Page 25 of Cherish

I take the towel off and smile to myself as the shoes slip from her fingers, landing with soft thuds on the carpet. I turn my back to her as I put on my boxer briefs.

“I have extra toothbrushes in my bathroom. I won’t tell you exactly where they are. Give you a reason to snoop.”

She doesn’t say anything, but I can see a smile spread across her face. After sliding her sandals on, she walks past me and into my bathroom. By the time she comes back out, I’m dressed, and in the kitchen making coffee. I pour her a mug, and without asking, she goes into my fridge and pulls out the creamer. She looks through my pantry until she finds sugar and adds both to her coffee.

We’re silent as we drink. The only movements are in our eyes as we give each other long, lingering looks. Unable to stay away from her for another second, I cross the room, take the mug from her hand and plant a kiss on her soft, pink lips.

Her expression is shy when I finally break the kiss, and she looks around the room, her cheeks rosy, as she finishes her coffee.

“Ready, angel?”

Her cheeks pinken even more at the endearment. “I can get myself home. You probably need to get to the hospital.” She reaches for her purse and walks away from me. I catch up with her at the door and steer her to the back of the house to the detached garage. She doesn’t say a word when I open the passenger door of my SUV for her. She doesn’t argue when I ask for her address and she doesn’t say a word the entire drive to her house. And when I put my hand on her lap, she only hesitates briefly before she lays her hand on top of mine.

When I pull up to her house, I don’t hesitate. I reach over and devour her mouth. I taste the coffee on her tongue as I squeeze her breasts. It takes all of my willpower not to have my way with her in the back seat of my car. Reluctantly, I pull away, leaving both of us breathless.

“Get some more rest. I’ll see you later, darlin’,” I whisper to her. “Last night was amazing.”

She nods shyly at me as she reaches for the door handle.

“Have a good day at work, Dr. Dupree.” She hops out of the car and runs to the house. The rain has gotten heavier and I pray that the thunder stays away. Once she opens and closes the door behind her, I pull away from the curb, grateful for the lack of traffic on this early Sunday morning.

CHAPTER 14

ALEX

I’ve never been the type of girl to question myself when it comes to sex. My mother talked to me about sex openly, and she told me never to be ashamed of my body. As long as it was mutual and consensual, it was fine. It should be a pleasurable act, she’d say. She never wanted me to fall into society’s rules about sex. Women can enjoy it too without shaming, and I’ve always believed that. I’ve never been promiscuous, but I’m far from a prude. I more than enjoyed my night with Jason. He set my body on fire with nothing but the gentle glide of his fingertips. Hell, I nearly came just from the darkening of his eyes as he looked at my body.

And when I woke up the next morning wrapped all around him, all I wanted to do was climb him. That’s the one thing he denied me that night. Every time I wanted to take control, he’d flip me over and take me from the side or from behind, but the best was having him on top of me, eyes locked with mine as he feasted on my body.

I don’t regret any of it. Despite him not being the ultimate plan. I enjoyed every second. Then he dropped me home, and instead of spending the rest of the morning in bed getting the sleep I lost out on the night before, I found myself thinking about him. Wishing he was in the cramped condo with me, holding me as we listened to the sound of the rain.

God, the way he held me through the thunderstorm. I can still feel his lips on my forehead and hear his soothing words. I’d never felt so protected and safe.

But it was just one night of passion that I will never regret, but I know it for what it was. A night of sex and nothing else. Sure, there was a connection I’ve never experienced with anyone else before, but he’s not the one.

Since my mother died, I’ve dreamt of her often, yet she never spoke, except that one time. That one time she told me to let love in and not spend my time on earth alone like she did.

The very next day, I met John Doyle. We had a connection too, though nothing this intense. What we shared was comfortable and easy. That’s a good thing, I think. What I have with Jason is too intense. Too hot. It’s unsustainable. It would only burn itself out.

I ignore the voice in my head telling me that Dr. Doyle ghosted me and that it didn’t matter that he made it a point to come and talk to me at the party. He barely got a word out before Jacob interrupted and pulled Doyle away, claiming he had a medical question.

I ignore the fact that I can barely remember the kiss I shared with him but can still taste Jason on my tongue. I can still feel him inside of me and smell him on my skin. The same skin that bears the marks of our night together.

None of that matters because I’ve not heard from Jason since he dropped me off at home. I haven’t heard from Ananda or Mellie since they abandoned me either, but I’ll deal with them when I get to work.

Pressed for time, I don’t bother to stop for a quick breakfast at my favorite café. I don’t allow disappointment to register when Jason isn’t standing outside of the hospital. I simply make my way to the office.

“You two are bitches,” I say the minute I step through the doors and spot Mellie and Ananda. “I can’t believe you two abandoned me. Not only that, you didn’t even bother to check up on me at all yesterday.”

Mellie, from her desk, looks me up and down. She stands and comes to stand right in front of me.

“You were with my brother. He wouldn’t let anything happen to you, and judging by that scarf around your neck, he tookrealgood care of you.” She elongates the word real, causing Ananda to cackle. My hands fly to the thin scarf around my neck, but that doesn’t stop Ananda from coming up behind me and pulling away the scarf, exposing the visible evidence of my night with Jason.

“You slut!” Ananda shrieks in the office. This time, it’s Mellie who cracks up laughing. She laughs so hard she holds on to a chair for support.

When she finally gets herself under control, she says, “I don’t want any more info. This is my brother we’re talking about.”

“Fine,” Ananda says. “You can tell me all about it later.”

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