Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
She shrugs. “Well…it is bigger than the ones on Grey’s Anatomy. But they only served the purpose of sex, so that’s no surprise.”
I wince. I hope she doesn’t think I brought her back here with some pseudo-freaky idea of seducing her. For me, this place is about as unsexy as it gets. When I’m sleeping in here, I usually smell like vending machine burritos and have been on shift for twenty-four hours straight.
“In my defense, I only brought you back here because the cafeteria was packed.” Packed with people I know—cough, Dale—who would never let me enjoy time with her in peace.
When he saw us in line to check out, his expression was already a mixture of “Holy shit” and “Hell yes” and “I’m ready to be a nosy dick and insert myself into your lunch.” I knew it would only get worse the longer we sat there, so I made the snap decision to take Sammy somewhere else to eat inside the hospital.
The thing is, if you’re not a doctor or a nurse or a someone with a strong stomach who’s not averse to bodily fluids and the like while you’re enjoying a meal, the options are kind of limited. My on-call room felt like the only viable place.
“I think you got too much food.” Sammy glances at me and then pointedly at the two half-eaten takeout containers sitting in front of us before she taps the top of the additional two takeout containers we haven’t touched.
“I just wanted to make sure you had options. It takes at least four lunches at the prestigious St. Luke’s Café to settle on your favorites.”
“Four whole lunches, huh?”
“I mean, I’m willing to put in the legwork of having those lunches with you.”
Her laugh is a cute, melodic giggle. “Your tune might change when I tell you that I only give the chicken tenders a six on a scale of one to ten.”
“What? Only a six?” I feign shocked eyes before tapping my chin dramatically. “You know, I think our usual chef is on vacation or something. That’s probably why they’re not up to snuff today.”
“Oh, okay,” she mutters with a knowing smile and stands up from her chair to toss her takeout container in the trash. She makes a pit stop at the sink to wash her hands, and I can’t stop myself from taking her in. Her full hips and strong thighs and the tiny bump of a stomach that’s carried and birthed two kids.
Sammy has the body of a woman, and fuck if I don’t love everything about it.
“What are you looking at?” she asks, her hip hitched against the counter of the sink now. Her brow is furrowed, and her eyes search mine.
I pause, wavering on my choice of words before eventually getting straight to the point. “You. You’re beautiful.”
I stare at her in rapt attention, watching as a hint of a blush forms on her cheeks. She glances down at her shoes and digs her bottom teeth into her lip before she brings her gaze back to mine.
“You know, you’re kind of beautiful too, Dr. Philips.”
I scoff. Sammy points one index finger at me before heading over to the bed and sitting down. “Women basically fawn over you. The cashier in the cafeteria nearly had to wipe drool off her face when you were paying for our lunch, and more than once, I’ve found myself admiring you from a distance before I even realized it was you.”
I shake my head.
“But the thing that makes you really beautiful is the gentle way you care about people. Brooke and me and my kids and your sister and your friends. I’ve never heard you speak a bad word about anyone, and we live in New York, for Pete’s sake. ‘Fuck’ is practically an adjective.”
“Sam.” I stand up from my chair to walk over to the bed. I sit down beside her, and Sammy’s gaze locks with mine. “I don’t give a shit about the assholes. Right now, quite frankly, I don’t give a shit about anyone but you.”
“Noah. My life is…”
“Sammy, don’t overthink it.” I reach out with one hand to gently grip her thigh. “Just feel it.”
“Just feel it?” Her throat bobs as she swallows hard around her words.
“I care about you.” I lift my hand to caress the smooth skin of her face and tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear as I do. “I’ve been into you since the moment I met you.”
“You have?”
I nod and run the pad of my thumb across her full bottom lip.
“But…but…why did you take so long to show me?”
“I don’t know… I guess it’s because I didn’t want to push you into something you weren’t ready for,” I answer honestly. “I respect you, Sammy, and I felt like you deserved space to find your way. Space to focus on your kids and yourself. Space to find yourself after going through such a hard divorce.”