Lakeside Hospital Box Set

by Cara Malone

  “Yep,” Krys said. “And my cell phone. You can’t keep them forever, but I’m not on call tonight and Russell says the clinic is fully staffed. That means you’ve got me with absolutely no distractions all night long. What are you going to do with that?”

  “Well, for starters I’m going to order you to turn this car around and go back to your apartment. Forget the silly mini golf,” Darcy said, laughing.

  Krys kissed her, letting her hand brush lightly over Darcy’s breast, then leaned back in her seat. “We’re going mini golfing.”

  “Tease.”

  “Come on,” Krys said. “Let’s play.”

  Darcy put the pager and phone back in the glove compartment, then she grabbed her own phone from her pocket and added it to the electronics stash before climbing out of the car. She came around the front of the car to meet Krys and said, “You’re wrong, you know. I’m the one who’s going to kick your butt.”

  “Care to make it interesting?" Krys asked as they walked over to the small hut where the starter was located.

  "What are you thinking?"

  "A dollar a hole?" Krys asked.

  “I had a different prize in mind,” Darcy said, subtly squeezing Krys’s rear as they approached the hut. Krys paid for eighteen holes and grabbed a couple of clubs. Darcy picked up a scorecard and their golf balls, then they headed over to the first hole.

  Krys set her bright pink ball on the AstroTurf and gave a little seductive wiggle of her behind as she set down her club behind it. The move worked like a charm as she caught Darcy staring at her when she looked up.

  "How about the loser buys the winner ice cream?" Krys suggested, nodding to another small hut on the other side of the parking lot where there was a soft serve ice cream stand.

  “That sounds good,” Darcy said. “Much more family-friendly than what I was going to suggest.”

  Krys wiggled her eyebrows at Darcy and bit her lip, then she swung the club. Her ball shot right down the middle of the course, avoiding obstacles and banking expertly off the wall to round a corner and end up within inches of the hole. When she looked up again, Darcy’s mouth was slightly agape.

  “Well, I can tell this game has been rigged,” she said. “What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?”

  “Strawberry,” Krys said. She stepped off the tee and gave Darcy a kiss, then added, “Did I forget to mention that my dad owns a golf course?”

  “Yes,” Darcy said, swatting Krys playfully out of the way and stepping up to the tee. “Remind me never to take bets with you again – you play dirty.”

  “Why, yes I do, babe,” Krys said. She grinned when Darcy’s first shot sent her ball bouncing into the grass. She hadn’t mini golfed since she was a kid, and it had never been this fun.

  About an hour later, Krys and Darcy were sitting at a picnic table in front of the ice cream hut. Krys was taking great pleasure in swirling her tongue around her strawberry ice cream cone, first because it was the spoils of victory and also because she was enjoying drawing Darcy’s attention to her mouth.

  It was working, too. Darcy hadn’t torn her eyes off that pink ice cream cone since she handed it to Krys, and her own chocolate cone was beginning to go melty with neglect.

  “Are you having fun?” Krys asked.

  “I was,” Darcy said, her eyes still on Krys’s lips. She flicked her tongue out and ran it over her lower lip just to play with her a little more, and Darcy added, “but at the moment I’m feeling a little frustrated.”

  “That’s too bad,” Krys said. “I’m having a great time.”

  “I bet you are.”

  “I have one more surprise for you,” Krys said. “Do you want to come back to my place?”

  “I think you know the answer to that,” Darcy said. She leaned over and took a big bite out of Krys’s ice cream cone, then cringed as the cold hit her teeth. Krys laughed and got up from the picnic bench.

  “Come on,” she said, taking Darcy’s hand and leading her back to the car.

  They went back to Krys’s apartment, finishing their ice cream in the car, and Darcy pressed Krys up against the elevator wall as they waited for the old thing to carry them slowly up to the fifth floor. She ran her hands all over Krys’s body, touching her everywhere she’d wanted to when they were at the mini golf course and she’d been painfully out of reach. By the time they got to Krys’s apartment door, she wasn’t sure if her heart was beating so fast because of Darcy’s touch or because of what waited for them inside.

