chapter 23

My eyes close and my body completely relaxes, his heavy weight cocooning me, making me feel complete.

"I'ma get you cleaned up," he whispers. I nod, unable to speak, not even able to open my eyes, because my body is completely lax from my orgasm. "You're gonna need to let go of my dick." I hear the smile in his voice and my hand drops. I feel him leave the bed only to come back a few minutes later with a warm cloth that he uses to wipe gently between my legs and over my stomach. I hear a splat near my bathroom and smile as he lies back down with me, his body wrapping around mine.

"Night," I murmur, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

"Night, baby." He kisses my head and I sigh before drifting off to Dreamland.

*

My eyes travel over Wanda, taking in his dark hair, tattoo-covered chest, and the necklace that is hanging around his neck…the necklace I felt glide between my breasts last night as he brought me to orgasm.

He leans back against the counter behind him and lifts the cup of coffee to his mouth, taking a drink, watching me over the edge of the cup.

I pull one leg up on the counter, wrap my arm around my calf, and take a bite of my bagel, ducking my head and trying to hide my blush. When I woke up this morning with his arms wrapped around me, his breath brushing against the back of my neck, I smiled. I have always been happy—my life is full; my family is amazing—but waking up wrapped in his arms was a different kind of happiness. It was something that was only mine.

"I'll be by the hospital to pick you up for lunch."

"Pardon?" I say when I'm finally able to swallow the bite of bagel I had taken.

"Lunch, today."

"You were serious about that?"

He closes the space between us and his hand cups my knee while his other hand wraps around the side of my neck. His thumb grazes the underside of my jaw and he lowers his mouth over mine, kissing me until I stop breathing.

"I'm very serious about this," he says when his mouth leaves mine and his thumb runs over my bottom lip.

"It's kind of hard to get away during the day," I explain breathlessly.

"I'll bring food. I'm sure you can step away for thirty minutes to eat."

"I'll try."

He smiles then steps back, leaning against the counter and crossing one bare foot over the other.

"So, um…" My lips press together when I realize I have nothing to say, he smiles bigger and runs a hand over his hair, causing his abs to flex, making me fight myself when all I want to do is launch myself off of the counter and tackle him to the tile floor of my kitchen.

"Babe, stop looking at me like that."

I take a large bite of my bagel to prevent myself from saying, 'Or what?' in hopes he will return with, 'I will give you endless orgasms.'

"Be back," he mutters when his phone starts ringing from somewhere in the house. I say a silent thank you to whatever god that is preventing me from acting like an idiot, finish my bagel, and hop off the counter to wash my plate and cup, then feed Taser and Juice.

"Is everything okay?" I ask when he comes back into the kitchen a few minutes later carrying his boots and shirt.

"That was Mic; he just got to the shop and someone broke out the front window," he says as his jaw clenches. He drops his boots to the floor and pulls his shirt on over his head then drops his ass onto my kitchen chair to put his boots on.

"Listen." He pulls me down to his lap and pushes the hair out of my face. "This is not on you, so get that out of your head and that look off your face."

"Isn't it though?"

"No," he states firmly, squeezing my waist, and I go to stand up, knowing it's pointless to argue with him, only to be pulled back down into his lap. His hand slides up into the back of my hair kissing me before standing us both.

"See you later, baby."

"Later." I say watching him shut the door behind him.

*

"I told you I didn't need you to follow me!" Kayan yells over her shoulder at Z, who is sitting on his bike with his arms crossed over his chest, watching her with a smirk on his face.

"Have a good day, Kitten," Z tells her, and she shakes her head then storms over to me, stomping her feet across the gravel parking lot. When she reaches my side, she grabs my arm and starts to pull me with her towards the door of the building.

"Can I close the door to my car and get my coffee?" I ask her while trying to control my laughter.

"This isn't funny," she pouts, reading my face. "This is all your fault. Thanks to you, I had to have that guy in my house last night and this morning."

"I could think of much worse problems, honey," I tell her, slamming my door with my hip and grabbing my to-go coffee cup off the roof of my car.

"You would think so. He was shirtless in my house. Who gets undressed in front of people they don't know then struts around showing off their body?" She blows a piece of hair out of her face, which has turned a nice shade of pink.

"You like him." I smile, laughing at her.

"I do not like him." She frowns, watching as he pulls out of the parking lot.

"Sure, you don't."

"I don't," she says, stomping past me as soon as I get the door open. "And if he thinks he's staying at my house tonight, he has another thing coming!" I hear her yell as I go to my office. I shake my head and put away all my stuff before heading out front to see who my first patient is.