Chapter Forty-One
I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR of patient room two, ready to treat a Mr. Smith. “May I enter?”
“Yes, please,” my favorite voice responded.
Confused, I opened the door, and to my surprise, there on the exam table sat the sexiest creature in the world, impishly grinning.
“Hello, Dr. Summers.”
I quickly shut the door and strode her way, hoping Evie didn’t find out she was in there. Who knew what trouble that could cause for me and the nurse who had obviously aided and abetted Brooke?
Brooke captured me with her legs, wrapping them around me.
Any thoughts I had about keeping this professional went out the window with the smell of her intoxicating floral perfume.
“What brings you in today?” I murmured, my lips brushing her ear, making her grip my scrubs.
“Well, Doctor, I think my tattoo might need some attention.”
“Is it infected?” I played along, the heat rising between us.
“Um ... I don’t think so. It’s just been missing your lips.”
“Hmm. That sounds serious. I suppose I should kiss it better.”
“I think that might do the trick,” Brooke breathed out.
She tugged her off-the-shoulder tee down just enough to reveal the ink—a bold black script reading, The Roxannes . Her skin, as always, was warm, smooth, and inviting .
I leaned in, letting my lips graze the tattoo. Goose bumps rose under my touch, and she gasped.
“Is that better?” I whispered.
“Much better,” she replied, her voice barely audible.
“Anything else I can do for you that won’t get me fired?” I teased, but I knew if she asked me to, I’d cross the line for her and not regret it.
Her infectious laugh filled the room. “Well, now that you mention it, I was thinking we should finally complete our bucket list.”
I did a quick mental inventory of the list, thinking we had completed each item, but we had left one unchecked. The most important one.
My hands cradled her face, my thumbs caressing her blushing cheeks. “Are you finally ready to check number one off the list?”
She nodded, her gaze penetrating my own. “I think I know where I belong.”
I leaned in closer, my grip on her tightening. “And where’s that?”
Her lips parted just slightly, as if she needed a breath before saying it aloud. “With you.”
I closed the gap between us and brushed her lips with my own. “I love you, Brooke.”
“I love you. And with this new job of mine, it looks like I can probably still afford to rent the cottage.”
I was so proud of her. SoundWave had been so blown away by her recent podcast episode that they’d sent her an offer almost immediately.
“Is that so?”
“How would you feel about me continuing to be your neighbor?” she asked coyly, her fingers tugging on my shirt.
I let out a small chuckle. “It’s worked out pretty well so far.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” She giggled. “I just have one more question for you.”
“What color dragon I would want?” I joked.
She shook her head, her laughter fading into something more serious. “No, this is important.”
Her tone caught me off guard. I straightened, all ears .
“What are we going to do to make this relationship work when things get hard?”
Her question took me aback, but I loved her honesty. And she was right to ask because as good as relationships can be in the beginning, the honeymoon phase never lasted. But I also knew that as good as things can be in the beginning, when you’re with the right person, better things are still to come. And I knew Brooke and I were in store for that kind of relationship. With her, the best was yet to come.
I leaned my forehead against hers and breathed her in. “We fight like hell for each other. Always.”
“Always,” she echoed.
I was glad she agreed because someday I planned to make her more than just my neighbor.