by Jill Sanders
“How are you feeling?” Emily called after her, worried and wishing she could talk to her about the pills but knowing Jamie would avoid the topic at all costs.
“Better,” Jamie answered, and she disappeared quickly into her own room.
By the time Emily climbed into her bed, she knew exactly what she had to do. Picking up her phone, she called Rafe.
“Hey,” he said. His voice sounded slightly off.
“Hey.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I froze. I’ve never had someone sacrifice so much for me, other than my father. I didn’t know what to say…”
“It’s okay,” he broke in. “I didn’t expect…”
“I’m sorry, I should have…” She groaned. “Thank you. I want it to be known that I want to spend as much time with you as I can, as well.”
He surprised her by chuckling. “I’ll take it any way I can get it. I’m hoping we’ll have plenty of time together over the coming months.”
“I’d like that.” Then she laughed. “Just let me know how you plan on getting more free time. What are you going to do for extra money?”
“I’ve got some saved. Besides, I think I’m going to get the surgical residency position. That would mean more money. Not as much as I was making at the club, but since we’re saving even more money on the rent now that Blaine owns the place…”
“He does?” She sat up again.
Rafe sighed. “I meant to tell you. I’ve just been so busy. He closed on it this morning. It’s officially his, which ends up saving us almost five hundred a month.”
“Nice.” She lay back down, wondering what it would feel like to own her own place. She’d always dreamed of having a small place one day. Maybe a dog and a couple kids to fill the space. She smiled as the image took form in her mind.
“You sound tired.” He broke into her thoughts.
“It’s been a long day.”
“What are you thinking? I can tell something’s rolling around up there.”
She shifted the phone so she could lie down comfortably.
“The future.” She sighed. “I’d like a place of my own someday. You?”
“Sure,” he agreed. “It will have to be after I pay off my school debt, but yeah. Maybe a home just outside the city. Someplace along the coast if I can afford it. Blaine has a boat that he’s taken me out on a couple of times.”
“He does?” She frowned, trying to remember if she knew that already. But she’d already started to drift off, listening to Rafe talk about his own dreams.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind one myself. Something smaller than what he has. I’m not really into the bigger boats, something like a sailboat. Just big enough to go up and down the coast for a day.”
“That sounds wonderful.” She sighed and closed her eyes.
“You’re tired. I should let you go.”
“No.” She shook her head and tucked her phone closer to her ear. “Talk to me. I like hearing about your dreams.”
She listened as he filled her in on his dreams and was surprised at how much they had in common. Outside of the sailboat. She’d always loved being on the water but had never imagined owning a boat.
“Emily?”
“Hm?”
“Go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she said and listened until he hung up.
Chapter 14
It took some rearranging of his schedule but finally they were able to carve out an evening to spend together. It was Tuesday evening and thankfully Blaine had taken Jamie out on the boat for the night. Which meant he and Emily had the entire apartment to themselves.
Of course, they had both just finished at least eight hours of classes, but still, they picked up some Chinese takeout. Since the weather had cooled off a little, they sat out on the balcony and watched the sky change colors with the sun setting behind them over the city as they ate.
“This is nice,” Emily said with a sigh. “Maybe someday I can afford a place that overlooks the water.”
“It does have its benefits.” He took another sip of his beer.
“My dad is asking Kimber to move in with him,” she said out of the blue.
He thought quickly what it would be like to live with her and, for the first time in his life, the idea didn’t completely scare him.
“That’s awfully quick, isn’t it? I mean, didn’t you say they’ve only known each other for a few months?” he replied.
“They’ve been dating for a few months,” she corrected, “but they’ve worked together for over seven years. Even though my father claims it isn’t true, I think they’ve been dancing around one another for a long time.”
He whistled. “What took your dad so long to ask her out?”
She chuckled. “He’s shy.”
He glanced sideways at her. “Like father like daughter?”
She scrunched up her nose. “Something like that.” Then she surprised him by changing the subject quickly. “Do you think Jamie’s okay? I mean, you don’t think she took… anything with her on this trip, do you?”
“Didn’t you pack her bag?” Rafe knew that Blaine had surprised Jamie with an overnight trip to South Bimini, where Blaine’s old man owned a home. Blaine had taken him there a couple of times when they’d first moved in together. It was a great weekend getaway. Besides, the island had been swarming with hot ladies looking for some fun for a night.
Now he realized just how stupid he’d been for not seeing what was in front of him sooner.
“Yes. I hope they have fun. It’s kind of strange, but I think Blaine is really good for her.”
“I’m not so sure Jamie is good for Blaine,” he joked, then sobered and added, “I should have asked you out before.”
She tilted her head and looked at him. “Technically, you still haven’t. Unless you count the night that we ate at Denny’s.”
He groaned. “I can do better than that.” He thought about it. “When is your next day off?”
“Sunday.”
