“Maybe we should just skip the restaurant altogether,” she suggested. “I’ll come over, and we’ll strip down and just eat take-out in bed.”
“Not a bad idea,” he said. “How about instead, we cook dinner together and just see where the rest of the night takes us?”
“That sounds nice.”
Isabella heard James yawn. “I should try to go to sleep,” he said. “I have to wake up early for breakfast.”
“Okay, have fun. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodnight, Isabella.”
“Goodnight.”
She felt giddy, like a little girl with a schoolyard crush. James was sexy and funny, but most importantly, Isabella felt like he was the only guy who ever really understood her.
Isabella shut her book and climbed into bed. As she lay there in the dark, she replayed the events of their previous date in her head until she drifted off to sleep.
The week leading up to their second date seemed to drag on forever for both James and Isabella. At six o’clock on Saturday evening, she pulled up to his house. His neighborhood was full of what looked like million-dollar homes. She didn’t notice last time, but his house looked like the only one inhabited by a single person. Everywhere she looked, there were couples going out or parents playing with kids in the yard.
She knocked on his door, and he answered it with a big grin. Isabella had never seen him dressed so casually before. He was wearing khaki colored shorts and a short sleeve, button down shirt. He looked like a frat boy all grown up. Isabella was casually dressed herself with a pair of frayed denim shorts and a thin grey sweater.
Upon her entrance to his home, he planted a big kiss on her lips.
“I missed you,” he said. “I know that sounds super lame and cheesy, but it’s true.”
“I missed you, too,” Isabella admitted.
“I don’t have a lot of food here, so do you want to come to the grocery store with me? There’s one nearby, so it shouldn’t take long.”
She agreed, and they climbed into his car.
“How was the conference?” she asked.
“Pretty good. A lot of hand shaking and ass kissing, but other than that, I’d call it a success. I talked with a lot of experts in the area, and I guess that Dr. Jensen speaks highly of me. That means that if all goes well, I can go to just about any hospital I want when my residency is over.”
“That’s great,” Isabella beamed. “Do you think you’d leave the hospital?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “It’s a great hospital, but I don’t know if there’s a place for me here. I want to branch out and make a name for myself, you know?”
She nodded. “How soon would you leave?”
He caught on to what she was really asking. “Don’t worry, Isabella. I’m not going anywhere for at least a few more years.”
“Okay,” she said.
She was getting ahead of herself even worrying about their relationship years from now.
At the store, they decided to make a simple pasta with tomato sauce. Isabella also threw in a pint of cookie dough ice cream for good measure.
She found it oddly enjoyable to be grocery shopping with James. She felt like an old couple, play fighting over the merits of different pasta shapes. He wanted linguine, but she preferred angel hair, so they compromised and got regular spaghetti noodles.
Back at the house, they started cooking. James pulled two beers from the fridge, and they talked more about work as they boiled the noodles and browned the beef. Isabella put the sauce in a pan, but she grew impatient and cranked up the heat. The bright red sauce splattered all over James, who had leaned over the pot to check the noodles.
“I’m so sorry,” Isabella said, observing what looked like a crime scene.
Hardly phased, James wiped a splatter of sauce from his face and tasted it.
“Needs more salt,” he concluded.
Isabella was horrified. His shirt was probably ruined.
“Lighten up,” he said, pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the side.
“I’ll buy you a new shirt,” she said.
He waved his hand. “If you want to make it up to me, take off your shirt so I don’t feel so naked.”
She laughed and slipped out of her sweater. “Better?”
“Oh, definitely.”
They finished making supper and sat at his kitchen table, both still shirtless. After they finished eating, James grabbed more beers from the fridge and popped the caps off.
“This is nice,” James said, taking another swig. “I really like staying in.”
“What are your neighbors like?” she asked. “This seems like a really nice neighborhood.”
“Oh, they’re a bit like me—workaholics with big paychecks. There are a lot of young families. Some stay at home moms, but a lot of nannies taking care of kids.”
“Would you ever want to have kids?” she asked, curious about his response.
“I don’t know. The idea is nice, but I’m already thirty. Men don’t seem to have biological clocks like women do, but I don’t want to be fifty, having my first child.”
She nodded. “So it’s completely out of the picture for you?”
“Not necessarily. That’s why I had problems with dating women my age. I could agree to settling down and getting married. In fact, I would love to. It’s just that I could never give a definite response or a timeline to when I thought it could happen. What about you?”
“I don’t even want to think about kids,” Isabella said. “I’m not even sure about marriage. I don’t have a problem with monogamy, but it’s the commitment that scares me.”
“Even with the right man?”
“Yeah, I just don’t know,” she said.
They were quiet for a moment. Isabella tore at the label on her bottle.
“Listen to us,” James laughed. “Talking about serious subjects. Why don’t we lighten the mood?”
“How?” she asked.
“Take off your clothes and follow me.”
