The Blush Factor by Deborah Bladon

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Faith

The first touchof his fingers brushing the top of my silk panties sends me into another stratosphere.

It’s pure need driving me to try and help him.

I grab hold of the waistband of my jeans, ready to tug them down so he can sink his fingers into me.

I don’t care that he’s dressed and I’m panting with want.

He takes me in a deep kiss as he trails the top of my panties with his fingers.

His touch is gentle, but I know what’s lurking beneath the surface.

I felt it in his kiss, and I saw it in his eyes.

“Tell me you want this, Faith,” he says the moment our kiss breaks. “Tell me you want my hands on you.”

“I do.” Those two words rush out of me so fast they jumble together. “I do.”

He moves forward again to nip at my bottom lip. “Not here. I want you in my bed. I want you naked. I want to see all of you.”

I want that too.

I inch forward, ready and willing to follow him anywhere.

We both stop when a noise fills the apartment. It’s the unmistakable sound of a phone ringing.

“Fuck,” he spits out as he steps back. “I’m on call tonight.”

My hands drop to my jeans. I do them up in a rush as he sprints across the apartment to where his phone is sitting on the dining room table.

His gaze drops to the screen briefly before the phone is next to his ear. “This is Dr. Hawthorne.”

He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he listens to whoever is on the other end.

“I understand,” he says, skimming a hand over his forehead. “Call Dr. Hunt as well. I’m on my way now.”

He ends the call with a muttered curse word.

“You need to go,” I point out the obvious. “I have to study.”

I add that last part for my benefit. I do need to study, but I have no idea how I’m going to shift my focus from what just happened to a bunch of chemistry charts.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes softly. “If I could have pushed it off to another vet, I would have, but it’s two dogs. It’s going to require an extra set of hands.”

My gaze drops to his hands. They almost touched my pussy. That would be happening right now if it weren’t for that call.

“I want to see you again,” he begins as he reaches for his keys. “Soon, Faith.”

“Soon,” I repeat, not wanting to commit to anything. I can’t until I catch my breath and determine whether I’m dreaming or not.

This still doesn’t feel real.

“I need your number.” He taps the back of his phone case. “I mean, I would very much like your phone number if you feel comfortable sharing it with me.”

After what we just did, sharing my phone number seems tame.

I call out the digits as he taps them into his phone.

“I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” he promises. “Let me walk you out.”

Our encounter may have ended as quickly as it started, but it did start. What happened tonight between Dr. Hawthorne and me may just be the beginning of every one of my fantasies becoming reality.

* * *

“Rich was lookingfor you last night,” Gwynn points out as we sit next to each other in a lecture hall. “He told me you never responded to his text messages.”

I glance at her. “I was busy.”

She gives me a knowing nod. “Studying, right?”

That did take up a small portion of my evening, so I nod. It’s not an outright lie. I don’t need to tell Gwynn that Matthew’s hands were almost inside my jeans.

“I’m worried about him,” she confesses softly. “He’s still hanging out in New York. He should have gone home by now.”

“You’re not enjoying your time with him?” I throw that out there because he is part of her family. Maybe if she dug deeper, she’d realize that her cousin is harboring the deep dark secret that he no longer wants to follow in the footsteps of every single member of her family.

There are no shortages of doctors in Gwynn’s family tree.

“We get along okay.” She sighs. “I had a date last night, though, so I had to turn him down when he called me asking to hang out. I gave him your number because I thought you’d lend an ear.”

I should be angry that she passed my number onto him, but I’m not.

Gwynn was only looking out for someone she cares for. I can’t fault her for that.

“I had too much on my plate,” I say.

“It’s okay to take a break from the grind.” She leans closer to me, lowering her voice so the people behind us can’t make out what she’s saying.

We’re all anxiously awaiting the arrival of Professor Stein. It’s the first time in weeks that she’s running late.

“I know,” I assure her. “I have been taking breaks from the grind.”

I can tell that surprises her because her left eyebrow perks. A broad grin slips over her mouth. “Name names, Faith. Who is it?”

“Who said I was talking about a man?”

She wags a finger at me. “You just did. What’s he like?”

I’m saved by the appearance of our professor as she rushes into the lecture hall.

I glance at Gwynn to catch her winking at me. “I’m going to force you to tell me all about him, Faith.”

She can try all she wants, but for now, I’m keeping whatever is happening between Matthew and me a secret.