Page 73 of Yours to Keep

His mouth finally found mine in a slow, deliberate kiss that made my knees buckle. It felt like he was taking his time on purpose, like restraint was part of the point. Just when I leaned into it, craving more, he pulled back. I made a small, frustrated sound that bubbled up before I could swallow it.

He smiled against my mouth. “See?”

His hands skimmed my waist, his thumbs brushing just under the hem of my shirt before retreating again. Every nerve ending in my body lit up, hyperaware and aching in the best possible way. I held his gaze, trembling as he pulled me closer.

“Who knew you were a sadist?” I whispered.

“It’s called control,” he corrected, kissing along my jaw and my neck, then backing off just as my hands fisted in his shirt. “I spend all day, every day not touching you. Let me enjoy this.”

I leaned into him when he kissed me again, melting under his touches and just letting myself feel good instead of worrying. For just a few hours, I would let myself forget about all the reasons this was a bad idea and just be with him.

His hands returned to my shoulders, then slid down my back, his fingers finding the hem of my shirt and tugging it off, but even as he undressed me, he kept teasing, backing off and drawing this delicious, torturous line between us. I could feel how much he wanted me, the evidence solid and undeniable against my lower belly, but he didn’t give in.

“Tell me to stop,” he murmured as he laid me down on his bed, still fully dressed even though I was completely naked.

I shook my head, breathless and wanting. “Don’t you dare.”

Sullivan crawled onto the bed with me, kissing me again while letting his fingers go everywhere except where I desperately needed them. I was starting to understand that he fully intended on teasing me within an inch of my life tonight, but somehow, as maddening as it was, it was also exactly what I needed.

The worries were still there. I knew they would come back full force tomorrow, the hospital, the future, and the very large possibility that this couldn’t last. But for now, wrapped up in him, I let myself believe that even if it didn’t last forever, it was real.

And for tonight, just for now, that was enough.

CHAPTER 28

SULLIVAN

Ishould’ve known she would say no.

Again.

“You’re not even considering it,” I said, leaning against the edge of her kitchen counter while she flipped bacon in the pan.

“I have considered it,” she said calmly, not looking up from the hurried breakfast she’d decided to throw together before we left for work. “The answer is still no.”

“That wasn’t considering. That was an automatic refusal.”

She finally glanced at me, one eyebrow lifting in a way that made me feel twelve and reckless at the same time. “You asked me to go to dinner with you. In public. In this city. Where the hospital eats, drinks, and gossips.”

“I know some very discreet restaurants.”

“Sullivan.” She said my name like a warning, finally turning toward me once the bacon was cooked. “We cannot be seen together like that. It’s bad for you, it’s bad for me, and it’s bad for the hospital.”

“It’s just dinner.” I pushed off the counter, walking around it to slide my arms around her hips. “You make it sound like we’re committing a felony.”

“You’re Sullivan freaking Crowne,” she shot back. “If you so much as think about going to a restaurant, someone posts about it. Half the people in the hospital have got alerts set for when your name pops up. If they see me with you⁠—”

“They won’t, and it’s not like I’m going to mount you at the table. Even if someone does see a picture of us eating together, that’s all it’ll be.”

“That won’t matter,” she said quietly.

I sighed, but I knew she was right. Besides, we’d agreed to keep it on the downlow. I just hadn’t realized that would mean never getting to take her anywhere at all.

It was one thing keeping my distance at the hospital, but despite how often I’d pestered her about letting me take her on a date, she kept refusing and it didn’t sit right. She was essentially my girlfriend and I couldn’t even eat with her unless it was at one of our apartments.

“Okay,” I said slowly. “What if it wasn’t here?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “What?”