The Pairing by Katie Ashley
“Excuse me?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Megan said, “Kara seems to think that the two of you are an item.”
Pesh chuckled. “Oh that’s nonsense. We’re just friends from working together.”
Megan narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “You’ve never seen her outside of work?”
This was one area of questioning he hadn’t bargained on ever having to answer. The truth was something he really didn’t want to admit to Megan. Carefully choosing his words, he replied, “We got together for drinks a couple of times after work a few months back. I hardly think that categorizes us as an ‘item.’”
“It must be enough for her to think she can tell me that you’re only using me for sex.”
Pesh winced at the words. He would have never taken Kara for being someone who was jealous. He put down the spatula and turned off the stove. He knew he couldn’t go forward without coming clean. “Megan, I haven’t been honest with you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I told you that Kara and I had only had drinks a couple of times. But that isn’t the whole truth.”
Megan’s eyes widened. “What are you saying?”
Defeated, his shoulders drooped a little. “After the night of Noah’s baptism, I couldn’t get you off my mind. I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t so enamored by you. So after having a couple of drinks one night, Kara and I went to my car and fooled around.”
“You got drunk?”
He gave a mirthless laugh. “That is what is most shocking to you in what I just told you?”
“Did you think I would be mad at you for messing around with some woman when we weren’t dating?”
“Yes,” he answered honestly.
Megan shook her head. “What you did then was your business. I mean, I’m not thrilled to hear that you fooled around with her, especially since you wouldn’t sleep with me when I asked you to.”
“But don’t you see the difference? I cared for you, and I cared nothing for her. We were barely in the car fifteen minutes if that tells you anything.”
The corners of her lips tugged up in a small smile. “I really don’t need the details of how much you didn’t enjoy yourself.”
He ducked his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But at the same time, I’m glad to hear that you won’t be going back for a repeat performance.”
Jerking his gaze up to meet hers, he replied, “Never could I do that.”
“And you really were trying to get me off your mind?”
“Yes, I was.”
“In a warped way, that’s very romantic,” she teased.
“I’m glad you think so,” he mumbled.
“Look, it’s not the fact that she said you were using me for sex that has me so upset.”
“It’s not?”
“She threatened me.”
Pesh’s eyes narrowed. “Physically?”
“Not exactly. She said that if I didn’t watch my back, she would report me to the dean.”
A low growl erupted from Pesh’s chest. “She seriously said that?”
“Yes, she did.”
“I’m sorry that her jealousy and spitefulness is rearing its head. I never imagined she was such a person when I…well, when I got involved with her. I’ll make sure to speak to her. No one should have to work in a hostile environment, and she must understand that just because of her seniority, she is not allowed to harass you.” Pesh watched Megan fidget on her feet while nibbling on her bottom lip. “Do you not want me to speak to her?”
“No, that’s fine. It’s just…”
“Is there something else?”
“You know how much I like you. I mean, the very fact I agreed to date you shows how much I’m committed to you.”
Pesh crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m thinking there’s a ‘but’ coming that I’m not going to like.”
Megan sighed. “But at the same time, whatever it is that is happening between us…” She swallowed hard. “I’ve worked really hard in school, Pesh. I don’t want anything on my record that could hurt my chances of getting a job.”
If she was the crying type, he would have sworn her eyes shimmered with tears. He came around the counter to pull her into his arms. “Hey now, don’t you worry one bit about getting into trouble. Anyone who has seen you in action on the floor knows what a talented and gifted nurse you are.”
She sniffled. “If there’s even a rumor of me having an affair with an attending physician, I could be blacklisted.”
Pesh pulled away to grip her chin in his fingers. “After I speak to Kara, you will have nothing to worry about, okay?”
He could tell that even though she wanted to relax and let go of her anxiety, she couldn’t. “Come on. Let’s fix you up.”
She wiped her eyes. “What do you mean?”
With a wink, he went over to the cabinet and got down a wine glass. Then he poured some white wine into the glass before setting it down on the bar. “Take that.”
Megan glanced at the glass and then back at him. “Are you trying to ply me with wine?”
“Maybe.”
She leaned forward and picked it up. He watched as she couldn’t resist the temptation and she took a hearty gulp. Closing her eyes, she murmured, “That’s so good.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He walked around the counter again. This time he took her free hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“For part two of your relaxation.”
Megan smiled at him before he began tugging her down the hall. When he got into the bedroom, he noticed her sigh of frustration when they bypassed the bed for the bathroom. “While I finish dinner for us, you need to soak in a nice, hot bath.”
“You spoil me,” she protested with a smile.
He gave her a playful wink before turning on the bath water. Once he got the temperature right, he turned back to her. “Bubbles? Bath salt?”
She raised her brows. “Don’t tell me you actually have those? I mean, I know you’re a metrosexual but really?”
