“I’m glad you like them,” he replies, voice husky. His thumb brushes across my bottom lip. The light catches on the sugar crystals there before his tongue darts out, licking them away.
Groaning, I tilt my head back to lean against the headrest. “Cooper,” I warn.
His responding chuckle is low and throaty. “Later,” he says.
“Later,” I promise.
Cooper
I’m flying pretty high as the elevator takes me up to our floor. My cookies were a success. Teddy and I have…plans. And I’m getting D’Maggio’s for dinner.
Reality smacks me right back down to earth as I enter the apartment and get a look at the mess I conveniently forgot all about.Shit.I’ve only got two hours before Teddy gets home. Rushing into the kitchen, I pull out my cleaning supplies and get to work.
I’m just stepping out of the shower when I hear the front door open. I rush through towel-drying my hair and dressing before heading out to the living room to find Teddy. His back is to me as he sets two cans of soda down on the coffee table beside the pizza box.
I wrap my arms around him from behind, and his hands come to rest on top of mine as we stand there, soaking each other in. After a minute or two, he turns to face me. “Hey,” he says.
“Hey yourself,” I reply.
“Wanna tell me why there’s a burnt towel in the kitchen trash?”
“I could, or I could find something much more interesting to do with my mouth.”
“Hmmm,” he hums as he kisses along my jawline. “Who cares about some stupid towel?”
“Good choice,” I say as I walk him backwards to the couch. Once he’s sitting, I drop to my knees in front of him. I hear a quiet groan from above, but I ignore it as I promptly spin to sit on my butt and reach for the pizza box. “Pizza is so much more interesting, don’t you think?” I ask as innocently as I can manage.
“I think you’re the biggest tease this side of the Mississippi.”
“You say the sweetest things,” I coo as I hand him a slice over my shoulder.
He takes the pizza before sliding off the couch to sit beside me on the floor.
“How was work? It didn’t look too busy when I stopped by.”
“Not too bad today. We had a handful of major cases, but most of the day was spent on minor cases that were basically clinic-level stuff.”
“Does it frustrate you when those kinds of cases come in?”
“It used to. Back when I was a baby nurse, people who could have easily been treated at urgent care but came into the ER instead used to make me so frustrated. I viewed it as them trying to take advantage of the system, which resulted in them taking resources from more critical patients. Now, as a more experienced nurse and human being, I know better.
“People that come to the ER for relatively minor issues usually aren’t trying to play the system. The reason they’re even there at all is because the system failed them first. Insurance is often unaffordable, and the plans people can afford barely cover anything. That makes it to where many people are unable toreceive regular preventive medical care. Instead, they wait until something happens. Then their only choice is the ER because it’s the one place they can be treated without having to pay upfront. It’s not their fault they live in a world where people have to choose between eating or paying for a doctor’s visit.”
“Wow. I never really thought of it like that. I guess I never realized how inaccessible healthcare is since I avoid doctors and hospitals like the plague, but I love how passionate you are about it, Teddy. Nurses with your kind of heart are the ones that are able to truly make a difference. Do your coworkers have similar opinions?”
“We’ve never really talked about it outright, but they don’t seem to get as irritated by the ‘easy cases’ as some of the people I’ve worked with in the past. So I’d like to think they do.”
We continue to chat about lighter topics as we finish our meal. After all the trash is thrown away, Teddy heads to take a shower.
Steam billows out around him as he exits the bathroom. The towel slung low on his hips makes me bite my lip, but he’s too busy toweling off his hair to notice me sitting on the bed.That just won’t do.I’m about to stand when he pulls the towel off his head. He freezes, finally noticing me…and my lack of clothes.
“I believe you made a promise,” I say.
“Did I?”
“Yes. Something about ‘later.’ Well, later has arrived, and I’d like to collect.”
He all but saunters over to where I’m sitting.Sexy bastard.