  She took a deep breath and put her key in the lock, then stepped aside as she swung the door open.

  “Whoa,” Darcy said. “What is all this?”

  “You didn’t think I’d go all the way to the florist for a single white rose, did you?” Krys asked.

  She followed Darcy into the apartment, where there were white roses and petals decorating the living room – about twelve vases, a few de-thorned, long-stem roses dropped in an intentionally haphazard way on the coffee table, and a trail of white petals leading down the hall to the bedroom.

  “This is crazy,” Darcy said, turning around in the center of the room to take it all in. “No one has ever done something like this for me before.”

  “Do you like it?” Krys asked.

  “I love it,” Darcy answered, scooping Krys into a hug and lifting her off the ground momentarily. “You’re amazing.”

  “So are you,” Krys said. Darcy set her down and Krys took her hands. “Come sit with me for a minute, okay?”

  She led Darcy over to the sofa, not letting go of her hands. Her chest felt full, like she’d lift off into the air at any moment, and she’d known she wanted to do something like this for Darcy from the moment she sat down to dinner with Darcy’s family and felt at home there.

  “I know I didn’t make it easy for you to get to know me,” Krys said.

  “That’s an understatement,” Darcy said.

  “Hush,” Krys chastised and Darcy smiled, miming the universal symbol for zipping my lips now. Krys squeezed her hand and said, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you didn’t give up on me. The other night after we left your dad’s house, you said you weren’t going anywhere. I did all of this to tell you that I’m not going anywhere, either. I love you, Darcy Cosgrove.”

  “I love you, too,” Darcy said, reaching for her.

  Krys dodged out of the way and put her hand up. “Wait a minute, I haven’t said my peace yet.”

  “Lord, you are a tease,” Darcy said. “Hurry up.”

  “I’m always going to be a doctor, and I’ll always care a little too much about my patients,” Krys said. “But you taught me how to let go of situations I can’t control and to find balance in my life. You’re making me a better doctor and a better person, and I want to make a promise to you. I might not always be able to be here because there will always be emergencies and pagers and sick patients, but I will always make you a priority in my life. I’ll make time for you and I’ll choose you whenever I can.”

  “I’ll always choose you and make time for you, too,” Darcy said. “Are you done? Can I kiss you now?”

  “One more thing,” Krys said. Darcy let out a frustrated little whine, but she followed when Krys stood up and led her down the hall.

  They went into the bedroom, where Krys had strewn white rose petals all over the bed, so thick she could barely see the sheets anymore. She stood in front of it and slowly took off her shirt. She intended to strip for Darcy, but she only got so far as her bra before Darcy pounced on her, pulling her onto the bed.

  “Say it again,” Darcy said.

  “I love you,” Krys answered.

  “I love you, too,” Darcy said. “Always.”

  Epilogue

  “Are you sure they’re going to be into this?” Darcy asked Krys as they walked through the parking lot.

  Krys looked at her with a tiny smile and said, “You’re cute when you’re insecure. Yes, I think they’re going to love it.”

 
She slipped her hand into Darcy’s and the two of them went inside. They were at the indoor rock climbing facility that Darcy had discovered a few months ago, and when she saw that her meet-up group was going back there, she’d jumped at the chance to set up the double date that Krys had mentioned. They invited Ivy and Chloe as well as Megan and Alex, and Darcy was looking forward to finally conquering the wall that had been too intimidating for her the first time she came here.

  When they got inside, Darcy saw Freddie first. He was already close to the top of the largest climbing wall in the facility, powering his way up it like he was more machine than man. Darcy laughed and pointed him out to Krys.

  “Looks like he’s no worse for his encounter with you, MacGyver,” Krys said, dusting off an old nickname.

  “I guess not,” Darcy said.

  “Are you going to make it to the top of the wall today?”

  “I’m not leaving until I do,” Darcy said. She paid for their admission and then they found Ivy and Chloe waiting for them at a table near the equipment booth.

