“Yep. I’ve not been to an Anne-Marie party for five years, so I wouldn’t be allowed to miss this one. Let’s make it a date.”
“We’re meant to be keeping things quiet until after the annulment.” She practically whispered the words.
“A secret date.”
That made her laugh. “What’s a secret date?”
“I’ll show you later. I’m just worried that if you get all in your head now about what we could be like, you’ll get cold feet.”
Rose blinked at me a few times like a cat.
“You’re right. But I don’t know what a secret date is, so I can’t go on one.” Her expression was blank, meaning she was confused.
“How long do you have left before your next appointment?”
She looked at her watch, her twenty-first birthday present from her parents. “About twenty minutes, why?”
“Come with me. I’ll make you a proper brew.” I stood up and headed off, forgetting that I’d meant to grab a sandwich.
Rose followed me slowly, ten or so footsteps behind me as I made my way to my office, recently handed over to me by a doctor who hadn’t been the cleanest. I’d managed to disinfect it myself, going through several pairs of gloves when emptying out his cupboards.
“This is yours?”
“Kind of. Drop the blinds.” I flicked the kettle on which I’d filled earlier and not had time afterwards to make use of it.
“Carter.” It was a warning, but she dropped the blinds.
I closed the door. “Come here.” I gestured to her to come closer, sitting on the edge of the empty desk.
She took a few steps closer.
“I can’t wait to find out what it’s like to kiss you and not have to stop.” She was closer enough for me to thread my fingers through her hair and twist round the tendrils. “Is that something you want?”
“I think – yes.” She unfolded her arms and something in her eyes changed. “But I’m scared I’ll lose myself.”
I nodded, understanding what she meant. “I wouldn’t let you lose yourself in me. I like to know where to find you.”
She surprised me, closing the rest of the space between us and putting her arms around me, her mouth on mine. I wrapped my arms around her, aware that we were at work and the door was unlocked, but this was an out of the way part of the hospital and it was unlikely we’d be disturbed unless my pager went off.
I explored her mouth, toying with her lips, keeping it slow, my hands on her ass and pulling her closer between my legs, one of my hands slipping under her doctor’s coat and under her top, teasing both of us.
I heard her breath catch in her throat, her hands at the buckle of my belt, paused there.
I ended the kiss because there was a line I wasn’t going to cross at work and I wanted to give us plenty of notice before we got there.
The kettle had boiled, the low rumbling from it filling the room. “Do you find me attractive then?”
I knew the answer. Her face was flushed, the nipple under my hand hard.
“Yes. Even though I’ve helped you do your washing when you were seventeen.” She clutched at my shirt and laughed. “And tried to teach you about Shakespeare’s sonnets when you were doing A Levels.”
“Which were all about sex and I had a pretty girl in my bedroom talking about these old poets shagging women they weren’t meant to and all I could think about was doing those things to you.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t think you saw me like that.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t the case. Did that kiss make you wet?”
Her eyes went even wider.