Isabella unbuttoned her shorts and they dropped to the hardwood floor. She chased James into his bedroom. He stripped down, and she tackled him into the bed.
“You’re so aggressive,” he said.
“You love it,” she countered.
She pushed him down on the bed and sat on his lap, shoving her tongue into his mouth. He removed her bra and slid the straps off her shoulders, squeezing her breasts, then slowly taking her nipples into his mouth.
When she was ready, she yanked his underwear down past his thighs and straddled him. He wrapped his arms around her back and kissed her neck. After they came, they collapsed onto the mattress, panting. She nuzzled her face in his neck. He smelled like aftershave and fabric softener.
“What time is it?” he asked as he twirled a strand of her hair.
“Ten o’clock.”
“Go grab that pint of ice cream and a spoon,” he said, grabbing the TV remote. “I’ll find something to watch.”
He chose an obscure indie comedy, and they rested their backs on the padded headboard. James took a scoop of ice cream, then passed the spoon to Isabella. They watched the whole movie and laughed, alternating bites of ice cream. By the time the movie was over, the ice cream was long gone.
With nothing else to do, and since they were already naked, they had sex for the second time that night. James took control this time, putting her in positions she’d never even heard of. She liked trying new things with James in the bedroom. He knew precisely what he was doing, which resulted in the best sex of Isabella’s life.
Exhausted, they passed out in each other’s arms after going at it for over an hour.
Isabella woke up before James this time and crept into the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. She peeked in all of his cupboards, amazed at how neat and orderly everything was. Everything was arranged with the same care and precision as one would find in an operating room.
When the coffee was ready, she poured he
rself a large mug, stirred in some creamer, and took it out to the patio. The temperature was cool, but the sun warmed her face. She tucked her bare legs into the oversized sweatshirt she found in his closet.
Isabella thought about how great it would be to wake up and do this every morning. When she was alone, her mornings usually consisted of hectically rushing out the door or lying in bed until she guilted herself into getting up.
“Hey,” James said, poking his head out the back door. “Do you like blueberry waffles?”
“Of course.” She smiled back at him. This felt like a vacation to her.
It brought back memories of a trip she went on with her mother and husband #4 to a fancy Caribbean resort. Her mother wanted privacy, so Isabella got a room to herself. Out of spite, she racked up the room charges by ordering room service every morning. However, this was much better, as now, she had someone to enjoy it with.
After breakfast, Isabella gathered her clothes from around the house and got dressed.
“You don’t have to go,” James said.
“I really should,” said Isabella. “I’ll see you later this week during rounds. Pick out a good surgery for me,” she said with a wink.
“Really?” he asked. “What about discretion?”
“Well, find a good one, then assign it to me last so the others don’t know.”
“Only if you’re the best fit for it,” he teased.
“Oh, that won’t be an issue.”
Chapter Twelve
As it turned out, seeing less of James at the hospital made their relationship feel more normal. They hardly saw or spoke to each other during the day, forcing them to arrange their schedules so they could meet up on nights and weekends.
Of course, there was always the odd occasion when their on-call schedules would line up and they had to spend the night together at the hospital. Isabella tried her best to avoid temptation on these nights, but when they had a free moment, they would sneak into a rarely-used supply closet or exam room to make out.
Away from work, she did her best to keep her mind off James. She was still hesitant about having a serious relationship, but the more time they spent together, the harder this became.
James was all for their relationship. He continued to leave her little gifts and notes in her locker. At first, she told him to stop, but then she gave up. After all, she loved to read notes filled with all the things he liked about her. It was mushy, but Isabella hardly cared. She was starting to fall in love with him.
Isabella was permanently tired. Not wanting to give up any of her study time to see James, she cut several hours of sleep out of the equation. She wanted to prove to herself that she could have it all.
Isabella’s mother called her one evening, much to her surprise. Since leaving for college, she and her mother didn’t speak often. They were never close, no thanks to the revolving door of new stepfathers that entered and exited her life.
“Isabella, darling, how is the new job?” her mother asked.
“It’s good. I’ve been really busy. A while ago, I did some research work, and my name’s going to be included in the paper.”
“That sounds lovely. How are you enjoying the city? Any fun things to do?”
“I don’t really do much besides work and study.”
“You haven’t been asked out on any dates?” Her mom clicked her tongue. “You’re nearly thirty. How do you expect to find a husband and have kids at this rate?”
Isabella was annoyed but not surprised that her mom immediately went there. For as long as she could recall, her mother’s favorite activity was to try to set her up on dates. When Isabella finally agreed to go out on the blind date, the choices were always terrible. Her mother tended to look at traits like looks and money, whereas Isabella looked for personalities and values that matched hers.
“As a matter of fact, mother, I am seeing someone,” she blurted out.
She immediately regretted saying anything. Their relationship was still a secret.
“You are? Tell me everything!”
There was no use hiding James from her now. She gave her all the details.
