"Fuck, that was beautiful." He trails kisses over my neck. "My turn."
He lowers me to my feet, turns me around and fucks me hard to his own release.
Chapter 41
Adley
"I need to go to work." I push on his shoulder. "Crew? Wake up. I need to go."
He lazily opens his eyes before kicking back the blanket. "Since when do you go to work before five a.m?"
"It's almost nine." I stare at his nude body. I fell asleep in his arms after we made love. I listened to his steady breathing for more than an hour before I finally drifted off too.
"What?" He sits upright, raking both hands through his hair. "What the hell? I never sleep past five a.m."
"Never say never, Benton," I quip. "There's coffee in the kitchen. Sydney will probably offer you half of her breakfast, and she'll be wearing nothing but lingerie. I suggest you don't take up either of those offers."
He wiggles his brows. "I'm only hungry for one thing."
"I can't be late." I tap my shoe on the floor. "I called Kade an hour ago. He said your dad is stable. They'll run some tests this morning, and then Dr. Tate will advise them about whether surgery is a viable option at this time."
>
"Thanks for the update, Dr. York."
I smile broadly. "I'm going to do it. I want it."
"You'll do it." He pulls his arms over his head in a stretch. Sweet Jesus, those biceps make me want to crawl back in bed. "Why were you so secretive about it? You could have just told me that you're going to be a doctor."
I risk being five minutes late and sit on the edge of the bed. "I needed to believe I could do it before I told anyone."
He leans back against the wooden headboard. I know he's waiting for me to explain more.
"When I first entertained the idea, it felt like it was too much to hope for." I smooth my palms over the thighs of my scrubs. "I could see this mountain in front of me and it seemed insurmountable. I knew if I told you or Ellie, you'd tell me to chase the dream, but what good would that be if I didn't believe in myself?"
"You believe in yourself now." He searches my gaze. "I saw it at the hospital last night. You were standing there talking to John like you belonged there. You looked at home there."
"I felt that." I reach for his forearm. "John has been taking me on small tours of the cardiology department. He had a mentor who did the same for him before he went to medical school. It convinced him that he was doing the right thing by investing so much of his life in his passion. I feel that too."
"Whatever you need from me to make this a reality, you have it."
I know that. I knew it before he offered. I've looked into student loans and I've been saving like mad so I can get myself through school. "I have most everything covered but I'm going to need your emotional support. I need you in my corner telling me that all the long hours and sacrifices are worth it."
"You can count on me." He leans forward to kiss me softly. "I'm here today and when you graduate as Dr. York, I'll be there beside you."
I want that. I want him to take this journey with me, not as a friend, but as more.
"I need to get to work." I kiss him again, deeper this time, my tongue tracing a path over his lips. "Will I see you tonight?"
"You better believe it." He reaches to cup my face. "I'm so fucking crazy about you, Adley. You know that, don't you? You feel it."
I feel love. It's nothing like what I felt for Leo. This is different. It's consuming and comforting. It's where I belong.
"I feel all of it."
"I'll come back here at seven. Does that work for you?"
"I'll meet you at the hospital at seven," I counter.