His laugh was dirty and low, making my skin tingle. “Oh you are. And you’re lucky I’m not at my full strength yet.”
“Meaning what? Are you telling me I haven’t been given the full Felix Cleverly treatment yet?”
He shook his head slowly and purposefully. “Nope. I’ve been at seventy percent max with this leg. Haven’t you noticed I’ve had limited function?”
“I think your function’s been just fine.”
I watched as his tongue ran across his lower lip and I knew he was thinking about the last time we were together, a rare Saturday night in, which was supposed to have been movie and pizza night, but it never got that far. I’d baked him the brownieshe loved so much, or tried to, because we’d somehow ended up eating the batter off each other, resulting in a sticky, sweaty mess on the kitchen floor.
“Just you wait, you’ll need to rest up before I crack out the hundred percent.”
I cleared my throat - and my brain, both of which had instantly fogged up with thoughts of Felix claiming my body, owning it as he did whenever we were together. I was amazed I had any bones left with the way he melted every part of me with the slightest touch. And if he’d only been working at seventy percent, I wasn’t sure I even wanted know what a hundred was.
Scratch that. ‘Course I did.
“Lex, thank you for my flowers. They’re beautiful.”
“You’re welcome, babycakes. I’m sorry we’re not together for our first Valentine’s, but every day with you is a Valentine for me.” He winked.
“Oh my God, you’re so cheesy.”
A toothy grin beamed out at me. “Are you telling me that’s not the truth?”
“I’m telling you, you’re a cheese ball.”
“Good job you love cheese then, isn’t it?”
I looked up at a knock on the door, whoever was on the other side opening it up before I’d had a chance to respond.
“Babe, I need to go. I’ll speak to you later. Love love you.”
“Yeah, you do.”
The screen went blank just as Doctor Bromley, the hospital’s Chief of Surgery, entered. I almost tripped with the speed at which I stood up, my chair pushing back so fast it rebounded and hit me in the back of my knee. He looked around my flower filled office, his expression remaining as stoic as it always did. He was a lesson in calm and composed, he was never ruffled and never creased. And it was virtually impossible to imagine him ever being an intern. Or even a resident. He liked to pop byunannounced, keeping the entire surgical staff on its toes. And it was always comparable to being visited by the principal.
“Chief Bromley, how are you? Can I help you with anything?”
“Doctor Marks, I see Cupid has paid you a visit,” he commented, drolly.
I forced away the flush of embarrassment that was rapidly heating my entire body. “Yes, sir.”
“Anyway, I saw Doctor Evans this morning, and he said he hadn’t heard from you about your Fellowship interview.”
The happiness I’d felt moments ago was engulfed in a black cloud of despair, my stomach instantly clenching with the anxiety I’d been pushing down, that I’d been steadfastly trying to ignore for ten days, since the letter had arrived. For ten days I’d pushed away every instinct I had to respond to it, respond to something I’d worked so fucking hard for. Something I’d earned and deserved. Something I’d wanted for so long.
But I’d been given something else I’d wanted just as much, for just as long.
And so I’d pushed it away and tried not to think about it. I’d put it at the bottom of my drawer and covered it with files and papers and anything else I could hide it under, and pretend it wasn’t there, burning a hole in my desk, and my brain, and my heart. Pretend it wasn’t something I knew would change my life again, that I knew had the potential to rip my life apart.
I figured if I ignored it long enough, a solution would present itself.
Because that’s what normally happened, right?
“Oh, really, sir? Let me check on that. I think I had confirmed the week after next.”
He pinned me with a stare, setting off a mini internal panic that he could see through my lie.
“Good. I told him there had to be some kind of clerical error. This is a great opportunity for you, Molly. You deserve this.”