He mentally moved his schedule around and nodded. “Emily,” he said, turning towards her, “will you go out with me on Sunday?” He calculated. “The entire day?”
Her smile was instant. “I’d love to.”
He picked up her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “It’s a full-day date then.”
“Our first, officially.” She held up her plastic glass of wine and tapped it against his beer can. Then she moved the empty container of chow mein from her lap. She glanced at her watch and calculated. “We have nine hours before we both have to be back at school. What can we fill our time with?”
He set down his beer and stood, then pulled her to her feet as his arms wrapped around her.
“I was thinking…” he said, his eyes locked on her lips.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
“We could watch a movie,” he answered. She pinched his shoulder. “I have some board games?” He chuckled quickly, then he was kissing her and backing her up through the apartment until the backs of her knees hit the edge of his bed.
“I haven’t been here before.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“You have,” he added, thinking of all the times in the past weeks they had been right here. But she nudged him until he looked down at her.
“No, I mean, here… In this kind of relationship before.” Her hands were still wrapped around him, holding her perfect body against his.
“Okay.” He nodded. “I suppose…”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” She chuckled.
“You didn’t.” He pulled her closer. “I haven’t been here either,” he admitted. “I came close a few times, but…” He rested his forehead against hers.
“Rafe,” she said. He glanced up and met her eyes. “Take me to bed.”
He smiled. “Gladly,” he said before he kissed her again. His hands moved over her body, pulling clothes, tugging them off her body as she did the same to him.
When he fina
lly had her naked, he pinned her to the mattress and ran his mouth over every curve, every soft dip on her body. He marveled at the way she tasted, the way her skin warmed under his mouth as soft moans escaped her lips and she begged for him.
Her nails dug into his hair as he took his pleasure exploring her. He could feel his own needs building and knew that all she’d have to do was take him in and he’d lose more than just his control. He’d lose his heart.
He’d been telling the truth; he hadn’t been in a relationship like this before. One where he could easily see himself remaining for the next year or longer. Hell, at this point, the way she was moving slowly under him, nudging him to take her, he doubted he would get his fill of her in a single lifetime.
She exploded for him when he covered her sweet pussy with his mouth, taking her clit in between his lips and enjoying the feel of her convulsing around him.
“Em.” He moved up and pulled her legs around his hips once more. Her entire body was lax, and he could feel her heartbeat against his own chest. “I don’t want to go anywhere.” He didn’t know why he felt the need to explain it, but he had to try and tell her how he felt. Even if he couldn’t find the right words at the moment. “I’m right where I want to be.”
“Rafe,” she sighed, and pulled at his hips until he finally slipped inside her, filling her completely.
“My god,” he groaned into her hair. “I… need…”
“Yes,” she sighed as he continued to move, “please.”
He couldn’t have denied her anything. There was no way he was going to come out of this unscathed. She had changed his life. He couldn’t imagine spending a day without her.
When they lay wrapped around one another as their skin cooled, he thought about what they had talked about. How long could he really continue living with Blaine? The apartment was really nice, but meant for two people, not three. Especially a couple who liked a little privacy every now and then.
By the time he drifted off holding Emily, he was determined to start looking for his own place.
He hated waking up before her and leaving her asleep in his bed as he pulled on his scrubs. He left her a note on his pillow. What he wanted to do was slowly wake her up as he made love to her and take all day to please both of them. But instead, he rode his bike the few miles to the hospital and clocked in.
He heard his phone chime with new messages, but he was too busy dealing with several patients who had been injured in an apartment fire. Thankfully, no fatalities, but still, burns were never easy to handle, especially when children were affected.
It was almost five hours later that he finally had a minute to glance at his phone.
-Heard about the fire, I know you’re busy, but I wanted to say thank you for last night.
He leaned against the counter in the breakroom and read the message again before sending off a reply.
-It’s been busy here, thankfully no fatalities. I want a repeat of last night as soon as possible. See you in a few hours. I’ve been asked to stay a little late.
He tucked his phone back into his pocket and by the time the black sludge that resembled coffee had finished pouring into his cup, he heard her reply.
-Good to hear. See you soon. Missed you this morning.
He was smiling down at his phone when Karin walked into the break room.
“Someone has you in a good mood lately,” she said, nudging him aside so she could get to the coffee maker.
“Why can’t I just be happy on my own?” he asked, as he glanced up at the television. Pictures of the apartment fire were still flooding the news and probably would be for the next few days. Knowing that everyone would survive made looking at the images more bearable.
“Around here?” Karin laughed and leaned against the counter next to him as her eyes moved to the screen. Then she took a deep breath and added. “It takes someone special to make you forget the things we’ve had to deal with over the past few hours.”
He glanced down at her. “No one died,” he reminded her.
“Yet several lives have been changed forever,” she said between sips of coffee.
“Change can be good. Death is final.” They sipped their coffee and watched the coverage of the fire for a few minutes in silence.
