Page 63 of Dr. Attending

I glance at the baby monitor on the mantle to make sure it’s on. “Are you sure? You said it wasn’t happening again.”

Her brows furrow in confusion.

“Where did you . . .” She trails off as the realization hits her. “Fucking Morgan.”

“She didn’t tell me. I went to grab refills from the beer fridge and overheard you guys talking.”

Even though our friend is a blabbermouth, I don’t want Caroline to think we were talking about her behind her back. I might have bragged about past hookups to anyone who would ask, but this is different. I want to keep every intimate detail about her to myself.

Caroline considers my words and then rolls her stormy-blue eyes. “I said that because she wouldn’t shut the fuck up. If I had told her the truth, she would’ve been incorrigible.”

Pride swells through me, and I push off the mantle, unable to help myself from stalking forward. I stop in front of her, widening my stance to frame her crossed legs.

The way her gaze lands on my belt, like she’s undressing me with her eyes, sends me into a completely different headspace. It makes me want to put on a show for her.

I reach down, pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger to redirect her attention to me.

“And what is the truth, princess?” I ask, hearing my voice drop to a level I’m not sure I recognize. It’s gritty and filled with an obscene amount of desire, just like the rest of my body.

Caroline’s lips part, but no words come out.

I’m desperate to kiss them. To feel them against mine for the first time in years. And from the way that her breathing has shallowed, something tells me she is too.

“Hmmm?” I tighten my grip on her chin. “What did you really think of me that night? That I sucked in bed? Or was that a lie too?”

I believe the words she used were “fine”and “vanilla,”but I’m paraphrasing.

Her eyes narrow in a challenge. “Technically, it wasn’t a bed.”

My cock jumps at her defiance, like it wants to feel more of that fire. To continue to see how hard she’ll push back before she breaks. But given everything I’ve learned in the past month, I’m not touching anything like that until we can have a conversation. And now is definitely not that time.

“Caroline,” I warn, clenching my jaw.

She’s never held back with me before, so I’m not sure I understand why she’s warring with herself now.

Eventually, she lets out a dramatic groan. “Fine. The truth is that I loved it. Okay? I loved it.”

I release my hold on her chin, sliding my fingers to the back of her head so she can continue.

“I hated that I loved it because I wanted so badly to keep believing you were the same asshat I met when I was eighteen. But you weren’t . . . you aren’t.” She blinks up at me through her thick lashes and whispers, “And part of me wonders if you never have been.”

I fight a massive grin. “Never to you.”

Caroline swallows like she finally believes me as I gently stroke her neck. “You want this.”

It comes out as a statement, but it’s really a question—a question I need her to confirm before we go any further.

She nods, reaching up to touch my forearm reassuringly. “I want this.”

I weave my fingers through her hair, tugging her to her feet as all of my hesitations evaporate into the thick air between us.

Do we still have things to talk about? Yeah, of course.

But that’s not what’s important right now. What’s important is doing something I should have done a long time ago—kissing her properly.

Caroline gasps from the sudden movement, parting her plump lips at the exact moment that I lean in to claim her. I press my mouth to hers, forcing myself to go slow. To savor everything about this moment.

I focus on the way she smells like sweet honey but tastes like pure sin. The way her moan sounds as it travels down my throat and lodges itself in my heart. The way her touch feels as she clings to my arm, firm and confident in what we’re about to do.

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