Page 38 of Books and Hookups

I washed the dishes and put them away, then I wiped down her counters and table. She was still working, so I swept the kitchen floor too. I refilled her glass from the pitcher in the refrigerator, watching her shoulders hunch as she typed. That couldn’t be comfortable.

I imagined what it must be like to have Lucie’s job, to work at her desk at the newspaper all day, then return home and work at her desk into the night. Tending bar was hard on my feet, and the hours were shit, but at least I could move all day. I wouldn’t trade places with her for the world.

Gently, I rested a hand on her shoulder. “Is this okay?”

The keys clacked under her flying fingers. “Sure, I guess.”

With light pressure, I kneaded her shoulders until they eased away from her ears and I didn’t feel a knot under my hands. As I worked up the vertebrae at the base of her neck, she groaned. “Feels good.”

“Yeah?” I stroked from her neck down between her shoulder blades.

“My shoulders are so tight.” She moaned.

My dick stiffened. It remembered another part of her that was tight. Gritting my teeth, I pressed my thumbs into the outsides of her shoulders, then moved them an inch toward her spine and pressed again. I repeated the motion until my thumbs met her backbone. Then, like my physical-therapist sister had taught me, I curled my fingers over the front of her shoulders and pressed my fingertips under her clavicle into the hollow, against her pectoralis major, to counteract her typing hunch.

“More,” she said, leaning her head back. Her long eyelashes fanned across her cheeks. I shuffled back half a step. I didnotwant her to lean too far back and figure out I had a hard-on. As I dug my fingers into her muscle, I tried not to imagine letting my hands drift lower to the tops of her breasts. To move over the swell of them and cup them from underneath, to feel their heavy warmth in my hands, to run my thumbs over her nipples and hear her breath catch as pleasure lit her up inside.

I failed. Completely.

I failed so hard that I imagined I heard her gasp. But when I looked into her face, it was relaxed. She wasn’t worked up like I was over a G-rated shoulder massage.

Her hands had fallen from her keyboard into her lap. I bet a hand massage would feel great too, so I ran my hand to the cap of her shoulder and opened my mouth to suggest it, but she straightened.

“I’m going to bed,” she announced.

I lifted my hands and rolled back her chair. “Good. You look like you could use some sleep.”

She stood and arched her brow. “Thanks.”

“I didn’t mean—I’m sorry. You’re gorgeous, even when you’re tired.”

She tightened her lips. Was she trying to hide a smile? “That’s your job, you know. You did this to me, so the least you can do is tell me I look pretty.”

“I…I’m sorry?”

“Don’t worry about it.” She moved her hand toward me like she’d lay it on my arm but snatched it back at the last minute. “I’m joking about it being your fault but not joking about saying I’m pretty.”

“You’re beautiful,” I said. It was true. Despite the shadows underneath, her dark eyes drew me in. I wanted to kiss her more than anything.

Her plush lips kicked up on one side. “Thank you for dinner. And for cleaning up after.”

Those lips. I blamed them for the babble I was powerless to stop. “I can come by anytime you like. I could talk to Barb about switching up my schedule. I could come up and make you dinner. I’m no Leo, but I’m a decent cook. And on Saturdays, I don’t usually work until after seven, so I could be here all day. I’ll clean your place, arrange all the baby stuff?—”

“That’s sweet,” she interrupted me, “but I’m good. My friends have offered to help.”

“Okay.” My stomach felt heavy like I’d eaten one of Norm’s burgers.

“Hey, no pouting,” she said with another sexy smile. “I’ll let you know if I change my mind, okay?”

I nodded and trudged to the door. Of course she’d accept help from her smart, accomplished friends and not from a bartender.

15

The Most Awkward Double-Date Ever

While I’m proud of all the new lives I’ve helped usher into the world, my legacy extends beyond the delivery room. I’ve mentored young people who are now doctors. I’ve supported advancements in women’s health. My legacy combines the lives I’ve touched and the path I’ve helped pave for a healthier tomorrow.

Dr. Namrita Cheema, OB-GYN

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