of conversation if the pressure building behind my zipper had anything to say about it.

  “I’m here for a pretty ridiculous reason, actually.” I paused, leaning a little closer until my hand was hovering just at her fingertips. “I need a date.”

  “Well, don’t we all,” she scoffed as her eyes scanned the room.

  “Yeah, but I need a legit date. Tomorrow. To a Valentine’s Day Ball. All expenses paid for by me, of course. Plus, there’s free food and an open bar. All you’ve got to do is be charming with a bunch of boring doctors for a few hours. Pretend like we’re together.”

  “Wait.” Her eyes shot up, hands retreating to her lap. “You don’t want to have sex with me?”

  I glanced around, praying no one had heard her frank question. “Maybe we should chat somewhere else about this.”

  “No, I’m not going anywhere with you until I know more. I thought people used this app for sex… I thought…well…” She frowned, twisting at a curl nervously. “I thought you wanted me.”

  My eyes bulged in my head. If only she knew the filthy thoughts filtering through my brain right now. I did want her, I wanted her so fucking bad it pained me, literally, but I wanted the date, too. I wanted both. “Carly.” I reached across the table and grazed my fingertips across her knuckles. “I want all of you.”

  “So…” she breathed, eyes riveted to mine. “What now?”

  Jesus, I’d give anything to see those pretty eyes simpering up at me as she rested her knees on the floor. I adjusted under the table, painfully aware of the erection biting against my zipper and the gorgeous girl sitting across the table causing it. “Now, we get you a dress.”

  “A dress?” Her eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline.

  “This is semiformal. I’d take you dressed in a garbage bag, but they might stop us at the door.”

  A soft blush crept up her cheeks and made my cock pound. How was someone so sweet, so very clearly na?ve about relationships, sitting across from me at this moment? I’d swiped left so many goddamn times on that app I’d felt the ache in my thumb for an hour. But then she’d popped up and, like lightning charging through my veins, I’d known she was the one.

  “I don’t think there’s anything open right now.” A frown pulled at her lips.

  “I know a place that’s open till nine.” I snagged her hand in mine, pulling her to her feet from the chair. “Ready to do some shopping?”

  Her smile twitched up at the corners, and I realized I still held her hand. It felt so natural I’d forgotten to let it go. Well, I wasn’t about to break our connection now.

  “Let’s go find a dress, I guess.”

  “I can just hear the enthusiasm in your voice,” I said dryly.

  “I’m just not used to taking gifts from men,” she said as I pushed open the door of the coffee shop.

  “Well, get used to it, Carly. I like to give shit to my friends sometimes.” I steered us down the street.

  “Friends?” Her steps faltered. I turned, shaking my head when I saw her, one hand to her chest. “We’re friends, now? This is all moving so fast.”

  My laugh echoed on the cool breeze. “I make friends fast.”

  “What if I’m not looking for a friend?” She stepped closer. My heart throttled up into my throat, my hands itching to fist into her lush hair and pull her lips against mine. I wanted them bruised and tender; I wanted the memory of me all over her.

  “Just what is it you are looking for, Carly?” I snaked a palm behind her neck, closing the distance between us. She shuddered when I trailed my nose along the shell of her ear, hovering at her earlobe as her breathing grew labored. My other hand circled her curvy waist, dragging her another step closer until she was plastered against all the hard angles of my body. “What do you need?”

  Her thighs shifted, the sweet scent of her arousal invading my senses, driving me fucking mad with need for her. I’d take her right here on the street if I thought she’d let me. And I had a feeling she would…in a dark alleyway, up against a brick wall… But that wasn't right. This girl deserved so much better than that. And I wanted to give her everything she deserved.

  “I…” She sucked in a shallow breath. “I think I need a dress.”

  I grinned, enjoying the way her body softened against mine. “That’s just the beginning.”

  I locked our hands again as we turned and continued down the street. “Bloomingdale's is just around the corner. Think we can find something in there?”

  “Bloomingdale's!” Carly stumbled to a stop again, but this time, I wouldn’t let her, forcing her along with me.

  “We’ve only got till nine, sweetheart. Drag your feet like that again, and I’ll carry you.”

  Her mouth rounded in a perfect little O. “Anyone ever tell you you can be a little bossy?”

  I laughed, slipping the pad of my thumb across the soft angle of her cheekbone. So close. Close enough to kiss, just one taste… “You just wait.”

  THREE

  Thorn

  I draped one protective arm over the most gorgeous girl I’d ever laid eyes on. By my side, she shone in a strappy, black sequined dress that draped over her curves, cutting really fucking low at the back and skimming the generous curve of her hips and that crazy-delectable heart-shaped ass. I’d protested repeatedly last night when she’d taken it into the dressing room at Bloomingdale’s. Damn if I wanted another man’s eyes eating up her body the way mine did, and that dress left little to the imagination.

