The Pairing

by Katie Ashley

  “You don’t need to wait on me.”

  “Just shut up and let me take care of you for two seconds.”

  Her words reminded him of when she had cleaned his wounds after Dev’s punch. No matter what the situation, she was always ready to be there for him and take care of him.

  The microwave beeped and brought him out of his thoughts. Mason hurried over to the table and sat down beside Pesh in his booster seat. When Megan put down the steaming plates, he reached for her hand and kissed it. “Thank you.”

  A funny look passed in her eyes before she smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “Won’t you sit with us?” he asked.

  “Actually, I would love to take a warm bath. You know, to see if it would help relax my muscles.”

  Pesh smiled. “I’ll be happy to keep an eye on Mason while you do that.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Of course I don’t.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” She kissed the top of Mason’s head, and then kissed his cheek. She turned to start into the bedroom before whirling back around. He lowered his fork at the expression on her face. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she leaned in and laid a big one on him. He couldn’t hide his surprise. When she pulled away, she grinned at his speechlessness. “I won’t be long,” she said.

  Once the bedroom door closed behind her, Pesh gazed over at Mason. “What do you want to do when we finish eating?”

  “Minions,” he mumbled through a mouthful of food.

  Pesh furrowed his brows in confusion. “What’s minions?”

  Hopping down off his chair, Mason ran over to the TV. When he returned, he had a DVD box in his hand. He pointed to some yellow blobs on the cover. “Minions.”

  “Ah, I see. You want to watch this.” Mason bobbed his head. “Is it your favorite?” Pesh asked.

  “Uh, huh,” Mason replied.

  “Then I guess we better eat fast so we can watch it.”

  At Mason’s beaming grin, Pesh felt a little tug in his chest. Even though he shouldn’t, he already had strong feelings for the little boy. From almost the moment they’d met, Mason had let Pesh into his world.

  The sound of a fork clattering on a plate brought Pesh out of his thoughts. “Done!” Mason exclaimed, hopping out of his chair. Although Pesh wasn’t finished, Mason grabbed his hand and led him from the table. Instead of arguing with him, Pesh just let himself be dragged over to the TV. Once he got the movie on, they settled down on the couch. He couldn’t fight the warmth that spread through his chest when Mason snuggled close to his side. Instead, he just embraced the feeling and let happiness override the doubt that screamed in his mind.

  Under the strong, warm jets of the jacuzzi tub, Megan’s pain started to fade. Of course, as much as she tried to relax, it was too hard considering that Pesh was in her living room. She couldn’t believe that he had shown up out of the blue to check on her. Just when she thought he couldn’t be any kinder or more attentive, he did something like that.

  Tilting her neck on the foam headrest, she thought about her talk with Kristi the day before. She hated to admit it, but she knew she had a choice to make. She either had to let go of Pesh, or she had to make things official with him. They couldn’t just keep dating and hooking up…or was it just hooking up?

  With a frustrated groan, she shifted in the tub, sloshing the water around. Closing her eyes, she tried to search her heart for how she truly felt. No man had ever made her feel like felt with Pesh, and that could be said both inside and out of the bedroom. Gazing down at her pruning fingers, she knew it was time to get out of the tub. She could stay there for days and still not have the answer she so desperately sought.

  After she toweled off and wrapped herself in her terry cloth robe, she went out into the bedroom. As she threw on a fresh pair of pajama pants and a T-shirt, she noticed it was awfully quiet in the living room. Wondering what Mason and Pesh could be doing, she ducked out of the bedroom. The sight across from her on the couch made her chest clench with emotion. Reaching up, she clutched her T-shirt over her heart, trying to still some of the ache that burned there.

  With the strains of Despicable Me playing in the background, Pesh lay on his back with Mason on top of him. Her son’s face was snuggled into Pesh’s chest, and he was sound asleep. They both were. Pesh’s face was tilted down, his nose pressed into the strands of Mason’s hair.

  Before she could harden herself to the emotions coursing through her, tears stung her eyes. In that moment, she allowed herself to fantasize that this was truly her life. She had a loving husband who adored her, and her son had an attentive and doting father. What more could she ask for in life? In those minutes of weakness, she wondered why she had been fighting Pesh so hard about a relationship. Besides her own happiness, there was nothing more in the world that she wanted than for Mason to be safe and happy.

  As she came crashing back to reality, she saw things clearly for the first time in a long time. Pesh had been so worried about her that he’d driven over just to check on her. She’d never had a boyfriend who cared about her that much, and no matter how hard she searched in the future, she was probably never going to find another man like Pesh. There were so many things about him that she liked…maybe even loved. He made her want to get up in the mornings, so she could see him at work. She found herself anxiously checking her phone to see if she had a text from him. She loved spending time with him. But it was more than just the feelings that Pesh felt for her or that she felt for him—it was the fact that he cared so much about her son. They were a package deal for any future man, and he had willingly embraced that fact without complaint.

  On shaky legs, she walked over to the couch. As she stood over the two of them, she couldn’t help reaching out her hand and tenderly touching Pesh’s cheek. He stirred at the contact. When his eyelids fluttered open, she smiled at him. “Hi.”

