“Because we’re sleeping together,” says Demi, with a nod. Her gaze flicks to the table for a moment, and then back up to me. “So we agree about that? Nothing, once we start working with each other?”

I know it’s the right way to do things. Every hospital has the gossip circle of a high school, but the one at Mercy General is especially bad. Between the nurses and the other residents—my mind goes to one particular resident, Cara—it’s impossible to keep any secrets from being spread.

So, people would know in a matter of days if we went into this having an actual relationship. And do I even want one of those, so soon after finalizing my divorce with Emma? It seems like a complicated thing to handle.

Less complicated is the way that it feels when Demi reaches out, running a hand over the curve of my hip. I pulled my boxers back on this morning, not wanting to risk a coffee spill while I was totally nude, and it looks like maybe she disapproves of that.

“You know, I don’t work today. Do you?” Demi says, a little haltingly, like she’s not sure if I’ll agree with her sentiment or not.

“Not until late this evening,” I say, but I’m already catching on to what she’s hinting at. Just because we have to act professional around each other once we start working at the same hospital, that doesn’t mean we need to start it right now.

I pull her onto her feet, and she wraps her arms around my neck and leans forward, kissing me. It’s a deeper, more sensual thing than I’ve had in a while.

Or ever, maybe.

It just feels different. It feels like the only thing that Demi’s after is more of me. And that’s something that I’m happy to give her. I heft her up onto the table, barely breaking the kiss when I do so. She squeaks a little at the sudden change in position but seems more than happy to spread her legs and make room for me between her toned thighs.

“Why does it feel like one of us is about to get called in for work?” I joke.

“I might have turned the phone off before dinner last night,” Demi admits and kisses me again, all tongue. “It’s in my purse somewhere.”

I laugh into the kiss, tangling one hand gently through her hair and holding her steady.

Teeth sink into her lower lip, and my tongue swipes inside of her mouth when she gasps. Her hands slide over my chest, running over bare skin. Palms brush over my nipples, groping at my pecs.

Demi is gorgeous and she’s here in a way that I didn’t realize I wanted someone.

Maybe Tyler was right. I’m not really cut out for being on my own long-term. And this might not be a relationship, but I can still make it the best damn fuck that she’s ever had.

We’re both wearing so few clothes that it’s easy for me to divest us of them and soon she’s back on my cock, her ass barely resting against the table. The tips of her toes press to the tile floor, and her grip on my neck is tight. I’m sure that there will be red crescent marks left behind, the idea of that hot despite the pain.

She opens her mouth, moaning as I roll my hips and press up, more deeply into her. The position is a little stiff, but I want to look at her while I fuck her. I want to see the way that her lips part, her eyes go half-lidded, and her cheeks turn that lovely shade of rosy red.

“Nate,” she moans, her eyes fluttering.

“That’s it,” I tell her. “Fuck, you take me so well. What a good—good girl.”

She moans, jerking at the compliment. I had noticed that the night before when we were fucking. Demi might not know how to take a compliment during dinner talk, but she seems to love the way that they sound in the bedroom.

That works just fine by me. It’s not difficult to find something nice to say about the wet, warm heat wrapped around my cock.

“Look at you,” I pant, shifting so that one hand is braced on the table behind Demi, rather than on her hip.

Leaning against the wood lets me roll my hips with more force and greater urgency. There’s a leg tangled around mine again, and the sound of skin against skin almost seems to echo in the empty kitchen. “Fuck, the faces that you make.”

Releasing her hip too, for a moment, I curl a hand around her wrist and tug, bringing it down so that her palm can press to her lower belly. The very tips of her fingers slide over her clit.

“Go on,” I say. “Touch yourself, sweet thing.”

“Fuck,” pants Demi, like it’s the only word that she hasn’t forgotten yet.

She drops her hand down lower, rubbing at her clit. I thrust up into her, trying to shift my angle, searching for that one spot inside of her. It takes a few tries, but when I catch it, Demi’s eyes widen and her whole body seems to jerk wire-tight.

“That's it.” I’m doing my best to focus on that spot, hammering up into it again and again. She turns into a writhing, moaning mess in my arms. Her nails rake red, raised lines over the back of my neck. “That’s it, take me just like that.”

And she does. She takes me, and she cums on my cock, her body going tight around me as the orgasm sweeps through her. I’m right there on the edge of release myself but not quite.

Grunting, I crash our mouths together, licking between her lips as I fuck her through her orgasm, and then hold her steady while I chase after my own.