Don’t Fall for the Doctor by Lacey Bolt
Chapter 24
Ashley returned to the table a few minutes later. Jeff was back to work, moving quickly around the kitchen. The third chair had been removed from the table, leaving the empty chair that was placed close to Michael’s so that they could both view the bustling kitchen easily. But she couldn’t just watch the kitchen staff all night. She still had to face Michael. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too awkward.
She sat down carefully at the table and watched his face. He looked normal. He didn’t look at all concerned that she had nearly run away from the table moments before. Maybe this date wouldn’t end in a disaster after all. She cleared her throat. “About what just happened, I didn’t mean to—”
Michael cut her off. “I’m having a great time on this date. Between you and me—” he leaned in closer and lowered his voice to a whisper “—I haven’t seen anyone turn Jeff down like that for a long time and the look on his face was priceless.” He gave her a satisfied grin and reached his hand across the table.
She placed her hand in his. Just like before, it felt perfect. She leaned in a little closer. “You aren’t upset?”
The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “I am anything but upset. You have no idea how crazy you make me. Just when I think I have figured you out, you throw me a curveball.”
“When have I ever thrown you a curveball?” She narrowed her eyes at him, almost gathering enough courage to tease him. It would definitely be easier if she could forget—even for just a few minutes—that he was the doctor she saw in the hospital hallways.
He paused and then started speaking slowly. “How about the time you messed up all my heart models in my office? Or when you stayed late a few weeks ago because one of my patients was alone and scared about their surgery the next day? Or how you were able to push around that rackety cleaning cart, day after day, and not collapse with exhaustion each night?” He placed his free hand on top of hers so that he was cupping her hand in both of his. He looked at their hands and started making little circles on the top of her hand with his finger. “My back and feet ached like crazy after just two hours of cleaning—” He cut himself off without finishing the sentence.
Ashley tilted her head. Her brain might be turning to mush from the feel of his hands wrapped around hers, but she wasn’t that far gone yet. “What did you say?”
“Nothing. You just continue to surprise me. That’s all.” He resumed tracing circles on her hand.
She narrowed her eyes. “You said that your back and feet ached after two hours of cleaning.” She paused, not sure if she should say what she was thinking or not. She studied Michael’s face. He looked sheepish, like he was afraid that he was going to get in trouble for something. He was hiding something. She took a sip of wine with her free hand as she tried to determine her next step.
Maybe it was the wine, or maybe she was actually starting to feel more comfortable around him, but something stirred in her. She took a deep breath. “You might be surprised to hear this, but the strangest thing happened to me at work last week. Right after we, um, well, right after I messed with your heart models and left your office, I accidentally fell asleep.” She glanced at his face but couldn’t read him. He was staring intently at their hands.
She took another sip of wine. “I must have been more tired than I thought because I don’t even remember cleaning half of the offices in that section. But when I woke up, the offices were clean.”
“Hmm.” He slowly raised her hand and started massaging it.
She almost groaned out loud. It felt so good.
His voice was deeper when he spoke again. “You have beautiful hands.”
She closed her eyes briefly. He kept massaging her hand, running his fingers over her palm and sending shivers up her spine.
He lifted her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss in her palm. This time, she couldn’t stop the groan from escaping her lips. He spoke again, his voice starting to get gravelly. “Your hands are so soft.”
She glanced at his face as the words sunk in. Something was wrong. She frowned, but her brain was barely working. She didn’t really want to think about what he said. She just wanted him to kiss her hand again. And then kiss—
“Wait a minute.” She pulled her hand out of his grasp and crossed her arms protectively. She glared at him. “My hands are not soft at all. They are always dry from the cleaning solutions at work, and I have calluses from cooking so much.” She gasped with realization. “You’re trying to distract me!”
At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. “Was it working?”
“Yes. No. Just tell me the truth.”
“Fine.” He shrugged and lifted his wine glass. Right as he placed the glass to his lips, he smiled, muttered quietly, and then took a sip.
