Hope Over Fear (Over #1) (25 page)

“Hush, Marlo. Don’t be a smartass. I’m sure Mike would meet you for breakfast if you’d give him a chance,” I joke as I stroll to the break room to finish my text conversation with Adam.

“I can make my own breakfast, thank you very much. Mike serves a very specific purpose, and sugary baked goods aren’t it. Well, there is something we could do with a donut …”

“Marlo! Filter, please!” I hear her laughing as I walk away and close the door to the break room.

S:
I’d love that.

A:
Do you have a spare key at your house? I’ll whip something up by the time you get home.

S:
Yeah, it’s on top of the frame of the front door.

A:
Awesome, I’ll see you then. And we’ll talk about how dangerous it is to hide your spare key so badly…

S:
Yes sir.

A:
Sir…oddly enough, that kinda turns me on.

S:
Hmmmm, we’ll have to explore that later.

Now that I know that I’ll see Adam in the morning, I’m sure time is going to crawl. This shift cannot end fast enough. As I open the door to the break room, I hear Marlo’s patient let out a blood-curdling scream I’m sure can be heard as far as the parking lot. I bet time is crawling by for her, too …

I see Adam’s jeep on the road in front of my house as I drive up, and I’m filled with nervous excitement. I’m so thankful for the butterflies. I’ve waited a long time to feel that way.

The crackling of grease and the smell of bacon inundate my senses as I walk through the front door. Adam is expertly moving around my kitchen, manning several pans and the toaster. He’s sporting bed head and a furrowed brow, and I’ve never seen anything sexier.

“Hey. So, I see The American Heart Association is sponsoring this breakfast,” I quip as I point to the pan of sizzling bacon.

Adam turns to me with a huge grin on his face and chuckles. “Come here, funny girl.”

He reaches out to me, and I waste no time settling into the crook of his arm. He kisses my forehead tenderly, and I melt even more into his side. I look at the different pans on the stove and can’t help but be impressed.

“What do we have here?” I ask.

“Well, I’m making bacon, toast, and toads in the hole,” Adam explains.

“Toads in the hole?”

“That’s what I said,” he says, acting as if I shouldn’t need further explanation, but I continue to look at him expectantly. “When you have kids, you learn how to make all sorts of animal inspired foods. Toads in the hole, pigs in a blanket, birds in a nest, cows in the pond … all gourmet delicacies.”

“I’m … impressed?”

“You should be.” Adam laughs. “So a toad in the hole is a piece of bread with the middle cut out and an egg fried in it. Of course, it’s buttered, seasoned, and what not.”

“That sounds delicious. Why anyone would ruin such a good thing by calling it a toad in the hole is beyond me,” I contemplate out loud.

“Ah, you’ve got to think like a kid. The name is what gets them interested. Have a seat at the bar, and I’ll serve you a plate.”

Before sitting, I grab us each a glass of orange juice. Adam meets me at the bar and hands me my plate and utensils.

“Bon appetite.” Adam sits and pecks my lips sweetly.

“Thank you for this. It was so sweet of you to go to all this trouble.”

“Hey, no trouble at all. I knew that once I dropped the kids off at school, I would spend the day thinking of you, and I wouldn’t get any work done. So you’re actually doing me a favor.”

“Easiest favor I’ve ever done,” I say as devour my breakfast.

We eat in companionable silence for a time, and it crosses my mind how easy it is to just be myself with Adam. Without thinking, I reach over and steal a piece of his egg. I toss it into my mouth quickly and shrug my shoulders in apology.

“You little thief! We’re eating the exact same thing, you know?”

“Yeah, but it looks much better on your plate. Plate envy … what can I say?”

He laughs goodheartedly at my explanation and then reaches over and steals from my plate.

“Well, how is it?” I ask as he chews slowly, like he’s evaluating my theory.

“Decidedly more tasty, I must admit,” he concedes. “So, did you deliver any babies last night?”

“Um, I had two deliveries. No c-sections, so that’s good.” I keep my response short and to the point. I tend to get carried away talking about my job. I don’t want to bore Adam with unnecessary details, or even worse, gross him out while he’s eating.

“You’re part of one of the most memorable moments in a couple’s life. Every time you go to work, you’re involved in a miracle. That’s pretty remarkable.”

“It’s a humbling job, for sure. The healthy full-term deliveries are great, but it’s the fighters that I remember most.”

“The fighters? What do you mean?” Adam probes, and he appears to be genuinely interested, so I tell him.

“The moms who have to fight for their babies, and the babies who have to fight for their lives. Pre-term labor, preeclampsia, stuff like that. Those patients really stay with me,” I explain.

“Ya know, you’re pretty amazing, Sara.”

I chuckle and shake my head. “Oh, I assure you that I’m painfully ordinary. But I’d like to think that through my work at the hospital and the clinic, I’m able to make a difference to some people and touch them in memorable ways. That’s the most I can hope for, I think.”

“I hope I’m able to do the same.” Adam pauses for a moment, and a mischievous grin plays on his lips. “Actually if you’re not exhausted, I’d like to touch you in memorable ways.”

I throw my head back and laugh loudly. “Is that so? As good as that sounds, a shower is in order first. I just got off a twelve-hour shift, you know.”

“You have the most beautiful laugh … so uninhibited. I can actually
feel
it.” He smiles sweetly as he rises from his stool and picks up our plates. “As for the shower, I don’t see why we can’t mix a little business with pleasure, do you?”

