“Lila left a plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes in the fridge for you.”

She took the beer he offered. “Thank you. This is just what I need. I might be too tired to eat.”

She took a couple long swallows of beer and sighed, then set the bottle on the table and smoothed her hair away from her face. She lifted her shoulders up and down.

“Muscles?”

“Yeah.”

He moved behind her and started rubbing the kinks out of her shoulders, digging in when he found hard knots. Valerie let her head fall forward.

“God, that feels good.”

He continued to work at her muscles, from her shoulders up to her neck, sliding his fingers into her hair. He pulled the ponytail holder out so he could spread his fingers into her scalp and massage there.

“You keep that up, I’ll be your slave.”

He smiled. “I like the sound of that. Never had a slave before. What would you do for me?”

“Rub my temples and I’ll show you.”

He came around front and slid his fingers along the side of her head, smoothing lightly along her temples.

She moaned.

His c**k hardened.

“I’d forgotten how good this felt, how talented you are with your fingers.”

“I like using my fingers on you.”

She lifted her head, her hair falling across her face. She swept it away. “Yes, you do. I remember that, too.”

His balls throbbed and he laid his hand across the hard ridge of his shaft. Her gaze drifted down, then back up again, her eyes taking on that glassy look that he knew meant desire.

Damn.

“Step closer, Mason.”

“I didn’t come in here for you to take care of me, Val.”

“I know you didn’t. Come on.”

He did, and she reached for his hips. Just Valerie laying her hands on him got him hot and bothered. Hell, it didn’t take much. He loved the woman, had never stopped. That hadn’t been a secret to anyone, including himself. He’d wanted her from the first moment he’d met her, when he was a cocksure sixteen-year-old. He still wanted her. Every time with her was like the first time. Their lovemaking had matured, but the fire still burned hot between them.

Maybe he shouldn’t want her.

If wishes were horses, as his mama always used to say. And you couldn’t help who you loved. She was going to leave again, and he knew it, couldn’t stop her if that’s what she wanted to do. But while she was here, he was damn well going to have her.

She unzipped his jeans, slid her hand inside and cupped his balls.

“Christ, woman.”

She tilted her head back and smiled at him. A devil’s smile. His balls tightened.

She peeled back the denim, tugged his jeans over his hips, then his briefs, and wrapped her sweet, hot hand around his shaft. He sucked in a breath when she stroked him, sliding her hand to the base, then drawing it slow and easy to the tip.

“Tease.”

The tip of her tongue slid out to coat her lips. He watched the action intently, wanting her tongue on his c**k head. But Valerie was in the mood to tease, instead winding her hands around his shaft, smoothing her thumb over the crest, skimming around the pearly fluid that spilled from the slit.

“Woman, you’re playing with fire.”

She tilted her head back so he could watch her slide her thumb in her mouth. Then she sucked, and he damn near dropped to his knees. She popped her thumb out of her mouth. “Tell me what you want, Mason.”

He cupped the back of her neck. “Suck me.”

He caught the slight lift of her lips before she took his c**k between them, then curled her tongue around the crest and licked him.

If a man could die that way, he’d go damn happy. Valerie’s hot mouth wrapped around his c**k made his balls tighten. Watching her suck him deep made him want to shoot off right then. But he had to wait, because this was a sight meant to be savored.

He wrapped his hand in her hair, wound it around and clenched hard when she brought the roof of her mouth and her tongue together, creating suction, squeezing him until he tilted his head back and groaned.

Then she hummed, and his head shot back. “Damn, darlin’. Are you trying to get me to come in your mouth?”

She smiled around his cock, and he knew then that’s exactly what she wanted. And if that’s what she wanted, he’d let her have it.

He leaned back, then thrust forward, f**king her mouth with gentle strokes. She grabbed his ass with both hands and pulled him tighter against her, taking his c**k deep—all the way in. When she swallowed, squeezing his c**k head, he nearly lost it right then, tightened his hold on her hair and began to thrust faster.

Sweat poured from his face, but he refused to swipe it away. He could only look at Valerie’s sweet mouth as she gripped his ass and licked him, the sucking sounds driving him to the brink of sanity.

He was panting now, leaning back, no doubt pulling her hair, but he was past the point of reason. And she wasn’t complaining, she was—goddammit—she was humming against his c**k again, like she was encouraging him to come.

And oh, hell yes, he was going to. He let out a groan and jettisoned into her mouth. She dug her nails into his ass, which only sent his pleasure higher as wave after wave ripped from him. Valerie kept her mouth around him, letting go of the pressure, until he had nothing left to give, until he was spent and weak. Hell, his legs were shaking.

She pulled her mouth away, licked her lips and sat back in the chair with a satisfied smile.

Still fighting for breath, Mason jerked his pants up, then pulled her up, his fingers fumbling with the zipper of her jeans. She helped him and they managed to get her pants off. He didn’t even bother with her top, just lifted her and placed her on the counter.

He felt like a teenager eager to get in a girl’s pants. Hell, when hadn’t he been eager to get inside Valerie? And after what she’d done to him, he was more than ready to return the favor.

“Lean back, darlin’.”

She did, bracing herself on her hands. He pulled her legs apart, and damn if that wasn’t the sexiest thing seeing her half-naked, her legs spread on the counter. It made his dick harden all over again seeing her like that. He grabbed a chair and pulled it over, then sat and drew her butt to the edge of the counter, heard her soft gasp as he laid his hands on her thighs and moved his head in between them.

“Mason.”

She had the softest whisper, and he heard need in her voice. She wasn’t anxious anymore, or wary of the two of them being together. He knew Valerie—she wasn’t going to accept forever between them. It was just “right now,” and he was going to have to be satisfied with that, but he aimed to convince her that forever wasn’t such a bad idea.