  His gaze spun around the room like he was trying hard to remember where he was. When he glanced down at Mason, realization washed over his face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “It’s okay. I’m sure you needed it. Besides, I took too long in the tub.”

  He smiled. “I would argue that you need it as well.”

  Bending over, she slid her hand under Mason’s stomach while the other went under his legs. She hoisted him up and into her arms. When he whimpered, she murmured, “Shh, Mommy’s going to put you to bed.”

  “Night, night, Pesh,” Mason mumbled drowsily.

  “Good night, little man,” Pesh replied.

  Once she had tucked Mason in and kissed his cheek, she closed his bedroom door and returned to the living room. Pesh sat hunched over on the edge of one of the couch cushions, as if he were planning to leave as soon as she came back. “Is he okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Out like a light the moment I put him down.”

  “Good.” When he started to stand up, she pushed him back down on the couch. Easing down onto his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He brought his hand up to rub lazy circles over her back. She didn’t speak for a few minutes. Instead, she just enjoyed being close to him, the feel of his hand on her, his strong, muscled thighs beneath her.

  “Thank you for coming over tonight.”

  His brows rose in surprise. “Are you sure? I was afraid I was overstepping my bounds.”

  Raking her fingers through his dark hair, she shook her head. “I think we need to talk about our boundaries.”

  “Oh?”

  She nodded. “You coming over here tonight made me realize something very important. What we’ve been doing has been fun, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. But now—”

  Pesh’s dark eyes snapped shut, and the expression on his face shifted as if he were in pain. “Please. You don’t have to say this. I’ll just go.”

  “But I don’t want you to go,” she argued.

  “Then what are you trying to say?”

  “That I need you in my life, and I w
ant more.”

  His brows shot up. “More? As in more of us together?”

  “Yes.”

  He sucked in a breath. “You want us to be an official couple?”

  She smiled. “Yes, I do. Well, everywhere except work.”

  “I can’t believe it,” he murmured.

  “This isn’t exactly the reaction I thought you would have,” she teased.

  “Oh, I’m happy. Trust me. I’m just shocked, that’s all.”

  She brought her lips to his and gave him a tender kiss. Against his lips, she murmured, “Can you ever forgive me for being so stubborn and so stupid?”

  “I can try. But I suppose you’re going to have to work very hard to make it up to me.”

  “Am I?”

  He nodded. “Yes, very hard.”

  “Why do I have the funny feeling that your idea of me making it up to you is entirely different than mine?”

  “No more orgasms for dates. Just dates.”

  “I can handle that.”

  A wicked gleam flashed in Pesh’s eyes. “The first date will be to the Fox to see an opera.”

  She groaned. “You don’t play fair.”

  He ran his hands up her sides, causing her to shiver. “I would have to argue that you haven’t been playing fair all along. Now it’s my turn.”

  “Are you going to punish me?” she questioned in a whisper.

  “Mmm, hmm, there will lots of dates and lots of time spent together.” He quirked a brow at her. “A true hell on earth.”

  She couldn’t help giggling. “I’ll be a good girl and take it.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  As they lapsed into silence, Megan’s fingers wound through the hair at the base of his neck. “Do you want to stay the night with me?”

  Pesh’s brows furrowed as if silently questioning her proposal. “But you—”

  “No sex. Just sleeping.”

  “You think that’s a good idea with Mason?”

  “We’re a couple now. He’s going to be seeing a lot of you.”

  Pesh smiled. “Yes, he is.”

  Staring into his eyes, she asked, “So you’ll stay?”

  “It would be a pleasure.”

  Without another word, she rose off his lap. After he got up off the sofa, she took him by the hand and led him to her bedroom. As she sat on the edge of the mattress, she watched as Pesh stripped down to his boxer shorts. When he was finished, he walked slowly over to her. “I’m sorry we can’t do anything else.”

  He brushed the hair out of her face and cupped her cheeks. “I don’t mind. I’m happy just to be with you.”

  In her heart, she was happy as well and not just about him staying the night. But for how everything between them had worked out. “So am I,” she murmured before lying back on the bed. “So am I.”

  For Megan, the next few weeks flew by. She didn’t know if it was because she was so busy at work, or it was because she was so happy being with Pesh. She liked to think it was the latter. Or maybe it was that she was busy being with Pesh. On her off days and his, they spent every second together. Most often, he came to her house. They made dinner together or they went out. Although her parents didn’t entirely approve, he slept over as well. What they didn’t know is that some nights nothing illicit even happened between them. Exhausted from the day’s events, they merely enjoyed lying in each other’s arms.

  As she came out of a patient’s room, she glanced up to see Pesh standing across the hall talking to another doctor. For just a moment, his gaze met hers, and although no one else could have possibly noticed it, she saw the longing and the affection. She gave him a brief nod before walking on to the nurses’ station.

