Chapter Ten Ford
Inever used to be a man who worried. Part of what made me a good doctor was that I was skilled at identifying problems and solving them. In work and in my personal life.
After a somewhat chaotic childhood, it was important to me to have a plan whenever possible. When something went wrong, whether that was a leaky roof or a conflict with a friend or a sick patient needing help, I shifted immediately into fix-it mode.
There was no room for worrying. No point in it.
Then, I broke something that couldn’t be so easily repaired. And how unfortunate for me that it was the most important thing in my life.
“Where’s Zoey tonight?” Jess asked, taking a seat beside me.
I was already watching the entrance of the restaurant, waiting for her to appear. I’d texted her when I arrived fifteen minutes ago, but she hadn’t replied. That had become common over the last couple of days.
“Why are you asking me?”
She gave me an amused look. “No reason.”
Jake settled into a seat across from me, looking more tense than usual. “I just talked to Damien. He says that Kelsie’s going to be okay.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Jake and Kelsie had a collision during our volleyball game,” Gordon said. “She took an elbow to the temple.”
“The game ended after that,” Ryan added. “None of us felt like playing anymore.”
Jake’s jaw was locked tight, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “It was an accident.”
Jess gave him a kind smile. “Everyone knows that. Don’t feel bad. She’ll be fine.”
Jake didn’t say anything, but he signaled to the waitress and ordered a strong drink. I could see that he felt bad about what happened to Kelsie, but all I could think about was that I was glad I stopped Zoey from playing. The idea of her getting hurt made my ribs feel too tight.
I glanced toward the entrance of the restaurant again.
She probably wasn’t coming. I understood her wanting to avoid me after my disaster of a proposal.
I needed to stop reacting to situations with her and start thinking through what was the best course of action. Because that was something I’d failed at from the beginning.
Falling for Zoey was never a part of my plan, so when we started to have feelings for each other, my first terrible decision was asking her to keep it a secret.
At the time, I’d just found out about the potential promotion, and I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt my chances.
So, I reacted without thinking about the long-term implications for us.
When Dr. Serrano cornered me at the hospital with his suspicions and threats and demands, I reacted to that by deciding to break up with Zoey without considering how miserable it would make both of us.
Even worse, I did it without discussing it with her first. This was particularly problematic because she was under the false impression that I did this only to protect my own career.
I needed to give her the full truth about how my conversation with Dr. Serrano went, and I probably already would have if the break-up was the only obstacle in my path.
But it wasn’t. I knew now that the problems between us started at the very beginning. I hadn’t realized it at the time, but my insistence on keeping the relationship a secret made her feel like she wasn’t important to me.
Zoey was right; she deserved better.
And damn it, I was going to give it to her. I was done making stupid decisions that affected Zoey without stopping to think about what she wanted.
I needed to stop worrying about losing her for good and make a plan to prove myself to her.
As dinner went on, I made small talk and was relieved to realize that the drama of Kelsie’s injury made most people forget about my confrontation with Zoey at the volleyball game.
Except maybe Jess, who kept shooting me sidelong looks full of suspicion.
I ignored them and chatted easily with everyone else.
If she suspected something was going on between us, I’d leave it up to Zoey to confirm or deny that.
And whatever decision she made was fine with me.
As dinner wrapped up, the waitress came to the table to tell us about a dessert special. Chocolate cheesecake.
Zoey would love that, and I ordered a slice to-go, having already decided to swing by her bungalow before going back to my room.
I knew she said she needed space, so I didn’t plan to linger, but I wanted to check on her since she didn’t show up at dinner.
I knew she was upset when we parted ways earlier, and that didn’t sit well with me.
My protective side demanded that I check in on her and drop off a sweet treat that I hoped would bring a smile to her face.
It was a nice evening, as they all had been so far, and I headed around to the back of the bungalow to see if Zoey might be sitting on the deck.
Now that I knew she loved the beach, I figured that she was probably loving that she got to stay here.
I had a great view from my room, but nothing could beat being close enough to hear the water lapping at the shore and inhale the briny air.
The deck was empty, but just as I was about to go to the front to knock, I noticed that the sliding door was ajar. I glanced around the beach, wondering if she might be out there in the dark and not liking it one bit.
The inside of the bungalow was dim, with just the golden glow of the lamp in the living room providing enough illumination to see that she wasn’t sitting on the couch.
So, where was she? In the unsecured bungalow or out on the dark beach?
Neither of those was a good option. Concerned, I went to the door and slid it further open. To-go container in hand, I stuck my head inside and looked around. From here, I could see the kitchen, dark and empty.
“Zoey?” I called out.
There was no response. I only hesitated a moment before I stepped inside.
I knew that she wasn’t thrilled with my overprotectiveness, but there was no way in hell that I could just leave without knowing where she was.
Closing the door firmly behind me, I moved to the two doors across from the kitchen. The one closest to the entrance turned out to be a coat closet. The other was the bedroom.
There was a lamp on in here too, but no sign of Zoey. But there was a door on the other side of the room with a light peeking out from beneath it.
I didn’t hesitate this time. I needed to lay eyes on her, and if Zoey was on the other side of that door, I was opening it.
I should’ve realized it was probably a bathroom.
Pushing the door open, I was met with a shriek that made me flinch and drop the cheesecake.
“Ford?” Zoey’s voice was filled with a unique combination of relief and anger. “What the hell are you doing here? Are you trying to scare me to death?”