He kissed her inner thigh, that sweet, sensitive part of her that was so tender, and smelled so damn good. He felt her tremble, and moved his mouth over her sex, licking along the crease of her pussy, just letting his tongue rest there. He liked feeling her body tremble against him, liked knowing he could coax that kind of reaction from her. And when he began to move his tongue against her—up and down—lazily licking her, she moaned and reached out to tangle her fingers in his hair, directing his movements. He liked that she told him, even without words, what she wanted. If there was one thing Valerie wasn’t, it was shy. Once he got her to admit the two of them were great in bed—or in the kitchen—she dove into sex like she’d been starved for it.

Hell, he’d been starved for it. She rocked her pu**y against him like his tongue was the magic key to heaven. And he was damn well going to take her there. He slid his tongue inside her, then rolled it over her clit.

“Mason. Oh, God, Mason.” She cried out as she came, held tight to his head as she shuddered out her orgasm. Goddamn, the woman made him crazy the way she responded. He didn’t give her time to come down off that high. He grabbed a condom and pulled her down, bending her over the counter.

He shunted her legs apart and slid inside her with one easy thrust. Valerie arched her back, pushed against him and growled as he drove deep, her passion as hot and intense as his. He gripped her hips, grinding against her, feeling his c**k swell as her pu**y tightened around him.

“Goddamn, Val,” he muttered, leaning back to watch his c**k slide into her.

Her only reply was to buck back against him, bending over even more so he could power in deeper.

And he did, f**king her harder, faster, until he had her pinned between his body and the counter. He wrapped his arm around her waist so her belly wouldn’t hit the stainless steel counter, and then he pumped harder, hitting her deep.

She dug her nails into his arm and he felt her pu**y tighten around him. He buried his face against her nape.

“You gonna come again for me?”

“Yes. Oh, Mason, yes.”

He stilled, wanting to feel her pulse around him while she cl**axed. She squeezed his c**k in a tight vise and that was all it took. He rocked against her a couple times, then let go, his orgasm hitting him so hard it felt like he was splitting in two.

They stayed there like that for a while, catching their breath, Mason still inside her and his arm wrapped around her. She still had a death grip on it.

“I might need more of your doctoring.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Your fingernails are embedded in my skin.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She laughed and smoothed her hands over his arm. “It’s your fault.”

They disengaged and cleaned up, got dressed and grabbed their long-forgotten beers. Mason leaned against the counter while Valerie sat in the chair and gathered her hair into a ponytail.

“Hope your muscles are a little more relaxed now,” he said, finishing off his beer.

“I probably won’t be able to walk out of here.”

He smiled at that.

“I feel good, Mason. Thank you.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, so instead, said, “What’s good is what you did for the folks in the community today.”

Valerie sighed. “I can’t believe there’s no doctor in town and hasn’t been for years. And from what I understand, these people normally won’t take the trip into Tulsa, which means they’re not being seen on a regular basis. That’s not good.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Especially our older folks. They need regular care.”

“Yes, they do. Since Doc Parmalee retired, and no one has stepped in to take his place, if someone gets sick, they either have to take the trip into Tulsa, or go without. Most go without.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s too far. People got used to a local doctor. Someone they could see in town. And Doc Parmalee made house calls. Tulsa is a big, foreign city to a lot of people out here. They don’t trust the doctors there.”

“That’s ridiculous. They can get quality care in the city.”

“They want a small town doctor. Hard to get a doctor to set down roots in a place like this.”

“Well I don’t see why not.” She crossed her arms.

Mason gave her a pointed look, and her eyes widened. She shook her head.

“Oh, no. Oh, hell no.”

nine

valerie avoided mason all the next day. whenever he came into a room, she made up a valid excuse to leave. She even went so far as to hide, like she was right now. Mason had come in for supper. She was going to feign being busy with patient . . . stuff, so she hid behind the thick wood column. As soon as he passed, she was going to hightail it into what everyone now called the medical office. They’d moved a sturdy folding bed in there so her patients could lie down, and Valerie had ordered instruments and medical supplies she needed for them. Or the patients. Not her patients. She wasn’t staying. This wasn’t a regular thing. It was temporary. She was temporary.

“What the hell are you doing?”

She nearly jumped out of her boots as Jolene caught her in the hall. She whipped around, pushing Jolene into the office and closing the door.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Jolene held her hands up. “I’m not the one skulking around my own house.”

“I’m not skulking. I’m . . . avoiding.”

Jolene crossed her arms. “I know what you’re doing. You’re avoiding Mason. Why?”

“I just don’t want to talk to him right now.”

“Lovers’ quarrel?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

It was petty and stupid, but ever since Mason had planted the suggestion that she would make a good country doctor, Valerie had done her best to avoid him. First he had to remind her how great the two of them were together. And now this? It was all so . . . comfortable, convenient. It made sense in her head and in her heart. And she wasn’t going to have any of it. She was just addled by great sex and being in the comfort of her own home, around her family. His suggestion was ludicrous, and avoiding him was logical. She would not have him talk her into staying when that wasn’t at all what she wanted.

“Nothing I want you to know about.”

Jolene slid her butt onto a chair. “Come on, Val. Spill it.”

She skirted past Jolene and went to wash instruments. “I’m not going to talk about this with you.”

“I’m not leaving until you do.”

“Fine. Then I’ll leave.” She pulled open the door and nearly shrieked as Lila was there, hand poised as if to knock.

Was everyone out to scare her to death today?

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bother you. You seeing Jolene as a patient?”

Jolene snorted behind her.

“Um, no. We were just talking,” Valerie said.