Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Julian
Leena keeps glancing at me as I chop the vegetables, focusing on my forearms and biting her lip, stroking my ego with the heat in her eyes.
“See something you like over here? Or judging my chopping technique, Chef?”
Laughing, she turns back to the stove. “I’m no chef.
” Then over her shoulder, she dances her gaze over me again.
“It may not be a scalpel, and your technique may be a little messy, but you look good,” she says, a teasing tilt to her voice and twitch of her lips.
“How I imagine you’d look without a gown and gloves during surgery.
I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I was still the ortho nurse. ”
“Cut me to the quick, baby, why don’t you,” I drawl, moving the contents from the cutting board to the serving bowl. “You said last night your dad knew you didn’t want to go into the family business. Why not? If the food tastes as good as it smells . . .”
“I love Nonna’s, don’t get me wrong. It was the center of our family, full of traditions and some of my happiest memories happened there,” she tells me, eyes slightly unfocused as if lost in those memories.
“But I never had a passion for cooking the way Matteo always has, and Mina loves being in charge. Making design choices comes naturally to her. Being a managing partner didn’t sound fun to me. ”
“So nursing is what you landed on?” I move around the island and rest a hip against the counter by her side, then sweep her hair over her shoulder so I can see her face more clearly.
“My grandma was a nurse, and so was my mom. I thought it could work for me. And it did. But I’m not sure I’d want to be anywhere but the OR.” Her attention is wholly on the pans in front of her, but still she looks up at me when she asks, “Why did you want to become a surgeon?”
“My dad is a doctor. I kind of always wanted to be like him,” I say, shrugging.
She turns her head to look at me again, eyes soft and misty. “Really? I love that, Julian. He must be so proud of you.”
Both of my parents are proud, but they’re proud of all us kids. I just nod. “But he’s a family practice physician, and when I went into medicine, I wanted to do something a little more exciting.”
“And is it as exciting as you hoped?”
“It brought me to you,” I reply cheekily.
Blushing that pretty pink color just like I’d hoped, she knocks her elbow into my stomach. “Oh, stop! Hand me those plates, please.” She tips her head toward the island.
“It did!” I chortle. Then I skim my hand down her back and palm her ass before doing as she requested.
I can’t keep my hands to myself now that I’m free to touch her.
“But in all seriousness, it is exciting. When I was in my first year of residency, the competition was insane but thrilling. It wasn’t until I met Connor, though, that I knew for sure I wanted to pursue orthopedics. ”
“Who would’ve known all these years later, he would be the one pursuing you to come work with him.”
“It feels meant to be. I was looking into moving closer to home when he called me, and I’d always wanted to work with him. Not sure anything could have made me turn down his offer.”
Leena gives me a smile as she plates the food.
She was skeptical when I told her I was all in, therefore, I refrain from saying what I really feel—that this job in Bayberry Park has ended up being the trifecta.
I get to be closer to my family, work in a collaborative, innovative, patient-centered, state of the art facility with my mentor, and . . . her.
As we are sitting in front of empty plates some time later, the mood at the table feels heavy.
Both of us are reluctant to leave the comfort of our bubble, the return to the real world a weight on us both.
I went from wanting to be at work where I hoped to catch a mere glimpse of her and share a few words, to now craving being locked away with her, not sharing an ounce of her attention.
The possessiveness that roars through my blood is still a shock.
I know it is going to be difficult to go from touching and kissing her whenever I want to being on guard about how we interact, not giving a hint to what is truly between us.
As I clean up the kitchen, I smile at her gaze openly following my every move with heat in her eyes. When I’m done, I sit at the table and pull her into my lap, needing the contact.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Charlie, who joined us for dinner, says. I barely notice as she stands and leaves us alone in the kitchen.
Leena runs her fingers through my hair, and I lean my head into her touch, practically purring like a kitten.
“I don’t want you to go home.”
Closing my eyes, I rest my forehead in the crook of her neck and inhale her scent deep into my lungs. I place open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone. Driven by an inexplicable impulse to mark her, even if it’s not visible, I suck on her skin. My cock thickens with her needy moans.
“Let me stay then. I’ll drive with you to work and walk home from the hospital.”
Pulling back, she peers at me. “Wait, really? You don’t want to sleep in on your last day?”
Wrapping a hand around her throat, I declare, “Pretty girl, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to spend more time with you.”
Face relaxing into a contented smile, Leena pulls my face to hers, kissing me fiercely.
Standing with her in my arms, she squeaks at the abrupt movement, wrapping her legs around my waist and clutching at my shoulders. “Dessert time?” I waggle my eyebrows at her.
Leena
Being tucked into Julian’s side, warm and cozy, makes it extremely difficult to get out of bed. Especially when he grunts at the alarm and tightens his arms around me. I linger through an extra snooze, indulging in a few extra moments with him.
