Page 74 of Falling into Place
She whimpered when he pulled back, the disappointment shining in his eyes indicating he didn’t really want to stop, either. “That’s the hospital.”
“Oh.”
He slowly peeled himself back and walked to the end table, coming back with his phone. He bent down to kiss her forehead and said, “Let me see what they need. Don’t move.”
He took the call in the kitchen, and his serious doctor voice saying all sorts of fancy medical jargon did nothing to cool the embers still smoldering in her bloodstream. She smoothed her thumb across her lower lip, processing everything that had just happened. Brooks Martin. Brooks-fucking-Martin just had his hands on her body and his mouth on her mouth and said he couldn’t believe he was touching her.Her, Carly Porter.
Smiling, she flopped onto the couch and pressed her face into a throw pillow, inhaling his spicy scent before kicking her legs and squealing with glee.
A throat cleared behind her and she scrambled to sit up. Brooks stood there, one hand gripping his neck, eyebrows raised.
“That was for high school me,” she explained.
“Ah.”
They just looked at each other for a moment, then he threw a celebratory fist in the air with a deep and rowdy, “Yeeeeah!”
She clapped a hand over her mouth.
He dropped his arm, nonchalant. “That was for present-day me.”
Laughing, she got up and walked toward him. He put his phone down and opened his arms. It was a perfect hug with her cheek against his chest and his against her hair, despite the chuckles of disbelief and exhilaration passing between them.
“Do you have to go in?” she asked, referring to the call.
“No. Not yet, anyway.”
“Good.”
“Can you hang out for a bit?”
“Yeah. I can.”
“I’m glad you came over,” he said, lips in her hair.
“Me too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Brooks
“Hey, man. Nice job on rounds today. You handled your own when Richter tried to pimp you in front of the whole team.”
“Thanks, I think I just got lucky. I’m Brooks, by the way. You a first-year, too?”
“Yeah. I’m James. Wanna grab a beer after this? I could use one after today.”
—Resident call room, University Hospital, PGY-1
“Who is she?”
Brooks glanced up from his watch. “Who is who?”
From his spot beside Brooks in the back row of the conference room, James huffed out a quiet laugh. “The woman you’re thinking about. I’ve never seen you so antsy. Got somewhere to be?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brooks murmured.
“Don’t play that with me.” James propped one ankle on the opposite knee and leaned back with his fingers behind his head, feigning interest in Dr. Lim. “You’re seeing someone when you get off, aren’t you?”