“What did you say?” All her anxious energy from before had transformed at some point, and now she was just excited. And feeling bold. Between the wine, her amped-up emotions, and the way he was squirming uncomfortably in his seat, it was hard to imagine him as someone who could intimidate even a flea. She made her best attempt at making a serious face at him. He was hiding something, and she was going to find out what.
“You really want to know? Won’t that ruin some of the mystery of our relationship?” He was actually joking with her now.
Two could play at this game. She frowned. “If you don’t tell me, I will tell Jeff that you haven’t been behaving and that you can’t have dessert.”
“I want my dessert.” His voice had that gravelly edge again.
She shuddered. “Then tell me.”
He shifted in his chair and picked up her hand again. “Fine. You looked so peaceful the other night when you were asleep on Dr. Jenner’s couch. I couldn’t imagine waking you up. Plus, I wanted to do something nice. I really messed up when I saw you at the bar and when I was pretending that I wasn’t interested in you at work. I thought you’d only be angry if you found out that I helped you, especially after I tried to . . .” He shrugged.
She knew what he wasn’t saying. The kiss. The night they almost kissed, and she turned away at the last moment. The kiss that could have been. The kiss that never was.
The kiss that she couldn’t stop thinking about now. What would it feel like to kiss him? He was so confident and demanding at work. Would he be as demanding with his kiss? Or would he be gentle and slow, the way he’d been with her that night? More concerned about her enjoyment than his own?
She realized she was holding her breath and exhaled. When had her chair moved so close to Michael’s? Had he shifted his seat when she wasn’t watching? They were nearly seated next to each other on the side of the small round table. Close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body.
She reached for her wine to take another sip but hesitated. She moved her hand over a few inches and picked up her water glass instead. She took a sip of the cold water, but it did nothing to ease her thirst. She set it down again and tilted her head towards Michael.
What were they talking about? Kissing? No, that wasn’t it. He had just told her something important. She leaned in closer to him, nearly whispering as she spoke. “So you did that for me? Cleaned while I slept?”
He didn’t say anything, but he gave her the smallest of nods. “I’d do it again if you asked.”
This was the moment. The words were on her lips, but she didn’t know if she could actually say them. What if he said no? Or if she embarrassed herself? But he was the one who said that he wanted tonight to be a date, and he even said he liked her . . .
“What if I ask you to kiss me?”
He let out a low moan. “Ask me and you’ll find out.”
She bit her bottom lip. If they kissed, what would that mean? Would he regret it the next day? Would she regret it? Would he even like the way she kissed? He probably kissed so many other women, women who were more attractive, more successful, more—
“Ask me.” His voice cut through her thoughts, more demanding than ever. He picked up her hand again and squeezed it firmly. “Ask me to kiss you.”
She looked at his lips. They were so full, so firm, so close. “W-will you kiss —?”
Before she could even finish talking, he pressed his lips softly to hers, moving them carefully. He released her hand and cupped her neck, placing his other hand on the side of her face, pulling her in even closer as the kiss deepened. He moved his lips over hers, again and again, slowly and controlled, but the growl that escaped his throat sounded like he was about to break loose at any second.
If she had known how amazing his kiss would be, she’d have kissed him that night when they were both in his office. She kissed him back harder now, moving her lips against his.
Her chest dropped as he started to pull away.
She wasn’t ready for it to end. Not yet. She reached up to his face to pull his head close, but he still managed to separate his lips from hers. He angled his head back slightly, his forehead touching hers but leaving their lips slightly apart.
She gasped for breath as her stomach sank. “Are you ok?” She could barely hear herself talk over the loud beating of her heart.
His lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “I liked that more than you realize.”
“Then why did you stop?”
He touched his lips against hers for one last, brief kiss before pulling away fully. “I think we have an audience.”
Ashley jumped away as though she’d been struck by lightning. She stared at his eyes and then timidly glanced around the room.
He was right. There was an audience. A very loud audience that she had somehow forgotten. As soon as she looked up to the kitchen, the staff started cheering and hooting.
Ashley’s face started burning. She wanted to run away from that room as soon as possible. With Michael.