She lifted her chin. “Goodbye, Christopher.”
He shook his head. “Whatever. I have real work to do, and I don’t have time for drama.” He headed back inside the hospital, storming through the door that said no admittance.
“What drama?” she asked Ian. “I was perfectly justified in feeling angry about this painting.”
Ian’s warm brown eyes met hers, and for the first time, all worked up like she was, she truly felt the love coming from him. He stepped closer and gazed down at her. “You absolutely were.”
Oh, God, she’d been so foolish. How could she not have known, really known all this time that Ian loved her? She was so in her head that she hadn’t let herself feel. But now she was overwhelmed with emotion, her throat felt tight, and her eyes stung with unshed tears of something so powerful that she felt like a complete idiot to have missed it. She carefully set the painting against a chair.
He opened his arms to her.
“Ian,” she choked out before throwing herself in his arms.
And then he was kissing her, and she didn’t need Rosie to tell her she’d made the right choice.
Someone wolf-whistled and she pulled away, suddenly conscious of their audience. He scooped up the painting and tucked it under one arm, then snagged her hand, and they walked out the door.
“So now what?” Kate asked after they’d walked a block away from the busy hospital entrance.
“Now we get this painting safely back to your apartment and then we start officially being boyfriend and girlfriend.”
Nerves gripped her, and she stopped walking. “Ian?”
He turned back to her. “What?”
“I’m not sure how the long-distance thing would work.” She wrung her hands together. “I don’t want to mess things up.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “You think we need a plan?”
She nearly sagged with relief. “Yes, a plan would be great.”
“Hmm…let me think on that.” He hailed a cab. “Come on.” He carefully tucked the painting into the trunk of the cab, and they headed back to her place.
Ian slid his arm around her in the backseat. “I remember when Amber made that painting. I joked that she should put Barry’s face on the cow.”
Kate laughed. “You’re so funny.”
“Now it’s back to its rightful owner.”
“Yes.”
He pushed a strand of hair back from her face. “So you know what I’m thinking?”
She frowned. “I’m terrible at guessing what people are thinking.”
“I think we should go on a date to begin the boyfriend-girlfriend part.”
“What should we do?”
“How about the Museum of Science and Industry?”
“That’s my favorite place in Chicago!”
“No!” he exclaimed in mock surprise. “The largest science museum in the western hemisphere is something that interests you?”
She grinned. “You knew. Can we do that tomorrow?”
“Yup.” He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his chest, where she fit perfectly. “Tonight I’m taking you back to my hotel room.”
“That sounds good.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “And I’m not stopping until you get a ten.”
He’d already given her a ten the last time they were together, but she kept that to herself because she wouldn’t mind another ten. “You could try.”
He tickled her ribs. She giggled. “I can try, huh?”
“Yes!” she said on a laugh and then he was kissing her again, and there was no place she’d rather be than the back of a stranger’s cab, all wrapped up in his arms.
~ ~ ~
“I-an!” she screamed before another shuddering release rolled through her. She groaned as he finally lifted his head from between her legs. They were in a king-sized bed in his hotel room. Ian had wasted no time getting her naked and in bed. They hadn’t even had dinner. He said he was only hungry for her.
“Yes?” he said with a devilish glint in his brown eyes.
“That wasn’t what I meant by a ten! It’s not quantity of orgasms. It’s quality of experience!”
He moved up her body, pausing to kiss along the way, her stomach, over her ribs, her breasts, and finally up to her mouth. “It wasn’t quantity? Are you sure?”
He nuzzled into her neck and played with her breast, strumming her nipple with his thumb. Unbelievably, shockwaves of sensation arced through her. He’d already made her come three times.
“Ten orgasms isn’t humanly possible,” she gasped out.
He raised his head and looked at her. “Let’s test that hypothesis.”
“It’s not a valid assumption. I explained that after the second one.”
“It’s hard to hear when your thighs are covering my ears.” He pinched her nipple, and she jolted, drenched with pleasure. “I’ll be the researcher and you’ll be my subject.”
“Control group?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Those sevens in your past who you’ll never want again.”
His hand slid down her body and cupped her sex. She cried out. She was way too sensitive to be handled anymore.
He gave her a slow, sexy smile. “So what exactly is a ten?”
She shoved his hand away. “You have to stop touching me so I can explain.”
“Go ahead.” He grabbed a condom and rolled it on. Then he returned and settled between her legs, resting on his forearms over her, waiting for her explanation.
“Well, there are categories.”
“Really? What categories?” He rocked against her gently, and she moaned. “Tell me.”
“Please,” she gasped out.
He stilled. “Okay, now tell me.”
“Thickness, dexterity, reciprocity, and alpha-level dominance.”
He pinned her wrists over her head in one quick move. “Got it.” He took her in one hard thrust.
“Oh-oh-oh-oh,” she chanted and just when she was feeling that familiar tightening that meant she was about to go off, he lifted her off him, turned her around and settled her back, bending his knee in a way that gave her more friction. Three strokes later, she screamed.
“That’s four,” he said.