  Since they had become a couple, their time at work had become almost a game of wills to pretend there was nothing going on between them. Most days, it was harder than Megan could have ever imagined not to burst out in a smile whenever she saw him or to resist the urge not to wrap her arms around him. But somehow they made it work. In the end, the pent up emotions that were suppressed during the day made for a lot of heated fireworks in the evenings.

  Megan’s thoughts were interrupted at the buzzing of her phone. When she glanced down at it, she grinned. It was Pesh.

  It killed me not to be able to kiss you a moment ago.

  I know. Me too.

  Dinner at my place tonight?

  U cooking? She questioned.

  Yeah. Indian food.

  Mmm, sounds good. What time?”

  7. Does Mason like Indian food?

  Megan eyed his text thoughtfully. The last three times she had been with Pesh, Mason had been with them as well. Pesh never seemed to mind, but Megan wanted a night with just him. A true date night.

  Not sure. Will get my parents or Papa to babysit.

  You don’t have to do that.

  I know. I want to.

  Okay. See you at 7.

  Bye.

  She had just slipped her phone back in her pocket when she was ambushed by Kara. Since the day she’d seen Kara grope Pesh in the hallway, Megan had loathed the sight of her. She had managed to keep her distance from her at work, but lately, she noticed that Kara had been creeping around, staring at her.

  “Can I do something for you?” Megan asked politely.

  “Yeah, for starters, you can drop the sugar sweet act. I know how you feel about me.”

  Megan fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. What do you need Kara?”

  Kara glanced around them before she spoke. “I want you to back off of Pesh.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Narrowing her eyes, Kara said, “I know you’re into him. I can see it in the way you look at him…it’s in the way he looks at you, too. And I don’t like it.”

  “Well, I’m terribly sorry that you don’t, but frankly, I don’t see how any of that is any of your business.”

  “Oh, he is very much my business considering we’ve been together.”

  “Um, okay. Whatever,” Megan replied, feeling slightly shattered by Kara’s proclamation. In the rational side of her mind, she knew there was no way Pesh could be involved with Kara. But at the moment, it was the irrational side that seemed to be winning out over whether Pesh was truly hers.

  Kara jerked her chin in the air. “Besides the fact of what Pesh and I are to each other, I’m sure it would be very interesting business to your professor. Last time I checked, a nursing candidate wasn’t supposed to get involved with a doctor. Bad for one’s reputation.”

  “Are you threatening me?”

  After a casual shrug of her shoulders, Kara replied, “Just stating facts. You don’t impress me as one of those bimbo girls who likes to be used by a man for sex, which I’m afraid that’s exactly what Pesh is doing with you. But more than not wanting to be a sex toy, I imagine you wouldn’t want to do anything to harm your future career.”

  “I’m not discussing this any further,” Megan muttered, as she started past her.

  “I won’t be either as long as you stay away from Pesh.”

  Without giving Kara a final glance, Megan continued walking down the hallway. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she wanted to put as much distance as she could between herself and Kara.

  The rest of the day she felt haunted by Kara’s words. More than anything, she couldn’t wait until she could be alone with Pesh to talk to him about it.

  Pesh jerked his head up at the loud bang behind him. The garage door leading into the kitchen was thrown open with such a force that it rattled on its hinges. Megan stalked into the room, her mouth turned down in a determined frown. She threw her purse down onto the floor beside one of the bar stools. With a frustrated breath, she blew back a few errant strands of blonde hair that had escaped the loose knot at the back of her neck.

  “Bad day?” he asked, with thinly veiled amusement.

  She glared at him. “Yes, as a matter of fact it was.”

  �
��What happened?”

  “Well, where do I start? When I went to drop Mason off at Papa’s house, there was a woman there with him.”

  Pesh’s brows rose in surprise. “Patrick is dating?”

  “He claims she’s—”Megan paused to make air quotes with her fingers, “just a friend. But I don’t buy it.”

  As he stirred the rice, he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Would it be wrong if he were dating?”

  A long sigh escaped Megan’s lips. “No, he deserves to be happy. My nana has been dead for six years, so it’s not like he raced out the moment he was free and started going through women like Kleenex.”

  Pesh chuckled at her summation. “Did you not like her?”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Megan replied, “That’s the other part. She seemed really nice. And Mason loves her. I guess she’s been there before when he stayed with Papa.”

  After abandoning his place by the stove, Pesh placed his hands on the marble countertop and leaned in close to Megan. “It sounds to me like Patrick has found a good woman who loves him and his family. I don’t think you could ask for a better scenario.”

  She stared into his eyes for a moment before she smiled. “You’re right. I don’t know why I got so upset about it all.”

  “Because as much as you love your grandfather, you’re still protective of your grandmother’s memory.”

  “You’re so wise,” she murmured.

  “It comes with age,” he replied, with a wink.

  “Whatever.”

  He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before returning to the stove. “So besides Patrick’s new lady friend, what else happened to get you so upset?”

  When Megan didn’t reply, Pesh turned around. “What else is it?”

  “You need to have a serious discussion with Kara.”

  His brows rose in surprise. “I do?”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “Megan, you do remember that I’m not in charge of nurses.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I realize that. But you are in charge of your dick, are you not?”