Page 21 of The Surgeon's Secret

Catherine’s heart thudded painfully. She didn’t know how to define what was happening between them. But she knew she couldn’t stop, either. She’d already made the choice to be here with Lexi, and there was no turning back.

“I don’t want to, either,” Catherine breathed, her voice thick with the emotion she could no longer hide.

Lexi’s lips ghosted across her neck. It was only the lightest touch, but it sent a shiver down Catherine’s spine. The sensations that were overwhelming her felt so foreign, yet so familiar. She’d never known anything like this before—this feeling of being desired in a way that was all-consuming.

“I don’t care about anything else right now,” Lexi murmured, her hands moving down Catherine’s back, pulling her in until there was no space left between them. “Just you. Just this.”

Catherine nodded, the weight of her own conflicting emotions all but forgotten in the heat of the moment. The pull toward Lexi was stronger than ever. It wasn’t just the physical desire, though that was undeniable. It was the connection between them—the electricity that arced between their bodies, their minds, their hearts.

As Lexi’s hands began to explore, as their kisses deepened and their bodies moved together, Catherine knew she’d crossed a line. She’d made the choice. There was no going back, no undoing the tangled mess of emotions, desires, and choices that had led her here.

And for the first time in a long time, Catherine didn’t feel like she was pretending. She felt alive. She feltreal.

The world outside seemed to fall away, and all that remained was Lexi, her touch, and the ache in Catherine’s chest that could only be soothed by this one thing—being with her, here and now.

11

LEXI

Lexi stood by the window, her gaze fixed on the soft glow of the city lights below. Her hand absently traced the rim of her coffee mug, the warmth offering little comfort against the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions spinning inside her. It had been weeks since the conversation with Josephine that had ended with her half-sister calling her a liar. Since then, Josephine had been avoiding her. Lexi had known it would be difficult, but the coldness in her sister’s eyes every time they crossed paths cut deeper than she’d expected.

Josephine hadn’t said a word about it. The silence between them was deafening, and Lexi hated it. She’d tried to reach out and bridge the gap between them, but Josephine’s silence said it all. It was a rejection of everything Lexi had hoped their relationship would be.

And then there was Catherine. The pull toward her had only gotten stronger in the days since their conversation at the café, a magnetism that Lexi couldn’t ignore any longer. She’d tried to bury the feelings to save herself from the inevitable mess they would cause. But tonight, she couldn’t fight it anymore.

Especially when Catherine was right here in her apartment. Lexi hadn’t expected Catherine to come tonight, but she was here.

Silence stretched between them, not uncomfortable, but charged—both of them knowing what was about to happen, knowing the consequences, but neither of them able to stop it.

“Lexi.” Catherine’s voice broke the silence, a whisper of uncertainty in her tone. “Are you sure about this?”

Lexi swallowed hard, the weight of the question settling over her like a heavy blanket. She should have hesitated. She should have told Catherine this was a mistake. But the pull between them and the way her body reacted to Catherine’s drowned out any reason. It was as if her heart had already made the decision for her.

“I don’t know,” Lexi said quietly, her voice thick with something that wasn’t just desire. “But I can’t stop thinking about you. And I can’t stop wanting this.”

Catherine stepped closer, her hand reaching for Lexi’s, and when their fingers touched, it felt like an electric shock sparking a fire in Lexi’s chest. Catherine’s eyes darkened, her breath coming in shallow bursts, and for a moment Lexi thought she might be able to hear the voice of sanity in her head, reminding her of what she was about to risk. But it faded quickly, drowned by her overwhelming need for Catherine.

Before either of them could say another word, Catherine closed the distance between them and pulled Lexi into a kiss. It was urgent, hungry, as though they were both starved for something they’d been denying themselves for far too long. Lexi melted into the kiss, her body responding to Catherine’s touch, each caress igniting something deep within her. Her hands roamed, pulling Catherine closer, and the moment felt like the beginning of something that couldn’t be undone.

They stumbled toward the bedroom, clothes falling away, but neither of them seemed to care. Everything was a blur of passion and urgency. Lexi’s heart raced, the weight of what she was doing setting in with each step. The worry was there, nipping at her chest, but it was burned away by the fire between her and Catherine.

Catherine’s touch was electric against Lexi’s skin, sending shocks of heat through her. Lexi gasped as their bodies collided, every inch of her aware of the woman beneath her. They kissed again, harder this time, as though the world might end if they didn’t give in completely. It was as if they were both trying to consume each other, their bodies moving together with a desperate urgency that felt right and wrong all at once.

They tumbled into the bed, limbs tangled and breathless as they moved together. Lexi’s body was on fire, each touch, each kiss, pushing her closer to a breaking point. The need for Catherine was a pull so strong that it consumed her. In this moment with Catherine, she was lost—lost in the passion, lost in the physical connection, lost in the storm of desire that had taken over her.

The fear of this ending badly surged again when Catherine’s hands slid lower, but Lexi silenced it, letting the warmth between them take over. It was reckless, and she knew it. It was dangerous, and she knew that, too. But she couldn’t stop herself. She grabbed Catherine’s wandering hand and kissed her palm before pinning it to the bed.

“Now who told you you could do that?” she teased, looking down at Catherine splayed out beneath her. In the haze that had filled her mind, she’d barely even registered undressing her, and for a fleeting moment was disappointed she hadn’t taken her time. But now she would certainly make the most of the beautiful woman on her bed.

She dove down, capturing a perky nipple between her lips and teasing it with her teeth as Catherine squirmed with pleasure.

“Ah ah. Be a good girl for me now.”

A petulant whine tore out of Catherine, which Lexi had to tamp down a laugh at. She really was needy.

Her fingers made their way between Catherine’s legs.

“Always so wet for me, aren’t you?”

---