Page 29 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

“No,” I said, repeating his own words back to him. “There’s something I can give you, Dr. Henry Connor, and I will find it. Whether you like it or not.”

A frustrated growl erupted from low in his throat. It sent every inch of my body on edge. Gone was the mild-mannered doctor I liked.

In his place was something I more than liked.

Henry let out a breath, our eye contact breaking. I saw him fighting for control again. “You’re all cleared, Wren. You can get back to work.”

My stomach sank. I didn’t want him to be like he was with everyone else. I wanted more of him. All of him.

He went to step away, and I knew I couldn’t let it happen.

I grabbed him by his tie, yanking him to me.

Pure desperation was the only reason for my next move. It wasn’t smart, and it could easily get me in trouble, but I couldn’t let him walk away.

So I crushed my lips to his.

I got a minute of his lips sliding against mine. Of his hand tightening on my hip. In that minute, I thought of all the ways I could push him again.

But then he pulled away.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “There’s no one around.”

“I-I know, I just ...” Words failed me. What was I doing pushing the boundaries of our fake relationship? “Sorry. That was me acting on an impulse.”

“An impulse ?” He seemed so confused, like me kissing him was the last thing he expected.

Shame made my cheeks hot. “I got my wires crossed. I thought maybe we could—we were heading toward doing something more.”

“We’re not,” he immediately said. “We can’t .”

Oh, God . I was never allowed to fake date again. I’d now been rejected by both men I’d done this with. That feeling—the one I hated—infected every inch of me.

“Of course,” I replied. My voice didn’t shake, but I didn’t sound like myself.

“You’re . . . disappointed?”

“I mean, yeah. But I’ll get over it. You don’t like me that way, and I got confused. Sorry about that.”

I gave him a tight smile. At least I’d gotten an apology out. Hopefully, this wouldn’t ruin things between us too badly. Now I needed to get the hell out of the clinic and process what I’d just done.

But his hand was back on my midsection. “I never said I didn’t like you.”

“You don’t have to say it. I can figure out why you’re saying no.” Even if it hurt like a bitch . It was tempting to cry, but I refused to let it happen. At least until I was alone.

“Wren, stop. I’m not saying no because I don’t want you. How could I not want you? You’re ...” He looked at me, gesturing up and down. “You.”

“It’s stopped many people before, trust me.”

“Not me. God, never me. I’ve thought about it since the day we met .”

My heart jumped at his words. He had? “Then why are you saying no?”

“Doing this changes things between us. We’re supposed to be fake dating for the cameras, and friends in private. That’s already complex enough. Adding more in? It could end terribly. We have rules for a reason.”

“Fuck the rules.”

“That’s not how I operate. You’re saying your wires would get crossed. Mine would too, and then when it’s over, we’re both hurting.”

He was seeing this logically. I knew he was. And deep down, I knew he was right. But Henry’s hand was still on my midsection and that clouded everything else. I wanted him. He wanted me.

So, how could I make this happen?

“We can make it so both of us know this is a one-time thing.”

His brow furrowed. “A one-time thing.”

“Yeah. We’re getting it out of our systems. I don’t know about you, but thinking about this has definitely clouded my judgment a little. We could clear the air.”

He blinked, actually considering it. “It’s been distracting for me too.”

“Exactly. We do this once. Have fun. And then go back to what we were before. We can even make it a rule.”

“I do like rules.” He bit his lip. “So, one time?—”

“And we do whatever we want.” I tugged on his tie again.

“That could be a terrible idea.” His words ghosted over my ear.

“I love terrible ideas.” My teeth scraped over his earlobe. “So, are we doing this?”

“Fuck, Wren.” His voice wavered. “Yes. We’re doing this.”

My pulse jumped again. I wasn’t sure where to start or what I wanted to do with our one time together. I could picture it all, yet none of it seemed good enough for this single chance I had.

Henry’s lips captured mine in a bruising kiss.

He tugged me toward his body and I wrapped my legs around him to keep him close.

Most of the people I’d been with let me take the lead.

Usually, that’s what I said I liked. But there was something so delicious about Henry making the moves here.

I didn’t have to plan it all out. He’d taken over.

His tongue darted across mine as he deepened the kiss. I opened myself to him and he pulled me tighter, our tongues still tangled. My mind whited out. I’d thought I would need to direct him to what I wanted.

But he was simply doing it. Taking it.

And my mind was silent.

