Page 24 of One Night Only

“Okay, yeah.”

“But if you really want to give me something in return—”

“I knew you were too cunning to just let it go.” She grips my shoulder, her gaze suddenly averted. “A blow job then?”

I chuckle and kiss the tip of her nose. “It should never be a transaction, Ani.”

She nods, seeming to realize that I’m serious. “Right. I know that.” She fiddles with the buttons on my shirt. “What did you want?”

“Tell me why you’re leaving your job with Mom.”

She looks up. Her eyes search mine. As if she isn’t sure if she should share it or not.

A sudden tightness fists my chest. I wait, while every cell in me urges I demand an answer. Meanwhile, my brain is spinning scenarios I don’t want to face.

Maybe she’s engaged to some young guy her family picked for her, and this is her last bid at freedom.

Maybe she’s moving to Antarctica for three years.

Maybe she’s…

“I got accepted into nursing school.”

“Where?”

“At UW. Seattle campus. I start in the summer.”

I simply stare at her, the words lodging deep in my chest.

UW. Seattle.

Shock and then relief flood me in a sweeping, disorienting flood. For a second, I nearly sway on my feet.

“Dr. Cross? Is something wrong?”

“No. That’s my alma mater,” I say.

“Wow, what a coincidence.”

Not coincidence, but fate. She has no idea how the threads of our lives are already entwined.

“Only this could drag me from Martha’s side,” she says, bringing my attention back to her.

I nod.

Her body’s vibrating with the joy of it but somehow, for some goddamned reason, she keeps it contained. Makes herself small, as if she doesn’t deserve to feel it. “It’s a huge thing for me. Like I can’t tell you how big.”

I take her hands in mine and kiss the knuckles. “Congratulations, Annika.” I make sure to meet her eyes when I say, “I can’t think of another person who would be a credit to that career.”

Her chest rises. And she seems to expand under my gaze, if that’s possible. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I flick the tip of her cute nose. “You should know I never say anything I don’t mean.”

She grabs my hand and presses her face into my palm. “Actually, I do know that.”

“Good,” I say, pulling my hand away and pretending not to see her wariness. “After the shower, maybe you can tell me why it’s so big that you got into nursing school. If you didn’t know this, I’m also—”

“You’re a good listener. And you’re a damn good head-giver.”

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