“We all have our secrets,” he replied. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he had kept some of Jade’s Bath & Body Works stuff. He might’ve tried to bury them under the bathroom counter to get them out of sight and out of mind, but they were still there. He rummaged around to pull out a vanilla bottle as well as a peach. He held them up to Megan for her approval.
“Hmm, vanilla.”
“Good choice.” It was the one scent that didn’t remind him of Jade since she never used it. He poured a healthy cupful under the water, letting the foam magnify.
“Ready to get in?”
Megan glanced down at herself before looking back at him. “Well, I seem to still be dressed.”
Pesh cocked his head at her. “Oh really? I can help you with that.” He took the wine glass from her and sat it on the counter. His fingers came to the hem of her shirt. Without taking his eyes off of hers, he jerked it up and over her head. He gazed down at her simple, white bra. She sucked in a breath when his fingers skimmed her abdomen before he gripped the waistband of her scrubs and tugged them down. She stepped out of the pants, standing before him in only her bra and skimpy thong.
Taking her by the shoulders, he gently turned her around. His fingers trailed down her back to the clasp of her bra. Once he unhooked it, he brought his hands up to slide it off her shoulders. Unable to resist the softness of her skin, he bent his head to kiss along her back. As he dropped the bra to the floor, his hands skimmed up her ribcage to cup her breasts. “Mmm,” Megan murmured, letting her head fall back against his chest.
“I’m only supposed to be undressing you,” he argued, as he let her breasts fall free of his hands.
She immediately picked them up and brought them back to cup her flesh. “I like the way you undress me. It’s very relaxing.”
Rolling her puckered nipples between his fingers, he was reward
“I’m getting so hot, I can warm it up.”
He chuckled against her ear before taking his hands away from her. As she whined in protest, his fingers jerked her thong down over her thighs. She raised her feet to step out of the underwear. “All right. Get in.”
“Tease,” she muttered, before walking over to the tub. He only got to admire her naked backside for a moment before she lowered herself into the tub and disappeared under the foam. Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes in bliss. “This feels amazing.”
“Good.”
“But you know what would feel even better?”
“What?”
Her eyes popped open, and she smiled invitingly up at him. “If you were in here with me.”
“Really?”
“Mmm, hmm.”
“I should be finishing dinner,” he argued, feebly.
Megan eyed the growing bulge in his pants. “I think you should be in here letting me finish you.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Fine. You drive a hard bargain, my lady.” He quickly unbuttoned and took off his shirt. Then his fingers went to the button and zipper on his pants. He slid them and his boxers down and stepped out of them, leaving him naked.
Megan didn’t take her eyes off him the whole time. He shifted them in the water, bringing Megan up to straddle him, but she was facing away from him. “What are you doing?” she asked.
He brought his hands to her shoulders and started massaging the tense muscles. “Helping you relax.”
She ground herself against his erection. “I was hoping a couple of orgasms would do that instead.”
He chuckled. “Don’t you believe in foreplay?”
“Yes, but not when I’m this horny.”
Bending his head, he let his warm breath tickle her outer ear. “You, my love, are never going to be a candidate for Tantric sex. You will never allow yourself to enjoy delayed pleasure and release.”
“I want to try—honest, I do.”
“But just not this evening, right?” One of his hands abandoned her shoulder to slide down in between her legs. She gasped as his thumb rubbed against her clit. As he continued stroking her with his thumb, he pushed two fingers into her slick passage. Megan whimpered and thrust her hips against him. Pesh kissed and licked her wet neck and back as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. “Does that feel good?”
“Yes, oh yes,” she murmured.
He increased the pressure of his thumb, and Megan shrieked, bucking her hips faster and faster against his fingers. When his other hand cupped and kneaded her breast, she cried out and came, her walls clenching against his fingers.
Once she finished shuddering, she collapsed back against him. “Feeling better now?”
“A little.” She twisted her body around to where she was facing him. “I want you inside me the next time I come.” She rose up and then took his erection in her hand. While keeping her eyes on his, she guided him into her core. Slowly, she sunk inch by inch on him. When she was fully seated, they both moaned at the feeling. At the intensity of what he felt inside her, Pesh was thankful she had taken him up on the birth control script where he didn’t have to use condoms anymore.
She brought her hands up to his shoulders, and then she began to ride him. His hands came to grip her waist as his head bent forward to suckle one of her nipples into his mouth. His teeth grazed the bud before his tongue flicked and teased it into a hardened point. Throwing her head back, Megan’s walls tensed and convulsed around him. He knew he had a long way to go before he was going to come.
Once she recovered, Megan panted as she started riding him faster, causing the water to slosh around them. As his mouth latched onto her other breast, Megan threw her head back and moaned. “Harder,” she urged.
