She nodded, her eyes closed and head tipped back.
“With your words, baby,” I instructed.
“Yes,” she breathed out. I met her lips with mine and slid my hands to her waistband. She rose up on her knees, looking down at me when I bumped her leg to let me slide a pillow underneath them.
Permission granted, I reached down, my fingers exploring until I reached her slick heat. “Oh god, baby—you’re so wet.” I slipped a kiss behind her ear. “This for me?” I whispered.
She nodded, her head still tipped back in pleasure. I slid one finger past her entrance teasingly, watching her jerk in response. She shifted her knees on the pillow, silently pleading with me to enter her. I slowly slipped one finger in, feeling the effects of my attention. I found her sensitive bud, gently rubbing with my thumb. She adjusted again, forcing my finger deeper until she was riding my hand.
I found her pulse point in her neck and gently nipped it. She rode harder, gripping my shoulders to steady herself.
“You’re doing so good, baby,” I encouraged, mesmerized by her breathy moans and the way her face twisted in pleasure. Her body’s response told me she was enjoying my verbal praise. I slipped in another finger, letting her adjust to accommodate and find her perfect rhythm.
We moved in tandem, her body against my hand. When I could tell she was reaching out for that finish, I steadied her with a firm grip on her waist and whispered in her ear. “Come for me, Brooke. Let go for me. That’s my girl.” Her body shuddered and she cried out while I continued to praise her, feeling her climax soak my hand.
“So beautiful,” I whispered, and she leaned her forehead on my shoulder, totally spent. I slipped her tank back into its place and grabbed her hand and guided her inside. I knew from her shift and the long drive, she was undoubtedly exhausted.
“Go lay down.” I kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right there.”
I got the dogs back inside and shut down the projector. By the time I entered my bedroom, her head was on the pillow, her long hair spilled around her.
She was fast asleep.
24
BROOKE
Fun Fact #52: According to the AMA, about 1 in every 3 nurses changes specialities at least once during their career.
Iwoke up in a dreamlike state, my head on Cade’s bare chest. Smiling to myself, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I had cast my yoga pants off in the night, so I slipped one of his shirts over my tank and reveled in the way it smelled like him, woodsy and sweet.
I came back to the bed and stood admiring the view of him, rumpled from sleep and in nothing but those gray sweatpants. His hair was deliciously mussed, the imprint of the pillowcase creases on his cheek. Even sleeping he had the slightest smile on his face, like a contended kitten taking a nap in a spot of sun.
He woke up and caught me staring.
“It’s rude to watch people sleep, you know,” he teased.
We made breakfast together, punctuated by hands on hips as we passed back and forth to the fridge, dropping sweet kisses on each other like lovesick teenagers.
After breakfast I chuckled when I saw Maple and Echo curled up together on the dog bed in the living room, taking a nap. Echo’s head rested on Maple’s hindquarters while they snoozed.
“I think he’s smitten,” I joked to Cade.
“I know the feeling.” He kissed my head.
I floated back to Boston on a cloud. It had been the perfect weekend. I had to work the next two weekends, but we planned to meet up for dinner somewhere between our places when we both had our next overlapping free night. I was also secretly planning a small birthday dinner for him before he returned to California.
My heart thudded uncertainly every time I thought about him driving back across the country.
But I couldn’t think about that, so I distracted myself with work and catching up on our favorite shows with Whit.
There were perks to being in my new unit. One—I got to be around babies, something I desperately needed right now. Two, I no longer had to worry about awkwardly running into Brock.
The NICU unit wasn’t exactly easier than being a floor nurse for Internal Medicine, but the bodies we lifted were much lighter, which was obviously helpful especially on my flare days. The emotional toll was a different story, but it was worth it. We got close with many of the families whose babies were in our care. Babies came into the NICU for a variety of reasons—respiratory distress during delivery, blood sugar issues with a gestational diabetic mother, premature births, and of course, babies suffering from addiction.
Being in NICU also gave us nurses a certain amount of deference from the doctors and specialists that came into the unit. Most truly respected us and our expertise in the unit, which wasn’t always the case with other specialities.
Like in all aspects of nursing, taking care of others made me feel wholly right. The contentment I got from my work made it more than worth the strain it put on my body.
