Page 146 of The Ampersand Effect

“You wanna get wet?” Grier murmured, her voice thick with desire.

She felt Tobin smile against her throat, a huff of hot air ghosting over her damp skin.

“Bold of you to think I’m not already,” Tobin murmured—and then she was kissing her. Their lips met, sweet and warm, tongues searching for each other.

Grier gasped into the kiss when Tobin tugged a hand from her hair down, guiding it beneath the waistband of her pajama shorts. Her fingers slid between Tobin’s labia, and Grier moaned.

Tobin was fucking soaked—slick and throbbing—and the pulsing rhythm of her arousal matched the one she felt between her own legs. “Tobin,” she whined. Her palm was soaked with Tobin’s arousal, and she continued to press against Tobin’s clit, dragging two fingers along either side of it. She pressed her hips forward, grinding into Tobin’s thigh. Tobin used the position to spread her legs apart.

Tobin’s cool hands slid under the hem of the zippy, one hand cupping her bare ass before settling on her hip. The thumb of the other hand pressed into the sensitive crease inside the angle of her pelvis.

Grier took advantage of the new position, rocking herself along Tobin’s thigh. She was naked beneath her pajama shorts, her slickness lubricating Tobin’s skin and creating the perfect amount of friction.

Tobin widened her stance just enough, and Grier slid her fingers through the soft folds of Tobin’s heat before slowly easing a finger inside her. The moan that slipped from her throat was a surprise, but it shouldn’t have been—this was exactly what she’d wanted.

With her other hand still tangled in Tobin’s hair, she pulled her forward until their chests collided—heaving and expanding with their efforts. Their mouths met, claiming each other. Grier felt Tobin clench around the finger, her muscles fluttering with need. And then Tobin’s grip tightened at her hip, fingers digging into the sensitive flesh as she rocked her forward, adding rhythm, adding pressure, guiding her deeper into the ache that built between them.

Grier felt herself building, but knew Tobin’s climax was looming. Slowing the rhythm of her own hips, she focused her attention on Tobin. Tobin’s neck arched back, a low whine escaping her lips as Grier’s finger curled inside her.

Leaning in, Grier pressed a soft kiss to the hollow of Tobin’s throat, losing herself in the smell of her skin. The small, desperate whimpers she drew from Tobin were a sign Grier recognized—she was right on the edge of her pleasure.

With her free hand, Grier cupped Tobin’s neck and guided her face forward until their eyes met.

“I love you, Tobin,” she whispered, her gaze unwavering, imploring Tobin to feel every atom of truth she imbued in her words.

Tobin’s eyes fluttered shut as her orgasm washed through her.

They stilled together, breathing each other in. Slowly, Tobin’s aftershocks softened into stillness. She opened her eyes, gently slid Grier’s hand from inside her, and tugged her toward the stairs. The beginnings of their breakfast remained unfinished on the counter.

But in that brief, vulnerable moment—after Tobin caught her breath but before she was centered enough to conceal her emotions— Grier saw the slightest edge of something in her eyes.

Something dark and thick and terrifying. She saw a wall.

“Dr. Savage,” Haleigh’s firm voice cut through the hallway as Grier stepped off the elevator onto the Integrated Health department floor. The chill in her tone tightened every muscle in Grier’s body. She scanned for the source and locked eyes with Haleigh—her already frazzled nerves sparked beneath her as her body braced instinctively for a fight.

“Dr. Rhodes?” Grier could feel the alarm in her throat, seeping into her voice.

“A word, please? In your office.” Haleigh nodded curtly, motioning Grier ahead of her. She followed in silence.

Grier unlocked the door and stepped inside. Haleigh entered behind her, pulling the door shut. Her posture relaxed—only slightly—now that they were in private.

“You’re scaring me a bit, Haleigh. What’s going on?”

Grier’s voice was steady, but she was still on edge from her morning with Tobin. From that change in her eyes after she told her she loved her for the second time—dark, guarded, distant. Tobin had voraciously fucked the fear out of her in the shower afterward. But Grier couldn’t lie to herself about what she saw.

And Tobin’s decidedly happy mood after their shower was suspiciously upbeat.

Grier couldn’t put her finger on exactly what she was feeling— but she knew she shouldn’t feel like this after confessing her love to someone. And she was pretty sure Tobin knew it too.

Tobin had spent the rest of the morning chattering— relentlessly cheerful, borderline performative. It felt to Grier like she was deliberately trying to prevent real conversation, filling the space between them just to keep it full, to avoid heavier topics, to avoid truths.

By the time Grier left this morning, Tobin had covered everything from the day’s weather to unsolicited peach preservation tips—how best to freeze them now that they were cut but uneaten.

And then she kissed Grier goodbye—overly emphatic, almost theatrical. Not at all typical of the sweeter, softer kisses that she offered most mornings. The ones where they lingered in each other’s embrace, swaying together and inhaling each other’s scent, letting it imprint in their brains until the next time they were together.

This morning, Tobin had kissed her hungrily, smiled wickedly, and then actually escorted her out to her car, even going so far as to shut the door behind her. Not at all like the chivalrous lover she’d conspicuously tried to convey. More like she was making certain she’d actually leave. And was rushing her out the door.

Grier’s brain was abuzz with insecurity. And walking into the hospital where she was greeted by Haleigh’s rushed interception did not bode well for what was to come.