“Whoever she is,” Karin added, tossing her paper cup into the waste can, “she’s very lucky. You’re not only one of the best I’ve had come through here, but the kindest. I’m going to miss you.” She started walking out.
“Whoa, am I going somewhere?” He frowned, then tossed the rest of his second cup of coffee with hers and followed her out into the hallway. She was laughing and turned to him.
“I’m sorry, I thought you had heard already. I came in there to congratulate you. But since I’ve been on shift for…” She glanced down at her watch and then shook her head. “I can’t remember how long.” She held out her hand for his. “Mark told me in the hallway. I’m looking at the new surgical resident.” She smiled, then gasped when he picked her up and spun her around the hallway as he laughed.
“I made it?” he asked her when he finally set her back down on her feet.
She was laughing and fixing her hair. “Yes. Mark wants you to head down to his office and set up your new schedule. You’re supposed to start tomorrow.”
Suddenly, it hit him. He was finally going to start down the path he’d been working towards in the past year.
He wanted to tell someone. Pulling out the phone, he thought of texting Emily, but figured the news was better in person. Sending out a text to Blaine, he smiled when his friend replied instantly.
-Congrats! I knew you’d get it. We’re about to dock. I’ll buy you a beer tonight after shift.
-I’ll take you up on that. See you soon.
He practically floated down to Mark’s office. The man must have been waiting for him, since he had a stack of new paperwork Rafe had to fill out in addition to setting up his new shift. Of course, being the low man on the totem pole once again had his schedule all out of whack. When he was done, he doubted he would be able to run into Emily any more during shift.
But he knew that after the first couple of months, after he got the hang of things, he could always swing by the ER regularly to see her.
By the time he made it back upstairs to the ER, most of the burn patients had been moved upstairs to private rooms. He knew that the rest of the night would be just as busy, but when he noticed Emily rushing around the ER shortly after nine that evening, he got his second wind. It took almost a full hour before he found a few minutes to track her down.
“Hey.” He stopped next to her along the nurses’ station.
“Hi.” She glanced over at him and he watched her eyes light up. His heart actually skipped in his chest, causing his pulse to spike for a few seconds.
“Have a minute?” he asked, glancing around. There were several other nurses taking care of patients and he figured they wouldn’t be missed.
“Sure, I’m only scheduled to work until midnight, so I only get one break.” She glanced up and motioned to Tanya who was sitting behind the desk. “I’m taking five.”
Tanya waved at her and answered a call.
He took her hand and pulled her down the hallway, back into the office that had yet to get any more work done on it.
“Are they ever going to finish this room?” Emily asked as he shut the door behind him.
He smiled. “I got the position,” he blurted out. Just saying it had him smiling again. “I move to surgery tomorrow.”
“You did?” There was a split second that he noticed her eyes dull, but then it was quickly replaced with excitement as she rushed over and gave him a kiss and hug. “Congratulations,” she said happily.
“I know this means less time bumping into each other, but I figured after I get settled…”
“Rafe.” She took his face in her hands. “There’s plenty of time for… this. If we can’t respect each other’s dreams first, then there shouldn’t be a… this.”<
br />
He sighed and leaned down to kiss her. “Do you know how many other women have told me it’s them or my career?”
She chuckled. “I’m glad you dated morons before me.”
He laughed and kissed her again, letting the heat spread until they were both breathless.
“I should…” She started to say, but he backed her up against the door, needing more.
“No one will miss us for a few more minutes,” he said between kisses as he reached under her scrubs and cupped her. Just feeling how ready she was for him had him wanting even harder. He pushed his fingers into her and had her panting in his ear.
Her nails dug into his shoulders as she moaned out his name.
“Tell me how bad you want me, want this,” he said against her skin.
“Yes, ever since I woke up alone this morning.” She reached into his pants and gripped him. Suddenly, it was all heat and movement as he pulled her scrubs down her legs, followed by the black leggings she wore underneath.
She was so beautiful, his chest felt like there was too much pressure on it and breathing was almost painful.
He was thankful he’d tucked a condom into his wallet and after donning it, didn’t give her time to question things before he plunged into her heat. Twin moans filled the space as he filled her, moved with her.
When he felt her convulse around him, he followed her quickly.
“I expect a do-over later, when we have more time,” he said into her hair.
She chuckled and pulled up her leggings and scrubs. “Promises.” She touched his cheek and then kissed him. “I really am happy for you.” She glanced at the door. “Now, stay put for a few minutes while I sneak out and try to pretend that I didn’t just have toe-curling sex a few doors down from the nurses’ station.”
He smiled. “Em?” He waited until she turned around, then he walked over and flipped a strand of her hair behind her ears. “No one will buy it. You look too happy.” He kissed her again. “When they see me, they’ll know for sure.” He kissed her again and took her hand as they walked out of the room together.