“He’s another surgeon at my hospital. We started seeing each other a few months ago, but we’re keeping it secret because we work together.”
“Oh, a workplace romance.” Her mom clucked. “And a surgeon, no less. Tell me about him.”
“Uh, let’s see,” she started. “His name is James, he’s thirty, and he’s an attending. He’s really smart and good at what he does.”
“How did you meet?”
“At work,” Isabella said flatly.
“Obviously,” her mom said, getting annoyed. “Be a little more specific, can you?”
“He was the attending assigned to our intern group. He asked me out and I said yes. We’ve been hanging out since then.”
“When can I meet him?”
She hadn’t even considered introducing him to her mother. She didn’t hate the idea though. They had been together for a few months now, and things were getting serious between them.
“I don’t know,” Isabella said. “When am I going to meet your new husband?”
“Well,” her mom began. “I wanted it to be a surprise, but we’re actually coming to town next week. Can you clear your schedule for next Saturday night?”
“Yeah, that should work. I’ll check with him to make sure he isn’t busy.”
Isabella already knew he wasn’t busy because they already made plans to hang out. Meeting the parents was heavy stuff, and she wanted to make sure he had a chance to say no.
“I’m excited for you to meet Charles,” her mother said. “He’s a great guy, and I know you’re going to love him.”
“I’m sure he’s great. I should get back to studying. We’ll talk details later.”
“Fantastic. Can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too,” Isabella said, hanging up the phone.
The next morning, Isabella arrived at the hospital extra early. She caught James just as he was getting out of the shower.
“What a pleasant surprise,” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here so early?”
“Thought I’d come by for a chat,” she said coyly. “Why do you shower here when you have such a nice shower? I know this because we’ve had some good moments in there.”
“I like to use the gym here before all the old cardiac rehab folks take over. What did you want to talk about?”
She watched beads of water drip down from his chiseled physique.
“I talked to my mom yesterday.”
“Nice. What did she say?”
“She said she’s coming to have dinner with me on Saturday. She’s bringing her new husband. I haven’t even met him yet. Let’s just say it was a fast relationship.”
“Okay,” he said. “We can reschedule our night together. Maybe I can come over on Sunday and you can tell me all about it.”
“Well,” she said, “I told my mom about you. She wants to meet you. I understand if you don’t want to, but you’re invited to join us for dinner.”
He looked surprised. Isabella couldn’t tell if it was a good surprise or a bad surprise.
“Oh wow,” he said. “Meeting the parents. So we’re at that stage?”
Isabella quickly backpedaled. “Forget I said anything. It was a silly thing to ask.”
“No, I think it’s great!”
He took her face in his hands and planted a kiss on her head. “This will be great. We should arrange something with my parents next. Separately, of course,” he added.
“I’m glad you’re so cool about this,” she said. “I was freaking out.”
“It will be fine. We don’t have to tell anyone at work that we’re together, but I think it’s good to tell our parents. It’s not like you’re planning on running out on me anytime soon, right?”
“Right.”
“This is exciting. Do you think your mom is going to like me?”
Isabella laughed. “She�
��s going to like you more than me. I’m serious. You’re practically the perfect picture of a mate. The only strike against you is—”
She trailed off. She had already said too much.
“Is what?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“—is the fact that we’re not really interested in getting married or having children together.”
“Huh,” he mused.
“I’m going to grab some breakfast before rounds,” Isabella said, wanting to leave the uncomfortable conversation as quickly as possible.
Isabella’s face burned with embarrassment. They’d had “the talk” before, so why was it so awkward to bring it up? She wanted to prove to her mother that she was capable of having a normal relationship that didn’t require marriage or quitting jobs.
She picked at a breakfast sandwich in the cafeteria, hoping that the weekend would come and go with little incident. She hoped her mother would be on her best behavior because her relationship with James was so easy and just felt right.
Chapter Thirteen
Sleep did not come easy for Isabella the night before the dinner with her mother. She tossed and turned all night before finally giving up and turning on the TV.
She flipped through channels before settling on a reality show that followed women planning their weddings. She was sure that it was mostly fictional to draw viewers in, but she couldn’t help but watch it anyway.
The women featured were truly dreadful—young women ordering their friends around and giving ridiculous demands and mothers screaming at their daughters and husbands. Isabella wondered why anyone would go through the hassle of having a wedding.
She had seen the marriage process many times with her mother. Each wedding cost a fortune once venues, decorations, and food were taken into account. Everyone involved was always stressed out for no reason. Her mother often complained about how awful it was to spend a bunch of money to get the right flowers, only for them to die a few days later. Yet, every wedding, the bouquets of real flowers were larger and grander than the last.
It blew her mind that people would drop so much money and spend so much time on an event that lasted just a few hours. In return, the couple would have nothing to show for it except for a few new serving dishes or a bread maker. The divorce would promptly follow, and then it was back to square one.
Forbidden Prescription: A Stepbrother Romance Page 8