Tempting Tricks (Tempting Nights #2)

Chapter Four

~Trick~

“ C ome on, Trick. You’ll come to Dubai with me after this, right?” My co-pilot, Wiley Coyote, pleads with me.

I give him a side-grin and shake my head. “No go, Coyote. I’ve got two more weeks and I’m headed state-side. I’ve had enough middle-eastern pussy to last me a lifetime.”

“Ah shit, Trick, you ain’t seen nothing ‘til you see what they got in ? —”

“RPG! Seven o’clock! Bank hard right, Captain!” Tripp, my left gunner shouts. “Right! Right! Right!”

I maneuver a hard right and dive at the same time in hopes of evading the flying missile, look over my shoulder and realize it’s too late. “Brace for impact!” I shout to my crew. “Call it in, Coyote!”

“Fuck!” My neck and head jerk forward, my helmet slamming into the windshield as I feel us begin to spin. “We’re hit!” I clutch the stick in my hand, turning it to try to regain control, but we just keep spinning and spinning. “Fuck! Hold on, guys!” I yell a second before we slam into the ground and begin rolling.

“Ahhhhh!” I scream, snapping awake in pain.

“Hold on, buddy.” I look up to see Coyote’s face over me, his hands hooked under my arms as he drags me across the hot desert sand, and I remember the crash.

“Let me up, Coyote!” I struggle to stand and feel a lightning bolt of pain shoot up my leg. “Fuck!”

“I think your leg’s broke, Cap.” He continues dragging me, and I can see the chopper in front of me, flames shooting up from the tail end.

I shrug him off to try to stand and end up on my ass again. I need to get my men out of that helicopter! “Fuck! I can’t fucking stand, Wiley!” I look at him, fear and anger fringing the edges of my voice. “Leave me! Go get them!”

He nods and sprints back to the chopper as I try to stand again and fail. I start dragging myself across the sand toward the chopper. I have to do something. My heart thumps against my chest, blood coursing through my veins, sweat pouring down my forehead, the salt stinging my eyes. I look up, and through the blur, I can see Coyote climbing up into the chopper. Then all I see is fire; red flames spread everywhere, right before a huge explosion rocks the earth underneath me and destroys what’s left of my crew.

“ No!!! ” I sit up, my own scream jerking me awake. I pant out quick breaths, blinking rapidly to adjust to the light in the room. I’m home. I’m safe. I’m alive. I hang my head at this last thought and drop my head in my hands. I’m still fucking alive .

Bang! Bang! Bang! Shit, maybe that’s what woke me up. Someone’s at the damn door. I throw back the sheet and step out of my bed. I pull my bedroom door open, and when I feel a cool breeze against my waist, remember I’m naked. Shit . I turn back quickly and throw a pair of loose sweats over my ass and reach the door as someone bangs on it again.

“Keep your fucking pants on!” I shout, pulling the door open, then cringe when I see who it is. Fuck. Actually, she can take her pants, skirt, slacks, whatever the hell she wants off. I lean against the door and lift one side of my mouth in a cocky grin to try to mask my surprise. “Doc. What brings you to my door?”

“Are you okay? I thought I heard you yell.” Her brow creases in a cute little wrinkle right between her ice blue eyes as she looks up at me.

“I’m right as rain,” I lie. I do that a lot to her. “Wanna come in?” I push off the door and wave my arm across the threshold in invitation.

“Um—” She stares at my bare chest for a minute, her eyes wide. “Well, I just wanted to drop this off.” I glance down and realize she’s probably shocked by the slash marks still healing on my skin. I look back up at her, but before I can say anything, she reaches into an oversized purse to pull out my jacket and then holds it out to me.

I look down at the jacket then back at her and nod. “You didn’t have to do that.” I turn, without taking the jacket from her, and walk into the apartment. I’m forcing her to follow me, just because she seems so damn uncomfortable, and I love having her in that position for once. “Come in.”

“Um—” she stammers out again but then darts inside before the door can shut on her. “I’ll just leave this on the couch. ”

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” I start toward the kitchen, hearing soft whimpers coming out from under the bathroom door. “Shit!”

“What?” She picks up her pace, now just a few feet behind me. “What’s wrong?”

“The puppy.” I open the bathroom door, and the damn ball of fur comes bounding out, practically tripping over its own big paws. “It was crying all night, so I finally put it in there a couple hours ago so I could get some sleep.”

She bends down, an enormous smile brightening her face, and scoops the puppy up into her arms. “Oh my gosh!” She starts cooing to it. “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing on four legs?” The puppy starts lapping at her face, which only causes her smile to grow wider as she laughs out loud. “Are you hungry, little fella?”

She rises, cuddling the puppy up against her chest, still cooing at it, and walks closer to me. “He’s adorable! I would have never guessed you were a puppy kind of guy.”

I cross my arms and snarl my response. “I’m not.”

“He’s not yours?”

“Well, kind of.” I uncross my arms and walk behind the kitchen counter to make some coffee. “My old roommate’s fiancée gave him to me yesterday. Thought he would be good for me.”

“Hmm. She might be right.” She lifts the puppy, turning its face to hers, and gives it a kiss on the nose. Is it wrong to be jealous of a puppy?

“Just what the doctor ordered?” My tone is filled with sarcasm, which earns me an eye roll from her.

“What’s his name?” She puts him down and laughs out loud when he starts chasing his tail round and round. I watch, smiling when the dopey little thing falls over dizzy.

“Puppy?” I shrug my shoulders. “I’m only keeping him a week. I told her I’d give it a try.” I watch as it gets up, finds the little stuffed toy he’s become attached to, and begins chewing on it. “He’s going to turn into a damn candy cane if he keeps that up.” I motion to the dog then scratch my chin in thought. “Hey, there’s an idea.”

She glances up from the puppy. “What’s an idea?”

“How about Kane for a name?”

She looks down at the puppy again, connecting the dots to the candy cane reference, and then back at me, her face beaming. “Yes! I like it!”

“There, he has a name then.” I cross my arms. “Happy?”

She walks closer, placing her hands flat on the counter before facing off against me again. “Still going to get rid of him in one week?”

This time, it’s her tone that’s laced with sarcasm. I pull the freshly brewed cup of coffee out of the Keurig and place it on the counter in front of her. “You want cream or sugar?” Even though there’s a thick slab of granite between us, I can tell I make her uneasy when she takes a small step back.

“I’m not staying.” She takes another step back, her bottom lip now locked between her teeth, her gaze fixed on my naked chest again.

I glance down to see where she’s looking and chuckle when I realize it’s my piercing. I look back up, and unable to help myself, brush a hand over my pec, running my fingers deliberately over my nipple. “You should stay.”

Her eyes grow a little wider, and she almost stumbles over the puppy as she tries to retreat. “No, I should go. I have a patient.” She turns abruptly and grabs her large bag off my couch, swinging it over her shoulder as she scurries to the door, yanking on the handle twice before getting it open. “I’ll see you at our appointment on Friday.”

Before I can even reply, the door slams shut behind her. I let out a long breath, adjust my raging cock, and smile as I take a sip of the coffee.