Page 20 of Desperate Desires

I’d spent some time earlier scrolling through her streaming apps, curious.

I wasn’t snooping—well, not exactly—but I wanted to know what she escaped to.

The rows of titles painted a picture. Crime dramas with complicated antiheroes, medical documentaries, and a few lighter romcoms.

They were the kind of feel-good shows that wrapped you up like a warm blanket.

She had everything from gritty, hard-hitting thrillers to light-hearted comedies that could make you laugh after the roughest day.

It told me something important—not just about her taste, but about her need to recharge in the simplest of ways.

She didn’t go out looking for excitement after a long shift.

She came here, to this room, where the world could quiet down, and she could just be.

That screen wasn’t just for entertainment. It was a survival tool. A buffer between her and everything life threw at her.

And I respected that.

Hell, I understood it more than I wanted to admit.

“Um, sure,” she said, taking the remote.

I closed my eyes at the little bolts of awareness that raced through me when our fingers touched and chided myself for behaving like a boy.

Focusing on the screen, I watched as she scrolled through the choices.

She really seemed to like a little bit of everything from that reality crap to period films.

“How about this one? It’s the Christmas episode, I haven’t seen it yet.”

She turned to me, her dark eyes bright with the question.

“A cooking show?” I asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah. I love these shows. I know it’s weird cause I can’t boil water, but I am addicted,” she admitted and took a bite of French bread.

Fuck.

She was perfect.

“Press play, Doc,” I said, and waited till she was ready, spoon in hand.

“Don’t you have any appetite?” she asked, looking at me after she clicked the little arrow and placed the remote on the tray.

I nodded at her utensils, and she opened her mouth, getting the picture. After she took her first bite, I started to eat.

I had to admit I was enjoying the fragrant stew plenty, but it was the company I liked even better.

I was curious about her.

Attracted like hell.

And I wanted to get to know her better.

First, I needed to heal and go after the motherfuckers who set me up.

Once I had that locked down, I was going to come back for my little Bellezza.

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