Page 26 of Crossing the Line (Phoenix Ridge Medical #6)

Harper looked up at her with hope and affection that Carmen recognized as the beginnings of love, and she couldn’t resist anymore.

Carmen kissed her again, this time letting her tongue dance with Harper’s as her hands ran down Harper’s back til she reached the small lower part then pulled Harper’s body closer to hers. Harper let out a soft squeal that turned into a giggle as Harper wrapped her arms around Carmen’s body.

Carmen wanted to say so much and pour out her heart to Harper, but instead, she trailed kisses down Harper’s neck and chest. She gently lifted the navy bralette, letting Harper’s breasts free for her to kiss.

She cupped them and lifted one nipple to her mouth, flicking the nub with her tongue before swirling around it while her hand gently pinched the other nipple.

Harper moaned deeply and shifted her body closer to Carmen.

With her other hand, Carmen ran her fingers down Harper’s body, over her toned stomach and down to her heat, letting her fingers rest just outside the opening.

“Please,” Harper begged. “I want you.”

With that, Carmen teased Harper with her finger, not quite inserting it, while still sucking on her nipple and squeezing her other breast. Carmen could feel how quickly Harper became warm and wet for her as she ran her fingers between her folds, then inserted one finger then two.

Harper let out a massive sigh that turned into a moan as she arched her back. “You feel more amazing than I remember.”

Carmen affirmed a “mmhmmm” around Harper’s nipple, letting the vibrations from her voice stimulate Harper even more.

Carmen slowly fingered Harper, gradually increasing the pace, and she made a beeline of kisses from her nipple down to her clit.

She took out her fingers, to Harper’s protests, spread her folds, then hungrily leaned down to lick her clit.

It was swollen with desire, and Carmen could feel Harper wrapping her legs around her back, pulling her even closer.

Carmen lapped Harper’s clit, getting lost in the heady musk and something that smelled uniquely Harper.

She leaned up to look at Harper’s sex, admiring its beauty, before leaned down and running her tongue from the bottom to top of her folds.

Instead of making quick work of Harper’s clit again, she sat up.

“What’s wrong?” Harper asked immediately.

Wordlessly, Carmen leaned over to her nightstand table and opened the drawing, pulling out a pink dildo. She sat next to Harper.

“It’s my favorite. Can we?”

Carmen watched Harper as she appraised the toy, her eyes growing large with desire.

She nodded her head and watched as Carmen rested her thumb on her clit and teased the toy between her folds.

Carmen pushed the silicone toy gently, letting Harper get used to the feel of it, before letting it slip inside her.

She paused for a beat as Harper inhaled sharply, then moved the toy in and out, gently at first then gaining pace.

She kept circling her clit, putting a little more pressure with each circle, then easing up a bit before applying more pressure, all the while pumping the pink toy in and out.

Carmen pressed a small button at the base of the toy, starting a low vibration.

She watched as Harper moaned deeply and shifted her hips to take more of the toy, and Carmen pressed the button again to increase the vibration.

Carmen leaned down to run her tongue over Harper’s clit and drew tight circles on it before she used her thumb again.

She pumped the toy faster as she matched the same pace with her thumb, and she felt her own excitement growing as Harper squeezed her eyes shut and cried out, her body tightening from her orgasm.

Carmen removed the toy from inside Harper and placed it on the nightstand, then kissed Harper’s lips. “You’re so sexy, you know that?”

“I can’t help myself around you,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “Since you said it’s your favorite…”

Carmen’s breathing hitched, and she laid back on the mattress, spreading her legs just slightly.

Harper leaned over and grabbed the pink toy from the nightstand and positioned herself between Carmen’s legs.

Harper pawed at her thighs and rubbed her thumb between her folds.

Carmen could feel her body responding instantly, and when Harper leaned down to run her tongue along her, she had to hold herself together to prevent herself from going over the edge already.

Harper’s tongue had the perfect amount of pressure, and she melted into the mattress as Harper slipped her tongue inside her before flicking her clit with her tongue.

Carmen felt heat pool in her belly and her muscles start to coil tighter with each circle and flick, and she entwined her fingers through Harper’s flowing hair.

Finally after what felt like forever, Harper pressed the button on the toy then inserted it inside Carmen. “Like this?”

“Press it twice more,” Carmen said. “For a stronger vibration.”

Harper did, and Carmen felt the toy fill her and bring her even closer to the edge. Carmen raised her hips and moved them in sync with Harper’s rhythm as Harper pumped the toy in and out.

“God, just like that,” Carmen moaned, barely able to contain herself.

From what felt like a distance, she felt Harper squeeze her nipple and she squealed before biting her lower lip hard.

Harper moved her hand from her breast to her clit, and Carmen felt her body jump from excitement.

Harper picked up the pace with both the toy and her thumb, and Carmen felt herself teetering on the edge of ecstasy.

“Let yourself go,” Harper said in her whispery voice, and Carmen felt herself squeeze around the toy as her entire body went rigid from her orgasm then went slack.

“Now I see why you like it so much,” Harper said with a smile as she removed the toy. “I could watch you all day.”

“Come here,” Carmen said, and she wrapped her arms around Harper as they snuggled close. “That was perfect. You were perfect.”

“So were you,” Harper said, her voice already thick with tiredness.

They snuggled for what felt like hours, and Carmen's breathing had finally steadied, but her heart still hammered against her ribs as Harper traced lazy patterns across her bare shoulder.

The fog outside had thickened, wrapping her townhouse in silence that made the rest of Phoenix Ridge feel like another world entirely.

This was the moment Carmen usually dreaded—the aftermath when bodies cooled and reality returned with all its sharp edges.

