Page 92 of Get Me to the Starting Line

Can you die from sighing too much?

“And this is not one of your cases.”

“All the information I get at the hospital could be a case. Maybe Julien will sue you for damages. That’s what Caleb asked me, anyway, and then I billed him for it.”

This time I don’t stop myself from rubbing a hand down my face. The women snicker, trading theories about what happened that night. There isn’t much more to tell, except it was the most incredible orgasm of my entire life and I think my spirit actually left my body at one point.

Details.

We enjoy the rest of our girls’ night, Dana and Paige fighting it out over who the winner is. Dana hit more balls, but Paige hit hers harder and farther. Isabel never seemed to run out of ball-related jokes and innuendos.

My stomach is in knots when I come home, same as every time I leave and come back. I keep waiting to walk into an empty apartment, all of Julien’s things gone, leaving me and Levi here by ourselves.

I take one steadying breath and let myself in. I don’t breathe again until I see his shoes laid neatly beside mine, and even though we haven’t talked about it, I know he’s staying.

For now.

“Thisisthespringmechanism I added to the hinge—it’s coiled tightly so it holds firm and allows for more controlled movement. The patient is able to move their injured joint while feeling secure and supported.”

Leah’s teaching voice is so different from the one I’m used to. I knew she was smart—she has a PhD in bioengineering—but knowing and seeing are two very different things.

The hinge she’s been developing is gaining traction in the medical community. At the university’s behest, Leah had to pause her regular syllabus in order to teach her master’s class about how the production and creation of new tech works—the amount of research and funding needed, the entire process from start to (almost) finish. She brought me in to showcase her new design, along with a knee patient and a shoulder dislocation Mateo procured for her.

It shouldn’t bother me that I’m not the only one she needed for this lesson, but she does seem to be focusing most of hertime on how my brace works.

When I walk around the classroom, up and down the stairs, showcasing the design, it’s a struggle to ignore the whispers and not-so-subtle attempts to get pictures of me. I don’t need the brace anymore since it’s been over three months since my injury.

Mateo has me skating again and soon I’ll be able to get back in the game.

I’m not nearly as excited about it as I thought I’d be. I honestly thought it would take longer to heal, but it seems like the beginning of the process is the roughest. Once the body begins healing, it gets easier and easier every day. I know Leah is put out because she didn’t get the brace developed in time for me to need it, but the fact that she’s made this much progress in such a short amount of time is a huge feat.

Science typically doesn’t move this fast.

I watch in awe of her brilliance, her composure. Every fucking thing about her. She’s barely made eye contact with me her whole lesson—though maybe that’s because I’m staring at her like I want to keep her for myself. Because I do.

The one time she did look at me, her cheeks went red and she stuttered. I don’t have it in me to feel bad about distracting her. She’s been distracting me for months.

That night, the night I went to the hospital, I asked her to stay. She didn’t. She’s been avoiding me again, and I’m starting to get frustrated.

Why is she avoiding me? Unless she doesn’t feel the same way I do. It sure as hell feels like she wants me, but maybe she just wants sex. That thought doesn’t feel right though. I know her.

Pride fills my whole body as I watch her in her element. My brain floods with images of me bending her over her desk and taking her from behind until I’m uncomfortable sitting here. I look around to see if I can make a discreet exit when I notice a man standing in the shadows at the back of the classroom. He’s tall, a little wiry, and his eyes are intent on Leah.

Her cheeks flush the moment she notices him and she stutters for only a moment. Something possessive takes over me.

She’s mine.

I want her flustered for me and me alone. The class seems to stretch, though it’s only another ten minutes before she finally dismisses her students, thanking the other patients for demonstrating her new spring-filled braces.

Leah’s eyes dart from me to the man in the back, her face completely blank and unreadable. I want to go to her. So sick of wanting her and not being able to have her, that’s what I do.

The other man has the same idea, but I make it to her first.

“Are you okay?” I ask her quietly.

She nods, her eyes glued to the other man. I don’t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, I’m a fucking possessive asshole and I want her eyes only on me. On the other hand, she’s a grown-ass woman and can put her eyes wherever the hell she wants. I’d prefer they be on me.

But when she leans into me a little, that’s the sign I need. I step in behind her, close enough to feel her heat. Close enough to signal to this man I’m not leaving and she has my support for whatever’s in store.

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