The Exception by Lauren H. Mae

Twenty-one

What the hell just happened?

Trav climbed into his truck, his heartbeat still thrumming in his ears and the taste of Sonya still on his lips. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about kissing her a thousand times, quite a few of them that very night. There’d been something brewing between him and Sonya for weeks, but now he couldn’t help but feel he’d taken advantage of a vulnerable moment.

The way she’d looked surprised and angry with herself as she’d muttered goodnight and practically bolted inside—that wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined it going.

He pushed his hands into his hair, tugging until it hurt, but the punishment wasn’t enough for what he’d just done. It was stupid and reckless. He wasn’t that eighteen-year-old kid anymore, doing whatever felt good, even at the risk of throwing his future down the drain.

Though, he supposed it was Sonya’s future that was more in jeopardy. He was just an almost-paramedic. She had a career, a reputation. He wasn’t about to fuck things up for her.

He liked her too much.

If he’d thought he could lie to himself about that, that kiss had proved him wrong. There was no denying his little crush on his preceptor had turned into actual feelings for the woman he spent most of his time with—who’d become a good friend. He looked forward to their study sessions and put an embarrassing amount of time into planning the meals he brought her. And tonight, when she’d shown up to that event dressed like a cover model, he’d let himself imagine what it would be like for them to be there together.

But he shouldn’t go there. Even if she was beautiful and funny and smart enough to make him question everything he thought he knew on a daily basis. Even if he found himself missing her on his days off, and thought, more than once, that she checked every box for him, it didn’t change the fact that they were professional colleagues. And colleagues don’t get drunk and make out.

But that’s not what happened. His buzz faded a long time ago and that kiss wasn’t a lust-filled mistake. There was a lot more than booze and impulse behind it. He’d been thinking about it for so long, and now that he knew how her body felt tucked against his, that mouth making soft sighs that belied every shield she’d hit him with, it would be impossible not to think about it. To wonder what other secrets she had.

Knock it off, Trav. It was a mistake.One he couldn’t repeat no matter how much he already wanted to.

But he really wanted to.

Christ, his mind was back and forth like a tennis match.

He started the engine, trying to keep from imagining Sonya getting ready for bed just inside. Was she thinking the same thing? That she was the one with everything to lose from this mistake he’d made?

He supposed somewhere in this laundry list of things to feel guilty for, he should also consider his dad and how if anyone found out he’d made a pass at his preceptor, it would be the cherry on the “Trav’s a fuck up” sundae.

His dad was an asshole, but he wasn’t completely wrong about the reputation Trav had built for himself. He’d paid a huge penance for it, spending his twenties in a desert instead of a dorm or the bars where people his age partied and acted like they had real cares, and he wasn’t going to get off track this time.

He took another glance at the front door, then put the truck in gear and pulled away. He was going to have to fix this.