Page 79 of The Ampersand Effect

The gasp that escaped Grier’s mouth was so seductive it could have been considered foreplay on its own. Tobin was beginning to wonder if visiting Grier at work had been a terrible idea. She had to execute a massive level of composure to prevent herself from pouncing. Her body burned with arousal, and she knew she was soaked. She no longer had an appetite—at least not for food.

She watched Grier close her eyes, clenching and unclenching her fist as she fought to regain composure. It didn’t help Tobin temper her own libido, knowing Grier was just as turned on as she was.Slow, she reminded herself. She hadn’t come here expecting this reaction—but she definitely wasn’t complaining.

As if affirming Tobin’s inner monologue, Grier growled quietly through clenched teeth. “Slow…” she elongated the word, the vowel melting into an adorably guttural whine.

Tobin was tracing the features of Grier’s face with her eyes when Grier fluttered her eyelids open, her demeanor softening as her shoulders relaxed. She smiled at Tobin, then stood, grabbed her container of food, and gestured for Tobin to do the same. When Tobin rose, she noticed a fleet of paper airplanes tucked into various odd spaces around Grier’s desk.

Interesting.

Grier walked over to the couch and sat down. Tobin followed, eager to close the distance between them.

“I hope you don’t mind me surprising you like this,” Tobin said, uncertainty edging her voice. “I may have gotten a littletoo excited about the prospect of seeing you. We haven’t really discussed workplace interactions, so if this isn’t okay, please tell me—I promise it won’t happen again.”

Grier looked at her with a reassuring smile that stretched to her

eyes.

“Nonsense! You’re always welcome to visit me. Especially if you

bring food! And this looks loads better than the doughnuts I missed this morning.”

The uneasiness melted from Tobin’s shoulders, replaced by the warm hum of relief. She opened her container and started eating her casserole while Grier did the same.

After a few quiet moments, Grier spoke again.

“What brings you to the hospital today? And how long do I get to keep you?”

Forever.

Tobin nearly choked as the unexpected—and certainly uninhibited—thought ping-ponged through her brain. It was an uncomfortable feeling, one she needed to staunch. Despite how aggressively her lust was growing inside her, those kinds of thoughts—thoughts of a lifetime commitment and all the emotions they entailed—were a long way off. She was nowhere near ready to begin entertaining ideas of long-term commitment with anyone, let alone the idea of forever.

“I think we transported the patient you mentioned earlier—the pneumonia case?”

“You and Eddie?”

“No, Eddie’s off today—working from her home office. I think she’s working on a major update to the SAR software we use. She’s being pretty hush-hush about it.”

“Eddie developed the SAR software. I remember now—from her introduction at the gala,” Grier said, pausing her eating as she spoke, more to herself than to Tobin.

“Yes. She manages her tech company from home and still manages to work full-time at Parrish Aerial. I keep telling her she’s going to work herself into an early grave, but she’s impossible to reason with,” Tobin replied, realizing she’d given more away about Eddie than she’d intended. Eddie was intensely private, and Tobin tried hard to respect those boundaries.

“You two have been friends for a while?” Grier prodded, turning more fully toward her.

“Yeah, since flight school. We’ve been through a lot together. She’s incredibly talented and fiercely loyal to the people who’ve earned a place in her life. She…” Tobin paused, considering how to kindly and concisely describe her best friend. “She’s deeply committed to her work—both of her businesses. I sometimes worry she doesn’t have enough balance in her life.”

Grier hummed a quiet acknowledgement, then smoothly shifted gears. “Speaking of balance, got anything in mind for this weekend?”

Tobin was grateful for the topic change, and eager to share her idea. “I was thinking about taking you hiking?” It was more like a question than a statement. Not sensing immediate refusal from Grier, she continued. “It’s morel season, and the rain this week should make for perfect growing conditions. I’ll take you to my favorite spot—it also happens to double as a great scenic overlook.” She deliberately left out the fact that the overlook featured a small waterfall, hoping it would be a pleasant surprise. “We can bring the mushrooms back after the hike, and I’ll use them in our dinner?”

Grier’s face broke into a wide smile, her approval unmistakable. “That sounds perfect—I love active dates! Ihaven’t been hiking in a while, and I’ve never gone morel hunting, but I’ve always wanted to.”

Tobin was struck again by the now-familiar realization: she wanted to do whatever she could to bring Grier joy. These feeling no longer confused her—she knew exactly what it meant. But an edge of trepidation lingered at the fringes of her mind, taunting her with the possibility that this, too, was unreal—that it would erupt in a caustic and permanently damning explosion, just like it had with Talia. The thought made her hesitate, urging her to guard her still-tender heart.

“Yeah?” she asked softly, feeling her chest tighten at Grier’s approving smile. “The weather might be a little gloomy, but it’s not supposed to storm until evening, so the afternoon should be decent for a hike. Do you have rain gear?”

“Yes—but getting wet has never scared me.” She cocked a coy grin at her own double entendre.

Tobin stared at her, only slightly caught off guard by Grier’s coquettish remark. Their history of banter had helped her remain calm whenever Grier tried to flip her emotions with a casual quip— despite what her internal monologue—and organs—were now doing.