My own heart was racing as I took in the sight of her sitting up in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles with her hand clutching her chest. Her bare chest.
The adrenaline rush from being startled shifted into something more heated so quickly that I felt light-headed. Zoey glared at me.
“Damn it, Ford. Is this how you give me space?”
“No, I…” My thoughts drifted to the sliding glass door, and I frowned. “You left your door open while you’re in the bathtub?”
As if my words reminded her that she was naked, she sank lower into the water, until bubbles blocked my view of her full breasts.
“What are you talking about?”
Bending down, I scooped the cheesecake off the floor. The container didn’t pop open, so it should have been fine. “How do you think I got in here? I brought you a dessert since you weren’t at dinner, and your sliding glass door was open.”
She cringed. “Oh. It must not have latched when I came in earlier.”
I set the dessert on the counter and moved closer to the tub. “I don’t like that you’re staying here alone.”
One eyebrow lifted. “And I suppose you’re saying I should let you stay with me?”
“That wasn’t what I was saying, but if you’d be open to it…” I gave her a teasing grin.
“Nice try. That would defeat the purpose of the bungalow.”
I sighed, then took a seat on the edge of the bathtub.
I watched her closely to see if she looked uncomfortable with my closeness, but what I saw instead was the way her eyes grew darker as she squirmed beneath the bubbles.
Sexual tension radiated from her, and for the first time over a week, I saw a way in, a connection between us that even my stupid actions hadn’t ruined.
I reached out and skimmed the surface of the water with the tip of my finger.
“You know, I hoped to have you in my bed every night that we were here,” I said, my voice dropping to a low rumble. “There’s nothing quite like hotel sex. Do you know why?”
She shook her head, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.
“It’s dopamine. The new environment triggers a release in the brain.
” I leaned toward her, so that my chest brushed the towering bubbles and my face was only inches from hers.
Our breath mingled. “And that dopamine increases excitement. And…” I brought my wet finger to her mouth, pulling her bottom lip free of her teeth. “…anticipation.”
We were so close now, and my body remembered how she tasted, how she felt. My cock throbbed as it pressed against the front of my pants, desire seeping into my very bones.
Yes, this was the thing that had drawn us together from the beginning. Carnal attraction and undeniable hunger.
I allowed my finger to trail down along her jaw and down her neck, a light touch that made her shudder.
“Ford…”
“Shh.” I could see the conflict in her expression. She wanted this, but she wasn’t ready to let me fully back in. “I know, Angel. This isn’t forgiveness. But please, just let me touch you. I’ve missed you so damn much.”
I wasn’t above begging. I never had been when it came to her.
But it wasn’t necessary before. Zoey and I were combustible, both of us unable to keep our hands off each other.
She said nothing else, just watched me with hooded eyes as my touch became bolder. I ran my fingers along her collarbone and down her chest. She arched her back, letting out a low moan as I pinched one of her peaked nipples.
“You’ve got perfect tits, Angel, do you know that?” My forehead was pressed to hers, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her cheeks were rosy, and her big brown eyes burned with need. “I love burying my face between them. Fuck.”
My erection jerked, my need for her making me ache.
But this wasn’t about me.
My hand continued to move lower, trailing over the place where my child would grow. Zoey’s thighs parted for me, and I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I slid my hand over her pelvis. Her clit was a swollen bud, and her entire body jerked as I circled it with my fingers.
“Oh God,” she cried out, leaning back against the side of the tub. Her hands came to the edges, holding on as she undulated her hips against my hand.
She was beautiful like this. Eyes closed tightly, lips parted, and chest heaving. My own intense lust took a backseat to giving her pleasure, as I slipped two fingers deep inside of her. She clenched around me when the palm of my hand ground against her clit.
The bubbles shifted, and I could see her breasts again. Her dark nipples poked out of the water, and I ran my tongue over my teeth.
“Ford, I’m going to…” She trailed off on a moan, and I couldn’t hold back another second. Slamming my lips against her, I kissed her for the first time in over a week. My tongue tangled with hers as she came, her pussy quivering around my fingers.
A rush of gratification moved through me, and I broke our kiss to look into her eyes. She was trying to catch her breath, and I had the sudden urge to mutter three little words that I’d never shared with her before.
But if my impromptu proposal this afternoon taught me anything, it was that I needed to pick the right time to make grand declarations. Zoey wasn’t ready to hear how I felt about her, not yet.
I pulled my hand out of the water and smirked. “We still have our chemistry, Angel. That has to count for something.”
With a huff, Zoey stood up. My mouth went dry as I watched the suds slide off her naked body, and my dick would probably explode if I touched it.
Instead, I held out my hand to her. Once Zoey was out of the tub, she wrapped a towel around herself and I could see her second guessing what we just did.
It was in the way she didn’t look directly at me, and her stiff movements as she strode out of the bathroom. I followed her, and she went straight for the front door of the bungalow.
“Look, Ford. This was…”
“Amazing,” I supplied. Her lips twitched, but she got serious again quickly.
“Yeah. Yeah, it was. But I didn’t invite you here. So, I need you to go.”
Stepping closer to her, I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. I ran my thumb over her cheek. Her skin was so soft.
“Okay, I’ll leave. But don’t forget to eat your dessert, okay? I bet the Sweet Pea will love it.”
She didn’t suppress her smile this time. “I will.”
There were a million things I wanted to say to her, but I’d thrown enough at the woman for one day. So, I held it all in.
“Sleep well, Angel.”
With that, I walked out of the bungalow, leaving my heart behind.