“Look at me,” he said firmly. “What do you actually want to do, Hope?”
“Write.”
“Exactly. So I have no plans to give you raises or keep being your boss,” he said confidently. “Someday, I want you living in my house, wearing my clothes, roaming my library—” He leaned in, his lips barely grazed mine. “—and writing to your heart’s content, if that’s what makes you happy.”
My eyes closed on their own, his words sending shivers down my spine.
“I have no plans to keep you as my employee, Hope. Am I making myself clear?”
I nodded slowly, feeling a little light-headed. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?
He smiled. “Now can we stop worrying about this?”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly, then let out a small laugh.
He leaned in to kiss me again, and it was even better than the first few he’d given me. I melted into him as he took his time now, kissing me in a way that wasn’t as desperate as before. This time, it was like he was savoring me. He nipped at my bottom lip with his perfect teeth, and I had no problem keeping up, opening my mouth so his tongue could slide against mine.
I wanted to get completely lost in him. But as the kiss deepened, I discovered an electrifying feeling. Something that seemed like it might actually consume me if I wasn’t careful.
I pulled away abruptly.
“I should, um…” I shook my head, trying to clear it. “Go get my hot chocolate.”
He nodded and swallowed thickly, his navy eyes dark with a hunger I couldn’t quite name. “That’s probably a good idea.”
He helped me off his lap, and I was a little wobbly as I headed toward the kitchen.
I went to the counter, intent on grabbing my mug and taking a few grounding sips before going back into the living room, but as I passed the sink, I noticed a stack of papers sitting out.
My eyes drifted to the top page without meaning to, and I started reading.
COMPLAINT FORM
I paused, my eyes jumping down to the line below it.
CALIFORNIA STATE DENTAL BOARD
“What is this?” I said aloud, my body going rigid as I picked up the papers.
Jay looked over the back of the couch, and the moment he saw what I was holding, his demeanor changed. He stood and came over to where I was standing, frozen, staring at the front page of the form.
He took the pages gently from my hands and set them down on the opposite counter. “I printed those off in case you wanted to submit a complaint,” he said quietly, his jaw clenching. “You don’t have to, though.”
“Is this a form to submit to the dental board?”
“It’s the first step to getting Dr. Pike in front of the dental board so we can get his license taken away.” He reached for me, and I let him pull me close again.
I looked up at him, my eyes wide. “You think we could really do it?”
“I do. Once the complaint is submitted, we could get it escalated to a disciplinary hearing.”
I bit my lip. “I thought you said we would need more witnesses.”
“I’m having that looked into right now. I think we can find another person before the hearing is called. It may take a few months for anything to happen, but the first place to start is submitting the complaint.”
I glanced back at the papers, a swirl of emotions crashing into me all at once. I wanted nothing more than to put this behind me, but I also knew I couldn’t fully move forward until I faced it.
“Okay.”
