Chapter 58

The kiss was brief, but there was no mistake. He’d intended to taste her. He opened his eyes, meeting hers without remorse. "Good, because I like doing things for you, Katy."

Her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned in again. She called herself a thousand different kinds of a fool, but couldn’t stop herself. She didn’t remember the last time they’d kissed, so it was like the first time all over again. And with school and her internship, It had been so long since a man had actually kissed her that she couldn't stop herself from tasting again. His lips were cool and soft. They were created for kissing, with the wide lower lip that seemed to know just how to sip from her without deepening the kiss. Not even a trace of tongue, but enough heat to power the damn college.

He dumped her onto his lap, but instead of breaking the moment she slid her hand up the threadbare t-shirt, until his hair curled around her fingers. It snaked over her arm, warm and soft as it coiled around her arm, drawing her in closer.

Somehow he knew better than to push. He wanted to press her, find that heat he remembered from that night, but he kept the kiss tender and sweet. He inhaled that pure Katy scent until it soaked into his brain. Letting her call the shots took every ounce of control he had.

She’d finally forgiven him for his cocky behavior at the amusement park and as hard as it was to not make a move, he knew he had to see what she felt comfortable with. She pressed closer, her chest squishing into his until the two points of her nipples drove him to the edge. He wanted them in his mouth, wanted to taste her. To remind his brain what his body so readily remembered. He wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted a woman like this.

Her fingers twisted into his hair and she touched the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips, groaning when he slowly opened for her. But when he met her tongue with his, she lost all train of thought. His taste was far more tempting than even the hometown feast he’d offered her. As he sipped from her, deepening the kiss, she dug her fingers into his shoulders. It was wrong to want him like she did, but wrong seemed to fly off like her panties when it came to him.

He knew the kiss was starting to move into the no looking back category, but he couldn’t stop himself from gripping her waist. The lick of skin at his wrist, drove him higher. He tried to pull it back, tried to reconnect with that gentle connection they’d started with, but her mouth was hot and hard against his now. His fingers found the hot silk of her back, as their mouths and tongues tangled.

She wanted to go deeper. She wanted to drag that amazing mouth onto her skin the heaviness in her breasts stopped, until he tasted every inch of her. Wanting that so very badly jerked her out of the moment. She stumbled away from him, her hand slapped over the zinging skin of her lips and chin. "I'm sorry,” she said roughly. Her voice didn’t sound like her own. She heaved in a breath, never so happy to find barbeque in her nostrils instead of him. "I shouldn't have done that."

He stood, pulling her back against him. "Never apologize for that.” She stiffened in his arms, but he didn’t let her go. “You needed—hell I needed to feel that kiss. I’ve done little else but think of that mouth of yours.”

She closed her eyes. God, she was the worst sort of tease. She turned in his arms, stepping back. “I’ve just been alone for so long,” she looked down at the faded lettering of the Asbury Jukes on his shirt. “It’s not an excuse, but—“

“If you apologize, I’m going to have to choke a doctor. I don’t think that’s a good idea do you?"

She stiffened against him, her body burning hotter when she felt the ridge in his jeans. "I'm not going to say I didn't want it," she whispered. "You're a good looking guy and you do the most ridiculously sweet things, even if they are way over the top." She pulled away from his erection, hoping to dampen the temptation. He was everything she wanted and everything she couldn’t have again. She’d been there. She’d loved as hard and completely as a woman could, but she couldn’t. Not again. Not with someone like him. He was so much like—She shut down, pushing memories away that should never come back to the surface.

God knew she would need a cold shower to kill that temptation. "You're a distraction I can't have right now." She pressed a finger over his lips when he tried to say something. "If I could, it would be you."

He took a nibble of her finger, his eyes gentle. "It’s not the best time, I get that, your internship and all of that, but you’re not going get rid of me Katherine Morrison.” At the stubborn tilt of her chin, he only laughed. “I'll take what I can get, even if it’s only friendship, or laughs, or whatever free moment I can monopolize. You can give me that much, right?"

He watched her quietly, his sincerity shining in his eyes. "I can wait Katy, I have all the time in the world to wait for you."

She stood quickly. "Don't put that on me." Panic struck hard, strangling her. "I-" She wasn't a girl that guys waited for. She was the one that old men leered at and young men ogled but never really wanted. She was just shy of full figured with the South bred deep into her bones with hips to match.

She wasn’t rock star material in any way. She’d seen that life and what it could do to a person…a family. She’d known—She swallowed down the panic. Stop freaking out, Kate.

Not to mention that she was a doctor! That was hard enough without having an equally screwed up career in her lover or—she refused to think about what else they could be.

He stood, dragging her back until he could wrap her in his arms. He could feel the tension inside of her like a living thing. "I'm not putting it on you Kate, I'm putting it on me. Whether you like it or not I'm going wait on you. That's my promise, baby. And I ALWAYS keep my promises."

"But you can't," she said against his shoulder. "You're young and friggin' hot as the Georgia clay in August. You can't wait for me. I'm not-" cursing she slipped away from him.

Her blood hummed in as much awareness as shock. She's known he was interested in her, but figured it was just a passing thing. He'd had her…sort of. If you could count a drunken mistake as having her, so the thrill of the chase should have been satisfied. That’s what men liked. Especially men like him. He'd lose interest when touring started, at least there was that.

