“That’s such bullshit.” She does her best to sit up on her own, before I help her. “You were trying to run? No. You were being an asshole. Just like the first day we ran into each other.”
“I was being that, yes.”
She sighs. “How could you think so little of your brother? Of me?”
Those are two questions I’ve asked myself countless times while I’ve waited for her to wake up this evening. “I don’t know. But I swear to God, Dee, it’ll never happen again. I will work hard every single day to prove to you how I feel. That I can be trusted. That we can be fucking incredible together. If you’ll let me?”
She thinks on it then yawns. “I’m tired, Nate. I need some sleep.”
“Right, of course.” I kick my legs out and lean back in the chair beside her bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m letting you sleep. But as long as you can’t physically remove me yourself, I’m not going anywhere. It’s the first way I’ll prove you can trust me. You can rely on me. I’m officially off shift, so now I’m only here for you. From now on, I will always be here for you, unless you tell me to go away. Then I’ll be here for you from afar.”
She laughs and rolls her eyes at me. “My God you’re dramatic. But…”
She doesn’t continue, not right away, and I get patient. “But what, woman? Give me something here.”
“You can be pretty damn cute when you go all Dr. Desirable on me.” She grins wide and yawns again.
Did she really just say those words? Am I hearing things right? “Does that mean you’ll give me a chance?”
“Mhmm,” she agrees, shutting her eyes. “But only if you shut the hell up so I can rest. Your psychotic bitch of an assistant ran me down with her car earlier, in case you missed that little detail. And I’m fucking exhausted.”
I stand, my smile spread so wide my cheeks are starting to hurt, and bend over her. “Sleep then, Gorgeous. I’ll be here when you wake.”
“Better be,” she answers groggily.
I press a careful kiss to her forehead and whisper quietly. “I’m sorry. So sorry. But I’m so glad you’re alive, because I think I might love you, and I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
I move to sit back down in my chair, stopping when she mutters, “I think I might actually love you, too. Now shut up so I can rest.”
EPILOGUE
Ten Months Later
Nate
“Are you absolutely certain you don’t want to renew your contract for another year?” Dee asks me, as she wraps her arms around my body and kisses over my bare chest. “You could become chief of surgery here.”
“I know I could.” I wrap my arms around her, and kiss her head. “But I don’t want to do long distance with you. And you can’t pass up the position at Children’s back home.”
“Is that the only reason you aren’t staying here, because of me?” She looks up at me, concern etching her face. “I won’t let you leave if it is. We can work it out.”
“It’s not the only reason, Gorgeous. I promise. I want to be home. I miss my brothers, my parents, our foundation has really taken off after the gala a couple months ago, and I want to be able to be more hands-on with it.” I dip my head and press a kiss to her lips. “Plus, University Orthopedics has offered me a damn good job there. And we would be working out of buildings right across the street from each other.”
She kisses me this time and grins against my lips. “So we are really going home?”
I slide my hands down to her hips, careful not to squeeze too hard, as her dislocated hip is still tender after a long day at work sometimes, and murmur against her lips, “We’re going home.”
She nips at me and laughs. “Wrong answer.”
“How is that the wrong answer?”
“Because, you should’ve said I’m your home, and anywhere I go, you’ll follow.” She tugs my lip again, biting a little harder this time.
“Isn’t that what me moving across the country with you says?” I slip my hands around to her ass and lift her up, encouraging her to wrap her legs around my hips.
“I mean, I guess it kind of is.”
“Brat.” I bite her back then soothe my tongue over where my teeth just were. “You know where my real home is?”
She grins wide then shakes her head no.
“How about I show you?”
“Yes, please.” She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me with an intensity and passion I will never get tired of, as I walk us into our bedroom and lay her on our bed.
“April was sentenced today,” I tell her casually, as I start to undress her. April Johnson was arrested ten months ago for running Dee down and charged with a slew of charges related to assault and battery and attempted murder. She tried to get an insanity plea, but nobody bought it, so she eventually plead guilty to lesser charges, and from what my attorney told me has received five to seven years in prison, with the chance of probation for good behavior. The state has also revoked her license to practice medicine.
“I’m aware. But we aren’t talking about that now.” She raises her hips off the bed, allowing me to tug her pants and panties down her legs.
“Micah rings the bell tomorrow,” I remind her, intentionally drawing this out and teasing her as I start working on her top next. I know she would never forget he will undergo his final dose of chemo tomorrow and then be declared in remission. Xavier even flew in for it.
“Yep, we’ll be there.” She reaches for my pants impatiently and works them down my legs. “Now shut up and fuck me, make yourself at home…”
With her clothes lying on the floor, I pull my shirt over my head and crawl onto the bed over her body. “You’re so fucking bossy.” I dip my head and tug a pink, perky nipple between my teeth.