  “Hey,” Krys said, giving them each a hug. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  “You know Ivy,” Chloe said, nudging her girlfriend. “If you’re not ten minutes early, then you’re late.”

  “Speaking of late,” Ivy said, nodding over Darcy’s shoulder, “here come the honeymooners.”

  Darcy turned around and saw Megan and Alex strolling up to them, their arms wrapped around each other and their hips linked. They looked happy and even though they’d been back in Illinois for about a month and a half, they still had the glow of the Hawaiian sun on their skin.

  “Why were you two late?” Ivy asked.

  “You know why,” Megan said with a coy smile. “Are we going to climb some rocks or what?”

  “Let’s do it,” Krys said.

  The six of them went over to the equipment booth and geared up, then spread out across the facility to find places to climb. Krys led Darcy over to a shorter wall with lots of prominent hand and footholds first, and Darcy put her hands on her hips when she saw it.

  “Do you think this is all I can handle?” she asked.

  “No, I think it’s all I can handle,” Krys said. “I’m afraid of heights!”

  “What?” Darcy asked. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

  “I want you to get to know my friends,” Krys said. “I didn’t want to spoil the outing.”

  “We could have done something else,” Darcy said.

  “I wanted to go on another adventure with you,” Krys said, giving Darcy a kiss. Then she went over to the wall and grabbed a clip. “So, what do we do with all this?”

  An employee came over and secured the clip to Darcy’s harness, giving them a brief safety lesson. He held the rope while Darcy approached the wall. She went first to show Krys how it was done, and that it wasn’t dangerous. She tested out the strength of her leg on the first few footholds and even though her thigh still felt stiff a lot of the time, it was strong. Miss Blackburn had done a great job rehabilitating her and she’d been right when she told Darcy she could handle a little rock climbing. She made it to the top of the wall easily, then rappelled down to the ground with the employee’s help.

  When it was Krys’s turn, Darcy took the rope and reassured her. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”

  Krys clung to the lower half of the wall, afraid to reach out and grab the higher handholds. She stayed motionless on the wall for a full minute before Darcy helped her down, catching her in her arms as soon as she neared the ground.

  She tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help cracking a smile. “That was a good effort, babe.”

  “Shut up,” Krys said. “You’re enjoying my humiliation a bit too much.”

  “No, I’m not,” Darcy said. “We’re going to get you up that wall, though. Do you want to try again?”

  “Is there a kids’ area?” Krys asked. “That might be more my speed.”

  Darcy laughed at that, then called a couple of employees over to hold the ropes so that she could climb next to Krys. She cheered her all the way up to the top of the wall, and even though it was slow going, they made it. Darcy kissed Krys at the top, but Krys was all too eager to get her feet back on solid ground. They rappelled down and thanked the employees for the help, and then Krys wrapped her arms around Darcy’s waist and gave her a longer, deeper kiss.

  “You’re shaking,” Darcy pointed out. “Were you really that scared?”

  “I don’t like heights,” Krys said. “Here, feel my pulse.”

  She put Darcy’s fingers to her neck, where she could feel the blood pumping urgently through Krys’s veins. The intimacy of the touch got Darcy’s own pulse rising and she didn’t want to let Krys out of her arms. She said, “It feels like that got your adrenaline flowing.”

  “I kind of liked it now that I’m on the ground again,” Krys admitted. “Kiss me.”

  Darcy was happy to oblige, slipping her tongue briefly between Krys’s lips before she pulled away from her for decency’s sake. Krys had certainly gotten her blood pumping and Darcy didn’t really want to spend the rest of the afternoon climbing rock walls and thinking about Krys’s lips moist beneath her tongue…

  “Damn it,” she said.

  “What?” Krys asked.

  “I really want you right now.”

  “I want you, too,” Krys said. She looked around and nodded toward the changing rooms near the equipment booth. “What do you think?”

  “Is this just an elaborate scheme to distract me from making you go up another rock wall?” Darcy asked.

  “Maybe,” Krys said. “Is it working?”

  “Yes.”

