by JD Hawkins
It’s only since last week that either of us has slept in the same bed more than two nights in a row—because that’s when he finally bought this huge house. It was almost on a whim, and I know he decided to take it the second he saw my face when we stepped inside. But no amount of money can buy you time, and since Nate bought it we’ve been sleeping on the floor while the place fills with boxes, neither of us getting a chance to unpack and fix the place up.
Or perhaps it’s just that we’ve been spending our free time doing more exciting things with each other…
Strangest of all—or perhaps not—is that we never even talked about the two of us living together, never even questioned that this is already a serious relationship, rather than some whimsical romance with potential. Perhaps pretending to be engaged made us already feel like we’d bypassed that other stuff. Perhaps big life decisions make themselves when you’re busy doing other things.
“The creases are your fault,” Nate says, standing back and putting an arm around my shoulder as he appreciates the yellow painting.
So far he’s found no time to put together the bedframe, unpack the kitchen stuff, or wire up the internet—but plenty to hang my old paintings around the house.
“This is an important one. Don’t you remember it?”
I look at the painting but the memory’s vague, and I’ve got too much else on my mind. “No?”
“It’s the one you gave me when we went to that wedding. When you wore the red dress.”
I laugh and roll my eyes as I peel away from him and hurry back to the kitchen.
“I’m surprised you haven’t framed the red dress as well,” I say as he rushes up beside me to take the box.
“You never needed it anyway,” he says, winking at me as he rounds the kitchen island to dump the box there.
I move beside him and start pulling out glasses to put in the sink and wash. Within seconds he’s behind me, his mouth nipping at my neck, his hands caressing my belly beneath my purple crop top.
“Nate…” I giggle, trying to work. “They’re going to be here any second. Go order a pizza or something. Nate…Nate…mmm…” I try to resist, to stop myself from backing into him, melting under him, but the one thing he’s certainly found time for is learning what gets me. “Oh…no. We can’t. It’s been a whole month and you haven’t seen my friends.”
“It’s been about three hours since we—”
I laugh as I spin in his arms and placate him with a quick kiss, then push him away.
“Pizza,” I command with a smile, promising myself to get him back once they’re gone…
Half an hour later, Nate and I open the door to the surprise of seeing everyone there at once. Mia, Alison, Maeve, Colin, and Toby, who’s carrying the two big pizzas Nate ordered, the pizza guy at the end of our street heading back to his car.
There’s an eruption of enthusiastic greetings and chatter as we hug and kiss and shake hands and lead them inside.
“Wow! This place!” Mia coos.
“You all arrived together?”
“We all got lost and ended up gathering before coordinating.”
“Excuse the boxes—try not to trip. I have no idea what half this stuff even is anymore.”
“Go on, Alison,” Mia says, jogging her in her arms. “Say hello to Uncle Nate.”
“This the bathroom, sweetie?”
“I don’t know how you did it, Nate, but that Aston is still driving like a dream.”
“It is, but we haven’t got towels or anything in it yet. Go down this hall on your right—it’s the door next to the painting.”
“Where do you want these pizzas?”
“Oh let me hold Alison a bit, I’ve missed how yummy she is. Aren’t you? Yes you are!”
“You drove the Aston here?”
“Sure did.”
“Take those pizzas out back into the yard if you can, Toby—it’s the only place in this house that isn’t a death trap.”
On a rush of excitement and happiness we eventually find ourselves out in the yard, on the terrace before the still-empty pool. The pizzas open on a large packing box, Colin and Nate sitting on a couple of others while the rest of us sit on a random assortment of stools and deck chairs—Maeve even taking one of our thick upholstered armchairs, though it sort of suits her.
At no point do we stop talking, at no point does the mood lull, or a silence break over us, even as we stuff ourselves with the entirety of the two pizzas. Conversation topples and twists from everything that happened between me and Nate in Chicago, to compliments on the new house and our plans for it, to Alison’s burgeoning talent and enthusiasm for singing, to Mia’s growing love for that repaired Aston.
Even as the sun sets and we realize we’ve been there for hours, pausing only so that we could lead everyone through the maze of boxes on a tour of the place. The initial excitement wearing out only into a satisfying complacence. Nate chatting with Colin and Maeve about potential offices. Toby and Mia cooing over how much they love the house.
The strangest thing about it all is that it doesn’t feel strange at all. Me going from a box of an apartment in a sketchy neighborhood to the kind of place I’d only know through a TV screen. The rush of having money to spend and a whole house to decorate. Impromptu weekends in Vegas and the benefits of a man who gets up early and likes to bring me breakfast in bed. Nate fitting in with my friends like he’s known them for years, with my friends accepting him and liking him just as much.
None of it feels strange because I never cared about things like money and houses, and I always knew my friends were good people who looked out for me. And most of all, because Nate and I are deeply in love. A love that makes everything else feel natural—as if that emotional, spiritual richness between us has manifested all of this tangible stuff, and yet at the same time makes it all insignificant.
