Page 83 of The Doctors Will See You Now

I can’t help it, though. I always get sweaty when I’m stressed or anxious or like right now, internally freaking the fuck out.

Holy mahogany-bound books and cigars, I needed to take a deep breath and try not to ruin the night by acting like a weirdo. I was afraid I’d do something extreme like sprint out of his apartment or get on my knees and propose marriage.

Yeah, don’t do that. Calm down. Act natural. Say something normal. Anything normal…

“Uh… Is that garlic bread I smell?” I asked, and Will winked in my direction as he moved back toward the stove.

“Uh-huh.”

Yeah. That’s good. Talk about the food. You love food.

“And Alfredo sauce and uh…cheese?”

“Yep.”

I moved closer to the stove and peered over his shoulder as he finished up heating the sauce. “Either you’re trying to kill me with carbs or win my heart.”

Too late for that. He’s already won your heart.

Internally, I sighed and wished my brain would just shut up for two fucking minutes.

Will turned around and pulled me into his arms. “It’s the latter,” he said and pressed a smacking kiss to my lips. “Which is why I also picked up a cherry cheesecake from that bakery by the office you love so much.”

“I don’t love it that much…”

I totally did. It was a sweet-treat lover’s heaven, and I’d contemplated putting my application in to work part time just so I could spend a few hours a week smelling and staring at the pastries.

He grinned and lifted me onto the counter near the stove. He fit his large frame between my spread legs before I had a chance to protest. I watched as he slid two long fingers up my thighs and rested his hands at the hem of my dress.

“You’re a little liar,” he whispered into my ear. “I’ve watched you bring in donuts and cookies and cupcakes from that little bakery no less than three times a week.”

“I do that because I’m being nice…for the staff…” I lied and he laughed softly.

“Uh-huh,” he said with his lips pressed against my neck. “I guess that explains why you always take your favorites out before you share with anyone else.”

“Jesus, you’re nosy,” I muttered. “Who are you? The pastry police?”

“I also know that you’ve been sneaking patient numbers into your phone so that you can call them outside of office hours.”

My face fell in panic. How did he know that?

“How…I didn’t…” I stuttered as I tried to figure out what to say.

“Relax,” he soothed, pulling back to look me in the eye, tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear, and smoothing the deepening wrinkle between my eyes with a gentle swipe of his thumb. “Syreeta Johnson. Bethany Hyland. Rolanda Diaz. I know what you’re doing for all of them,” he whispered. My eyes moistened, and my nose stung as his features softened to near reverent.

“How do you know this?” I whispered back, rolling my lips in on themselves at the end. After Carmen, any time I ran into a new patient in dire need of support, I gave them my cell number—just in case they needed someone. But even that didn’t feel like enough. I’d become so troubled by the numerous women, even under our care, who didn’t have family or anyone to lean on, I’d taken to stealing their numbers out of their charts and calling them occasionally, just to check in. I’d been doing it for weeks now.

But I didn’t think anyone else knew.

When he touched his lips to my cheek, I felt his smile against my skin. “I’m merely an expert in all things Melody Marco.”

My heart pounding so fast I didn’t know what to do, I did my best to calm it down with a little levity.

“If I didn’t like you so much, I’d probably think that line was a little creepy.”

Will chuckled and moved back to the stove, letting the moment pass exactly like I needed him too. It was starting to scare me how well he knew me.

“How much do you like me exactly?” he asked with a waggle of his brow.