“I KNEW IT!” Natalie shouts.
“So we’re dating.”
Connor laughs. “’Bout damn time, man.”
“We’d appreciate both of your support.”
Natalie laughs. “Obviously! Lindsey’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted you to date. BUT don’t get it twisted.” Her tone turns menacing. “If you harm a single hair on her body, if you break her heart or string her along, so help me GOD, NOAH MARTIN, I WILL CUT OFF YOUR B—”
“All right, I think he gets the picture,” Connor interjects. Then he laughs. “I guess I should issue the same warning to Lindsey, right? You’re pretty obsessed with her. I don’t want her breaking your heart either.”
Noah’s gaze meets mine, and I shake my head like that’s completely impossible.
I’ve wanted him for too long to ruin it now.
His free hand reaches out for mine across the table and he brushes his thumb across my knuckles.
“I think we’ll manage just fine on our own, guys,” he says, smiling at me.
I hear sniffling through the phone, and when Noah hands it back over to me, Natalie’s on the screen, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Oh my god, you’re crying.”
“I’m sorry!” she says weepily. “I’m just really happy!”
“It’s new. C’mon, don’t make it more serious than it is.”
“It’s serious,” Noah amends for me.
I laugh, though inside, the confession fills me with butterflies.
“So do you forgive us for canceling last minute?” Connor asks.
Noah and I lock eyes, neither of us missing a beat.
“All’s forgiven,” I say.
“We’ll call you guys later,” Noah says before we say goodbye and hang up. I highly doubt we’ll call them again, though. We have no plans for the rest of the day, but I have a feeling we’ll be extremely busy.
“Are we totally insane for jumping into something so soon?”
His brows shoot up. “Soon? Lindsey, it’s been years in the making.”
I laugh, realizing he’s right.
“True. I feel like I know so much about you…but I’m still learning a lot too,” I say, blushing deeper, obviously referring to the more intimate aspects of our relationship.
“I’m learning things too,” he says, sounding devious. “I’ve learned you love when I kiss you between your thighs. I’ve learned what you sound like when you’re getting close, what it feels like when you wrap your legs around my hips.”
Our waiter is approaching with our breakfast and I hiss for him to stop, not quite wanting him to. I love the way he talks to me, love the way he handles me in bed. He’s as confident as I thought he’d be, as intense and wonderful as I’d hoped.
“Is it insane if I say I feel like I’m already falling for you?” I ask, just before our waiter reaches our table.
We’re forced to stay quiet as we wait for him to arrange the plates and then ask us if everything looks good.
“Great,” I tell him with a big smile.
I look back at Noah to find him studying me intensely.
As the waiter walks away, he leans in.
“You aren’t alone,” he admits. “I’m right there with you.”
“Scary, isn’t it?” I ask with a lopsided grin, trying to ease the tension.
He nods solemnly.
“Terrifying.”
“This isn’t just paradise, right? We aren’t just caught up in the moment?”
“This isn’t a paradise sort of love, Lindsey. It’s the real thing.” He grabs my hand across the table. “I’ll prove it.”
I hope you loved Lindsey and Noah! Curious about Connor and Natalie? Keep reading for an extended excerpt of DOCTOR DEAREST.
SYNOPSIS
Natalie
Dr. Easton is part man, part myth.
He’s a formidable surgeon. Highly respected in his field.
He also happens to be an ex-collegiate quarterback with a classically handsome face.
Are you catching on yet?
He’s horrible.
Beautiful.
A walking Ralph Lauren ad.
He’s also so off limits he should come with a warning label: This way lies heartache.
Not only is he an attending at the hospital where I’m training, he’s also my brother’s best friend. If you’ve lost count, that’s two reasons why I plan on putting this ridiculous crush behind me. Besides, it’s definitely not mutual.
Dr. Easton has never once paid me special attention. No tempting smirks. Not even one subtle innuendo. To him, I’m just another resident—all but invisible.
Connor
For the last five years, I’ve mentored Natalie in the OR, stayed in line, and kept my hands to myself, but it’s been agonizing.
Natalie is trouble in scrubs. A walking temptation I’ve been forced to ignore.
For so long, I’ve wanted her in silence. By the time fate finally throws me a bone, my patience has run out.
Natalie’s brother is leaving town, and he wants me to watch over her while he’s gone.
He has no idea how I feel about her.
Neither does she.
But she will.
Haven’t you heard good things come to those who wait, Natalie?
Well…I’ve done my waiting.
Chapter 1
Natalie
Let it be known that it’s incredibly difficult to sneak into a hospital. The security measures are no joke: locked double doors, guards posted like sentinels, ID access points, and boobytrapped wires that detonate grenades if you accidentally trip them. Okay, I made that last one up, but it really does feel like I’m trying to survive the boss level of a video game just to make it up to my usual post in the burn intensive care unit.
The trouble starts down in the lobby when I see a group of fourth-year residents and am forced to hide out in the gift shop between the stuffed animals and the magazine rack—concealed behind an unfolded newspaper—until they’re gone. Then, to go undetected from there, I have to hug the walls out in the lobby with my head down and my hair covering half my face. I skip the elevators and opt for the stairwell. Then, right when I think the coast is clear out in the hall, I have to quickly duck behind an overgrown fiddle-leaf when one of my old surgical preceptors suddenly appears out of thin air. After he passes and my heart rate slows (it was a lot of stairs, okay?!), I hesitantly peer around the final corner to confirm I’ve successfully made it to my destination without getting caught.
Mission accomplished.
Straightening my clothes, I swipe my badge and breeze past the double doors on my way to the nurses’ station in the center of the BICU. My head is held high. My white coat has my name on it, embroidered in blue thread. There’s even an M.D. on the tail end. I belong here.