Page 28 of More Than a Match

“It all makes sense now.”

“I bet it does! He’s a creep and a pervert.”

“Do I have to worry about him?”

“No, I don’t think so. He’s annoying, but harmless.”

“Even though he’s your superior?”

“I hate that word,” she scoffs. “He might have seniority, but he’s definitely not superior.” She takes another bite of pizza and speaks around it. “But yeah. He might be jealous, but I don’t think he’d do anything to hurt me. Because then he would ‘ruin’ his chances with me. Knowing him, he’s delusional enough to think he still has a shot.”

“Damn. Well, I’m glad I asked.”

“Yeah, me too. I had no idea he was even there that night. There’s still a lot I don’t remember. It’s slowly coming back in waves. I’m not sure I even want to remember it all.”

“Don’t stress about it, babe. You’ve been through a lot. No need to focus on it unless you absolutely have to.”

She pauses for a moment, seeming hesitant. “Hey, speaking of Jason, I’m kind of surprised you’ve never run into him before. He’s sort of… well… everywhere. At least everywhere I seem to be. It’s annoying, now that I really think about it.”

“Honestly, babe, I don’t pay much attention to the doctors at the hospital. I just go in, do my job, try not to get in the way of the nurses too much, and go home. I only pay attention if they’re butt naked in front of me and exceptionally hot,” I tease, poking her lightly in the ribs.

“Fair enough,” she laughs. “Hey, want to watch a movie or something? I’ve been sleeping all day, and I’m not tired.”

“Yeah, we can watch whatever you want.”

“Perfect, I’ll go pick something out.”

I watch her shuffle out into the living room and debate telling her the news about her assailant. Would it be dumping too much on her?Probably.

“I found one!” she calls out from the living room. “Get your ass in here.”

I make up my mind. That news can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll just relax and enjoy the time we have together.

CHAPTER 21: MINA

The movie is winding down, and I shift slightly on the couch, looking up at Alex. He looks down at me and smiles, pressing a kiss to my forehead. Butterflies erupt in my stomach when he does. That feeling never gets old, and I hope it never does. I take in every detail of his face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

“Babe, you look exhausted.”

“I am, it’s been a rough few days,” he admits, rubbing his hand across his face. “But it’s ok, you’re worth it.”

“I never meant to stress you out,” I say, reaching my hand up to caress his face.

“Obviously,” he laughs. “It was unavoidable. I’m just glad you’re ok.”

“Me too.”

“You know,” he smirks, “you called me your boyfriend to the emergency responders.”

“Did I?” I panic for a minute.Did I really do that? Oh shit.

“Yeah, and then again in the ER.” He kisses my forehead again and smiles. “It’s fine though. Made me happy to hear, especially if you meant it.”

Damn, he’s smooth. But there’s no denying how right this feels, even if it is kind of fast. Is it fast though, or is it right? “Yeah, I guess I did mean it.”

“Perfect.”

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the conversation we’re about to have. I don’t want to, but if we’re talking about making this official, then this is something that needs to be said.