“No, I don’t see why not,” I whisper breathily as he leads me through my bedroom and into the bathroom.

Since my house is an older home, the bathtub was extremely small before the house was renovated. The carpenter decided to forego the bathtub and replace it with a large shower with a bench. I’ve always liked my oversized shower, but I’m fairly certain that I’m going to develop a newfound appreciation for it this morning.

As Adam fiddles with the shower handles, I start shedding clothes in giddy anticipation. He slowly walks toward me, shaking his head.

“Now that’s my job, babe. I’m completely at your service this morning,” Adam says as he pulls his sweatshirt over his head. The way his sweatpants hang low on his hips makes my mouth water. I run my hands over his abs in appreciation, and his breath hitches.

He slowly finishes undressing me, leaving a trail of kisses and nips in his wake. When I stand before him completely naked, he grabs my neck and pulls me to him for a searing kiss that leaves me breathless. The hot water singes my shoulders and massages my back. Adam splays his hand on my lower back as his thick shaft pushes, not so subtly, into my stomach.

The steam rolls around us and only serves to heighten the level of passion, making every touch feel more intimate, more erotic. Adam fills his palm with shampoo and gently massages my hair earning a low moan from me. His hands follow the path of the suds down the curve of my lower back until he’s grabbing both my cheeks to pull me closer. He lowers me to sit on the shower bench, and my legs spread wide to accommodate him.

I slowly open my eyes as Adam breaks our kiss. Water trickles down his face from his inky black hair, and his tongue swipes the water trickling on his bottom lip. My hands instinctively run through his hair and give it a firm tug to bring his lips back to mine. Adam resists me and pulls away.

“Sara, are you on the pill?”

“Yes,” I say as I try again, unsuccessfully I might add, to pull him closer to me.

“I haven’t had sex with anyone except you in six months. I was tested a couple of months ago, and I’m clean,” Adam explains as he looks at me expectantly.

“Me, too. It’s been over a year, and I was tested six months ago. Clean bill of health,” I say as I continue to gently urge him toward me, growing more impatient with every passing second.

“I don’t want anything between us. Just you and me, but I don’t want to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, Adam, please,” I beg.

Before I finish my plea, Adam pushes toward me, taking my breast into his mouth. He draws away with a bite, and I cry out in a mix of pain and pleasure. He rises up on his knees and aligns his cock with my entrance.

“Are you wet, Sara? Are you ready for me?” Adam asks huskily. I’m more than ready for him, and his question causes another surge of moisture between my legs. It’s frightening what this man can do to me with only words.

“Yes, I need you now.”

I’m lost in desire waiting for Adam to give me what I so desperately need. He stills in front of me, making me open my eyes to see what’s taking so long. His eyes pierce mine with an intense stare as he thrusts into me. Nothing has ever felt this good. This right. Our bodies are so in tune with each other’s needs, we move as one entity.

With minimal effort, Adam lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He pushes my back into the shower wall and drives into me relentlessly. My pleasure builds to unimaginable heights, and I’m unsure how much more I can take. Every touch, every sensation is driving me to the edge. My back sliding against the shower wall, my nipples brushing lightly against his chest with each thrust, the whisper of his breath trailing down my neck and collarbone are pushing me toward oblivion. His mouth leads a hot trail up my neck to my ear, where he nips at my earlobe.

“It’s as if you were fucking made for me,” Adam whispers under his breath, so low I almost don’t hear him. I don’t think I was meant to.

His words serve as a catalyst, and my body explodes around him. He continues to grind into me, drawing my orgasm out of me as I moan in ecstasy. He follows me over the edge shortly after, both of us lost in the sensation and pleasure.

Our breathing is labored as he keeps me pinned to the shower wall. Slowly, reality begins to seep back. Silence surrounds us, giving no indication that the world has just tilted on its axis. I peer down at Adam who grins broadly at me before dropping his head to my shoulder and chuckling gently.

Oh yeah. He felt it, too.

Dressed in my sleep tank and boy shorts, I climb under the covers of my bed, feeling relaxed and sated. Adam climbs in behind me, pulling my back to his front, wrapping his arm around me, and gently brushing the underside of my breast.

“Adam, I know you probably have a million things to do today. I don’t want to keep you,” I say, giving Adam the out he needs to leave. I know he probably feels an obligation to stay, but I want to alleviate him of the responsibility. I’m well aware that normal working people don’t sleep all day, and my work hours are definitely out of the norm.

“I do have some work to take care of today, and I will. I just want to lay with you for a bit until you fall asleep. I’ll take off in a little while. Is that okay?”

“Hmm, that’s more than okay. Thank you for breakfast; it was delicious. And thank you for the treat in the shower. It was pretty damn tasty, too.” I giggle uncontrollably as Adam ribs me in the side.

“Go to sleep, beautiful girl. We can’t have you walking around the hospital like a zombie tonight because I kept you from your beauty rest.”

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, taking in the scent of the man snuggled behind me. His presence is calming, and exhaustion soon overtakes my body. I never hear him leave, sleeping soundly through the day. When I wake up, I notice a piece of paper folded like a tent on my bedside table. I reach over to grab it and can’t hide the silly smile that follows.

Sara,

Thank you for an incredible breakfast, gorgeous girl. I love every minute I get to spend with you. Some I love more than others – like when you’re screaming my name while I have you pinned against the shower wall. That one’s pretty awesome, but that’s nothing compared to watching you curled up and sleeping in my arms.