Groping for her tissue, eyes watering, Josie groaned, “Geez, I’m sorry!”
Houston just laughed. “I love you,” he said with great affection.
Why was a mystery, but she wasn’t going to question it. “Houston, are you saying you want a long-term relationship? With me?” Better be clear on that.
“Yes.”
For the first time in her life, words failed her.
Then burst forth in a rush. “Good. I want that too. With you.”
“I’m glad you clarified it’s with me,” he said. He looked up and smiled. A grin, really.
He was teasing her.
She rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m glad you’ve found a pathforward in medicine. But working together? I’ve really enjoyed working with kids. It’s been going really, really well, and I’m totally confident I can excel there and really help kids. And so I was really thinking more about pediatric orthopedics ...”
She paused for air, which could only come through her mouth because of her inflamed nasal passageways.
His hand was on the go, ascending upwards from her knee and sliding sideways, probably being sucked into the gravitational pull of her eager inner thighs.
“Youarea goddess. That’s what I said in the ER, right? It’s very true.”
His kisses were shifting, too, marching to meet his hand, and Josie pushed his head to stop him. But he was stronger and determined.
“You didn’t actually say that, remember...and what are you doing? I don’t look like a goddess, I’m sick. I’m in pajamas and haven’t brushed my hair.”
Which was such a sexy thing to bring up. Josie clapped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t say anything else, then had to spread her fingers so she could take in oxygen.
“You are a goddess. A love goddess. A sex goddess.” His fingers had found their mark, stroking across the apex of her thighs, while his lips reached the bare skin between her pants and her shirt.
“More like the goddess of cold products.” But her body was stirring, reacting to his touch.
Underwear and pants were no match for Houston. He was already inside both, sliding down, rolling across her clit, coaxing moist heat from her body. “Do you really forgive me? Do you still love me? Will you be with me, give me a chance to show you how well I can love you?”
Uhh, yeah.Please.Walking away from him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. “Are you really okay, about your hand, and everything? How’s your leg?”
Kissing across her abdomen, he nodded. “I’m really okay. Andmy leg has healed with minimal scarring, thanks to my wonderful doctor.”
Josie closed her eyes, overwhelmed.
“Are you going to answer me, sweetheart?”
“Huh?” She bit her lip, then dropped her mouth open when she couldn’t breathe. Houston’s finger had slipped inside her and her nipples were hardening, her body tightening.
He bit her stomach lightly. “Do you love me, Josie?”
Josie swiped at her nose desperately, heart racing. Trust her to sniffle her way through the most romantic moment of her life. “Yes.”
While he smiled in triumph, Josie reached into the basket she had sitting on her end table. Straining to feel around in it as Houston held her prisoner with his tongue on her navel, she felt the sharp poke of the shark’s tooth.
Fingers closed around it, she struggled for composure. She wanted Houston now and for forever and she was going to have him. And she was a damn good doctor and her father would be proud.
“First of all,” she managed to say, valiantly ignoring his roving fingers, “I want to repeat, I don’t want to work with you, Houston. I want to love you, live with you, be your best friend and lover, but trust me on this, I do not want to work with you. You’re an intimidating colleague and I don’t want to mix work with pleasure moving forward.”
Houston laughed. “So much damn pleasure. I can’t wait. What’s in your hand, honey?”
She held up the shark’s tooth. “It came from your leg.”