“You’ve fished out a LEGO? How did that even fit up there?”
I smiled. “Don’t ask.”
“Jesus,” he groaned.
I hung my bag over my shoulder and took off my gloves.
“I’ll take those.” He held out his hand.
As I set the latex in his palm, our fingers grazed, and something instantly happened. It was a burst, swirling inside my stomach, lifting to my chest.
It came on hard.
Fast.
And it didn’t stop with one wave—the longer we touched, my fingertips frozen against his palm, his gaze intensifying by the second, the more ripples blasted through me.
I couldn’t move.
All I could do was part my lips and take a deep breath.
When his hand pulled back, clutching my gloves, he asked, “How do you know Ben?”
Had he felt that?
Was his body on fire like mine?
Who is this man, and how did he have the power to make me feelthat?
“And his love for vanilla cupcakes?”
Answer, Emily.
Speak.
My hand dropped to my side, my tongue dry and heavy like lead in my mouth. “I’m best friends with Maya. We’re roommates and coworkers. Your grandma is actually one of our patients.”
“No way. That’s fucking wild.”
“One evening, not too long ago, Jordan was looking after Ben, and the four of us had a little date at your arena. Your son basically taught me how to skate.” I shifted my weight, my body suddenly fidgety. “He’s really fabulous, Gavin.”
He stood from the couch, towering over me, the movement sending me a strong breeze of his scent. An equal mix of ginger and cinnamon, creating a spicy and mysterious aroma.
“He is.”
I ran my tongue over each lip, trying to wet them. “I won’t tell you what that kid inhaled for dinner, but it became pretty obvious how much he loves vanilla cupcakes.”
He chuckled. “My brother gives my son anything he wants.” He gripped the back of his neck. “It’s too much.”
“It’s only out of love.”
“I know.”
The room turned silent, and I took that as my cue to leave. “I’ll let Dr. Kaplan know there’s no need for a follow-up. If Ben has any pain later tonight or in the morning, you may want to bring him into the office tomorrow. If not, I think he’ll be fine.” I nodded toward the direction of the elevator. “I’ll let myself out.”
As I was about to take a step, he beat me to it and walked over to the wet bar on the far side of the living room. “I don’t know about you, Emily, but I could really use a drink.” He lifted a bottle off one of the shelves and poured the liquor into a short tumbler. “Would you like to join me?”
I let out a long, semi-moaning exhale. “I’m on the clock. I have to stay liquor-free in case I get called to another emergency button situation.” I offered him a smile. My head tilted as the regret of my on-call status dug deeper into my chest. “Another time?”
