I beamed, putting a hand on my belly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. I was in my scrubs, my hair still twisted in the strict bun I always wore during surgeries. I reeked of disinfectant. Cole didn’t seem to care about any of those things. He just watched me intently, without saying one word. I felt my heartbeat in my throat. I knew I was the one who needed to talk. Stepping closer, I took his hands in mine, looking down at them, my grip tight.
“I am deeply sorry that you’re hurting. That you had all that on your chest. I love you, but you already know that. Seeing that white dress in the picture made me nervous, but in a good way. Cole, I can see myself with you in ten, twenty, thirty years. You’re my future. I didn’t... I didn’t think I could feel this way again, that it was possible to get over my fear, but you did it, babe.”
I pressed my lips together, drawing in a deep breath. What was he thinking? I wanted to know.
“Laney, look at me,” he said. “And maybe let go of my hands. I think you’re stopping blood circulation.”
Laughing, I freed his hands, clasping mine behind my back. My palms were sweaty.
“That’s not how blood circulation works,” I croaked out.
Cole laughed, putting a hand on my tail bone, pressing me closer to him. I loved it when he touched me there, all possessive.
“I love you. You’re my everything, Laney. And I’m all yours. I want—” His voice wobbled before completely breaking.
“Anything.” I nodded, feeling those emotions bubble again. My eyes were a little misty too. He pulled me even closer, until our hips were touching. I placed my hands on his shoulders. I was shaking slightly.
“Let’s go to my place,” he murmured. “I want to do so many things to you.”
The tremor in my body intensified. I pouted. “I can’t. There’s a meeting in—oh shit, five minutes. This was just a break.” I was still pouting. Cole drew his thumb over my lower lip, locking his eyes with mine.
“I’m going to kiss you, Laney.” His voice was commanding and determined. My knees became a little weak.
“Yes, please.”
Laughing, I went on my tiptoes until my lips were almost against his. He tilted his head forward. When he captured my mouth, I braced my palms on his shoulders, needing support. My knees buckled.
The way he explored me just whipped every thought away. He was holding me in that possessive way I loved—where one hand was at the back of my head, the other on my tail bone, pressing me into him. I hummed against his lips, exploring him just as fiercely.
When we stopped to breathe, I stumbled backward. My eyes still closed, I basked in the afterglow of the kiss for a few more seconds before opening them.
“Your kisses are dangerous, Mr. Winchester,” I teased. “They make me lose my direction, track of time. In fact, you’re dangerous altogether. You’re wearing this suit on purpose, huh? To be irresistible?”
His lip curled upward. “Never come to a meeting unprepared. That’s my motto. And since when do I need a suit to be irresistible? I do my best work naked.”
I burst out laughing, shaking my head, taking another step back as I saw that seductive glint in his eyes. That usually meant trouble.
“I need to go back in. I finish in one hour,” I said in a shaky voice.
“Good. After that, you’re all mine. I can’t wait to take you home, take care of you. Make the tension in your shoulders go away.” Oh, wow. I was completely melting. Stepping closer, he brought his mouth to my ear, feathering his fingers up the side of my body. “Sink inside you.”
Heat shot through me. My toes curled; my stomach flipped. Licking my lips, I backtracked a few feet before turning around. I smiled at him over my shoulder before heading inside the building.
Holy shit, it was a good thing that I didn’t have another surgery right now. Not because I couldn’t focus—pushing out the outside world was my specialty—but I didn’t want to. I wanted to bask in all of it, and bask I did while Mr. Blackwell droned on about a research program.
I only piped in when they needed information from me; otherwise, I just daydreamed about the upcoming afternoon with Cole.
I was so different from the person I used to be when I first joined the team here two years ago. If I was honest, I was different from who I was before I met Cole too. I just had this immense happiness inside me all the time, and this insatiable need to make him happy too.
The shift inside me was so fundamental, I couldn’t describe it, not even to myself. I simply felt it. Before, I had this sadness that was part of me. I’d pushed it to the back of my mind, but it had still been there. Now, my past was just a fond memory.
Cole was my life.
After the session was over, I smiled at my colleagues, politely declining when one of them suggested that we go to the doctors’ lounge and discuss the latest clinical trials.
“My shift is over,” I said, which was a bit unnecessary, because they all knew that.
“That hasn’t stopped you before,” Dr. Blackwell commented. We’d both been the designated workaholics of the team.