Normally I wouldn’t give a damn whether a girl shows up or not, but with Leigh, I can’t help myself. From the moment I laid eyes on her, she’s all I’ve been thinking about.
After all the shit that went down with Mom, I’ve avoided feelings at all cost. I don’t date, and I sure as hell have no interest in getting to know a woman.
I’ve never kissed a woman. Well, not on the mouth. I’ve kissed plenty of other body parts though. It’s just too personal. Kissing leads to feeling.
Until Leigh.
Never before have I had such a strong urge to kiss a girl. When I had her up on that counter, it was all I could think about. Seeing the anger mixing with lust in her eyes was one hell of a turn-on.
Arguing is like foreplay to me, and the fact that she refused to fight back, got to me.
“She has a headache,” Willow says.
I stare at her, not sure what we’re talking about.
“You asked where Leigh is,” Willow states as she tries to read my face.
“Oh yeah,” I say, hating that I’m so deep in thought about Leigh that I can’t follow a simple conversation.
“She just started wearing contact lenses, and they’re giving her a headache. She tries once a year but always goes back to wearing glasses.”
Fuck, now I’m picturing Leigh with glasses. The last thing I need is to get wood while hanging with everyone.
“What’s the story with her?”
Carter’s eyes dart to me, but I ignore him. I don’t tell him how to handle Della who’s clearly gotten under his skin.
“She’s taking a break before she starts her residency at USC. If it were up to her, she would’ve started already, but her parents forced her to take a vacation.”
“She’s only nineteen, and she’s starting her residency. How did she manage that?” Carter asks.
Willow smiles proudly. “She’s brilliant. Depending on which test you go with, her IQ is between one hundred and seventy and two hundred and five. She graduated school at thirteen and finished med school a few months ago.”
That’s just my fucking luck. The first girl I fall for and she’s a fucking genius.
I stare at Willow in shock. I don’t know where to begin to process that piece of information.
“As proud as I am, I also worry about her.” Willow makes eye contact with me when she continues, “She hasn’t had a normal upbringing. She was tutored at home. No proms. No dates. That’s an important part of growing up she missed out on.”
“Yeah, it couldn’t have been easy for her,” Logan says.
“I’m not surprised. Both of her parents are cardiothoracic surgeons,” Carter adds his thoughts to the conversation.
“Speaking of hearts,” Evie says, “How’s your dad doing, Carter?”
“Fucking stubborn,” Carter snaps. “He’s busy closing a deal and keeps postponing the surgery. I can’t wait to be done with school so I can join him in New York. I’m hoping to take over so he can take care of his health.”
When they start to talk about our upcoming exams, my mind wanders back to a certain feisty genius. She’s a plethora of everything I want in a woman. If I were a different man, the settling down kind, I’d do everything in my power to make her mine.
Needing a beer, I get up. “Anyone else want a beer?”
“Yeah,” Marcus says. As soon as I walk away, he sits down on the space I vacated next to Willow.
When I walk by the entrance, I spot Willow and Evie’s bags. Glancing over my shoulder to make sure they’re both occupied, I take Willow’s phone from her bag. Finding Leigh’s number, I program it into my own phone. I decide to skip the beer and head up to my room. As I fall down on my bed, I type out a message to Leigh.
Me: What’s up, Doc?
Like an idiot, I stare at the phone until she finally reads it.