She just lay there completely limp, straddling his leg. “I’m done.”
His hand stroked down her back. “I’m not.”
She moaned.
~ ~ ~
Ian slid his leg down, letting Kate slide, and then arranged her on all fours so he could take control again. They were turned by the foot of the bed now so at least he didn’t have to worry about her head hitting the headboard. She groaned as he wrapped one arm around her waist. He barely had to do anything to get her off now, she was in a feverishly high state of arousal, soaked with it, and hot to the touch everywhere. He loved that he could make her this way. He’d never had the chance to spend this much time making her crazed. He slid deep, and they both moaned. Nothing was like being inside her, tight and clasping around him.
“Let’s go for five,” he growled in her ear.
She trembled at the words, which was amazing because he’d barely moved. But then he did, sliding his hand to stroke her, pumping into her. She started chanting, “Ohgodohgod.” It was when she stopped making noises that he knew she was close. He needed his own release after watching her go off four times, so he just went for it, thrusting deep while he kept one hand on her hard nub, letting it rock under his fingers while she kept chanting, urging him on, and then she quieted and shuddered against him with a hoarse cry. “That’s five,” he growled before he let go. He gripped her hips and lost himself, pumping until he had nothing left.
A few moments later, he pulled out, and she collapsed on the bed. She didn’t move for several moments. Not even a groan.
“Kate?”
Nothing.
He scooped her up and settled her at the other end of the bed, resting her head on the pillow. She was sound asleep. He’d wake he
r with number six later.
~ ~ ~
Kate knew Ian would make good on his promise and follow through with numbers six through ten, which he did the next morning. She’d discovered that once she’d reached a peak level of arousal, multiple orgasms came easily. This discovery was most welcome and ensured many tens in her future with him.
After she’d zonked out the night before, she’d woken a short while later to a dinner from room service that he’d ordered for them. Then they’d spent the night cuddled up in bed, she sitting between his legs, with his arms wrapped around her from behind while they watched TV and caught up on each other’s lives. Ian pressed her for her plans after her postdoc, but she didn’t know yet. She’d always hoped for a tenured position at a university where she could continue her research, but which university might have a position for her was still unknown. She’d also given some thought to a one-year fellowship at a research facility like the large Hadron collider in Geneva. It was really just too soon to know, and she told him so.
He’d shifted her in his arms to meet her eyes. “Just make sure you keep me in the loop for future plans. I want us to have a future together.”
“I will,” she promised.
He kissed her tenderly in response before tucking her back in his arms. But she felt jittery even saying that. It was so hard to know what the future would bring, and she hated the idea of breaking a promise or hurting him, even if it was unintentional.
Now they were walking to the Museum of Science and Industry for their first date. He stopped and kissed her right in front of the museum. She wasn’t used to the sudden intimacy in public and felt her cheeks heat. He adjusted her fleece hat around her ears, and that simple casual gesture of caring filled her heart with joy. He continued walking, and she sighed a swoony sigh of happiness.
Ian had never been to the museum before, and she showed him all of her favorite exhibits. She almost skipped the Fairy Castle, figuring a guy wouldn’t be interested in it. He pointed it out on the map. “Hey, we missed this one.”
She flushed. Sometimes she thought of the exhibit as just for her.
He smiled. “You like it, don’t you?”
“It’s a work of art.”
“Well, let’s go see it.”
Ian laced his fingers with hers, and they walked over. She pointed out every cool thing about the castle. He was especially impressed that water could actually spurt out of the dolphin’s mouths in the tub in the princess’s bathroom. It was amazing when you thought of the craftsmanship in miniature. Many of the pieces were historic, dating back hundreds of years, like the tiny amber vases from the Dowager Empress of China, and some ancient pieces in the grand hall, like a twenty-five-hundred-year-old Roman bust. She told him everything she knew about every piece.
“Which part is your favorite?” Ian asked, gazing down at her. A lock of wavy brown hair fell over his eye.
She pushed his hair back. “All of it.”
“The Great Hall?”
“Yes.”
“The chess table?”
“Yes. And Cinderella’s coach in the magic garden and her glass slippers in the Great Hall.”
He slid an arm around her. “You’re a secret romantic, aren’t you?”
Her cheeks heated. “I’m too practical for that.”
“You should wear a beautiful gown one day like Cinderella.”
She snorted. “I don’t know when I’d wear that.”
“We might find an occasion,” he said with a mysterious tone.
She didn’t know what he meant and didn’t even try to guess. “Like what?”
“We’ll see,” he said.
“I don’t do surprises well.”
“I noticed,” he said wryly.
After that, they went Christmas shopping for Violet in the museum store. Ian got Violet sand that retained its shape. Kate got her glow-in-the-dark constellation stickers for her bedroom ceiling. She’d make sure they were arranged for the summer sky, figuring Violet would spend more time outdoors looking at the sky in the summer. She spent a long time debating over a kids’ T-shirt that said “Chicago” or one that said “Talk nerdy to me” while Ian looked around the store. She ultimately decided on the Chicago shirt, deciding that applying the label “nerdy” to a child could have a detrimental effect. On the way to the register she passed a collection of bins with kid stuff. She picked a pink frilly barrette with a little frog in the center out of one bin and continued to the register. She placed the items on the counter, then did an about-face and picked up a second barrette so she and Violet could match. She’d never had pink anything and definitely nothing frilly. She smiled to herself as she paid for everything.
