Chapter 49
“Careful, it’s really hot,” Jay said, setting down a crystal mug filled with warm brown liquid and a generous pile of whipped cream.
“Thank you,” I said, sitting on the counter still wrapped in a towel, shivering a little.
I held the mug in my hands and as I sipped the warm liquid, I started to feel slightly better.
“We need to get you out of those clothes, too,” he said, coming over to me, not even hesitating before stepping into the space between my legs and resting his hands on my hips.
It still didn’t feel fully real that we’d just made out in the lake. And had I really just admitted I was falling in love with him?
“I’m so cold I don’t think I can even move,” I said and he smiled.
“Is this an invitation?” His eyes sparkled with flirtatious teasing.
“No,” I groaned, rolling my eyes, though a smile tugged at my lips. “I’m just wondering if you could go upstairs and maybe grab me some?” I gave him my best doe-eyed look, and it made him chuckle.
“I’ll be right back.”
Jay stepped away from me and disappeared down the hallway. He returned a few minutes later wearing a fresh pair of black sweats and holding a stack of clothes for me.
But they weren’t mine. They were his.
“I have clothes, Jay.”
“I know. But I’d rather you wear mine.”
I rolled my eyes and took the stack. “You’re—” I trailed off when I saw more amusement sparkling in his eyes.
“Insufferable. I know.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I slipped into the bathroom next to the kitchen and hurried to change out of my wet clothes. It helped instantly.
When I came out again, Jay was no longer in the kitchen but sitting on the couch.
I set the pile of wet clothes near the door leading up to my apartment, then went to sit beside him. I chose a spot a few cushions away and pulled my knees up to my chest, snagging a blanket to wrap around myself.
He’d started a fire, and the warmth was slowly thawing me.
“Better?” he asked.
I nodded, biting my lip.
“Jay—”
“Yes?”
“There are a few things I need to say.”
“I figured,” he said, and then his hand reached out, clasped my calf, and tugged me across the middle cushion toward him.
I let out a small squeak of surprise as his hands settled on my waist and he lifted me onto his lap.
It was effortless. My knees fell on either side of his waist, pressing into the cushions with ease.
He didn’t kiss me. Instead, he simply looked at me, his eyes drinking me in. His hand slid up my spine, over my neck, and into my hair.
I leaned into his touch, loving the way it felt to be so close to him.
“You were too far away,” he said simply.
“What does this mean for us?” I whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment but too overwhelmed to keep the questions burning in my head to myself.
“Whatever you want it to mean,” he murmured, his nose trailing along my neck again.
“For my job, I mean. And everything else—”
He pressed a gentle kiss into the small divot of my throat, and I gasped softly, fighting the urge to melt in his arms completely.
He was making it very hard to keep my cool.
“Jay,” I said.
He murmured against my skin. “Hmm…”
“Work. My job.”
“Nothing has to change with your job. We keep things professional at work,” he said finally, pulling back so he could look at me fully again.
“Is it even possible to date your boss and not have weirdness? Like what if I need a raise and you say no?” I bit my lip, all the fears coming back suddenly.
“Hope,” he said, completely serious. “You can have as many raises as you want.”
“See, but that’s not fair. That’s favoritism.”
He groaned and leaned in, his head falling to my shoulder. “Hope, you just finally admitted you’re falling for me. Do you really need to know what happens next, or can we just enjoy this moment?”
I thought about that for a second. “Well, I don’t know.”
He sighed. “Do you want me to be completely honest with you right now?”
“Yes. Please,” I said, feeling myself spiral and needing him to ground me.
He reached up to cup my face, his large hand splaying across my skin with his thumb resting beneath my chin.
“I don’t plan on having you work for me forever, so this boss issue is going to be irrelevant.”
“What do you mean?” My brow furrowed.
“You don’t want to work as a hygienist forever, do you?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“What do you really want to do for a living, Hope?”
I looked down, but his thumb pressed under my chin, giving me no choice but to meet his eyes.
“Look at me,” he said firmly. “What do you actually want to do, Hope?”
“Write.”
“Exactly. So I have no plans to give you raises or keep being your boss,” he said confidently. “Someday, I want you living in my house, wearing my clothes, roaming my library—” He leaned in, his lips barely grazed mine. “—and writing to your heart’s content, if that’s what makes you happy.”
My eyes closed on their own, his words sending shivers down my spine.
“I have no plans to keep you as my employee, Hope. Am I making myself clear?”
I nodded slowly, feeling a little light-headed. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?
He smiled. “Now can we stop worrying about this?”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly, then let out a small laugh.
He leaned in to kiss me again, and it was even better than the first few he’d given me.
I melted into him as he took his time now, kissing me in a way that wasn’t as desperate as before.
This time, it was like he was savoring me.
He nipped at my bottom lip with his perfect teeth, and I had no problem keeping up, opening my mouth so his tongue could slide against mine.
I wanted to get completely lost in him. But as the kiss deepened, I discovered an electrifying feeling. Something that seemed like it might actually consume me if I wasn’t careful.
I pulled away abruptly.
“I should, um…” I shook my head, trying to clear it. “Go get my hot chocolate.”
He nodded and swallowed thickly, his navy eyes dark with a hunger I couldn’t quite name. “That’s probably a good idea.”
He helped me off his lap, and I was a little wobbly as I headed toward the kitchen.
I went to the counter, intent on grabbing my mug and taking a few grounding sips before going back into the living room, but as I passed the sink, I noticed a stack of papers sitting out.
My eyes drifted to the top page without meaning to, and I started reading.
COMPLAINT FORM
I paused, my eyes jumping down to the line below it.
CALIFORNIA STATE DENTAL BOARD
“What is this?” I said aloud, my body going rigid as I picked up the papers.
Jay looked over the back of the couch, and the moment he saw what I was holding, his demeanor changed. He stood and came over to where I was standing, frozen, staring at the front page of the form.
He took the pages gently from my hands and set them down on the opposite counter. “I printed those off in case you wanted to submit a complaint,” he said quietly, his jaw clenching. “You don’t have to, though.”
“Is this a form to submit to the dental board?”
“It’s the first step to getting Dr. Pike in front of the dental board so we can get his license taken away.” He reached for me, and I let him pull me close again.
I looked up at him, my eyes wide. “You think we could really do it?”
“I do. Once the complaint is submitted, we could get it escalated to a disciplinary hearing.”
I bit my lip. “I thought you said we would need more witnesses.”
“I’m having that looked into right now. I think we can find another person before the hearing is called. It may take a few months for anything to happen, but the first place to start is submitting the complaint.”
I glanced back at the papers, a swirl of emotions crashing into me all at once. I wanted nothing more than to put this behind me, but I also knew I couldn’t fully move forward until I faced it.
“Okay.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “You don’t have to do this right now.”
“I can do it,” I said, pulling back and reaching for the papers again. “I want to.”
“I don’t want this to ruin our night.”
“It hasn’t,” I said, shaking my head as I looked down at the form. I was actually grateful he’d done it. Taking the time to print the papers meant he actually cared. “Thank you,” I said quietly.
“For what?” he asked, pressing another soft kiss to my temple.
“For pushing me out of my comfort zone. For grounding me.”
He made a quiet sound in the back of his throat before leaning down to capture my mouth again. “Siempre.”
I felt a mix of emotions as he kissed me.
Gratitude to finally have someone by my side who was willing to help me fight.
Fear, because what if we didn’t find more witnesses?
And the biggest fear of all.
What if no one believed me?