Page 34 of Dr. Off Limits

Sutton

Parker had gone above and beyond when it came to best friend duties over the last couple of months. Today was proof.

Hyde Park was my favorite park in London. There were just so many nooks and crannies to explore.

“It’s like you planned this weather,” I said as we found a spot overlooking the Serpentine.

“It’s glorious,” she said. We took either end of our picnic blanket and spread it out on the grass. “And yes, I got exactly what I ordered.”

We sat and she put her Fortnum’s canvas bag between her knees. “I’ve got all sorts of treats in here. I hope you don’t mind, but Tristan might join us later. He’s meeting someone for coffee but if he finishes up early, he’s going to head over.”

“Sounds good.” Tristan was a great third wheel with Parker and me. He could pretend he was watching Bravo when he was really on his phone like a champ. He was also really good at pouring wine and getting us chocolate out of their huge pantry.

“But first...” Parker pulled out a bottle of champagne.

“Are we celebrating?” I asked.

“Of course! Your first week as a proper doctor. I feel like I haven’t seen you in months. It’s only been three weeks. We need to catch up. I want to hear everything. You seemed a bit disappointed in your messages during the first week. Is it better now that you’ve been out on the wards?”

This week had been good. Great even. I had survived being in close proximity to Jacob. Not that my attraction to him had dimmed at all. I couldn’t see a time when it would. Hopefully it would get easier and he’d become like the old Leonardo Di Caprio poster I’d had on my bedroom wall as a teenager—gorgeous but out of reach. If I could make it through life without Leo, I could do the same with Jacob, surely?

“The first week wasn’t bad. Just... lots of admin and the stress of being assigned to which doctor.”

“Any hot docs?” she asked.

I groaned and fell back onto the blanket. I hadn’t told Parker about Jacob. I’d been too busy focusing on not focusing on him, being angry because he wasn’t Beau, then being terrified I’d be assigned to pediatrics. It had all been a bit of a blur.

“Yeah, actually. But he’s strictly off-limits.”

“You’ve got to stop denying yourself hotness. It’s good to let loose a little. Tell me about Dr. Hot.”

“It’s a long story.”

“It is?” Her eyes widened and she swiveled to face me.

“You know the date with Beau.”

“Yeah. The one who was off to Africa. Or is in Africa by now. You never told me how that went other than a quick, ‘It was fine.’”

“It was a little more than fine,” I confessed. “It was like... the best date ever.” I closed my eyes and put my hands over my face. It was good to confess to someone—I felt like I’d been purged.

“Holy shit. How typical. And now he’s in Africa.”

If only.

“Turns out he’s not in Africa.” I said. “He’s my boss.”

Parker’s jaw hit the floor repeatedly as I told her the entire story. About Jacob filling in for Beau, about the incredible sex and the almost-stroke I had when it turned out we worked at the same hospital.

“So it’s not just you who thinks it’s a bad idea to continue things between you?” Parker asked as I caught her up to speed on the last three weeks.

“No, thank goodness. We’re both agreed that it absolutely can’t happen.”

“But if no one was to know?”

“Hospitals are gossip machines. And despite being made up of eight million people, London is a small place. Someone is bound to find out and neither of us is willing to take that risk. Except.. . it’s difficult. He’s—God, Parker, he’s so sexy.” Sexy was an easy label to attach to Jacob, but it was like saying Nadal was okay at tennis.

“I don’t think it would be so bad if I didn’t know he was such a great guy and. .. he... I mean... He knows what he’s doing in bed.” I was downplaying it. Jacob didn’t just know what he was doing—he was the best sex I’d ever had. Dominant without being overbearing. Attentive without being weak. Dirty without being vulgar. I never thought sex could be quite so... connecting. An intimacy had developed between us in just a few short hours that shouldn’t have felt possible if we’d been together years. It was equal parts exciting and terrifying.

---