I trailed my fingers to the buttons of his shirt, eager to take off his layers. His hands followed mine and he unbuttoned it himself without even breaking the kiss. My hands trailed over warm, smooth skin. His shoulders were taut, as was his back.

My hips ground into him, desperate for any friction. I cursed my jeans. For work, they were great, but if I’d known I’d be grinding against Henry in his office, I would have opted for leggings.

Henry’s hand moved from my hip up my side.

“You’re so soft,” he groaned into my lips. I was pretty sure this was the first time any man had referred to me as soft .

“My jeans,” I said. “Get them off .”

“You’ll have to be patient,” he replied.

I whined as his hand cupped my breast. “Why?”

“Because I’m about to find every part of you that sets you off with my mouth.”

I was about to tell him no, that I only wanted him to touch me more, but then his lips ghosted behind my ear and I let out a gasp.

“Right there,” he said with a chuckle. “Noted.”

Henry trailed downward and his mouth settled on my neck for a long moment. I could feel him tug my skin into his mouth, and fuck . I would have one hell of a hickey, but I didn’t care. He continued pressing kisses into my skin.

I was covered in gooseflesh when he finally took off my shirt.

Each of his kisses were setting my nerve endings on fire, but the soft area above my collarbone caused me to cry out.

“You’re torturing me,” I whined.

“It’ll be worth it, buttercup.”

I writhed as his mouth moved, my core desperate for attention. I’d never felt like this from kisses alone, but Henry was organized. Methodical.

And it was driving me up the wall.

My legs gripped him like a vise, desperate for anything. I was sure I could feel the outline of his cock in his pants. And God, I wanted that inside of me.

I’d never been this wet in my life . And only from kisses. What the hell was happening to me?

After he found his fifth spot, the area under my ribs, I was begging.

“Please,” I groaned. “I’m losing my mind, Henry. You have to touch me.”

“I have you begging just like this,” he said, still not moving. “What would happen if I ...”

His teeth grazed under my ribs, and I gasped when I felt him suck the skin into his mouth again.

“Ah, fuck .” He was nowhere near my clit. How did this feel so good?

Now one of his other hands went under the band of my bra, tracing my nipples. The sensation was almost too much, but he kept me right on that edge. Usually, I had to direct a man to where I needed him. This time, I was only feeling pleasure.

Henry’s hand finally moved behind me as he bit into my sensitive skin, lavishing it with attention. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he unhooked my bra with one movement.

My tits tumbled out, and my bra was tossed across the room.

“Every inch of you,” he said. “Gorgeous.”

“H-have you tortured me enough yet?”

“There’s not enough time in the day,” he said, mouth lowering. “If I had unlimited time ...” He lowered a kiss to my rib cage. Then to my stomach. “I’d find out which of these freckles made you gasp. I’d kiss each and every one.”

He was now at my hip. Slowly, he undid the top button of my pants. I was about to come out of my skin as he slid the fabric off of me. I sat up, wanting his pants off too, but he laid me back down.

“We’re not rushing this,” he ordered. “Slow down, Wren.”

Who was I to fight that voice of his? I paused, even though I wanted nothing more than to touch him too. Henry brought my core right to his face, and I knew I’d made the right choice in letting him lead.

I thought I was prepared for the feel of his tongue on me, but I wasn’t. There wasn’t enough preparation in the world for how it felt to have him lick all the way from my entrance to my clit and then back down again.

“Dear God.” I threw my head back, screwing my eyes shut as he worked.

His tongue fucked me like a promise. Like I’d never get over this one-time thing.

And when I was close to coming, he moved up to my clit and sucked on it, bringing me to the edge.

My hands tangled in his hair, forcing him to stay right where he was.

Henry rewarded me with an almost punishing amount of pressure. It didn’t just push me over the edge, it rocketed me there.

I let out a cry so loud the entire town square might have heard me. I rode wave after wave of pleasure on his face.

It took a long time for me to remember how to breathe, and when I finally could, his mouth covered mine. “That was the best meal I’ve ever had in my life, Wren. It’s your turn to taste it too.”

And I did. But I still tasted him, and I was ready for more.

I tried to wrestle out of his grip, determined to get his pants off too, but he broke the kiss and whispered the hottest thing I’d ever heard in my ear.

“Do I need to tie you down to make you listen to me? We’re doing this my way.”

I immediately stilled. Who was this man and why did I want him to fuck me a million times?