Me: I’m still thinking actually.
Another pause.
Colton: That makes two of us.
I sink onto the couch, phone warm in my hand.
Me: Is that allowed? Thinking?
Colton: I’ve done a lot of thinking, Mel. Very dirty thinking. The kind of thinking that makes it hard to get anything done.
I smile to myself as I look around the room like I might get caught.
Me: Same. Tomorrow’s going to be … interesting.
The dots appear almost immediately this time.
Colton: It will be. But we’ll behave.
I bite my lip.
Me: Define behave.
A beat.
Colton: Don’t tempt me. I’m trying to do this right and not rush anything.
I laugh quietly, pressing my phone to my chest for a second before replying.
Me: I appreciate it. But I don’t think we need to go too slow.
Colton: I’ll see you tomorrow, Mel. After I go take another cold shower.
I laugh to myself. I don’t remember flirting being so fun.
I spend the rest of the day half present. I grocery shop. I meal prep. I answer emails. But every quiet moment is filled with memory and fantasy.
By Sunday night, I’m back in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, I’ll see him again. In scrubs. In hallways. In shared glances that will mean something entirely new.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Colton
Saturday night wasn’t what I expected. I’m not sure what I did expect, but to be so pulled to her during dinner was not on the list. I’d figured I’d be tempted but planned ahead to be good, to not push anything.
I did not know I would hang on every word she said, wanting more. Needing to know everything I could about her.
I already know this is dangerous. I don’t do relationships. Even if she knows that, nothing about our date made it feel like we were simply messing around.
And that kiss at the end of the night. It stoked a fire deep inside of me that has been burning ever since. From the feeling of her lips on mine to her desperate whimpers, pleading for more … I am already ruined.
Now every look she has given me today, every whiff of her perfume, is fanning those blamesinside of me.
By the end of the day, I feel like a madman, ready to explode. I stomp into my office and free myself of my coat, thankful my shift is over.
The only thing I know is that I’m done. Restraint is gone. I want her now. Ineedher now.