the notepad I had on my nightstand, leaving it closed. “Diary?”
I smiled. “No, it’s where I keep all of my travel inspiration. Someone gave that to me as a gift.”
He set it down and approached me. “Now, I can visualize where you sleep when you’re not in my bed.” He was holding my cheek and bending down to kiss me. Within a few moments, he pulled his lips away. “Get me out of this room before I throw you on that mattress and rip off your scrubs.”
I hurried us into the hallway, and from here, I could see Emily was just putting the plates onto the table. Not having enough time to change, I took a sip of my beer and sat in my usual seat.
“This looks excellent,” Caleb said, sitting next to me.
“Wait until you try it,” I replied. “Emily makes the best burgers.”
“They’re better than my singing, I promise.”
I glanced at Caleb as he was adding ketchup to his fries. “You guys need a cook-off or a cook-together or something like that.”
“Ohhh, I would love to get my hands dirty in your kitchen,” she said. “Whitney told me you have appliances she’s never seen before.”
Caleb took a bite of his burger, and Emily and I watched him chew, waiting for his reaction.
His eyes were signaling how much he was enjoying it, but he wiped his mouth before he commented, “My kitchen is yours anytime you want it.” He took another bite. “What do you put in here?”
“It’s a secret ingredient.” She grinned, holding her beer. “But when I’m cookie drunk later, I might just be foolish enough to tell you.”
While my best friend and the man of my dreams were discussing their favorite kitchen hacks, I couldn’t stop the happiness from filling me. Emily had hated all the men I dated in the past, but I could see her love for Caleb growing each second.
It didn’t matter how tired I was; nothing compared to this feeling.
Twenty-Seven
“Good morning,” Caleb whispered into the back of my head.
His alarm had gone off a few minutes ago, and we were soaking up our last few seconds together before I had to get in the shower and head to work.
“Mmm,” I groaned as I rolled over and met his bare chest, resting my face on it, running my fingers through his small patch of hair.
His body was always so warm, and he kept the air-conditioning at freezing temperatures, just like the hospital, so when I slept over, I buried myself against him.
“How about I grab us some coffee, and I’ll meet you in the shower?”
I leaned up, looking at his messy hair and the scruff that had grown overnight, a shadow that would only last until he washed up. “You’re not going running?”
“My assistant texted me an hour ago, and I have to fly to San Francisco this morning to meet with a client.” He brushed several pieces of hair out of my face, his eyes so piercing and sexy in the sunlight. “Why don’t you come with me?”
I moaned, pulling the blanket up to my neck, thinking how heavenly that sounded compared to my upcoming shift. I lowered it enough, so he could hear me when I said, “You know I would love that more than anything, but I have to work today.”
“This is your last shift of the week, right?” I nodded, and he added, “Then, how about I get you a plane ticket for tomorrow morning, and you can meet me out there?” He brushed his fingers across my forehead, a touch that was light enough to cause goose bumps but powerful enough to tell me how badly he wanted me to come. “We can have lunch in the city and drive out to Napa, spend a few nights touring the vineyards. I can rent us a few ATVs, and we can ride up the mountains.”
Our relationship felt like a dream, and so did his desire to whisk me away and show me different parts of the country I’d only fantasized about. But our work lives were extremely different. I wasn’t my own boss; therefore, I didn’t have his flexibility.
“I only have three days off, and then the rotation starts over.”
“I’ll get you back in time.” He kissed the spot he’d been touching. “Or you could use some of your vacation days.” His mouth moved to my neck, each caress like a tickle.
I squirmed, the sensation overwhelming but not enough to make me move away. “I could probably take a