  Watching Carly model that dress had made me so fucking hard in the changing room, I’d nearly spat bullets. I had to grit my teeth to stifle the swell in my jeans. She’d hidden her gorgeous body beneath layers of clothing, but the way she’d stepped out of that room and peered up at me had made me want to do things.

  Say things.

  Christ, it made me think things I never had bef
ore.

  I’d met plenty of women in my thirty-two years, but never had one made me think about anything long term. Anything real.

  Carly made me think real.

  She turned to me then, the sweet curve of her lips curving up in a soft grin, and the soft glow of lights washed us in shadow. “You look very handsome.”

  She adjusted the bow tie at my throat.

  I shuddered when her fingers grazed my skin.

  My dick jumped, my fingers tightening at the curve of her bare shoulders. “You’re the beautiful one here. I can’t think about anyone else in this room when you’re next to me.”

  Her eyebrows shot up, her fingers stilling at my neck. “Wow.”

  I slid a thumb up the curve of her jaw, enjoying the slow shudder that pulsed through her. “Close your mouth, little one.” I drifted closer, my teeth grazing her earlobe. “Or I’ll be tempted to fill it with something.”

  Her sweet little lips pressed closed, her eyes darkening as her pupils dilated with desire. I knew all the signs—I was a doctor, after all. A rapid pulse, shifting thighs, and the fact that she couldn’t seem to stop herself from touching me. Her breast grazed my chest.

  “That look tells me you want it.” I cupped my palm at her neck, thankful for the low lighting that shrouded us. “The way your heart is racing tells me you need it.”

  I rested a palm over her rapidly firing heart, the curve of her breast lush and creamy under the pads of my fingertips.

  “Can’t we just go back to your place?” she begged adorably.

  I laughed, pulling her a little tighter against me, flexing my hips to make sure she felt how fucking badly I wanted inside of her. “I love your enthusiasm, little one, but we’ve got to be on our best behavior, at least for a few hours.”

  “I’m sick of playing the good girl. I thought this was my one night off.” She pouted.

  “Stop acting like a child, or I’ll have to take you to a dark corner and put you over my knee.”

  Her eyebrow arched then, something like a grin twitching her lips.

  “Christ, Carly. You’ve gotta stop giving me that look.”

  I shifted my aching cock behind my suit pants. These fucking things were always too restrictive for me. I preferred the freedom of a pair of scrubs.

  “You’re not going to last all night.” She smirked, crossing her arms and inadvertently causing her gorgeous tits to push together. I wanted my hands on her, my tongue lapping at all the delicate spots that would make her come—and then come again.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, Carly. What the hell did I get myself into when I swiped right?”

  She burst out laughing, giving my dick a quick squeeze before she threaded her fingers through mine and pulled me away from the dark wall we’d been hovering near. “I need a drink, Doctor.”

  She was such a fucking surprise.

  How I ever landed this smart, sassy, gorgeous date who made me want to fuck her straight into the wall I’d never know.

  Carly was a walking, talking angel I’d never seen coming.

  I snuggled Carly a little closer an hour later, my hands itching to feel the skin hidden beneath that dress. Instead, I was focused on the chief of staff, rambling on in our small group at the bar. A few doctors laughed, indulging his overinflated ego, begging to buy his drinks, and I was stuck in the middle of it all.

  I hated these fucking staff events.

  I hated everything political about this industry.

  I was a simple guy. I just loved saving lives.

  I had a natural interest in biology from a young age, and by the time I was in high school, it was the only thing I’d ever wanted to do.

  I didn’t want to talk shop with these self-important fuckers after hours.

  Eighty hours a week in the emergency room, that’s what I lived for.

  But at least tonight I had Carly by my side.

  There was something between us, an understanding that neither one of us took these sorts of events seriously.

  I was shocked as hell to find out she was pre-med, even holding her own when a neonatal specialist had been talking about lung capacity in preemies.

  Carly was smart as fuck.

  And that only made her sexier than hell to me.

  We hadn’t been able to keep our hands off each other all night, and as the drinks continued to flow, we’d only grown closer. We’d laughed more at private jokes, she’d opened up about how tough her schedule was, and I’d actually been able to chime in and share a few things that helped me get through med school.

  “I’m ready to get you out of this dress.” I fingered the spaghetti strap, that little bit of fabric holding in the heavy weight of her gorgeous tits. “This dress was made for you, but it needs to come off.”

  “I’ll never have a chance to wear it again,” she quipped.

