Page 43 of Vows of Betrayal

Her eyes landed on mine. “This is a blood pressure monitor. And this is a thermometer.” She pointed to one of the small machines. “And this is a pulse oximeter.”

She arrived at the side of the bed and fitted the armband around my upper arm. She proceeded to check me out with the other two machines as well.

A few minutes later, she said, “You're good. For now. But I'll probably wake you up later to check again.” She started wrapping the tubes around the blood pressure monitor. I picked up the thermometer and looked at it. The small label on it said it was the property of the hospital she worked at. She lifted all this stuff from there. Part of me was surprised at that. And another part of me wasn't.

“If you'd done all your nursing like this,” I let the back of my hand graze the top of her breast over her nipple, “I bet I would have gotten better a whole lot quicker.”

She shoved my hand away. “I'm not a nurse. I already told you that.” She stood and picked up the other two machines and walked over to the small set of drawers. After dumping them on top, she turned around. “Do you want anything?” The look of concern on her face warmed my fucking heart like nothing else ever had.

“Yeah, you. Get that gorgeous ass back to bed.”

But she didn't move. Instead, she bit her lip and said, “I'm going to shower first.”

Before she took one step, I said, “No, you're not. You're sleeping with me on you. And in you. And I'm sleeping with you all over me.” I informed her of how things were going to be. “If you have to use the bathroom, go ahead. But that's it. Do you understand me?”

Her eyes looked me over, and then she nodded. Thank fuck.

Once she turned the light off and slid back into bed with me, I asked her, “Do you want to be a nurse? Is that your dream?”

She snuggled into my side. “I can't go to school. I told you that already.”

My hand rubbed up and down her arm. “I know what you said. But if you could afford it, is that what you'd like to do with the rest of your life?”

She nodded immediately after that. “I think so. I've been at the hospital for six months and I enjoy it. The hours are long.” She yawned fiercely. “But it's gratifying to see people get better because of something I did. Ya know?” She yawned again, her whole body shuddering with the power of it.

“No, I don't. I have no idea why you'd want to look after a bunch of humans at their absolute worst.”

She laughed softly onto my chest. “It makes me feel useful or something. I don't know how to explain it.”

The combined musky scent of our releases filled my nose, and it drove me crazy. I wanted this woman like I'd never wanted another before in my life.

“You should go to school. Get your degree.”

She giggled and lightly touched the hair on my chest. “Okay, Stefan. I'll do that first thing in the morning. I'll go right down to the university and pay them with the leftover microwave popcorn and limp cucumbers.” She laughed again and shook her head. “Maybe they'll give me a couple of apples back in change.”

My hand wandered over her curvy waist to her perfect fuckin' ass. “I'll pay for your school, Chesca,” I told her. And I meant it. It was then I realized that I'd give this woman whatever the fuck she wanted.

Anything.

She cuddled in closer to me, and it felt fucking great. A warm, soft, satisfied Francesca plastered against me.

Fuck.

If I died right now, I'd die a happy man.

“Go to sleep, honey. It's late.” She yawned again.

Christ.

Hearing her call me “honey” had caused a visceral reaction inside of me. Something I'd never felt before in my life.

Not even with Giselle.

That realization threw me for a goddamn loop. What the hell was this woman doing to me?

“I'm serious, angel. I want to pay for your school.” And I meant every word of what I'd just said. And more. Whatever she wanted—she'd get.

“You're not paying for my school. Go to sleep. You need your rest.”

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