I run my palms from his neck to his shoulder blades, pulling him in tighter as we watch each other finish.
“Jesus,” he whispers into the space between our lips while I’m still trying to catch my breath. “You’re amazing.”
“You are.”
“Nah,” he shakes his head, dark hair falling forward into his eyes. “You.”
“Us,” I counter firmly. “We’re amazing. Together.”
A brilliant grin splits his face, making him look even younger than he is, though my body isveryaware of his status as a man.
“That must be it,” he agrees and presses a kiss against my forehead before rolling off me. I watch him strip away the condom and tie it off.
It’s intact, which means the wet patch under my butt is mine to answer for, but I’m not even mad. Who could be after sex that feels like Long Island Iced Tea on an empty stomach? I’m floating, and if a damp ass is the price to pay, I’ll happily roll onto my side and carry on.
Davis is a gentleman, though. After disposing of the condom in the bathroom, he’s back with a warm washcloth to freshen me up.
“That…” he says, after we’re both semi-clean, my head on his chest, our legs twined under the sheets. “… was the best experience of my life.”
“Agreed.”
“We should have been doing that every day since we met.”
I bury my head in the place where his shoulder meets his chest. “We can now.”
“You’re all good, though?”
“It was perfect,” I assure him. Not because it’s what he wants to hear, but because it’s true.
“Tell me about nursing,” he says, a little while later. “You’ve never told me about it, but lots of people asked you tonight.”
“Mmm.” It’s hard to concentrate on anything with him tracing patterns across my bare back. “I loved it. I was good at it. But the burnout is real. I know you’ve seen me stressed this year over the bar, but that’s nothing compared to how I was working in pediatrics.”
“Was it seeing the sick kids?”
“Yeah. Watching people who should still have so much life ahead of them suffer was so painful. But I was also overworked. We all were. We go past the point of burnout because we feel like we’re letting our patients down if we ever leave. But being sleep deprived is more of a risk to kids’ safety.”
A heaviness creeps into my heart, and it’s as if I’m back there, feeling like I’m walking through concrete as I enter the hospital to start my shift; tears flowing as I lay awake at night, reliving any tiny mistake I made during my shift.
Davis’s arm tightens around me, and I scrunch my eyes together and carry on saying what’s in my heart:
“When the bar came up, it felt like the perfect opportunity—no excuse—to escape, to get out. Start fresh.” I press a kiss to his collarbone. “I’m not pretending this year hasn’t been a struggle, but I know I’m surrounded by people who care about me. They’d notice if I was drowning. Theyhavenoticed, and not just because they needed someone to fill my shift.”
“Sweetheart,” Davis breathes against my forehead. “I’ve been trying to help, but you’re not the best at accepting it.”
“I’m not,” I agree. “When I took over Afterglow, I was all caught up in making it a success on my own. And the longer it took me to realise I couldn’t, the harder it hit. Every time someone offered to help, it felt like an attack. Like they thought I couldn’t handle anything.”
“I never meant it like that.”
“I know. But that’s how it felt. LikeIwas the problem, and you were having to manage me.”
“Ah, shit. I ballsed it up, didn’t I?”
I huff out a laugh. “A bit. But so did I. I should never have let things go unsaid for so long. We’re gonna have to work on our communication.”
“Fuuuuuck,” Davis groans. “I wrote you a business plan.”
“You did! For a business I’d never even told you about.”