He followed her, needing to touch her again. "I'm just a guy Kate and yes I can, and yes I WILL wait.” He gripped her arms, shaking her a little when she shook her head. “I was as bad as Richie—I kept looking for red hair and green eyes, hell, Katy, even your scrubs. No one was going to compare because she was here. You were here. Nothing could get you out of my head.”

She shook her head. No. No way. He couldn’t get caught up with an infatuation with her. That’s all it could be. The man had legions of women fighting to get a lock of his hair for God’s sake. She was just a southern transplant in the northeast. She was an intern that didn’t know what sleep was, let alone a style that didn’t include scrubs.

He ignored the panic that was fairly shooting out of her eyes. "I finally had to start calling you just to stay sane, Katy. Your voice kept me sane, and I won’t deny that. Not to you. You’re worth a thousand girls, no matter what you think." He sighed, dragging her stiff, shocked little self into his arms, dropping a soft kiss to her forehead. "You’re worth the wait, Katy."

"It's just fascination," she said against his shoulder. "You'll see," she said with a little more certainty. "A guy like you isn’t cut out for a girl like me. We come from two different worlds. When you're away from me you’ll see that."

He sighed. Nothing he said tonight would get through to her stubborn way of thinking. She’d learn he was just as obstinate when it came to something he wanted. "Give me a bit of credit. Tell you what?” When she finally started to ease against him he stroked the unruly knot of curls that fell from her clip. “You just give me a chance ok? You'll see, in time, how serious I am. If friends is all I can have right now, I’ll take that. Maybe one day you’ll see that I’m not going anywhere. Gimme that chance, hmm?"

"What do you want with a crazy doctor that's moody one minute and a spaz the next? Are you a glutton for punishment or something?" She forced a laugh.

He laughed softly. "Something like that."

With a snort she pushed away from him. She couldn’t touch him anymore or she’d do something stupid. "You're nuts." She started gathering the cartons and food from the table, needing to do something with her hands.

Helping her, he was careful to give her some space. She was a second away from bolting. "Yep, I'm certifiable. I just had my doctor tell me so."

Laughing she shook her head, "Well certifiable is a bit of a stretch, but you could be in a day program after knowing me for a few months."

"Now that’s a risk I’ll be glad to take."

Taking an armful to the kitchen she tried to ignore the heat in his eyes. God, why was he wasting all of that on her? And how on earth was she supposed to withstand that kind of all consuming heat? "Guess we should start playing poker so I can take all that money you're making on the screaming girls."

He chuckled softly, "I'm good at poker, baby. You sure you’re up for it?"

She tucked a curl behind her ear. "You already showed your hand, Sugar. How good could you be?"

A gentle laugh echoed in the room, "Good enough to know exactly what I want, and patient enough to wait for it."

"Stubborn is more like it," she muttered as she turned on the tap to wash the dishes they'd used.

He moved beside her to rinse and dry. "You have no idea." He quieted and simply helped, giving her time to let it all soak in and settle as he enjoyed the simplicity of just being around her.

Good breeding stopped her from kicking him out after they cleaned up. Not to mention it was ridiculously late to send him on his way. "Do you, um...want to stay tonight. I hate to send you out this late. It's a drive back to your place. You can stay in my room."

A bright grin lit his face. Well that was too easy. "I’m all about that."

"I'll stay in Elena's room," she said, taking the last plate from him with a half grin.

A brow arched, "I can behave.” He turned to her. “Let me at least hold you. I'll be a good boy." He watched her sharp, intelligent eyes assess him. He honestly just needed to touch her, even if he couldn’t have more than that. He wanted her in his arms. Had it been any other girl he would have never even agreed to such a thing, but it was Kate. It would be enough. It had to be. "Honest."

"Jon..." she closed her eyes. "Do I look like one of those stupid females that's going to fall for, 'we'll just cuddle?'" His voice went soft, as honesty and sincerity burned in his gaze. She could feel herself wavering.

"I just want to hold you."

Feeling small and perturbed she snapped the last plate inside the cabinet and turned to him. "Those pretty eyes probably get you almost anything you want, but I'm not falling for it."

He winced, wondering who’d hurt her so very deeply. "It's ok Katy. I understand. But I won’t force you out of your bed. I can bunk down on the couch." He offered a gentle smile as he leaned against the sink. "You'll learn to trust me one day."

"You're not sleeping on that couch. Not after what Richie and Elena did on every square inch of it." The aches and the tired crankies were starting to snap at her. "Fine, if you can manage to keep yourself in check, you can sleep with me. I'm too tired to have sex anyway," she said with resignation.

He shook his head. She needed someone to take care of, whether she wanted to admit it or not. "Come on baby, lets tuck you in."

She walked ahead of him and quickly twisted her hair into a braided tail so she wouldn't wake to a massive nest of tangles. She crawled into the center of the bed and started to shift to one side.

He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it carefully over the chair in the room then toed off his boots and moved to the bed. Sliding into the free slot he laid down and turned to face her as he pulled the covers up. "Good night Katy."

"Goodnight Jon," she muttered and snapped off the light, only to stare at the ceiling.

"Dream sweet, Katy." He tucked his arms under his head and closed his eyes, intent on being good, no matter how his body screamed to turn and take her in his arms.