“Ohhh God,” she groans out, moving her hands to my head to keep me where I am. “You love it.”
I move to the other side and tug it, too, then flick my tongue over, tormenting her relentlessly. “Behave yourself, or I’ll prolong this for hours.”
“Jerk.” She pouts her lips out, until I slip a hand between us and guide it down her body, teasing her clit with my fingers, making her moan out again.
“You were saying?” I circle her slowly, letting her arousal act as lubricant for me when I slip two fingers inside her.
“Oh God, Nate, please…” She rolls her hips up into my hand, and she pushes her leg into the bed, raising it to rub against my thickening cock.
“Dee…” I warn.
“Fuck. Me,” she challenges, working her own hand down and gripping me. “You know you want to, and I need you to.”
She strokes me from my base as far along my shaft as she can, rubbing my tip against her. Teasing me back.
“Fucking hell.” She knows I can’t resist her when she does shit like this.
“I gotcha right where I want ya,” she taunts.
“Not yet you don’t.” I take my hand off her pussy, and move it to cover hers over my shaft. I guide our movements and line myself up with her, rubbing myself over her opening. “But now you do. Let go of me.”
She does as I say and I thrust inside in one quick, forceful motion.
We both moan out in unison as I bury myself in her, then still when I can move no farther, grinding down over her.
“Fuck, Nate. More. Please. More.”
I take her hands in mine and raise them so they’re pinned to the bed over her head, keeping her from touching me, making sure she feels me everywhere. “Tell me how you want it.”
“Hard. Fast. I want to feel you there still tomorrow.”
“My pleasure…” I do as she requested and move with unbridled urgency, pulling out, and thrusting back in, over and over. It’s hot. It’s tight. It is absolute perfection.
Our bodies arch and bend together in our own mastered, perfect rhythm until we are both about to lose our minds, and then I slow it down and drop my forehead to hers, whispering, “With me. Look at me, Gorgeous.”
Her eyes open and lock onto mine.
Our noses are pressed together.
Our breaths are heavy and mingling between us, growing unsteady with our pending releases.
We both fight and fight as long as we can, until the feelings overwhelm us, and we come together, moaning out garbled versions of each other’s names.
We ride out the waves of ecstasy together until we are spent, then I collapse on the bed beside her and pull her into my chest.
“I love you, Cassidee Parker. You are the most incredible, frustrating, kind, amazing woman I have ever met.” I kiss her head and slide my hand down her spine, rubbing her back softly.
She was right.
Be it Rhode Island or Colorado, it doesn’t matter: she is my home.
“I love you too, Nathan Alexander, and I’m so excited to start our new life together back where we both grew up—back home. You may be an irritating asshole sometimes, but you are the most amazing man I know, and you will always be my Dr. Desirable.”
THE END
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Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I want to thank Vi and Penelope for opening up their wonderful, fun world so I could be a part of something as epic and amazing as the Cocky Hero Club. This is an opportunity I have never, and will never, take for granted. Thank you for seeing something in me, my books, worth inviting to be a part of your baby. I will be forever grateful to both of you.
To my mom and Brian—Cancer fucking sucks. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Through it all, though, you two continued to support and encourage me to keep writing, even when we weren’t sure what would happen or where Brian’s battle would take us. I said it at the beginning of the book, and I’ll say it now and forever, we will beat this. We will kick its ass. We will do it all as a family. I love you both, more. ;)
To my dad—Thank you for being my rock, my shoulder, my sounding board, and listening to all of my griping and talking, even when you had no idea what I was even talking about. I hope some of those conversations make a little more sense now. I love you so much, and I truly couldn’t get through writing or life without you being there for me.
To my amazing readers—new and old alike—THANK YOU! Thank you for taking a chance on me, thank you for coming back for more new words. Thank you for believing and encouraging me when sometimes I’m not sure if I can keep writing.
To Em, my HB, my best friend, writing buddy, book buddy, my plot pal, formatter, cheerleader—I COULD NOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU. Literally. By now you know what your presence in my life means to me, in and out of the book world. I love you.
I have to thank my awesome betas and early readers, too. To Joanne, Brooke, Kaitie, Bailey, Stacey, and Brandi—your eyes, your suggestions, your incredible feedback, and your encouragement are an invaluable part of my process. You all are amazing and I swear, I will appreciate you all forever.
To Sami, my Bestie, my soul sister, my provider of adorable snaps—I love you. Thank you for always encouraging me and cheering me on. And for understanding when I say I’m writing. Not many people would be as accepting of my inability to reply to texts like you. Squeeze my Sweeties for me extra hard when you read this. I love you.
And Karen, my editor extraordinaire. E-Squared, you’re the bomb. I’m so grateful I met you at the book signing five years ago (at the time I’m writing this). Your friendship, advice, and eagle eyes mean the world to me.
Doctor Desirable: A Hero Club Novel Page 29
