Page 42 of Trustfall

I move her head so she’s facing me, and I can see into her eyes, shimmering with hope and a little insecurity. It reminds me of how she looked earlier. Even though she didn’t seem to be upset by anything I did, I want to make sure she knows she can tell me if I do something she doesn’t like.

“Listen, baby. It’s important that you tell me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I can be dominant when it comes to sex, but I never want to hurt you. What we did tonight was pretty intense. Especially for it only being our second time hooking up.”

“I know, but…I liked everything,” she admits. “I wanted to kick you in the nuts. But I also liked it. More than I thought I would.”

“And you’ll tell me if you don’t?”

“I will.”

“Good. If you don’t want me to stay the night, that’s fine. But I’m not gonna hit it and quit it. I can’t do that with you. We hang out after. Even just for a little while. Deal?”

“Okay,” she says softly.

“Good. Come here.”

She nestles into my chest as I put my arm around her and grab the remote. As I click the TV on, I’m already worried about how I will be able to peel myself off her when she decides it’s time for me to go. I’m certainly not going to initiate leaving, but I assume she’ll kick me out at some point. Whatever. That’s future me’s problem. Right now, I’m just going to soak up every second with this beautiful goddess of a woman curled up on me.

15

EMORY

I finish puttingmy damp hair in a braid and grab the suture removal kit I brought home from work yesterday. It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since I stitched Luke up and he kissed me. And then I kissed him. And then all that other stuff happened. And now we’ve entered this weird pseudo-relationship where we hook up and hang out but aren’t dating.

We didn’t even make it an hour before we broke one of the two rules I set out for us. We both fell asleep watching TV that night and didn’t wake until we heard the door creak shut and saw Allie sneaking in with a sheepish look on her face. That is, until she noticed us both curled up together, half-naked on the couch, and then she just looked smug. “Guess my Carbonara did the trick,” she mused before sauntering off to her room.

Luke had apologized for falling asleep, but I waved him off. I was just as guilty. He came over the next night, and we ordered takeout. Allie was out again, and I made a mental note to check in with her. She’s been going out more than usual, returning early the next morning in the same clothes as the night before. But hey, she never once judged my dumpster fire of a love life. I’m not about to judge hers. Still, I’m worried about her.

Luke made up for the other night by making me come…fast this time. Embarrassingly fast. With his tongue. Then I made him come with mine. He insisted on hanging out again afterward, and once again, we fell asleep. This time in my bed. We took a shower together this morning, and he made me come on his hand again before he washed every inch of my body. I think he still feels bad for the vicious edging he gave me the other night. He went home after that, but then I remembered I had brought home the kit to remove his sutures, so I’m heading there now.

I walk up the stairs and pause. Do I knock? Or are we in the “I’ve had your dick in my mouth, so I can just walk into your house” stage? I decide that knocking is the way to go, not wanting to make any assumptions. Luke opens the door, and my heart skips. He’s shirtless, his sculpted abs and tattoos on full display. He’s wearing those damn gray sweatpants again, and as if that's not bad enough, he has a backward baseball cap on. Jesus, I just felt my core throb. I shamelessly rake my eyes over his abs before looking up to meet his amused gaze.

“Hey,” I breathe out.

“Hey, Little Wells. Miss me already?”

“Not quite.” I hold up the kit. “I’m here to remove your sutures, Mr. Collins.”

“Oh, now you’re all business? You weren’t being very professional when you were eye-fucking me a second ago. I might have to report you for inappropriate behavior, Nurse Caldwell.”

“Whatever,” I say as I breeze past him. “If you don’t want to be ogled, wear a damn shirt.”

“That sounds like victim-blaming.”

I roll my eyes. “Where are we doing this, Collins?”

He nods toward the kitchen table. I set everything up, wash my hands, and snap on a pair of gloves. I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu as I sit down to inspect his wound. Once again, I’m sitting at his kitchen table with a shirtless Luke, performing a medical procedure. Although this time, it’s one I am actually qualified to perform. I could probably remove sutures in my sleep. I clean the wound as I move his arm from side to side, inspecting it for any signs of infection. It’s healed nicely, but I think my amateur stitches will cause him to scar.

“Looks good. No infection, but it might scar. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ll just get a tattoo over it when it heals.”

I let out an amused chuckle. “What are the odds that you cut yourself in the one spot where you don’t already have a tattoo?”

“It’s not the only spot I don’t have a tattoo,” he says with a wink.

I roll my eyes and begin loosening the sutures with my forceps, using scissors to cut them underneath the knots. I’m laser-focused, trying not to accidentally cut Luke’s skin, so I’m almost startled when he speaks again.

“So, my friends from New York are coming in later today. We’re gonna go check out a new bar in Rocky Falls.”

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