Page 70 of Dr. Intern

“I know we said last night that if it got serious between us we would talk to Parker,” I say, trying to choose my words carefully. “And I completely understand not wanting to have that conversation with him immediately.”

Claire huffs dramatically. “Or ever.”

I narrow my gaze on her, ignoring the comment. “But I want you to know that this thing is already serious to me. I’m not planning on seeing anyone else.”

Claire rolls her eyes as she rests her head against her hand. “Is this about what I said earlier? It was just a joke, Beau.”

“I know,” I reply. “But I should have made my intentions clear to you last night.”

“Got it. You want to be my boyfriend.“ She sings the last word like a taunt and it takes everything in me not to grin. The word sounds perfect on her lips.

“I’ll be whatever you want me to be, Claire,” I offer. “But I want you to know that I’m all in.”

She nods, her expression thoughtful. “You know you didn’t have to say this just to get me to come to Texas, right? I was going to come anyway, I just had to make you work for it a bit.”

“I know,” I admit. “But I needed you to hear it.”

She chews on her thumbnail for a moment before responding. “It’s serious to me too. But, Beau?”

“Yeah?”

Claire’s chest heaves as she inhales deeply. “Do you mind if we still keep this between us for a little while longer? I don’t think I’m ready to tell him yet. Not that his opinion matters, but me and Parker are finally getting along, and I don’t want to ruin that. Plus, it feels like we’re in our own world here, and I’m not ready to let anyone in.”

I smile at her because I couldn’t agree more. Crossing the room, I finally crawl onto the couch and take her into my arms, giving in to her like I always do.There’s no telling what Parker will say once we explain the situation to him, but I’m going to let her take the lead on this. I may feel conflicted because of our friendship, but Claire’s needs have always felt more important than mine, and I’m going to respect her wishes.

“Of course,” I murmur against her hair as she settles into me. “Whenever you’re ready.”

We spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies as we lounge on the couch and eat popcorn. While this is probably not the best use of my time off, I can’t bring myself to care. Everything feels so natural with her, like I can just let go and forget about the million things I should be doing.

As the hours pass, I find myself completely relaxed. The stress of work and the complexities of our situation fade swiftly into the background. The warmth of her body and the gentle rhythm of her breath against my chest is soothing, and I feel a sense of contentment that’s hard to describe.

By the time dinner rolls around, neither one of us is hungry from snacking all day, but I make a charcuterie board knowing that we both need something more substantial than the popcorn in our stomachs. When I bring it over, Claire complains that it’s not a Lunchable and I roll my eyes. The woman would be happy with dinosaur nuggets and waffle fries for every meal if she had it her way.

Despite her complaint, she digs into the food with enthusiasm. As we eat, our conversation swerves all over the place, with her ridiculous stories driving our banter. One minute we’re discussing the evolution of Hooters, and the next we’re debating the best dipping sauce for chicken tenders. The way her brain works is astounding, but it has me laughing more than I have in a long time.

Her childlike joy for simple pleasures is infectious, and I find myself picturing what it would be like to have her in my life forever.There would be no boring days, that’s for sure.

Once we settle on a movie for the evening, Claire takes my hand in hers and squeezes. “Thanks for today.”

I lean down and kiss the top of her head. “I should be thanking you. It’s the best day I’ve had in a while.”

“Me too,” she admits, her eyes fluttering closed as she nestles into my arms. “Though one thing might have made it better . . .”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Well, I got your note this morning,” she says, bending her neck to look up at me. Her eyes have a glimmer of wildness in them.

“Did you now?”

I completely forgot about the plan I had for us today, though I have no regrets about the turn of events because now there’s nothing left unsaid between us.

Claire nods her head, holding her tongue.

“And?” I ask, feeling my cock start to stir beneath her.

“Let’s do it,” she replies casually, her cheeks flushing pink.

“Do what?”

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