Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Man, the feelings she provoked within me right at that moment were overpowering. All I could do was respond lightly, saying, I’m glad you liked it, Josie.
I loved it, she’d said, and I knew I was a goner.
It’s muggy out tonight, but that won’t dissuade me from taking Josie to see an outdoor movie at the NC Art Museum. They’re showing Forrest Gump, and it’s her second favorite movie, only losing to Titanic by a little bit harder crying at the end.
Or so she said.
I hear her voice across the parking lot before I see her. I can’t make out exactly what she’s saying, but her tone is serious and professional. As she comes into view, I see her walking beside Aiden, and I push up from the hood of her car where I’d been leaning.
They stop a good fifty feet away and continue what looks to be an intense discussion. I thought it would bother me that Aiden is working at the same hospital as the woman I currently like and whom he formerly screwed over, but it actually doesn’t. All I have to do is remember she’s in my bed at night and it’s my name she’s screaming when she comes.
Josie nods at something Aiden says, and then he reaches out and cups her elbow briefly in farewell before turning around and cutting across a row of cars until he’s out of sight.
Turning toward her car, Josie locks eyes with me and I get that same beautiful smile I get from her every night I come out here to meet her. She walks toward me, hitching her leather satchel over her shoulder a bit.
“So, what’s the plan tonight?” she asks as she gets closer to me.
I don’t answer her direct question, and instead ask one of my own. “Where are your flowers?”
“I decided to leave them since I’m on shift tomorrow so I can look at them all day,” she replies as she steps right into me for a kiss.
When she pulls away, I tell her, “You’re so smart.”
Her grin lights up and she pats the satchel. “But I’ve got the iPod and I plan on listening to that song all night.”
“You do, do you?” I tease her. “How do you know you won’t be listening to me talk dirty to you?”
“Oh, that’s a given,” she says with a sexy purr. “But I’ll have the song playing in the background.”
I loop my arm around her neck, pulling her into me. Her hands go around my waist and we share a quick squeeze.
When I let her go, I take her hand to guide her to my Tahoe, which is two rows over.
“Where are we going?” she asks. “Do I need to get changed?”
“Outdoor movie,” I tell her. “Forrest Gump. And you’re perfect the way you are.”
Josie groans and I look down at her as she walks by my side. “What? You said you loved that movie. Second favorite and all that.”
She looks up to me and smiles. “First, it’s totally sweet you remembered that. Second, I don’t know if I’m ready for you to see me cry yet. I don’t like being vulnerable.”
I release her hand to drape my arm over her shoulders. “Oh, Doc…I totally want to see you cry. Want you a puddle of melted goo in my arms. Gives me all the more reason to touch you and feel you up.”
Josie laughs and gives me a tiny elbow to the ribs. “Seriously, though. I’m not a big crier and it embarrasses me. Let’s skip the movie and just go straight to the dirty talk.”
“Movie first,” I say adamantly as we reach my car. “Dirty talk later.”
“You’re sadistic,” she mutters as I help her into the passenger seat.
“You’re adorable,” I tell her just before I shut the door.
When we’re headed to the museum, which isn’t far from the hospital, I ask her, “How do you feel about going to the mountains day after tomorrow for a little getaway? You’ve got three days off and I thought it would be cool to go kick around Asheville.”
“That sounds awesome,” she says with clear delight in her voice, only to slap her palm on her forehead. “Crap…I can’t. I forgot I committed to work on this project with Aiden, and while it won’t take up all my time, we’re just getting started on it and we’re going to buckle down on these next days off to get started. He’s got the same shift schedule as I do.”
“What project?” I ask curiously, although I’ve got deep disappointment swirling within me. Not only does that mean no mountain trip with Josie, but I won’t get to do anything with her.
“He’s going to do a comparison project on field versus urban medicine, and what practices can be used across the two fields to further better the treatment. He’s hoping to get it published and asked me to coauthor it with him.”