Page 43 of Aching for His Discretion

“Good evening. Can I start you with something to drink?”the man asked, and I waited patiently for Levi to respond, given I had no clue what the man said. As I looked at the menu, however, I bit my lip as I could feel the waiter’s lingering gaze on me. I gazed up at Levi to see he noticed the same.

“A bottle of Giacomo Conterno Monfortino, and if you know what’s good for you, you will take your fucking eyes off of her and show some damn respect.”Levi spoke in a monotone, however the man seemed to pale once he fully looked at Levi, most likely recognizing him.

The waiter quickly walked away, and Levi turned my attention to him as he placed a hand on mine.

“Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with me, Tesoro mio...”

“It’s not a problem, really. I need to get away from the hospital and from studying for a while, and I really enjoy spending time with you.”

“You’re absolutely perfect, you know that? It pisses me off how fucking good you look and how every single man in the room has been looking at you ever since we arrived,” he said angrily as he placed a kiss on my hand.

I blushed as I truly did notice a few men looking at me; however, after looking at Levi, they quickly averted their eyes.

I also noticed a few women flickering a gaze or two his way, but with him standing by my side, it was a constant reminder that he was with me.

“That’s why, Tesoro mio... I want you to be mine,” he said sincerely, and I gulped softly. It seemed rather abrupt the way he said it, his intense gaze never leaving mine.

“Yours?” I asked softly, and he nodded as he pulled out a small box. My mouth went dry as he opened the box, revealing a diamond necklace... more like a huge rock on a little chain. My gaze lingered on the necklace as I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond.

Red flag. He’s known you for a month, Teegan.

But he’s so genuine… he takes care of me, his friends like me, and I feel safe with him.

In that case, I’ll repeat. He’s known you for a month.

This is you being naive, Teegan.

Mitchel. Lidocaine. Trash bags. Blood. Killing.

Say no. Say no.

Say yes.

TEEGAN!

“Teegan...” he muttered, and I noticed I had spaced out for a moment.

“Hmmm?” I said softly as words couldn’t exactly form.

He stood up and went behind my chair.

“It’s a lot to ask of you… I know, sweet girl. But I’d like for us to give it a genuine try. I’d like to make what we have official, hmm? You don’t have to say yes right now. I’ll give you time,” he said as he moved my hair and placed the necklace around my neck.

He placed a kiss on my cheek and then on my lips as I melted into his hold. Unfortunately, despite my overthinking,I found myself falling for this man. Given he’s the first man I’ve ever dared to give a second glance to build some kind of connection, whether it be through our awkward friendship or early relationship, I knew I was falling deep.Too deep...Almost as if he was suffocating me underwater, but it made me feel happy, safe...alive.

The literal man of any woman’s dreams was letting me know that I was his.

Exiting the operating room, I subconsciously played with the new necklace that I was gifted from Levi some nights ago. I hadn’t given him a definite answer yet, but my heart knew the answer… my brain just wanted to get in the way and insert “logic” about the risks of being with him.Buzzkill.

“Excellent work as always, Dr. Monroe,” Dr. Woods remarked, walking beside me, and I giggled.

“Some of the other students will start to get jealous, Dr. Woods.” I smiled, and he shrugged.

“Let them. That’ll teach them that hard work pays off, not partying or using Google,” he muttered, and I laughed again at his antics as we stopped at the locker rooms. “Take a break. You’ve had a long day. Dr. Gordon asked if you were interested in going to view a few more autopsies this evening in his lab. Said you were the only student he was interested in having back on a regular basis.” He shrugged, and I nodded eagerly as I hadn’t been to his lab in about a week.

Bidding goodbye to Dr. Woods, I took a shower in the locker rooms and got dressed in a simple turtleneck with a skirt and the oversized white cardigan I packed.

After pulling on my flats, I made my way to the basement and noticed other medical professionals roaming the floor and popping in and out of Dr. Gordon’s lab.

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