Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51827 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“You made this really easy,” she whispers, approaching me.
“I just wanted you to touch me.”
I’d love to peel off her shirt and get down on my knees right here in her kitchen. Unfastening her pants slowly and then working them down her thighs an inch at a time, kissing her thoroughly the whole time.
It feels so damn good to have a few hours off from the stress and worries about Elin and my contract situation. I can’t do anything to fix either of them. Blair reminds me I’m more than just a workhorse, putting my body on the line and pushing it to its limits every day to make killer money while I can.
With her, I’m just a man. I don’t think any other woman has ever seen me as just that.
She comes up to me, her gaze intent on mine as she grabs a handful of my shirt and tugs, getting so close to me that I feel her warm breath on my lips.
“Yes,” she whispers, my whole body taut with anticipation. “You wanted to know if we could—would I want to? Yes.”
When she moves away, it’s all I can do not to lunge after her. I want to wrap my arms around her and hold her so tightly her feet leave the floor. I want to say fuck it to every responsibility and give in to my raging desire for her.
She keeps backing up, her eyes roving up and down me. Her eyes flare a little wider at my crotch, probably because she sees that I’m hard.
This is agonizing. It’s heaven and hell all at once. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“Magnus is it!” she calls out, signaling to the hiding boys that they should come out.
“You found Magnus?” Eli asks, sounding impressed. “How did you do that?”
“He’s kind of hard to miss,” she says, smiling at me.
“She’s just really good,” I say, grinning back. “She caught me, and there was no way to escape.”
It’s the truth. Even if I’m in Seattle for the next three years and I don’t see her at all, I don’t think I’ll be able to forget Blair.
13
Ten Days Later
* * *
Blair
* * *
I’ve become my own worst enemy. I’m on my break from my OB clinical shift, and I’m not eating a nutritious meal. I’m not walking while listening to a soothing podcast for a mental reset.
I’m poring over today’s updates on hockey blogs and online sports news outlets while shoving a microwaved burrito in my mouth.
Magnus and I haven’t seen each other since hide-and-seek night, but we’ve been texting some, and he’s called three times. He had back-to-back road trips, and during the break between them, he had to deal with the fallout from a flooded hotel room.
A pipe burst in the room above his, and the ceiling of his room fell in from the weight of the water. He had to inventory all his things to let the hotel know what was damaged and relocate to another room.
A nurse who works at the hospital, Andie, comes into the break room and leans her back against the wall, exhaling slowly.
“It’s a really bad day to be an ex-smoker,” she says.
My heart goes out to her. One of her patients had a traumatic delivery earlier, and her baby was unexpectedly rushed to the NICU. I didn’t realize how deeply nurses can be affected by what’s happening with their patients until I was in the field experiencing it.
Obstetrics is usually joyful. New parents and their families are thrilled to be here, and they get to go home with a sweet, snuggly new family member.
But when it’s not joyful, it’s devastating. There’s no in between. Trying to help parents grieve a loss or medical complication I can’t even imagine is humbling.
“I’m a good listener,” I tell Andie. “And I’m also good at keeping to myself if you just need some space.”
She gives me a slight smile. “Thanks. You were so good with that laboring mom who doesn’t have anyone here with her.”
“Thanks. I didn’t want to leave her, but Briana made me take a fifteen-minute break and eat.”
“Always take your breaks.” She pushes off the wall and walks over to the refrigerator. “I’ve been doing this for twelve years, and that’s something I wish someone would have told me when I was new. No matter how crazy it gets, stepping away for a few minutes is important.”
She pulls a container out of the fridge, cringing. “Dr. Moran’s Chinese has been in here for a month. I’m making the call.”
Dumping it into the trash, she grabs her own lunch container, an insulated bag.
“What’s happening in your life?” she asks as she unpacks it.
“There’s a guy I really like, but he might have to move for his job this summer. Maybe Seattle. Or Vegas.”
“Damn. That’s really far. Is it an enjoy it while you can thing, or more complicated?”