Pesh continued sucking her nipple as he began to thrust his hips up in time to meet her movements. Each time he went a little deeper, and it caused Megan to be more and more vocal. She tugged at the strands of his hair and clawed at his chest as she strove harder and harder for her orgasm. “Please, please,” she panted, as her hands came to cup her own breasts. As she pinched and tweaked her own nipples, it was Pesh’s undoing. Shoving his hand down between her legs, he flicked her clit, sending her over the edge again. Her movements caused him to jerk once and then come in her.
Once he finished shuddering and came back to himself, Megan stared at him with an utterly satiated expression. “That was…amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“Where did a nice boy like you learn to fuck?”
Pesh chuckled at her choice of language. “You know, a person’s reputation has nothing to do with how they are in the bedroom. I’m sure there are many tough biker dudes out there who wouldn’t know a clitoris from a labia—if they even knew that terminology.”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s true. My ex liked to think he was a ladies man, but half of the time, I had to take matters into my own hands if I was going to finish.” She shot him a wicked grin. “Thankfully, I have a lover now who has the most amazing tongue and dick. I never have to worry about coming now.”
“And don’t you forget how amazing he is.”
Her expression turned solemn as she replied, “I could never forget his attributes both in and out of the bedroom.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.” After he gave her a somewhat chaste kiss, he asked, “How about we test out my kitchen attributes now?”
“Sounds good. I’m starving,” she replied, as she climbed out of the tub. Pesh followed her out, handing her one of his plush towels. After she finished drying off, he gave her a terry cloth robe to put on. She slid it on and tied the front together.
“Wait here. I’ll bring it to you.”
“Dinner in bed? That would be marvelous.”
He winked before heading out of the bedroom. He fixed two heaping platefuls of food. After putting the plates on a tray, he got two bottles of water out of the fridge. When he got back to the bedroom, he found her lounging back against the pillows with an expression of pure relaxation.
After he set the tray down on the bed, he smiled. “I want to try something with you.”
“What is it?” she asked.
He undid the ties on his robe, letting it fall open. After shrugging it off his shoulders, he stood naked before her. Megan’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
Without answering her, he climbed onto the bed. His hands went to the lapels on her robe. He opened them and then pushed the robe open to her waist. “I thought we were eating dinner,” she murmured huskily.
“We are.” While her brows furrowed in confusion, he passed her a plate and a fork. Then he took his.
“Pesh, why are we eating dinner naked?”
“I want to teach you about delayed gratification.”
“The Tantric stuff?”
“Yes.”
She eyed him curiously. “Okay.”
“Look into my eyes,” he commanded. When her blazing blue eyes were trained on his, he brought a forkful of food to her mouth. “Open up,” he said.
Her gaze held his as her tongue darted out, tentatively tasting the spicy rice. When she decided that she liked it, her mouth clamped over the fork. As she chewed, she still remained staring at him. “Feed me,” he insisted.
She momentarily broke their eye contact to stare down at the plate. She speared a piece of lamb before bringing it to his mouth. After he took in the bite, his tongue slid over his lips, licking up the remaining sauce. Something stirred in her at his action—a slight tremble.
He brought a piece of lamb to her mouth, and she wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like lamb.” He nodded and then took the bite for himself. He then picked some of the vegetables and brought them to her. This time she took the forkful. “It’s very good, Pesh.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Each time she took the fork into her mouth, he couldn’t help im
“But you’re hard, and I’m getting wet sitting here with you staring at me like you’re already buried inside me.”
“That’s the point, my love. How good do you think it’s going to be when I do finally get inside you?”
“Oh,” she murmured. As she swept up a forkful of rice, she brought it to his mouth. “So how long do we do this?” she asked.
“Until we clean our plates.”
She appeared both disappointed and frustrated at his response. To give her something else to focus on, he brought the fork to her mouth. She took from him, chewing methodically while staring into his eyes. Each time he fed her a bite, he tried conveying through his gaze what he was imagining doing to her. A bite of vegetables had him sucking her breast, his tongue flicking over her nipple. A forkful of rice had his face buried in her wet core as he licked her juices. As she chewed and swallowed, Pesh could tell desire was overtaking her.
“Can I have some water?” she asked.
With a nod, he brought one of the bottles to her lips. She drank in long gulps, her eyes never leaving his. When she finished swallowing, she gave him a grateful smile. Then in a flash, she tackled him, causing his plate to flip over onto the sheets. “Megan!” he cried.
She was too busy kicking out of her robe to care. At the sight of smeared vegetables and rice on the sheet next to him, he began to laugh. His chest shook so hard that he wanted to clutch his stomach, but Megan’s body was in the way.
As she gazed down at him, he pushed the long, blonde strands of hair out of her face. “I don’t believe we were finished eating,” he chastised.
She drew his bottom lip between her teeth, causing him to groan. At the same time, her wet core ground against his cock. “I guess you’ll just have to punish me the next time,” she replied.
Cupping her buttocks, he sent a resounding smack against one of her cheeks. Her eyes widened. “Pesh Nadeen, did you actually just spank my ass?”