And then something does feel a little strange. The sky now a dusty blue, making faces dim and casting the city view beyond the empty pool as a glittering blanket of lights. The conversations finally fading into their last sighs, voices low and comfortable, as if they’ve expressed everything they could possibly express. The time for listening to the quiet, watching the sky, inhaling the scent of the fragrant eucalyptuses and California peppers at the edge of the property.
In this lovely twilight, Toby lets out a quiet chuckle and we look to see what’s made him laugh. Maeve and Nate are taking a stroll around the pool, Nate jogging Alison gently in his arms, pointing out the trees and plants and view there, making her giggle and point herself. Suddenly I feel strange—but not in a bad way at all.
“We should get going,” Mia says when Maeve and Nate make it back. “Take advantage of Nate tiring Alison out and get a good night’s sleep.”
“Sure,” I say, standing up with everyone else as they gather their things and slowly make their way back to the front of the house.
After hugs and kisses and promises to get back to one another about this potential office building and that wall paint brand and this stock tip and that recital, Nate and I stand in the doorway and watch the others retreat down the driveway to their cars. We both laugh warmly as Mia revs the Aston for us before speeding off, and then when Toby speeds away we also retreat into the house and shut the door.
“Gimme a second and I’ll go clean up,” Nate says. “I’ve got baby drool all over my hands.”
“Sure,” I say, taking a few steps toward the yard but then coming up with an idea.
I creep toward the bathroom and wait until I hear the tap going—until Nate’s washing his hands with his typical fastidiousness—then sneak inside and try to avoid him catching me in the mirror. Once I make it behind him without him realizing, I’m almost too surprised I managed it to pull it off, nearly giving the game away with a laugh.
Before he can notice me, I reach around and grab the front of his pants, causing his whole body to stiffen up as he gives me a fantastically shocked look in the mirror.
“Ooh.�
� He winces, as I tighten my grip carefully. “Easy, tiger.”
“Told you I’d get you back,” I say to his reflection from behind him.
He smiles and I tighten a little more to let him know I’m entertaining myself just a little more than him.
“I never doubted it for a minute,” he says, his voice struggling a little.
I let go and sidle in front of him, my back to the sink, then lift myself onto it so I can sit on the edge, pulling his body between my thighs, my hands around his neck. I press my tongue into his mouth, giving him the breathy, sordid kiss I’ve wanted to give him all day. Enjoying how his muscles start to tighten, how his hands start to grab, how his breathing starts to mirror the emerging hard sex of his body.
I snap my lips away and tease him by pulling them back when he leans in for more.
“I want to give you what you want, Nate.”
“Oh yeah?” he growls back.
I turn aside and fish among the bottles and products for the box of condoms we used this morning. When I find it I lift it and look at him, his jaw clenched with anticipation.
Then, with careful precision, I lean to the side and toss the box into the wastebasket. A gesture so deliberate he can’t mistake what it means.
When I bring my eyes back to Nate there’s a brief sense of surprise, and then something powerful. Deep feeling mixed with his lust now—love and sex becoming one.
“Yeah,” I reply, making it sound like an oath.
When we kiss again, it feels like something new. A new purpose, a new direction, a new dedication.
And perhaps a new life.
Want more Bad Boy romance?
Check out Playing Doctor
Why, yes, I am a doctor. Want me to kiss it better?
It’s always been an unacknowledged perk of the MD behind my name that it’s also a kitty magnet. I’ve got my pick of the litter. I only have one rule, and that’s to keep dating and work in different sandboxes. I learned that lesson the hard way once, and I wouldn’t have made it through med school if I needed to be told twice.
But everything about Mia makes me dumb.
Everything about the hot, bookish gynecologist makes me think NSFW thoughts that just won’t quit.
I try throwing myself into my work. Playing as much pickup soccer as I can handle. But it isn’t long before I’m breaking all my rules to get just one more taste of Mia.
We’re headed for a reckoning.
I’m about to earn a new degree: in love.
Get Playing Doctor now, FREE in Kindle Unlimited
Also by JD Hawkins
Behaving Badly Series
Playing Doctor
Bad Boy Benefits
BS Boyfriend
Cocky Men Series
Cocky Chef
Flawless
All In
Bad Boys Series
Confessions of a Bad Boy
Love and Ink
Unprofessional
Temptation
Insatiable Series
Insatiable
Booty Call
The Bet
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About the Author
JD Hawkins writes erotic romance with modern-classic alpha males and strong, independent women. He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles, CA. He loves to travel and has lived in many places, including New York City, India and Thailand. When he isn't writing, JD enjoys surfing, training in Mixed Martial Arts, reading and taking naps. He's always loved making up stories, especially ones inspired by real life.
