He chuckles, tossing the balled-up wipes in the trash when he抯 finished.
Then he leans in and kisses me on my rubbing-alcohol-flavored lips.
揧ou are. And I can抰。 Not anymore.?
*
When my shift ends at 11 p.m., I grab my purse from the locker and head over to the desk to say goodbye to Connor. He抯 hunched over, looking at his phone as he curses.
揈verything okay??I ask.
揘o. Aaron抯 MIA梙e sent me a text an hour ago saying he抯 arguing with his girlfriend and doesn抰 know when he抣l be home, and hasn抰 answered me since. Brayden and Spencer watched some movie that spooked the hell out of them and they抮e sending me 911 texts that they抮e pretty sure there抯 a cult surrounding the house as we speak.?
I smother a laugh. Connor rubs the back of his neck and continues.
揑 could ask my parents to go over but my father will insist on driving and he抯 blind as a bat at night. And he抯 too stubborn to wear his night glasses梚f he even knows where they are. Ryan is working, Angela is probably already in bed, Timmy抯 drunk at his apartment with his firefighter friends. I hate to bother Garrett because Charlotte is teething, so he and Callie aren抰 sleeping as it is . . . but it looks like he抯 my only option.?
I smooth his hair back from his forehead梙e抯 my boyfriend桰 can do things like that now.
揙r, I could go over??I offer.
揟hat抯 not why I抦 telling you this. I don抰 want to put you out.?
揘o, you wouldn抰 be. My schedule抯 totally open. I was just going to go home to clean out my fridge.?
I was also planning on writing a poem about Connor calling me his girlfriend . . . but I keep that tidbit to myself.
揢nless you think it抯 too soon? Or it would be weird for them??
Connor hasn抰 mentioned officially introducing me to his boys as someone more than a friend, and I haven抰 brought it up because I have no clue what the timeline is for that kind of thing.
揑t wouldn抰 be weird for them梩hey know you from the wedding and Spencer brings up the possibility of you babysitting like every other day.?
I laugh.
揂nd it抯 not too soon, Violet,?he insists. 揑 was thinking we could all go out to eat or something next week.?
He leans in closer梒lose enough that I can smell his tantalizing male scent that not even industrial hospital sanitizer can diminish. 揑 would抳e brought it up sooner, but I抳e been really enjoying our . . . alone time . . . in case you hadn抰 picked up on that.?
Images of our 揳lone time?dance through my head, each more sensual than the next.
揧eah,?I say breathily. 揑抳e enjoyed it too.?
揑 noticed.?He smirks in a cocky, kissable way.
I shake my head, clearing the seductive梐nd at the moment, inappropriate梞emories from my mind.
揃ut it抯 really fine if you want me to stay with Brayden and Spencer.?
揧ou抮e sure??he asks. 揑抣l be here until nine tomorrow morning.?
揑抦 sure. It抣l be good梚t抣l be great.?
揙kay.?Connor kisses me quickly, but tenderly. 揟hanks, Vi. Really. I owe you.?
And I just know the way he plans to repay is going to be mind-blowing.
*
And that is how I end up standing on Connor抯 darkened front porch half an hour later. The street is quiet and still; the only sounds in the air are the chirping crickets and wailing frogs.
It actually is kind of creepy. What the hell kind of neighborhood is this?
I knock on the door. Connor texted the boys that I was coming, but I still see the front curtains rustle and two pairs of wide boy-eyes peeking out. A moment later the front door opens a crack梛ust far enough for me to see Brayden抯 face squished into the crevice梙is gaze darting left, right, and behind me, searching for a potential ambush.
揥hat抯 the password??
揜osie-posie.?
It抯 the secret code Connor gave me to confirm I抦 actually here at his direction, and not to kidnap them.
Brayden swings the door open and rushes me inside.
揙kay梒ome in quick.?
He slams the door shut, locking the bolt and the chain with one hand and gripping a wooden baseball bat in the other. Rosie the German Shepherd stands beside Spencer and I bring my hand to her raised nose, letting her smell it.
Then she trots off into the house, completely uninterested. Connor said she抯 not much of a guard dog.
揑抳e decided to accept the babysitting position,?I announce to Spencer.
揘iiice,?the ten-year-old drawls, sounding so much like his dad I can抰 not smile.
揝o why are you two so scared??I ask them. 揇id something happen??
Brayden cops to it immediately.
揥e watched Hereditary.?
揂re you nuts? That抯 like the most disturbing movie ever made.?
揑t was a bad choice,?he confesses regretfully.
Spencer concurs. 揈specially when that old lady climbs up the wall and棓
揘ooope梔on抰 remind me, I抳e seen it.?
And no part of that film isn抰 terrifying as shit.
揂ll right, here抯 what we抮e going to do . . . you guys go get your pillows and blankets from your room and we抣l camp out down here on the couch together for the night.?
I wouldn抰 want to sleep in a room by myself after watching a movie like that if I were them. I抦 not sure if I want to sleep in Connor抯 room by myself after being reminded of the movie.
揂nd we抣l put a wholesome, totally non-scary show on the TV.?
揙kay.?Both boys march up the stairs.
But halfway up, Brayden turns back.
揅an you . . . come up with us so we don抰 have to go upstairs alone??
揚lease??Spencer adds like he thinks I抎 actually say no.
揙f course.?
I check out my surroundings on the way up the stairs, because this is where Connor lives梬here he raises his boys, where he sleeps. His essence lingers桰 can feel him here梙is scent, the warm strength of his presence.
And the house is gorgeous, with a long, curved staircase and oak railings, gleaming hardwood floors, and a landing at the top of the steps that looks down into an immense family room. But it抯 a little . . . sparse. Barebones. You can definitely tell it抯 home to four guy-boys.
In the upstairs hallway my phone pings with an incoming text from Connor.
If you need something to sleep in, my T-shirts and sweats are the second and third drawers down in my dresser. Help yourself.
I text him back:
Thanks. That抯 sweet of you.
And he replies:
My intentions aren抰 entirely pure.
I抦 instantly intrigued, and the three dots tease for a moment as he elaborates.
I like the idea of you sleeping in my clothes. I like the idea of you sleeping in nothing in my bed even more梑ut my clothes are the next best thing.
Joy bubbles like champagne over my skin, and my ovaries do a little shimmy. Because Connor isn抰 just a hot, gorgeous guy with sex appeal to spare . . . he抯 also thoughtful, a man who takes care of the people who are close to him.
And if that isn抰 the boyfriend trifecta at the end of the dating rainbow, I don抰 know what is.
I type back.
Ditto xoxo
And then I follow the boys into their rooms.
*
Connor
There are some night shifts in the emergency department that feel endless梬hen the minutes drag and hours seem to take forever to pass. Other nights fly by, and you only get caught up on half of what you intended to do. There抯 no real rhyme or reason to it, whether the patients flood in or drip, complicated cases or simple doesn抰 matter. I think it抯 more internal than anything else.
And some nights are just a spikey, thorny, son of a bitch.