Page 35

It’s filled with all the toy medical equipment Amina was obsessed with when she was Zoey’s age. I remember having to sit there for what felt like hours having my blood pressure taken and heartbeat checked with her big, plastic stethoscope.

And that’s exactly where Zoey starts.

She misses one of her ears, and the stethoscope starts sliding down her cheek as she tries to find my heartbeat in my stomach.

“You know.” I correct the equipment for her and move the pad up to my chest. “You can find my heartbeat here. Or…” I take her two little fingers and press them against the pulse in my neck. “Here.”

She gasps, blinks at me, then scrambles to poke at my neck again. I help her, and she feels my pulse with this awestruck look on her face.

“You’ve got one too.” Taking her hand, I guide it to her neck and find her pulse, then lay her fingers over it. “That’s your heartbeat. That’s what tells you you’re alive. That you have blood pumping through your body.”

“I got one!” She jumps on her toes.

“Yes, you do, Dr. Zoey. Good job.”

She giggles then reaches into her kit for the toy pressure cuff.

Putting it around my arm, she gives it a pump and then systematically removes each item from her kit and tries it out on me.

The toy Band-Aid sits sideways on my wrist, the reflex hammer lightly hits a bunch of different points of my body, and then she’s squirting imaginary cream on my cheeks and neck before rubbing it in with her little fingers.

She’s seriously so adorable.

“All healfy now?”

“Oh yes. You made me all better, Dr. Zoey. Thank you so?—”

My words cut off when Carson appears in the doorway.

He still looks a little banged up, and the bruise on his chin is kind of nasty, but at least he doesn’t have any black eyes.

He’s carrying a mug of what I assume is coffee and a glass of water.

There’s also a blister pack of pain meds between his teeth.

He jerks to a stop when he spots Zoey, narrowing his eyes at her.

She grins back, obviously knowing she’s not supposed to be in here but giving him her bestest eyes so he’ll melt into a puddle.

I think it’s working, because his lips are twitching and he only lets out a very low, soft growl.

Zoey giggles, and I share a quick grin with Carson when he walks around her to place the mug and glass on the nightstand.

“Zoey! Where are you, lil’ bug?” Zander calls from down the hallway.

Zoey bulges her eyes and quickly darts out of the room.

As soon as she’s gone, Carson lets out a soft chuckle, shaking his head and perching on the edge of the bed.

Damn, he’s fine.

I brush my hand over my frizzy hair, suddenly self-conscious. I need a straightener and makeup, stat.

But Carson doesn’t seem to notice or mind what I look like as he gazes at me, his eyes glimmering with something that makes my chest warm and tingly.

Stretching his arm across my body, he rests his left hand on the mattress and lightly traces the edge of my face with his right finger. “You sleep okay?”

“Yeah, like a log. Did I snore or anything?”

“Nope.” He shakes his head. “You kind of murmured a bit, but nothing too noisy.”

I smile at him, resting my hand lightly on his cheek. “So, you stayed with me all night?”

“I did.” He nods.

Biting my bottom lip, I run my hand down his arm and whisper, “Thank you.”

He gives me a little nod and clears his throat, reaching for the pain meds. “Do you need these?”

“No, actually, I’m okay.” I don’t like popping pills unless I absolutely have to. Rotating my ankle, I then try bending my knee and am pleased it’s not too stiff. I might need my cane for the rest of today, but I should be walking as normally as possible by midweek.

“Is there anything you need?”

I look at him, then pat his mattress. “Well, if you could have your bed moved into my dorm, that’d be great. It’s super comfy.”

He smiles at me. It’s relaxed and unchecked and the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I soak it in for a second before leaning forward and cupping his cheek again. “And if you could maybe come with the bed, that’d be good too.”

Before he can respond, I pull him toward me and kiss him. Thankfully, he responds immediately. Moaning against my lips, he deepens our kiss like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Because it is.

Running my hand around his neck, I tug him to come closer and he falls forward, his chest pressing against mine, his hand tucking under my ass and giving it a squeeze.

I roll toward him, giving him easier access.

I want his hands all over me; my body is begging for it.

I want his fingers between my legs again.

I want to give in to this heat coursing through me.

Who cares if his teammates are downstairs?

They’re not just gonna barge into his room, right?

We could make this work. We’re not in a movie theater anymore.

“Carson,” I whisper, sliding my hand down his back and wriggling my fingers under his hoodie.

My touch ignites him. I can feel it in the way his kiss intensifies, his tongue owning mine as he?—

“Sorry, Zoey left her stuff in here.”

The door swings open, revealing a surprised Zander and a smiling Zoey. She’s perched in his arm, pointing at us.

“Kissing!”

“Oh shit,” Zander mutters, shaking his head and cringing at his housemate. “You really don’t value your life at all, do you?”

“Sit!” Zoey bounces in Zander’s arms, then giggles when he gives her a sharp frown.

She goes red and covers her mouth, giggling against her palm.

Zander winces and turns back toward us, his helpless frown aimed right at Carson. “How badly do I need to worry about your safety?”

Carson snickers, then looks at me, studying my face for a beat before grabbing me and kissing me like we’re the only two people on earth.

I laugh against his lips while Zander groans and Zoey yells, “Sit!” again.

“Stop saying that, Zo-Zo. You’re gonna get me in trouble.”

My phone starts to ring, pulling me away from Carson. I’m still grinning until I lift it off the nightstand and my blood runs cold. “Oh shit, it’s my dad.”

“Sit!” Zoey yells again.

Zander covers her mouth, mumbling something about Carson not being the only guy to die today as he walks out of the room and leaves me with a tinderbox ringing in my hand.