Running behind, I decide not to diffuse my curls and opt for a braid instead.
When I’m almost ready to go, I gently wake Julian by peppering his cheek and jaw with kisses.
Unable to help admiring the flexing of his chest and stomach muscles as he stretches beside the bed, I duck out of my room to get my to-go coffee ready before I do something that really will make me late.
He comes up behind me as I tighten the lid on my cup, circling my waist with strong arms, nuzzling my neck. “Do you want a cup to go, too?”
His sleep-rasped “yes” sends tingles down my spine.
The drive to the hospital is made in companionable silence while sipping our coffees. He keeps a hand resting on my thigh, and every so often, he absently squeezes it. In the parking lot, we delay our good-bye with hungry kisses before finally going our separate ways.
Despite being sleep-deprived and pleasantly tender between my legs from the overindulgence of my need for Julian, I go about my day in a jubilant mood. However, as the day wears on, gloom starts to set in because I get off before his shift starts tonight.
Sleeping alone for the first time in three nights is more difficult than I expected. So when I get to the front desk Wednesday morning and he’s waiting for me with a cup of coffee, falling into his arms feels natural and right.
His big body is steady and welcoming. With a hand tangled in the hair at my nape, he tilts my head back and places a sweet kiss to my forehead, the tip of my nose, and the corner of my mouth. “Mmmm, I missed you last night,” he whispers, his breath floating across my face.
“Me, too.”
Breaking apart, Julian hangs around as I work, drinking our coffee and talking. Knowing I have to go to the back soon, I twist my hair up and put my scrub cap on. Warmth along my back is the only warning I have before I feel the hot, wet pressure of Julian’s sucking kiss on my neck.
“You better not be giving me a hickey!”
Laughing, he pulls away, and I turn in his arms. “Nope. Definitely tempting, but I didn’t.” Sweeping his thumb over the spot, then looking at the clock over my shoulder, he steps back. “I’ll see you later, pretty girl.”
The doors close behind him moments before the AIC comes to the desk. With a grateful smile it’s not Benny today, we proceed with our daily briefing.
The day goes by in a blur after that, and before I know it, I’m heading home.
We’re walking to my car Friday night after a lull in the evening finally allowed me to give a hand-off report to the evening charge nurse.
My eyes swivel across the dark and cold parking lot, which feels like a direct contrast to how I feel snuggled into Julian’s side.
His arm holds me tightly to him while he carries my tote on his other side.
Every moment we are able to steal is soaked up, and I’ve never been happier.
My heart feels light now that I am no longer agonizing over my feelings for him, questioning if this is the right move.
However, I’m no closer to being ready to broadcast our relationship to the world.
And that’s why walking with him out in the open at the hospital of all places, my stomach is churning, hoping it’s dark enough that we have some anonymity if we are by chance spotted.
“You’ve had a busy day. What else do you have going on?” I ask.
He grips my hip, then smooths his hand up the dip of my waist to hold my ribs. “I need to dictate my last surgical notes and round on my patients that we are planning on bringing to the OR tomorrow. Then hopefully I can get out of here for the night,” he says around a yawn.
The churning in my gut suddenly changes to a fluttery feeling. Pausing before we step under the glowing spotlight my car is parked under, I look up at Julian. Suddenly shy, I hesitantly question, “Would—would you want to come over after? Stay at my place.”
He swings his body around, pulling me flush to his front. I squeak at the unexpected movement, then sigh as I sink my weight against him.
“Really?” He tilts his head, eyes studying my face. “There’s a chance I get called in for an emergency and I’ll have to leave,” he trails off, sounding unsure.
“Wait, what?!” I slap my hands on his chest and rear my head back on a mock gasp. “In the middle of the night? I’m shocked. What is that like?”
“Haha.” He jostles my body back against his.
“Being on call is nothing new to me, Doctor. I’ve just been missing you in my bed these past few nights.” I pause, rolling my lips between my teeth. “Even a few hours with you would be better than nothing.”
“I couldn’t agree more. Yes, I’ll come over after I’m done here.” Pressing his grinning lips to mine, he mumbles, “And if I do get called away, just know I will always come back to you.”
My heart clenches in my chest at his sweet words. All of a sudden, it feels like I could float away, except Julian’s arms hold me in place. Like it’s where I belong.
And there is no place I’d rather be.
But it still feels scary to admit that, much less say it out loud.
So I swipe my tongue over the seam of his lips and push it into his mouth when he allows me entrance.
Sealing my mouth to his and stroking my tongue against his own, I revel in the grunt he makes as he holds me even tighter. I’ll never get enough of kissing him.
Pulling back, I tug him the rest of the way to my car. He places my bag inside, then kisses me roughly one more time. “The back door will be unlocked,” are my parting words.
A little over an hour later, Julian enters my darkened house, quietly opens my bedroom door, and joins me in bed.