Page 98 of Family Bonds- Gabriela & Luca

“Nope,” she said. “It’s not. Because maybe I wish I were there instead of here also.”

“I know we said we wouldn’t put pressure on the other while we were in our rotations.”

“I can be there tomorrow night if you want,” she said. “Or better yet, my place is closer to the hospital. You tell me.”

“I’ll come to you,” he said easily.

Because that was how he was going to let it be between them.

29

WORKING IN HER FAVOR

“You’re joking,” Luca said the next night when he’d shut the door. She’d left the garage door open for him to pull in and come in that way.

“What?” she asked, doing a little spin, wiggling her ass, and then coming back around. “You don’t like them?”

A smile lit up his face. He looked tired. She knew that feeling well four days into their sixteen-hour shifts. Then add the fact he spent most of it in the ER. Though here he was just ten minutes after nine, telling her he ended his night up in the ward so he could get out on time.

“I love them. Not quite like the picture you sent me months ago.”

“Oh, the bunny costume pictures? Yeah, I know. Do you know how hard it was to find bunny pajamas last minute?”

Friday night, she’d searched online for any place in Boston that might carry them. How she found a pair, she’d had no clue, but she bought them from the picture and got them before boarding the ferry earlier today.

“I don’t know, but I can say I appreciate them,” he said. “Do you mind if I take a shower first?”

“I’ll be waiting in bed for you,” she said.

The first time he’d stayed here, he was a little uncomfortable with it being her parents’ house, but she’d told him to not think of it that way. Consider it a rental.

It was not like her parents were coming over this weekend. They always told her ahead of time when they’d be here since they knew she might be sleeping during the day to catch up and didn’t want to scare her coming in.

She walked in front of him after flicking off the lights in the kitchen and locking the door.

The rest of the house was dark. It wasn’t like they were going to watch TV and hang out. To bed it was.

With her ass cheeks hanging out of the little blue cotton shorts. Maybe they were a size too small. Not on purpose, just what they had.

It was working in her favor though.

The pale blue top had thin straps with the face of a baby bunny on the front almost smiling.

Teasing. Tempting that it was cute, when really, she was going for anything other than cute.

She heard the bathroom door close and the shower kick on, the low rush of water carrying through the quiet house.

Might as well crawl into bed and settle in to wait. The sheets were cool against her legs, her heart thudding harder than it had any right to.

She stretched, deliberately letting the shorts ride up just a fraction more while she squirmed around. If he didn’t jump her the minute he came out, she’d failed spectacularly.

The shower shut off. A few minutes later, his bare feet padded into her room.

There he was, his boxer briefs on a body that no one would guess was hiding under his scrubs.

Toned, muscular and all hers for the taking.

“Well,” he said, stopping short. “Hell.”