She met Ian at the front of the store. He took her bag to carry it for her. “Let’s grab some dinner and then we’ll check out the Christmas light display at the Lincoln Park Zoo.”
“That sounds good.” She liked the holiday season, but hadn’t had time to do any decorating on her own.
Dinner with Ian was so relaxed and fun—he always made her laugh and he was such a good listener—that Kate started to really believe they could do this long-distance thing. If they stacked up enough memories together, maybe it wouldn’t be too hard to have long separations. She’d feared the longing between visits would consume her thoughts, but maybe she’d just be content.
When they got to the zoo, they were one of the few couples there. It was almost all families.
“You ever think about having kids?” Ian asked.
“Yes. Especially since Violet was born.”
He squeezed her hand. “How many you want?”
“Two. I wouldn’t want the kids to outnumber us.”
His gaze was warm, his tone husky. “Us?”
She shook her head. She hadn’t meant to jump ahead like that. This was their very first date, after all. “I mean, the adults. Look.” She pointed. “The gazebo looks so pretty all lit up. I wonder if they have to add extra amperage to sustain this entire display.”
Ian tipped her head back toward him. “I like dating you.”
She turned to face him. “I like dating you too. Of course, it’s only been one date. Then we have five more days.” Her shoulders sagged. “It’s not enough time. We’ll be with family for Christmas, and then I’ll fly back. I like this time just the two of us.”
His hand cupped her jaw. “We’ll have more time after this.”
“When?”
“We’ll work around your breaks and my vacation time.”
“See, this is what I mean. I really think we need some kind of plan to set expectations. I don’t want—”
Her worries halted when he kissed her. She fell into the delicious dizzy feeling, leaning up on tiptoe to get more. He pulled back and then gave her one more quick kiss.
“Ian,” she admonished, “you short-circuited my brain again.”
He grinned. “That was the idea.”
She wrung her gloved hands together. “I’m worried I’ll hurt you. What if I get my head lost in equations and forget to text you back?”
He put his hands over hers. “Would it make you feel better if we had a schedule?”
Relief coursed through her. “Yes.”
He turned her back to the gazebo light display and wrapped his arms around her from behind so they could look at the lights together. “How about phone sex every Friday?” he asked in a husky voice right in her ear.
She stiffened, both intrigued and shocked. “I’m not sure I could do that over the phone.”
“I’m sure you could.” He nipped her neck and a jolt of electric sensation ran through her. “Can we accept that premise?”
She got serious. “I need your heat and hardness pressed against me, your—” He groaned. “What?”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Just from words?”
“We’ll add in some visuals if the words aren’t enough. Maybe I’ll give you some instructions that’ll leave us both satisfied.”
“Instructions,” she echoed.
He chuckled. “Yeah.”
Ian had always come through in clear, understandable explanations when required. “Okay.”
“Sunday night Skype for a regular conversation.”
“That’s perfect because I Skype with Violet every Sunday night.”
“Yeah. Skype me after her privately.”
“Okay.” She turned in his arms. “What about during the week?”
“What’s your schedule like?”
“I work every day until I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“What time is that?”
“Usually around nine or ten. Sometimes midnight.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “That’s often when the breakthroughs happen. When everything’s quiet, and I have absolute focus.”
“All right. How about you text me once your eyes get droopy?”
“What if you text and I’m busy?”
He kissed her quick and tapped her nose. “Then text me back when you’re not busy.”
“And you won’t get mad?”
He gave her his adorable lopsided smile. “Nope.”
“You can’t text me dirty things,” she warned. “Because then I can’t focus.”
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close. “Awww…you’re taking all the fun out of it.”
It wasn’t the first time someone had accused her of not being fun, and she really did want to be fun for him. “I just…there’s a short circuit.”
He kissed her in a sensitive spot just below her ear that sent hot tingles down her neck. “From your brain to your libido, I heard about that.”
“And you trip it all the time!”
He grabbed her and swung her around. “I love you, Kate.” He set her down, and she put a hand to her mouth. He pulled her hand away and held it. “Why do you act so surprised when I say that?”
“I don’t know. I’m just not used to hearing those words.”
He looked at her with concern. “Didn’t your parents ever say it to you?”
“No.” He stroked her cheek, and she feared he was beginning to pity her. “Don’t feel sorry for me! The underlying assumption was that my parents loved me. They wouldn’t have taken such good care of me if they didn’t. Boundaries and rules were spelled out. I thrived in that environment.” She met his kind brown eyes and saw a tenderness looking back at her that she’d never seen from her parents. Her throat clogged with emotion as she realized that the environment she grew up in maybe wasn’t as normal as she’d thought. “I can’t say the L word like a normal person!” she cried.
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