  “Not if I have anything to say about it.” I turned, edging her out of view of anyone else, and pulled the thin strap aside softly, caressing the creamy flesh of her shoulder with my lips.

  A slow shudder rolled through her body, and I savored the way her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted as she sucked in shallow breaths.

  “You’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen when you’re turned on.”

  Her elegant throat moved as she swallowed before her eyes fluttered open and nailed mine. She was about to respond when we were interrupted.

  “Thorn! Let me refresh your drink!” A doctor from the third floor, one whose name I still hadn’t quite caught, slapped me on the shoulder.

  I turned, hardly restraining the irritation. “I’m good, thanks.”

  “Sure? Well, I wanted to talk to you about rotating into ER—”

  “Sorry, this isn’t something I really want to talk about tonight. My lovely date and I—”

  “Thorn, it’s okay.” Carly placed a hand at my chest. “I’m just going to slip off to the ladies’ room.” She pecked me on the cheek and rested her hand on my chest for an extra-long beat before she pulled away.

  “She’s a gorgeous one. Where’d you find her?”

  I shook my head, eyes still riveted on Carly as she walked away. “She just fell into my lap.”

  FOUR

  Carly

  After refreshing my lip gloss in the ladies’ room, I ducked out onto the balcony to take in the view. This terrace towered over some of the highest buildings in the city, and the dark shadows and cool wind made the entire landscape look like a haunted Gotham. Surrounded by red brick buildings, the main streets twinkled with lights, the entire sight completely magical. I needed a minute to take it all in.

  How was it possible that I’d simply swiped right and found a man like this? A doctor, of all things, who had bought me a sparkly dress, taken me to a ball…had I fallen into a fairy tale?

  “Thorn dating interns now?” A scratchy voice caused a shiver to run down my spine.

  The faint smell of a cigar curled around my nostrils.

  “I’m not an intern.” I turned to find the chief of staff of the hospital, the man Thorn and I had just been speaking to, standing entirely too close for comfort behind me.

  “Would you like to be?” He leaned in, one thick eyebrow rising suggestively.

  “Maybe…someday.” I backed away a few steps.

  “I’m exactly the man who can make that happen. All applications go through me.” A heavy hand rested at the curve of my lower back, and I nearly shrieked.

  My heartbeat kicked into high gear, every fight-or-flight nerve in my body raging at me to sock him straight in the balls and run.

  But, Thorn… I couldn’t ruin whatever standing he had with his boss. I knew the politics of these hospitals, and who you knew mattered. Who you didn’t piss off mattered even more.

  “Carly, was it? You’ve got the most gorgeous set of ti—”

  “What the fuck were you saying?” The warm timbre of Thorn’s voice washed over me.

  Oh, thank God.

  “I was just tellin
g the little lady here—”

  “She’s not a little lady. She’s a woman, and you need to treat her that way.” I turned just in time to see Thorn’s swing land squarely in the chief of staff’s barrel of a chest, sending him stumbling backward. His cigar fell to the ground, and his face blazed red with embarrassment or rage. I couldn’t tell. I didn’t care. “If you even fucking look at her again, I’ll report you to the board. Got it, Chief?”

  His face burned tomato red before he turned, stumbled, and burst through the balcony doors. We were alone again.

  “You okay?” Thorn’s hands wound around my waist, pulling me into his protective body.

  “Better now,” I mumbled into his chest.

  “Christ, Carly. What happened?”

  “I think this dress happened,” I quipped, pushing my hands beneath the fabric of his jacket, connecting with the warmth of his back. I needed his comfort. The safety only his strong and dominant presence could offer.

  “Don’t blame it on the dress. He’s an asshole. I’m talking to Human Resources tomorrow. I’ll make sure he never talks to any woman that way again.”

  The hard press of his hands at my back sent sparks rocketing through my veins. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  “I’ll always be there to rescue you, little one.” He kissed me on the top of the head. His hands cupped my cheeks as he trailed kisses down my hairline. “I can’t promise I’ll be this gentle later. You do crazy things to my sanity.”

  My stomach twisted. My brain short-circuited with bolts of arousal. “What about friends?”

  “Fuck friends.” His hands were suddenly everywhere. Trailing up my torso, swirling at the hollow of my back, gripping and kneading at the flesh of my ass cheeks through the dress. “I’m sick of this dress coming between us.”

  I smiled, one finger catching in the strap of my dress and teasing it off a shoulder. He quirked an eyebrow, advancing on me as I continued to back up. I loved seeing him watch me as he advanced on me like a predator.

  “Come here, Carly.” He hooked my wrist and slammed me against his chest. “Doctor’s orders.”