  She let Krys lead her to the changing rooms. There were half a dozen of them and each one was a small, individual room with a lock on the door and a small bench mounted to the wall. Krys had her arms around Darcy before she’d even had a chance to lock the door and the struggle of taking off their climbing harnesses only added to the exquisite frustration of the moment. Krys kept Darcy pinned to the wall, undressing her with record speed.

  “I love you,” she breathed as she kissed Darcy’s neck and slid her hands beneath the tight confines of her sports bra.

  “I love you, too,” Darcy said. She grabbed Krys by the hips and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around Darcy, then she carried her the few paces over to the bench and set her down on it. She stretched the waistband of Krys’s pants – tight-fitting Lycra that felt good sliding under her palms – then Krys lifted her hips and Darcy pulled them off her.

  She pulled her own shorts down to her knees as she knelt in front of Krys, then shimmied out of her underwear as well. She took her time drawing Krys’s panties down her thighs and enjoyed the way Krys closed her hand around Darcy’s arm, squeezing her biceps and enjoying the firmness of her muscles.

  “You like that?” she asked. Krys bit her lower lip and nodded, which sent a shiver down into Darcy’s core and made her want her even more. She pressed her hips against Krys’s and said, “Yeah, I work out. I just climbed a wall.”

  “And you looked hot doing it,” Krys said. Darcy moved her hips, grinding against Krys and maintaining her gaze as she let out a delighted little moan.

  “Shh,” Darcy warned, “you’ll get us caught.”

  “I’ll be quiet,” Krys whispered. Then she put her hands on Darcy’s shoulders, guiding her downward. Darcy went willingly, inhaling the intoxicating scent of Krys’s body and longing to taste her. She looped Krys’s thighs over her shoulders and tilted her back on the bench so she could tease her with her tongue.

  They made love quickly. There wasn’t much time and their desire was too great to go slowly, anyway. Darcy put her mouth on Krys, rolling her tongue over her in all the ways Krys responded to the most, drawing a fast and intense orgasm out of her. Then Krys pushed Darcy up against the wall and dropped down to her knees to return the favor.

  They came out of the changing room a little less th
an ten minutes later and Darcy looked around anxiously. No one was paying them any mind, though, and she was just grinning to herself at the secrecy of their tryst when Megan and Alex walked past them, their arms wrapped around each other.

  “And Ivy calls us honeymooners,” Megan said. She shot Krys and Darcy a knowing look that made Darcy want to melt into the floor, but then she smiled at them and led Alex over to the concession stand along the wall.

  The moment passed, along with Darcy’s embarrassment, and Krys said, “I think it’s time for you to conquer the big wall. Let’s go.”

  They all climbed for another hour and Darcy even got Krys to go back up the small wall one more time. One by one, they all got tired of climbing and made their way over to a big table near the concessions. Darcy bought Krys a soda and stole sips of it here and there, and the six of them talked for a while. Darcy got to ask Alex questions about the company she worked for and the interview process when she’d gotten hired, and then they all switched over to more personal topics.

  "You and Megan are newlyweds,” Darcy said. “How does that feel?"

  Alex snuggled against Megan and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then said, "We'd been living together for a couple of years before we got hitched, so it’s honestly not that much different.”

  “Yeah, but it's still exciting, right?" Chloe asked. She was sitting on the other side of the table with her hand linked in Ivy’s.

  "Of course it's exciting," Alex said. "Every day is exciting with Megan."

  "Ugh, you guys are so cute I could barf," Ivy said, her delivery dry but her eyes saying that she approved.

  “What about the two of you?” Krys asked with a huge grin. “Any wedding bells in your future?”

  “Definitely,” Chloe said. “I mean, maybe not our immediate future-”

  “And maybe not literal bells,” Ivy said.

  “-but I’m not letting this one go,” Chloe finished up.

  “I know just how you feel,” Darcy said, wrapping her arm around Krys.

  They got about ten more minutes of conversation in before the table started vibrating and every one of them except for Darcy jumped and reached for their hips. She just laughed as they all played pager roulette, and then Ivy said, “It’s me. I gotta go.”