Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

His arms wrap around me, and I blink in surprise. This man… he’s something else. I look around the moon-lit rose garden, music only just about audible from the ballroom’s balconies. A smile spreads across my face as I place my hands against his chest. I slide my palms up, until my arms are wrapped around his neck, enjoying the feel of his muscles.

He twirls me around, and I laugh. I can’t even remember the last time I felt this happy. Dr. Grant… he’s different from the men I know.

“We could dance in the ballroom, you know?”

He shakes his head and tightens his grip on me. “I doubt your grandfather would be okay with that.”

I pause in his arms, confused. Dr. Grant smiles at me and gently brushes my hair out of my face. “I’ve been told to stay away from you, Amara. Rightfully so, I guess. You don’t seem to realize who you are. You shouldn’t even be out here with me.”

I lock my hands behind his neck, keeping my chest pressed against his, our bodies flush against each other. “Why not? I’m just a girl, Dr. Grant.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “If only,” he murmurs. “You’re my patient, Harold Astor’s granddaughter, and a student at Astor College. The three very things I’ve been told to stay away from.”

I look into his eyes, my heart racing. “And will you… stay away, that is?”

He buries his hand in my hair and cradles my head, his expression making my heart race. “So far I’m not doing a great job at that, am I?”

I smile and shake my head. “Maybe it would help if I’d stop finding trouble.”

“Maybe… but I love being the one that saves you.”

The way he looks at me makes my heart skip a beat. He’s always looked at me this way, as though he sees me. He didn’t approach me in the ballroom, showing off that he knows me, the way so many others do. Instead, he’s dancing with me underneath the stars, just the two of us.

“When I’m with you, I feel a little more human. I might not be just a girl, Dr. Grant… but you make me feel like I am. And that feeling? It’s addictive. You may need to save me yet again, Doctor. I think I’m developing an addiction.”

He chuckles, the sound breaking the silence in the empty rose garden. Despite everything he just reminded me of, despite everything that stands between us… I can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to be with him.

“You always catch me off guard,” he says, smiling down at me. “Some of the things that come out of your mouth… you might not be the only one battling an emerging addiction.”

I smirk at him, unable to help myself. “I’m very good at putting things into my mouth too.”

He chuckles, but I feel the way he hardens against me. There’s no shame in his eyes, though. He’s not trying to hide his desire, he just smiles at me. “You’re incorrigible,” he admonishes.

“You know, Dr. Grant… I’m not always going to be those three things you listed. Once I finish my PhD, I’ll no longer be a student, and I’ll no longer be listed as one of the college clinic’s patients. I might still be an Astor, but if my company succeeds, I won’t be at my grandfather’s mercy.”

He looks into my eyes, and what started as a joke, a challenge… instantly turns into more. His eyes roam over my face, and his hand threads deeper into my hair. “But until then, you’re off-limits to me, Amara. Until then, all I’ll have are these moments where I find myself alone with you when I shouldn’t be.”

I look into his eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. “There will be a few more moments,” I tell him. “I’m addicted, after all… I’m with you right now, but I think I might need another dose of you soon. And you did say that you’d provide me with medical supervision for my experiments, didn’t you?”

Dr. Grant hardens even further, and I swallow hard. He’s big. I knew he was big from the very first time we met, but back then I only felt it briefly. Now? Now it feels like he’s pressing a steel rod against me. A hard thick one, and I can’t help but wonder what it’d feel like inside me.

“I did say that… and I also told your grandfather that I’d never deny a patient my care, not even if it’s you.”

I grin at him. I bet that shocked Grandpa. He’s used to people falling in line when he makes the smallest suggestion, but not Dr. Grant. “I need you to care for me, Dr. Grant.”

He laughs, his eyes dipping down to my lips. “You’re playing with fire, Amara.”

“Maybe I am, but you’re to blame for setting me ablaze.”

He smirks, his eyes dropping to my lips. “Oh baby,” he whispers. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

I’m breathing hard, and so is he. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a man this badly, and he’s barely even touched me.

I rise to my tiptoes, and his breath catches. For a second I think he’s going to pull away, but then he leans in, his lips brushing against mine, once, twice, before he finally kisses me.

I moan as my hands thread through his hair and pull him closer, returning his kiss. His tongue brushes over my lips, and I open up for him, wanting more of what he’s doing to me. Another moan escapes my lips as he deepens the kiss, his hands roaming over my body.

He tries to pull back, but each time he lasts a mere second before his lips are back on mine. I smile against his lips, and Dr. Grant pulls away, his forehead dropping to mine.

“Fuck. I didn’t mean to do that, Amara… but damn it, you’re impossible to resist.”

I giggle and look up at him. Seeing him looking at me like that, his eyes filled with lust and affection… yeah, this salvages my wrecked night.

“Noah,” I whisper. He groans and pulls me back to him, kissing me hard and rough, his touch different to before. I can feel how hard I’m making him, and knowing he wants me that badly drives me crazy.

He pulls away abruptly and turns around, taking a few steps away from me. I stare at him, lost for words as he pulls a hand through his hair.

“Fuck,” he groans. He clears his throat before turning back to me, his eyes filled with regret. “I’m sorry, Amara. I swear to God, I’m not trying to lead you on. I’m not messing with you.”

I nod and walk up to him, placing my hands palms flat on his chest. “I know. I know that, Noah. I know how much there is at stake for you. I know what my grandfather is like. This is just a moment between you and me. It’s just a kiss.”

He walks up to me and cups my cheek, his touch at odds with the way he’s clenching his jaw. “It’s more than that and you know it.” I look away, unable to hold his gaze. “What is it about you, Amara? You captivate me like no one ever has before. I know I need to walk away, but all I want to do is kiss you again. I want to slide my hands down your body and find out if you’re wearing underwear tonight, or if you skipped it again. I want to feel you quiver against my fingers, my name on your lips. I want you in a maddening all-consuming way, and I can’t figure out what it is about you.”

I rise to my tiptoes and press a kiss to his cheek, my heart racing. “I’m afraid we suffer from the same affliction, Dr. Grant. It’s an addiction.”

He laughs and brushes my hair out of my face gently. “You’ll be my downfall, Amara Astor. I just know it.”

I look into his eyes, hoping that he’s wrong and knowing that he isn’t. My grandfather wants me with Gregory. He’d never accept Noah. He might be a doctor, but that won’t be enough for Grandpa. If things go further between us and he finds out, Noah will lose out on the future he could have.

I saw the way Grandpa personally introduced him to his friends. He sees something in Noah, and I can’t stand in the way of that.