This man could snap you in half, my brain supplied.
And some traitorous part of me whispered,Yes.
He caught me looking and our eyes met again.
This time, something flickered there.
Recognition.
Of attraction.
And with it came something sharper—certainty. Sudden and undeniable.
I knew, in that instant, that I was interested. Not politely curious. Not mildly intrigued. Interested in the way that stripped excuses away. The kind of awareness that didn’t ask permission or wait for introductions.
Men joked about this all the time. I’d heard it my whole life—guys rating women, laughing, asking each other if they’d hit that, reducing attraction to something blunt and physical. I’d always rolled my eyes, dismissing it as crude shorthand for feelings they didn’t bother to examine.
But looking at this man with the bruised knuckles and the dangerous stillness, I suddenly understood the simplicity of it.
Because my reaction wasn’t polite or intellectual. It wasn’t about compatibility or shared interests or whether he’d make a good long-term partner.
It was pure, physical certainty.
If he walked over, took my hand, and pulled me out into the street, I’d follow. If he leaned down and kissed me, I wouldn’t move away. Somewhere private, somewhere reckless, somewhere entirely inappropriate—I didn’t even care.
The thought flashed hot and shocking through me.
I would absolutely fuck this man.
The realization hit so hard it almost made me dizzy. My body reacted before my brain could catch up—pulse quickening, warmth spreading low in my stomach, awareness sharpening until the room felt smaller, tighter.
And the most startling part?
I didn’t feel ashamed of it.
I felt awake.
My breath caught.
The back door swung open, breaking the moment.
“Mr. Black,” a nurse called. “Come.”
He stood in one fluid movement, towering for a second before slinging his jacket over his shoulder.
He paused, glancing back at me.
“Good luck,” he said.
I opened my mouth, not sure what I meant to say.
Nothing came out.
He disappeared through the door.
And the room felt emptier without him.
My heart was still beating too fast.