The moment when she'd have to navigate awkward conversation or polite departure, when the euphoria of physical connection gave way to the practical complications of what came next.

But Harper wasn't checking her phone or making excuses to leave. She was drawing invisible designs on Carmen's skin with fingertips that felt reverent rather than possessive, her breathing slow and content against Carmen's neck.

Carmen turned her head to study Harper's profile in the dim light filtering through her bedroom windows.

Her lips were swollen from kissing, her hair a tangled mess that Carmen's hands had created, and her expression held something Carmen hadn't expected: peace.

Not the satisfied smugness of conquest, but genuine contentment.

"You're thinking too loud again," Harper murmured without opening her eyes.

Carmen felt her lips curve into a smile. "Occupational hazard."

"What's the prognosis this time?"

Carmen hesitated, then decided honesty had brought them this far. "I'm trying to figure out what happens now."

Harper's hand stilled on Carmen's shoulder, and for a moment Carmen wondered if she'd broken whatever spell had been holding them in this bubble of intimacy. But then Harper shifted, propping herself up on one elbow to meet Carmen's gaze directly.

"What do you want to happen?" Harper asked.

The question was simple, but it carried weight that made Carmen's throat tighten. When was the last time someone had asked what she wanted instead of assuming they already knew? When had anyone cared about her desires separate from professional obligation or social expectation?

"I want to wake up tomorrow without regretting tonight," Carmen said slowly. "I want to go to work and be able to look at you without my face giving everything away. I want to figure out how to have this without losing everything else."

Harper nodded, her expression serious. "Those are very reasonable wants."

"Are they achievable?"

"Depends how good we are at compartmentalizing.

" Harper's thumb brushed across Carmen's collarbone.

"At the hospital, we're Dr. Méndez and Dr. Langston.

You're my attending, I'm your intern. We maintain professional boundaries and appropriate distance, nothing that would raise eyebrows or create gossip. "

Carmen felt some of the tension in her chest ease. Harper understood the stakes without Carmen having to explain them. "And outside the hospital?"

"Outside the hospital, we figure out what this is." Harper's voice was soft but certain. "We see each other. We build something real. We take our time and don't rush into anything that might complicate the professional situation."

"Your mother?—"

"Will have to understand that I'm an adult making my own choices," Harper said firmly. "But not yet. Not until we know what we're building is solid enough to withstand that conversation."

Carmen studied Harper's face, looking for signs of doubt or resentment about the secrecy. Instead, she found determination and something that looked like protective instinct. Harper was actively choosing to shield it while they figured out what it could become, not hiding it like a dirty secret.

"How long do you think we can manage that?" Carmen asked.

Harper was quiet for a moment, her fingers resuming their gentle movement across Carmen's skin. "As long as we need to. I've waited my whole life to feel this way about someone. I'm not going to risk destroying it by being impatient."

The words settled into Carmen's chest like warmth, chasing away the last of her post-intimacy anxiety. Harper wasn't pushing for promises or timelines or declarations of love. She was offering partnership in navigating the complex reality they'd chosen together.

"There will be rules," Carmen said, her surgeon's mind already working through potential complications. "No personal communication during work hours unless it's related to cases. No lingering looks in public spaces. No?—"

Harper silenced her with a kiss that tasted like laughter. "Carmen, I'm not going to sabotage your career by making eyes at you during surgical rounds."

"I'm being serious."

"So am I." Harper's expression grew more intent. "Your professional reputation is safe with me. I would never do anything to compromise what you've built or put you in a position where you'd have to choose between this and your work."

Carmen felt something bloom in her chest at Harper's words. The fear that had been driving her decisions for months—that caring about someone would inevitably lead to professional destruction—began to feel less inevitable.

"And if it becomes too complicated?" Carmen asked. "If the secrecy becomes unsustainable or someone finds out before we're ready?"

Harper was quiet for a long moment, her thumb tracing the curve of Carmen's jaw. "Then we deal with it together. We don't run from each other or make unilateral decisions about what's best. We talk it through and figure out solutions that work for both of us."

The promise was exactly what Carmen needed to hear. Not that everything would be perfect, but that Harper wouldn't abandon her when things got difficult. That they were choosing to be partners in more than just this moment.

Carmen caught Harper's hand and brought it to her lips, pressing a kiss against her palm. "I haven't done this in a long time."

"Secret relationships?"

"Any relationships," Carmen admitted. "Not real ones. Not ones that matter."

Harper's smile was soft and understanding. "Neither have I. We'll figure it out as we go."

Outside, the fog had grown so thick that Carmen couldn't see the harbor lights anymore. Her townhouse felt suspended, cut off from the rest of the world in a way that made their whispered conversation feel sacred and protected.

"I should probably go soon," Harper said, though she made no move to leave Carmen's arms. "Early rounds tomorrow, and I need to shower before I show up smelling like your perfume."

Carmen felt a stab of something that might have been disappointment, though she knew Harper was right. Maintaining their secret meant thinking ahead and making smart choices.

"Twenty more minutes," Carmen said, tightening her hold on Harper. "The fog's too thick for safe driving anyway."

Harper laughed, the sound vibrating against Carmen's shoulder. "Very practical reasoning, Dr. Méndez."

"I'm nothing if not practical."

"Among other things," Harper said, her voice taking on a warmth that made Carmen's pulse quicken again.

They lay in comfortable silence, Harper's breathing eventually growing deeper and more regular. Carmen stayed awake, memorizing the weight of Harper's body against hers and the unfamiliar but welcome sensation of not being alone in her own bed.

For the first time in months, Carmen's townhouse felt like more than just a place to sleep between surgeries. It felt like home.